Siheyuan, my new life

Yi Zhonghai, a level 6 fitter at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, and Liu Haizhong, a level 5 forger, were the two people with the highest working grades in the entire courtyard. Yan Bugui took advantage of being a teacher at the Red Star Primary School. As many children in the courtyard attended the nearby Red Star Primary School, everyone chose Yan Bugui to be the third uncle in charge so that their children could be taken care of at school.

Perhaps because they had been called "grandpa" by the residents of the courtyard for the past two years, these two people really took themselves seriously. Yi Zhonghai shook his head secretly, sighed, waved his hand weakly and said: "I have been busy in the workshop all day today, I am so tired that I just want to eat and rest early. If you two want to go, go together." After that, he lowered his head to drink water and didn't want to pay attention to these two idiots anymore.

Yan Bugui laughed awkwardly and said: "Since Lao Yi is tired today, you should eat early and rest." After that, he hurried out.

When Liu Haizhong heard that Yi Zhonghai, the eldest uncle, was not going, he was immediately delighted. He could take this opportunity to show off his status as the second uncle. He grabbed Yan Bugui's sleeve and said with a smile: "Since Old Yi doesn't want to move, let's take the trouble to go as the uncles in charge."

Yan Bugui struggled hard to break free from Liu Haizhong's pull, and said as he walked: "I still have several students' homework to grade, so you'll have to take the trouble to do it, Old Liu." After he finished speaking, he had already passed through the Chuihua Gate.

Liu Haizhong stared blankly at Yan Bugui's receding back. Although he still couldn't figure out what was going on, he realized that something was wrong, so he snorted heavily and walked back to the backyard.

Jia Zhang, who lived in the side room in the middle courtyard, was leaning on the window glass and staring outside.

How could Jia Zhangshi, who lived in the middle courtyard, not hear Liu Haizhong's loud voice at Yi Zhonghai's door just now? She quickly climbed onto the kang and leaned on the window to look at Yi Zhonghai's house across the street. Looking at her actions just now, she couldn't believe that this was a fat man who was 1.5 meters tall and weighed more than 150 grams.

Jia Zhang stared at the movement of the door opposite, as long as the three stewards left, she planned to follow them shamelessly, so that she could share in any benefits. As for what is shame? In Jia Zhang's mind, as long as she can get benefits, why bother with it?

But what happened next was completely beyond Jia Zhang's expectations. In the past, whenever there was any disturbance in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai, the eldest master, would rush to the front to fully demonstrate his authority as an eldest master.

But today, this poor family member acted like a coward, contrary to his usual behavior. Even Yan Laokou, who claimed that he would go up to taste the saltiness of a dung cart if it passed by him, rolled back to the front yard in shame. What was going on?

Jia Zhang rolled over and got off the kang, sat down next to her son who was eating a steamed bun made of two-grain flour, and asked in a low voice: "Dongxu, is your workshop busy today?"

Jia Dongxu, who was eating, looked up in confusion, wondering what his mother was thinking today, but he still answered honestly: "There was nothing to do in the workshop today. All the work was done before 2 o'clock in the afternoon. The master even explained the operating essentials to us brothers."

Jia Zhang frowned and told her son all the conversations between the three stewards that she had overheard while leaning against the window. She wanted her son to analyze the situation for her. In her mind, her son was the smartest person in the world.

Jia Dongxu did not disappoint his mother's expectations. After listening to it, he sneered a few times, and then lowered his voice and said: "Mom, my master is looking for an excuse to deal with Fatty Liu and Yan Laokou."

At this point, Jia Dongxu waved to Qin Huairu, who had just finished feeding her daughter Xiaodang, and motioned for her to come over and listen.

After his wife sat down beside him with their daughter in her arms, Jia Dongxu continued, "My master Yi Zhonghai can be regarded as one of the smartest people in our courtyard. Even Liu Haizhong, the fat guy, and Yan Laokou, the calculating expert, cannot beat him. Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui have been living dogs for so many years, and they don't even use their brains to think about who lives in the west wing? They are police officers driving jeeps. Liu Haizhong, the fat guy, is just a fifth-level forger. He acts like a leader all day long. Almost no one in the workshop is not annoyed by him. When he returns to our courtyard, he calls us Second Uncle and can't do anything. How many people don't curse him behind his back? Yan Laokou relies on his status as a Third Uncle to block the gate of the courtyard after get off work all day, shamelessly coveting the petty profits of a few melons and dates. How many people in our courtyard are not annoyed by him? According to my observation, if it weren't for the sake of retirement, Yi Zhonghai would probably not be this thankless manager."

Jia Dongxu waved his hand at Jia Zhang who was about to speak, and then continued: "Don't mention what I'm going to say next in front of any of you. Yi Zhonghai has no children, so taking care of the elderly and seeing them to the end of their lives has become his biggest concern. In order to create an atmosphere of respect for the elderly in our courtyard, he has always talked about respecting the elderly and loving the young in our courtyard, and even took the initiative to let an old lady take care of the deaf old lady. In this way, he not only actively responded to the call for respecting the elderly and loving the young, and became a moral model selected by the street office and gained the trust of the street office leaders, but also instilled the idea of ​​respecting the elderly and loving the young into the residents of the courtyard. Over time, everyone has developed the habit of respecting the elderly, and when the couple grows old, they won't have to worry about others eating up the family."

Hearing this, Jia Zhang couldn't help but say, "Dongxu, didn't you say that Yi Zhonghai once hinted that he wanted you to take care of them in their old age? Could it be that this extinct family is going to change its mind? No, I'm going to go and argue with him now."

Qin Huairu quickly grabbed her mother-in-law and said with a smile: "Mom, don't worry, let's listen to what Dongxu has to say first."

Jia Dongxu nodded approvingly and said with a smile: "Huai Ru is smart. Yi Zhonghai must choose a person to take care of the elderly. Otherwise, when they are old and lying in bed, can they still rely on the neighbors in the courtyard to serve them? The reason why he created an atmosphere of respecting the elderly is just to add an insurance. Think about it, if when he is old, the person who takes care of him does not serve them to the fullest, won't he be drowned by the spit of the neighbors?"

At this point, Jia Dongxu lit up an economy cigarette, took a deep puff and continued, "Yi Zhonghai has repeatedly hinted that I should provide for their retirement. Several times when he went to drink with me, he pretended to be drunk and said that most of his salary had been saved up, and when someone provided for their retirement in the future, the money would be left to him. Once, he pretended to be drunk and took out two small yellow croakers to show off in front of me, saying that he was giving one to me."

When Jia Zhang heard about the small yellow croaker, her eyes immediately widened and she asked repeatedly: "Where is the small yellow croaker? Hurry up and bring it to me so I can keep it. I have never seen a small yellow croaker in my life. When your father married me, he bought me a small gold ring. I will keep it for my good grandson to marry."

Jia Dongxu stared at Jia Zhang and whispered, "Mom, stop making a fuss and listen to me!"

Jia Zhang swallowed reluctantly and stared at her son.

Jia Dongxu took another puff of cigarette before speaking: "Do you think that thing is so easy to get? I realized at that time that Yi Zhonghai was testing me. So I immediately refused and resolutely took the small yellow croaker, and persuaded him to keep it for his old age." Seeing that my mother was about to open her mouth again, I hurriedly said: "Mom, you'd better stop talking, and listen to me first. I just said that Yi Zhonghai is one of the smartest people in our courtyard. Most smart people have a problem, that is, they are too suspicious. In order to ensure the old-age care of his old couple in their later years, Yi Zhonghai must be cautious in choosing the person who will take care of the old people. Otherwise, if the wrong person is chosen, the old couple's life in their later years will not be easy. The reason why he repeatedly tested my attitude was to test me more. Since I refused the small yellow croaker he sent that time, Yi Zhonghai's attitude has changed a lot. Not only has he become closer, but he has also been particularly biased towards me when teaching us brothers and sisters the technology. Obviously, he has regarded me as his old-age care."

Jia Dongxu looked at his mother and wife solemnly and said, "Yi Zhonghai is only forty years old now, and he still has a long life ahead of him. Just remember what I said today. In the future, I will still be the good man who respects my master, is filial to my mother, and is devoted to my family in front of outsiders; Huairu is a good daughter-in-law who is filial to her mother-in-law and works hard without complaint; as for you, mom, you continue to act like a spoiled brat and unreasonable. As long as we can get Yi Zhonghai's savings, we can even lie down and spend our whole lives in luxury, not to mention marrying a wife."

There was a gleam in Jia Zhang's eyes, as if there was a pile of banknotes in front of her, and Qin Huairu's face looked a little abnormal.

Jia Zhang swallowed her saliva and said hesitantly: "Dongxu, you also said that Yi Zhonghai is only forty years old. What if he adopts a boy one day?"

A hint of coldness appeared on Jia Dongxu's fair face: "Someone will never allow Yi Zhonghai to adopt a child."

Seeing the puzzled expressions on Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu's faces, Jia Dongxu said word by word: "Deaf old lady!"

Seeing the incredible expressions on his mother and wife's faces, Jia Dongxu smiled smugly: "This is the result I analyzed from many clues. Don't tell anyone, otherwise it is likely to cause trouble."

Jia Zhang and Qin Huairu both nodded nervously in agreement. However, when she thought of the small yellow croaker her son had just mentioned, Jia Zhang couldn't help but feel distressed. She hesitated for a while before saying, "Dongxu, although your analysis makes sense, if something unexpected happens, we can't afford to lose everything. If Yi Zhonghai tries with the small yellow croaker again, you should just accept it. After all, it's better to have it in your pocket!"

Jia Dongxu waved his hand disdainfully: "The government's recycling price for a small yellow croaker is now a little over 200 yuan, but as long as we can successfully get Yi Zhonghai's deposit, it will be more than dozens of small yellow croakers. I have already calculated that Yi Zhonghai now has at least 3,000 to 4,000 yuan in savings. He can still work for more than ten or twenty years, and by then he will probably have tens of thousands. And I'm not afraid to scare you, if I really take Yi Zhonghai's small yellow croaker, I'm afraid that by then not only will I lose my job, but even our family will not be able to continue living in this courtyard. Don't look at Yi Zhonghai as a good guy all day long, in fact, he is definitely a ruthless guy in private."