Siheyuan, my new life

He Daqing has been working in this courtyard for five or six years, and he has a certain understanding of his master's deaf old lady. In recent years, there has been chaos and war outside, but life in this courtyard is still peaceful.

It was not without street thugs who came to extort money. If there were few people, they wouldn't even be able to get past the two doormen. If there were too many people, they would be immediately dealt with by government officials. So over time, rumors spread that the deaf old lady had an extraordinary background.

He Daqing dealt with the old lady's goddaughter, Long Xiaocui, almost every day. He knew that the girl was not only beautiful, but also good at housework. So when he learned that the deaf old lady wanted to find a son-in-law, He Daqing took the initiative to find the old lady.

Deep down, He Daqing, a grown man who had lived in Beijing since childhood, was unwilling to be someone else's son-in-law.

But his current situation is somewhat awkward. His father went to the south and there has been no news from him. Although he has a job as a cook, he has no property of his own and no help from the elderly at home. It is very difficult for him to get married and start a family.

After a night of consideration, He Daqing made up his mind. He knew very well that the deaf old lady had no children, and after her death the house and property would definitely be left to her goddaughter, Long Xiaocui. Thinking of this, He Daqing was even more moved.

After hearing He Daqing's proposal, the deaf old lady agreed after careful consideration and seeking the opinion of her goddaughter.

He Daqing has been working here for five or six years. In addition to his love of drinking, he also goes to the Eight Great Hutongs twice a month. In the eyes of the knowledgeable deaf old lady, this is not a big problem. Wine, sex, money and anger are almost common problems for men. As long as he pays more attention to the family after marriage, it will be fine. Moreover, He Daqing has the skill of cooking. Even if there is any accident in the future, it will be no problem to support the family with this skill. It is said that a cook will never starve to death in a famine.

So the deaf old lady chose an auspicious day to hold the wedding of Long Xiaocui and He Daqing. In such chaotic circumstances, the deaf old lady did not dare to hold a grand wedding. She just invited the two doormen in the yard and her family to a sumptuous banquet.

The deaf old lady not only prepared a wedding dress and a full set of jewelry for her goddaughter, but also gave the two main rooms in the central courtyard to Long Xiaocui as a dowry.

You should know that according to the customs of the old Sijiu City, only the head of the family is qualified to live in the main house in the middle courtyard. In the past, the main house in the middle courtyard had been vacant, and the deaf old lady lived in the backyard. Now that Long Xiaocui and her husband have moved into the main house in the middle courtyard, it also means that after the deaf old lady dies, Long Xiaocui will be the owner of this courtyard.

For Long Xiaocui, marriage is just a change of residence and a new relative. She still takes good care of her godmother every day. After getting married and starting a family, He Daqing is like a different person. He no longer wears dirty clothes with greasy sheen. Although not shiny, he is much cleaner and tidier. There is no more grease on his face. He is urged by his wife to clean himself up every day. Now he looks several years younger.

A year later, Long Xiaocui gave birth to a big fat boy. The couple asked the deaf old lady, the elder of the family, to name the child. Apparently, the deaf old lady had already thought of a name. She chose Yuzhu from "the white jade pillar that supports the sky" as the child's name. However, there was chaos and unrest outside. In order to avoid being noticed by someone with ulterior motives, she simply used the homophonic word "Yuzhu" instead of Yuzhu. The child's nickname was Zhuzi, hoping that he could be known as Zhuzi.

At Long Xiaocui's insistence, the child was given the surname He, and his full name was He Yuzhu. He Daqing was of course overjoyed. He knew that this was his wife's way of saving his face. Although he was a live-in son-in-law, Long Xiaocui still wanted to leave a legacy for the He family. However, she also said that the second son must have the surname Long to carry on the family line for his godmother, the deaf old lady.

The deaf old lady did not object to Long Xiaocui's decision. After all, they were still young, and as long as the couple had a good relationship, it would be fine. As for the child's surname, the deaf old lady did not care at all. Even if the surname was Long, what would it matter? After all, it was not her own blood. Now the deaf old lady just wanted to have a happy old age and be satisfied. What was the meaning of real estate or treasure to her? Anyway, you can't bring it with you when you are born, and you can't take it with you when you die. As long as Long Xiaocui and her husband can take care of her in her old age and hold a memorial ceremony for her on time after a hundred years, then leave it all to them.

In the following time, the courtyard was filled with a happy and peaceful atmosphere. The first thing the deaf old lady did when she woke up every day was to fiddle with the small pillars and watch the children cry and sleep happily.

But the world outside the courtyard became more chaotic. As people fleeing famine from all over poured into the old city, ragged refugees begging on the streets could be seen from time to time.

The public security in the city was getting worse and worse, and robberies and even murders could be heard from time to time. For safety reasons, the deaf old lady had the gate of the courtyard closed tightly, and every morning when He Daqing went out to buy groceries, he would ask a doorman to accompany him.

Time passed quickly, and Xiao Zhuzi was almost eight years old. After several years of anticipation, Long Xiaocui finally became pregnant again. However, she had an accident during childbirth and suffered heavy bleeding. After giving birth to a baby girl, Long Xiaocui was on the verge of death. She tightly grasped the hand of the deaf old lady and used her last bit of strength to plead: "Mother, I am an unfilial daughter and cannot be filial to you. Please give Zhuzi a bite of food for my sake. I will repay your kindness in my next life by working like a cow or a horse."

The deaf old lady with tears in her eyes looked at her goddaughter whose face was as pale as paper and nodded with sobs. Long Xiaocui struggled to look at He Daqing who was standing beside her and just whispered, "Take good care of our children," and then she died.

Having witnessed the death of her goddaughter, the deaf old lady was overwhelmed with grief and could not help crying. She was sad about the untimely death of her goddaughter who had accompanied her for more than ten years, and she also regretted the failure of her own retirement plan.

Since Long Xiaocui passed away, the deaf old lady has aged a lot overnight, and many white strands have appeared in her originally black hair.

After taking care of Long Xiaocui's funeral, He Daqing walked into the old lady's room in the backyard that evening carrying a heavy package. Behind him, his son He Yuzhu was holding the sleeping baby girl in his arms.

As soon as he entered the room, He Daqing knelt down in front of the old lady. Without saying a word, he just raised the package in his hand above his head. He Yuzhu behind him had obviously received his father's instructions in advance, and he also quickly knelt on the ground holding his sister.

The deaf old lady looked at He Daqing with a gloomy face, and said coldly after a while: "Xiao Cui is dead, my daughter is dead. If she hadn't given birth to a child for your He family, how could she have died? You made me send off the young one, I don't want to see you again."

He Daqing turned pale upon hearing this. He knew that the deaf old lady would be angry because of Long Xiaocui's death. He originally thought that he would be scolded at most for bringing Zhuzi here, but the old lady actually wanted to drive him away. There was chaos and turmoil outside, and the people were living in poverty. He left here with two children, especially a little girl who was just three days old. Even if he had saved some money over the years, it would be too difficult to support himself and the two children. For a moment, his mind was in a mess and he didn't know how to start.

At this time, the chubby Zhuzi knelt and crawled forward two steps, stretched out his hands to hug the old lady's legs, and cried, "Grandma, I won't leave. I can't bear to leave you."

The deaf old lady reached out and pulled up the pillar, patted the dust off the child's knees, sighed and said: "Silly child, you are grandma's good grandson, how could I drive you away? From now on, your father is not allowed to enter the backyard again. You take your sister back first, and I will talk to your father."

He Yuzhu responded and walked out holding his sister.

The deaf old lady snorted and said coldly: "I promised Xiao Cui to take care of Zhuzi. He is Xiao Cui's son and my grandson. I can't watch him starve to death. Listen carefully, I have three conditions. If you can't do it, take that little girl and get out of this courtyard immediately."

He Daqing quickly said, "Madam, please tell me what you want."