Siheyuan, my new life

However, during a casual chat, Yi Zhonghai mentioned, intentionally or unintentionally, that he and his wife did not have a child yet, and wanted to adopt a boy of two or three years old first, as a way to bring good luck, and perhaps in this way his wife Xiuqin would be able to get pregnant.

Yi Zhonghai's probing reminded the deaf old lady of the tragic ending of her goddaughter Xiaocui. She immediately frowned and asked in a cold voice: "Zhonghai, I understand your desire for a child, but have you ever considered whether Xiuqin would have the time and energy to take care of me if she has a child? However, I cannot stop you two. If you really plan to adopt a child now, I will have to find someone else to take care of it."

Of course, Yi Zhonghai would never give up taking care of the deaf old lady until her death. Not to mention the more than 60 large yellow croakers and the exquisite jewelry box, he would never be willing to miss them. So he quickly said with a smile: "Old lady, you have been so kind to us. Taking good care of you is the most important thing. As for the children, we can talk about it later. Anyway, we are still young."

In fact, Yi Zhonghai had been secretly calculating in his heart. The deaf old lady was already nearly 70 years old. How many more years could she live? As long as the old lady died, all the treasures would belong to the Yi family. By then, let alone adopting a boy, he could afford to raise eight or ten.

Yi Zhonghai was also making other plans. He wanted to select one of the children of appropriate age in the courtyard as the candidate for his retirement. As long as he took care of him a little bit in daily life, he would gain his gratitude, which would also pave the way for his retirement care in the future.

Even if I really adopt a child in the future, this retirement goal can help take care of my child, which is a double insurance for me.

At this time, Yi Zhonghai walked into the room of the deaf old lady in the backyard holding a plate. Usually, it was an old lady who came to bring food to the old lady. After all, Yi Zhonghai had a day's work and he must take a rest when he came back.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai coming in, the deaf old lady smiled and asked: "Xiao Yi, you have worked all day, you should take a rest when you come back. Let Xiuqin deliver the meals."

Yi Zhonghai placed the tray on the eight-immortal table and said with a smile: "Old lady, it's okay. I just walked a few more steps. I asked my co-workers to help buy a few salted duck eggs. Come and try them and see how they taste."

The deaf old lady picked up a salted duck egg and tapped it gently on the tray a few times. Then she carefully peeled the eggshell and sucked the golden oil that flowed out. She nodded with satisfaction, mumbled "not bad" in her mouth, picked up a white flour bun and started to eat it in small bites.

To be honest, Yi Zhonghai and his wife treated the deaf old lady very well. They had cornmeal steamed buns, pickled vegetables and porridge for breakfast, and only ate white flour steamed buns at night. The old lady had white flour steamed buns three times a day. The aunt also often cooked different kinds of side dishes for her, and cooked meat every week.

The deaf old lady had lived a life of luxury, how could she eat simple meals when she was old? Yi Zhonghai had invested a lot of money. Ordinary people were lucky to have meat once a month, but the smell of meat often wafted from Yi Zhonghai's kitchen.

Of course, the deaf old lady would not let Yi Zhonghai spend all the money. Although Yi Zhonghai's salary was enough to maintain such a standard of living, the old lady was not short of money. She also knew that at her age, it was useless to save more money. In addition to giving some money to the aunt to buy meat and vegetables, she also gave all the monthly subsidies from the military control committee and the street office to the aunt, letting her keep them as living expenses. After the capital began to implement the ticket system this year, the deaf old lady directly gave her own food book to the aunt.

Yi Zhonghai sat next to the deaf old lady, smoking and chatting with her until the old lady finished her meal. He then brought the washbasin and helped the old lady wash her face and wipe her hands.

When Yi Zhonghai finished his work, the deaf old lady asked with a smile: "Xiao Yi, if you have anything to say, just tell me directly."

Yi Zhonghai lit a cigarette and sat at the eight-immortal table, smiling and saying, "Old lady, this evening a young policeman in his twenties moved into the west wing next door, driving a jeep. Before dinner, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui tried to persuade me to go with them to show off my power as the manager, but I ignored the two idiots because I was too tired after working in the workshop all day."

The deaf old lady nodded with satisfaction: "Yan Bugui's greed and Liu Haizhong's stupidity are enough to make them do such stupid things. You did a good job. Those two idiots can do whatever they want. Don't get involved blindly. Don't use your bean-sized brains to think about how tight the housing situation is in Beijing now. A young man under 30 years old can live in a small courtyard with six or seven rooms. How can he be an ordinary person?"

Yi Zhonghai took a puff of cigarette and asked in confusion: "Old lady, I also saw that young man today. I guess he is just a driver for the leader. Why do you say that this person is not simple?"

The deaf old lady stretched out her skinny finger and tapped Yi Zhonghai's head, and angrily rebuked him in a low voice: "Have you been hanging out with Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, two idiots, all day and been infected by them? Use your brain and think about it carefully. Can a driver who drives for the leader rebuild this west wing? You also saw that all the materials used to build the west wing are of the best quality, but I don't know if you can see that all the beams are made of precious huanghuali wood? Even the doors and windows are all made of nanmu. The cost of wood alone is not a small amount, and I also observed when those people moved things in that almost all the furniture is antiques from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Do you think a driver who drives for the leader is qualified to live in such a house?"

Yi Zhonghai took a breath of cold air. If it weren't for the deaf old lady's reminder, he really wouldn't have noticed these details. However, with his knowledge, even if these things were placed in front of him, he wouldn't understand. However, he believed that the deaf old lady would not be wrong. Yi Zhonghai still believed it. He hesitated and asked: "Old lady, from what you said, that young man is still a leading official?"

The deaf old lady nodded heavily and said solemnly: "That young man is not only a leading official, but also a high-ranking official. In my opinion, he must be at least a director."

Yi Zhonghai was shocked when he heard this and said, "Director? Such a young director? How is this possible?"

The deaf old lady smiled deeply: "That young man is definitely a retired military officer, and his rank is very high. When they came to see the house yesterday, I recognized one of them. He used to be the deputy director of the Dongcheng Military Control Commission, and later became the director of the Dongcheng District Branch. I remember his last name was Hu. In addition to Director Hu, there was another officer with the rank of colonel. You should know the status of a colonel in Xinlong Country if you often read newspapers. Director Hu of the Dongcheng District Branch is a deputy bureau-level leader, the same level as the shuji and director of your steel rolling mill. Do you think the rank of that young man can be lower? It's not necessary for two senior leaders to accompany a driver to see the house, right?"