Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

The first rays of sunlight in the morning quietly slipped into the courtyard, as if a gentle touch awakened the sleeping residents. The courtyard suddenly became full of vitality, and the busy atmosphere gradually spread like the morning dew.

A new day begins quietly like this.

Everyone is immersed in their own little world. Some are frowning as they think about work problems, some are smiling as they recall last night's sweet dreams, and some have beautiful visions of the future in their eyes.

However, these busy figures were just immersed in their own thoughts. Even if they met face to face, they would just smile and nod as a greeting.

Since the storm came, everyone has been extra careful. They don't know what the situation is in other courtyards, but people in Courtyard 95 almost no longer gather together to chat.

They knew very well what kind of people their neighbors were, and that an occasional careless remark could bring them devastating trouble. Over the past year, they had all learned to remain silent and to protect themselves in these unusual years.

This kind of caution is not only for outsiders, but also for their own family members. Apart from the necessary eating, sleeping and some trivial matters in life, the communication between them has become less and less.

After all, they have heard too many bizarre stories of sons reporting their fathers and wives reporting their husbands.

For a moment, it seemed that everyone had unspeakable secrets in their hearts, and these secrets were like undercurrents that could cause a stir at any time. Even Sha Zhu, who was usually stupid, had to go to get off work and leave on time like everyone else, and even if he had nothing to do in the kitchen, he still showed up at the factory on time.

Qin Huairu is no exception. She and Sha Zhu usually go out one after the other, keeping a tacit distance between each other.

Occasionally, Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu would chat for a few minutes.

Most of the time, it was Qin Huairu who cleverly found a topic to start the conversation. This was actually intentional on her part. Her purpose was nothing more than to further deepen her relationship with Sha Zhu, or at least to make others feel that their relationship seemed to have returned to what it was before.

Qin Huairu was unusually talkative today. What happened last night made her more alert. If Cui Dake really came to cause trouble, the only person who could really help her in the whole compound was probably Sha Zhu.

So, the two of them became a unique scenery on the road to the factory: the expressionless Sha Zhu, and the smiling Qin Huairu next to him.

Perhaps Sha Zhu would be concerned about the eyes of people around him and try to keep some distance from Qin Huairu; but Qin Huairu didn't care much. In her opinion, this was just normal chatting, a normal emotional exchange. She herself didn't know whether he was trying to melt Sha Zhu's frozen heart towards her.

The workers passing by were all amazed by this scene.

They all remembered clearly that Sha Zhu back then was just like Qin Huairu now. He wished he could become a pendant on Qin Huairu and follow her all the time.

But now the situation seems to be reversed. Qin Huairu has become the one taking the initiative, while Sha Zhu seems somewhat indifferent.

It really proves the old saying: The world is unpredictable.

However, Qin Huairu's proactive attack was not intended to pursue Sha Zhu as others saw it. She simply wanted to take this opportunity to get closer to Sha Zhu so that she would have someone to rely on when she needed help.

The current Sha Zhu doesn't have much affection for her, which is exactly what she wants, because she has never liked Sha Zhu. Whether in the past or now, her purpose of approaching Sha Zhu is to provide help for herself.

In the past, the hardships of life made her eye on Sha Zhu’s lunch box; now, although her living conditions have improved, her dependence on Sha Zhu remains the same.

Her needs for Sha Zhu remained the same, but Sha Zhu's needs for her had subtly changed.

Perhaps neither of them realized that no matter how the world changes, there will always be an unusual connection between them, as if there is an invisible thread connecting the two of them.

It always seemed that Yi Zhonghai was the last person to leave for work. People in the yard seemed to have forgotten that such a person existed.

Yi Zhonghai and his wife seemed to have become marginalized people, wandering away from their neighbors, just quietly living their own little life, not caring about the outside world and not talking much with others.

Last night, Yi Zhonghai tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night. He couldn't help thinking about Qin Huairu's words and recalling all the efforts he had made over the years to have a child of his own.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt that what Qin Huairu said made sense, and there might really be something wrong with his body.

After careful consideration, he finally decided to go to the hospital for a check-up, with full of expectations and prayers.

He is not yet sixty years old, so there is still time for everything.

He thought silently in his heart that as long as his body was fine, a 60-year-old man could still have his own children. After all, he was a man, which was the biggest difference between men and women, and also the advantage of men.

Although the time may be a little short for some things, having children is not a big obstacle for men.

If you want to go to the hospital, you must first ask for leave from the factory!

In these extraordinary times, Yi Zhonghai, a senior fitter, no longer dares to be late or leave early as he did in the past.

Besides, his reputation has long been ruined. Whether in the courtyard or in the factory, how many people can give him face?

If he dares to be late this morning, he must be prepared to be criticized in the afternoon.

I believe everyone in the factory still remembers that Yi Zhonghai was able to return to work by reporting his neighbor.

This method of reporting, like the reporter, is usually unpopular.

As long as they get the chance, others will report you mercilessly. Over the past year, Yi Zhonghai has been living in fear and trepidation, fearing that others will find something wrong with him.

Yi Zhonghai, who was walking on the road, unexpectedly ran into Cui Dake again. Cui Dake greeted Yi Zhonghai with a smile on his face, and the two chatted casually while walking. Through this chat, Yi Zhonghai also understood Cui Dake's plan, that is, he was going to the factory to find Li Huaide, and Cui Dake was most familiar with Li Huaide.

Yi Zhonghai also told Cui Dake about Li Huaide's situation and said that he wanted to help, but given his situation in the factory, he was unable to do so.

Listening to Yi Zhonghai's words which couldn't be more sincere, Cui Dake was naturally very grateful. It didn't matter even if Yi Zhonghai couldn't help.

Cui Dake also said that he is aware of his current situation and does not care about the job or salary as long as he can support himself.

As for Yi Zhonghai, he could only express his "sincere" blessings.