Siheyuan, Me and the Yu Sisters

Time flies, and the cold wind of early winter in November has begun to blow. Some time ago, Qin Jingru reluctantly took a car back to the countryside. Before leaving, she repeatedly asked Zhang Renkang whether he liked her. Of course, Zhang Renkang vaguely denied it.

Recently, Lou Xiao'e moved back to her parents' home under the pretext that Lou Bancheng was on a business trip to accompany her mother. Every few days, she would go to the Lou family villa at night to conceive, leaving Zhang Renkang with no energy to think about other things.

Early this morning, Wang Jianlin officially handed over the new house to Zhang Renkang. Looking at the brand new layout of the house, Zhang Renkang was also very satisfied. There was a bedroom of more than 20 square meters against the south wall, with a large bed made of white beech facing south and north. The large window of more than one square meter on the east side facing the yard and the tall rectangular window on the west side made the whole room bright and ventilated. The wardrobes in a row on the north were enough to hold clothes and bedding for four or five people. There was a desk and a chair on each side of the bed. There was a smaller corridor coming out of the master bedroom, and a floor-to-ceiling cabinet was placed against the corner wall of the second bedroom. The same large east-facing window, the parallel windows on the wall of the second bedroom and the west window formed a lighting and ventilation. The layout of the second bedroom of more than ten square meters was basically the same as the master bedroom.

To the north is the living room, which is about 20 square meters. Two large windows on both sides of the door let the whole living room bright. Facing the door is a three-seater solid wood sofa, and there are two single sofas on both sides. In the middle is a rectangular solid wood coffee table. Against the west wall are cabinets, windows, and bookshelves. Further north is a six-seater dining table and chairs. Two spaces of similar size are separated. The kitchen is near the east yard, and the toilet and bathroom are on the west.

Wang Jianlin smiled and took Zhang Renkang to the kitchen and said

"Brother, this big iron stove is specially made of solid cast iron. It is very strong and durable. I have replaced the pipes here with copper pipes, which are more durable. A pipe will run from the kitchen to the bathroom and then along the west wall to the master bedroom. It won't be cold at all in winter, but it will waste carbon. You have to pay attention to this."

Zhang Renkang nodded. He was not worried about the carbon. He could just contact the street office in advance to make an order. If that didn’t work, he could order some from the factory, which could be distributed evenly. He wouldn’t need much, maybe two tons of carbon at most?

Zhang Renkang was satisfied and gave the balance of fifty to Wang Jianlin to settle the bill. He planned to go to the department store to buy some things later. He planned to replace all the things in the house with new ones. In the past ten days, he had made several transactions with the steel rolling mill and Mr. Lu Sanye. In the meantime, when he went to the big leader's house to cook, the leader's wife stuffed him with a bunch of bills. He was not short of money and bills at all now. He had endless money to spend.

After seeing Captain Wang off, Zhang Renkang walked around the house. Just as he was about to go to the department store to buy something, he heard the door open. Zhang Renkang opened the door and saw He Yushui, the girl. Her eyes were red as if she had just cried. Zhang Renkang asked in confusion,

"Rainwater, what are you doing?"

As He Yushui entered the house, she was stunned, not caring about the tears still rolling down her cheeks. She had not been back from school during the time when Zhang Renkang was renovating the house, so she didn't know the situation. As soon as she entered the house, she was suddenly stunned by the appearance of Zhang Renkang's house. How could it have changed so much in less than a month?

Seeing the tears in He Yushui's eyes and her mouth open in a daze, Zhang Renkang coughed a few times and shouted

"Hey, He Yushui, why are you running to me crying? You don't want people to think that I'm bullying you, do you?"

He Yushui finally reacted and asked in surprise

"Is this your home?"

Zhang Renkang said unhappily

"if not?"

He Yushui said in disbelief

"How much did you spend on this? It's too luxurious."

As he touched the back of the solid wood sofa, he walked back and exclaimed

"Do you have a toilet at home?"

Zhang Renkang said without comment

"What on earth are you doing here?"

"You're not here to congratulate me on my new home, are you? Our two families aren't that close, are they?"

He Yushui then remembered the purpose, and said with red eyes

"Zhang Renkang, please, can you transfer my brother back to the kitchen? My brother came back to me and said that he doesn't want me to study anymore because he has no money to support me."

As she spoke, she couldn't stop crying. Zhang Renkang was speechless when he saw her like this.

"If you're crying here, then go back first, so that people won't think I did something to you."

"Doesn't your brother have money saved? How come he has money to help the Jia family but no money to take care of you, his sister?"

Zhang Renkang knew that Qin Huairu had to borrow money from Sha Zhu twice in the past ten days. Adding the money Sha Zhu paid to Xu Damao last time, it must be at least more than twenty dollars.

When He Yushui heard this, she felt even more upset. When she returned home and stood at the gate of the courtyard, she heard the third aunt muttering that her silly brother had been demoted to an apprentice and still sent money to the Jia family. When Sha Zhu said that he would not let her go to school and find a job, He Yushui's heart sank.

He Yushui cried and said

"My brother said that he only had 18.5 yuan a month and he had to eat and couldn't afford to send me to school, so he told me to find someone to marry, otherwise he wouldn't be able to save money to marry a wife and our family would be cut off."

Zhang Renkang sneered and said

"Shazhu has a good plan. Although he is an apprentice and his monthly salary is a bit low, seven yuan a month should be enough for you to go to school. Shazhu can't save money with his salary of more than 30 yuan in all these years. If you don't go to school, can you marry a wife with these seven yuan?"

"I'll just transfer him back to the cafeteria, what's going to happen to him? Isn't it still an apprentice salary that's changing?"

"The cafeteria now is not the same as it was back then. You still want to bring a lunch box? Don't even think about it. I haven't brought one once, so how can I let idiot Zhu bring one?"

Actually, Zhang Renkang wanted to transfer Sha Zhu back to the canteen. Sha Zhu would definitely bring lunch boxes secretly, so he could be fired if he was caught. But Zhang Renkang didn't want to let Sha Zhu down like that. The toilet is such a good place, it would be a pity if Sha Zhu didn't stay there for a year or two.

He Yushui became even more panicked after hearing what Zhang Renkang said. Yes, what would happen if Silly Brother was transferred back? Apprenticeship was a punishment in the factory and his salary would not change. Could it be that he really could not go to school anymore?

He Yushui cried even harder when she thought of this, squatting on the ground and sobbing loudly. If Sha Zhu didn't give her money, she would have nothing to eat even if she dropped out of school.

Zhang Renkang saw He Yushui like this and suddenly thought of a solution. He smiled evilly and said slowly:

"If you want to go to school, there is a way. It depends on your decision."

He Yushui calmed down after hearing this, wiped her tears, and asked with red eyes:

"any solution"

Zhang Renkang asked

"Are you disappointed with Sha Zhu? He would rather raise a son for someone else and help a widow than care about you, his own sister."

He Yushui thought of the chubby grandparents of the Jia family and Sha Zhu's indifferent words and nodded.

"What can I do? My dad is gone, and my brother is like this. If I can't finish high school, let alone find a job, who can I marry?"

Suddenly, He Yushui had a bold idea and asked

"Zhang Renkang, am I good looking? Are you willing to marry me?"

As soon as she finished speaking, He Yushui was stunned, and her face suddenly turned red. She thought that it would be okay to marry Zhang Renkang. Today, after seeing the house where Zhang Renkang lived and Zhang Renkang's current status, He Yushui suddenly felt that if she married Zhang Renkang, she would not have to worry about food and drink. Moreover, Zhang Renkang was rich and powerful, and she would have nothing to lack at that time.

Zhang Renkang was so confused by her words that he couldn't do anything. Was He Yushui mentally ill? Or were all the He family members mentally ill? Zhang Renkang didn't want to marry her, otherwise this silly Zhu would be a big trouble. What would he do if he was blamed? In the past ten years, Zhang Renkang had no intention of moving. He wanted to stay here to avoid the strong winds that would come.

However, just because you can't marry her doesn't mean you can't raise her. Although He Yushui is skinny due to long-term malnutrition, her facial features are still pretty, Zhang Renkang said

"Don't interrupt me. Don't you know the relationship between our two families?"

"Silly Zhu, you must be making a fuss. Listen to me, this is a new society. You know that men and women are equal, right?"

He Yushui nodded, and Zhang Renkang continued

"Your father ran away. Logically, the inheritance should be divided equally between you and Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu is now trying to marry you off early so that he can occupy the two main rooms and the side room where you live. This is illegal. You can sue him, okay?"

"According to the approximate value, Sha Zhu's two main rooms are worth about 700 yuan, and your side house is a bit smaller and can be worth 200 yuan, which means a total of 900 yuan. You can legally ask Sha Zhu to share your 450 yuan assets."

He Yushui smiled bitterly

"If I really did that, I would probably have a complete falling out with my silly brother, and then I'm afraid the uncles wouldn't agree."

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"You can go directly to the street office and ask Shazhu to fulfill his responsibility to provide you with tuition fees, or divide the property fairly."

"Think about it, Shazhu would rather help others than let you study, and you can't figure out why he wants you to get married, right?"

He Yushui was at a loss. Was he really going to break up with Silly Brother? He Yushui said

"Even if that's the case, my silly brother would only give me the side room where I live, but he wouldn't give me any money. He might not have any money, so I still wouldn't have money to study."

Zhang Renkang said with a smile

"You can mortgage your house to me, and I will give you ten dollars a month until you finish your studies and then pay me back slowly. I can support you until you find a job and receive your first month's salary. You know I don't need ten or eight dollars."

He Yushui's eyes lit up when she heard this. She knew that Zhang Renkang was now a cadre, earning more than 100 yuan a month, so he was indeed not short of money. If Zhang Renkang gave her 10 yuan a month, she could not only finish high school but also wait until she found a job, and then she could pay him back.

He Yushui said after hearing this

"Can't you just lend it to me? I will definitely pay you back when I have a job. I'll write you an IOU."

Zhang Renkang sneered

"Do you think that given my relationship with Sha Zhu, I would raise a sister for him?"

"What do I want to gain by spending my money and effort?"

He Yushui said shyly

"Can't I marry you after I graduate?"

Zhang Renkang laughed and said

"He Yushui, do you think I can't find a wife? Besides, your stupid brother will make a scene, why should I cause myself trouble?"

He Yushui went out in a daze. Zhang Renkang looked at the central courtyard and sneered. Now it depends on the choice of Shazhu and He Yushui. Shazhu, you are so stupid. I want to see if you are really stupid.