novelslam Chapter 74 Civilized Courtyard
Chapter 74 Civilized Courtyard
He Yuzhu stood quietly behind Luo Qiaoyun and the deaf old lady, listening to the two of them talking nonsense.
Several neighbors in the alley looked at Luo Qiaoyun, the deaf old lady, and He Yuzhu behind them with embarrassed expressions.
They wanted to remind the deaf old lady, Luo Qiaoyun, but He Yuzhu just stared at everyone, so they didn't dare to say anything.
Unlike the people in the courtyard who were unaware that He Yuzhu's status was different now, the people in the alley were not stupid.
They don't view He Yuzhu with prejudice, so they naturally have a desire to curry favor with her. Even behind her back, they'll spread rumors about her.
But deep down, they really wanted to get closer to He Yuzhu, and maybe they could ask him for something in the future.
"Have you said enough? If not, I can take you to the police station for a proper explanation. I'm really wondering, which elder in the He family have I been unfilial to? Come on, tell me!"
Luo Qiaoyun looked embarrassed, while the deaf old lady lowered her eyes and pretended to be deaf and mute.
Neither of them expected that He Yuzhu would catch the crickets on their backs right there.
Is there anything more socially reprehensible than this?
"Zhu Zi, your aunt was just joking."
"No, if you don't give me an explanation today, I'll definitely send you to jail. No one has the right to slander others."
The deaf old woman slumped to the ground, and Luo Qiaoyun rushed to help her. The two worked together seamlessly, and He Yuzhu knew that they couldn't take them to the police station right now.
Leaving behind a mess, the group dispersed. These neighbors probably knew Luo Qiaoyun and her friends were talking nonsense; they just enjoyed watching the drama unfold.
It's obvious that He Yuzhu has no relatives in the courtyard house, so why would he be filial to any elders?
Anyone who truly knows No. 95 knows it's a chaotic place. The neighborhood is abuzz with gossip about the residents; basically, there aren't any good people in the entire compound.
Today, He Yuzhu came back temporarily to pick up some things and happened to run into Luo Qiaoyun, the deaf old lady who was spreading rumors about him outside.
Although He Yuzhu knew long ago that these two people were not good people and often slandered him outside, he still felt disgusted when he actually met them face to face.
He Yuzhu had no idea why they were doing this; did they think they had him figured out?
He Yuzhu was unaware of the deep-seated conviction in the hearts of Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady.
The two felt uneasy every time they saw He Yuzhu slip out of their control.
A voice inside them told them that He Yuzhu had to be controlled by them.
The deaf old lady herself felt that the other party should be her good grandson, and she would give him delicious food every day.
She could stay at home and be a proper matriarch, instead of going to other people's houses for meals every day like she does now.
If He Yuzhu had listened and given all the delicious food he made to the deaf old lady every day, then why would she have had the nerve to go to other people's houses to freeload?
So it's all He Yuzhu's fault for being disobedient; that's the deaf old lady's truest thought. "Why don't you just be my grandson? Would I, an old woman, ever betray you?"
I'll find you a wife in the future, so you'll have a family. Since you won't listen to me, then I'll just have to leave you without an heir.
This deaf old lady, Luo Qiaoyun, has recently started spreading rumors about He Yuzhu again. She was caught red-handed today, which is another embarrassment for her.
When the news spread back to the courtyard, everyone treated it as a joke. They watched not only Luo Qiaoyun and the deaf old lady, but also He Yuzhu.
Everyone knew that He Yuzhu was buying a bicycle in preparation for getting married, so they didn't mind spreading some bad things about him.
Who told He Yuzhu to be so rich and never let them take advantage of him? Now, only He Yuzhu's family in the courtyard owns a bicycle.
He had one, He Yushui had one, and now they've bought another, so the He family now has three bicycles. Where do those old bastards in the courtyard put their faces? How could they not spread rumors about you?
The ration coupon era began, and soon everyone found it inconvenient to buy things.
A bicycle used to cost over 200 yuan, but now it's cheaper, with prices as low as 180 or 160 yuan.
However, a bicycle ticket was required to purchase one, and He Yuzhu managed to buy two bicycles before the tickets were issued.
The He family now owns what are essentially three bicycles, not counting the one in the courtyard in Fuxiang Hutong.
He Yushui happily rode her bicycle to school every day, and Zhang Panpan and Li Xiaoman were definitely going to be taken along.
The three girls helped each other learn to ride bicycles, and now all three can ride. Today you teach us, tomorrow I'll teach you.
He Yushui is now twelve years old and already 1.5 meters tall. She is well-nourished and will grow even taller.
Compared to her thin and small appearance in the story, she now looks radiant, clearly indicating that her family is well-fed.
He Yuzhu is currently 1.83 meters tall, and he thinks that Yushui could grow to over 1.7 meters tall in the future.
Watching his younger sister grow up every day, He Yuzhu felt like an old father watching his daughter grow up.
He Yuzhu took He Yushui's education very seriously, as a way of making up for the debt of gratitude he owed for taking over the original owner's body.
Compared to Sha Zhu, He Yu Zhu definitely did a better job with He Yu Shui.
Countless people in the courtyard envied He Yushui, whose clothes were always new. She had never worn a single patched garment; if her clothes got torn, they were given away.
Li Xiaoman and Zhang Panpan had picked up quite a few of He Yushui's old clothes. Since He Yushui was a bit taller than them, the old clothes fit them perfectly.
For this reason, both the Li and Zhang families were very grateful to He Yuzhu. At that time, no one cared about old clothes; they were clearly a large sum of money.
In addition, He Yuzhu often brought food home, so everyone knew that the He family ate particularly good food.
Judging from He Yushui's rosy complexion and healthy stature, one can tell that He Yuzhu, the eldest brother, is doing a good job.
Countless girls in the alley envied He Yushui for having such a good older brother. If they had an older brother like that, they could also live a good life.
The deaf old lady also made Yi Zhonghai very angry, since these things should have belonged to them.
Wasn't the whole point of scheming against He Daqing to make He Yuzhu their lackey? In the end, He Daqing ran away, and the simple-minded Yuzhu suddenly became smart.
In recent years, Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady have been scheming and using all sorts of tricks.
He Yuzhu not only didn't have bad luck, but things got better and better.
He Yuzhu himself was puzzled. He was now a deputy section-level cadre, yet none of the people in the courtyard realized this change.
Perhaps in their eyes, they will always be just a cook.
Yi Zhonghai finally won over several examiners by giving gifts. Jia Dongxu also finally broke through to the first-level worker level in this year's examination, and his salary increased to thirty-three yuan.
Jia Dongxu returned triumphantly to tell Qin Huairu the good news, but Qin Huairu appeared happy on the surface while inwardly scoffing.
Others have already reached the second-level, third-level, or even fourth-level worker level in the same amount of time.
Jia Dongxu actually had to cheat to pass the first-level worker exam, and he still had the nerve to be smug about it.
However, Jia Dongxu's higher salary does alleviate some of the family's financial burden.
Now that Bang Geng has grown up, expenses have increased. Jia Dongxu's salary has increased to thirty-three yuan, and he gives Qin Huairu twenty yuan a month for household expenses.
Qin Huairu was not frugal; she managed to improve the family's living conditions every week.
Nowadays, cities not only require various tickets but also have quotas. Only then did Qin Huairu understand He Yuzhu's initial intention in insisting that she transfer her household registration to the city.
At least for now, food is not a problem for the family; Jia Dongxu was only realizing this belatedly.
I asked Qin Huairu and was somewhat relieved to hear that she had long since become an urban resident, and even Bang Geng was an urban resident.
Jia Dongxu didn't consider at all how Qin Huairu, a country girl, could understand these policies.
Seeing that Jia Dongxu didn't ask, Qin Huairu was too lazy to make up an excuse.
Through these events, Qin Huairu admired He Yuzhu even more. She felt that He Yuzhu's position, salary, and understanding of policies all surpassed those of ordinary people.
Qin Huairu is very smart, but she is mainly limited by her poor education and cultural background.
Qin Huairu was also the first to know that He Yuzhu was the most powerful person in the courtyard.
Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and the deaf old lady still viewed He Yuzhu with outdated perspectives.
He Yuzhu didn't want to remind them; instead, he watched the birds jumping around like clowns.
Recently, in the courtyard houses, Yi Zhonghai encouraged Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui to propose that in order to compete for the title of "Civilized Courtyard House," everyone should leave their doors unlocked.
When He Yuzhu returned at night, he saw that the courtyard was already crowded with people. The weather was nice, and everyone came over for a meeting after dinner.
Of course, they also knew that Yi Zhonghai and his group were not good people, and they secretly hoped that He Yuzhu would take the lead in ruining Yi Zhonghai and his group's plans.
"Zhu Zi, what do you think their motives are in making this suggestion?"
Li Tieniu, Zhang Xiaoquan, and Xu Damao all gathered around He Yuzhu.
The general meetings of the court are usually held in the middle court, so He Yuzhu only needs to sit at his own doorstep to participate in the general meetings.
Xu Damao, Li Tieniu, Zhang Xiaoquan, and several others sat next to He Yuzhu, indicating that they were all one.
When He Yuzhu heard them ask, he curled his lip and said disdainfully.
"What's the point? Isn't it just to make it easier to get into other people's houses?"
"I was wondering why this was suddenly brought up. Should we object?"
Zhang Xiaoquan quickly realized that this was what the other party wanted, and instinctively decided to stop them.
Xu Damao and Li Tieniu shared the same thought; after all, no one wants others to enter their home at will.
Even though there may not be any secrets in the house, it's definitely not good for outsiders to come and go as they please.
"I have a hidden lock anyway, so I don't need to worry unless someone deliberately tries to push my door open."
Xu Damao, Li Tieniu, and Zhang Xiaoquan were speechless after hearing He Yuzhu's words.
Was this something He Yuzhu had foreseen, or was it just a coincidence?
Unfortunately, their doors didn't have hidden locks, so we can't exactly renovate the house just because of that.