Transmigrating Through the Heavens: Starting with the Silly Pillar of the Courtyard

Chapter 40 The Deaf Old Lady Zhang Gui

Now He Yuzhu and Qin Huairu meet here every few days.

Every time they met, He Yuzhu would bring her some food. Knowing that Qin Huairu usually didn't get to eat meat at the Jia family's house, he would mainly prepare braised meat for her.

Or it could be chicken legs, duck legs, grilled fish, and the like. He Yuzhu often cooks a lot of meat dishes in his space and brings them out for He Yushui to eat from time to time.

Qin Huairu was able to eat good food here, and could eat meat every few days. This ensured her nutrition, and she didn't need to do any farm work.

And so she grew more and more beautiful; others couldn't afford to supplement their nutrition regularly. She, however, lacked nothing and radiated a healthy glow.

Besides food, there was also emotional and physical satisfaction. Aside from the stifling atmosphere at the Jia family home, this place was her source of happiness.

Even the stick she cherished as her life is now ranked behind He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu, feeling smug, left the courtyard first.

Qin Huairu then secretly left.

in the afternoon

He Yuzhu returned to the guesthouse and continued to slack off, drink tea, and read newspapers to learn.

Around 4 PM, Liu Lan came in with a slip of paper indicating that there were two tables of guests to entertain that evening.

He Yuzhu signed the document quickly, and Liu Lan went to the warehouse to collect the ingredients. These things had become routine, and He Yuzhu didn't need to explain anything further.

As long as Liu Lan isn't allowed to learn cooking, she can handle everything else perfectly.

Whenever she was asked to practice knife skills and flip the wok, Liu Lan would look distressed, as if she wanted to kill someone.

He Yuzhu has now completely given up on teaching Liu Lan, but fortunately Guo Wei and Lu Yi are working very hard.

There's no secret recipe for the small kitchen, but the dishes cooked in large pots are quite good. It's not that they can't learn anything real from He Yuzhu; at least they could work as chefs in a small restaurant now.

With this skill, Guo Wei and Lu Yi will also have a way to make a living in the future.

After Guo Wei and Lu Yi finished preparing the ingredients, He Yuzhu leisurely went to the small kitchen to prepare the dishes.

If no extra dishes are needed for the special meal at 7 o'clock, He Yuzhu can tidy up in advance and leave work directly.

If anything comes up later, Lu Yi, Guo Wei, and Liu Lan will be responsible for cleaning up the mess.

All three of them were willing to do this job, and they could also get some leftovers. At this point, no one would complain about the leftovers.

He Yuzhu had just returned to the courtyard when he saw that it was in a mess, with people whispering and talking about something everywhere.

I saw Xu Damao running around aimlessly in the crowd.

"Da Mao, what's wrong?"

Xu Damao walked up to He Yuzhu and looked at him strangely.

"Zhu Zi, the deaf old lady is back."

He Yuzhu didn't understand for a moment. He looked at Xu Damao as if asking, "What are you talking about?"

The deaf old lady had been in the nursing home for so long, why did she suddenly come back? At this moment, He Yuzhu felt like today was April Fool's Day.

Is this fate? The courtyard house can't be without the deaf old lady as the main character.

"You didn't expect this, did you? I didn't expect it either. Didn't a few people come to the courtyard a few days ago to investigate the deaf old lady?"

We were all at work that day, and only a few women saw it. They didn't tell anyone afterward. It's said that he was a cadre who worked behind enemy lines before the founding of the People's Republic of China, and he was once wounded by the enemy.

He later fled to our alley, where he was spotted by a deaf old lady who took him home and helped him recover from his injuries for a month.

After recovering from his injuries, the official left the courtyard house. Later, he was transferred to other regions, and only recently was he transferred to Beijing.

When he returned, he remembered the deaf old lady who had saved his life. Knowing that she lived in a nursing home, he went there to meet her.

The deaf old lady requested to return to the courtyard house so that Yi Zhonghai could take care of her, and sure enough, he brought her back today.

He Yuzhu felt numb. Was the world's correction system really that powerful? He had used so many methods, yet the other person still returned to the courtyard house.

Does this mean he'll also be manipulated by the retirement group like Sha Zhu, and have to support them in their old age?

He wasn't even willing to take care of the Jia family alone, let alone Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady.

"What is that person's current position?"

Xu Damao gave him a look that said, "You need to be careful."

"Deputy District Head."

He Yuzhu understood; no wonder the neighborhood committee had made such a big fuss.

He Yuzhu dismissed Xu Damao, as he urgently needed to go back and think things through.

The mastermind behind the retirement group has returned, and He Yuzhu is naturally the first to be implicated.

There was no way around it; both Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady knew very well that the rumor from last time was definitely spread by He Yuzhu.

Previously, the deaf old lady was just an ordinary old woman with bound feet, and her influence was limited. This time, however, the other party returned in glory; the authority of the deputy district head was too tempting for the people in the courtyard.

The animals in the courtyard were so eager to curry favor with the deaf old lady that they had to offer her countless gifts.

I didn't see them. Right now, Uncle Xu Fugui, Uncle Liu Haizhong, and Uncle Yan Bugui are all helping to tidy up the house in the east wing of the central courtyard.

The deaf old lady's house had already been occupied by Li Tieniu, so she could only live in this storage room in the middle courtyard.

Among the people present, Yi Zhonghai was the one who was laughing the most smugly, as he had always treated the deaf old lady as his godmother.

I thought the deaf old lady had lost her usefulness, but I never expected that she would still do these things.

There were three rooms in the east wing of the central courtyard, two of which were occupied by Yi Zhonghai.

The room on the far right is usually used to store miscellaneous items belonging to the residents of the courtyard. The room is also a bit drafty and leaky. People had considered it before, but the neighborhood committee did not approve it.

The house has now been cleaned up and a lot of new furniture has been added.

The deaf old lady, who had been missing for several days, was sitting in the house talking to several old men with a kind expression.

Luo Qiaoyun was also busy serving, and Xu Damao's mother, second aunt, and third aunt were also busy in the room. It really looked like a group of maids serving the old matriarch.

He Yuzhu felt that this was more like the patriarch of the courtyard house in the story.

It turns out that the deaf old woman didn't have the slightest bit of the ancestral authority. Without the cooperation of these people, the ancestral authority wouldn't be as imposing.

Was it his arrival that caused the change, or was this simply how things were supposed to be? However, considering that the story of "Full House of Love" begins in 65, it's not surprising that some events occurred in the years preceding it.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. To elevate a small-footed old lady to the status of an ancestor simply by relying on Yi Zhonghai's hype or moral blackmail would be to seriously underestimate the moral bottom line of the masses.

Even if she said she was giving shoes to the Red Army, it wouldn't work, since the birds never suffer losses. They would only cooperate with Yi Zhonghai if they saw tangible benefits or had a bigger scheme.

He Yushui also watched the spectacle all day. When she saw her older brother return, she chattered to He Yuzhu about what happened in the courtyard that day.

When Qin Huairu went out at noon, someone came and started tidying up the east wing. Then two craftsmen came and quickly repaired the room, patching up what needed to be patched, and also painted the walls white.

At five o'clock, a line of carts would deliver the furniture.

Then, the deaf old lady was taken back to the courtyard house in a car.

Her living space has changed from her own private room, the mistress's room in the backyard, to this house of less than 30 square meters.

The deaf old lady may live in a smaller house now, but she feels much more at ease than when she lived in the backyard.

However, when the other party occasionally glanced at He Yuzhu's main house, a murderous glint would appear in their eyes.

However, she was quickly hidden away and continued to be that kind-faced old lady.

The deaf old lady's house was bustling with activity until eight o'clock at night before her second uncle, Liu Haizhong, reluctantly left.

Second Uncle now genuinely wants to call the deaf old lady his godmother, just like Yi Zhonghai did.

If he had known earlier, he would have had his wife take care of the old lady every day. Unfortunately, he found out too late; he didn't act as quickly as Yi Zhonghai.

With no outsiders in the room, the deaf old lady, Yi Zhonghai, and Luo Qiaoyun finally had a chance to sit together and talk about their feelings.

"Godmother, I'm so sorry. I've been incredibly busy lately and haven't had time to visit you at the nursing home. I hope you're not mad at me?"

"It's not my fault, it's not your fault, Zhonghai. I know you're having a tough time right now. That idiot Zhu really screwed you over."

Yi Zhonghai was relieved when he heard the deaf old lady say that she didn't blame him.

Yi Zhonghai had almost forgotten about the deaf old lady; in his eyes, a deaf old lady who was of no help was better off dead.

No one wants to have an ancestor on their head. If Yi Zhonghai hadn't thought the deaf old lady was very cunning, he wouldn't have had his wife serve her so diligently.

When the deaf old lady went to the nursing home, Yi Zhonghai already treated her as if she were dead.

Faced with a useless old lady, Yi Zhonghai certainly wouldn't rush to curry favor with her.

Unexpectedly, things took a dramatic turn, and the old lady returned with immense prestige. Yi Zhonghai is now trying to salvage the situation, making sure the deaf old lady doesn't hold a grudge against him, otherwise how will he curry favor with the deputy district head?

"Grandma, my family has been too busy lately. Zhonghai suggested visiting you at the nursing home, but I said we should wait until our daughter is a bit older before letting Zhonghai visit you."

"It's alright, Qiaoyun. You've had it tough too, taking care of the children and Zhonghai. The old lady understands."

The three of them were honest with each other there, clearing up some misunderstandings. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to continue their act of maternal love and filial piety.

"Alright, Zhonghai, Qiaoyun, I'll have to trouble you to take care of me again now that I'm back. But this time I don't have much money, and I don't have a big house to give you."

"What are you saying, old lady? We serve you, not because we want your things."

Yi Zhonghai spoke with an air of righteous indignation, as if the old lady were insulting someone.

"Yes, old lady, when we served you, we never thought of taking anything from you."

"Yes, Zeng said he'll help me get a five-guarantee household status. The neighborhood office will send me some supplies every month. These things will be kept at your house. I'll have to trouble you, Qiaoyun, to make sure they're delivered to me."