dognovel Chapter 1629 The Afterglow of the Courtyard
Chapter 1629 The Afterglow of the Courtyard
Chapter 1629 The Afterglow of the Courtyard
"Oh? Who's here?"
Liu Yin was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), helping her granddaughter learn to speak. When she saw her son enter the room, she smiled and teased Li Yue.
When Li Yue saw her second uncle, she smiled so hard that her little front teeth were showing.
"Yeah—"
"Hahaha!"
Hearing the laughter coming from inside, Li Xuewu nodded to the others sitting in the main room and went into the inner room with a smile.
The courtyard was lively today, and the Li family's place was even more so.
Sitting in the main room were Yan Jiefang's wife Ge Shuqin, Liu Guangfu's wife Fan Xueying, Jia's Xiao Dang and Huaihua, and his younger sister Li Xue.
They're either young girls or young wives.
What about the older ones?
The older folks are all in the north room, which is small to begin with. One kang (heated brick bed) can't seat so many people, and you really can't get in if you're not qualified.
Entering the inner room, the old lady was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), along with Jia Zhangshi, whom I hadn't seen for quite some time. They were gesturing and talking, but I couldn't make out what they were saying.
Qin Huairu and Zhao Yafang sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), while on the other side were Liu Yin, who was coaxing Li Yue, and Hou Qinghua, the third aunt who rarely visited the Li family.
Li Tang was unusually well-behaved today, sitting next to the old lady and quietly observing the people in the room, looking at this one and that one, not recognizing any of them.
When he was old enough to remember things, many of his neighbors had moved away from the courtyard, and he had almost no recollection of those who returned today.
Upon seeing his second uncle, he excitedly jumped up and reached out to hug him. His second uncle always gave him treats whenever he showed him affection.
"Aunt Jia, Auntie San is here."
Li Xuewu greeted the guests as he entered the house, as he was at home and the old lady was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), so he couldn't be impolite.
Hou Qinghua's reaction was somewhat awkward, but Jia Zhangshi was quite enthusiastic, responding with a smile, "Oh, you're back from martial arts training."
"I came by this morning, but when I saw that the old lady wasn't home, she went out again," Liu Yin explained with a smile. "I was worried about his grandma."
As he spoke, he picked Li Yue up and gestured for him to sit down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
The place was so small, and the mother knew what he wanted, so she asked him to be closer to the old lady so that she could see her second grandson.
After entering the house, Li Xuewu only glanced at them, his attention still focused on the old lady.
Taking Li Yue from her mother's arms, she smiled and asked the old lady, "Where did you go today? Are you tired?"
Li Tang is like a mischievous monkey; he's afraid of strangers coming to his house, but now he's climbing all over his second uncle.
Li Yueyi was already quite old and her legs were nimble. She couldn't stay in his arms any longer and crawled over to the old lady.
"I'm not tired, let's go to the city and see what's going on."
The old lady patted his hand affectionately and asked with a smile, "Are you busy? When did you get back?"
"I came back yesterday morning and went straight to work." Li Xuewu took the old lady's hand and explained, "I was planning to come over last night, but something came up at work and I was delayed."
"I'm fine, don't let it interfere with your work." The old lady's eyes were only on her grandson, scrutinizing him closely.
Madam Jia sat cross-legged to the side and joked, "You have to say grandparents love their grandchildren more; these two grandsons are just different."
She said with a smile, "Once I see my grandson come back, I don't look at anyone else."
"Hahaha—" The room was filled with women, their laughter sharp and piercing.
Li Xuewu patiently chatted with the old lady for a few minutes before turning to the others.
"Did you all come together over the weekend?"
"I only have time today—"
Qin Huairu finally spoke, explaining somewhat helplessly, "I said I'd come back to check, and everyone followed suit after hearing the news."
"How is it?" Li Xuewu raised his chin, gesturing towards the Central Courtyard, and asked, "Last time she came back, it was raining and she said it was fine."
This is one explanation: the last time he met Rainwater, Rainwater told him that an old lady was not in good health, so how could she be "quite well"?
However, since no one has any grudges against anyone, and we live in the same neighborhood, we all wish each other good health, so we can only ask "I'm fine" to inquire.
For example, greeting someone during Chinese New Year with "Happy New Year!"
You don't know if he had a good New Year, but you still have to greet him like this. You can't say, "Did anything happen to your family during the New Year?" or you'd get beaten to death.
“No way—” Madam Jia looked at Liu Yin and said, “She looked short of breath when she came back. Did Li Shun take a look at her? She wasn’t feeling well then.”
"Yes, it's just to help you breathe easier," Liu Yin explained. "I've already seen a doctor at the hospital, so I just want to make sure you suffer less."
"How can one not suffer?" Aunt Hou Qinghua sighed, rubbing her knees. "People, don't get old, or you'll get a lot of illnesses."
"You're so much less of a worry now—"
Liu Yin smiled and joked, "Yan Fang is already in kindergarten, so cooking breakfast and dinner won't tire you out."
“That’s much less of a worry than before.” Hou Qinghua had been waiting for this sentence. He glanced at Jia Zhangshi on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, “The children are all successful. I’m enjoying a life of happiness.”
With a hint of pride on her face, she said, "It's this body of mine. I've scrimped and saved my whole life, but I can't enjoy life. I get sick even when I'm just sitting around."
Li Xuewu glanced at them. They said they were concerned about an old lady, but why were they bringing up his house?
"Have you looked into the backyard?" he asked deliberately. "Who's serving there?"
“Silly Zhu’s wife.” Liu Yin stood by the counter and nodded as she explained, “She’s been taking care of me ever since I finished my postpartum period.”
"Speaking of that silly Zhu's wife, she's really something—"
She took a thermos and refilled the teacups of the people in the room with hot water, praising them as she said, "She's breastfeeding her baby while also taking care of an older woman."
"Thanks to her, the old man dared to go to work," Qin Huairu chimed in. "Otherwise, how could he feel at ease?"
"Alright, his grandpa and grandma won't have spoiled Sha Zhu for nothing."
Hou Qinghua raised his chin and said, "Leaving aside those years, didn't Sha Zhu get his house built, get married, and have children all thanks to that old man and his wife?"
She clicked her tongue and sighed, "Just building those three big brick houses would cost so much. Where would that old bachelor, Grandpa, get the money?"
Everyone inside and outside the house understood the implication in her words. However, she was old and on the same level as the deceased Second Aunt and First Aunt, so it wasn't a big deal for her to say a few words about Sha Zhu at this time.
At least no one in the room argued with her, but her words were not well-received.
Qin Huairu picked up her teacup and glanced at Liu Yin. Seeing that Aunt Liu didn't want to talk, she didn't pick up on the topic either. Instead, she looked at Li Xuewu and explained, "When we came over this afternoon, we went to visit Uncle Yi. We all ended up here because we haven't seen each other for a long time."
Actually, it's a bit bittersweet to say. After all, I've lived in this compound for so many years. I've gone to the workers' new village to enjoy a better life, but it's hard to leave my hometown.
There are advantages to living in a compound, and advantages to living in an apartment building. People are always greedy, especially when it comes to memories that are hard to let go of.
Li Xuewu nodded, looked at Jia Zhangshi sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), and asked with a smile, "You went to see Auntie too?"
Madam Jia could hear the teasing in his words, but she was already an old lady, why should she be afraid of this?
Besides, even when she lived in the compound, did she ever care about her reputation?
“I didn’t go to see her—” Madam Jia pursed her lips and said, “I was worried about Huai Ru and the child.”
Qin Huairu glanced at her mother-in-law but didn't point out her thoughts.
It wasn't that he was worried about her and the child; he was clearly afraid that not coming would cause gossip, and that coming would scare him away from ghosts and spirits.
Don't be fooled by how crazy Jia Zhangshi seems when she's chattering and cursing; she'd be terrified if she actually encountered something like this.
Even when she lived in the compound, she would never go to join in the commotion if anyone had a funeral. The older she got, the more she did this; simply put, she was afraid of dying.
This kind of thing is a bit eerie; when an elderly person dies, it can easily trigger a chain reaction, with other elderly people dying violently or other untimely deaths.
"Oh well—it's fine whether you look at it or not."
As the hostess, Liu Yin couldn't say anything unpleasant since everyone had come to her house as guests. She could only smooth things over by saying, "You're all so old."
She gestured to the old lady on the kang (a heated brick bed) and said, "Our old lady is thinking of letting her go to the martial arts school to stay for a while."
"Go ahead, the rooms are all ready."
Following his mother's words, Li Xuewu looked at the old lady and invited her, "It's a good opportunity to talk to Gu Ning. She doesn't even have anyone to talk to when I'm not home."
The old lady didn't believe him at all. She might believe it if he said his eldest and youngest granddaughters-in-law were talkative, but his second granddaughter-in-law? Don't be ridiculous.
However, one could also see the sincerity in her grandson's heart. She simply smiled and nodded, saying, "We'll talk about it later, we'll talk about it later."
Li Xuewu could sense that after the injury, the old lady's physical condition and energy were not as good as before.
There's nothing we can do about it; when faced with unexpected events, all we can do is recover slowly.
Fortunately, we have a doctor at home, so we can use both medicine and food therapy.
"Sure, you can stay at the martial arts school for a while," Jia Zhangshi advised her. "It'll be noisy and chaotic there, and you won't be able to sleep well."
"Hmm, we'll see," the old lady said again.
Li Tang couldn't sit still, so he put on his small shoes, got out of bed, and ran to the main room. The voices there were slightly more restrained, but even more cheerful.
Li Xuewu glanced at her, raised his chin, and asked, "Little Dang, how old are you? You look like a grown woman."
"It's already the eleventh of the month, and the Lunar New Year is on the twelfth."
Qin Huairu replied with a smile, "Of course I'm a young lady now."
As she introduced them, she waved towards the main room and asked, "Xiao Dang, Huaihua, have you greeted Uncle Wu yet?"
"Hehe, I've already called you that."
Li Xuewu smiled and nodded. When he entered the house, many people greeted him, so he didn't really notice whether the children had called out to him or not.
He exchanged a polite greeting with Qin Huairu and then looked at the children who had entered the room with him.
Besides Li Tang, the oldest is Xiao Dang, 11 years old, followed by Huaihua, 9 years old, and Yan Fang, who will be 5 years old.
He Zhuang, from He Yuzhu's family, isn't here; otherwise, he could have been ranked ahead of Li Tang. He Zhuang was born in February 1967, a few months older than Li Tang and Li Ning.
"Uncle Wu—" Huaihua greeted her sister.
"Oh, Huaihua is all grown up now."
Li Xuewu smiled and looked at the girls standing in the room. They were all pretty, but Yan Fang was the best-looking.
Yan Jiecheng is not ugly, but Ge Shuqin is beautiful; the little girl looks just like her mother.
However, the courtyard was in chaos back then, and many people said that the child was not Yan Jiecheng's. Li Xuewu's eyes were not like a DNA testing machine, so it was impossible to tell.
Shen Guodong joked with Lao Biaozi, saying that the child was very likely his, but Lao Biaozi didn't believe it.
What do you suggest?
This kid actually went to see Yan Fang, and when he came back, he insisted with absolute certainty that the child was definitely not his.
Why?
Because the child is not ugly.
Does that make sense?
After Lao Biaozi explained it, he realized there was some truth to it.
Old Biaozi said that his ugliness could not be concealed or balanced by how beautiful the child's mother was; Yan Fang's appearance clearly exceeded his "creative" ability.
If she really is his daughter, given his ugliness and Ge Shuqin's beauty, the overall balance should be just passable.
But once this little girl grew up, it was clear that she was destined to be a beauty, inheriting the best features from both her parents.
As she grew up, she began to resemble Yan Jiecheng in appearance, and no one talked about these old, trivial matters anymore.
Yan Fang glanced at her timidly and stood next to her grandmother. The little girl looked much healthier than before.
Li Xuewu met her once when she was a child. Given the current medical and reproductive conditions, the fact that she survived shows that Ge Shuqin had seen the error of her ways and that Yan Jiefang had not lost his conscience.
In an ordinary family, Yan Jiecheng's daughter might not be that close to his own brother.
For so many years, Yan Jiefang and Ge Shuqin have not had any children, fearing that their family's financial situation is not good and that their eldest child would suffer.
Shen Guodong took care of Yan Jiefang and arranged for him to manage the motorcade, which was also out of consideration for Yan Jiefang's friendship.
The younger generation in the institute has truly paid the price for growing up.
Yan Jiefang's lame leg wouldn't be in this state today if he hadn't gotten into trouble and had his father forcibly break it.
Upon careful consideration, even he himself probably couldn't say whether he hated his father or thanked him.
Yan Jiefang's life is now unmatched by most people. He started with just one car, and now his three younger siblings each own a car, which is quite extravagant.
You said that Hou Qinghua dared to sit on the edge of the Li family's kang (heated brick bed) and look down on Jia Zhangshi, so he certainly has some merit.
Although the three siblings have three cars and Yan Jiefang has bought his own house, the Yan family's life is much more peaceful than before.
Yan Jiefang is a good older brother, much better than Yan Jiecheng. The house that Yan Jiekuang and Yan Jiedi live in now was bought by Yan Jiefang.
The family's first house was left to the mother, Hou Qinghua, and her younger brother and sister. Yan Jiefang's idea was to provide a dowry for his sister when she got married.
The first house was reserved for Yan Jiekuang's wedding.
As for Hou Qinghua living with her youngest son and daughter, it's partly to take care of her children, and partly to have her youngest son support her in her old age.
Yan Jiefang understood what it meant. Although his family was harmonious now, and his mother helped them take care of the children, and the family ate dinner together every day, the old conflicts still left traces.
To be honest, Hou Qinghua was afraid of Ge Shuqin. Although Ge Shuqin didn't talk much, she had a strong personality and was a woman of her word.
Yan Jiefang knew that his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law wouldn't get along, so when they separated their households, they bought another house and the couple moved out on their own.
However, since they are all in the same workers' new village, it is very convenient to travel between them.
Sometimes Hou Qinghua would voluntarily go to her home to tidy up the house, do the washing and cleaning, etc. In her words, she couldn't enjoy too much happiness.
Ge Shuqin wasn't a bad person. Although she didn't speak well of her mother-in-law, she never spoke ill of her either, and they never even argued.
When her mother-in-law comes to the house to do chores, she will make up for it in other ways, such as giving her money during holidays or buying her meat and fish. She is very sensible.
Ge Shuqin came with her mother-in-law. She left her child at the Li family's house first, and the two of them went to see the old lady together.
She planned to go back home after she returned, but her mother-in-law got together with an old neighbor and started chatting, so she had to wait there.
When she saw Li Xuewu enter the room, she stood up nervously. She was about to address him as "leader" when she stopped herself.
Actually, she didn't say anything when everyone greeted her. People who aren't employees of the group can't understand Li Xuewu's influence.
"Your name is Yan Fang?" Li Xuewu looked the girl up and down and asked with a smile, "What did you call me?"
"Call him Second Uncle." Hou Qinghua smiled and patted his eldest granddaughter's hair, teaching her how to address him.
From this, it's clear that she has already decided that this is the child left behind by her eldest son, Yan Jiecheng.
If we follow Yan Jiefang's naming convention, then we should call him Second Uncle. Li Xuewu is one year younger than Yan Jiecheng and one year older than Yan Jiefang.
"Second Uncle—" the little girl called out timidly. Although she was still looking him over, she shrank back between her grandmother's legs, a little shy.
"Have you seen your second uncle?" Liu Yin grabbed some melon seeds and peanuts from a basket on the kang (a heated brick bed) for the children and asked, "Do you still remember your second uncle?"
“I remember—” This time she answered the question proactively. She glanced at her grandmother and then accepted the melon seeds and peanuts with both hands.
Although the economic situation has been getting better and better in recent years and the supply of goods has become more and more stable, it is still evident from the details that ordinary people are still struggling to make ends meet.
Take the melon seeds and peanuts that the Li family uses to entertain guests, for example. Ordinary families really don't have the means to buy them; they can only buy some to enjoy during the New Year.
Then look at Li Tang, he doesn't even glance at it. He has plenty of these at home and is already tired of them. He has no shortage of candy and biscuits, so why would he lack these dried fruits?
Speaking of dried fruit, his second uncle brings it home from Northeast China every year. That's a real treat; even the kids on the street don't have as many snacks as he does.
Xiao Dang has grown up now, standing quietly beside her mother. It's Huaihua and Yan Fang who can talk to her. The three girls are peeling peanuts and melon seeds together. Li Tang looks at them curiously, wondering if these things are really that delicious.
"Look how grown up the children are, how can we not get old?!"
Liu Yin happily found them some candy, and said with a smile, "I still remember when they were born, it feels like yesterday."
"Indeed, in the blink of an eye—"
Hou Qinghua raised her chin and said, "This courtyard is a good place to raise people. Whether they married into the family or live here, they all have children now."
She said pointedly, "Look, Sha Zhu's family just had their second son, born in September, right? And I heard Wen San's wife gave birth again, didn't she?"
“She was born in June,” Liu Yin explained. “They said they would come back for the Chinese New Year, but I don’t know if they will be able to come back, the baby is so young.”
"You guys keep chatting, I'm going to check out the backyard."
Li Xuewu came to see the old lady and listen to them chat about everyday things. He said one sentence and then got up and left the inner room.
Ji Yuxiu had just returned from outside. She saw him come out and said a few words to him. When he went out, Li Xue followed him out.
"I can't stand listening to their rambling—"
Seeing her second brother looking at her, Li Xue curled her lips, glanced into the room through the window of the north room, and asked, "Was she deliberately talking about Yu Li?"
"Ignore her, just leave her be." Li Xuewu walked towards the backyard and said to her, "Have you been to the backyard? If you're tired, go back to the east yard."
"I'll go with you." Li Xue followed, explaining as they walked, "I went to see them with Mom the day they came back."
"Hmm." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "If you're worried about this, you can come stay with Grandma at my place. Your second sister-in-law is willing for you to go."
“I know—” Li Xue wrinkled her nose, glanced at her second brother, and asked, “Are you going back to Liaodong on Monday?”
"Hmm, what for?" Li Xuewu turned to look at her and asked with a smile, "Come with me? Aren't you afraid they'll cause you trouble?"
This refers to Li Xue and others conducting audits and investigations at Liaodong Industrial Park. Many people were punished or even dismissed because of her "iron-fisted" approach.
With an older brother like Li Xuewu and a supervisor like Jing Yunong, who in the group's financial system would dare to make things difficult for her?
Not to mention their department head, even the department managers greeted her with smiles, never being obsequious, but also never giving her a cold look or scolding.
That's why she was able to show a righteous and incorruptible side; she was young, capable, principled, and uncompromising.
To put it simply, even though she's only the deputy head of the finance department, people have already started currying favor with her and giving her gifts.
However, judging from the watch she wore, the bag she carried, and her everyday attire, she was never underestimated.
Giving her a gift? You'd better think twice.
"With you here, what do I have to be afraid of—"
Li Xue curled her lips and said, "I am worried about you, but I also know that I am just worrying for nothing."
"Hmm—" Li Xuewu smiled and put his arm around his sister's shoulder, a gesture of closeness that the siblings hadn't shown in a long time.
After Li Xue started working, Li Xuewu treated her like an adult and rarely teased her like that, but now he thinks, "It's so good to have a little sister."
"Timid—" Li Xue was ungrateful and pushed her second brother's hand away when she entered the old man's house.
"Hey, you've come to learn martial arts!"
Yi Zhonghai was at home, sitting on a stool watching Diliya feed her husband.
When they saw that it was the brother and sister who came in, even the old lady lying on the pillow looked over.
It has indeed been a long time since I've seen her. Not only is the middle-aged woman lying in bed extremely thin, but even the middle-aged man is incredibly thin.
"It's quite warm in here."
Li Xuewu's tone was very relaxed, not like someone visiting a patient, but more like someone who came to drop by as usual.
“You’re an older woman and you’re complaining about the cold, especially after the weather changed.” Yi Zhonghai grabbed a stool and gestured for them to sit down. “Please, sit down. I didn’t expect you to come.”
He offered to make tea, and Li Xuewu didn't stand on ceremony; a cup of tea could make the elderly couple feel much better.
If he were to be overly polite, both of them would only think he was just being polite and that there was no real affection between them.
Seeing her second brother like this, Li Xue also accepted the teacup.
It was naturally not comparable to the Li family, but the eldest uncle was a man who was not short of money, and all the utensils in his house looked brand new.
The tea smells delicious; as people get older, they become more willing to spend money on it.
"Isn't it supposed to be a meeting or some kind of research?" Yi Zhonghai brought over the tea before sitting down again.
He looked at Li Xuewu and asked, "Aren't you busy right now?"
"It's almost the end of the year, isn't it?"
Li Xuewu didn't immediately ask about the old woman's situation. He just glanced at her a few times and casually explained, "It's the year-end summary, and there's also the organization's representative meeting to be held. Yesterday's meeting was a preparatory meeting."
"Oh—oh—" Yi Zhonghai nodded, now he understood, and looked him over before asking, "Is it cold in Steel City?"
"It's alright, the river wasn't frozen when I came out." Li Xuewu took a sip of his tea and said, "It's hard to say now."
He glanced out the window; the snowfall today was quite heavy. He added, "If it snowed in the Northeast, it would freeze over."
Winter came early this year!
Yi Zhonghai nodded slowly and said, "If this freezes, the soil will be completely frozen, and the construction work will be impossible."
“There’s not much work left.” Li Xuewu put down his teacup, sniffed, and said, “The above-ground projects in the Steel City Industrial Zone are all finished. Now it’s mainly underground work, which will probably take until next year.”
He thought for a moment and continued, "The results of the technology transfer from East Germany have basically been implemented, and the projects will be completed one after another in the second half of next year."
“I’ve heard about this,” Yi Zhonghai nodded. “They even called us to a meeting, saying they were going to update a batch of technical documents.”
"We can't completely trust the Germans."
Li Xuewu smiled and said, "If they really did a good job, they wouldn't need to dismantle airplanes and sell the parts."
"Hehehe—" Yi Zhonghai found what he said amusing, so he chuckled and asked, "How many days will you be able to stay this time?"
"I can't stay here; there are still things to do in Liaodong."
Li Xuewu looked at the middle-aged woman and said, "If it weren't for Director Li's insistence, I would have gone back yesterday. Now I have to wait until Monday."
He moved the stool forward a bit, leaned closer to the older woman, and asked, "Is Delia's cooking delicious? Is it tasty?"
The older woman simply nodded slowly. She had been observing him ever since he and Li Xue entered the house, but now she couldn't say anything.
She was having trouble breathing; she was indeed very weak.
Delia patiently fed her little by little with a small spoon, a spoonful of rice porridge and a spoonful of water, and occasionally wiped the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief.
Li Xuewu observed that the room was very clean, and although there was a bedridden patient, there was no unpleasant odor.
Anyone who has taken care of the elderly knows that urine will inevitably leave a smell in the house, no matter how much you clean it.
But looking at it now, Delia did indeed do her best.
Hearing Li Xuewu's question, the old woman's eyes welled up with tears. She patted the knee of Diliya, who was sitting by the bed feeding her, and nodded again.
"Is this a compliment to her?"
Li Xuewu was still smiling, his face showing no worry or heaviness. He nodded and said, "That's good. It wasn't for nothing that you cared for them this time."
Back when the older woman was in good health, He Zhuang was raised by her, which allowed Diliya to quickly return to her job at the store.
He Yuzhu is able to live such a carefree life, but without Uncle Yi and his wife, he would never be where he is today.
Li Xuewu didn't mind her at all. He watched her eat a mouthful of rice porridge, nodded and comforted her, saying, "Take good care of yourself. We have another grandson coming along. Once you've recovered, you'll have to take care of his grandson."
"Mmm-hmm—" The middle-aged woman nodded first, then shook her head regretfully, her face full of helplessness.
Li Xuewu slipped the prepared envelope under her pillow. Seeing her looking over, before the old man could speak, he smiled and said, "I didn't buy you anything. What would you like to eat? I'll ask Diliya to buy it for you, okay?"
“Last time when the rain came, she said you gave her money to buy things.” Only then did Yi Zhonghai have a chance to speak: “Why bother with that? Your aunt doesn’t need anything.”
"It's just a token of my appreciation." Li Xuewu didn't emphasize too much, but looked into the old lady's eyes and nodded, saying, "Even if you're reluctant to part with He Zhuang, your grandson, and the two of them, you still need to take good care of your health."
He turned to the old man and said, "As far as I'm concerned, you're a senior worker in the factory, so you're entitled to certain benefits."
"Let's not talk about our personal relationship. If you need anything, just let me know and I'll try to find a way."
Li Xuewu gently patted the bedside of the middle-aged woman and continued, "I've already spoken to the hospital. As for my dad, I don't need to mention it. You're brothers, so just let me know if you need anything."
"Sigh—" Yi Zhonghai sighed and nodded, "Your aunt will stay like this for now, so I don't regret it."
He looked at his wife, his face filled with unconcealed sorrow, and said, "Every day is a day, and having her here gives me something to look forward to at work."
"Yes, I understand." Li Xuewu nodded and said, "My dear wife, isn't the point of living to have someone to accompany you when you get old?"
He glanced at the older woman, then looked at Delia and asked, "Who's taking care of the child?"
“Rain is at home.” Over the years, Delia has become accustomed to his care and is no longer afraid of him as she used to be.
“These days, knowing I’m too busy, they come back to stay whenever they have time, which has helped me a lot.”
"Don't overwork yourself. If you need anything, talk to the front yard."
Li Xuewu glanced at her and said, "If my mother isn't home, ask the people in the west courtyard for help. Don't try to be brave."
"Okay, I understand." Delia smiled at him, still a little shy.
Li Xuewu smiled and asked, "How often does your brother come back?"
"I just came back the other day, took a quick look around here, and then left."
Delia explained, "It's convenient to come back now, because they said they miss the children."
"Hehe—" Li Xuewu smiled and looked at the old man, saying, "Now you can see the advantage of living close by, right?"
He Yuzhu married Diliya, and Diliya's brother married Wang Yamei. The two sisters-in-law worked in the same shop and were very close.
Diliya used to have an older woman taking care of her, and Wang Yamei had her parents helping her; both families lived very comfortably.
In other words, the old lady is now in poor health, but she has accumulated good deeds and virtues. She was taken care of by a deaf old lady before she passed away, and now Dilia is taking care of her.
He Yushui and Qin Huairu also frequently came to visit and help with the washing and cleaning.
Regardless of whether the old man's reputation in the courtyard was good or bad, the old woman was respected by everyone, and almost no one would say anything bad about her.
Even someone as shrewish as Jia Zhangshi wouldn't say anything bad about the old woman, because she couldn't bring herself to say it, and she would feel guilty if she did.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Jia Zhangshi doesn't dare to come to see her. The old folks have all sorts of shameful ways to live, but when it comes to a life-or-death situation, who cares about those things anymore?
In Li Xuewu's opinion, Jia Zhangshi wasn't afraid to come; she was ashamed to come.
Li Xuewu chatted with him for a few minutes, finished his tea, and then got up to leave.
Before leaving, they didn't forget to give them a few words of advice, and an old man also saw them out.
"Zhu Zi and the others are in the back room."
Seeing that the old man hadn't gone back after seeing him off, Li Xuewu knew what he meant and gestured towards the front yard.
Yi Zhonghai nodded. Once they were far from home, he sighed and said, "Your mother's biggest worry is that if you die, she'll be burned to ashes."
“She worried about this even when she could speak, and she kept talking about it all day long. I discussed it with Zhu Zi, and we decided to handle her funeral arrangements according to her wishes.”
He paused for a moment and then said, "I don't think about that much. When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. Who cares whether they're burned or buried?"
"It's not like it'll be left to rot in the wilderness, as long as wild dogs douse it."
He looked at Li Xuewu and said with emotion, "Back in the old days, at this time of year, every day was filled with cartloads of firewood being hauled out of the city."
"In the dead of winter, who's going to dig a hole for you? They just find a spot and dump you there, and stray dogs will have your hands full by midnight. Now—"
"There's definitely no need to worry about that now."
Li Xuewu understood his thoughts, of course; the cricket-catching graves they used to use when they were kids were all built later.
In the early years?
No, or very rarely, unless it's like their ancestral graves, where they consulted feng shui masters and chose a location in the mountains; otherwise, there won't be any grave mounds left.
Think about it, in those days people couldn't even afford to eat, so where would they get the money to hold a funeral? In the plays, they say that you can buy a roll of mat for two coins, roll it up, and throw it out, but that's just embellishment to make it sound better.
A mat? Mats are free!
It's a luxury to be able to wear a full set of clothes when you die; clothes cost money, it's such a waste to bury them.
A coffin made of ordinary materials costs at least two taels of silver. How much could a poor family save in a year? That was simply not an option.
It was only after liberation that indiscriminate burial was no longer allowed, and crematoriums were established, saving people a lot of trouble and finally easing their worries about the afterlife.
That's what the old man said. There's nothing we can do about it. It's already kind enough that Sha Zhu can take care of them in their old age and see them off in death. Why would he still be thinking about burning paper money at their graves after they die?
The reason he spoke of those early years was precisely this: in those war-torn years, living was a luxury, and death was the only relief.
When they die, they can't even guarantee whether their descendants will survive, so what's the use of just a small grave?
It's even more distressing if the descendants survive but have no money to offer sacrifices; it's even more frustrating to have the grave leveled after the death of the deceased. It's better to end it all.
Whether one has descendants or not, only when one is old will one know whether one is good or bad. There's no need to say things like "unfilial descendants" or "the father is at fault for the son's lack of filial piety."
For a period of time, the DINK (Double Income No Kids) lifestyle became popular, but later, people chose not to have children due to the hardships of life. However, as time passed, the older generation lost their voice in the era, and even if they had grievances, they had nowhere to express them.
Some people say that the time between a child's birth and their estrangement from you during adolescence is already a way of repaying a debt of gratitude, allowing you to relive your childhood and experience the joy of parenting.
Later family relationships need to be maintained with an adult mindset, and it's even about whether they will be genuinely sad when they see you off.
If you can't even learn how to get along with your children, can't do it well, or can't understand how to get along with them, then how unsuccessful must your life be? Can you blame your children's unfilial behavior on having a child?
Li Xuewu understood the old man's feelings, and when he arrived at the back room, he could only admire Sha Zhu's performance.
Li Xue did not follow. She returned to the east courtyard. It was getting dark, and there were still people talking in the house, as if they were waiting for the party in the back room to end.
"We've discussed the coffin."
Everyone sat down again, and Sha Zhu reported the results of their discussion: "There are no coffin shops in the city anymore, we have to make our own."
"We have this convenient condition."
He gestured to Shen Guodong and said, "Guodong, find a way to get some good wood. Then we'll ask Grandma to draw a ruler, and we'll lend a hand with the processing."
The material used to make coffins is very particular. Regardless of whether it's from the south or the north, and no matter what the material is, there's no such thing as a new material.
These days, you can definitely find dried wood or old wood in the countryside. There's an old saying that a child will plant a few trees after he's born.
These trees will grow as the children grow up. When the children grow up and become old, and pass away, they will use these trees left by their parents to make a coffin, which is considered a final expression of paternal and maternal love.
Nowadays, such customs are rare. Most people buy wood themselves while they are still healthy and hang it on the beams to dry in the shade, just in case.
Or it could be due to the filial piety of children, who make arrangements for their parents as soon as they reach a certain age.
However, this is rare in Beijing, because cremation is the preferred method of cremation. Now that there are special requirements, we have to find a way to address them.
So, if we need dry timber, Shen Guodong really has to find a way to select the better quality timber from the timber shipped from Jicheng and transport it back.
An old man sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and just nodded, as if Sha Zhu was in charge of everything.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. Even if he had the money, he might not be able to afford to buy all of these things himself.
I don't know if the wood is easy to find, but where can I find woodworking tools? And even if I did, where can I find a carpenter?
Grandma wasn't a coffin maker. There are different kinds of carpenters. Those who only know how to make coffins are called junior carpenters, just a way to make a living.
A master carpenter is someone who can make furniture and build houses; such a person is a rare talent who can accumulate wealth and even has the opportunity to become rich.
"The rest of the funeral clothes are easy to prepare," Sha Zhu instructed. "I'll buy the fabric and cotton, and ask the sewing company to make them. It's very simple."
With this resource, everything is simple.
After the old man finished speaking, he looked at the people standing or sitting in the room and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"What are you saying—"
Shen Guodong waved his hand and said, "You've dedicated your whole life to this place, is it really worth you being so polite about this?"
The room contained not only Shen Guodong, but also Yan Jiefang, Liu Guangfu, and Li Xuewu's father, Li Shun, and Li Xuecai.
In fact, you can see from the people in the house, or those who are talking in the Li family, how this era is bound by death.
If you don't come when something happens, it means you're refusing to participate in this kind of mutual help circle, and others won't come to your house when something happens in the future.
Regardless of whether you contribute manpower or effort, or whether you are required to contribute manpower or effort, you must be present at the scene. If you really can't come, then voluntarily contribute money.
If men can't come, can't women come?
Just look at Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi; the ultimate reason Jia Zhangshi came here was to observe and learn.
She's an old woman, and she'll pass away someday. She can't be better than an older woman, nor can she be worse than an older woman, right?
She had compared herself to an older woman her whole life, and she felt she should at least be treated the same way after death. She wondered if she should start saving up for a coffin for herself.