Chapter 113 Casual Chat in the Courtyard
Guanming Hutong.
Nine months later, when Chen Yun stepped into Guanming Hutong again, she noticed that many places had changed.
The public toilet at the entrance of the alley has been renovated and painted a light green. Two rows of civilized slogans have also been added to the entrance. The stench that used to waft past me has also lessened considerably.
The road surface has been repaved. Gao Ming said that this was because the sewers in the alley were rebuilt a few months ago, and the old bluestone pavement was completely demolished.
Of course... most places remain unchanged.
Various kinds of miscellaneous items were piled up on both sides of the road, leaving only a path that was barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Everyone was afraid of being taken advantage of, because if other people took up space, it would be a loss for them not to.
"The neighborhood has explicitly banned the burning of firewood, but many of our neighbors in the alley are still secretly burning it. Look at how badly this wall has burned down!"
The white lime plaster that had been applied to the Gao family's wall less than a year ago was covered with a layer of soot; you could draw a mark with your finger if you touched it.
Fearing that the neighborhood committee would catch them burning firewood at home, they simply moved their stoves to the corner of other people's houses to burn firewood. If they were discovered, they would at most have a few words of argument.
Nowadays, there are few people living in the courtyard, and everyone has to go out to work, so there is basically no one in the courtyard during the day. Naturally, it has become the best place for some people to cook.
“Dad, I know whose house burned it?” Gao Nianping pointed to a courtyard diagonally across the street: “It was Hu Laowu’s mother. I saw her carrying the stove into the house yesterday.”
"You all go home first, I'll go talk to him."
Hu Laowu is reasonable, but he has a stubborn and unreasonable mother. Gao Ming knows that this matter can only be resolved by finding someone reasonable, and it just so happens that everyone is here after dinner.
"I'll go with you..."
"It's nothing! You should go back and take a shower and rest." Gao Ming waved his hand.
Gao Nian'an liked to join in the fun, so of course he had to go and see what was going on. The father and daughter entered the opposite courtyard one after the other.
Gao Nianping and Chen Yun were very similar in temperament; both mother and son entered their own courtyard without looking back.
"Xiao Chen is back!"
As soon as I entered the courtyard, several greetings rang out simultaneously, the loudest coming from Cui Zhihong, who was sitting by the door knitting.
"What happened that made Sister Cui so happy?"
"Your Uncle Zhou's daughter moved in with your parents, and Xiao Cui hasn't stopped talking these past few days," Aunt Luo quickly chimed in, pointing towards Zhou Jianjun's room as she spoke, "Xiao Zhou is renting your house."
Aunt Luo pointed out that the room was one of the two side rooms that Aunt Liu had sold to Chen Yun and his family, and the wooden windows had been replaced with new glass windows.
"Shirley," Cui Zhihong called into the house, "come out and see your Aunt Chen Yun."
"Here you are."
The door was quickly pulled open.
Zhou Xueli is tall and slender, with a clean and fair face and a pair of clear almond-shaped eyes that have a natural, moist glow.
Hello, Auntie.
The clear sound was like the crisp ringing of a porcelain bowl, yet it also carried a touch of the delicate softness unique to young girls.
Zhou Xueli's appearance is not strikingly bright, but rather delicate and pleasing to the eye the more you look at her. Her scholarly air gives her a unique radiance.
"Xiao Zhou is so beautiful, just like a movie star in a movie magazine," Chen Yun praised sincerely.
Her looks would be considered those of a fresh-faced beauty in later generations, and she would be a popular type on the small screen.
Zhou Xueli was embarrassed by the compliment. She wiped her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand and lowered her head shyly, saying, "My sister-in-law is prettier than me."
“My sister-in-law is getting old.” Chen Yun touched her rough face.
In Mengding County, the autumn winds, mixed with sand, caused my cheeks to peel all over. Because of my poor diet and lack of vitamins, the cracks at the corners of my mouth didn't heal for more than three months.
Of course... all of the above reasons are just Chen Yun's excuses for not wanting to admit that he is old.
Even with proper maintenance, she can't compare to a 21 or 22-year-old girl.
“My daughter is shy, Xiao Chen, please stop teasing her.” Cui Zhihong came to her daughter’s rescue at the right time, and continued the conversation with a smile: “What’s the use of being pretty! If our Xue Li is half as capable as you in the future, her father and I will be burning incense in gratitude.”
Since Zhou Jianjun started working for Gao Ming, his life has become increasingly prosperous. Now, Cui Zhihong's only concern is her daughter's marriage.
"Don't be modest, sister-in-law."
Chen Yun patted Zhou Xueli's shoulder and slowly walked to her bedroom door: "I wish my Nian'an was this beautiful."
The door, which hadn't been opened for a long time, made a dull click after the key was turned once.
"My aunt and sister-in-law are chatting, I'll rest for a bit first!"
"Xiao Chen worked hard this time, and I noticed he's lost a lot of weight," Aunt Luo said, watching Chen Yun's retreating figure.
Cui Zhihong chimed in, "Manager Gao must be heartbroken."
Even though Cui Zhihong had only moved in a year ago, she could tell that Gao Ming and Chen Yun had a warm relationship; after more than ten years of marriage, they were still no different from newlyweds.
The women in the courtyard might tease her, but deep down they were all incredibly envious.
Cui Zhihong hopes that her daughter can find a son-in-law who is compatible with her, and that the young couple can live a happy life together. That's better than anything else.
"Yesterday, Lao Gao was telling my husband, Er Ming, that he was counting down the days until Xiao Chen came back, and he went to the train station early this morning to pick him up... He's more enthusiastic than anyone else."
"Is Aunt Luo jealous?" Cui Zhihong laughed.
“What am I, someone who’s half-buried in the ground, envious of… I’m envious for all the young people in our compound. Your Shirley will definitely have to be careful when she gets married in the future. Don’t you dare pick…” He raised his thumb and pointed at the Li family’s courtyard wall next door: “If you pick someone with a rotten core, you’ll never live a good life without getting moldy.”
If things are going well, a couple of words are enough; but if things are going badly, a hundred words wouldn't be enough.
Cui Zhihong clicked her tongue twice and pointed to the stool next to her: "Xue Li, sit down and listen carefully. You'll have to keep your eyes wide open when you're looking for a partner in the future."
Chen Yun knew that Aunt Luo was referring to the Li family next door.
His ex-wife and current wife live in the same hospital, and crucially, Li Huguo's relationship with Hu Yue'e is not good either.
Li Huguo originally wanted to treat Tang Hao as his own son, but after Li Shuaishuai fell ill and Hu Yue'e stopped caring about him, the couple's relationship deteriorated rapidly.
Chen Yun felt that the main reason this couple, who had married later in life, could still make do was that Hu Yue'e couldn't bear to go back to the hard life she had before.
The door closed, and the sound of their conversation became muffled.
"call--"
The familiar scent in the room was incredibly comforting. Chen Yun slowly exhaled, rested briefly on the sofa, and then immediately stood up again.
"Nianping, do you know which room Gao Yi and his wife live in?"
After sleeping on the train for two days, Chen Yun wasn't very sleepy and planned to pack some things she brought back to give to Gao Yi and Wang Xueli.
"We'll stay in the room where my uncle and his family used to live."
Mengding County beef jerky is very famous. Before leaving, Chen Yun bought a large bag to give as a gift. After hearing Gao Nianping's words, he took out two more bags from his bag.
"Then which room does your aunt live in?"
“My aunt lives in the first room at the back.” Gao Nianping was fiddling with the toys she had just gotten a few days ago when she inadvertently revealed something that even Gao Ming didn’t know: “My uncle goes back to the apartment building to stay every night.”
"Hmm?" Chen Yun asked curiously, stopping what she was doing. "How do you know your uncle doesn't live at home?"
"I heard my uncle say that he had to go back to keep an eye on the house, in case a thief broke in!"
Chen Yun didn't want to guess what Gao Fei was thinking, leaving his wife, who had difficulty walking, to go back and take care of the house.
"Take these two packets of beef jerky to Grandma Luo and Aunt Zhihong."
"good."
The door was pushed open again.
Aunt Luo had already unpacked the beef jerky and was taking a bite when she saw Chen Yun take two packets and head to the backyard. She raised her hand and mumbled, "Your sister-in-law's family isn't here."
"They went out?"
"That's right! Your sister-in-law and brother went out early this morning. Your mother said they couldn't bear to close the shop and insisted on opening it to make money."
"What about Shirley...?"
Zhou Xueli looked over curiously, and Chen Yun quickly waved her hand with a smile: "I meant Gao Yi's girlfriend, Wang Xueli."
Having two Shirleys in the same courtyard, without their surnames, could easily lead to misunderstandings.
"Gao Yi... and his wife... should go to the hospital for a prenatal checkup!"
Aunt Luo has bad teeth. It's less like she's chewing beef jerky and more like she's grinding it with her teeth. She's grimacing and straining her whole face as she says this.
Chen Yun found it amusing.
“Auntie, go to the hospital to get your teeth checked when you have time. You’re not even sixty yet… once you’re over seventy, you’ll only be able to drink soup.”
"Your Uncle Jiang wouldn't be willing to spend that money!" Aunt Luo wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and continued to pick up her knitting needles as if nothing had happened: "I do have two sons, but the two of them combined are not worth as much as Erming alone."
“Look at what Auntie said, how heartbroken Heping and Heyun must be to hear that.”
Since the person wasn't there, the beef jerky couldn't be delivered. Chen Yun casually put the things on the windowsill and sat down on a stool by the door.
While the aunties were knitting sweaters and embroidering insoles, she... flipped through Gao Nianping's test papers.
"They know perfectly well what's going on, so why can't they say it!"
Jiang's two sons are both very quick-witted, and they have actually made some money in recent years by taking advantage of various opportunities. When Aunt Luo said that her sons were reluctant to pay for her dental treatment, she was just saying it casually.
The older generation has endured hardship, and since these ailments aren't life-threatening, they naturally try to save money wherever possible.
"Where does Shirley work?" Chen Yun asked, changing the subject.
Zhou Xueli pointed to herself, making sure the question was directed at her before speaking: "I've been assigned to the Railway Primary School, and I'm still hesitating about whether to go or not."
"Railway Crossing Primary School?" Chen Yun searched his memory for a long time but couldn't recall hearing of this primary school, which meant, "It's not in the city?"
“It’s in Jinyong County, a county in Hebei Province!” Cui Zhihong said.
"So far?"
If Zhou Xueli is assigned to a primary school in the county town, it means that her household registration will have to be transferred to the local area along with her job, and it will be almost impossible for her to transfer it back to Beicheng in the future!
"Jinyong County?"
Gao Ming, who had just stepped into the courtyard and was about to wash his hands with water, asked with a strange expression after hearing the name of the place.
"It's definitely Jinyong County, it's written on the notification." Cui Zhihong was very certain.
“Our company’s fleet was blocked in Jinyong County two months ago, and we only got through after paying a toll.” Gao Ming saw that Cui Zhihong and her daughter clearly didn’t understand what he meant, so he put it more bluntly: “They’re blatantly charging tolls to passing vehicles and nobody cares, why do you think that is…”
"Let Brother Zhou go to Jinyong County to investigate first. If it's really not safe, Xue Li shouldn't go," Chen Yun said.
If Jin Yong County is really this chaotic, Zhou Xueli, a beautiful single woman, will be in even greater danger.
“Okay!” Cui Zhihong’s smile vanished instantly: “I’ll call Lao Zhou right now and ask him to find a chance to check on the situation.”
Gao Ming had already made it so clear that Cui Zhihong had already decided in her heart not to let her daughter work in Jinyong County.
They only have this one precious daughter, and the couple are unwilling to take any risks.
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