After finishing their meal and seeing off the three people who had gone to work, Zhao's parents went to Da Pu's house, which was a 20-minute walk from the Forbidden City. It was a two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house).
The two men rode the bus for an hour before knocking on the door. A man in his forties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and appearing quite refined, emerged shortly after. Upon seeing Mr. and Mrs. Zhao, tears streamed down his face. "Uncle Zhao, Aunt Zhao!"
Tears welled up in Zhao's parents' eyes too. Ten years! They had lost so many good friends. They had seen it all, but dared not reach out! Zhao's father held Xiao Pu, letting him cry his heart out. They finally learned that Da Pu had drowned in the septic tank while pushing manure, driven by hunger and cold. The old couple then burst into tears together!
Xiao Pu invited the people inside. Although the house had been returned, most of the furniture had been smashed. Xiao Pu wiped away his tears and said, "My father was full of vigor for most of his life, but I never expected him to leave in such a desolate way."
Upon hearing this, Zhao's mother quickly took out Da Pu's pocket watch and fountain pen from her pocket and said, "Child, these are your father's things. Aiguo gave him some food back then, and your father gave them to him. They were also his two favorite things. Keep them as a memento!"
Xiao Pu trembled as he took the gift and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing to Zhao's parents. Zhao's father quickly helped him up, saying anxiously, "Child, what are you doing? Get up!"
Xiao Pu wiped away her tears and said, "Thank you, thank you! By the way, Uncle Zhao, there's something else I need your advice on. My hometown is Haishi, and I want to go back there. I plan to sell this house and never return to this place of sorrow."
Zhao's father was taken aback and said, "This..."
Xiao Pu said, "Uncle Zhao, if you want to buy it, I'll sell it for 15,000 yuan more!"
The elderly couple tried to persuade Xiao Pu to leave, but after some discussion, Zhao's father said, "I have eight thousand in cash. Can I use croakers for the rest?"
Xiao Pu thought for a moment and said, "How about you use large yellow croaker for the transaction? You can make up the difference in cash if it's not enough. Is that alright?" Zhao's parents looked at each other and nodded in agreement.
The elderly couple said they would bring it to him tomorrow, and Xiao Pu said that as long as the large yellow croaker was delivered, he would go with them to the neighborhood committee to complete the formalities.
The two went back, and when Aiguo and Zhao Dahu returned, Zhao's mother asked in confusion, "Where is Shuqing?"
Zhao Dahu said, "Da Ni gave birth and is in the hospital. Shuqing went to see her after get off work, and I thought I'd let you know when I got back before going over."
Mr. Zhao nodded and said, "Don't leave yet, let's discuss something."
The father and son looked at each other and went inside. Old Zhao said, "Aiguo, do you remember the two wooden boxes you gave me and your dad before?"
Zhao Aiguo nodded and said, "I remember! By the way, what happened to that box after that? I haven't seen it since!"
Zhao's father said, "The box is long gone. There were 12 large yellow croakers inside..." "Ah?...My God! He was foolishly searching for treasure when he was a child, and he actually found it." Zhao Aiguo was incredulous.
Looking at Zhao Dahu, Zhao's father said, "Da Pu is gone. His son wants to sell that courtyard house, but we don't have enough money. He agreed to use big yellow croakers as compensation! After all, this is patriotic. I want to ask you, if you agree, we'll give him four croakers and add another thousand yuan. If you don't agree, I'll find him a reliable buyer!"
Zhao Dahu thought for a moment and said, "Buy it! I've seen more and more people returning to the city, and housing is becoming increasingly scarce. If we clean up his yard and rent it out, Aiguo will never have to worry about food and clothing again."
Zhao Aiguo didn't care, saying, "Anything is fine, as long as Grandpa and Grandma decide!"
Zhao's mother said, "Should we wait for Shuqing to come back and tell her?" This time, the father and son both said in unison, "No need!"
Zhao Aiguo chuckled and said, "Let's not tell her about this. She'll worry herself sick. Let's talk about it after everything's settled!"
Zhao Dahu nodded. He'd been married to his wife for over ten years and knew her too well. She wasn't a bad person, but she certainly wasn't very bright. Especially with Erni at home, things weren't going smoothly.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao's father said, "Okay, let's put Aiguo's name on this courtyard. Anyway, it will belong to him in the future."
Zhao Aiguo shook his head. "That's fine, but you should still write my dad's name. This matter can't be bypassed by my dad!"
Zhao Dahu chuckled and nodded, "Good son!" After chatting for a while, Zhao Aiguo planned to go see Wei Dani. As he was leaving, Zhao Dahu gave him a look, and Zhao's parents nodded to indicate that they understood.
After they left, the old couple started digging into the hole in the wall again, took out four large goldfish, and then put the hole back to its original state.
When Wei Shuqing and her family of three returned home, by the time she went to work the next day, everyone in the family except her knew that they were going to have a courtyard house.
Zhao Dahu didn't feel guilty. He only had this one wife in his life, and he couldn't change her. Sometimes, a white lie is better for everyone.
His only consolation now is that he didn't impulsively give Wei Shuqing's house to Wei Xigun. Otherwise, he would have regretted it to the core.
After Zhao's parents gave Xiao Pu the things, the three of them completed the transfer of ownership to Zhao Aiguo. Now the old couple were relieved; their grandson would have a job and could collect rent, so he wouldn't starve.
After the two returned home, they remained silent for a while. Meanwhile, Li Qiuxiang's older sister had recently accomplished something quite remarkable. This scoundrel actually gave a radio interview with an air of righteous indignation, selfless and shameless.
A series of interviews on the topic of saying no to domestic violence were conducted, making them extremely popular. It was only then that Wang Fang and others realized that this bastard had exposed them.
She was doing well in her career, getting promoted to deputy captain and receiving a three-yuan raise. Overjoyed, she went to visit her good friend Zhao Aiguo.
As soon as she entered, she shouted, "Zhao Aiguo, your sister is treating you to dinner!" Seeing Zhao Aiguo's listless appearance, she curled her lip and said, "Look at you, you look like you slept with ten female ghosts last night! What's wrong?"
Zhao Aiguo looked at Li Qiuxiang and exclaimed, "What good news is it?!"
"Good news from the delivery room! I've been promoted!"
"Congratulations!" Li Qiuxiang said, holding out her hand. She gave him a dollar and a pound of grain coupons. Zhao Aiguo immediately perked up, grabbed the money and coupons, and ran off.
They came back carrying four lunchboxes of various sizes and six steamed buns.
Li Qiuxiang's eyes twitched. What was she thinking? Couldn't she just have some dumplings by herself?
Zhao Aiguo happily opened his lunchbox and said, "Braised pork, dried green beans with braised pork, braised chicken pieces, and spicy yellow croaker!"
Li Qiuxiang chuckled, "Are you a big spender? There's not a single vegetable dish!"
Zhao Aiguo chuckled, "What are you saying? I even spent two ounces of grain coupons, which is fifty cents! What you gave me isn't even enough! I'm telling you, just eat it!"
Li Qiuxiang took the steamed bun and said, "Why were you so unhappy just now? What's wrong?"
While eating the meat, Zhao Aiguo said, "Didn't the canteen make meat and small yellow croaker? I've spent too much of my food coupons and money, so if I eat meat I can't eat fish, but if I eat fish I still want meat. This is making me feel really bad..."
Li Qiuxiang wanted to slap herself; she deserved to ask him. What could Zhao Aiguo possibly have on his mind?
Zhao Aiguo was also sensible; he took some of the braised chicken pieces and added braised pork and braised pork belly! The remaining two ate heartily until their bellies were full.
Zhao Aiguo smacked his lips, "The small yellow croaker is still the best! I won't hesitate next time."
Li Qiuxiang carried the lunchbox back to work, and when she got off work, she took the lunchbox directly to her grandmother's house. Wang Dong and Wang Hong didn't deserve to eat it.
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