Chapter 2207
The Current State of the Four-Courtyard House
Courtyard No. 95 is much more spacious now.
No one will argue about whose place is being taken anymore.
However, this was not the situation Yi Zhonghai wanted.
Every day when he opened his eyes and saw the empty yard, he felt very depressed.
His retirement shouldn't be like this.
In the dead of night, he dreamed countless times of his retirement.
In dreams, a courtyard house should be a scene of harmony and joy.
The elderly residents in the facility don't have to worry about their children or their own retirement.
All of these were handled by Qin Huai Rulai.
Everyone lived a very happy life, and they were always grateful to the old man who made their retirement possible.
In my dream, there was also a blurry figure who was responsible for taking money into the courtyard.
Yi Zhonghai always wanted to know who that figure was. Every time he was about to see the figure's face, the dream would end.
Upon waking up and seeing the difference between his dream and reality, Yi Zhonghai felt completely drained.
At this time, Yi Zhonghai was much older than he was during the "Sha Zhu" era.
Even during Sha Zhu's most difficult time, he wasn't starved; he was given meat to eat every day.
These days, being able to eat white flour steamed buns is considered a celebration of the New Year.
We usually eat steamed buns made from a mixture of cornmeal and wheat flour.
Every time he tried to talk to Qin Huairu about improving their lives, she would sit there without saying a word, tears streaming down her face.
Yi Zhonghai could afford to spend money once or twice, but he couldn't stand it for long.
The other two elderly men were in similar situations to Yi Zhonghai.
Her chubby bangs have now thinned out, and she spends her days at home angrily scolding her three sons for being unfilial.
Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, Liu Haizhong has always been a senior steel rolling worker.
His salary was good, and his family always made sure he had enough to eat, so his standard of living was never bad.
Throughout Sha Zhu's life, during the same period, his standard of living did not decline much.
Liu Haizhong was dissatisfied with his three sons for being unfilial, but he didn't harbor such deep resentment.
This life will be different.
If they eat with Qin Huairu, the food is bad; if they don't eat with Qin Huairu, the elderly couple can't take care of themselves.
The two tried to find their son, but he ignored them.
Liu Haizhong's dissatisfaction with his son began to build up.
Yan Bugui has changed the least, except that he has become even stingier than before.
Without Sha Zhu's support, the crisis caused by the child's unfilial behavior was magnified.
Although he didn't owe Qin Huairu any money, his desire for money only grew stronger.
Yan Bugui's face fell, and he would run over to the children every few days.
After a heated debate, you can usually get a little money out of it.
That day, he left Yan Jiecheng's restaurant and slowly walked towards the courtyard house.
On the way, I happened to see an old man who collects garbage selling recyclables.
"That's one hundred and one hundred in total, please keep it."
Upon hearing the word "money," Yan Bugui's calculations immediately began.
He did a quick calculation and discovered the profit potential.
Such a small item can sell for 110 yuan, and the key is that this thing is everywhere and has no cost at all.
Yan Bugui stopped the scrap collector and asked, "How much do you sell these things for?"
"Grandpa, do you have any of these at home?" the scrap collector asked.
Yan Bugui said, "We have quite a few in our yard. I'll ask about the price first, and if the price is right, I'll sell them."
The scrap dealer didn't hide anything and told Yan Bugui the purchase price.
Yan Bugui calculated everything one by one, becoming more and more excited as he did so, as if he had discovered a gold mine.
Yan Bugui made his decision; he would start collecting recyclables from now on.
From that day on, Yan Bugui began his great career of collecting recyclables.
During the day, he would collect recyclables on the streets, sell them around three or four in the afternoon, and then go to ask a few children for money.
He was shrewd and could earn a considerable amount of money every month. Yan Bugui also knew the importance of keeping his talents hidden and never told anyone about his scrap collecting.
Even the third aunt, who lives with them, doesn't know.
The three women always assumed that Yan Bugui had gone out to ask his son for money.
The sound at the door told the third aunt that Yan Bugui had returned.
In the courtyard, apart from Yan Bugui who liked to go out, the other people were reluctant to go out.
"Which child did you visit today?"
Yan Bugui put down what he was holding: "I'm going to find Xie Di."
"How much money did you give that brat?" the third aunt asked.
Yan Bugui took out ten yuan: "I gave you ten yuan."
This money was indeed given by Yan Jiedi, precisely to shut Yan Bugui up.
Yan Jiedi wouldn't have been willing to give money if she wasn't afraid that Yan Bugui would cause trouble and affect Luo Hong's work.
The three women put the money away: "I'll give this money to Huairu tomorrow."
Yan Bugui sighed: "Give it to us. If the child doesn't care about us, we can only rely on Huairu."
Life wasn't good with Qin Huairu, but it was even worse without her.
No matter how reluctant he was, Yan Bugui would give the money that was due.
When it was time for dinner, the couple took the money and went to Qin Huairu's house.
"Huai Ru, this is ten yuan that my old man got from the children. You can take it first."
Qin Huairu didn't stand on ceremony; given the current situation, she couldn't afford to be polite.
Supporting so many elderly people is a huge burden.
Just doing laundry and cooking every day can take up a whole day.
Liu Haizhong then asked, "You went to see Jie Di today, didn't you? Only Jie Di would be willing to give you so much."
Yan Bugui wasn't embarrassed at all: "Old Liu, I'm not saying this to be mean, but you should learn from me and go visit your three kids every now and then."
If I can get even a penny, I'll take it.
We are their parents, so it's only natural that they should respect and care for us.
Yi Zhonghai added, "Old Yan is right."
There are no bad elders in the world, only inconsiderate juniors.
They should honestly and dutifully respect and care for their parents.
Liu Haizhong visited several times, but unfortunately his sons completely ignored him.
He didn't have Yan Bugui's thick skin, so he wasn't willing to go.
"Why go to them? To let them toss me around like a sandbag?"
Seeing that Liu Haizhong's tone was not good and fearing that a conflict would arise, the second aunt quickly tried to explain.
"It's not that we don't want to go. But once we get there, we simply can't find Guangtian and Guangfu."
Guangqi is also not seeing us. We…”
After saying a few words, Auntie Er started crying.
She no longer has the same way she used to help hand her the whip when Liu Haizhong was beating the child.
Of the three uncles, Yi Zhonghai had money, and Yan Bugui could get money from his son.
Only their family could be considered to have nothing. They lived off Liu Haizhong's meager pension every month.
With life turned out this way, Qin Huairu became too lazy to show off her virtuousness.
She did not stand up to persuade the second aunt.
"Stop crying. The more unfilial the child is, the more we need to take care of ourselves."
Liu Haizhong snapped out of his daze and joined in the persuasion, saying, "Why are you crying? I'll just pretend I never raised these three ungrateful wretches."
After making a ruckus for a while, the group finally sat down to eat.
After finishing their meal, they all followed the tradition of Yan Bugui's family and went to bed early.
Going to bed early can save on electricity bills.
There's no such thing as Sha Zhu now. Sha Zhu made too many promises back then, saying he would take care of several people.
He was forced to do this, even if it meant borrowing money to buy them melon seeds and fruit so they could eat their fill and chat at home.
Unlike Sha Zhu, Qin Huairu wouldn't be swayed by empty fame. Nor would she allow her son to use his earnings to serve a few old men. (End of Chapter)