Chapter 192: Whispers and Rumors

Li Ping'an got married without inviting anyone in the Siheyuan, and the matter was like a big stone falling into a cesspit—stirring public outrage, and it even had a lingering sting.

Jia Zhangshi sat cross‑legged on the kang, thrusting a shoe‑sole‑shaped awl down hard, as if stabbing the ungrateful Li Ping'an. "Pah! What a thing! Now that he's an official, his eyes have grown on the top of his head? He can't even spare a banquet for a single toast, might as well starve him to death!" she raised her voice to a shrill pitch, fearing the neighbors wouldn't hear, "We're old neighborhood folk living in the same courtyard. When he fled to Four Nine City, everyone fed him. Now look at him, marrying a wife and keeping her hidden, as if he's afraid we'll go broke because of him?"

Her triangular eyes flicked to the daughter‑in‑law Qin Huairu carrying a basin in, and her anger flared further: "Look at her! And look at you! If it weren't for Jia Dongxu's quick hands back then, could you have entered the Jia household? Now look, she married a doctor and eats commercial grain! And you? You can't help our Jia Dongxu at all, just leeching off us!" Her words were veiled insults, both condemning Li Ping'an's lack of conscience and disparaging Qin Huairu as a country bumpkin.

Qin Huairu listened to her mother‑in‑law's scolding, and her heart felt like a overturned jar of five flavors. She silently set down the laundry basin, her fingers absent‑mindedly twisting the hem. Yes, if only… if she had been matched with Li Ping'an… that thought slithered out like a Poison Snake, suddenly snapping at her.

She peered through the window crack at the Xi Kua Yuan, where Lin Xueqing wore a white coat, a dazzling jade‑green bracelet flashing on her wrist, walking with a breezy stride, standing side by side with Li Ping'an—truly a perfect couple. Unlike herself, who constantly tended to the demanding mother‑in‑law, handled endless household chores, and whose husband Jia Dongxu was also unambitious…

She thought back to how, to marry into the city, she had turned down many young men, a trace of bitterness mingling with bewilderment about the future rose in her heart—when would this life ever have an end?

In the Front Courtyard, Yan Bu Gui adjusted his glasses, rattling a small abacus with a clatter, and addressed San Dama: "According to the rules, even if there's no banquet, the red envelope should still be collected, right? Li Ping'an just sends out candy and calls it settled? I've calculated it—he's a deputy director of the Security Department, salary plus allowances, at least this amount!"

He held up a few fingers, his face wincing with distress, "Hosting two tables would cost how much? The remainder is profit, isn't it? If it's still insufficient, handing a few red packets to the courtyard children is the same idea! This Li Ping'an, he really doesn't know how to be a proper person!"

He thought his accounting was crystal clear; Li Ping'an's move was a total loss, of course, mainly because Yan Bu Gui didn't reap any benefit, leaving him feeling shortchanged.

In the Central Courtyard, Liu Haizhong stood with his hands behind his back, puffing out a non‑existent "general's belly," pacing back and forth in his own tiny space, exuding official authority. "Hmph, the youngster is getting carried away!"

He spat furiously, "He thinks being a deputy director makes him great? In the factory he's a leader, but here in the courtyard everyone's a neighbor! We must value unity, consider the bigger picture! His special treatment, separating from the masses, shows a flawed mindset!"

He felt his "high‑ground" critique demonstrated leadership quality, completely forgetting he hadn't even become a Group Leader, only able to vent his tongue in the courtyard. Er Da Ma chimed in from beside him: "Exactly, the old ancestors were right—distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. What he's doing is nonsense!"

Yi Zhonghai sat beside the Eight Immortals Table, leisurely sipping the high‑grade tea from an enamel jar, his brows slightly furrowed. He was the First Elder of the courtyard, caring about face and harmony, maintaining a superficial balance. Li Ping'an's move indeed left him a bit uneasy.

In this courtyard, any family's red or white celebrations, big or small, were handled by Yi Zhonghai, showcasing his status as the "decision‑maker." Li Ping'an, however, quietly slipped through the marriage without a single greeting, clearly disregarding him. He felt displeased, believing Li Ping'an was challenging his authority in the courtyard and disrupting the "harmony" he had painstakingly cultivated.

But he couldn't rant like Jia Zhangshi, nor scheme overtly like Yan Bu Gui, nor foolishly flaunt his official posture like Liu Haizhong; he had to be proper and find a respectable excuse.

In the back courtyard, the Deaf Old Lady, also supported by Yi Zhonghai, leaned on a cane and voiced her displeasure. She said, "Little Ping'an… got married? Not even a bow to this old ancestor of mine? That's unacceptable, utterly unacceptable! In this courtyard, shouldn't anyone's affairs be reported to me first? I've watched them grow up…" She rambled on, stressing seniority and face. To Li Ping'an, her "old ancestor" card wasn't laid out, so she felt uneasy.

This sour, envious wind naturally drifted to the Xi Kua Yuan.

Li Pingle came home from work, fuming and mimicking his brother: "Brother, didn't you hear! Over in the Central Courtyard, Jia Zhangshi was throwing veiled insults, calling our family stingy! In the Front Courtyard, the First Elder's abacus clacked, saying we don't know how to be decent! And that First Elder pretended to be righteous, saying you don't unite with the masses! It's infuriating!"

Li Ping'an was wiping his brand‑new Fei Ge bicycle with a rag, and without looking up he replied evenly, "Let them talk. Their saliva can't drown anyone." He carefully polished the spokes to a shine, "We'll just close the door and live our own lives; as long as we're comfortable."

Lin Xueqing carried out a plate of washed fruit, heard her sister‑in‑law's words, smiled and slipped a piece into Li Pingle's hand: "Getting angry over this isn't worth it. Here, have a fruit to sweeten your mouth." The jade‑green bracelet on her wrist slipped with the motion, its hue calm, mirroring her current mood. Having witnessed life and death on the battlefield and the cold warmth of the hospital, the petty courtyard jealousy seemed trivial to her.

After the wedding, for Li Ping'an it was as if a black‑and‑white world suddenly burst into vivid color. The Xi Kua Yuan, being a small courtyard, became especially warm with a lady of the house. Lin Xueqing's deft hands gave the old curtains and tablecloth a touch of elegance. The crabapple blossoms on the windowsill bloomed and wilted, and she would promptly replace them with fresh wild chrysanthemums or gardenias.

Li Ping'an remained busy, the Security Department's work endless. Yet no matter how late, the courtyard lamp stayed lit for him. Lin Xueqing would keep the meals warm or prepare a bowl of restorative soup. Sometimes the two would sit opposite each other under the crabapple tree, brew a pot of tea, chat about factory anecdotes, hospital observations, or say nothing at all, just listening quietly to the rustle of wind through the leaves.

This tranquil, steady life was a happiness Li Ping'an had never dared hope for after a childhood of upheaval and orphanhood. He cherished it dearly.

But this peace always has someone trying to shatter it.

On this weekend, Li Ping'an finally had a break and was repairing a broken bench in the courtyard. Lin Xueqing was in the house, foot on the sewing machine, altering an old work uniform for him, the rhythmic clatter soothing.

Jia Zhangshi shuffled in, a handful of sunflower seeds in hand, swaying her hips, her eyes scanning like spotlights. "Hey, Li Chief is doing the work himself? This new bride you married is really pricey, even a bench has to be repaired by the man?" Her words were barbed, but her gaze involuntarily lingered on the snow‑flake ointment bottle Lin Xueqing had placed on the windowsill, and on the jade bracelet on her wrist that glittered even indoors, greed almost spilling over her eyes.

Li Ping'an didn't stop his work and replied blandly, "Jia Zhangshi, something wrong?"

"Nothing much, just dropping by." Jia Zhangshi cracked sunflower seeds, spitting the shells far away, "If anything, Ping'an, you're capable—your wife is both beautiful and cultured, unlike our Huairu, sigh, just a life of toil…"

As she babbled, Yan Bu Gui stood with his hands behind his back, pretending to pass by, but his eyes fixed on the new light switch in Li Ping'an's house: "Ping'an, does this lamp waste electricity? I heard high‑watt bulbs consume a lot, you should use them sparingly." His calculating habit could surface at any moment.

Soon after, Liu Haizhong sauntered over, cleared his throat, and adopted a leadership air: "Comrade Ping'an, the improvement in your living conditions is a good thing. But you must watch the impact, you can't detach from the masses. Look around the courtyard—who doesn't light a kerosene lamp? You… " He tried to give Li Ping'an a dose of eye‑medicine.

Yi Zhonghai appeared last, standing beneath the Moon Gate, speaking earnestly: "Ping'an, everyone's just looking out for you. Your marriage is a big deal; normally the courtyard should be bustling. Your silent approach gives everyone thoughts. This isn't good for unity."

Well then, the courtyard's "ox ghosts and snake gods" are all gathered.

Li Ping'an set down his hammer, straightened his back, and his calm gaze swept over the various faces. He knew that if he didn't set things straight today, the harassment would never end.

"Elders and aunties," he began, his voice low yet carrying an undeniable force, "I, Li Ping'an, am from Henan, fled as a refugee; my parents starved to death in '41, and I made it on my own, with the organization, with my own effort in the army and the factory."

He paused, looking at Jia Zhangshi: "I remember the help you gave, but over these years I, Li Ping'an, owe nothing to anyone in the courtyard. We're just neighbors, not family; don't come to my house acting as an elder to lecture me!" The blunt words made Jia Zhangshi's complexion change.

He then turned to Yan Bu Gui: "How much I earn and how I spend it is my business. Who I invite to the wedding is my freedom. So spare the Third Elder from having to tally this for me."

His gaze shifted to Liu Haizhong: "Er Da Ma, I'm a deputy director in the factory, overseeing security. In the courtyard I'm just an ordinary resident, not detached from the masses. As for the light, I pay the electricity bill according to regulations, no theft, no grabbing, nothing that needs special attention."

Finally, he met Yi Zhonghai's seemingly fair gaze: "First Elder, unity isn't bought with food and drink. Lin Xueqing and I think simple is fine, we don't want trouble. If this makes us ununited, then that unity is too fragile."

His words were clear and balanced, neither servile nor arrogant, silencing the others. Jia Zhangshi opened her mouth, wanting to rant, but seeing Li Ping'an's calm yet icy stare, she dared not speak. Yan Bu Gui shuffled his glasses. Liu Haizhong gave a "hmph" and walked away, hands behind his back. Yi Zhonghai's complexion wasn't great, but he couldn't find a rebuttal, only managed to say, "You… you have your point, but we still have to consider neighborhood feelings…" and then left dejectedly.

At some point Lin Xueqing was standing at the doorway, holding a cup of water, handing it to Li Ping'an, and softly said, "You're tired, have some water." She didn't even glance at the retreating silhouettes, as if they had never been there.

Li Ping'an took the cup, took a sip, the sweet taste soaking into his heart. He looked at his wife's serene profile, and the courtyard's lingering gloom faded away by more than half.

Qin Huairu stood at her own doorway, watching from afar the scene at the Xi Kua Yuan entrance. She saw how Li Ping'an brushed off the courtyard's most troublesome people with a few words, and how Lin Xueqing remained poised and calm, as if the obstacles were mere dust to her. A wave of indescribable bitterness and envy rose again. Both women, why could Lin Xueqing live so effortlessly, so confident? Because she married a capable man who could protect her?

She lowered her gaze to her rough hands, recalling the mother‑in‑law's harshness, the husband's spinelessness, and the family's petty squabbles, her eyes slightly watery. She quickly inhaled, forcing the tears back. No matter how hard life got, she would keep going.

In the Xi Kua Yuan, the crabapple tree's shadow stretched long under the setting sun.

Li Ping'an set down the cup, picked up his tools again, and said to Lin Xueqing, "Tomorrow's a day off, I'll go buy a fish; your braised fish is delicious."

Lin Xueqing curled a smile, "Sure. I'll also buy some chives to make dumplings for you."

The turmoil temporarily subsided, life flowed gently onward. Li Ping'an knew the courtyard folk wouldn't stop here, but as long as he and Xueqing were of one mind, the Xi Kua Yuan would be their fortress, no matter the sour winds outside, the courtyard would remain light. His happiness, he would guard himself.