Chapter 199

Sha Zhu and Ma Dongmei's thing is like a turtle eyeing mung beans — they hit it off!

After the scene at Beihai Park where a "Hero Protecting the Simpleton Husband" unfolded, Sha Zhu's whole person became like a freshly inflated rubber ball, bouncing about with great joy. At work, his wok-flipping became more energetic; after work he no longer loafed at home growing mushrooms, but often ran to Hongxing Primary School, ostensibly to "exchange logistics work experience," but actually to bring Ma Dongmei the food he secretly prepared on his little stove.

Ma Dongmei is also a straightforward person; after accepting Sha Zhu's gifts, she didn't take them for nothing, and in return gave him a pair of sturdy multilayer-soled cloth shoes. Their back-and-forth made their relationship official.

This news, like a stone dropped into a latrine, stirred up public outrage in the Siheyuan.

Xu Damao was the first to be hit by this "bad news." He was at home polishing his precious projector when he heard Third Aunt and Jia Zhangshi muttering outside the window, "Sha Zhu and that country girl have become an item," and his hand slipped, almost dropping the lens cover.

"Really?!" he felt a sudden tightness in his chest, as if someone had forced a shelled walnut into him, causing sharp pain. How could it be? That oaf Sha Zhu actually found a wife? And someone who could publicly embarrass him, Xu Damao, with her formidable presence! He seemed to see Ma Dongmei again—unflinching, her words piercing his heart—and a surge of jealous fire shot up to his head.

"No way! I absolutely cannot let them go so smoothly!" Xu Damao gritted his teeth, pacing anxiously in the room, "I must think of a plan… I have to think of a plan!" Like a trapped beast, his mind raced through various nasty ideas, pondering how to sabotage this impending marriage. To let Xu Damao watch Sha Zhu happily enter the bridal chamber? That would be worse than killing him!

In the Central Courtyard, the Jia family's reaction was even more direct from Jia Zhangshi. She flung the shoe sole in her hand onto the kang table, her triangular eyes staring up at the heavenly canopy: "Hmph! I said it—someone like Sha Zhu only deserves a country firewood girl! Look at his prospects, picking up a turd and treating it as a gold ingot, and he's still pleased! Unlike our Qin Huairu, who is pregnant and surely will bear a golden grandson!" She deliberately raised her voice, afraid the neighbors wouldn't hear, trying to belittle others to maintain her pitiful sense of superiority.

Qin Huairu, her belly still not very pronounced, was cooking porridge at the stove, hearing her mother-in-law's words, her feelings were mixed. She furtively glanced toward the West Wing Courtyard, a hard-to-describe envy mingling with bitterness welling up in her heart. Though Sha Zhu's wife might be from the countryside, at least the girl can stand on her own and speak her mind. As for herself… she touched the cold rim of the pot, feeling a faint discomfort in her abdomen, and could only swallow all her grievances along with the bangzi noodle porridge.

Upon hearing the news, Yan Bu Gui of the front courtyard immediately pulled out his little notebook and pen, adjusted his glasses, and began to calculate: "If Sha Zhu gets married, how much should the betrothal gift cost? How many tables for the feast? How much should we give as a gift? Should we give presents or cash? Hmm, this really needs careful planning…"

He had already begun rehearsing how to be "proprietous in etiquette" and "cost-controllable" at Sha Zhu's wedding. As for whether Sha Zhu would be happy or not, that was outside his considerations.

In the rear courtyard, Liu Haizhong held an enamel tub, put on a leader's airs, and offered his "high opinion" to Second Aunt: "Comrade He Yuzhu resolving this personal matter is a good thing! It shows that under the organization's care, his ideological awareness has improved! However, finding a partner also requires matching families; his choice of a rural girl will inevitably lead to differences in life and thought, requiring strengthened study and effort to overcome."

He swayed his head and shook his body, as if delivering an important report, completely forgetting that his own household was also a mess.

Yi Zhonghai stood at his own doorway, his face seemingly calm but his eyes somewhat complex. If Sha Zhu married and started a family, his thoughts would naturally focus more on his own small household; would he still be as easily controlled by this "First Elder" through "master‑sentiment" and "courtyard rules" as he is now?

That Ma Dongmei looks like she's not a fuel‑saving lamp; she's probably even harder to handle than Lin Xueqing. He felt his control over the courtyard loosening a bit. This sense of losing control made him feel very uneasy.

Yi Zhonghai appeared pleased on the surface, but behind the scenes he furrowed his brows. He called Sha Zhu aside and said earnestly, "Sha Zhu, getting married is a good thing. However, Comrade Ma Dongmei has a rural household registration and no formal job; the future living pressure will not be small. You need to think this through—marriage is not child's play."

His words sounded like concern for Sha Zhu, but were actually full of calculation. Sha Zhu was one of the candidates he had in mind for old‑age support; he originally thought this lad was just a simpleton, lacking guile, and thus easy to control.

But now Ma Dongmei suddenly appeared, clearly someone with her own opinions and not easily managed. If this daughter‑in‑law joins the household, will Sha Zhu still heed this "First Elder"? Will his old‑age plan be affected?

Sha Zhu was presently immersed in the love‑induced halo of diminished intellect, completely missing Yi Zhonghai's implied meaning, and he thumped his chest: "First Elder, rest assured! I can earn money! I can support her! Ma Dongmei is good‑natured and capable; together we'll be fine!"

Yi Zhonghai watched his foolish joy, feeling even more upset, as if the cabbage he had painstakingly watered had suddenly been rooted up by an outsider pig, and worse, the cabbage was happily trotting along with the pig!

In the rear courtyard, the venerable Deaf Old Lady, supported by Yi Zhonghai, also expressed her "concern": "Zhuzi… you found a wife? Good, good… when will you bring her so I can take a look?" She had always opposed Yi Zhonghai's choice of Jia Dongxu for old‑age support, believing Sha Zhu was the most suitable candidate, but she also knew of Yi Zhonghai's worries, and she faintly sensed that concern as well.

Yet all these reactions pale beside the inner turmoil of one person—Sha Zhu's younger sister, He Yushui.

Yushui is only ten this year, an age of sensitivity and sensibility. When the news of her brother's successful matchmaking arrived, she first felt happy for him. Her brother would finally no longer be a bachelor, someone would look after him. But this joy didn't last long; a deeper, heavier worry surged in like a tide.

At night, she lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Moonlight filtered through the paper window, casting a hazy glow into the room.

"Will Brother still dote on me as he used to after he gets married?"

"Will that Ma Dongmei sister, who looks quite capable, like me?"

"They will have their own children someday… will I then become superfluous?"

"This house… after Brother gets married, will I still be able to live here?"

Each question weighed on her like a heavy stone, making it hard to breathe. She recalled how, when she was little, her father ran off with someone; her brother had acted as both father and mother, saving grain to feed her, and when she was bullied, her brother rushed to fight for her. Her brother was her sole reliance. Now, however, that reliance seemed to be divided with another person—and possibly even lost.

She couldn't help but pull the blanket over her head and sob softly. Tears soaked the pillow, carrying the particular helplessness and panic of a young girl. She feared losing her brother; she feared this home would no longer be the familiar one she knew.

The next day, Yushui was noticeably quieter, her eyes somewhat swollen. At breakfast, Sha Zhu was still basking in excitement, chattering on about Ma Dongmei's virtues: "Yushui, your Ma Dongmei sister is solid, efficient and crisp! From now on our family…"

"Brother," Yushui suddenly interrupted him, her voice low, "You're getting married… what… what am I to do?"

Sha Zhu, who had been speaking enthusiastically, was startled by his sister's question; seeing Yushui's red-rimmed eyes and anxious gaze, he only then realized what she was thinking.

Sha Zhu set down his chopsticks, feeling a bit uneasy, reached out to ruffle Yushui's hair, and affected a light tone: "Silly girl, what are you thinking? Of course you'll still live with Brother! Your Ma Dongmei sister isn't like that! She said she'll manage the household and make sure you're fed plump and chubby! What's wrong with having more people dote on you?"

His words were rough, yet they carried an undeniable affirmation.

Yushui lifted her head, looking at her brother's earnest expression, her heart eased a little, but the hidden worry did not fully dissipate. She nodded, said nothing more, and silently finished the porridge in her bowl.

In the West Wing Courtyard, Li Ping'an and Lin Xueqing also heard the news of Sha Zhu's successful matchmaking.

Lin Xueqing, while hanging laundry, said to Li Ping'an, "Sha Zhu being able to start a family is a good thing. That Ma comrade sounds like someone who can uphold the household."

Li Ping'an grunted, his gaze sweeping toward the Central Courtyard's He family, where he saw Yushui listless and forcing a smile; he sensed clearly: "Good things are good, but I fear someone will be unhappy inside, and there will be trouble later. That Yushui child, heavy‑hearted, is probably worried her brother will neglect her afterward."

Lin Xueqing also sighed, "Indeed, the little girl isn't easy. I'll look for a chance to talk to her."

The early summer sun bathed the Siheyuan in gentle warmth, appearing peaceful. Sha Zhu's happy news was like a breeze that ruffled the still water of the whole pond, revealing the hidden calculations, jealousy, worries, and undercurrents beneath. Xu Damao's scheming, Yi Zhonghai's unease, Jia Zhangshi's sourness, Yan Bu Gui's scheming, Liu Haizhong's empty talk, and Yushui's delicate yet weighty sorrow intertwined, foretelling that this impending marriage would by no means be smooth sailing.