Chapter 23

Time flew by, and it was already February 4, Year 52; tomorrow is New Year's Eve. He Yushui finally returned to the Wang family's Courtyard House. After returning, she complained to He Yuzhu: 'Brother, it would be great to spend New Year's with Tingting sister; why do we have to come back? There's only the two of us at home.'

He Yuzhu rubbed He Yushui's head and said, 'Yushui, of course we have to spend New Year's at our own home. Even if it's just the two of us, it's still our home. All right, when I go to pay New Year's respects to my master on the first day, I'll leave you there, okay?'

He Yushui let out an unwilling 'oh' and began to open her schoolbag to do homework.

'All right, no homework today; we'll talk about it after New Year's. I'll buy you some firecrackers so you can go play with them.' Saying this, He Yuzhu took out five mao from his pocket and handed it to He Yushui.

He Yushui happily took the money from He Yuzhu and said, 'Brother, you're so nice; I'm going out to play.' Then she ran off.

This year, Yagangchang finished its orders ahead of schedule. Lou Dong waved his hand generously, doubling the New Year bonuses, which made the factory workers extremely happy.

He Yuzhu is currently the acting squad leader of the second canteen, so he receives a bit more than ordinary workers. Each worker's welfare is packed in a net bag, but He Yuzhu didn't check what he brought back yesterday and just put it in the kitchen.

Now he took out the items and saw that there was quite a lot—a big chunk of pork weighing at least three or four catties, plus some rice and flour, and he even saw several links of cured sausage; these are good stuff.

After organizing the items, He Yuzhu began cleaning the room. He tied a broom to a bamboo pole, then threw the bed's blankets and quilts haphazardly into the wardrobe, gathered everything visible, and swept the ceiling with the broom.

After cleaning up, He Yuzhu also successfully turned into a 'local'.

He took a basin, filled it with cool water from the pipe, brought it inside, added some hot water, and began washing his hair.

After tidying up, He Yuzhu took out his mother's photo, wiped it clean, and put it back. Then he started preparing the New Year's food. Since there was a lot, he began frying items first, working until past five in the afternoon, when He Yushui returned from outside and he finally finished.

Seeing He Yushui's little face red from the cold after playing outside, He Yuzhu hurriedly pulled her to the stove to warm her up and gave her a cup of water to drink. After dinner, each of them clung to a stone machine, listening until past nine o'clock before going to bed. Good grief, what kind of family has each person hugging a stone machine?

After returning from Huaxia University, He Yuzhu made four more stone machines. He sold the first two to the Trust Store for over 150 yuan, kept one for himself, and prepared the other as a New Year's gift for Gao Yue.

When New Year's Eve arrived, He Yushui opened her eyes and said to He Yuzhu, 'Wishing you prosperity, hand over the red envelope!'

He Yuzhu patted her head and said, 'Who asks for red envelopes on New Year's Eve? It's done on the first day. Hurry up and get ready to eat.'

After getting up and washing up, He Yushui pouted and said, 'Brother, please comb my hair and then tie it up.'

He Yuzhu's mouth twitched twice; he didn't know how, but he still picked up a comb and combed He Yushui's hair. After tying her braid with a hair tie, possibly because children's hair is smooth, her braid came undone as soon as she stood up.

He Yushui puffed her cheeks and said angrily, 'You, you can't do anything right.' He Yuzhu helplessly rubbed his head.

'Is He Yuzhu home?' someone called from outside. He Yuzhu opened the door to see Gao Yue, quickly ushered her inside, and introduced her: 'This is my sister, He Yushui. Yushui, hurry up and call her sister-in-law—' he said, then corrected himself, 'No, call her Xiao Yue sister.' He Yuzhu had often dreamed of Gao Yue lately; in his dreams he had already imagined her as his wife, and just now, in his excitement, he almost misspoke.

Gao Yue gave He Yuzhu a glance and said to He Yushui, 'You must be Yushui; I often hear your brother talk about you. This is a New Year's gift for you.' She produced a hair tie made of industrial plastic and handed it to He Yushui. In this era, plastic was still called industrial product, relatively expensive, and hard to come by.

He Yushui happily took the hair tie and said, 'Thank you, Sister Xiao Yue, you're so pretty.' Then she told He Yuzhu, 'Brother, quickly help me tie up my hair.'

He Yuzhu took the hair tie from He Yushui, his mouth twitching involuntarily, and he just stood there awkwardly looking at Gao Yue without doing anything or speaking.

Gao Yue gave a chiding smile, took the hair tie from He Yuzhu's hand, and tied He Yushui's hair up.

After Gao Yue finished tying He Yushui's hair, He Yushui ran to the mirror, checked herself, and said, 'Sister Xiao Yue, you're so skilled—unlike my clumsy brother who can't even tie hair.' Then she stuck out her tongue at He Yuzhu.

'Sister Xiao Yue, why did you come so early?' He Yuzhu asked Gao Yue.

'Ah, I almost forgot the main thing,' she said, handing him a certificate from her bag: 'This is your auditing student certificate. I have to go with my parents to Quancheng to celebrate the New Year; I won't be back until the tenth, and school resumes on the eighth. I was afraid it would delay things, so I brought it to you today.'

He Yuzhu took the certificate, 'Thank you, little Yue sister, alright, you wait a moment,' he said, handing Gao Yue an ore machine, 'This is for you, happy new year, little Yue sister.'

'Ya, you made another ore machine, perfect for going to my grandma's place, my brother always snatches the radio to listen, now I don't have to fight him for it, thank you, Zhuzi,' Gao Yue happily took the ore machine He Yuzhu gave.

'Have you eaten, little Yue sister? I just finished cooking, let's eat together,' He Yuzhu said, about to go to the kitchen to fetch food.

'Ah, no need, I've already eaten, my task is done, still I must thank you for the New Year gift, Zhuzi, I have to go, my dad's driver is still waiting outside,' after saying that Gao Yue hugged the ore machine and walked out.

He Yuzhu saw Gao Yue to the door, then saw a military jeep parked at the main gate, a group of kids circling the jeep, after Gao Yue said goodbye to He Yuzhu, she got in the car and left.

After seeing Gao Yue leave, He Yuzhu thought, 'This Gao Yue seems to have a not-so-simple family background, but so what, the woman I, He Yuzhu, take a fancy to is not easily obtained.'

Entering the Courtyard House, I saw Third Grandpa moving the table to outside his door, with brush, ink, and red paper placed on it; seeing He Yuzhu, he laughed and said, 'Silly Zhu, this is your sweetheart, not bad, you even came in a big jeep.'

'Third Grandpa, this is just a friend of mine, not my sweetheart, what are you preparing to do, writing couplets for free for the neighbors in the courtyard?' He Yuzhu said jokingly.

'I feel okay writing for free, but do you feel okay taking it? You should at least give some ink fee,' Third Grandpa laughed and said.

'Alright, saves me buying outside, Third Grandpa, write me two couplets, this is your ink fee,' saying that he took out two mao and handed it to Third Grandpa.

'Alright, Zhuzi, take a look,' he said, and with a swish swish swish wrote the two couplets, 'How about it, Third Grandpa, my writing isn't bad, right?' then handed them to He Yuzhu.

'Fine, that's it, Third Grandpa, you're busy,' saying that He Yuzhu took the couplets and walked home.

Just after putting up the couplets, Yi Zhonghai walked over, 'Zhuzi, putting up couplets.'

'Yeah, First Grandpa, what's up?' He Yuzhu said, then thought, 'This old meddler is up to something again.'

'It's like this, Zhuzi, I discussed with the old lady in the Back Courtyard, planning for our two families plus the Jia Family, you and He Yushui to spend New Year's Eve together, each family contributing two dishes, more people makes it livelier, right?' Yi Zhonghai said, then looked at He Yuzhu.

'First Grandpa, this probably won't work, my dad's gone to Baocheng, now it's just me and He Yushui at home, I'm basically the head of the household, I want to spend the first New Year's Eve meal with He Yushui at home, I appreciate your kindness, let's do it next time, First Grandpa.' After saying that, without giving Yi Zhonghai a chance to speak, he took the paste and went back inside.

Yi Zhonghai stood awkwardly in the courtyard for a moment, then headed to the Back Courtyard; He Yuzhu saw him leave from inside the house, spat and said lowly, 'Pah, you old meddler, don't you know to stop bothering me? Still coming over here.'

At night for the New Year's Eve dinner, He Yuzhu set out a big table of delicious food, making He Yushui exclaim repeatedly; after finishing the meal they listened to the ore machine, now only one left, the two of them turned the earphones around and sat beside the table listening; because it's New Year's Eve, the radio station will broadcast all the way to midnight.

When it was past ten, He Yushui couldn't hold on, told He Yuzhu and went to sleep; He Yuzhu placed He Daqing's old recliner beside the table, lay down, listening to the radio while cracking melon seeds, and when thirsty took a sip of tea, the taste was satisfying.

When the clock struck twelve, firecrackers were heard all over the city; He Yuzhu took out the firecrackers he had bought earlier, went to the courtyard and set them off, then greeted the people from the Courtyard House who had come out to set off firecrackers with a happy new year, and went back inside to sleep.

On the first day of the first lunar month, He Yuzhu took He Yushui to start paying New Year visits; this little girl's first act upon opening her eyes was to ask He Yuzhu for a red envelope; this morning He Yuzhu tied He Yushui's hair four or five times before she was satisfied; riding a bicycle with He Yushui, they began to visit He Daqing's master and his fellow disciples' homes to pay New Year respects, although in his previous life He Yuzhu had long since cut ties with them.

But this lifetime He Yuzhu doesn't want to do that; he intends to maintain these relations, after each visit when he finishes paying New Year respects, He Daqing's fellow disciples scold He Daqing as good-for-nothing, yet look at He Yuzhu and his sister with pity; consequently He Yushui is delighted, having taken many red envelopes from these uncles and aunts.

Finally He Yuzhu brought He Yushui to the home of his master Wang Youde; upon arrival he found Wang Baoguo and Li Ping'an Shuanzhu also there; he paid New Year respects to each of them, saying many auspicious phrases, after which He Yuzhu took Shuanzhu to the kitchen to help.

At noon the master and his three disciples exchanged cups and drank quite a bit of wine; He Yuzhu got drunk again; He Yuzhu slept at Wang Youde's home until past four in the afternoon before returning alone to the Courtyard House.

Originally Li Lan Ying wanted He Yuzhu to finish dinner at home before letting him go back, but He Yuzhu said, during the New Year there's no one at home, and besides he needs to offer incense to his mother as an excuse to refuse.