Chapter 117

"My Pillar~ You're so busy now that you've become a leader, never home a single day." The Deaf Old Lady said with a look of kindness.

"Old Lady, you're at your age now, aren't you tired of playing these games? If you have something to say, say it; if not, spare me this act." He Yuzhu said irritably.

"Pillar, you've become a leader, why are you still so impatient? Why don't you have any patience? I've come to find you with a huge piece of good news. Aren't you looking for a wife? I've found you a beautiful one, and you'll be going on a blind date in a few days. You should be secretly happy." After the Deaf Old Lady finished speaking, she turned and left without giving He Yuzhu any chance to retort.

He Yuzhu hated this kind of behavior the most. On the surface, it's for your own good, but in reality, isn't it just trying to control your life, force their own concepts onto you, and not even give you a chance to argue back?

"Old Lady, I do want to find a wife, but I don't need you to introduce one." He Yuzhu said to the Deaf Old Lady's back.

The Deaf Old Lady pretended not to hear and quickly walked away.

"Heh, playing this game with me, are you? Fine, let's see who can outplay whom." He Yuzhu sneered.

Early the next morning, He Yuzhu arrived at the Rolling Mill kitchen and immediately found Liu Lan, stuffing four eggs into her hands.

"Pillar, you don't need to give me so many eggs every day. Four a week is enough for me." Liu Lan said.

After Liu Lan finished speaking, she was about to squat down to play the game of crawling under the office desk with He Yuzhu, hoping to return home fully loaded, but just as she was about to move, He Yuzhu stopped her.

"Finish the eggs quickly and call Ma Hua and Pangzi over. There's serious business." He Yuzhu said.

Liu Lan didn't hesitate; she finished the eggs in a few bites and then called Ma Hua and Pangzi over.

"Do the three of you have elderly people at home? I mean very old men, whether they are relatives or acquaintances, it doesn't matter. Let them help me act in a play." After He Yuzhu finished speaking, he recounted the incident from last night where the Deaf Old Lady tried to find him a wife.

"Master, someone introducing a wife to you is a good thing." Ma Hua said.

"What do you know? Offering favors without a reason means they're either treacherous or thieving. There's definitely something going on here." Pangzi interjected.

It must be said, Pangzi is indeed smarter than Ma Hua.

"Pangzi is right. That Deaf Old Lady has no good intentions. She wants to control me through this method. If she introduces a wife to me and it works out, don't I have to be grateful to her? Doesn't my wife have to be grateful to her too?"

"If I'm not grateful to her, the Deaf Old Lady will spread rumors, saying I'm an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. By then, my reputation will be ruined. If my reputation is ruined, I might not be able to keep my position as Deputy Director of the Canteen."

"Whether for my reputation or my position, I have to be grateful to her and take care of her. She will use this as leverage to manipulate me."

"That's not the point. The point is, the person the Deaf Old Lady finds will definitely be someone who obeys her every word. She wants to indirectly control my life by controlling my wife, so that I will provide for her in her old age."

"If it were just asking me to provide for her in her old age, I wouldn't be this angry and retaliate against her. But since she wants to control my life, then don't blame me for being impolite." He Yuzhu said in a deep voice.

"Pillar, what do you mean by finding old men?" Liu Lan asked.

"Since she can introduce a wife to me, I can certainly introduce a companion to her. I'll disgust her to death, and by the way, ruin her reputation. This is called 'courtesy demands reciprocity'—no, wait, this is called 'I'm doing it for her own good.' She should be grateful to me. If she isn't, then she's an ungrateful white-eyed wolf." He Yuzhu chuckled strangely.

Liu Lan rolled her eyes speechlessly. He Yuzhu's revenge wasn't just that simple; as long as He Yuzhu brought an old man back to the Siheyuan, the Deaf Old Lady's reputation would be ruined, and the label of "shameless old woman" would be unavoidable.

At such an age, almost ready to be buried, still thinking about finding a companion—if that's not shameless, what is?

"I'll leave this matter to you all. You must find suitable people today. This is just acting in a play; I'll take them for a stroll around the Siheyuan and that's it. Once it's done, ten eggs and twenty catties of corn flour for each person." He Yuzhu said.

"Pillar, you don't need that much. Five catties of corn flour and two eggs per person is enough. I'll have my father-in-law come forward to cooperate with you in this play. Although my father-in-law isn't too old, he looks aged." Liu Lan said.

"I'll go find my grandfather. My maternal grandfather is very shrewd and will definitely be able to help Master act out this play well." Pangzi patted his chest and said.

"I... I'll go find my maternal grandfather. My grandfather is also very smart and will definitely be able to help Master act out this play well." Ma Hua also added.

"Done. You all write your leave requests, and I'll sign them. Bring the people to the outside of the Rolling Mill gate before work ends, and then come back to the Siheyuan with me." He Yuzhu said with a wave of his hand.

After Liu Lan, Pangzi, and Ma Hua wrote their leave requests, He Yuzhu signed them directly. The three of them set off with the requests. He Yuzhu originally thought it would take them a long time, but to his surprise, they all returned before noon, and each of them had a smile on their face.

He Yuzhu knew it was done. After finishing his work at noon, He Yuzhu took Liu Lan to his office. Since things went so smoothly, he naturally had to celebrate.

About an hour later, Liu Lan returned to the kitchen fully loaded. She lay on He Yuzhu's recliner, exhausted, and fell asleep instantly.

He Yuzhu, on the other hand, sat on his chair with his legs crossed, smoking leisurely.

He Yuzhu finally made it to the end of the workday and brought Liu Lan, Pangzi, and Ma Hua to the outside of the main gate, where three old men were waiting.

He Yuzhu nodded calmly; their ages were very appropriate, similar to the Deaf Old Lady, and all three looked very shrewd.

Thinking about it, it makes sense; people of this age have lived through three dynasties and survived. Being able to survive means everyone has their own way of living and is very clear-headed; otherwise, they wouldn't have lived until now.

"Three seniors, do you understand what needs to be done in a moment?" He Yuzhu asked while handing out cigarettes.

"Understood. Isn't it just helping you act in a play to disgust that vicious old woman? Don't worry, leave this to us three brothers. We'll definitely make that vicious old woman's reputation stink." Liu Lan's father-in-law said.

The other two also nodded in agreement, indicating no problem. Clearly, the three brothers had chatted for a long time outside the Rolling Mill and had no psychological burden about doing this kind of thing.

Still the same saying: those who were kind and honest basically perished in that chaotic era. Which of those who survived isn't a human spirit, and who has any so-called sense of shame?

Especially now in the years of famine, He Yuzhu offered food as a reward. Let alone doing this, if truly pushed to the limit, things like arson and murder wouldn't be beyond them.

"Let's go!" He Yuzhu waved his hand, and the seven of them marched majestically toward the Siheyuan.

On the surface, Liu Lan, Pangzi, and Ma Hua also said they were going to watch the fun, but in reality, they were indeed watching the fun, and of course, they had to protect their family's elders on the way home.

If it were normal times, it wouldn't matter and they wouldn't need to accompany them, but now, the elders of the three families would be taking food home. Although it wasn't much, they had to be on guard.

As soon as the group reached the entrance of the Hutong, He Yuzhu began to spread the word.

"Sigh, the Deaf Old Lady in our courtyard is all alone, so pitiful and lonely. She doesn't even have anyone by her side to care for her. I really can't bear to see this situation, so I entrusted someone to find her a companion..."

"For the sake of the old lady in our courtyard, I've really racked my brains. Where can you find a good person like me..."

"I'm doing this for her own good. Once she finds out, she'll definitely be so happy she won't be able to sleep..."

Every time He Yuzhu saw someone, he would stop them and chat for a few sentences, handing a cigarette to the men and also to the women. If the women didn't smoke, they could take it home for their husbands. In times of material scarcity, cigarettes were also good things, not to mention that He Yuzhu was carrying good cigarettes with filters.

Before long, the entire Hutong began to buzz with noise, and everyone couldn't help but discuss it. He Yuzhu didn't care what they were discussing; in any case, the main theme was "I'm doing this for the Deaf Old Lady's own good." Even if he received complaints, at most it would be "good intentions leading to bad results" or "the young man doesn't know any better."

It couldn't be associated with derogatory terms like sinister or cunning.

As soon as He Yuzhu's group entered the Siheyuan, they saw Yan Bugui watering flowers there. Others didn't know why Yan Bugui was watering flowers, but He Yuzhu knew.

On the surface, Yan Bugui watered flowers to cultivate his character, but in reality, Yan Bugui watered flowers to give gifts—to give gifts to the leaders at the school.

Between cultured people, how can giving flowers be called giving gifts?

Yan Bugui was purely doing it to avoid spending money, and he even felt this was elegant. Clearly, Yan Bugui forgot that cultured people also need to eat. In this day and age, no matter how good the flowers you give are, they aren't as useful as two catties of white flour.

Later, when materials are abundant and people no longer worry about eating, giving flowers might become an elegant thing, but now, it's far from it.

This is also why Yan Bugui could never get promoted, and why he didn't receive punishment for skipping work whenever he had nothing to do.

Yan Bugui did give gifts, but the gifts were like chicken ribs—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away.

Seeing He Yuzhu leading so many people into the courtyard, Yan Bugui couldn't help but ask: "Pillar, this is?"

"Sigh, didn't I see that the Deaf Old Lady didn't have anyone by her side to care for her, and saw how pitiful she was? So I introduced a companion to take care of her. Look, I brought these three brothers here for the Deaf Old Lady to go on a blind date, to see which one can make it work with her."

"Uncle Yan, I won't chat with you anymore. I have to quickly take them to find the Deaf Old Lady. Sigh, I'm doing this for the Deaf Old Lady's own good. For her sake, I've really racked my brains." He Yuzhu said with a look of self-admiration.

Yan Bugui's eyes widened instantly, his mouth hanging open. It wasn't until He Yuzhu had walked to the Zhongyuan and was heading toward the Houyuan that Yan Bugui finally reacted.

"Oh no, something big has happened!" Yan Bugui let out a miserable "Aow~" and hurriedly ran up, chasing after He Yuzhu's group to the Houyuan.

Yan Bugui's howl also attracted the attention of the beasts in the Siheyuan, who immediately followed Yan Bugui to watch the fun.

Even Qin Huairu, who was in her postpartum month, had Qin Mu come over to watch the fun.

"Old Lady, are you home? Have you eaten?" As soon as He Yuzhu arrived at the Zhongyuan, he shouted loudly.

"I'm home. Haven't eaten yet? Why, does my eldest grandson want to treat me to a meal?" The Deaf Old Lady said excitedly.

The Deaf Old Lady thought He Yuzhu had finally figured things out and was desperately wanting to go on a blind date to curry favor with her.

However, the Deaf Old Lady was happy too soon.

"Deaf Old Lady, if the matter is successful, I will definitely treat you to a big meal." He Yuzhu said with a sneer.

The Deaf Old Lady sitting in the room didn't hear the strangeness; instead, she became even more convinced of her guess and was thinking about how to manipulate He Yuzhu.

"Pillar, why don't you come in and talk?" The Deaf Old Lady said.

"Alright, let's go." After He Yuzhu finished speaking, he took the three old men into the room.

"Well, Pillar, what do you mean by this?" The Deaf Old Lady was still very happy when she saw He Yuzhu; after all, this was the first time he had visited in these days.

However, when the Deaf Old Lady saw the three old men following He Yuzhu into the room one after another, she couldn't help but feel very strange.

"Old Lady, it was you who reminded me yesterday. You reminded me well; I should indeed find a wife. However, our Siheyuan is a civilized and advanced Siheyuan. Respecting the old and loving the young is a traditional virtue, and helping each other is also a traditional virtue."

"People shouldn't be too selfish. In everything, you can't always think of yourself; you have to consider everyone more..." He Yuzhu began to talk endlessly about Yi Zhonghai's clichés.

The Deaf Old Lady was very happy, truly believing that He Yuzhu had figured it out and thought Yi Zhonghai's way was right. Especially when she heard He Yuzhu talk about respecting the old and loving the young, she became even happier, the corners of her mouth curling up even harder to suppress than the muzzle of an AK-47.

"I've figured it out. I can't just consider myself; I also have to consider you, Old Lady. I can't just consider my own lifelong event; I also have to consider your lifelong event." He Yuzhu continued.

Hearing this, the Deaf Old Lady felt as if she had eaten honey, and she was even happier in her heart.

"Therefore, for the sake of your lifelong event, Old Lady, I entrusted people who know the bottom line to inquire everywhere and selected three suitable people for you, specifically bringing them here for you to go on a blind date."

"Old Lady, you all chat first and see which one suits your heart and meets your wishes." He Yuzhu said with a smile.

The Deaf Old Lady was instantly dumbfounded, then her face changed drastically, and the anger in her heart erupted instantly. The Deaf Old Lady was trembling with rage.

"Old Lady, I'm doing this for your own good. I really can't bear to see you guarding an empty room alone, without anyone by your side to care for you. Not to mention anything else, in case you pass away one day, we can get the news immediately and prepare for the funeral, right?"

"I've really racked my brains for your sake. Originally, I didn't want to care about this, but last night you insisted on introducing a blind date for me, and no matter how I refused, you wouldn't listen. Since you treated me like this, of course I have to repay you."

"Old Lady, look, why are you so excited? Are you too happy and can't speak?" He Yuzhu sneered.

Only then did the Deaf Old Lady understand that He Yuzhu hadn't come to curry favor with her at all, but to retaliate against her. The Deaf Old Lady could already imagine the scene of her reputation being ruined.

"Ah! Shazhu, how could you do such a thing?" The Deaf Old Lady roared angrily, but before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by He Yuzhu.

"Old Lady, don't be excited. Are you blaming me for not notifying you in advance? Sigh, I'm doing this for your own good. I'm doing this to give you a surprise."

"Just like how you didn't notify me at all yesterday, nor did you seek my opinion, but acted on your own and forcibly introduced a blind date to me. I'm learning from you."

"Human hearts are made of flesh. Hearts exchange for hearts. If you treat me well, I must treat you well. Since you can introduce a blind date to me, I must also introduce a blind date to you."

"Just like Yi Zhonghai, he always thought about controlling me, making me his thug, his puppet, making me obey his every word, and making me provide for him in his old age. Then I could only help him resolve his heart disease. He won't have to worry about old age anymore." He Yuzhu said with a smile.

Although He Yuzhu was smiling, there was no smile on his face, only coldness and ruthlessness.

The Deaf Old Lady and the people in the Siheyuan fell silent. Yi Zhonghai indeed didn't have to worry about old age anymore; since he was dead, why worry about old age?

The Deaf Old Lady looked at He Yuzhu's cold eyes, and suddenly her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

"The Deaf Old Lady was so happy she fainted." He Yuzhu shouted loudly.

(End of chapter)