Chapter 3: The Siheyuan

It is already March of '49, but the winter in Sijiucheng is still very cold. Fortunately, having practiced the Body Refining Technique, Zhang Ping'an now has abundant Qi and blood, and stands over 1.6 meters tall. At thirteen years old, he can still grow for at least five more years; reaching 1.8 meters by then will be no problem.

"Ping'an, we're here. This is the Siheyuan where your San Jie lives. This courtyard is huge. Tonight, I'll have your San Jie Fu take you around to meet everyone. Our place is the two West Wing Rooms in the Middle Courtyard," Zhang Xiaohua said, pointing to a tall gate tower, though the paint was peeling a bit.

"I heard this big courtyard used to be a prince's residence. Now it's in the hands of an old lady in the Back Courtyard, but Ping'an, don't go to the Back Courtyard if you don't have to."

"Oh, okay." Zhang Ping'an knew his San Jie was talking about the Deaf Old Lady. It seems even his San Jie now has a sense of fear toward the Deaf Old Lady.

Moreover, he did not encounter the legendary gate god Yan Bugui; instead, he saw a woman coming up to greet them.

"Sister-in-law Jia, you're back. Are these Uncle Zhang and Aunt Zhang? And who is this?"

"Xiaocui, this is my younger brother, Zhang Ping'an. Ping'an, this is Tan Cuicui, the wife of the Yi family across from us."

"Hello, sister-in-law."

It seems this is the wife of the Siheyuan's "good man," the Moral Heavenly Venerable Yi Zhonghai. Everyone says she is the only good person in the Siheyuan, but in Zhang Ping'an's view, perhaps she really was a good person at the start.

But under Yi Zhonghai's long-term influence, it's hard to say; after all, two people sleeping in the same bed eventually become the same.

"Hey, hello Ping'an."

"Xiaocui, I'm going to take Dad, Mom, and Ping'an back to unpack first. Let's chat later."

"Alright, alright, alright."

The West Wing Room consists of three rooms, with one still locked. Judging by the dust on the lock, it was clearly unoccupied. On both sides of the wing room were two flat-roofed Ear Rooms, which were also locked.

"Alright Xiaohua, everything is packed. Your mother and I are heading back now. Ping'an, the city is not like the countryside; don't go looking for trouble for your father."

"Oh, oh, okay." Zhang Ping'an was in the kitchen preparing a bowl of Space Water for each of his parents.

"Dad, Mom, drink a bowl of water before you go."

"Hmm, that works. We've been on the road all the way here and are a bit thirsty."

"Little brother, you should add some hot water to it too."

"Oh, right." He had truly forgotten that it was still winter.

Zhang Xiaohua hurriedly took the bowls, added some hot water, and then handed them to Zhang Laizhong and Dong Dani.

"Dad, Mom, drink your water."

"Hmm~ Xiaohua, did you add sugar? Why does it taste so sweet?"

"No, maybe it's just the water quality here."

"Oh." Zhang Laizhong didn't dwell on it.

"Alright, we're heading back."

Zhang Xiaohua and Zhang Ping'an saw them out of the Siheyuan before returning, and another woman walked toward them.

"Yo, Sister-in-law Jia, is this kid your brother?"

"Yes, my brother Zhang Ping'an. Ping'an, this is Wang Cuihua, the wife of the Liu family in the Back Courtyard."

"Hello, Sister-in-law Cuihua." This was the wife of Liu Haizhong, the stick-wielding master obsessed with being an official. She was a quintessential feudal wife; when Lao Liu beat people, she handed him the stick.

"Hey, hello, Ping'an is so well-behaved."

Only then did Zhang Ping'an notice that the Front Courtyard was almost empty. He remembered that the gate god Yan Bugui, who calculated everything, lived in the West Wing Room of the Front Courtyard; it seemed he hadn't moved in yet.

"Ping'an, tomorrow is a day off, so let Dongxu take you around the city. Dongxu has been in and out of school all these years, and he'll graduate from junior high this summer. When the time comes, I'll have your San Jie Fu find him a job, then find him a wife, and I'll just be waiting to hold a grandson."

"....."

Zhang Xiaohua had an obsession with holding a grandson; it's no wonder Bang Geng would later be spoiled by her until he was lawless.

Time quickly reached the evening, and the people who went to work and school in the courtyard returned one after another.

"Hey, kid, who are you?"

Zhang Ping'an was sitting on the steps. He looked up, and based on that prematurely aged appearance, he roughly guessed it was the protagonist of the Siheyuan, the inheritor of widow-loving, He Yuzhu.

"Who are you?" As soon as Zhang Ping'an stood up, He Yuzhu realized he was taller than him, though he wasn't intimidated, being broad-shouldered and thick-necked.

"Hmph, listen up, I am He Yuzhu, and I live in this courtyard," he said, pointing toward the main room of the Middle Courtyard.

"You Shazhu, you only know how to bully outsiders. Brother, I'm Xu Damao. Don't mind Shazhu; he speaks without thinking." The person who arrived was the long-faced man, Xu Damao, known as the Siheyuan's master of "first blood."

"Fine, you idiot, today your Grandpa Zhu is going to make you taste my sand-pot-sized fist!" After saying that, he lunged forward.

"Shazhu is killing someone!" Xu Damao yelled strangely and ran away. The two idiots chased each other like this, finally running around Zhang Ping'an.

"Don't you want to know who I am?"

"Who are you?" The two stopped in unison.

"I am Jia Dongxu's uncle, Zhang Ping'an, staying here temporarily."

"What? You're Brother Dongxu's uncle? How old are you?"

"I'm two years younger than Dongxu." Zhang Ping'an said this on purpose, wanting them to call him "Uncle" later without any psychological burden.

"No wonder you're taller than me; so you're a year older than me."

"Since you call Dongxu 'brother,' I count as your elder. You can just call me Uncle Zhang."

"Zhang, uh, hmm, this..." Shazhu struggled for a long time but couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Uncle Zhang, I'm Xu Damao. You can just call me Damao."

Counting from Jia Dongxu, Zhang Ping'an was only three years older than him, so calling him "Uncle" wasn't unacceptable, especially since Zhang Ping'an was big and tall, though in reality, Zhang Ping'an was only one year older than him.

"Uncle Zhang, you can call him 'idiot' and call me Zhuzi."

"Fine, you Shazhu, I haven't settled scores with you yet. Uncle Zhang, let me tell you the origin of the name Shazhu, hahaha..."

Before Xu Damao could finish, he was chased away by Shazhu again. The people in the courtyard were already used to it.

Right now, it was still just childish bickering. It was only later that they were instigated by Yi Zhonghai, leading to more and more intense conflicts, souring their relationship until they almost became mortal enemies.

"Ping'an, you're here." Lao Jia, the San Jie Fu, had also returned. Behind him was a man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a square face, looking full of integrity—it was the young version of the Moral Heavenly Venerable, Yi Zhonghai.

"San Jie Fu."

"Old brother, is this the brother-in-law you were talking about?"

"Right, this is my brother-in-law Zhang Ping'an. Ping'an, this is the warm-hearted person in our courtyard, the timely rain Yi Zhonghai who lends a hand whenever any family has difficulties; you can just call him Brother Yi."

"Hello, Brother Yi."

"Mm, hello, Ping'an."

"Hahaha, good. I didn't prepare anything for tonight, so let's wait until tomorrow night to call Old Xu, Lao Liu, and He, and we'll get together for a drink."

"That works too."

As soon as the two finished speaking, they saw a man with a beer belly and a layer of fat over his muscles walking in with a steady, square-stepping gait; Zhang Ping'an only felt an air of officialdom rushing toward him.

"What are you all chatting about? So lively."

"Lao Liu, you've come just in time..." Lao Jia recounted the matter once more and introduced Zhang and Liu to each other again.

"Hello, Brother Liu."

"Hahaha, hello, Ping'an. Jia Laoge, what you're talking about is a good thing. How about this, tomorrow I'll bring some scrambled eggs and a bottle of wine."

"No need, no need."

"That won't do, how can I show up empty-handed?"

"Alright, alright, alright." Lao Jia knew that Liu Haizhong was a man who cared most about face, so he stopped refusing.

Because the middle school was far away, Jia Dongxu had only just arrived home, and he was very happy to see Zhang Ping'an.

"Uncle, you've finally come."

"Mm, tomorrow you must take me around this city for a good look."

"No problem."

Every time he returned to his grandparents' house, it was basically Zhang Ping'an who took him to catch fish and shrimp; even though he would get a beating afterward, he couldn't help but be happy.

After eating dinner and chatting for a while, they each went back to rest; inside the room,

"Dongxu, where can one go fishing around here?"

"Shichahai, it's very close to us. Uncle, do you want to go fishing tomorrow?"

"Mm, I've been bored lying in the Hospital for over a month, and now my hands are itching."

"Sure, it just so happens my dad has two bamboo poles; tomorrow we can just dig up some earthworms."

"Deal, let's get up early tomorrow."

"Good." After saying that, the two of them went to sleep with a snore.