Chapter 45: Recognizing Kin

"Zhonghai, why don't you and Xiaocui adopt a child? You'll have someone to take care of you in your old age; you can't end up like me."

"Let me think about it some more. Old Lady, please don't mention this to Xiaocui yet."

Yi Zhonghai did not want to adopt a child in his heart. He had seen too many ungrateful wretches and really did not want to be backstabbed in his old age by a child he had raised himself.

"Fine."

The Deaf Old Lady also knew how much this illness struck at a man's dignity; if the outside world were to find out, he would never be able to hold his head high for the rest of his life.

"Old Lady, if you don't mind, why don't we live together and share our meals from now on?"

In fact, the Deaf Old Lady was only in her early sixties at this time, but because she had bound feet, she had difficulty moving and rarely left the Back Courtyard.

"Zhonghai, you..." How could the Deaf Old Lady be unwilling? This was clearly Yi Zhonghai taking care of her.

Although the Deaf Old Lady could also sense that Yi Zhonghai had other motives, the old saying goes that one should judge by actions rather than intentions; if you judge by intentions, no one is perfect. You are taking care of me, so even if it is for the sake of my property after I am gone, it is what you deserve.

"Old Lady, when it comes down to it, we are in the same boat. It is only right that I take care of you. Besides, Xiaocui and you get along well."

In truth, Yi Zhonghai saw his own old age in the Deaf Old Lady. He did not want his own twilight years to be so desolate, so he planned to set an example for the young people in the courtyard by practicing what he preached.

When he grew old in the future, everyone would be able to take care of him just as he was taking care of the Old Lady.

"Good, good, good. Zhonghai, why don't I adopt you as my godson? After I am gone in the future, everything here will be yours."

"Old Lady, I am not looking at your house by taking care of you. But adopting you as my godmother is fine, too; it will make taking care of you more legitimate."

"Good, good, good." The Deaf Old Lady looked at Yi Zhonghai with increasing satisfaction.

Upon returning home, Yi Zhonghai told Tan Cuicui about this.

"That is a good thing."

She chatted with the Deaf Old Lady the most; it was not that she did not want to chat with women of her own age, but seeing them bring their children along, eight out of ten topics were about children, and she really could not stand it.

"Alright then, on your day off, go buy some wine and food, and we will set up a table in the courtyard."

"Mm, okay."

Early the next morning, Yi Zhonghai went to find He Daqing.

"He, are you free on your day off? Cook a table of dishes for me."

"Oh? I'm free. Yi, you must have some happy news."

"I suppose so." Yi Zhonghai briefly explained the matter of taking the Deaf Old Lady as his godmother.

"Good, Yi, you are a real man. I shouldn't charge you for this, but..."

"Eh~ He, the rules cannot be broken. Charge me as you should."

"Alright then. How many dishes do you want? I'll list a menu for you tonight."

"Ten dishes, at the one-hundred-thousand-yuan standard."

"Yi, you're generous. Good, I've got it."

That evening, every household received news that Yi Zhonghai was going to take the Deaf Old Lady as his godmother, and they all gave him a thumbs-up.

"Yi is a man of his word. No matter who has trouble, he can lend a hand. This time, he is even taking the Old Lady as his godmother."

"That's right, Yi does things with class."

"Who's to say otherwise? Both Yi and his wife are good people."

They asked themselves if they had the ability to support the Old Lady; being able to live their own lives well was already good enough. The key was that he was also setting a table in the courtyard, so everyone could get a taste of meat.

Zhang Ping'an naturally heard it too. Everyone was giving the Yi couple a thumbs-up, but only he knew that the Deaf Old Lady and Yi Zhonghai were going to join forces.

"Ping'an, if you can catch a big fish tomorrow, save one for me," Tan Cuicui said.

It was no secret that Zhang Ping'an went fishing every morning, although they had not run into each other many times.

"Alright, Sister-in-law."

Early the next day, Zhang Ping'an delivered ten wild rabbits and pheasants to the Rolling Mill again. On his way back, he put a Bighead Carp weighing about four catties in his bucket, and when passing through the Middle Courtyard, he happened to give the fish to Tan Cuicui.

"Ping'an, how much?"

"Sister-in-law, just give me ten thousand."

"Okay." The fish was still jumping around; keeping it for two or three days should be no problem.

Zhang Ping'an took the money, returned the cart to his own courtyard, and went to the home of Lao Lei, preparing to get a baby carriage for his two nephews/nieces.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Who is it? Coming, coming."

"Master Lei."

"It's young Brother Zhang. Come in and sit." Lao Lei remembered this generous young client.

"Alright."

"Master Lei, I would like to ask you to make a baby carriage. It needs to have two seats, wheels, and be able to be pushed around, blah blah blah."

Zhang Ping'an explained with body language as he spoke. What he wanted was not the simple baby strollers of the present, but something more like those of later generations.

"Fine, I roughly understand what you mean. Wait a moment."

Lao Lei picked up paper and pen and began to write and draw. Before long, a rather modern-looking baby carriage appeared on the paper.

"High, truly high." Zhang Ping'an looked at the baby carriage with extreme satisfaction.

"Hahaha, as long as you are satisfied."

Lao Lei was quite proud of this skill of his; after all, it was a craft passed down from his ancestors, and he also had a talent for it, which was why he could do it with such ease.

"How much? How long will it take?"

"Thirty thousand. Five days, I suppose. Other things are fine, but the sanding is what takes the effort."

"Done. Here is thirty thousand. I will come back in five days."

"Good."

The employer was straightforward, so Lao Lei could not be slack either. After Zhang Ping'an left, Lao Lei began to work on making the baby carriage.

Two days flashed by in a blink; on the morning of the day off, Yi Zhonghai set up a table in the courtyard, with one person from each household attending, and He Daqing was also nearby preparing to stir-fry dishes.

Both Deaf Old Lady and Yi Zhonghai were dressed in formal attire, sitting by the table early on and exchanging pleasantries with everyone.

Ever since Zhang Ping'an moved into the Siheyuan, this was his first time seeing Deaf Old Lady; she looked quite kind-hearted and benevolent, not at all the sinister and ruthless image he had imagined.

Yan Bugui had also been invited over by Yi Zhonghai to write the adoption document, as people in this day and age still placed great importance on such documents.

"Alright, Lao Yi, Old Lady, take a look; if you aren't satisfied, I'll revise it," said Yan Bugui, who had written it in the most plain and easy-to-understand language, as neither family had made any extra requests.

"Old Lady, please take a look."

"Let's look together." Deaf Old Lady had once been a young lady from a prominent family, so she could still recognize common characters.

"That works too."

"Not bad, not bad. Little Yan, you truly deserve to be a teacher; this document is written very well," Deaf Old Lady said with a smile.

"You flatter me," Yan Bugui said, cupping his hands in a salute.

"Lao Yan, Old Lady is right; not only is the calligraphy good, the writing style is even better."

"Hahaha, Lao Yi, you're exaggerating," Yan Bugui said, his face wrinkling with laughter; at this moment, his years of effort practicing calligraphy felt worth a hundred points.

Both the Deaf Old Lady and Yi Zhonghai sides signed and pressed their thumbprints; it was done in triplicate, with one copy for each of the two parties and one for Yan Bugui.

The ceremony was completed, He Daqing had already started stir-frying dishes on his side, and the heads of each household took their seats one after another.

One hundred thousand yuan was already enough for a very good table of grand dishes, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat all present, and combined with He Daqing's culinary skills, everyone ate until their mouths were glistening with oil, Zhang Ping'an included.

There was truly never a time when one could get tired of He Daqing's cooking; even if it were the same dishes every time, the flavor would always be different from the last, which was truly strange.

As of now, Zhang Ping'an did not have much ill will toward the two of them, Deaf Old Lady and Yi Zhonghai; after all, Yi Zhonghai was still a "good man" at this time, but having watched many fan-fiction stories and film/television analyses, Zhang Ping'an still remained on guard against them in his heart.