Chapter 103: then translation of chapter title

"Hey, old lady, do we still have industrial coupons at home?" Yan Butgui asked the third aunt.

"Yeah, what's up?" the third aunt asked Yan Butgui.

"Tomorrow take the industrial coupons to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy a washbasin to bring back," Yan Butgui instructed.

"We already have a washbasin, why buy another?" the third aunt asked, puzzled.

"He Yuzhu is getting married; we ought to give a gift," Yan Butgui said.

"Before, when a girl got married, you just bought some fruit and gave a couple of mao; why for He Yuzhu's wedding are you giving such a big gift?" the third aunt didn't understand Yan Butgui's meaning.

"I'm indirectly trying to curry favor with He Yuzhu and Li Qiang; I'm giving a washbasin now, so when our three sons and one daughter get married, they won't have to give three shares; later when I ask He Yuzhu to host a banquet, he'll be able to accept my money without embarrassment?" If we're talking about scheming, it's still Yan Butgui.

"Okay, just do as you said," the third aunt also understood after hearing Yan Butgui say that.

Moreover, Yi Zhonghai left the deaf old lady's house and went straight to the black market, where he spent a high price to buy several cloth coupons and cotton coupons.

"Why are you only coming back now?" Seeing Yi Zhonghai return, the eldest aunt asked with a hint of blame.

"Take these coupons tomorrow to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some floral cloth and cotton; remember to buy red-colored bedsheet fabric," Yi Zhonghai said, pulling out the tickets and handing them to the eldest aunt.

"What's going on?" the eldest aunt didn't understand Yi Zhonghai's meaning.

"He Yuzhu is getting married, isn't he? The old lady told us to make a cotton quilt for He Yuzhu," Yi Zhonghai explained.

"Okay, I'll go buy it tomorrow, then I'll have the third aunt help me, and we can finish it in one afternoon," the eldest aunt said with a smile; she was quite willing to do this, and in fact she also liked He Yuzhu, but she didn't show it because of Yi Zhonghai's earlier bad relationship with Jia Dongxu.

"The old lady had earlier told us to get on good terms with He Yuzhu, but we never had the chance; now, using He Yuzhu's wedding as an excuse, we can ease our relations with him. I truly have to admire the old lady—she's really perceptive. If we had listened to her earlier and gotten on good terms with He Yuzhu's family, we wouldn't now have to worry about elder care." Yi Zhonghai can now be said to be very regretful.

"It's not too late now; Qiangzi's wife is about to give birth, and they have no elders, so when the time comes I'll go help them take better care of the child; Zhuzi still listens to Qiangzi's words," the eldest aunt said.

"Okay, that's all we can do for now; actually, the couple Qiangzi isn't bad—Qiangzi has strong work ability, his wife's work is also good, and his conduct is impeccable; if they could support us in our old age, that would be even better." Upon hearing the eldest aunt talk about Li Qiang and his wife, Yi Zhonghai actually also wanted to scheme about Li Qiang.

"Alright, the old lady is right—no matter who we deal with, we should treat others sincerely and not scheme too much. Besides, Li Qiang is no ordinary person; don't be too obvious." The eldest aunt worried that Yi Zhonghai's old habit was acting up again.

"I know what I'm doing." After experiencing all this, Yi Zhonghai's mindset has undergone a complete transformation from before; he has also let go of things, as long as he can provide for his own old age and funeral, he won't concern himself with other matters.

The next morning, the eldest aunt went early to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought back the cloth and cotton.

"Eldest aunt, what is this?" Looking at the things the eldest aunt had bought, Yan Butgui asked curiously.

"Old Yan, is the third aunt home?" the eldest aunt asked with a smile.

"She's home; what do you need her for?" Yan Butgui asked.

"I want to make a cotton quilt; I can't manage it alone, so this afternoon I'd like her to come over and help me," the eldest aunt said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll have her come to your place this afternoon to find you," Yan Butgui agreed without hesitation.

"Okay, then thank you for the trouble."

"You're welcome."

"Eldest aunt, I heard from our family's Old Yan that you were looking for me." Just after lunch in the afternoon, the third aunt came to Yi Zhonghai's house.

"I want to make a cotton quilt; I can't do it alone, so I just wanted you to come over and help," the eldest aunt said with a smile.

"Sure, hey, your quilt is quite festive—why didn't you finish it in time for the wedding? Now that you're old, you still want a second bloom?" the third aunt teased; when old women chat together, their jokes can be even sharper than men's.

"Don't talk nonsense—He Yuzhu is getting married, isn't he? He lost his mother when he was young; this kid I've watched grow up, and he's been a neighbor for many years. Now he's grown up and about to marry, I was thinking of making him a bed quilt." The eldest aunt hadn't originally wanted to say she was making a quilt for He Yuzhu, but since the third aunt had said so, she felt she had to explain, otherwise who knows what rumors might spread.

"Sigh. Speaking of which, the Zhuzi siblings really have it tough, and He Daqing is no different—having his own kids but neglecting them, he runs off to raise someone else's children." The third aunt also felt sympathy for the He Yuzhu siblings.

"Yeah, it's good that the Qiangzi brothers lent a hand; otherwise, those siblings wouldn't know what they'd be like now." The eldest aunt also sighed.

"Yeah, as they say, heaven won't let a blind sparrow starve; the Zhuzi siblings becoming sworn siblings with the Qiangzi family is a blessing from their past lives." The third aunt also agreed with the eldest aunt's statement. Everyone in the Siheyuan knows that without Li Qiang, the He Yuzhu siblings really wouldn't know what they'd be like now, let alone He Yuzhu being able to marry and have children.

But the third aunt doesn't know that Li Qiang has actually poached their spouse—knowing that in the original story, Yu Li was Yan Jiecheng's wife, and now Li Qiang has introduced her to He Yuzhu; if she knew this situation, she doesn't know whether she would still speak well of Li Qiang.

The eldest and third aunt's sewing skills are truly impressive; they finished the cotton quilt in less than an afternoon.

Yi Zhonghai knew Yan Butgui's character, so he couldn't let the third aunt help for free; in the evening he specially cooked two dishes to invite the third aunt to stay for dinner, and Yan Butgui of course came uninvited.

"Old Yi, I heard from Ruihua that this quilt is for He Yuzhu?" Yan Butgui asked at the dinner table.

"Yes, the Zhuzi siblings aren't easy either; after all, we've watched them grow up. Now He Yuzhu is getting married, so as neighbors we should help if we can." Yi Zhonghai spoke as if he were being very noble.

Yan Butgui hearing Yi Zhonghai's words silently cursed him as a hypocrite; now that he knows he's helped someone a little, back when He Daqing left, why didn't you help? That was when the siblings needed help most, and you chose to ignore them. Now that their lives have improved, you're suddenly being attentive—your little scheming is as obvious as the Duke of Sima's intentions.

"You're right; once this girl marries, she belongs to another family. Opportunities to see her will be fewer, so I suppose I should also prepare a gift for He Yuzhu. My family's circumstances can't compare to yours; I can't make a quilt, so I'll just give a washbasin, after all, a light gift carries deep feeling." Yan Butgui had been worrying about how to find an excuse to give He Yuzhu a washbasin, but Yi Zhonghai had already thought up the reason for him.

"Sigh, you're right." Yi Zhonghai also couldn't fathom how the usually tightfisted Yan could suddenly become generous.

The two, each harboring ulterior motives, drank alcohol while guessing what the other was really up to; Yi Zhonghai's thoughts were easy to guess, but Yan Butgui's actions remained a mystery to Yi Zhonghai even after Yan and his wife left.