Chapter 109: Earthquake

With Yan Butgui joining, everyone became more eager to eat and drink; mainly, not being eager wasn't an option—this old guy could eat too much, and if you slowed down a bit he'd snatch it away.

They ate until past eleven before finishing; Yan Butgui rubbed his bloated belly and slumped in his chair, having eaten far too much—now it felt like even a slight movement would make something come out of his throat.

"Instructor Yan, did you enjoy the meal today?" He Yuzhu couldn't help teasing as he looked at Yan Butgui's state.

"Zhuzi, to be honest I've never been this full before; these grilled mutton skewers are really good," Yan Butgui said, grinning widely.

"That's right—you didn't even see who did the grilling," He Yuzhu said, a bit smugly.

"Yushui, it's too late now, the kids are asleep—don't go back, just spend the night here," Li Qiang said to He Yushui and his wife.

"Sure, I've eaten a bit too much and really don't feel like moving," He Yushui said with a laugh.

"Alright, go wash up with your second sister-in-law; we few old gentlemen will chat in the courtyard, and if we get sleepy we'll just sleep here—sleeping in the courtyard is more comfortable in this weather," Li Qiang ordered.

"Sure."

"Yuli, you should go wash up and sleep too—I'll be sleeping in the courtyard tonight with Second Brother and the others," He Yuzhu said to Yuli.

"Okay, don't chat too late—you have work tomorrow." Yuli knew these brothers were close; having gathered like this, she let them talk as long as they wanted, not wanting to dampen their spirits.

"Sister-in-law, I say you shouldn't go back either—just wash up at Second Brother's; we sisters haven't chatted in ages, so let's all talk tonight in his little courtyard; if we get sleepy we'll just sleep right here—I saw Second Brother has several recliners, we can lie on them to chat and sleep if we get tired," He Yushui said.

"That works too," Yuli said after thinking a moment.

"Then you can keep chatting here; I won't disturb you—it's late, I should head home too," Yan Butgui said, standing up with a smile.

"Alright, I won't keep you—take care," Li Qiang said, standing up.

"Sure, thanks tonight, Qiangzi," Yan Butgui said, still polite—though he liked taking advantage, he still knew basic courtesy.

"No problem, take your time—I won't see you off," Li Qiang said indifferently.

"No need, it's not far," Yan Butgui hastily waved his hand.

"To be honest, Old Yan is stingy—aside from liking to skim a bit and take small advantages, he's otherwise passable," He Yuzhu commented after Yan Butgui left.

"That's just how he is—a habit of a lifetime; if he suddenly changed, not only would he struggle, I'd probably find it hard to adjust too," Li Qiang joked.

"That's true," He Yuzhu said, shaking his head; after the women finished washing up, they also came to the center of the small courtyard, joining the chat one after another—no one knew how long they talked, until everyone began to drift off to sleep one by one, and only then did the small courtyard grow quiet.

In a daze, Li Qiang felt the ground suddenly begin to tremble; he had been sleeping lightly anyway, and since he remembered today was the day of the Tangshan Earthquake—and because of his time travel he couldn't be sure whether history would follow the same course—he slept even more lightly.

"Get up, it's an earthquake!" Li Qiang shouted, jumping to his feet.

"What's wrong, Second Elder?" The first to wake was He Xia; young people react relatively quickly.

"What's going on?" Then everyone else was also roused by the noise.

"Everyone stay put in the courtyard—don't move, there's an earthquake—I'll go call the neighbors," Li Qiang said, grabbing an enamel washbasin and heading out of the small courtyard.

"Everyone get up quickly, there's an earthquake—everyone rise quickly, there's an earthquake!" Li Qiang shouted while striking the washbasin.

Actually, by the time Li Qiang woke, some people in the Siheyuan were already awake, and many hearing his shout ran out as well.

"Qiangzi, what's going on?" Liu Haizhong ran over and asked.

"Second Elder, it's an earthquake—we need to split up and check if anyone's still inside," Li Qiang said urgently.

"Sure, I'll take the front courtyard, you take the middle—I just checked and everyone in the rear courtyard is already out," Liu Haizhong replied immediately. Actually, few households remain in the rear courtyard now. Liu Haizhong's reluctance to go to the middle courtyard may relate to Yi Zhonghai. Over the years Yi Zhonghai has indeed changed a lot; although his prestige in the Siheyuan used to be high, despite having done a few ridiculous things in between, as he's aged his relationship with He Yuzhu has eased considerably. He's also become much lower-profile, and his reputation in the Siheyuan is still decent; Liu Haizhong fears that if he goes to the middle courtyard and nobody listens to him, he'll lose face.

The deaf elderly lady had passed away a few years earlier; when the wind picked up, Xu Damao followed Lou Banche to Hong Kong Island, leaving the rear courtyard inhabited by Liu Haizhong, Li Bin, Li Qiang, and two other families.

"Alright, Second Elder, we'll definitely make sure—can't leave anyone behind in the houses," Li Qiang reminded.

"Don't worry," Liu Haizhong said and headed toward the middle courtyard.

"What's up, Qiangzi?" As the two reached the middle courtyard, they saw Jia Dongxu leading a family standing in the center, with many neighbors nearby.

"Listen to me—just now there was an earthquake; for now everyone should stay outside as much as possible, don't go back inside yet, there might be aftershocks—safety comes first," Li Qiang explained.

"Qiangzi's right—first, nobody should go back; Qiangzi, do you think we should call on everyone to put up earthquake shelters? If another aftershock hits it could be disastrous—we can't just have everyone standing in the courtyard," Yi Zhonghai said as he approached; now Li Qiang is a senior elder in the Siheyuan, and many matters still need to follow his lead.

"Master Yi is right—after an earthquake there often comes extreme weather like heavy rain; while the weather's still good now, everyone should lend a hand. Those with supplies contribute them, those without contribute their strength—we must unite to get through this crisis," Li Qiang said solemnly.

"Good," the neighbors replied, knowing they should indeed unite as Li Qiang said at this time.

"By the way, those who have grain at home should later pool it together, and have Zhuzi and his companion cook for everyone—no matter when, we need to have a hot meal," Li Qiang added specifically.

"Okay," the neighbors answered in unison.

"Master Yi, you handle the middle courtyard; Second Elder, you take the front—I'll go check the rear courtyard and, in passing, tell Zhuzi to have him and his companion help cook for everyone," Li Qiang said to Liu Haizhong.

"Sure, the front courtyard is mine," Liu Haizhong said confidently.

"Alright, everyone get moving," Li Qiang called out and returned to the rear courtyard.