Chapter 33: Strongly Backing

"Zhuzi, you bought so many vegetables, did guests come to your house?" Yan Butgui saw He Yuzhu holding both chicken and meat and asked He Yuzhu.

"Third Uncle, my master and his wife are coming over tonight," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Zhuzi, you see your master and his wife are coming over, and you have no elders at home; why don't I come over tonight to keep you company with drinks?" Yan Butgui was trying to take advantage again.

"No need, Third Uncle, my master and his wife aren't outsiders, they don't need someone to drink with them." How could He Yuzhu not know what Yan Butgui meant? He just wanted a free meal, yet he said it so righteously.

"How can you, this child, behave like that? I mean well too."

"Then thank you for your kindness, but I really don't need it." He Yuzhu carried the things and didn't go home but went straight to the backyard.

"Hey, Zhuzi, aren't your master and his wife coming to your house tonight? Why are you going to the backyard?" Yan Butgui shouted at He Yuzhu's back.

"What's it to you? My place is small, we can't fit everyone; we're going to eat at Qiangzi Ge's house tonight, okay?" He Yuzhu said without turning back.

"Zhuzi, my eldest grandson, are you planning to make something delicious for me?" The deaf old lady was sitting at her own doorstep basking in the sun; seeing He Yuzhu carrying so many good things, she immediately made a striking impression.

"Old lady, don't mistake me for someone else—I'm not your grandson, and this isn't prepared for you." He Yuzhu's relations with Yi Zhonghai aren't great, and his relationship with the deaf old lady isn't as good as described in the original story.

"How dare you, stupid Zhuzi, speak like that? Even your father He Daqing wouldn't dare talk to me like this." The deaf old lady heard He Yuzhu say that this stuff didn't include her share, and she immediately became unhappy.

"I'm me, He Daqing is He Daqing—if you're capable, go fetch He Daqing!" When He Yuzhu heard the deaf old lady mention He Daqing, he also got angry.

"Zhuzi, how are you speaking to the old lady like that? You're being utterly rude—don't you know the old lady is the patriarch of this siheyuan?" As soon as He Yuzhu finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai's voice came from behind; Yi Zhonghai had been instilling respect-for-the-elderly ideas into the siheyuan residents, so he couldn't possibly just watch He Yuzhu argue with the deaf old lady and do nothing.

"Yi Zhonghai, if you want to acknowledge your ancestors, no one's stopping you—but don't drag me into it. I'm surnamed He, you're surnamed Yi; we don't share the same ancestors. Besides, our He family could never produce an unfilial descendant like you." He Yuzhu had no patience for Yi Zhonghai.

The neighbors who had come back from work also gathered around to watch the commotion. They no longer respected Yi Zhonghai as they did in the original story, ever since Yi Zhonghai was stripped of his "third uncle" title. He had become much more low-key, knowing his reputation in the siheyuan had collapsed, and he rarely came out. Today, happening to come to the backyard to find the deaf old lady, he ran into the scene of He Yuzhu arguing with her.

Yi Zhonghai was so angered by He Yuzhu's retort that he almost vomited blood. As the old saying goes, there are three forms of unfilial behavior, and having no posterity is the greatest. Isn't He Yuzhu's meaning just a veiled jab at Yi Zhonghai for having no children?

"He Yuzhu, do you believe I'll deal with you?" Yi Zhonghai said through gritted teeth.

"No, I don't believe it. Yi Zhonghai, how can you be so forgetful? You're really planning to let me make a move?" A voice came from behind Yi Zhonghai—Ma Hongtao's.

"Ma Hongtao, don't bully people too much—do you really protect your own disciple like that? Truly, 'if the beam is not straight, the rafters will be crooked.'" Yi Zhonghai turned around and retorted at Ma Hongtao.

"Yi Zhonghai, how can you have the nerve to say that? Is this old lady your mother or really your ancestor, that you protect her so fiercely?" Ma Hongtao countered Yi Zhonghai.

"This is an internal matter of our siheyuan; as an outsider, you have no right to interfere." Yi Zhonghai didn't know how to reply to Ma Hongtao, so he could only use that excuse.

"You think I care about managing your petty affairs? As long as you don't bully my disciple, whatever you do is none of my business. But if anyone wants to bully my disciple, they'd better first measure whether they can withstand a beating."

"I won't stoop to the level of you lot, a bunch of brutes who only know how to fight." Yi Zhonghai didn't dare keep arguing with Ma Hongtao, so he just found a way to back down for himself.

"Zhuzi, what's going on?" At that moment, Li Qiang and the others also returned, Li Qiang bringing back plenty of vegetables on his cart.

"The deaf old lady saw me bringing back vegetables, called me her eldest grandson and asked if I'd prepared them for her. I said I wasn't her grandson and the vegetables weren't for her, so she got unhappy, and I retorted with a sentence. When Yi Zhonghai came over, he kept insisting I wasn't respecting the elders." He Yuzhu simply recounted what had just happened; in fact, he wasn't just speaking to Li Qiang, but also to the other neighbors.

"Old lady, you've experienced a lot too; many principles don't need me to explain—you should understand them better than I do. If you want others to respect you, you must first earn goodwill; you must win others' respect rather than relying on your age or how long you've lived in this siheyuan, as if that obliges them to respect you. Face is earned, not demanded. And you, Yi Zhonghai, don't keep bringing up the 'ancestor' excuse— the lady of Zijin City also lets people call her an ancestor. Do you mean the deaf old lady is the same as her, or that they have some connection? Are you trying to stage a restoration?" Although Li Qiang didn't say much, these few sentences carried a heavy impact.

Li Qiang was the Section Chief of the Security Section at Yagangchang; as long as Yi Zhonghai dared to admit to this, Li Qiang would have grounds to deal with him and the deaf old lady.

"Li family brat, why do you just move your mouth without making a sound?" The deaf old lady was indeed a sharp person.

"Old lady, don't play deaf and dumb with me here—you know whether you can hear yourself clearly, and not only you, but everyone in the siheyuan knows it. There's a saying you may have heard: never assume you're the smartest person, and never treat others as fools. Just because they don't argue with you doesn't mean they know nothing. Don't, in your old age, end up with the reputation of disrespecting your elders, and don't rely on your age to pull off those old-geezer tactics; leave yourself a good reputation, or else even after you're dead, when later generations mention you they'll still spit and curse you." Li Qiang really gave the deaf old lady no face at all.

"Li family brat, it's the old lady who's muddled." The deaf old lady muttered.

"Everyone's here now; I have an announcement to make. Starting today, He Yuzhu and his siblings have become sworn siblings with me and my brother. Although our two families have no elders, we don't want people to constantly bring up elders as an excuse, and I don't want anyone seeing the He Yuzhu household and thinking they can bully the siblings. From now on, He Yuzhu and his siblings are our kin; whoever wants to bully or scheme against them must first ask us brothers whether we agree." Li Qiang was giving He Yuzhu and his siblings strong backing. Everyone in the siheyuan knows Li Qiang's influence, and most of them work at Yagangchang; after offending Li Qiang, whether they can still have good days at the factory is something they need to weigh for themselves.

"What Li Qiang said is correct; I came today just to bear witness for them. I, Ma Hongtao, may be lacking, but I still have a few disciples—anyone who wants to bully my disciples had better first consider whether they can withstand my retaliation." Ma Hongtao also stood beside He Yuzhu and said.

After hearing his words, the neighbors in the siheyuan also sighed deeply. Although He Yuzhu usually gets along well with Li Qiang, that was merely a good relationship. Now that they have become sworn siblings with the Li family, the nature is different. In the past, becoming sworn siblings was a common occurrence; Li Qiang lost his parents early, and if his parents hadn't died, when they did pass away, He Yuzhu and his siblings would have to wear mourning clothes just like Li Qiang's brothers.

"Today I'll tell everyone about this. According to old custom, becoming sworn siblings requires setting up two tables and inviting relatives and friends to witness it. Our two families don't have many relatives here, and the person closest to Zhuzi now is his master. Today he has invited his master and master's wife to serve as witnesses, which is fitting and proper. So I won't hold a banquet in the siheyuan; tomorrow I'll buy some candy to distribute to each household so everyone can share in the joy." Li Qiang cupped his fists in a salute to everyone.

"Qiangzi, Zhuzi, congratulations."

"Right, congratulations."

"Congratulations."

The neighbors also all expressed their congratulations.