Chapter 15 The Birds in the Courtyard (Part )
Everyone looked at this idiot Zhu, who used to be a rogue in the compound and had beaten all his peers since he was a child and was invincible, and saw that he was now completely subdued.

When they looked at Liu Zhiye again, their eyes were filled with complex emotions such as curiosity, awe, and fear.

The courtyard was in complete silence.

Under the gaze of everyone, it was the second uncle Liu Haizhong who spoke first.

"Sister Jia! You know the whole story. It was Banggeng's fault in the first place, and you are still making a fuss, throwing a tantrum and swearing..."

"You are so old, how can you speak human language?"

"This little incident between the two of you is actually harmless! As the middleman, I will make the decision. You should apologize to Comrade Liu Zhiye and promise not to do it again. In this way, the matter will be over and everyone will be happy."

"Comrade Liu Zhiye, don't take it too seriously. We are all neighbors, we see each other every day, and it's not good to make a big conflict. We still have a long way to go, right?"

"I think we should just let it go. It's been going on for so long and we still have to go to work. We shouldn't let it delay us. What do you think?"

When the other neighbors who were watching heard this, they immediately started talking to each other, as if they were joining in the fun.

"Second uncle! You're right. It's not a big deal. Just talk it out."

"Yes, this is all caused by Jia Zhang. She is always so domineering."

"Aunt Jia, you should apologize!"

"Who said it wasn't true? It's just a small matter, but you're making a big deal out of it. Are you blackmailing me?"

"Go! Go! It's alright. I'm going to be late for work. I'm going crazy now~."

When Jia Zhang heard this, she felt unhappy and thought that she had gotten nothing. She thought it was difficult to apologize, so she decided to flee the scene first. She didn't care about Qin Huairu and Banggeng's mother, and she ran away without hesitation.

Qin Huairu was left with no choice but to pull the stick and walk to Liu Zhiye. She smiled at Liu Zhiye with a bright look:
"Brother Liu, I want to apologize to you on behalf of my mother-in-law. She doesn't understand the situation, has a bad temper, and speaks harshly, so please don't bother with her. I hope you can forgive her this time, and we promise not to cause trouble to anyone again." As he spoke, he bowed, appearing gentle, polite and generous.

Then he pressed the back of Bang Geng's head and forced him to bow as well:
"Bang Geng, hurry up and apologize to your Uncle Liu. How can you, a lousy kid, still lie? If it weren't for you, would your grandma have done such a thing?"

"Just wait and see how I'll deal with you when I get home~" He said while giving Bang Geng a sidelong look.

Bang Geng could only say helplessly:

"Uncle Liu, I'm sorry! It was my fault! I won't do it again. That's because I didn't know you~"

Liu Zhiye looked at Qin Huairu and said calmly, "Sister-in-law of the Jia family, you don't have to be polite. It's good that the misunderstanding has been resolved. That's it."

Then, he said to Bang Geng, "You naughty boy, now it's time to meet Uncle Liu! If you dare to mess with me again next time, I will punish you like I did to your silly uncle. Do you understand?"

Liu Zhiye gently rubbed Banggeng's head, looking very kind. But Banggeng turned his head impatiently, glared at Liu Zhiye with his eyes slanted, and then ran away.

Hey! This unfortunate child is obviously unwilling to accept the result.

Qin Huairu fell into embarrassment, muttering "This child ~ this child ~". She first smiled shyly at Liu Zhiye, then apologized to the second uncle Liu Haizhong, and then left with her big butt twisted, charmingly.

Seeing how Jia Zhang handled things, Second Master Liu Haizhong felt that he, the Second Master, was not taken seriously at all. With a sullen face, he waved his hand to signal that everything was fine, and told everyone to go about their own business, then he left with his hands behind his back.

Everyone then scattered like birds and beasts, and the farce ended.

Before leaving, Xu Damao patted his bicycle seat and showed off proudly. He smiled evilly, deliberately trying to annoy Sha Zhuer.

"Silly Zhu'er, are you jealous? Are you tired of walking to work? Do you want me to give you a ride?"

Sha Zhu was immediately furious: "Get lost Xu Damao, whose brother are you? I think you are looking for a beating!"

After Xu Damao and Sha Zhu finished teasing each other and coughed, he pushed his bicycle and left quickly.

Sha Zhu was left rubbing his hands awkwardly and said to Liu Zhiye: "Brother Liu, don't listen to Xu Damao's nonsense. My name is He Yuzhu, and everyone calls me Zhuzi, not Sha Zhu."

"Like everyone else in this compound, I am also an employee of the Red Star Factory. I took over my father's job and worked in the logistics canteen. I am a level 10 cook."

He was quite proud of being a cook. In those days, there was an old saying in Beijing: Even in a famine, a craftsman will never starve to death.

The so-called craftsmen refer to people who have skills such as chefs, carpenters, bricklayers, and shoemakers, who do not make a living by farming. They have skills and can make a living anywhere. Cooks are also one of the eight major personnel. In the 1950s and 1960s, the eight major personnel in the city were: childcare workers, postmen, power managers, projectionists, drivers, salesmen, cooks, and members of the art troupe. These positions were particularly popular in those years and were very popular. If a family, one person, or a relative worked in these departments, they could all benefit from it.

After Liu Zhiye heard Sha Zhu say that he was a chef, he deliberately complimented him: "Wow, chef, your cooking must be delicious, right? Show us your skills someday!"

"Let's get acquainted again. My name is Liu Zhiye. I just got back from civilian work and haven't yet completed my specific work."

When this silly Zhu heard Liu Zhiye say that he had good skills, he started bragging:
"Dude! I'm not bragging to you!"

"Brother, I cook Tan's dishes passed down from my ancestors. Don't look at me as a level 10 cook. That's because I start work late. I am the same in the entire steel mill. None of the chefs in the kitchen can surpass me in terms of cooking skills."

As he spoke, he proudly gave himself a thumbs up.

"How about I show you my cooking tonight? Please come and try the dish." He was afraid that Liu Zhiye wouldn't believe him, so he wanted to show off.

Liu Zhiye thought that as a newcomer, he was not familiar with the neighbors and could not live alone and in a closed life. He decided to go out, interact with the neighbors, and integrate into this new environment.

So he agreed: "Then let's have a drink tonight? Would that be too much trouble for you?"

Sha Zhu was just being polite, but he didn't expect that Liu Zhiye would go too far.

It seems that I have to spend some money tonight, so I can only pretend to be generous and say: "Hey! It's easy to do, not troublesome at all. To be honest, there are not many people in my family, just my brother and I, and it's rare for someone to drink with me."

"That's it, buddy. I live in the main house in the middle courtyard. Come to my room tonight, I'll make some of my specialties, and we can have a good drink!"

Liu Zhiye was also moved by Sha Zhu's straightforwardness and thought it was a good choice to date him. It turns out that He Yuzhu in the play is a superb cook, kind-hearted, and straightforward, but he is a chatterbox and loves to joke.

He agreed: "Okay, that's it! I'll bring a fish and a bottle of wine tonight, and we'll go to your house and have a good drink."

"Well, you'll see!"

The two of them decided to have dinner and drinks in the evening, and Sha Zhu hurriedly said goodbye.

"Brother! I have to go to work too, see you later!"

-----

After Liu Zhiye finished washing up, he went home with his mother.

When I arrived at the east room, I found my father sitting on the kang and eating breakfast. The breakfast was very rich, with boiled white-peeled eggs, cornmeal porridge, a few steamed buns, and a dish of pickled vegetables and chopped green onions.

Father Liu took a look at Liu Zhiye who had just arrived home and said unhappily, "What's the matter? Why did you go out so late? You only had time to wash your face, but you also took a bath here?"

Before Liu Zhiye could explain what happened, Liu Ma, who came in later, interrupted him: "Hey! You can't blame Zhiye for this. It's like this... like this..."

He repeated what had happened to Liu's father.

Father Liu was also not surprised and said: "Alas! It is difficult to raise a little girl."

"This sister-in-law Jia is really a headache. She always goesssips and makes people panic. This is not the first time she has behaved like this since we entered this courtyard. Everyone has seen it. Don't bother with her."

"Hurry up and eat! I'll leave as soon as I'm done. After you finish your meal, ask your mother to take you to see the neighbors. You've exposed yourself now. If you don't visit the neighbors early, people will think you're impolite."

In the morning, under the guidance of Liu's mother, I got to know this courtyard and most of the people at home.

Living in the front yard are the third uncle Yan Bugui and his family who live in the west wing. Only the third aunt is at home to look after the children. The third aunt is short and thin, and her complexion doesn't look good. She looks a little pale, as if she has been lacking nutrition for a long time. From the conversation about family matters, she seems to be quite shrewd.

The third uncle has four children. The eldest, Yan Jiecheng, is 19 years old and just graduated from high school. He works as a temporary worker at a scrap yard. The second, Yan Jiefang, is 15 years old and in junior high school. The third, Yan Jiekuang, is 10 years old and in elementary school. The youngest, Yan Jiedi, is only 7 years old. Yan Jiedi is the only one at home. The others have gone to school or work.

In the east wing of the front yard lived Guan Tianlin and his family of three, both of whom were working at the Red Star Steel Plant. Guan Tianlin was a sixth-level forger, earning 77.85 yuan a month, and his wife, Aunt Sun, was a temporary worker in the logistics department, earning 26.5 yuan a month. The family had only one child, Guan Dapeng, who graduated from junior high school this year and was 17 years old. Their family was considered the best in the compound, and they were not at home at the moment.

The side rooms on both sides of the main hall in the front yard are also occupied by one family each. The Sun family and the Li family both have five people, including sons and daughters. Most of the children have started their own families and no longer live here.

Walking into the hall is the central courtyard, and opposite it is He Yuzhu's house. His house is the best house in the entire courtyard. It was the main house of the original owner of the courtyard. It has three rooms plus an ear room. It is the private property left by He Yuzhu's father.

The east wing housed the family of Yi Zhonghai, the uncle, and his wife. The uncle had brought his apprentice Jia Dongxu to the factory early. The aunt warmly received Liu Zhiye and his wife.

(End of this chapter)