Comfortable life in Siheyuan

"Director Yang, this is the letter of introduction our village issued to me, allowing me to live in the city for a while. My home is really no longer habitable. There have been several heavy snowfalls this year, and the houses have collapsed. It's a good thing I ran fast, otherwise I would have to follow Old Jia." As she spoke, Jia Zhang began to sob and cry.

"Okay, stop crying. Since it has happened, I will not be unkind. But you have to remember that in today's society you can't do whatever you want. You have a criminal record here, so go back to the courtyard and live a good life. Don't cause trouble for me, do you hear me?" Director Yang admonished sternly.

"Director, don't worry. I know I was wrong. From now on, I will never talk too much or cause trouble again. I will take good care of the children and will never cause you any trouble." Jia Zhang bowed repeatedly and said sincerely.

"Okay, you don't need to bow to me. Just take care of your own mouth. You are so old now, just live a good life. The conditions are so good now. Don't you think so?" Director Yang used both soft and hard methods and let her go home after a lecture.

"Thank you Director Yang, thank you Director Yang." Jia Zhang kept muttering as she walked out.

……

After more than a week of hard work, Liu Qingshan's work finally came to an end, not because he was done, but because the Chinese New Year was approaching.

After attending the factory's annual commendation meeting, Liu Qingshan went home after get off work with the commendation certificate and some material rewards.

Just as he pushed the cart into the middle courtyard, a familiar yet unfamiliar figure appeared in front of him - the thin Aunt Jia was standing in the yard. Liu Qingshan's eyes instantly widened, his face full of disbelief.

"Aunt Jia? You...you're back! How come you've lost so much weight?" Liu Qingshan looked embarrassed, but still said hello to Aunt Jia. After all, when Jia Zhang was driven back to the countryside for some reason, everyone in the courtyard voted in favor, and Liu Qingshan was no exception.

Hearing Liu Qingshan's greeting, Jia Zhang seemed a little flustered and hurriedly explained: "Yes, Qingshan! I have no choice. The street office saw that I am old and have no relatives to take care of me, so they specially approved my return. They said that I still have to rely on my family!"

Liu Qingshan listened to what Jia Zhang said, but he couldn't help but feel suspicious. He looked Jia Zhang up and down, and saw that her hair had turned mostly gray, and her originally round face was now much thinner, and she looked as if she would fall down if the wind blew.

"Ah, time is really unforgiving!" Liu Qingshan sighed secretly, and looking at Jia Zhang's haggard appearance, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty and sympathetic. But he quickly concealed this emotion and said to Jia Zhang in a relaxed manner: "Well, it's good to be back. Enjoy your life at home in the future! I'll go back first, see you later!" After saying that, Liu Qingshan waved his hand casually, and hurriedly turned back home, as if he wanted to escape from this uncomfortable scene as soon as possible.

As soon as he stepped into the backyard, he heard Xu Damao's scream from the middle yard: "Oh my God! Ugh!! Aunt Jia is back, she's so thin that I can hardly recognize her!"

A smile appeared on Liu Qingshan's lips and he continued to move forward.

After taking a few steps, Liu Qingshan was stopped by Xu Damao: "Brother Qingshan, do you know how Jia Zhang came back? I just ran into her in the central courtyard and was shocked. The change is too big!" Xu Damao was still very excited when he spoke.

"Keep your voice down and don't make so much noise. I just arrived, how could I know? But the changes are indeed huge. Life in the countryside is so hard!" Liu Qingshan said with some sadness.

"That's right. Life in the countryside is hard. I don't have the ability to take care of those now..." He got stuck in the middle of his words.

Xu Damao quickly took over the conversation: "Hey! Why am I telling you this? Brother Qingshan, I've been working as a projectionist for a long time, and I want to go further. Can you see if there is any way for me?"

Good man, you are so rude. Can’t you see that I am rolling my eyes to the sky?

"I've only been back for a few days, how would I know any opportunities? Besides, I'm a technical worker, which has nothing to do with your propaganda!" Liu Qingshan had no choice but to answer euphemistically.

Xu Damao curled his lips and went home without saying a word.

Liu Qingshan didn't take it seriously and pushed the cart into the yard.

"Qingshan is back. I have washed the children's clothes. Remember to put them away later." When the mother-in-law saw Liu Qingshan coming back, she explained the household affairs.

"Mom, my factory distributed a lot of things. I'll bring some back to you later." Liu Qingshan parked the car and said with a smile.

"No need, keep it for yourselves." My mother-in-law waved her hands and said in a firm tone.

"Mom, why are you being so polite to me? We are all family. Will my brother-in-law come back for the New Year this year?" Liu Qingshan asked with a smile.

"Well, he wrote to me last time saying he would be back, but I don't know when," said my mother-in-law expectantly.

At this time, Aunt Li also came out holding the child: "Qingshan, did you see Jia Zhang just now? She has changed a lot!"

Aunt Li gestured as she spoke, and her tone and expression were very exaggerated.

"I saw it as soon as I entered the Intermediate Courtyard. I was shocked. It's only been a year, but she felt like she had aged 10 years. It must have been a difficult year for her," Liu Qingshan said with emotion.

"Yes, I almost didn't recognize him when I met him at noon. His hair was completely white. It was too exaggerated." Aunt Li said softly.

"Come back if you want. I don't think there will be any trouble this time." Liu Qingshan said in a relaxed tone.

"Yes, after such torture, I'm sure she won't dare to do it again." Aunt Li nodded in agreement with certainty.

"However, Qin Huairu's life will probably be even more difficult in the future. With an extra person like this, the family expenses will definitely not be enough." Liu Qingshan couldn't help but sigh.

"No matter how difficult it is, it can't be worse than in the countryside, right? At least no one will starve to death, right?" Aunt Li answered while thinking.

"Why is the front yard so messy today? As soon as I entered the house, I saw that the dilapidated storage room was being renovated. What's going on? That small house doesn't even have a window. What's the point of renovating it?" Liu Qingshan asked curiously.

"I heard that it seemed to have been separated. Today the factory sent people to repair it. It might be for an employee to live in, but I haven't seen the person involved." Aunt Li didn't know the specific situation and could only tell him the part she knew.

Liu Qingshan suddenly had an ominous premonition in his heart, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he decided not to think about it anymore and went straight back into the house.

After entering the house, he sorted out the things distributed by the factory. This year, the factory distributed quite a lot of things, including canned food, granulated sugar, and some rice, flour, and oil. Liu Qingshan picked out some of each, packed them in a bag, and prepared to send them to his father-in-law's house in the evening.