Siheyuan: A journey of mountains and rivers

At this moment, He Yuzhu heard a burst of hurried footsteps. Turning around, he saw Yi Zhonghai running towards him with an anxious look on his face. "Brother He, something bad has happened!" Yi Zhonghai said breathlessly, "My water pipe has burst again, and the water has flooded the whole house. Come and help me!"

He Yuzhu sighed, thinking that Yi Zhonghai was really unlucky. This was the third time his water pipe burst this month, which made people wonder if there was something wrong with his family's feng shui. Although Yi Zhonghai and he had a tense relationship on weekdays, as neighbors, he still had to help when something like this happened.

"Come on, I'll go with you to take a look." He Yuzhu responded, picked up the toolbox, and followed Yi Zhonghai to his home.

When they arrived at Yi Zhonghai's house, it was just as he said. The house was flooded, and the furniture and floor were soaked. He Yuzhu quickly squatted down and started to repair the water pipe. Yi Zhonghai stood aside, complaining about his recent misfortunes.

"You know, the electric wire that was just repaired a few days ago broke again yesterday; and the water pipe burst again today. It's really a double whammy!" Yi Zhonghai said while wiping the sweat from his forehead with his hand.

He Yuzhu raised his head, glanced at Yi Zhonghai, and said, "The wiring and pipes in your house are old and not well maintained, so it's not surprising that something went wrong. You have to pay more attention to maintenance and check more often in the future, otherwise this situation will happen again."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and said with a sad face: "You are right. It's not that I don't want to repair it, but the cost of repairing it is not small. Business is not good recently. Money is really tight."

He Yuzhu knew Yi Zhonghai's difficulties and felt sorry for him, so he patted him on the shoulder and said, "I'll pay for the repairs this time, and you can pay me back when you have money. We neighbors should help each other."

Yi Zhonghai looked at He Yuzhu gratefully, with tears in his eyes, "Brother He, thank you so much. You have been helping me all these years, I really don't know how to repay you."

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Don't say that. We are all neighbors. It's only natural." As he spoke, he continued to concentrate on repairing the water pipe.

After repairing the water pipe, He Yuzhu stood up, dusted himself off, and prepared to leave. At this moment, Yi Zhonghai suddenly remembered something and called him, "By the way, Brother He, do you still remember the book I borrowed from you last time? I have been looking for it for a long time but couldn't find it. I guess my son took it to school. I will send it to you when he comes back."

He Yuzhu waved his hand and said, "Don't worry. I'm not in a hurry to read the book. Just give it to me when you find it."

After saying that, He Yuzhu turned around and left Yi Zhonghai's house. When he returned to his own home, he took out an old photo album and looked through the photos inside. These photos recorded every little bit of his time with his neighbors, including laughter and tears, and each photo brought back his memories.

However, life in the courtyard was never peaceful. The next morning, when He Yuzhu got up, he heard a commotion in the courtyard. He walked out the door and saw Yi Zhonghai standing in the middle of the courtyard, holding a letter in his hand, his face livid.

"Yi Zhonghai, what's wrong with you?" He Yuzhu asked with concern.

Yi Zhonghai raised his head, his eyes full of anger and helplessness, "I just received a letter from the tax bureau, saying that I missed reporting taxes last year, and now I have to pay a large sum of money. What should I do now?"

He Yuzhu frowned, "This is a big deal. You need to go to the tax bureau and ask if you can negotiate to pay in installments or reduce part of the tax."

Yi Zhonghai nodded, "I think so too. I will go to the tax bureau to check the situation later."

He Yuzhu patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry too much. There will always be a way to solve the problem."

Yi Zhonghai sighed, clenched the envelope in his hand, and left the courtyard with a sad face. He Yuzhu looked at his back and couldn't help but worry about him. During this period, Yi Zhonghai's bad luck happened one after another, which really made people exhausted.

A few days later, Yi Zhonghai returned to the courtyard, and his expression was much more relaxed than before. He walked up to He Yuzhu and said gratefully, "Brother He, thanks to your reminder this time, I went to the tax bureau to explain the situation clearly, and they agreed to let me pay in installments, which relieved a lot of pressure."

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "That's good. We must always look forward to the future. Don't be afraid when encountering difficulties. Let's find a solution together."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and said, "Yes, life must go on. Thank you for your help all the time."

He Yuzhu watched Yi Zhonghai gradually return to a peaceful life, but he still felt a little uneasy. Yi Zhonghai had been having bad luck one after another recently. Although some of it was due to the old house and his own negligence, he always felt that things were not that simple. Perhaps there were some hidden dangers in this courtyard that he had not noticed.

One evening, He Yuzhu sat in the yard, holding a pot of tea in his hand, his eyes drifting towards the sunset not far away. At this time, the courtyard is always very quiet, with only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves. He suddenly remembered that Yi Zhonghai had been unlucky recently, perhaps because there was something wrong near his home.

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu decided to go and take a look. He put down the teapot, stood up and walked towards Yi Zhonghai's house. Coincidentally, Yi Zhonghai was also walking in the yard, and when he saw He Yuzhu coming, he went to meet him.

"Brother He, is there something wrong?" Yi Zhonghai asked with a smile. The expression on his face was much more relaxed than before.

He Yuzhu nodded and said straight to the point: "Yi Zhonghai, I have been thinking recently that your family has had a series of accidents recently, and there must be something unusual. I plan to help you check the area around the house to see if there are any hidden dangers."

When Yi Zhonghai heard this, a look of gratitude appeared on his face. "Brother He, you are really my benefactor. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what to do."

He Yuzhu waved his hand, "We are all neighbors, and it is our duty to help. Let's go, let's take a look at the foundation and walls of your house first."

The two walked into Yi Zhonghai's house together and carefully checked every corner. He Yuzhu bent down, tapped the floor lightly with his hands, and listened carefully to the sound with his ear to the ground. His brows gradually frowned.

"Yi Zhonghai, there is a problem with your foundation. It might be caused by groundwater infiltration. In addition, there have been a lot of rains recently, and the soil has become loose, which has led to frequent bursts of water pipes." He Yuzhu stood up and said.

Yi Zhonghai was stunned for a moment, and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "What should we do? We can't dig and repair it every day, right?"