Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

Chen Fei had been busy shuttling between the courtyard and the town market lately. His shoes had been badly worn out from frequent cycling, and he had to change his socks and insoles again and again.

He passed by Qin Jingru's shoe stall and saw her sewing insoles seriously, so he walked over.

"Your insoles are quite sturdy. Give me a few pairs." Chen Fei said with a smile.

Qin Jingru raised her head and saw that it was Fade Chen. She smiled brightly and said, "Here you are. My insoles are made of special fabric. They are wear-resistant and comfortable."

As she spoke, she took out a few pairs of insoles and placed them in front of Chen Fei, letting him choose.

Chen Fei looked around, selected a few suitable pairs, and asked, "How much is a pair?"

"Eight cents a pair." Qin Jingru replied.

Chen Fei took out the money and handed it to Qin Jingru, and asked with concern: "How have you been recently? Are you feeling well?"

Qin Jingru looked at Chen Fei gratefully and said, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Brother Chen Fei. With the help of my sister and Sister Lou Xiao'e, my life is much better now than before."

The two chatted for a while, and then Fade Chen left.

On the other hand, Qin Huairu's life was not going as she wished.

Ever since Sha Zhu went to prison, she has been living in a daze every day.

Jia Zhang was even more sarcastic about her, saying that she was a jinx who brought unrest to the family.

One day, Qin Huairu was busy in the kitchen when Jia Zhang suddenly walked in and said with disdain, "Qin Huairu, you eat and live here for free every day. Don't you feel ashamed? Do you know that everyone is talking about you behind your back, saying that you are a burden. Get out of here immediately."

Qin Huairu's face turned pale and the bowl in her hand almost fell to the ground.

She suppressed her anger and said, "Mom, I am Shazhu's wife, and I also have a share in this family. How can you say that to me?"

The cold words were like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into Qin Huairu's heart.

She bit her lower lip, tears welled up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

"Mom, you may not like me now, but I am also a part of this family. You can't just chase me away like this." Qin Huairu tried her best to make her voice sound firm.

Jia Zhang was not moved at all. She put her hands on her hips and looked smug: "Humph, who do you think you are? Without Sha Zhu, you are nothing. Be smart and get out of this house as soon as possible."

Qin Huairu was so angry that she was shaking all over. She had lost her status in this family.

However, she was unwilling to be kicked out like this.

Looking around, I found that other residents in the courtyard were indifferent to this matter, as if it had nothing to do with them.

Just then, a familiar voice came: "What are you doing?"

It was Chen Fei, who had just returned from the market when he heard Jia Zhang's sarcasm.

Seeing Fade Chen, Jia Zhang's expression eased a little: "You've come just in time. Look at Qin Huairu, this burden, she eats and lives here for free every day and doesn't work. I think she should leave this house."

Chen Fei frowned, knowing that Jia Zhang had always been dissatisfied with Qin Huairu, but he did not expect that she would drive people away so directly.

I looked at Qin Huairu and saw that her face was pale and her eyes were full of helplessness.

"You can't do this." Chen Fei said in a deep voice, "Qin Huairu is Sha Zhu's wife and a member of this family. You can't bully her just because Sha Zhu is in prison."

These words made Jia Zhang's face change. She didn't expect that this young man who usually didn't talk much would stand up and speak for Qin Huairu.

"Who are you? This is our family's private matter, so stop interfering!" Jia Zhang glared at Chen Fei in dissatisfaction.

Chen Fei did not flinch and looked directly into Jia Zhang's eyes: "I am a resident of this courtyard and a friend of Qin Huairu. I can't just watch you bully her."

Jia Zhang was intimidated by Chen Fei's aura and was speechless for a moment.

Although she was aggressive, she felt a little guilty when facing a young man like Chen Fei.

Just then, the second uncle came over.

He is the elder in the courtyard and usually takes good care of Jia Zhang.

"What's wrong? Why are you making so much noise?" asked the second uncle.

When Jia Zhang saw the second master, she immediately felt confident and quickly recounted what had just happened, adding some exaggeration.

After listening to this, the second uncle frowned and looked at Qin Huairu: "Qin Huairu, you have indeed been a little bit out of line recently. Jia Zhang is right, you can't always eat and live for free like this."

When Qin Huairu heard this, her heart ached.

Unexpectedly, even the second uncle, who was usually quite nice to her, stood on Jia Zhang's side.

"Second Uncle, I..." Qin Huairu wanted to explain, but was interrupted by Second Uncle.

"You don't have to say anything. I know you are a miserable woman, but the rules cannot be broken. You should think about how to improve your situation." After saying this, the second uncle turned and left.

Qin Huairu stood there blankly, tears welling up in her eyes.

I felt unprecedented helplessness and despair.

Chen Fei felt sorry for Qin Huairu when he saw her expression.

He walked forward and patted Qin Huairu's shoulder gently: "Don't be sad. I will help you."

Chen Fei's promise was like a spring breeze that blew away the haze in Qin Huairu's heart.

"Thank you. I won't give up."

The next day, Qin Huairu plucked up her courage and took the children to Sha Zhu's house.

She wanted to let Jia Zhang see that she was not alone and had the support of her children.

When Jia Zhang saw this scene, her face turned pale, but she was helpless.

On the other hand, Qin Jingru's shoe stall business is becoming more and more prosperous.

She and Lou Xiao'e hit it off and decided to work together to produce and sell insoles.

The two have a clear division of labor, Qin Jingru is responsible for production and Lou Xiaoe is responsible for sales.

Their insoles were of high quality and reasonably priced, and they quickly won the favor of their neighbors.

One day, Qin Jingru was busy making insoles when Chen Fei came over.

Looking at Qin Jingru's skilled technique, he couldn't help but admire: "Your craftsmanship is really good."

Qin Jingru raised her head and smiled, "This is all learned through practice. Now that business is good, I have to work harder."

Fade Chen nodded and said, "I see that you and Lou Xiao'e are working well together. If you keep going like this, your lives will definitely get better and better."

Qin Jingru looked at Chen Fei gratefully: "Yes, thanks to your help. Now I feel that there is still hope in life."

The two chatted for a while, and then Fade Chen left.

I secretly decided in my heart that I would do my best to help more people live a better life.

On the weekend, Qin Huairu took the children to a suburban prison to visit Sha Zhu.

The prison's visiting room was dimly lit, and the air was filled with dullness and depression.

After Qin Huairu registered, she led the children through the heavy iron gate. Every step seemed to be on her heart, heavy and difficult.

When Sha Zhu's figure appeared at the other end of the visiting room, Qin Huairu's eyes instantly became moist.