Siheyuan: Being a fisherman in 1962

"But..." He raised his head, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes, "I am no longer the same person as before, what if..."

"Nothing will happen!" Qin Huairu interrupted him, her tone revealing a hint of urgency, "I believe in you, and you should believe in yourself. If you don't want to, then we'll get divorced!"

Sha Zhu looked at Qin Huairu in shock, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

The word "divorce" was like a heavy hammer, hitting his heart hard.

He was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "Okay, I promise you. But I will only try it for a month, if it doesn't work..."

"No ifs!" Qin Huairu interrupted him with a long-lost smile on her face, "I believe you can do it."

The two smiled at each other, as if at this moment, all the conflicts and estrangements disappeared.

They began to prepare. Qin Huairu was responsible for purchasing ingredients and utensils, while Sha Zhu began to develop the recipe for the braised food.

Remembering his past relationship with the slaughterhouse, he decided to use this resource to purchase some usually unpopular meat by-products at low prices, and after careful processing, turn them into delicious braised dishes.

Qin Huairu's persistence was like a stream of clear water, washing away the dust in Sha Zhu's heart.

He couldn't let her down this time.

Although funds were tight, Qin Huairu did not back down at all.

Give everything just to give Shazhu a chance to start over.

Support is like a spring breeze blowing through dead wood, rekindling the fire in Sha Zhu's heart.

The next morning, before the rooster crowed, Sha Zhu had already gotten up.

I put on the slightly worn clothes, tidied my appearance, and walked towards the market in the morning dew.

There was no more decadence of yesterday in his eyes, but instead firmness and determination.

At the market, the sounds of hawking and bargaining can be heard one after another, and the breath of life is in the air.

However, a sense of inexplicable loneliness and loss welled up in Sha Zhu's heart.

Thinking back to his past glory, the applause and praise in the restaurant have now become an unspeakable pain in his heart.

I took a deep breath of the morning air and tried to put those unpleasant memories behind me.

Just then, a familiar figure came into his sight.

That was his sister He Yushui, who was walking side by side with Chen Fei. The two were talking and laughing, looking very intimate.

Sha Zhu couldn't help but quicken his pace.

He walked up to He Yushui and forced a smile on his face: "Yushui, long time no see."

When he saw Sha Zhu, the smile on He Yushui’s face froze instantly.

He glanced at Sha Zhu coldly, with a hint of disdain in his tone: "Yeah, long time no see. How did you fall to this point now?"

Sha Zhu's heart was like being hit by a heavy hammer, but he did not back down. Instead, he took a deep breath and tried to explain in a calm tone: "Yu Shui, I did a lot of wrong things in the past, but I am trying to change now. I..."

"Change?" He Yushui interrupted him, her tone full of sarcasm, "Do you think that just a few nice words from you can make up for the damage you have done to our family? I tell you, it's not that easy!"

Sha Zhu's face turned pale, he clenched his fists tightly, and tried hard to control his emotions.

The mistakes of the past cannot be made up for with words, but he is really trying to change.

At this moment, Fade Chen walked up and looked at Sha Zhu with a smug look on his face: "Sha Zhu, look at how you look now, it's really sad. If you had listened to me at the beginning, you wouldn't have ended up like this."

After a moment, he let go of He Yushui.

Looking at He Yushui's back getting farther and farther away, Sha Zhu's loss was as hard to conceal as the fallen leaves swept by the autumn wind.

His sister's indifference and ridicule were nothing but his wrong responses in the past. But at this moment, he was no longer the muddle-headed Sha Zhu.

He took a deep breath of the cold air, buried the pain deep in his heart, turned around and continued walking towards the market.

Although his steps were heavy, his eyes became more determined.

I have to prove it to everyone, including my younger sister who was once my closest friend.

The market was bustling with people. Sha Zhu was walking between various stalls, carefully selecting ingredients.

Although the movements seemed clumsy, they revealed a seriousness that should not be underestimated.

Use these humble ingredients to create your own braised food legend.

However, just as he was about to leave the market, an unexpected figure appeared in front of him.

He was a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes, with a smile on his face, but there was an imperceptible cunning in his eyes.

"Hey, isn't this Shazhu?" The middle-aged man approached and spoke in a teasing tone, "I heard that you have changed your career to make braised food? What a joke, a person who can't even cook a good meal, actually wants to make a comeback with this?"

Sha Zhu frowned and recognized that this man was a "friend" of his when he was in glory, a guy who only knew how to curry favor with the powerful and take advantage of others when they are down.

A surge of anger welled up in his heart, but he remained calm on his face.

"Yes, I'm making braised food now." Sha Zhu said calmly, "But don't worry, I won't be like some people who only know how to live by relying on the halo of others."

The middle-aged man's face changed, obviously hurt by Sha Zhu's words.

Just when he was about to explode, he saw Sha Zhu turn around and leave, leaving behind only a firm and resolute back.

However, fate always seems to like playing jokes.

Just when Sha Zhu devoted himself to the braised food business and worked hard to prove his worth, Chen Fei told He Yushui a piece of news - Sha Zhu was put in jail for allegedly extorting a driver.

After He Yushui learned the news, he wondered how his brother could have come to this point?

He Yushui learned what happened from Chen Fei.

As the night deepened, He Yushui's heart felt as if covered in frost, cold to the bone.

Standing in the school corridor, looking up at the lonely bright moon, my heart is full of doubts and confusion.

Her brother Shazhu, the relative who once made her proud and heartbroken, has now fallen to such a state.

Thinking back to Chen Fei's words, He Yushui felt as if her heart was being cut by a knife.

Blackmailing the driver?

How can this be?

The Sha Zhu in her memory, although a little stubborn and obstinate, was definitely not the kind of person who would do anything illegal.

However, reality was like a heavy hammer, hitting her heart hard.

Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the night.

He Yushui turned around and saw several police officers in uniform walking towards her.

There were serious expressions on their faces and a scrutinizing gleam in their eyes.

"Student He Yushui, we need to know about your family situation." One of the police officers said straight to the point.

It all has to do with Shazhu.

I took a deep breath, tried to stay calm, and followed the police to the office.

In the office, He Yushui described his family situation in detail, including Sha Zhu's past and present.

Try to be objective and fair, without any personal feelings involved.

However, when she mentioned that Sha Zhu was accused of extortion, her voice trembled involuntarily.

The police officers carefully recorded He Yushui's words without any expression on their faces, but He Yushui could feel the doubts in their hearts.

It turned out that He Yushui returned to school to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination, but the police came to investigate her family background.

He performed well in school, achieved outstanding results, and ultimately retained his eligibility to pursue graduate studies.

Ever since this incident, He Yushui hated Sha Zhu to death.

......