Siheyuan: I am the Smart Pillar

In the backyard of Old Lady Long's house, Old Lady Long was leaning on the bed with a gloomy face. No one knew what she was thinking about on her wrinkled face. After a long time, she let out a long sigh. She didn't understand why Sha Zhu seemed like a different person. It was not easy to force He Daqing away. Thinking that He Yuzhu was a cook, she originally thought that he looked silly, so she was fully capable of taming him and taking care of him in her old age!

This plan couldn't keep up with the changes. Was there something wrong? Did He Daqing say something? Did He Yuzhu know something? There were three knocks on the door. Old lady Long frowned and asked, "Who is it?" Yi Zhonghai's voice came from outside and said, "Old lady, it's me, Zhonghai. Are you asleep?"

Old lady Long coughed and said, "I'm not asleep, and the door is not locked. Please come in." Yi Zhonghai came in with a bowl of food, turned on the light with a smile, and said, "Old lady, why don't you turn on the light?" Old lady Long narrowed her eyes and looked at the food in Yi Zhonghai's hand. She smiled bitterly and said, "I'm just an old thing who is about to die. It doesn't matter whether I turn on the light or not."

Yi Zhonghai put the dishes on the table with a hypocritical smile on his face, and advised, "I don't quite agree with what you said, old man. You are the ancestor of our courtyard. I hope you will live a long life. Come and try it. This is the fried vermicelli with sauerkraut made by Xiuying. It tastes pretty good."

Old Lady Long knew that Yi Zhonghai wanted to say something to her, and after thinking about it, she did not refuse. She slowly walked down from the bed with her crutches, sat next to the small table, and said while eating, "Okay, don't say anything in front of me, the old lady. What do you want to talk to me about, or do you want to ask me for advice?"

Yi Zhonghai smiled and said, "Old lady, how come Shazhu has become so smart? Did that bastard He Daqing say something before he left? That led to a big misunderstanding between Shazhu and us. Can we and Shazhu still be the same as before? Do you have any idea to cure this fool?"

Old lady Long took a few bites of the meat, nodded and said, "Well, this tastes pretty good. Next time when you cook for me, you must make it a little softer. I only have a few teeth in my mouth and I can't bite it." Yi Zhonghai's eyelids twitched, but he still smiled and said, "I will tell Xiuying to ask him to stew this dish until it is soft so that you can eat it better."

Old Lady Long nodded in satisfaction, took out a handkerchief from her waist and wiped her mouth, pursed her lips and said, "When a person encounters a sudden change, his personality will definitely change. He Daqing left his two children behind to help the widow, and He Yuzhu suddenly encountered this change. If he doesn't change a little, these ghosts and spirits in the courtyard will definitely not let their family go."

"But as the old saying goes, it is difficult to change a person's nature even though it is easy to change the country. I think this is just a temporary thing. After this period of time is over, you can talk to Shazhu slowly, and he will definitely return to his previous state. The old lady can't eat your food for free, so I'll teach you a way."

Yi Zhonghai looked at Old Lady Long curiously and said, "Oh, old lady, what do you think?" Old Lady Long rolled her eyes and said, "A plot to sow discord. In addition to He Daqing who knew about what we did before, Xu Lide probably also knew a lot. We can spread the word that He Daqing was forced away by Xu Lide, and you can spread rumors in the courtyard about Xu Damao."

Yi Zhonghai frowned and said, "I know that you want to alienate Xu Lide. But Xu Damao is just a junior, why do you want to deal with him?" Old Lady Long smiled and said, "I have watched He Yuzhu grow up since he was a child. His temper is exactly the same as He Daqing. This child is irritable. You can completely provoke the relationship between Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, and then come out to help Sha Zhu, so that Sha Zhu will change his mind about you, or even be grateful to you."

Yi Zhonghai understood what Old Lady Long meant. He gave her a thumbs up and said, "Great, really great. Your strategy is like Zhuge Liang's reincarnation." Old Lady Long was very proud of Yi Zhonghai's flattery. She nodded with a smile and said, "You still have a lot to learn. As long as you follow my thinking, finding someone to take care of the elderly is a simple thing."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and said, "Yes, old lady, you have eaten more salt than we have eaten rice. I, Yi Zhonghai, will treat you well in the future. You have to give me more advice." Old lady Long nodded and said with a smile, "Shazhu is a grateful person. I think he is much more obedient than Jia Dongxu. Also, you can let your daughter-in-law chat with Shazhu's wife when Shazhu is at work."

Old Lady Long took a sip of tea and pretended to be confident and said, "Sometimes, pillow talk is very important. If you can convince Sha Zhu's wife to agree to let them take care of you in your old age, and let Sha Zhu's wife persuade Sha Zhu, sometimes it will be very useful."

Yi Zhonghai scratched his head and said, "But, how can we get Sha Zhu's wife to agree?" Old Lady Long glanced at Yi Zhonghai and said, "You can make a wish. If you two old people don't have children, who else can you give your house to after a hundred years except Sha Zhu? Add to that your savings, wouldn't they be tempted?"

Yi Zhonghai thought about it, and he felt that no one could resist being tempted. Besides, his main target now was still Jia Dongxu, and being stupid was just an alternative option. In addition, he still wanted another woman to give him a son, so naturally, his plan in his heart was not that deep. Yi Zhonghai sighed and said, "Ah, it's all because of the lack of children. Xiuying wants to adopt a child from an orphanage, but I always feel that this is a bit unreliable."

Old Mrs. Long nodded quickly and said, "Xiuying is a woman who never leaves the house. What does he know? When the children in the orphanage grow up, you are not sure whether their parents will come to look for them. What will you two old people do if the adopted children are not filial? As for your old age, you still have to find someone you can trust to take care of you. Otherwise, you two old people will suffer when you are old."