I became a poor little sophora japonica in the courtyard

The next day it started snowing. When the snow stopped, the northwest wind blew again. The temperature dropped sharply, and Huaihua decided not to go out.

In such cold weather, the whole family slept on the warm kang in the inner room, leaving only the locust flowers in the outer room.

Qin Huairu had mentioned it before. But now Banggeng and his younger sister Huaihua were at loggerheads. He firmly disagreed with sleeping on the same kang with Huaihua. If Huaihua came to sleep in the inner room, he would move to the outer room.

Huaihua's family status could not be equated with Banggeng's at all, so she was still sleeping in the outer room, on the hard and lumpy quilt.

However, Huaihua bought herself two sets of high-tech thermal underwear on the shopping platform, and also bought some heat packs to stick in her underwear and shoes.

She was just pretending to sleep in the outer room! When everyone in the inner room fell asleep, she would go into the space. She would adjust the speed of the space to five to one! In the kitchen of the small western-style building, she would make a delicious meal by herself. She would cook a big pot of rice in the rice cooker, and if she couldn't finish it, she would store it in the warehouse of the post station to keep it warm and fresh. She could eat a pot of rice for several days!

She spent most of her time practicing in the piano room. When she got tired of playing, she would go to the yard to see her orchard and herb garden, or play with and appreciate her collections!

She now eats dinner with the whole family, but it's just for show. After she finishes half of her steamed bread, she is the first to leave the table. She doesn't touch the dishes placed in front of her.

Sometimes she had lunch with Auntie Lou. She would leave whenever the deaf old lady came, and would never interfere with her brainwashing Lou Xiao'e.

Ten days passed like this, and it was New Year's Eve. Two days before, the eldest uncle came early to inform that this year's New Year's Eve dinner of the Jia, He and Yi families would be celebrated together. The location was set in the east wing of Yi Zhonghai, and Sha Zhu would be the chef.

On New Year's Eve at the steel rolling mill, the entire factory will clean up in the morning so that they can leave work early and go home in the afternoon to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner.

When Qin Huairu returned home in the afternoon, she was carrying ten kilograms of pork and twenty kilograms of flour.

"Where did these things come from?" Jia Zhang was so shocked by her daughter-in-law's generosity that she broke out in a cold sweat.

At this time, the supply certificate only showed three taels of meat per person per month. How long would it take for an ordinary family to save up ten kilograms of pork?

There are also 20 kilograms of white flour! Mix some corn flour in it, this will allow the Jia family to eat for a long time.

"This was given by Deputy Director Li of the steel rolling mill." Qin Huairu looked calm, but Huaihua could see a hint of panic in her eyes.

"Is it the Deputy Director Li who came to our house to express his condolences when Dongxu had an accident in the workshop that year? This Deputy Director Li is really a good person." Jia Zhang slapped her thigh and said excitedly.

When Huaihua heard Jia Zhang praising Li Huaide as a good man, she almost laughed out loud.

The little that Qin Huairu got back was almost obtained at the cost of her body. If Sha Zhu hadn't broken into the room in time, your daughter-in-law would have been ravaged by Deputy Director Li.

Sha Zhu beat up Deputy Factory Director Li with his fists, and then took the ten kilograms of meat and twenty kilograms of flour that Li Huaide had stored in the cafeteria and gave them to Qin Huairu as compensation on his own initiative, which led to Li Huaide, who was in power, making things difficult for Qin Huairu.

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the family went to the east wing opposite to eat the New Year's Eve dinner. Huaihua did not go with them, saying that she was not feeling well. She did not want to deal with the people in the courtyard, especially the deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai.

The East Wing was filled with joy! Yi Zhonghai and his wife, the deaf old lady, Sha Zhu's siblings, and the four members of the Jia family just filled up a round table.

Yi Zhonghai asked Banggeng and Xiaodang to kneel down and kowtow to the deaf old lady to wish her a happy new year, and gave each of them a red envelope of ten cents.

After everyone left, Huaihua locked the door and entered the small western-style building in the space. She prepared a table of delicious food for herself. Although she felt a little lonely, she had already gotten used to it in the past thirteen years.

She had dated several boyfriends during those thirteen years, but all ended in failure. People outside the circle despised her work, while those inside the circle just huddled together for warmth. What's worse, some even asked her to pay for their support.

At the age of 33, she no longer believed in love. Just like this courtyard, in such a simple era, it is still full of intrigues.

There were firecrackers outside. When the family came back, Huaihua had already gone to bed. After listening to their laughter and joy as they entered the inner room, Huaihua became completely invisible, and no one came to care about her health.

On the first day of the first lunar month in 1966, Qin Huairu got up early and went out carrying a piece of pork weighing more than two kilograms.

This good guy Xiaodang actually got up early. The two of them put their heads together and whispered for a while, then opened the door and ran out.

These two people are up to no good again!

Huaihua already knew this. Shazhu taught them a trick last night. They had them knock on their rice bowls, sing Lotus Flower Song, kneel down and kowtow to ask for lucky money.

The first stop was Xu Damao's house. Sha Zhu used a hacksaw to unlock the door and let the two children sneak in. They knelt in front of the bed of Xu Damao and his wife, sang lotus songs while knocking on their bowls, and extorted three dollars from Xu Damao!

If you don't give them money, these two people will say bad things. Who can stand this on the first day of the Spring Festival? Even Yan Laokou gave money.

Now all this has nothing to do with Huaihua! She received some free red envelopes from the shopping platform and gave herself New Year's money.

At around 8 o'clock in the morning, someone came to the door to notify the whole courtyard to hold a meeting. The three managers will hold a New Year's party for the whole courtyard in the new society and new atmosphere. All residents of the courtyard must participate, except for the children.

The event was held in the middle courtyard. Sha Zhu brought an eight-person table from his home, and Uncle Yi Zhonghai brought two large fruit plates, one plate of fried peanuts, and one plate of fried melon seeds. These were the rewards issued by the street office for selecting civilized advanced courtyards.

Seeing that there were free melon seeds and peanuts to try, the neighbors in the courtyard braved the cold wind to come and participate in the New Year's gathering.

The first and second uncles each gave a New Year's greeting, and then the group greeting began. The deaf old lady, as the most senior person in the courtyard, wore a headband and a fur coat, and sat upright with a cane in both hands. The neighbors in the entire courtyard lined up, bowed to her one by one, and said auspicious words to her for the New Year.

Huaihua stood behind her door, watching all this, and secretly complained in her heart. This was using the guise of the New Year's party to establish personal prestige. How was this different from the feudal patriarchal system?

After they finished paying respects to the deaf old lady, the third uncle Yan Bugui could not help but jump out and accuse Sha Zhu of instructing the two children of the Jia family to sneak into his house early in the morning, knock on bowls and sing lotus songs, asking for New Year's money, and he was not willing to give too little. He wanted the first and second uncles to judge for him!

When Xu Damao heard that Sha Zhu was behind this, he immediately jumped up and bombarded Sha Zhu together with his third uncle Yan Bugui.

"Where is Qin Huairu? Ask her children to return the money." Seeing that the first New Year's party was about to become a joke, Yi Zhonghai quickly spoke up.

Jia Zhang saw that things were not going well and was about to run away, but the third master called out to her. "Where are you going? Why isn't Qin Huairu coming out?"

"She went to her parents' home early in the morning! I should go back and ask the child whether she took the money or not."

Jia Zhang walked home while muttering. As soon as she got home, she immediately locked the door. Anyway, once the money arrived at the Jia family, it would not be easily spit out.

Seeing Jia Zhang's almost rogue behavior, the third uncle and Xu Damao pointed the finger at Sha Zhu and asked him to pay the money.

"Okay! I'll take the money."

Sha Zhu was confident. He moved a stool and sat down, asking the third uncle and Xu Damao to kneel down and kowtow.

"I'll return the money to you. Didn't those two children kowtow to you in vain? I'll return the money to you, and you will kowtow to them again. Uncle Three, please go in first!" Sha Zhu said confidently.

"Silly Zhu! You...!" The third uncle was so angry that his heart ached.

"Uncle, you can let your son do it. Yan Jiecheng, come here and kowtow." Sha Zhu is very proud now.

"Silly Zhu, you farted." Yan Jiecheng and his wife walked away in anger.

"Xu Damao, you can also let your children do it for you. Oh! Sorry. I forgot that you two don't have any children yet!" Sha Zhu was firing on all cylinders, and his sarcasm and ridicule made Xu Damao unable to resist.

Xu Damao was furious! The fact that they had been married for more than five years and still had no children had become Sha Zhu's main weapon in attacking him verbally, and his attacks always worked.

"Silly Zhu, why are you showing off! Although I don't have any children, I have a wife. But what about you! You're 31 years old and haven't even tasted a woman?" Xu Damao was not a pushover either, and he kept pinching his opponent's lungs.

"What's a wife? I can have one as soon as I want it. Did you see Qin Huairu today? She went to her parents' home to bring me a wife."

Sha Zhu immediately counterattacked Xu Damao. I will be married soon, so this trick of yours won't work anymore.

Xu Damao was so angry that his teeth itched! He secretly vowed to ruin Sha Zhu's marriage.

As long as I, Xu Damao, am here, you, Shazhu, will never be able to find a wife in this life.