Siheyuan: Starting from Building a Village

Life is just like this. No matter what kind of storms you have experienced, it will eventually return to normal.

Just like the death of Tan Guihua and the controversy surrounding Yi Zhonghai's criticism, as time passed, like sand in an hourglass, they were gradually forgotten in the corner.

Only Yi Zhonghai's head of white hair became a silent witness, as if telling the past that he had never forgotten, dared not forget, and was unwilling to forget.

Being as plain as water is the true meaning of life.

Yi Zhonghai seemed to have reintegrated into this ordinary life, but his vicissitudes of life smile seemed to contain something different.

Half a month had passed since the incident, and Yi Zhonghai seemed to have undergone a transformation, at least his appearance had changed significantly - his hair, which was originally only slightly gray, was now completely white.

The people in No. 95 Courtyard also felt the change in Yi Zhonghai. Yi Zhonghai seemed to have become "cheerful". He no longer had a gloomy face every day like before, as if someone owed him thousands of dollars.

For a while, the people in Yard 95 were still a little uncomfortable. No matter when they met, Yi Zhonghai would greet everyone he knew with a smile.

No matter what others think, Liu Haizhong is quite satisfied with Yi Zhonghai's transformation. He tells everyone that it is all his credit and that this is the brilliant result achieved by his criticism meeting.

Yan Bugui, who was always worried, also put his mind at ease. He always believed that if a person is full of sunshine and hope for life, there will be no haze and resentment in his heart.

Over the past few days, Liu Guozheng had heard from Xu Damao about Yi Zhonghai's transformation, but to be honest, he didn't believe it. He once thought that Yi Zhonghai might be planning some big move, but he never expected that Yi Zhonghai would come to the office to find him.

"Master Yi, please have some tea."

Lou Xiao'e politely served tea, and then took the two little girls back to the bedroom. It was obvious that Yi Zhonghai came to see Liu Guozheng for something important, and he didn't want more people to know, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen to come to Liu Guozheng at dark, which meant that Liu Guozheng had to spend the night in the office.

"Master Yi, just tell me what you want to say." Liu Guozheng took a sip of tea and asked directly.

After hearing what Liu Guozheng said, Yi Zhonghai quickly retracted his slightly envious look and said seriously: "Liu Guozheng, I heard that you have a Hope Fund, right? I came here today just to donate some money to you."

As he spoke, Yi Zhonghai opened the coarse cloth bundle he had been holding tightly. Inside were stacks of money, all in ten-yuan notes, neatly arranged. It was obvious that they were taken out from the bank.

Liu Guozheng was stunned and asked with a puzzled look on his face: "Master Yi, what are you trying to do?"

Yi Zhonghai smiled, pushed the coarse cloth bundle in front of Liu Guozheng, and said sincerely: "Here is 5,000 yuan, which is all the savings I have worked hard to save in the past few years. I want to donate it all to the Hope Fund to help some children in need."

Liu Guozheng looked at the thick stack of banknotes in front of him, then looked at Yi Zhonghai's sincere eyes, and wondered in his heart: Why did Yi Zhonghai change so suddenly? Did he really figure it out and have a sudden enlightenment?

The more he thought about it, the more incredible it seemed to him. If Yi Zhonghai was really sincere, then his image would have suddenly risen from a questionable hypocrite to a moral role model admired by everyone! Liu Guozheng couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the criticism meeting really had such a magical effect that it could completely change a person?

"What? You can't believe it?" Looking at Liu Guozheng's surprised expression, Yi Zhonghai felt very satisfied.

Liu Guozheng sat there, nodded, but did not speak, as if waiting for Yi Zhonghai's explanation.

"Perhaps in your eyes, I, Yi Zhonghai, am a selfish person who talks about morality all day long, but in my heart I am full of thieves and prostitutes." Yi Zhonghai's tone was calm and powerful.

"But you have to understand that I crawled out of the quagmire of the old society. I have witnessed too many life and death separations, and have encountered all kinds of things. The most unforgettable, the most unbelievable, and the one I don't want to believe is the matter of eating up the whole family." His eyes became deep and heavy.

"So, I have always wanted to train an obedient caregiver for the elderly. This is my obsession." Yi Zhonghai continued, "Unfortunately, all of this was ruined by you, Liu Guozheng. Tell me, should I hate you?"

Liu Guozheng felt mixed emotions as he listened to Yi Zhonghai's story. He realized that Yi Zhonghai's transformation was not achieved overnight, but had profound background and reasons.

"Don't I want to treat people with sincerity? Of course I do." There was a hint of helplessness and bitterness in Yi Zhonghai's voice.

"Liu Guozheng, you should be aware of the moral character of those people in our yard. As long as you dare to show a little kindness and harmlessness, they will pounce on you like hungry wolves and eat you up without leaving any residue." His eyes revealed a deep disappointment and defensiveness.

"Master Yi, have you ever thought about adopting a child? You know, there are too many orphans these days." Liu Guozheng interrupted Yi Zhonghai and raised his own question.

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and sighed, "Adopt one? You can't raise one well."

Liu Guozheng asked in confusion: "How could that be?"

"When the adopted child finds out that he is not his biological child..." Yi Zhonghai hadn't finished his words, but the unfinished meaning had already made Liu Guozheng understand a little bit.

"I am an adopted child. Do you know how my father died?"

Without waiting for Liu Guozheng to speak, Yi Zhonghai continued, but his voice was low and heavy.

Liu Guozheng didn't say anything, nor did he need to say anything. He just listened quietly.

"He starved to death. I starved him to death." A trace of painful memories flashed through Yi Zhonghai's eyes, and his voice trembled. "When I found out that I was not his biological son, do you know what I thought of first?"

Liu Guozheng shook his head again: "I don't know."

"The first thing I thought about was whether I was abducted and should have a wealthy and happy family, instead of having to live from one meal to the next." A trace of confusion and regret flashed in Yi Zhonghai's eyes. "I thought about it a lot, and I actually felt hatred in my heart. I hated my father for not letting me live a life without worries about food and clothing. So, I... after he got old and couldn't work, I only let him eat one steamed bun every day when I remembered him, and when I didn't remember him, I let him starve."

Liu Guozheng's heart tightened when he heard this. Yi Zhonghai's voice continued, "I still can't forget the look on my father's face when he died with his eyes wide open. To be honest, although I'm not his biological child, my father treated me just like his own. And what was the result? The result was that the child he raised with so much hardship had to watch him starve to death on his hospital bed."

"Tell me, if you were in my shoes, would you still adopt a child?" There was a hint of self-mockery in Yi Zhonghai's voice, as if he was asking himself, or as if he was asking Liu Guozheng.

"this..."

Liu Guozheng was embarrassed and speechless. He didn't know how to respond. Those empty words about treating others sincerely seemed so pale and powerless in his mouth. He couldn't say them at all.

Besides, Yi Zhonghai was an eyewitness, no wonder he didn’t want to adopt a child. Maybe he was afraid that the child he adopted would be like him in the future?

"Alas, I'm getting old and talkative. Why am I saying all this?" Yi Zhonghai smiled self-deprecatingly and while Liu Guozheng wasn't paying attention, he hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

However, Liu Guozheng still saw deep regret in his red eyes, and more of an indescribable sadness and regret.