Life in siheyuan era

This morning, the sky was still dark at a little after six o'clock. At this time, chimneys on the roofs of every house were emitting black smoke, and a smell of coal smoke drifted into Zhou Zhiyuan's nostrils.

Having finished his morning exercise, he walked into the quadrangle courtyard and saw Third Master Yan running towards him. He stepped aside and greeted him enthusiastically, "Good morning, Third Master."

Third Master Yan was an elementary school teacher who had been elected by the residents of the courtyard as Third Master. This was a requirement of resident self-governance.

The quadrangle courtyard housed nine households, totaling more than thirty people. The method of self-governance was to elect three people to manage affairs.

Yi Zhonghai from the central courtyard, Liu Haizhong from the back courtyard, and Yan Fugui from the front courtyard were elected. Based on their prestige, Yi Zhonghai was First Master, and Yan Fugui was called Third Master.

This Third Master was particularly stingy, calculating every economic interest to the bone. Even if he used a wooden stick from his house, he would haggle with you, saying, "This wooden stick is worth one cent."

When dealing with Third Master, it's best to avoid economic interests. Aside from matters involving one cent, he was a kind person. His long face always wore a smile, and he would often push up his slipping glasses, responding warmly to your greetings.

But this morning, he ignored Zhou Zhiyuan and scurried out the gate.

As Third Master's figure disappeared, Zhou Zhiyuan smiled in understanding. Everyone has urgent needs; who doesn't have moments of urgency?

After understanding, he calculated, "If Third Master ran a little faster, he wouldn't have to wait in line at the public toilet. At this speed..."

Finishing his calculation, Zhou Zhiyuan shook his head, certain that Third Master would have to wait a while in front of the public toilet.

Living in the quadrangle courtyard meant facing this problem. Chamber pots were essential, but the public toilet was the only place to solve major issues. Third Master was eager to rush into the public toilet to solve a major problem.

This problem was so big that Third Master, who always emphasized etiquette, didn't bother to acknowledge Zhou Zhiyuan's greeting. And he understood Third Master's urgency, turning a corner and continuing to walk inside, seeing Third Mistress Yan hurriedly walking out of the side room and rushing into the house.

The Yan family only had two rooms. Yan Jiacheng used one for his marriage, leaving the old couple, their second son Yan Jiekang, their daughter Yan Jiedi, and their youngest son Yan Jiefang crammed into one room.

Eleven-year-old Yan Jiedi and nine-year-old Yan Jiefang were still in elementary school and had to get to school by around seven o'clock.

Third Mistress Yan urged Yan Jiedi and Yan Jiefang to get up, her shouts deafening, "Get up quickly, you'll be late for school."

While Third Mistress Yan was in a flurry, the Wang family across the way had already eaten breakfast.

Both the father and son of the Wang family were bus drivers. At this time, they walked out the door one after the other. The older man with graying temples was named Wang Jianli, and the burly man behind him was named Wang Daji.

Wang Jianli had two sons, named Wang Daji and Wang Dali. "Daji Dali" (Great Luck, Great Profit) was quite auspicious.

Wang Jianli was already a grandfather. Wang Daji's wife had taken their one-year-old child back to her parents' home for a few days.

Zhou Dehou had told him all these things. Wang Jianli was "Grandpa Wang," Wang Daji was "Brother Wang," and Wang Dali was the same age as Zhou Zining, so he should call him "Second Brother Wang."

Zhou Zhiyuan acted according to Zhou Dehou's instructions, saying "Good morning, Grandpa Wang" to the old man, and then saying "Good morning, Brother Wang" to Wang Daji behind him.

Wang Jianli smiled at him and asked, "Zhiyuan, right?"

He asked it as a question, but it was a statement of certainty.

And Wang Daji replied, "Have you eaten?" This was the standard greeting.

Zhou Zhiyuan nodded slightly, not needing to directly answer the question. Even if he hadn't eaten breakfast, Wang Daji wouldn't invite him.

Separating from the Wang family father and son, Zhou Zhiyuan walked into the central courtyard and saw Qin Huairu washing chamber pots by the pool.

Only the central courtyard in the quadrangle had a pool. Everyone came to the central courtyard to fetch water, and water tanks were essential for every household.

Everyone also had to come to the central courtyard to wash their chamber pots, and there were specific times for it. Before six o'clock, it was Second Mistress, Third Mistress, and Aunt Wang. Then it was First Mistress and the Zhou family. After six o'clock, it was Qin Huairu and Shazhu. He Yushui often didn't live at home.

Old Lady Long didn't work, so she could wash chamber pots whenever she wanted. Xu Damao was less certain. He and Lou Xiao'e often lived separately, each returning to their own home to find their own mother.

After six twenty, it was time for everyone to wash up. Residents from the front and back courtyards wouldn't come over at this time. They had buckets for dirty water from washing up, which they would all bring to the central courtyard to dump after the whole family had finished.

These points of knowledge were all part of the quadrangle courtyard's living guidelines, which Lin Shurong had told Zhou Zhiyuan. He couldn't wash up at this time.

Zhou Zhiyuan knew the rules, greeted her, and walked towards his room, hearing Qin Huairu's voice behind him, "Went for a run?"

He wasn't hiding anything when he said this. Running and practicing boxing had already transitioned to the Dragon Whirlwind style.

Qin Huairu continued, "Seeing you changed into a new set of clothes, bring your dirty clothes to me. I'll wash them for you tonight, so your teacher's wife doesn't get tired."

She said this casually, as if it were a matter of course, subtly placing herself in the position of 'older sister' in her address, and then using the crucial last sentence to make it impossible for Zhou Zhiyuan to refuse.

Of course, Zhou Zhiyuan didn't want to tire Lin Shurong. He praised her "cleverness" in his heart and replied, "I left them at the bathhouse to be cleaned when I took a bath. That cotton coat is hard to wash."

Hearing that he spent money outside to wash clothes, Qin Huairu frowned and asked softly, "How much did it cost?"

"I don't know, my comrade paid the money." Zhou Zhiyuan didn't say the specific amount. He and Shen Lanbo had the same clothes cleaned, and the two of them together cost five yuan, which Shen Lanbo did pay.

But Qin Huairu was a frugal person. She frowned and said softly, "If your comrade pays, you owe him a favor. Don't wash them outside in the future. Bring your dirty clothes to me, and I'll wash them for you."

She said it so sincerely that Zhou Zhiyuan really couldn't refuse, so he changed the subject, asking strangely, "Sister Qin, why are you paying attention to my eyes?"

While they were talking, Qin Huairu occasionally looked at his eyes, revealing a curious expression.

Hearing him ask, Qin Huairu smiled and said, "Xiaodang said your eyes are sometimes icy cold. I was curious, so I observed them. I didn't see any icy coldness. These eyes are very pure."

Qin Huairu replied frankly. Zhou Zhiyuan chuckled and replied, "Xiaodang is indeed a sensitive child."

Speaking of Xiaodang, Qin Huairu replied solemnly, "Xiaodang is indeed a bit sensitive. The neighbors in the courtyard are only close to the teacher and his wife and your brother. Although you just came back, Xiaodang is closest to you."

She was really good at talking, seeing that Zhou Zhiyuan liked Xiaodang, and using a few words to promote Xiaodang, implying that he should continue to like Xiaodang.

Zhou Zhiyuan nodded lightly, waved his hand, and walked inside. Qin Huairu pulled the topic back and added, "Send your dirty clothes to me."

Zhou Zhiyuan still nodded lightly without replying, but then saw First Mistress walk out of her door and call out loudly, "Zhiyuan, say a word."

Hearing her call Zhou Zhiyuan, Qin Huairu turned around, greeted her, and went back into her house.

And Zhou Zhiyuan walked up to First Mistress, hearing her say in a low voice, "There are three pretty daughters-in-law in the courtyard. Yu Li from the front courtyard is quiet but very calculating. Lou Xiao'e from the back courtyard is not very clever but is a pampered young lady. Qin Huairu from the central courtyard..."

Speaking of her, First Mistress paused, pondered for a moment, and said softly, "Qin Huairu is indeed simple, honest, and diligent, but she has a mother-in-law and three children. It's hard for her to remarry. Which man would dare to take on this burden?"

First Mistress got to the root of the matter. Qin Huairu was beautiful; just those bright eyes were likable. But the burden made men hesitate.

Her evaluation of Qin Huairu was also relatively objective, "If we're talking about cleverness, I think Qin Huairu is the cleverest of the three daughters-in-law."

Zhou Zhiyuan replied, "Given her situation, it would be even harder to live if she didn't use her brain."

"That's true." First Mistress agreed with his opinion, then revealed a piece of news to him, "I heard your First Master say that your brother and Yu Haitang, the factory flower of the steel mill, are getting very close."

Hearing this news, Zhou Zhiyuan was surprised, "Brother likes Yu Haitang?"

He didn't have much of an impression of Yu Haitang in the script. Hearing First Mistress mention her, he carefully recalled it.

After breaking up with her boyfriend, Yu Haitang ran to the quadrangle courtyard to find Yu Li. To avoid her boyfriend's entanglement, she lived in He Yushui's room, listened to the gramophone with Shazhu, drank red wine with Xu Damao, and almost married Xu Damao.

Zhou Zhiyuan recalled the plot of the script. First Mistress reminded him, "Yu Haitang is Yu Li's younger sister. When your brother gets close to Yu Haitang, you need to be careful when you interact with Yan Jiacheng and Yu Li, so as not to embarrass your brother."

After giving this instruction, First Mistress talked about Yan Jiacheng and Yu Li's style of doing things, "Yan Jiacheng is quite cowardly, and he's as meticulous as Third Master in his dealings. And Yu Li is quiet, but she encourages Yan Jiacheng to ask Third Master to come forward when something happens."

"Yu Li's parents seem to be cadres in the Commercial Bureau. She married Yan Jiacheng because she liked his appearance."

First Mistress revealed another piece of information, and finally sighed and said, "Shazhu's standards are just too high. He's not as good-looking as Xu Damao and Yan Jiacheng, and his job isn't as good as theirs either. He's just a cook, but he always wants to find a pretty wife. Which pretty girl would marry him?"

She saw it clearly. Shazhu looked down on Xu Damao and Yan Jiacheng, and he absolutely couldn't marry a wife who was worse than them. Marrying a pretty wife was a must.

Because of this high standard, twenty-five-year-old Shazhu didn't even have a girlfriend.