Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Chapter 625 He Yuzhu Takes Care of the Deaf Old Lady

He Yuzhu nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with smiles: "Don't worry, Aunt Tan, I remember everything. I bought her a lot of apples and peach shortbread these past few days. She said the smell of peach shortbread makes her feel better. When her belly gets bigger and she gets too tired from working at the supply and marketing cooperative, I'll ask for a long leave from the factory to take care of her at home and not let her do any work."

Qin Jingru gently patted He Yuzhu's arm and said softly, "Brother Zhu, my job isn't tiring, really. I just manage the ledgers at the supply and marketing cooperative, keeping track of the incoming and outgoing goods. I sit all day and don't have to move anything. Besides, Uncle went to great lengths to find me this job, and I can earn a lot of coupons a month. How can I just take a break? It's not too late to ask for help when I'm about to give birth. My mom can come and help out then."

He Yuzhu held her hand, his palm warm and cozy, his voice full of tenderness: "What's more important to you and the baby than work? So what if you earn a little less? If it really doesn't work out, just quit for now. After you've recovered from childbirth, we'll find another job. Don't worry, I'll take care of things at home. With my factory wages and the extra money I earn working as a cook, you two won't go hungry, and you can even afford to eat fine food."

Aunt Tan watched from the side, her heart warmed—this young couple lived a harmonious and peaceful life, discussing things together, much better than the quarrelsome and scheming couples in the courtyard. She smiled and waved her hand, "Alright, you two chat slowly. I'll go check on the old lady and bring her some freshly steamed pumpkin cake." With that, she turned and walked towards the backyard, her steps lighter, thinking that she should tell the old lady how wonderful Zhu Zi and Jing Ru were later.

Qin Jingru nodded and was about to follow He Yuzhu out of the courtyard when He Yuzhu turned to look at Aunt Tan beside him and asked with a smile, "Auntie, where are you going?"

Aunt Tan carried a small bamboo basket with two freshly steamed white steamed buns in it. She said with a smile, "It's almost lunchtime, so I'm going to check if the deaf old lady has eaten yet and bring her these two steamed buns."

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu quickly waved his hand: "Auntie, I can take care of this. Jingru and I were just thinking of taking a stroll anyway, so we might as well go over there."

Aunt Tan's eyes darted around, and she knew exactly what was going on—if she went back inside now, Yi Zhonghai would probably start nagging about what she had just witnessed, so it was better to find an excuse to avoid it. She smiled and patted Qin Jingru's arm: "Alright, I'll talk to Jingru, you go to the deaf old lady's by yourself, and be careful on the way."

He Yuzhu looked at Qin Jingru, who nodded obediently: "You go ahead, I don't really want to go to the backyard, I feel a little uncomfortable."

What she didn't say was that ever since Xu Damao gossiped about her, she had been terrified of the backyard—she never knew when she might run into Xu Damao, whose strange and sarcastic manner made her angry every time she saw him.

Qin Jingru looked at Aunt Tan and said softly, "Shall we go back inside first?"

Aunt Tan smiled and replied, "Come on, let's go back inside and chat. I also have a few words I'd like to say to you."

The two walked side by side into the house, and once inside, they closed the door tightly. As soon as they sat down, they started talking non-stop, chatting about all sorts of women's private matters—from trivial things in the yard to difficulties at home, rambling on and on, but they did it quite enthusiastically.

Over here, He Yuzhu walked towards the backyard with a smile. Just as he turned the corner of the moon gate, he bumped into Liu Haizhong. These days, Liu Haizhong was much warmer to He Yuzhu than before—everyone knew that He Yuzhu was now the deputy director of the canteen, and more importantly, his brother He Feng was the director of the Public Security Bureau. Even the director of the steel rolling mill had to give him some face, so naturally, he, the old man in this courtyard, would also have to look up to him.

Liu Haizhong greeted him with a smile, "Zhuzi, are you heading to the backyard?"

He Yuzhu has become more sensible now, less impulsive than before in the yard and factory, and much gentler in his interactions with others. He smiled and replied, "Yes, Grandpa. Come and see if the deaf old lady has eaten. If not, I'll make her something hot."

Liu Haizhong nodded repeatedly, his tone full of approval: "Zhuzi, you're really observant. Go and see, I just saw the deaf old lady go back into her room, I reckon she hasn't eaten yet."

"Okay, I'll head over there first," He Yuzhu replied, walking briskly towards the deaf old lady's house.

Liu Haizhong stood there watching his back, thinking to himself: He Yuzhu is becoming more and more disciplined. At this rate, he'll probably be able to become a director in the steel rolling mill in the future.

He Yuzhu, familiar with the place, pushed open the door to the deaf old lady's house. A faint smell of herbs wafted through the air. He went up to her, took her hand, and chatted for a while, asking if she was feeling well and if she wanted anything to eat.

"Grandma, I'm here." He Yuzhu walked over quietly, first glancing at the stove. Seeing that the pot was still cold, he knew what was going on. He reached out and gently took the deaf old lady's hand—her hands were covered with wrinkles, her knuckles were deformed, and they felt rough like old tree bark.

"How are you feeling today? Are you still in pain?" He leaned closer and raised his voice a little higher than usual, afraid that the old lady wouldn't hear him. "I just came from the cafeteria and brought you two warm sugar packets. Would you like to try some?" As he spoke, he took out the sugar packets wrapped in oil paper from his pocket and handed them to the old lady.

The deaf old woman took the packet of candy, feeling the warmth in her palm. She grinned, revealing her toothless mouth, and mumbled, "It doesn't hurt...it doesn't hurt...you're so kind..."

He Yuzhu squatted down again and pulled the thin quilt on the side of the kang up to cover the old lady's legs: "Although the weather is getting warmer, it is still cool in the morning and evening. You should cover yourself more so you don't catch a cold. Yesterday I heard an old lady say that you don't have a good appetite. Do you not want to eat dry food? How about I cook some porridge for you? Millet porridge is good for the stomach. I'll go and get some rice for you now."

He was about to get up and head towards the water vat when the old lady grabbed his arm and shook her head: "Don't rush...don't rush...I just ate two steamed buns, I'm not hungry..."

He Yuzhu then stopped, sat down by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and began to chatter on and on about the latest happenings at the factory—which workshop had new jobs, how the canteen's newly pickled vegetables were popular, describing it all vividly. Although the old lady couldn't hear him very well, she watched him with a smile the whole time, nodding occasionally in response, her eyes full of affection.

After chatting for a while, he noticed the old lady was getting sleepy, so he helped her lie down, covered her with a blanket, and quietly added some firewood to the stove to warm the room. Before leaving, he also cleaned up the medicine bowl on the windowsill, thinking he would get her a few more doses of medicine later.