Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 159

Xu Huizhen emphasized the five words "alone" to remind Chen Xueru that she was a married widow.

Chen Xueru was angry, but she didn't show it at all. Instead, she smiled and took Xu Huizhen's hand, saying, "Yes, I'm not like you, with Brother Zhuzi by your side."

The two chatted back and forth, talking about all sorts of cryptic things, leaving He Yuzhu aside. After chatting for a while, Chen Xueru smiled and waved goodbye to them.

Watching the two walk further and further away hand in hand, Chen Xueru's smiling face quickly turned frosty. She gritted her teeth and stomped her feet in anger.

Her previous actions had already made it very clear, but He Yuzhu was pretending to be confused and refusing to take the bait.

Chen Xueru was furious, but she didn't dare to take any further action, afraid that if she made things public, He Yuzhu would reject her, and if it came to that, they wouldn't even be able to be friends anymore.

So Chen Xueru was conflicted. She silently stayed by He Yuzhu's side, wanting to make a move to win him over, but also afraid of losing everything.

Seeing the two of them walking away hand in hand in front of her, Chen Xueru was filled with envy and resentment towards He Yuzhu for not holding her hand.

Chen Xueru straightened her body, her chest heaving rapidly with anger. In every way, she was better than Xu Huizhen.

She even held a wedding ceremony just because she had a husband she was betrothed to since childhood?

But He Yuzhu should know very well that he and the man surnamed Hou only went through the wedding ceremony and did not enter the bridal chamber!

"I'll snatch you back from Huizhen one day!" Chen Xueru said bitterly.

Since the Qing Dynasty, ordinary people have enjoyed visiting the temple fair at Changdian during the Lunar New Year. It is a major event after the New Year, where people can see the sights of the world and experience the vicissitudes of life, which can be considered a form of leisure and enjoyment.

As soon as you exit the Peace Gate, you'll see two rows of greenhouses along the roadside. They're very quiet and elegant, displaying and selling traditional Chinese paintings, calligraphy, landscape paintings, horizontal scrolls, albums, and more.

In the corner of the shed, there was a tall mahogany table, where peach blossoms, winter plum blossoms, forsythia, and daffodils quietly emitted their fragrance.

The two walked hand in hand, browsing from shop to shop. As He Yuzhu's appraisal skills had been upgraded and strengthened, they had long since reached the highest level. No cultural relic could escape his discerning eye at a glance.

The temple fair was mainly for ordinary people; there were no high-end items. The two of them simply strolled around, passing the time.

If you go forward along Nanxinhua Street, there are food and trinkets for sale on both sides of the road.

The food in Changdian is diverse and plentiful: from bean curd cakes the size of copper coins to five-foot-long candied hawthorns; from glutinous rice cakes topped with rouge dots, to flaky and crispy meat and vegetarian fried buns made with sesame oil and flour; even sausages, fermented mung bean juice, rice porridge, eight-treasure rice, fried spring rolls, fried pork, and hawthorns strung like Buddhist beads. You can find almost any local specialty snack, dried and fresh, with Beijing flavor here.

The two lingered at various stalls, buying some of the delicious food they saw. Soon, their stomachs were full, so they went to the toy section.

The toys in Changdian are also diverse: there are single and double diabolos with gold and red labels that make a loud noise when they move; there are windmills with colorful wind wheels driving small hammers to beat small drums; there are also swallows of all sizes, dragon eyes with colorful ribbon tails, and centipedes with lively eyes and joints, all of which show the colorful style of Beijing.

There was also a "dough figurine soup" performance, where eighteen Arhats were sculpted inside half a walnut shell to fight Sun Wukong.

The "Grape Chang" grape variety showcases its unique skills—its trembling branches, swaying vines, and frosty grapes, along with its rose fragrance, mare's milk, and berries, have amazed the people.

Xu Huizhen picked and chose and bought a few fun items, but unfortunately, she couldn't hold them all in her hands, otherwise she would have liked to buy a few more.

Turn right at the intersection and cross to the west of Liulichang, you'll find Rongbaozhai's watermarked paper, and Deguzhai's finely crafted knife blades attract scholars and literati.

Or go right into Liulichang and you'll find the sour plum cakes from Xinyuanzhai and the wolf-hair brushes from Daiyuexuan, both of which have long been famous.

The Fire God Temple on the north side of the road is actually a jewelry and antique market. The courtyards are all covered with blue cloth canopies that are two zhang high, and although it is daytime, it is as lively and bustling as a night market.

The two strolled around from early morning until evening. He Yuzhu carried several large net bags filled with various items. When they returned to the courtyard in a rickshaw, he piled the things on the table and then lay down on the bed without moving.

Carrying so many things while shopping is really uncomfortable, but Xu Huizhen was still enthusiastically playing with the toys, talking about how they would be divided up and where they would go.

He Yuzhu was instructed to send the children back to the courtyard house for He Yutang to play with tomorrow, and it was emphasized that they were all sent by Xu Huizhen.

He Yuzhu mumbled "uh-huh" and closed his eyes to rest.

Xu Huizhen turned her head and thought He Yuzhu was asleep, so she came over and pulled the quilt over her body. Then she found that He Yuzhu was just resting and hadn't slept at all.

Lying on the bed, she reached out and pinched He Yuzhu's nose, laughing, "You lazybones, don't you practice martial arts every day? How come you're tired already?"

Upon being attacked, He Yuzhu immediately shook his head and opened his eyes. Looking at the pretty face in front of him, which could be both angry and happy, a surge of evil fire immediately rose in He Yuzhu's heart.

After all, he had countless experiences in his previous life, dated several girlfriends, and done all the things a couple should do.

When He Yuzhu transmigrated, he was only 16 years old and still a child. Xu Huizhen was also not very old. Although she sometimes had some thoughts, they were all suppressed.

But now that Xu Huizhen has turned eighteen, He Yuzhu is starting to get restless.

With a pull, Xu Huizhen fell onto He Yuzhu, who then pulled her into his arms.

Chapter 116 Sis, are you going on a blind date?

"Ouch." Xu Huizhen was surprised, and then she froze. Her face was only a few centimeters away from He Yuzhu's, and they could feel each other's hot breath.

As He Yuzhu's lips drew closer and closer to hers, Xu Huizhen felt a surge of heat coursing through her body. She wanted to push He Yuzhu away, but her body felt weak and she couldn't muster any strength to refuse.

Seeing He Yuzhu come right up to her, Xu Huizhen could only close her eyes, not wanting to look or think, and then her hot lips pressed against her own.

"Boom!" A thunderous roar flashed through Xu Huizhen's mind, and then nothing more.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but Xu Huizhen was almost out of breath.

"Zhu Zi, are you home?" Chen Xueru's voice suddenly came from outside.

Xu Huizhen immediately blushed and broke free from He Yuzhu's embrace like a startled rabbit. She put on her shoes, hurriedly straightened her clothes, and then pretended to be calm as she opened the door.

He Yuzhu sighed inwardly, realizing that he had just started eating and hadn't even tasted the flavor when Chen Xueru suddenly appeared.

It's uncertain whether Xu Huizhen will agree next time.

Xu Huizhen opened the door and asked, "Xueru, what's wrong?"

Chen Xueru did not answer, but instead looked Xu Huizhen up and down. Before her was a beautiful woman with a face like a peach blossom, eyes full of spring, and delicate and charming. Her fair and tender face was like a red apple.

"Oh, Huizhen's here too. Why is the door locked in broad daylight?"

"Isn't it normal to lock the door on such a cold day?" Xu Huizhen retorted, then invited Chen Xueru in.

He Yuzhu got out of bed, sat at the table, poured tea for Chen Xueru, and asked, "I wonder what brings you here today?"

Chen Xueru glanced at her flirtatiously: "What? Can't you come over for a visit if you don't have something to say?"

"Yes, of course you can." What could He Yuzhu say? Although he was angry that Chen Xueru had ruined his plans, he couldn't come up with a reason.

Logically speaking, after what just happened, Xu Huizhen should have run away long ago, but Chen Xueru's visit made Xu Huizhen stay and tidy up the house, acting like the lady of the house.

Chen Xueru watched with envy, wishing she could take Xu Huizhen's place.

He Yuzhu asked, "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"It's nothing serious. I just got some seafood and I'm worried I won't be able to cook it well, so I asked you to help me. I'll treat you two to dinner tonight."

Similar situations had occurred before, and He Yuzhu had no choice but to agree, since some high-end ingredients are now hard to find and simply not available in the market.

Even if some did exist, they were obtained by wealthy and influential people through private channels. He Yuzhu didn't have enough connections to get his hands on any of them.

Chen Xueru, on the contrary, had good personal relationships with some wealthy wives because of the advantages of her shop, and thus had a way to get things done.

After chatting for a while, a waiter brought over the ingredients, and He Yuzhu cooked a Cantonese dinner. After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Chen Xueru actually ran off with Xu Huizhen.

He Yuzhu was on the verge of tears. He had thought that they could rekindle their romance and be affectionate again, but Chen Xueru was going to ruin it for him.

It's unclear whether Chen Xueru said something to Xu Huizhen, but from that day on, Xu Huizhen never gave He Yuzhu a chance, leaving He Yuzhu helpless.

A few days later, the teacher's wife noticed that He Yuzhu looked rather gloomy lately, so she took the opportunity to ask, "Zhuzi, what's wrong?"

"Master's wife, I'm fine."

The master's wife laughed and said, "Silly child, do you think I can't tell you're troubled? Are you missing your wife?"

He Yuzhu blushed, then said, "What do you mean?"

The master's wife glanced at him and said, "What's wrong with you? Why don't I be your matchmaker?"

"Okay, thank you, Master's wife."

Just as He Yuzhu was worrying about what to do, his teacher's wife took the initiative to assume the role of matchmaker.

"Okay, then give me your birth date and time."

He Yuzhu wrote his own, and then wrote Xu Huizhen's birthday. He had been celebrating her birthday for the past few years and already knew Xu Huizhen's birth date and time.

The master's wife laughed and said, "It seems you've had this in mind for a while now. I never said I wanted Xu Huizhen, so how did you know I wanted to arrange a marriage between you two?"

"Master's wife!" He Yuzhu blushed deeply at the teasing.

"Alright, I'll have someone check our compatibility later. We'll talk about the rest later."

Getting married at this time is particularly complicated, as the preliminary preparations take a long time and cannot be rushed.

That morning, He Yuzhu was fishing by the moat and exercising with his fellow apprentices when he heard Tiedan say, "There's been some news from above that the neighborhood committee elections are coming up soon, and then the street office will be established."

"What do neighborhood committees and subdistrict offices do?"

Tie Dan said, "The military control commission will be abolished, and at the same time, street offices will be established. Each street office will have multiple neighborhood committees, and each neighborhood committee will have between 100 and 300 households, depending on the geographical location and planning."

"I see. So, will Sister Zao stay in the neighborhood or go to the neighborhood committee?" He Yuzhu asked.

Tie Dan said, "Of course she wants to be the director of the neighborhood committee, so I'm telling you all to vote for her when the time comes."

In fact, the higher-level leaders had already proposed the idea of ​​a street-level government last year and conducted extensive discussions and solicited opinions, but it has not been finalized yet.

It's only the beginning of 54, and the policy has already been implemented. This year, neighborhood committees need to be elected, and streets need to be established to completely end the military control committee system. This also indicates a shift from military management to administrative management.

Tie Dan was worried that Tian Zao wouldn't be selected, so he asked his apprentices to help him.

He Yuzhu asked with a smile, "Master, we've been calling you that for years, when are you and Sister Zao going to get married?"

The brothers were most amused by teasing Tianzao and Tiedan about their marriage. They would jeer and say that Tiedan was no good, that he always listened to Tianzao, that he had no manly spirit and couldn't make decisions for himself.

Tie Dan chuckled sheepishly and said, "Let's finish this first, then we'll talk about it later."