Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 158

He opened the door and came out, asking, "Zhu Zi, have you struck it rich?"

"Yes, thanks to you, I made a fortune this time. I came here today specifically to thank you."

As He Yuzhu spoke, he pulled Xu Wude's arm and walked outside.

Xu Wude inwardly groaned; He Yuzhu had come here specifically to cause trouble.

But he couldn't say much yet. He had previously said with certainty that Wu Mancang's sale of the pigs to He Yuzhu was a coincidence and that he knew nothing about it. Now, he could only congratulate He Yuzhu on making money against his will.

If Xu Wude felt guilty about drinking this meal, since he hadn't contributed anything, then he should be able to do so.

But He Yuzhu still dragged Xu Wude home, pressed him down on a stool, and looked at the delicious-looking meat and vegetables in front of him, but Xu Wude had no appetite at all.

The wine I drank was bitter, and even eating meat felt like chewing wax.

He Daqing and He Yuzhu both saw it all and laughed to themselves. Let Xu Wude play tricks behind the scenes. He's not a police officer. Solving a case requires evidence. As long as you have suspicions, that's enough.

Both of them said that this business was very profitable, and thanked Xu Wude's cousin for being so generous in bringing such lucrative business to their doorstep.

The two men took turns urging him to drink, and Xu Wude, feeling very distressed, unknowingly drank too much.

How could he not drink too much? It's easy to get drunk when you have something on your mind. Xu Wude had a bellyful of bitterness that he had nowhere to confide in.

They originally planned to scam Sha Zhu, shifting the risks of pig farming to him, and then wait and see when the epidemic spread throughout Beijing and all the pigs had to be buried, causing Sha Zhu to lose a lot of money.

Even the house they bought will be abandoned because the pigs they raised there had contracted swine fever, meaning they can't raise pigs anymore for many years.

Despite all his calculations, he hadn't anticipated that the COVID-19 outbreak in Northeast China was actually fake. Now, He Yuzhu not only didn't lose money, but actually made a fortune.

Don't think that three or four hundred yuan is a small amount. An ordinary worker only earns about 20 yuan a month, which is more than a year's wages for a person.

The pig hasn't been sold yet, but the price might be even higher when it's available later, since there are very few pigs on the market right now.

He Yuzhu was talking to Liu Haizhong in the backyard, which was overheard by many people. Before, everyone was laughing at Sha Zhu for finally being fooled and losing money this time raising pigs.

Unexpectedly, in just one month, Sha Zhu turned his fortunes around, turning losses into profits and making a fortune.

The news quickly spread throughout the entire courtyard.

When Aunt Yi told him the news, Yi Zhonghai's face immediately turned ashen. He was furious. He thought that the fool would lose money this time, but he didn't expect that he could make money.

"That silly Zhu is really lucky."

"Yeah, don't get angry with him. Look how lucky he is, otherwise he would have ripped us off."

"What do you know? This idiot Zhu is a menace. With him around, this courtyard can never be peaceful."

Aunt Yi sighed. This Yi Zhonghai is really stubborn, always thinking about fighting with He Daqing and his son. He never learns his lesson. He has already spent several thousand yuan, and his family's savings are almost gone.

In the west wing, Granny Zhang was so angry when she heard that Sha Zhu had made money that she refused to eat and just sat there cursing.

Inside the main room, Xu Wude was forced to drink a lot of alcohol and then fell asleep on the table.

He Daqing said, "Old Xu's fighting ability is not good. He got drunk after only a little wine."

Chapter 115 Chen Xueru's Jealousy

He Yuzhu said, "I don't know how upset Lao Xu must be. I'll take him to the back."

"That's true. Seeing how uncomfortable Old Xu looked just now made me happy. Old Xu must have been involved, otherwise he wouldn't have been so upset."

"Yes, this is enough to make them angry."

Although Xu Wude was also drunk, he was still somewhat sober. Hearing this, he became even angrier. He thought that He Daqing and his son were no good. What did they mean by inviting him to dinner? They were just here to make a fool of him.

Although he knew that Xu Wude would continue to pretend, he was furious and wanted to figure out how to turn the tables.

He Yuzhu helped Xu Wude to the backyard. Xu Damao and Xu Zhaodi hid in the inner room and did not come out. Xu's mother thanked him repeatedly. He Yuzhu politely declined and handed Xu Wude over to her.

The news that African swine fever was a rumor spread quickly, which led to an increase in demand for pork. He Yuzhu's pig head meat experienced a surge in demand, and sales gradually increased.

This has led to pork prices becoming increasingly expensive.

Every day when He Daqing saw Xu Wude, he would express his gratitude, which infuriated Xu Wude, yet he still had to put on a smiling face.

Seeing that the aquaculture industry was also doing well, He Yuzhu approached the village secretary of Zuojiazhuang and bought the adjacent land.

At that time, communes had not yet been implemented in rural areas, only mutual aid groups. He Yuzhu bought the property very smoothly.

Then they started a large-scale construction project, building houses next to the original yard and turning it into a breeding farm. Ten of the 24 pigs were sows, and they were all kept to be used as breeding sows.

He Yuzhu also took some time to go to the flour mill and bought a lot of bran and rice husks. During the autumn harvest, under the guise of raising livestock, he bought large quantities of corn, beans, corn stalks, wheat stalks, etc., and the open space outside the yard was piled up.

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye, and He Daqing's new wife, Wen Yuping, gave birth to a big, healthy boy. The boy was named He Yutang, also using the character "rain".

Wen Yuping finally breathed a sigh of relief. After marrying into the family, she was worried about not being able to get pregnant, and even after getting pregnant, she was worried about having a girl. Now that she has finally given birth to a son, she will have someone to rely on in the future.

He Yuzhu, carrying rainwater, met her newborn brother and, overjoyed, asked, "When will my little brother be able to call me 'sister'?"

"It's a long way off; it will take at least eight or nine months."

"It's been so long?" He Yushui was still a little sad, but she quickly cheered up and leaned over the bed to look at her little brother.

The happiest person about Wen Yuping giving birth to a son was He Daqing. He had noticed that although He Yuzhu respected him, he was becoming increasingly distant. Now that he had a second son, he would have no worries about the future.

Furthermore, Wen Yuping was able to give birth to her first son, and she could continue to have more children, expanding the He family's lineage and making it even more prosperous.

Winter arrived in the blink of an eye, and He Yuzhu once again set up shop in front of the gate to sell off-season vegetables. After calculating the profits throughout the year, this business turned out to be the most profitable for He Yuzhu. Last winter, he earned nearly 1 yuan, more than he ever earned selling braised meat in a year.

Business is even better this year, with several hundred yuan coming in every day, almost all of which is profit, since the costs are negligible.

After the Spring Festival, He Yuzhu did the math again and found that he had earned about 15,000 yuan from vegetables alone this year. He Yuzhu was overjoyed, thinking that this way of making money would not be outdated even 30 years from now.

It is foreseeable that there will be substantial profits every year thereafter.

"Brother Zhu, let's go out and have some fun, let's go to the temple fair." Xu Hui Zhenren called out in the courtyard before she even arrived.

'Here you are.'

He Yuzhu closed the ledger, put it in the drawer and locked it, then put on a hat and scarf and came out. He was overjoyed to see Xu Hui dressed in red.

He Yuzhu felt a pang in his heart, as if he had returned to the day three years ago when he first met Xu Huizhen.

That was in the alley behind Taifenglou. At that time, Xu Huizhen hadn't grown up yet. She was thin and weak and not very tall. You couldn't tell the difference between her front and back.

However, Xu Huizhen's eyes were bright and piercing at the time, and her smile resembled a crescent moon, which immediately captivated He Yuzhu.

Over the past three years, Xu Huizhen has never lacked nutrition, and she has grown taller. After entering puberty, her figure expanded rapidly, developing in both the front and back. She quickly transformed from a naive little girl into a beautiful young woman brimming with youthful energy. He Yuzhu believed that if Xu Huizhen looked down, she definitely couldn't see her own toes.

He Yuzhu suddenly remembered that Xu Huizhen had already turned eighteen this year, which meant she was old enough to get a marriage certificate.

The beautiful flowers have finally bloomed, and it's time to pick them.

Xu Huizhen was stunned when she saw He Yuzhu come out, her eyes wide with joy. However, she still asked shyly, "Do I look good in this dress? It was made before the New Year, and I'm only wearing it for the holidays."

He Yuzhu then woke up, walked down the steps, took Xu Huizhen's small hand and said, "The clothes are nice, but you are even more beautiful."

Xu Huizhen blushed slightly and said shyly, "You're so annoying, always so glib."

He Yuzhu just chuckled twice and didn't argue.

Let alone in the 1950s, even in the 1980s, women were reserved, and it was quite normal for a couple to never say the word "love" to each other throughout their lives.

In other words, he used to make flirtatious remarks to Xu Huizhen, which gave her enough resistance; otherwise, she would have called him a hooligan long ago.

Xu Huizhen quickly changed the subject, saying, "You promised to go to the temple fair with me after the New Year."

"Okay, let's go then." With that, they walked out.

Xu Huizhen tried to pull her hand out of He Yuzhu's large hand with a little force, but He Yuzhu held on tightly and wouldn't let go.

“Brother Zhu! Someone will see us,” Xu Huizhen said, pouting.

The two had held hands more than once or twice, and Xu Huizhen was already used to it, but before, it was always indoors, in places where there were no outsiders.

We haven't even gone out hand in hand yet.

He Yuzhu said, "What's there to be afraid of? Nobody will say anything."

Xu Huizhen was very shy, but He Yuzhu still took her out.

The Changdian Temple Fair was most lively during the two weeks from the first to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month each year. The location was an open space on the east side of Nanhua New Street, near Liulichang, outside Hepingmen. In later years, this became the National Bookstore.

The earliest history can be traced back to the Liao Dynasty, when it was called Haiwang Village. During the Jin Dynasty, it was called Haiwang Village. During the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty, the Changdian Market began to appear.

After leaving the courtyard, the two headed towards Changdian. Xu Huizhen lowered her head shyly, being led by He Yuzhu. She didn't dare to look at passersby, her heart pounding like a drum, worried about being seen by acquaintances.

As the saying goes, what you don't want to encounter will actually happen to you. Others might just smile knowingly and sigh that these two young people are really going to the dogs, pulling and tugging at each other in broad daylight.

However, we ran into an acquaintance on the way.

"Oh my, who is this? Holding hands on the main road like a married couple. It's Huizhen! When did you get your marriage certificate?"

Xu Huizhen immediately pulled her hand away from He Yuzhu's, then looked up and saw Chen Xueru standing not far away. She blushed with embarrassment.

He Yuzhu said, "Chen Xueru, what nonsense are you talking about!"

Chen Xueru rolled her eyes, seeing the burning passion in them, and sighed inwardly.

Ever since He Yuzhu saved Chen Xueru, Chen Xueru has liked to delete He Yuzhu's chat history and would make clothes for him every few days and send them over. She would refuse money, so He Yuzhu could only buy her some gifts instead.

This, on the contrary, made Chen Xueru even closer to He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu knew in his heart that Chen Xueru had her eye on him, but unfortunately he knew Liu Huizhen first and didn't want to be a scumbag at this time, so he could only pretend not to know about Chen Xueru's feelings and turn a blind eye, always maintaining a friendship.

Xu Huizhen quickly recovered and said with a smile, "Oh, it's Xue Ru. Are you out having fun all by yourself?"