Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 144

He Yuzhu said, "To be honest, I don't want to find him, but I really have no choice. Look at him, he's raised the widow's son to be so well-fed and healthy, and he's doing better than anyone else."

He Yuzhu got up and took a few photos, then handed them to Aunt Yi.

At first, Aunt Yi didn't pay much attention, treating it as just casual conversation. She casually took it and said, "He looks quite fat."

Then Aunt Yi's expression changed.

Why do these two children in the photo look so familiar?

Even the White Widow herself had a vague recollection of seeing it.

Aunt Yi thought hard, and the more she looked at the mother and her two children, the more familiar they seemed. She had only seen the white widow a few times before.

Besides resembling the White Widow, the two children also bear a faint resemblance to Yi Zhonghai in their faces.

To be precise, he looks very much like Yi Zhonghai when he was a child, especially his face shape and the expression between his eyebrows.

The more Aunt Yi looked at the photo, the uglier her face became, and her hand holding the photo trembled slightly.

A strange thought popped into my head: Could these two children be Old Yi's?

When I was a child, I fell into the water in winter. Fortunately, I was rescued in time, but I was exposed to cold afterward, and even my menstrual cycle became irregular.

They had been married for only a few years and had never had children. Later, they consulted a traditional Chinese medicine doctor who diagnosed them with a chronic illness that would make it very difficult for them to have children in the future.

At that time, his father was still alive, and he stepped forward to discuss the matter with Yi Zhonghai.

At that time, Yi Zhonghai's skills were not yet proficient. After some hesitation, she did not divorce her father. Her father only had this one daughter, so he left all his belongings to them and passed on his skills to Yi Zhonghai without reservation.

Later, Yi Zhonghai got into the habit of drinking alone in big wine vats and small taverns. He would be considered early to come back by 10 p.m., and sometimes he would not come back drunk until midnight.

Aunt Yi knew she was in the wrong, so she could only serve him gently. She was well aware of his suffering and never complained about Yi Zhonghai.

Looking at the familiar face in the photo, Aunt Yi wondered if the two children were born to Yi Zhonghai and the White Widow.

After all, for a period of time, Yi Zhonghai would go drinking after get off work in the evenings, giving him ample time to fool around with the White Widow.

Aunt Yi sighed, "Even if you, Yi Zhonghai, were to live a life of debauchery in the Eight Great Hutongs, I would accept it."

But why did you keep a mistress and have two children with her behind my back?

For so many years, I've been kept in the dark, completely unaware of the truth.

If I hadn't gotten the news from Zhu Zi today, wouldn't I have had to keep it from him for the rest of my life?

The thing is, this widow Bai and He Daqing have been married for two years, it feels so unreal.

"You're saying these are the White Widow's two children?"

"Yes, I brought it back from their house. Look how fat these two kids are. And look at me and Yushui. What did he look like when he left?"

Aunt Yi said, "Yes, when he passed away the year before last, you two were as thin as monkeys."

"So I took the photos. If my dad still likes widows and does something foolish again, I'll have someone tell him what's going on. He can't make money just to support other people's children."

"Yes, your dad was a bit unreliable before."

After seeing the photo, Aunt Yi felt a mix of emotions and had no mood to chat with He Yuzhu. After saying a few words, she got up and left.

He Yuzhu revealed a smug smile. "You, Yi Zhonghai, have been doing bad things behind my back. Today, I'll show you what it's like to have a troubled home."

When Yi Zhonghai returned home from get off work that evening, he saw his wife lying in bed, covered by a corner of a quilt. He came over, sat down by the bed, and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

As he said this, he reached out and touched his forehead.

Aunt Yi raised her hand and patted Yi Zhonghai's hand away, saying, "Old Yi, we've been married for almost 20 years, haven't we?"

"Yes, almost 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye, and we're all getting old."

At that time, the standard of living was very poor, and cornmeal and millet flour were the staple foods of ordinary people.

The medical standards and sanitation conditions are poor. People in their 30s are already middle-aged, and those in their 50s and 60s are considered old men.

Those with poor health usually live to be fifty or sixty years old; otherwise, why would there be a saying that 70 years old is the age of rarity?

Living to 70 is already a blessing.

Aunt Yi asked, "Have you regretted not being able to have children for you all these years?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever regret it?" Yi Zhonghai was very surprised.

The topic of children is almost taboo at home, and the couple usually avoids talking about it.

Aunt Yi said, "You don't regret it?"

"I don't regret it. I'm perfectly fine. Why are you bringing this up?"

"Yes, why would you regret it? You've already had two sons with someone."

"What nonsense are you talking about? What two sons?"

Yi Zhonghai suddenly had a bad feeling.

Aunt Yi said, "You think I don't know? Tell me, what's going on with the two sons of the White Widow?"

"Stop trying to smear me. What does the White Widow's son have to do with me?"

"So you're still not admitting it at this point? If I didn't have evidence, would I be spouting such nonsense?"

"You're talking nonsense, it's utterly unreasonable," Yi Zhonghai said angrily.

"You shameless bastard, Yi Zhonghai! I'll beat you to death! You've already had a son with someone else and you still refuse to admit it?"

Aunt Yi has indeed cultivated a very good temper over the years, never arguing with anyone in the courtyard, but today she was truly furious.

She had always thought that Yi Zhonghai loved and cared for her, but she suddenly discovered that he had been keeping a mistress and had a child with her.

He had been holding back his anger all day, but Yi Zhonghai still wouldn't admit it when he got back.

Aunt Yi was immediately displeased. She threw off the quilt and lunged at Yi Zhonghai with bared teeth and claws.

Are you serious?

Yi Zhonghai was caught off guard and fell directly into the trap.

He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard house that night and saw Yi Zhonghai wearing a mask and a scarf when he went out.

"Old Yi, what's wrong with you? It's only the first month of the year, it hasn't even snowed yet, why are you wearing a mask and a scarf?"

"Is it any of your business?" Yi Zhonghai said irritably.

Although there is no direct evidence, it is obvious that He Yuzhu must have told his wife that the son of the widow Bai was his child.

No one else could possibly know; only He Daqing and He Yuzhu would know, and of the two, He Yuzhu is the most likely to tell.

"Look at what you're saying, I'm just showing concern for my neighbors, what's wrong with your face?"

As He Yuzhu was speaking, he suddenly made a quick move, pulling the towel down and taking off his mask as well.

There were three obvious scratches on Yi Zhonghai's face, which were clearly from scratching.

"Give it to me quickly." Yi Zhonghai hurriedly covered the wound on his face with the scarf again and reached out to grab the mask.

He Yuzhu said, "Old Yi, this wound is bleeding. I think we should go to the hospital to get some mercurochrome applied to prevent it from getting infected again."

"None of your business?" Yi Zhonghai said irritably, turning around and going back to his room.

He Yuzhu just wanted to come back to see if the Yi family elders would have a conflict, but he didn't expect that Aunt Yi would directly take action and scratch Yi Zhonghai.

He was immediately satisfied and overjoyed.

Once inside the kitchen, He Daqing had already prepared the ingredients. Then He Yuzhu started cooking and taught He Daqing some key points.

In the past two days, He Daqing has realized the gap between his cooking skills and his son's. With a senior chef by his side, he naturally wants to learn more techniques to improve his skills.

He Daqing knew that Zhu Zi did not intend to work as a chef for the rest of his life, after all, he had countless other options.

Whether you're a carpenter or an antique dealer, it's better than being a chef.

After all, chefs are called a hard-working profession, which shows that this industry is the most arduous. Although they have apprentices to help them, they are surrounded by smoke and fire every day, working around the stove in unbearable heat. It is not something that ordinary people can endure.

He Yuzhu had other options, but he only had this one skill, so he could only stick to this path to the end.

Knowing that He Yuzhu's skill level was far superior to his own, He Daqing wondered if he could ask his son to teach him some things.

However, it would be too embarrassing to learn to cook from his son in the back kitchen of a tavern.

After all, this is his own son. What father learns a trade from his son?

He Daqing thought it over and over again, and still felt that it was better to keep this place in his own home. With the door closed, the father and son could cook together without anyone knowing who was teaching whom.

In this way, you can save face and also learn skills.

Last year, the labor dispute that had plagued Fengzeyuan for two years finally came to an end.

The higher-level leaders have introduced a professional grading system that requires assessment and grading. Many people in the chef industry are now talking about it, saying that this grading system will be gradually promoted in the future. This way, there will be no disputes about what level a person is at and how much they should earn each month.

He Daqing knew that his skill level was only average and he could only handle ordinary restaurants, so he wanted to cram at the last minute to improve his skills so that he could earn more money.

In particular, He Yuzhu has mastered all the major cuisines, including Beijing cuisine, Shandong cuisine, Tan family cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, and many others.

Each one can be perfected to the extreme.

Behind closed doors, He Daqing humbly sought advice, as he already had a solid foundation and over 20 years of experience in the industry.

He Daqing has accumulated enough experience; all he lacks is a flash of inspiration and that final push.

Without targeted guidance, He Daqing might never have been able to overcome this hurdle in his entire life.