Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 141

He Yuzhu said, "That's settled then. Since you agree to the divorce, I keep my word and will give you all the money from the past two years."

Then he said to He Daqing, "You can't take this money. After all, you've been married to Widow Bai for two years and slept with her for two years. The most important thing right now is to get the divorce done. But you have to take my father's things."

Although He Yuzhu was in the right, this was not the capital city after all. In Baocheng, where people and people were unfamiliar, it was best not to cause trouble.

As long as I can successfully get the divorce certificate, that little bit of money doesn't matter.

The white widow suddenly said, "But, that thing..."

"There's no such thing as 'but' or 'no.' It's something that's passed down in our family. If it's not yours, don't be greedy, or don't blame me for being impolite."

“If you don’t agree, we’ll go through the legal process and renegotiate everything.”

Widow Bai was stunned. If the matter were made public, she wouldn't receive He Daqing's wages for the past two years.

He Yuzhu said to He Daqing, "Go pack your things, only take your own."

"Alright, I'll listen to you."

After all, he had been with the White Widow for two years, and there was no longer any novelty in it. Especially since he had been raising Yi Zhonghai's son for two years, he had even less to miss.

Thinking that He Yuzhu had promised not to stop him from finding young women, he felt a surge of excitement and couldn't wait to return to the capital.

He Daqing handed the rainwater he was carrying to Zhuzi, and then walked into the house.

The eldest and second eldest sons of the White Widow's family were both quite old, so they naturally understood what they meant by blocking the door and not letting them in.

He Daqing wanted to explain further, but He Yuzhu quickly took two steps from behind, came up to him, and kicked him directly.

"Ouch." Both of them were kicked into the house. Everyone else came in, and Widow Bai followed from behind, complaining a few words. He Yuzhu raised his hand, and Widow Bai immediately became obedient.

Widow Bai and her two sons watched He Daqing pack his luggage, afraid that he would take too much.

He Yuzhu saw the photos of his eldest and second eldest sons in the picture frame on the wall. On a whim, he used his mental power to send the photos of the two men directly from the picture frame into his space.

The white widow and her two sons were not alerted at all.

More than 10 minutes later, He Daqing came out carrying his luggage.

"Have you packed it up?"

"Alright," He Daqing said.

The white widow and her two sons stared fiercely at He Daqing, wishing they could drink his blood and eat his flesh.

"Still not satisfied, are you? This is already treating you very well. If you're so capable, go and cause trouble with Yi Zhonghai and make him support you!"

The white widow was furious and shouted, "Don't be so smug! Get out of our house right now!"

He Daqing sighed. The widow Bai had turned on him without hesitation and was now trying to drive him away.

Thinking about it, I really feel like I've been taken advantage of.

He gave every penny of the money he earned from work over the past two years to the White Widow.

He usually lives frugally and works hard without complaint, yet he has raised three ungrateful wretches.

Fortunately, I earned a lot of extra money from catering outside, and my savings are still there.

He Yuzhu said, "Widow Bai, bring your household registration book and marriage certificate. We'll get the paperwork done today."

"You...I..."

"Don't have any illusions about getting away with this. This is already the best treatment you can get. If you make a big fuss, you'll have nothing."

Widow Bai sighed and had no choice but to go inside and take out her things. He Yuzhu pulled He Yushui, He Daqing carried the luggage, and Widow Bai followed behind them unhappily to the military control office.

There are very few divorces these days. Both of them agreed to the divorce, and after the staff inquired and confirmed that there were no problems, they processed the divorce directly.

Watching He Daqing leave without looking back or saying a word, Widow Bai felt immense regret. She wished she had given birth to his child.

If He Daqing had her own children, even if both sons were Yi Zhonghai's, He Daqing would have no choice but to accept it and continue to support the mother and her three children.

The three returned to the guesthouse, packed their luggage, and seeing that He Daqing still looked somewhat dejected, they said:

"What, you still can't bear to part with her? Don't you even know what kind of person the White Widow is?"

“It’s not that I still have any lingering feelings for him; I just feel that these past two years have been somewhat wasted.”

"It's good that you think that way. Anyway, I don't object to you marrying another person, but she has to be a good person. She doesn't have to be well-educated and polite, but she can't have any bad intentions, and she has to be good to Yushui."

"Yes, I understand. We won't mistreat the rainwater."

"Don't worry, I keep my word. Life is tough in the countryside right now. With a generous dowry, it's easy to find a young woman to marry into our family."

Although it has been two or three years since liberation, there was a lot of war and chaos before, and too many able-bodied men were killed or injured. Now there are more women than men.

Girls are considered a financial burden in rural areas; as long as you give a generous dowry, it's easy to marry a young, unmarried woman.

If we waited until 1959 or 1960, even a 20 or 30 jin of cornmeal would be enough to marry a young and beautiful wife.

He Daqing was delighted to see that Zhu Zi did not back out.

"Okay, let's go to the train station now and buy tickets to go back."

He Yushui asked, still somewhat disbelieving, "Dad, are you coming back with us?"

"Of course, this time when I go back, I will never leave Yushui again."

He Yuzhu didn't want to stay there any longer. The three of them left the guesthouse, hailed a tricycle, and went to the train station.

Another two hours passed with a clang, but He Yushui was very happy throughout the journey, sitting on He Daqing's lap and pestering him to talk about her.

I talked about everything from how I started elementary school, how I met my godmother, what friends I made, and what knowledge I learned, just as the thought came to mind.

Now He Yuzhu has some peace and quiet and can enjoy the scenery along the way.

Two hours later, the train finally stopped at the station in Beijing.

After they came out, He Yuzhu unlocked the car, and He Daqing was very surprised: "You're willing to buy a bicycle that costs more than 300 yuan?"

“I’ve already bought a three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), so what’s a bicycle?”

With their luggage on the bicycles, the three of them quickly arrived at the shop in front of the gate.

He Yuzhu explained, "This house is rented, but it's where my business is most successful."

He then led He Daqing inside for a tour.

There aren't many small purchases here, but the area outside Qianmen is the largest and most bustling place in the capital. It not only has top-tier restaurants like Fengzeyuan, but also wineries, taverns, and large wine vats of all levels.

Limin Braised Meat Shop's braised meat is top-notch, stealing business from many restaurants. These people even joined forces to put pressure on He Yuzhu. Later, He Yuzhu opened up wholesale, distributing the braised meat to them after it was made.

Although this slightly increased their costs, the braised meat in their shop tasted several levels better.

As a result, more and more restaurants started sourcing their meat from He Yuzhu, and he practically monopolized all the braised meat business outside Qianmen.

Not only that, but a large number of street vendors also get their goods from here. It can be said that He Yuzhu is currently the largest braised meat wholesaler in Beijing.

He Yuzhu gave a brief introduction to the shop's business, which surprised He Daqing. He said, "Why didn't you tell me before that you've built such a big business? How much money do you make in a day?"

"Could you believe what I said before, even if it sounded amazing?" He Yuzhu asked rhetorically.

He Daqing was at a loss for words.

That's true. If He Yuzhu had said he had expanded his braised meat business throughout the entire capital when they were in Baocheng, I would never have believed him.

They would just think He Yuzhu was bragging. He's only 17 years old this year, how could he possibly have built such a huge business?

He Yuzhu handed over a sharp knife, telling He Daqing to cut some meat to taste.

He Daqing sliced ​​pork head meat, mutton face, donkey meat, offal, and other meats, tasted them all, and then gave a thumbs up:

"Your braised meat is far superior to mine."

He Yushui said proudly, "I told you my brother's cooking is better than yours, but you didn't believe me."

"Really?" He Daqing was still somewhat skeptical.

The quality of braised meat may depend on a good recipe, but the quality of stir-fried dishes cannot be faked in the slightest.

If your skill level isn't high enough, you simply can't cook a better dish. As a chef, you can judge someone's skill level just by tasting one bite.

He Yuzhu said, "I'll cook lunch to welcome you back."

Then he said to the waiter next to him, "Go and run a errand and call Huizhen over here."

"Huizhen? Who is that?" He Daqing asked.

You know, this lunch should have been a family dinner, so why invite a complete stranger over?

He Yushui laughed, "Dad, you're so silly! Brother and Sister Huizhen were..."

"Alright, Yushui, you talk too much. What nonsense are you spouting?" He Yuzhu was embarrassed and quickly called out to He Yushui, stopping him from continuing.

"Oh. Is that so? You're not getting any younger, it's time to think about the future. In the past, fifteen or sixteen-year-olds could get married, but now you insist on setting it at twenty."

He Daqing said, "Since you have your own ideas, I won't say anything more. You can make your own decision."

Seeing that He Yuzhu was meticulous in his work and not as reckless as he was when he was a child, He Daqing was very moved. In just two years, He Yuzhu had grown into an adult who could support his family and no longer needed his help.

Upon realizing that He Yuzhu's achievements far surpassed his own, He Daqing was deeply moved.

Let's go into the back room to talk.

When Xu Huizhen learned that He Yuzhu had brought a middle-aged man back, she knew that it was He Yuzhu's father, He Daqing. She suddenly felt very uneasy, like an ugly daughter-in-law meeting her in-laws.

But we can't just ignore it.