NABC Chapter 56, Fourth Brother of the Courtyard
Chapter 56, Fourth Brother of the Courtyard
1963 years.
Niu Ma Hutong, the old city of Beijing.
Jiang Ping dressed up as a young man again this time.
The original owner was just twenty years old. His name was Li Yuanping. He worked odd jobs in the factory canteen and had taken over his father's job.
Li Guonian, Li Guo's biological father, suddenly fell ill and transferred his job to Li Yuanping, who was idle at home.
The original owner settled down after getting a job, but her biological father passed away not long after.
Less than three months after her biological father, Li Guo, passed away, the original owner's biological mother, Guo Lanhua, was not used to being without anyone to take care of her. She sold her job and remarried in another place, taking her bicycle with her.
The two and a half rooms, Li Guo's watch, bicycle, sewing machine, and meager savings were left to his four children.
I heard that Guo Lanhua's current husband has arranged a new job for her.
Guo Lanhua's actions were so swift that they sparked much discussion.
She just doesn't care.
Li Yuanping and the others had long been persuaded by their father that there was nothing wrong with their mother finding them a new home to take care of them.
The original owner was the eldest son of the Li family. The other three younger sons were the second son, Li Yuanfeng, who was sixteen years old; the third son, Li Yuanmeng, who was fourteen years old; and the fourth son, Li Yuanshu, who was eight years old.
When their biological father, Li Guo, was alive, he spent most of his time busy preparing food and drink and taking care of his wife, Guo Lanhua, and didn't have much time to take care of his children.
However, the child survived even after being fed only half full.
Except for Li Yuanping, who spent a few years in his hometown when he was a child, the others all grew up by taking care of the younger ones.
So when the Li family suddenly lost their parents, the only thing that wasn't quite right was their stomachs, since when their parents were alive, it was the combined wages of two people that supported the family.
After their initial sadness, the original owner and Li Yuanfeng quickly recovered.
As for whether anyone had bad intentions, the original owner was known for being a ruthless and unruly person before starting work; if you offended him, he wouldn't care whether you were male, female, young, or old.
If you really can't bring yourself to do it, kick someone into the latrine, knock them unconscious with a club in the middle of the night, or smash a window in the middle of the night—there's bound to be one of those methods that will break your man's defenses.
But unfortunately, no one could find any evidence; otherwise, who would have tolerated him for so long?
The second son, Li Yuanfeng, wasn't much better; he had the same bad temper and was only nice to his family.
As for Guo Lanhua's remarriage, before Li Guo died, he instructed Li Yuanping and the others that their mother needed someone to take care of her, and that they should not stop their mother from remarrying after he was gone...
Her children were not allowed to have any objections, nor were they allowed to be a burden to her…
The family members back home could only feel helpless about this, since Li Guo had essentially married into the family over the years, and as outsiders, they couldn't say much.
Aside from being obsessed with love, Li Guo doesn't have any other major flaws. He even manages to save money to support his parents back home.
It's clear that this is a man who knows how to manage a household.
……
Chef Zhang from the factory canteen used to have a good relationship with Li Guo. In their spare time, they loved to exchange tips on how to pamper their wives. To others, they were just two complete idiots.
Even though his friend was gone, Chef Zhang still took good care of the original owner. He would always let the original owner pack up any leftover scraps, since the child still had three younger siblings to support.
Thinking of the Li family's four children, Chef Zhang wiped away non-existent drool from the corner of his mouth and decided to go home and work harder with his wife.
When Jiang Ping transmigrated, the original owner was holding a lunchbox, preparing to go home after get off work.
So she finished receiving the original owner's memories in the cafeteria before riding away on her bike.
When I arrived at the gate of the courtyard, I greeted each of my neighbors.
As usual, Li Yuanping pushed his bicycle into the house. Only Li Yuanshu, who was not in school, was home.
"I'm so hungry," Li Yuanshu thought to himself.
The child had already tidied up the house perfectly, and finished pasting the cardboard boxes. He was just waiting for his older siblings to come home and cook dinner.
The system said that the second and third brothers caught some small fish outside the city and are now digging for wild vegetables, so they will probably be back a little late.
Alright then, we won't wait for anyone.
Upon seeing his older brother return, little Li Yuanshu's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he would occasionally sniff the aroma of the food wafting from the lunchbox.
"Brother, you're off work!"
Li Yuanping couldn't resist patting his fluffy little head.
"Are you hungry? Let's eat first."
Li Yuanshu took the initiative to pick out the steamed buns and arrange them neatly, then rushed out a plate of pickled vegetables, and took two sets of bowls and chopsticks before sitting down.
It's obvious that they're used to doing it.
Li Yuanping then went to the stove and put half of the food from the lunchbox into the pot to keep it warm.
He then took four boiled eggs out of his pocket and put them in.
The lunchbox contained leftover roasted potatoes and boiled winter melon from the cafeteria, with more generous portions of ingredients than when cooking at home.
Li Yuanshu ate with great satisfaction and was reluctant to put down his chopsticks.
After finishing his meal, he went to wash the dishes, busy like a skinny little bee.
By the time the second and third brothers returned with their bamboo baskets, it was almost completely dark.
Li Yuanping imitated the original owner's actions, poking the two on the head and scolding them a few times, before giving each of them a peace charm before feeling at ease.
The original owner's only wish was to marry off her younger siblings.
Anyway, his own mother, Guo Lanhua, doesn't need his care.
Li Yuanfeng felt a little guilty in front of his elder brother. He was indeed a bit late today, so he immediately patted his bony chest and promised that he would never do it again.
There were small fish in the basket; they had already grilled them outside the city and planned to add them to their family's meal. Unexpectedly, the eldest brother traded them for eggs today.
Like his biological father Li Guo, the original owner had his own way of dealing in things, and his younger siblings knew this very well and never asked too many questions.
Steamed buns, pickled vegetables, grilled fish, boiled eggs, potatoes and winter melon—the table was now full.
One egg per person, and one grilled fish per person.
The rest went to the second and third sons, who ate until they were all smiles.
Even while eating, the third brother, Li Yuanmeng, didn't forget to remind his eldest brother.
"My uncle is coming to our house tomorrow. Brother, have you prepared the things you need to change?"
"You have everything. Don't worry too much at such a young age, or you won't grow tall."
These words made fourteen-year-old Li Yuanmeng's face fall.
Growing taller is really difficult.
The original owner's hometown was Lijia Village outside the city, which would take an adult about three hours to walk there.
My uncle, Li Min, is an old farmer. He usually takes leave at noon to come over and goes back in the evening or the next day.
It also lets people know that there are adults in the family, so they are not alone and helpless.
Occasionally, he would bring along the original owner's two cousins to keep things in order.
The brigade knew about Li Guojia's situation, so they wouldn't object to their letter of introduction.
……
As dawn broke, some people in the courtyard had already begun washing up.
Li Yuanping got up and went out with his hair all messy, and when he came back, he was secretly carrying a small bundle in his hand.
Others would just assume he went to the restroom.
The small bundle contained the flawed cloth, a small bag of flour, and a packet of brown sugar that the original owner and her uncle had agreed upon.
There was a handful of twisted dough sticks left for the younger children to have for breakfast.
He put his things on the table and left a note before pushing his bicycle out the door. He found a secluded spot to go into his space to wash up and use the restroom.
There was no way around it; living in a courtyard house meant fighting for the toilet. The original owner usually held it in until the cafeteria, which Li Yuanfeng and the others envied.
These are extraordinary times, and Li Yuanping has no intention of moving.
After all, the eyes of the masses are discerning, and he needed to prioritize stability in his life with the original owner's younger siblings.