Siheyuan: Sap is the last word

"Take care?" Yan Bugui looked He Yudong up and down, "You are quite polite. However, there are many rules in this courtyard, you have to learn some."

"Rules?" He Yudong asked puzzledly.

"Yes," Yan Bugui grinned, "For example, don't touch other people's things casually, and don't enter other people's yards casually."

He Yudong nodded: "I will pay attention."

Qin Huairu tried to smooth things over by saying, "Yan Bugui, don't scare him. We are all neighbors. If you have anything to say, just talk it out."

Yan Bugui snorted, stopped talking, and turned away. Qin Huairu sighed and said to He Yudong, "Don't mind it. Yan Bugui has a bad temper. He is like this with everyone."

"It's okay, thank you Sister Qin for the reminder." He Yudong said with a smile.

At this time, another neighbor, Yi Zhonghai, came over. He was an old man in his sixties, wearing reading glasses and holding a book. "New guy, my name is Yi Zhonghai, an old resident of this yard,"

He Yudong quickly saluted: "Hello, Uncle Yi, my name is He Yudong, please take care of me in the future."

Yi Zhonghai smiled and said, "Well, the young man is polite and a good kid."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of children's laughter came. He Yudong looked in the direction of the sound and saw several children playing and fighting in the yard. One of the boys was particularly lively, holding a mallet in his hand, running and laughing.

"That's Banggeng, the child of the Jia family." Qin Huairu introduced.

"Well, it looks cute." He Yudong said.

"Don't be fooled by his appearance, that boy is a naughty boy." Yi Zhonghai said with a smile.

He Yudong nodded and took note of it. He had just moved here and needed time to adapt to this new environment.

In the evening, He Yudong packed his luggage and sat in the yard to enjoy the cool air. Qin Huairu brought a plate of watermelon and said with a smile: "He Yudong, come and have some watermelon to cool down."

"Thank you, Sister Qin." He Yudong took the watermelon, took a bite, and the sweet juice immediately filled his mouth.

"He Yudong," Qin Huairu sat beside her, "Do you live alone?"

"Yes, I'm alone." He Yudong replied.

"Then come to me if you have any problems in the future. I'm alone with my child and it's lonely." Qin Huairu's eyes were a little dim. She thought that this woman was very kind-hearted and she should help her more in the future.

At this time, Yan Bugui appeared again. He stood at the gate of the courtyard and looked at He Yudong and Qin Huairu coldly. "He Yudong, you knocked down my bicycle today."

He Yudong was stunned, then stood up and said, "Brother Yan, I didn't mean it. I'm so sorry."

"You didn't mean to do that?" Yan Bugui sneered, "My car was just repaired, and it broke down after it fell. What do you think I should do?"

He Yudong frowned and said, "Brother Yan, I will compensate you for the car, but it's not good for you to be unreasonable like this."

"Who do you say is being unreasonable?" Yan Bugui shouted.

Qin Huairu quickly stood up and advised: "Yan Bugui, everyone, please talk it over and don't quarrel."

"Hmph, I don't care. Anyway, you have to pay for the damage to the car." Yan Bugui refused to give in.

He Yudong took a deep breath and said calmly: "Brother Yan, I will compensate you for your car, but please don't cause trouble for no reason in the future."

Yan Bugui was stunned. He didn't expect He Yudong to be so tough. After a long while, he snorted coldly and turned away.

Qin Huairu sighed: "He Yudong, don't bother with him. He is just like that, bullying the weak and fearing the strong. "I understand, Sister Qin, thank you."

As the night deepened, the courtyard gradually became quiet. He Yudong lay on the bed, thinking about what happened today. He felt a little upset, but more of an expectation for the future. He knew that although there was some unrest here, there was always a way to solve it.

The next morning, when He Yudong just got up, he heard a quarrel in the yard. He went out and saw that it was Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong arguing.

"You old bastard, did you steal my eggs yesterday?" Yan Bugui roared.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I didn't steal it!" Liu Haizhong was not to be outdone.

"Who are you calling nonsense, you old bastard!" Yan Bugui raised his fist and was about to hit him.

He Yudong quickly stepped forward to pull them apart: "Brother Yan, Uncle Liu, please talk it over and don't use force."

"Why do you mind your own business?" Yan Bugui glared at He Yudong.

"We are all neighbors, why can't we talk it out calmly?" He Yudong advised patiently.

At this time, the deaf old lady came over with a cane and knocked on the ground: "What are you all arguing about? Aren't you ashamed?"

"Old lady, Yan Bugui wronged me!" Liu Haizhong said aggrievedly.

"Yan Bugui, do you have any evidence?" the deaf old lady asked coldly.

Yan Bugui was speechless and could only mutter, "No."

"If you don't have it, don't talk nonsense. Live in harmony." The deaf old lady scolded.

He Yudong breathed a sigh of relief, secretly admiring the majesty of the deaf old lady. It seemed that there were quite a few conflicts in this courtyard, but with her around, the situation should be under control.

As time went by, He Yudong gradually adapted to the life in the courtyard. He and Qin Huairu became good friends, often chatting and helping each other. Although Yan Bugui was still not very friendly to him, he no longer made trouble for him.

One evening, He Yudong was reading a book in the yard when Qin Huairu came over with a hesitant look on her face.

"He Yudong, I want to ask you for help with something." Qin Huairu said in a low voice.

"What's the matter, Sister Qin? Tell me." He Yudong put down the book and looked at her seriously.

"My son Banggeng has not been studying well recently. The teacher said that he has a poor concentration and I don't know what to do. Can you help me tutor him?" Qin Huairu's eyes were full of anticipation.

He Yudong smiled and nodded: "Of course, Sister Qin, don't worry, I will do my best."

Qin Huairu said gratefully: "Thank you, He Yudong."

So, every night, He Yudong would tutor Banggeng in the yard.

Yi Zhonghai valued He Yudong's cooking skills and invited him to his home to cook, which aroused Liu Haizhong's jealousy and caused constant family conflicts. He Yudong's life in the courtyard gradually settled down. The neighbors gradually became familiar with him, some were friendly, some were indifferent, but overall they were harmonious. What He Yudong liked most was to tutor Banggeng in the yard every night. Watching this naughty little guy gradually become more focused was also a kind of reward for Qin Huairu. He Yudong was tutoring Banggeng in the yard when he suddenly heard a knock on the door next door. He Yudong got up to open the door and saw Yi Zhonghai standing at the door with a smile on his face.

"He Yudong, are you free?" Yi Zhonghai asked.

"Uncle Yi, is there anything I can help you with?" He Yudong responded respectfully.

"It's like this, I heard that you are good at cooking, so I would like to ask you for a favor and come to my house to cook a meal." Yi Zhonghai said.

He Yudong was stunned for a moment, then smiled and agreed: "Uncle Yi, when?"

"Let's do it tonight. Some friends are coming to my house, and I'm worried about not having a suitable chef." Yi Zhonghai seemed a little anxious.

"No problem, I'll get ready right away." He Yudong nodded, turned to Qin Huairu and said, "Sister Qin, please put the tutoring on hold tonight. I'll go help Uncle Yi cook."

Qin Huairu smiled and nodded: "It's okay, He Yudong, you go, Banggeng should rest too."

He Yudong followed Yi Zhonghai to his home and saw that all kinds of ingredients had been prepared in the kitchen. He rolled up his sleeves and started to get busy. Yi Zhonghai nodded with satisfaction: "He Yudong, I didn't expect you to be so efficient."

He Yudong smiled and said, "Uncle Yi, you're too polite. I just like cooking."

Soon, a table of sumptuous food was placed on the table. Yi Zhonghai's friends arrived one after another, looking at the delicious food on the table, and praised: "Mr. Yi, these dishes look really good."

"Yeah, yeah, who did it?"

Yi Zhonghai said proudly: "This was made by He Yudong from our hospital. He has excellent craftsmanship."

He Yudong smiled a little embarrassedly: "Uncles, please try it. I hope it suits your taste."

Everyone took a bite and praised it highly: "Not bad, really good, better than the restaurants outside."

Just when everyone was enjoying themselves, Liu Haizhong suddenly rushed in, his face livid. He glanced at the dishes on the table, then looked at He Yudong, and said coldly: "Yi Zhonghai, what do you mean? You asked him to cook, but not me?"

Yi Zhonghai was a little embarrassed: "Old Liu, this is not a big deal. He Yudong is a good craftsman, so I asked him to help."

Liu Haizhong snorted: "Good craftsmanship? Are you looking down on me?"

He Yudong quickly stood up, trying to ease the atmosphere: "Uncle Liu, don't be angry, we are all neighbors, there is nothing to worry about."

"Humph!" Liu Haizhong glared at He Yudong, "Mind your own business." He felt a little unhappy, but he still held it in. He knew that it was not a good thing to have conflicts with neighbors.

After the dinner, He Yudong helped clean up the kitchen before returning to his room. As soon as he sat down, there was a knock on the door.

"He Yudong, it's me, Qin Huairu." Qin Huairu's voice came.

He Yudong quickly opened the door: "Sister Qin, it's so late, is there anything wrong?"

Qin Huairu looked a little worried: "I heard that Liu Haizhong and you had a fight, are you okay?"

He Yudong smiled bitterly and said, "It's okay, Sister Qin, he's just jealous that I was invited by Uncle Yi to cook."

Qin Huairu sighed: "Liu Haizhong has a bad temper, don't bother with him." "I know, Sister Qin, thank you for your concern."

Qin Huairu smiled and patted He Yudong's shoulder: "You should rest early. Come to me if you have any problems."

The next morning, when He Yudong just got up, he heard a noise coming from the yard and found that Liu Haizhong and his wife were arguing loudly.

"Liu Haizhong, did you go drinking again yesterday? You spent all the money in the house!" Liu Haizhong's wife shouted angrily.

"Leave me alone, I can spend money however I want!" Liu Haizhong was not willing to be outdone.