Silly Zhu's Moving: The Old Neighbor's Nightmare

Chapter 112 Meeting

Seeing Xu Damao's smug expression, Sha Zhu already knew what he was thinking.

She went along with him and said, "Yes, if I knew the answer, I wouldn't have asked you."

"If you don't want to talk, then hurry up and eat your food while it's hot. Yushui and I have to rush to the next courtyard for a meeting."

Upon hearing Sha Zhu's words, Xu Damao finally spoke up: "Those six people were taken away by the police station after they were rescued this morning."

I saw the crowd disperse from afar before I rushed to school, but I was still late and got a good scolding from the teacher.

After the meal, Sha Zhu saw Xu Damao off, checked the time, and decided it was about time, so he led Yu Shui to the neighboring courtyard.

As soon as I arrived at the gate of the courtyard, I saw Grandpa Guo sitting on a small stool, smoking a pipe.

Upon seeing the Silly Brother and Sister approaching, Grandpa Guo quickly stood up and led them inside.

Sha Zhu followed closely behind, entered the gate, and immediately saw a row of houses facing north with their backs to the alley.

The west side of the rear building was partitioned off to form a small courtyard. This area used to be the toilet of wealthy families, but it has now been converted into living quarters.

Passing through the narrow front yard and the hanging flower gate, you arrive at the back yard, which is mostly occupied by living quarters.

A tall main house stands to the north of the backyard, flanked by an east wing and a west wing.

The east wing of the courtyard is on the east side, and the west wing is on the west side. The hanging flower gate, the main house, and the east and west wing rooms are connected by a corridor, forming a whole.

The houses in this courtyard are mostly brick and wood structures, with blue bricks and gray tiles, exuding a simple and elegant atmosphere.

The roof styles are also diverse, including gable roofs and barrel vault roofs, which are both beautiful and practical.

The doors and windows are mostly made of wood, with exquisite carvings and diverse patterns.

The colorful paintings under the eaves are mostly auspicious and symbolic, but they have fallen into disrepair over the years and are no longer as magnificent as they once were.

After all, this place is no longer the grand residence it once was, and there is no longer anyone dedicated to maintaining it.

There are two pomegranate trees in the yard, symbolizing many children and many blessings.

The ground is paved with blue bricks, and in some places it is paved with pebbles in various patterns, but now these pebble surfaces have become pitted and uneven.

The backyard was relatively spacious, and quite a few people were already sitting there, chatting in twos and threes scattered throughout the yard.

When they saw Grandpa Guo leading the Silly Brother and Sister in, everyone turned to look.

"Rain!" A crisp voice rang in Sha Zhu's ears.

Suddenly, a little girl who had been sitting next to the adults in the side room stood up and waved in their direction.

Then, she skipped and hopped over, excitedly pulling Yushui along as they walked back.

Yu Shui turned to look at her brother, and seeing that Sha Zhu nodded, she happily followed the little girl of similar age to play.

Before long, several children of similar age gathered around the two little girls.

Grandpa Guo walked to a spot not far from the main house, clapped his hands lightly twice, and said, "Is everyone here? Is there anyone who hasn't arrived yet?"

The people in the courtyard looked at each other and answered in unison, "We've arrived, everyone's here, no one's missing."

Grandpa Guo looked around and then said, "Now that everyone is here, I'll begin. Please be quiet for a moment."

He pointed to Sha Zhu, who hadn't followed and was standing alone not far from the west wing.

He introduced, "This is He Yuzhu, who moved to the courtyard next to ours with his sister a few days ago. They will also be coming here for meetings in the future."

After hearing what Grandpa Guo said, everyone immediately started discussing it.

"Why are you holding a meeting in our yard?"

"That's right, that's right."

"It seems he lives alone in a small courtyard."

"Don't you know him? His father is He Daqing, the one who ran off with the widow."

“How could I not know? Wasn’t it this young man who got the uncle and nephew surnamed Liu in the front yard to work on the road construction team? I saw it with my own eyes.”

Grandpa Guo said something in the middle of the courtyard, and the people below erupted in discussion about Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu looked at the people discussing him in twos and threes and spotted several familiar faces.

There was Granny Wang, who was present when Director Wang questioned her. Sha Zhu remembered that Director Wang had said that Granny Wang's child had gone to the battlefield.

There were also a few older women who came to visit my home after Sha Zhu brought some furniture back from the flea market.

There were Aunt Hu and Aunt Guo. Aunt Guo was sitting at the entrance of the main house; she must be Uncle Guo's wife.

Sha Zhu also noticed that Boss Ge was squatting in a corner. Wasn't that Boss Ge from the small restaurant at the street corner?

Does he live here too? I wonder if the small restaurant at the street corner is his own or rented.

Upon seeing Boss Ge here, Sha Zhu quickly went over to greet him.

Sha Zhu took out a cigarette and started smoking with Boss Ge, while Grandpa Guo, standing in the courtyard, gestured for everyone to be quiet.

Once everyone's voices had gradually subsided, Grandpa Guo spoke up.

"He Yuzhu came to our area for a meeting, arranged by Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office."

If anyone has any objections, please go and talk to Director Wang.

I have two things to say. The first is a message from the neighborhood office, telling us all to be careful, especially at night, and to stay home if possible.

The most important thing is to be wary of strangers appearing in the vicinity. Recently, enemy agents have been rampant, causing damage everywhere.

This morning, three people were arrested near our Nanluoguxiang alley. These three people live in the vicinity of our alley, and many people know them, but no one could recognize them.

Therefore, the neighborhood committee requires us to pay attention to the situation of people in the vicinity, and to report any unusual circumstances to the neighborhood committee immediately.

After Grandpa Guo finished speaking, he paused for a moment to ensure that everyone had enough time to process the information.

He then continued, "The second thing is that the weather is getting colder, and everyone needs to prepare coal for the winter."

I've noticed some families have already started using their stoves at night, but they must be careful.

When burning in the stove, you must leave a crack in the window at night to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

In addition, everyone should carefully check their houses when they get back, especially the roof, to see if there are any damaged areas.

The weather is unpredictable; it could snow heavily at any time, and we don't want the roof to collapse under the weight.

That's all I wanted to say. If anyone has anything else to add, please feel free to do so. Otherwise, the meeting can be adjourned.

Sha Zhu was chatting with Boss Ge with his head down. He learned from Boss Ge that there were 12 households living in this courtyard, five in the front yard and seven in the back yard.

Boss Ge's mother lived in this courtyard, but it was a bit cramped, so she moved to the small restaurant area. She only comes back to visit occasionally.

Moreover, several households have set up makeshift kitchens with simple wooden and tile structures in front of their doors, without even doors or windows, and it's unclear how they cook in the winter.

Hearing this, Sha Zhu couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. The courtyard where Sha Zhu and his sister lived was almost as big as the backyard of this two-courtyard house.

Moreover, although the courtyard where the brother and sister lived had three rooms, most of the space was empty, with only a kitchen and a grape trellis.

In comparison, the living conditions here appear somewhat crowded and rudimentary.

When Sha Zhu heard Grandpa Guo say that they could disperse, he was about to stand up when Grandma Hu, who was sitting by the east wing, suddenly stood up and said to Grandpa Guo, "Brother Guo, I have something to do."