Lin Yu sat down next to the table.
“I’m done eating, you should hurry up and eat.”
Shazhu stood up to pour Lin Yu a glass of water, then said, “Brother, if you’re looking for me, just say it. Whatever you need, I’ll find a way to help you.”
Although He Yuzhu was a bit reckless, he was definitely not foolish; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to keep these few houses after their father passed away.
It’s important to know that He Yuzhu’s three main rooms were the largest and best in the entire courtyard.
After He Daqing left, who knows how many beasts were eyeing the place.
Right now, He Yuzhu hadn’t yet fallen under the white lotus poison of widowhood; his mind was still clear, and he was quite loyal.
Lin Yu shook his head and said, “Brother Zhu, what could I possibly need? I just wanted to talk to you about Yushui.”
“My sister?” Shazhu was taken aback, then struggled to speak.
“Brother, I can agree to other things, but not this. My sister is too young, only 14 years old. You can’t lay a hand on her, even if I beg you.”
“If it really comes to it, just wait two years. When Yushui turns 18, I’ll let her marry you.”
Lin Yu was stunned, blinking in confusion.
So now I’ve become the creepy uncle.
“Damn it, you really live up to your name of Shazhu.”
“Yushui has grown up under my watch; she’s also my sister. What are you thinking?”
He Yuzhu was taken aback: “Ah, you’re not thinking of marrying my sister, are you? That’s good, that’s good.”
“Brother, just tell me what you need. I’ll definitely help you.”
Lin Yu said helplessly, “Brother Zhu, I have to work tomorrow too. You need to make sure Yushui has a good breakfast; otherwise, the child won’t even have food to eat.”
He Yuzhu dismissively said, “How could that be? There’s an old man and an old lady around; Yushui wouldn’t go hungry at anyone’s house.”
“What do you mean by that?” Lin Yu replied irritably. “Yushui hasn’t eaten anything all day; the child is starving and only drinking cold water.”
He Yuzhu was taken aback: “That can’t be! The old man told me Yushui had hot food.”
Lin Yu looked at He Yuzhu’s thick skull and felt like hitting him.
“What can’t be? My sister brought Yushui back to our house to eat. Look at how thin Yushui is; she doesn’t look like a child who eats well every day.”
“Yesterday, Yushui had lunch with my sister, and the day before that, I brought her food. Why don’t you believe what I say?”
“You go find Yi Zhonghai right now and see if he dares to say Yushui eats at his house every day in front of me.”
He Yuzhu shook his head, tiredly saying, “Brother, I believe you; who else would I not believe? In the whole courtyard, your family is the only one who treats me and Yushui sincerely.”
“It’s just that I can’t figure out why the old man would do this.”
Lin Yu patted He Yuzhu’s shoulder and said, “Brother Zhu, you’re a straightforward person, but you can’t see through these schemes.”
“Yi Zhonghai doesn’t have children to support him in old age. Although he has Jia Dongxu as a disciple, who wouldn’t want to have an extra backup plan?”
He Yuzhu looked at Lin Yu, a hint of anger in his voice: “Then why can’t he just say it outright? If he truly cares for me and Yushui, would I refuse to support him in his old age?”
Lin Yu stood up, shaking his head: “Brother Zhu, raising children is a huge expense, especially since Yushui is a girl who will need to marry in the future.”
“The main issue is, what if Jia Dongxu can provide for him in his old age? Why would he want to incur extra expenses on you?”
“Brother Zhu, to put it bluntly, if you can’t take care of Yushui, just let her stay with us. I’ll definitely treat her like my own sister.”
After saying that, Lin Yu stood up and walked out.
Lin Yu knew that ever since He Daqing passed away, Shazhu still cared deeply for this sister.
Just like in the dramas, before Jia Dongxu died, Shazhu even bought a bicycle for his sister.
A bicycle in this era was a precious item, comparable to a car in later years.
The last thing Lin Yu said was also meant to plant a seed of doubt in both Yi Zhonghai and Shazhu.
Watching Lin Yu leave, He Yuzhu also stood up and walked out.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Li Miao leaving He Yushui’s room.
He Yuzhu walked to his sister’s door and knocked: “Yushui, I’m coming in.”
“Brother, what brings you here?” He Yushui asked, slightly surprised.
Shazhu smiled and said, “I saw Li Miao just leave, so I came to check on you.”
“Yeah, Sister Miao just explained the questions I didn’t understand.” Yushui replied.
“Sister, what delicious food did you have at Uncle Lin’s house tonight?” Shazhu asked tentatively.
He Yushui’s eyes lit up at the mention: “Uncle Lin made a lot of delicious food today, like braised pork, braised fish, eggs, and peanuts.”
“Uncle Lin gave me a big half bowl of braised pork, and Aunt Lin even gave me the best meat from the belly of the big carp.”
“I also had two steamed buns made from two kinds of flour; today I only drank cold water, and it made me so hungry.”
Hearing his sister’s words, a chill crept into Shazhu’s eyes.
“Sister, you’ve eaten a few meals at the old man’s house and the deaf old lady’s house. I’ll return their food when I have the chance.”
He Yushui shook her head: “I’ve never eaten at the old man’s table; occasionally, the old lady would give me a bun, but this month she’s only given me three.”
“As for the deaf old lady, I’ve never eaten there either. One time I was so hungry my stomach hurt, I went to the old lady’s place, but she didn’t give me anything to eat and told me she hadn’t eaten either. I was practically begging for a taste of her stir-fried noodles.”
“Later, it was Aunt Lin who came back and made me some egg water and brought me some steamed buns.”
“Brother, Aunt Lin’s steamed buns are so delicious, made from pure white flour, not a bit of cornmeal in them.” He Yushui licked her lips.
He Yuzhu felt even more grateful to the Lin family upon hearing this; white flour and eggs were precious items.
That they could give these to his sister showed they truly cared for Yushui.
“Look at you, you little glutton. I’ll steam some white flour buns for you, and you can save them to eat with Sister Miao tomorrow.” Shazhu ruffled his sister’s hair.
“Brother, you have to keep your word.”
Shazhu nodded and walked out.
As he reached the courtyard, he instinctively glanced at Yi Zhonghai’s house, and the coldness in his eyes deepened.
Watching Shazhu leave, He Yushui revealed a wise look in her eyes.
“Brother Shazhu, I hope you can be a bit smarter. Dad used to say that Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady are not good people.”
As she spoke, He Yushui looked up towards the backyard, revealing a silly smile.
“Little Yu is still the best.”
“Yeah, Sister Miao is great too, and Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin are wonderful.”