After work, Yi Zhonghai returned to the courtyard. He wasn’t in a good mood today.
Some people in the factory knew about his divorce.
As time went by, more and more people in the factory would know.
It was only a matter of time, after all, divorce was a big deal. It would spread throughout the factory and the neighborhood sooner or later.
Divorce was a disgrace in this era.
Therefore, many couples didn’t divorce even if they had no feelings for each other.
Not long after he returned to the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai heard that his ex-wife had jumped into the river to save someone today.
Jumping into the freezing river to save someone? Was she out of her mind? At least Yi Zhonghai wouldn't do that.
Jia Dongxu, who returned to the courtyard with Yi Zhonghai, also heard about it and had similar thoughts.
Jia Dongxu also worked overtime at the factory today. He should thank Yi Zhonghai for that.
Yi Zhonghai had been cultivating Jia Dongxu.
And Jia Dongxu, of course, was grateful to Yi Zhonghai.
“Saving people is a good thing,” Yi Zhonghai said stiffly.
Since they were divorced, what his ex-wife did had nothing to do with him.
“Yi…Zheng Da Ma has always been frail. Jumping into the freezing river, it’s a good thing she’s okay,” Sha Zhu wanted to call her Yi Da Ma. He was used to it, but he changed his words in time.
Now, there was no Yi Da Ma in the courtyard.
Only when Yi Zhonghai remarried would there be a new Yi Da Ma.
Jia Dongxu glanced at Sha Zhu. He was really a fool. He had no eyes.
…
The night passed. As soon as Zheng Ai Min woke up in the morning, he felt uncomfortable.
The diaper was wet again.
He was just a baby. There was no way around it.
Zheng Ai Min had tried his best to control himself.
In the eyes of others, Zheng Ai Min was not only cuter than Bang Geng, but also easier to take care of.
Besides Jia Zhang Shi, Jia Dongxu, and Qin Huai Ru, maybe only Yi Zhonghai thought Bang Geng was better than Zheng Ai Min!
Speaking of which, Yi Zhonghai’s attitude towards the Jia family was really strange.
Zheng Ai Min guessed that Bang Geng might be Yi Zhonghai's grandson?
It was unlikely that Bang Geng was Yi Zhonghai’s illegitimate son.
But it was possible that Jia Dongxu was Yi Zhonghai’s illegitimate son, and it could explain why Yi Zhonghai was so good to the Jia family.
It wouldn't make sense if Yi Zhonghai just wanted Jia Dongxu and his wife to take care of him in his old age.
But this was just Zheng Ai Min's guess.
Let alone Zheng Ai Min, who could only gurgle, even if he could speak fluently, he couldn't just say anything.
Next, Zheng Da Ma came to change the diaper.
In the middle courtyard, in Yi’s house, Yi Zhonghai also woke up early. Now he had to make breakfast himself.
However, Yi Zhonghai was a little clumsy making breakfast, and the breakfast he made was rather unpalatable.
Then there was cleaning and tidying up. There were a lot of chores.
He hadn’t noticed it before, but now that he did it himself, he realized that it was not easy.
Before the divorce, the house was well-organized, and there was someone to take care of him. He had a hot meal when he got home. Life was much more comfortable than now.
Besides, his old wife was kind and considerate. But because of the disagreement over adopting a child, it was all over.
Actually, it wasn’t entirely about adopting a child.
In fact, because they didn’t have children, there were already some problems between them. Adopting a child was just a trigger.
In the backyard, the old lady was anxious!
If Zheng Da Ma and Yi Zhonghai didn’t remarry, she would have to make a choice.
Yi Zhonghai had a high income, but even he couldn’t take care of himself. How could he take care of her?
However, Yi Zhonghai would remarry sooner or later. If he married a virtuous woman who could bear children, his life would definitely get better.
As for Zheng Da Ma, she took good care of the old lady, but now she had to work part-time and take care of the child, so she didn't have much time to take care of the old lady.
Another thing was that Zheng Da Ma’s income was low.
After weighing the options, the old lady favored Yi Zhonghai.
But the old lady didn’t force Zheng Da Ma to leave immediately. She let Zheng Da Ma stay for the time being.
First, the old lady was still not giving up. She wanted to try her best to get Zheng Da Ma and Yi Zhonghai to remarry.
Secondly, the old lady still had some conscience. Zheng Da Ma had taken good care of her, so it wasn’t a problem for her to let her stay a few more days.
In this cold weather, forcing Zheng Da Ma to take her child to rent a house? How would people look at her? What would they say?
The old lady also cared about her reputation.
She was old, and she didn’t want to ruin her reputation.
Besides, the old lady also had some concerns.
In short, it was a bit complicated.
Just as Yi Zhonghai finished his breakfast, a middle-aged man with a limp walked into the courtyard from outside.
The middle-aged man looked to be about forty years old. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he was wearing a faded, worn cotton jacket that made him look a little bloated.
Third Master saw him first, and seeing that he was a stranger, he became alert.
In this era, there were many spies. The courtyard’s head of household also needed to catch spies.
If they saw a stranger, they would be on their guard.
“Comrade, are you looking for someone?” Third Master asked.
“Hello, I'm a worker at the Red Flag Timber Factory. My name is Ma Chenggong. I accidentally fell into the river yesterday, and a woman saved me. Her name is Zheng Shu Fen, and she’s from your courtyard. I came here to thank her.” The limping middle-aged man was carrying some things in his hand: a few eggs and some brown sugar.
Ma Chenggong?
A worker at the Red Flag Timber Factory?
Third Master sized up the limping middle-aged man.
So, Old Yi’s ex-wife saved this man yesterday?
Knowing the identity and purpose of the limping middle-aged man, Third Master relaxed his vigilance.
Third Master pointed to the backyard and said a few words. Ma Chenggong thanked him and went to the backyard with his things.
Yi Zhonghai had just stepped out of his house and was about to go to work at the factory when he saw the stranger walking towards the backyard. He was also puzzled.
“Old Yan, who is that?” Yi Zhonghai asked when he reached the front courtyard.
“A worker at the Red Flag Timber Factory, his name is Ma Chenggong. He accidentally fell into the river yesterday. He came to thank her today.” Third Master didn't mention Zheng Da Ma, but Yi Zhonghai was no fool. He understood immediately.
Yi Zhonghai didn't take it to heart. If he accidentally fell into the river and was saved by someone, he would also go to thank them.
That was only right.
…
At the old lady's house, Ma Chenggong frowned and felt sorry for Zheng Da Ma.
After learning a little about Zheng Da Ma’s situation, Ma Chenggong felt that Yi Zhonghai was a jerk.
He didn’t want to adopt a child because he was a childless couple? Ma Chenggong wouldn’t believe it if he said he didn’t want to divorce and remarry.
As for dragging it out for a few years, it was clearly a matter of saving face and getting the best of both worlds.
Ma Chenggong also talked about his own situation. He was a demobilized soldier. He had a wife and son before liberation, but they all died in the war. He had gone on a few blind dates, but none of them worked out. He was single.
The old lady frowned. She could see that Ma Chenggong had feelings for Zheng Da Ma.
This wasn't a good sign!
Before Ma Chenggong could leave, Wang Qiu Xia, the director of the neighborhood committee, came to the courtyard, carrying a banner. It was clear that she knew about Zheng Da Ma’s rescue yesterday.
Zheng Da Ma’s courageous act of saving someone was worthy of praise.
The neighborhood committee would definitely give her a banner.
She came to the old lady’s house and was surprised to see the person who had been saved by Zheng Da Ma.
Wang Qiu Xia gave the banner to Zheng Da Ma, praising her.