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

Chapter 115 Goose

Sha Zhu spent the day in the kitchen, and the kitchen staff were still talking about what happened in Nanluoguxiang yesterday.

Everyone thought they knew the truth, and they gathered together, discussing it meticulously, like unraveling a mystery.

Everyone says that No. 95 Courtyard must have offended someone, because every time something happens in that courtyard, it's a big deal.

Sha Zhu thought to himself, "So what if I offended someone? I can't possibly tell you they weren't good people to begin with."

They're all old beasts, fond of scheming against people.

Using the moral high ground of China's five thousand years of history to constrain, exploit, and scheme against others in this era.

In the end, he achieved his own success at the cost of someone else's life.

Especially after 53, following the victory in the Korean War, the enthusiasm and dedication of the people were amplified.

A hypocrite like Yi Zhonghai living in this era is absolutely like a tiger with wings.

If someone wants to scheme against another, they'll exploit moral constraints and leave no way out for them.

They brainwash you by instilling their ideas into you, making you obey them without even realizing it, without any desire to disobey.

It was comparable to the pyramid schemes of later generations.

Later, Sha Zhu became Yi Zhonghai's caretaker and henchman, providing for the elderly people in the courtyard.

There is no room for resistance under the constraints of morality.

After get off work in the afternoon, I went to pick up Yushui from school, but I was chased away by the rain.

Bicycles were no longer a novelty; they insisted on walking back with their friends.

Sha Zhu took a set of house keys from his spatial storage, handed them to Yu Shui, and told her not to wander around and to go straight home. Then he rode his bicycle home by himself.

The streets were crowded with people, and dozens of children were heading towards Nanluoguxiang. Occasionally, some adults who were worried about their children would follow along, but they didn't seem to be concerned at all.

This made it even more convenient for Sha Zhu. He would know what food was at home and what extra things were available. Yu Shui, the little girl, would also assume that her brother had bought them while she wasn't looking.

Sha Zhu rode his bicycle around the Dongdan vegetable market, pretending to be serious.

When I came back, there was a large goose on my bicycle, and a bamboo basket with two goslings inside was on the handlebars.

I'm planning to make braised goose in an iron pot this weekend to entertain Brother Li from the neighborhood office.

I have two goslings. I plan to raise them for Yushui to play with, and when they grow up, they can guard the house or I can kill them for meat.

As I rode my bicycle to the entrance of the alley, I was stopped by several middle-aged women.

Several middle-aged women gathered around the bicycle, lifting the bamboo basket to look inside with considerable curiosity. Aunt Hu asked, "Zhu Zi, what are you buying the goose for?"

Sha Zhu was surrounded and couldn't leave. These middle-aged women were bored all day and curious about everything.

Hearing Aunt Hu's question, they had no choice but to satisfy their curiosity.

"I plan to slaughter this big goose for meat in a few days, and I plan to keep the two little ones to guard the house. I just heard that dogs are not allowed to be kept at home, so I had no choice but to buy two goslings to raise."

“Who said you can’t keep dogs? Don’t listen to their nonsense. No one will care if you keep a dog. Aren’t there dogs in the yards next door? If you want to keep a dog, I’ll get you two good dogs from the countryside,” Aunt Hu said warmly.

Several middle-aged women started discussing it amongst themselves.

“Since last year, people have been coming to spread the word that dogs are no longer allowed.”

"They may put on a show, but look at the people, who cares about them? They're still being supported, aren't they?"

"I also saw this group of people advertising taking away a lot of dogs from some yard,"

"These days, people keep them secretly to guard their homes. As long as no one reports it, who cares?"

"Exactly, look at Nanluoguxiang, we often hear dogs barking."

Aunt Hu said to Sha Zhu, "Zhu Zi, it's okay. No one will come to investigate here. We're all neighbors. Keeping a dog in your own home won't get you reported. If you want to keep one, I'll catch one for you."

Sha Zhu looked at the group of middle-aged women and said somewhat speechlessly, "Let's forget it. Look how close our house is to the government office; we don't want to tarnish their reputation."

I caught two goslings, just for my little sister to raise as pets. It's getting cold, who knows, they might end up in my stomach someday.

He declined the suggestion from several older women who were discussing which dog to get, and they all said they wanted to bring a dog from the countryside for Shazhu.

After exchanging a few more words with a few older women, he pushed his bicycle out of the crowd and headed home.

People these days are so enthusiastic! They'll gather around and discuss anything, and if you just leave, they'll start cursing you behind your back for being heartless.

I wonder if these middle-aged women are just bored out of their minds.

When he got home, the front door was wide open; it must be Yushui returning. Shazhu pushed his bicycle inside, and the sounds of children playing could be heard from within.

A mental scan revealed a dozen or so children gathered in the rain shelter, chatting, playing, and reading comic books.

Shazhu thought it was great; with so many friends to play with, Yushui wasn't bored anymore.

He temporarily tossed the three geese—one large and two small—into the kitchen, then went into the living room, rekindled the extinguished fire in the fireplace, and added more firewood.

To test which type of wood was more resistant to burning and to prolong its burning time, they even went into the space and tested them one by one.

Many trees release large amounts of dense fog when they burn, which is harmful to human health.

So Sha Zhu specifically chose several types of fire-resistant wood, such as walnut, beech, and birch, which are good choices. They have hard wood, high density, low moisture content, long burning time, and particularly bright flames, which are also aesthetically pleasing.

In no time, the whole room became warm and stuffy. A dozen or so children, hearing the commotion coming from the living room, ran over to see what was happening.

Seeing Sha Zhu starting a fire in the living room, they all started asking questions, expressing their envy of this way of keeping warm.

As Yan Bugui entered Sha Zhu's courtyard, he heard the chattering of children coming from inside.

Lifting the curtain in the living room, I went inside and saw a dozen children surrounding Sha Zhu, watching him start a fire in the living room wall.

The moment the curtain was lifted, a gust of cold wind blew in. Sha Zhu looked up and saw that it was Old Yan who had come in. Sha Zhu was a little surprised.

With such a big incident happening in the compound, they still have time to come here. I wonder what they want from me.

Before Sha Zhu could even ask a question, Yan Bugui spoke up first, "Zhu Zi, is this a fireplace?"

When the dozen or so children saw Yan Bugui enter, they all greeted him and then ran into the rain shelter, not wanting to come out again.

If you say they don't like Yan Bugui, they still know to greet him. I don't know if the children simply don't like Teacher Yan.

After only Sha Zhu and Yan Bugui remained in the living room, Sha Zhu didn't answer Teacher Yan's question.

He simply said, "Uncle Yan, what brings you here? I heard that Uncle Yi and Uncle Liu were arrested. Aren't you the only uncle left in the courtyard? Is everything alright in your courtyard now?"