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

Chapter 88 Uncle Song

Several middle-aged women chased after him into the yard, but seeing that Sha Zhu had slipped out again, they stopped chasing him.

I wandered around the yard, and sure enough, one of the older women pushed open the toilet door in the corner.

But the door had already been locked by Sha Zhu, so they had no choice but to give up.

Sha Zhu went outside the yard and saw neighbors walking towards his house at the gate. He was completely bewildered.

It's just a big courtyard with three rooms, what's so interesting about it?

After the deliveryman moved all the furniture into the living room and left,

Sha Zhu entered the courtyard and told the neighbors that he was going to lock the gate, but they were unwilling to leave.

An older neighbor, who had just come in to join the fun, said, "Zhu Zi, your house is all built and you've bought the furniture, shouldn't you set up a couple of tables so everyone can celebrate with you?"

Sha Zhu rolled his eyes at him. "Uncle, don't take advantage of my young age."

Look at my newly built house. The bricks didn't cost much, just a little labor.

"You won't even buy new furniture. Why don't you give me the money, and I'll grant your wish."

"What do you mean by fulfilling my wish? I'm just adding to the joy of your new house!" the uncle said hastily.

“What’s there to be happy about? Just now there was an old lady who said that I’m reluctant to use new bricks for this house, and it will collapse in a few years.”

After saying that, Sha Zhu turned to the people in the yard and said, "Aunties, uncles, hurry up, I'm going to lock the gate. I have things to do this afternoon."

"What's the matter? I'm not working today, I'll go out later. I just came in." A middle-aged woman who had just entered said this.

She grabbed one of her best friends and excitedly headed towards the living room.

Sha Zhu was speechless as he watched the neighbors walking towards the main house. The courtyard was almost like a market, and there were still neighbors coming into the courtyard from the gate.

What should we do? We can't just yell at all these neighbors and send them away, that would anger everyone, there are almost dozens of people here.

Sha Zhu walked out the door helplessly, took out a cigarette, lit it, and sat down to wait for them to come out.

A neighbor walking by on the street looked at the silly pillar at the front door and said, "Pillar, what are you doing at the front door? Weren't all the people coming to visit your house?"

Sha Zhu exhaled a smoke ring and looked at the neighbor who was about to go inside, saying...

"There are too many people inside. I haven't moved back yet, and there's no tea at home. What can I bring to entertain you? Please go in and make yourself at home. I won't stay with you."

An uncle who came out of the courtyard saw Sha Zhu smoking at the door and said, "Zhuzi, what kind of cigarette are you smoking? Give me one."

Sha Zhu saw that this uncle, who seemed to have been the first to enter the courtyard, tossed him a cigarette and said, "Uncle, what's your surname? Why aren't you continuing your tour in the courtyard?"

The middle-aged man took the cigarette, glanced at it, lit it, and said...

"My surname is Song, you can just call me Uncle Song. There were a lot of people in the courtyard, so I came out. Zhu Zi, I heard you're not even 17 years old yet, how come you're smoking at such a young age?"

Sha Zhu shook his head, disagreeing, "How is 17 years old too young? I heard there's a guy named Song Lao Er in Mao'er Hutong..."

He's only 17 this year, got married last year, and his wife got pregnant within two months. Uncle Song, you're not from the same clan, are you?

Uncle Song took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, "They're beyond the fifth degree of kinship. Their family is wealthy; they got their son married early."

He had just gotten married last year when the new government regulations came out, which scared his father so much that he sent both children to the countryside.

Later, after hearing that they wouldn't pursue the matter of those who were underage to get married, they brought the two children back.

After becoming pregnant, she went to the hospital for a checkup and was told that she hadn't obtained a marriage certificate. The matter was then taken to the military control commission.

If it weren't for the testimony of nearby neighbors confirming that the two did indeed hold a wedding ceremony, they would probably have received a heavy sentence.

Sha Zhu nodded. "So that's how it is. What happened next?"

Uncle Song smiled and shook his head, "After I was released, my wife was pregnant. What else could I do?"

I don't know if there will be any punishment, but the young couple is doing well now. They've even had a child, it's just a pity it was a girl. What, Zhu Zi, are you envious?"

It would be a lie to say that Sha Zhu wasn't envious. He nodded and said, "Others already have kids, and I'll only be 17 after the New Year."

"We have to wait another three years. Given my family's reputation, who knows how much longer we'll have to wait to get married."

Uncle Song looked up and burst into laughter, "What's all this talk about reputation? If you're capable, you can still marry a beautiful wife even with a bad reputation!"

You're worrying unnecessarily. Even in your own backyard, you're probably not old enough to have people coming to propose marriage.

"If that doesn't work, Uncle Song will guarantee you a minimum. My daughter is thirteen. When she's old enough, she'll marry you off immediately, and Uncle Song won't ask for a single penny of dowry."

Sha Zhu counted on his fingers for a moment, then shook his head and said,

“If your daughter is a year old according to the traditional Chinese age reckoning, then when I reach that age, I’ll have to wait two more years. She’s not some fairy who fell from the sky; I can’t wait that long. Let’s forget about it.”

"Hey, if your dad hadn't been so capable, sending you to Fengzeyuan to learn martial arts, I would have left my daughter with you. You'd better not regret it," Uncle Song said seriously.

Sha Zhu didn't continue the previous topic and asked something else, "Uncle Song, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm in the construction business. Your house is quite nicely built. I also know Mr. Zhang, the contractor who built it for you. I heard from Director Wang of the neighborhood office that this house was originally intended for me," Uncle Song said with a smile.

Sha Zhu asked in surprise, "You know that bald boss Zhang?"

"Yes. I came back once last month and ran into Boss Zhang at your house."

I also went inside to check on the construction progress of your house. Although Mr. Zhang brought over mostly used materials...

"But I've looked at it carefully. Those old materials don't look like secondhand goods. Zhuzi, this house must have cost you a lot to build." Uncle Song smiled and glanced at Silly Zhu before continuing,

"And the secondhand furniture you just brought back is either made of huanghuali or zitan wood. You can only fool those who don't know its value."

And what about free city wall bricks? If it weren't for government regulations mandating the use of brand-new bricks from the factory, the city would be under constant construction.

Those knowledgeable business owners were too busy to handle the demand, so the city wall bricks were left for the common people to take as they pleased.

I even took some time out of my busy schedule to have someone haul a whole truckload of flooring back to me, and I replaced all the flooring in my house.

"No, Uncle Song, your house has bricks from the city wall on the ground," Sha Zhu said in surprise.

"What's so surprising? The residents in our courtyard all asked me about it because they saw how well the flooring turned out."

When they heard that they would have to pay extra for shipping, they immediately broke up with the group. They were all people who didn't know anything.

"Zhu Zi, you've been hiding your true abilities!" Uncle Song said with a mysterious smile.

Sha Zhu wasn't embarrassed at all, and said with a smile, "Uncle Song, I really don't understand. Look, I haven't been back for two months."

"It was all arranged by my master. I thought he was saving me money. Even the furniture—I just thought it looked nice, and since it was secondhand and cheaper, I bought it."

Sha Zhu said he really didn't understand, and then quickly changed the subject, "How about, Uncle Song, I meet your daughter?"

The man surnamed Song, unsure whether the young man was genuinely foolish or feigning it, became unwilling when he heard that the boy wanted to see his daughter.

"What are you dreaming about? My daughter has only just started middle school. Let's wait a few years."

Sha Zhu pressed his advantage, saying, "If your daughter goes to vocational school or college in a few years, will she still be interested in someone like me who just graduated from elementary school?"

Uncle Song thought about it carefully and realized it was true. "Who knows, maybe my daughter will go to a vocational school and become a leader. Then you'll have even less of a chance."

"Zhu Zi, your educational background doesn't match. Just pretend I didn't say anything. I'm leaving now."

After saying that, Uncle Song threw away his cigarette butt and, without giving Sha Zhu a chance to reply, walked towards the alley entrance.