Chapter 2: He Daqing Is About to Run Away
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Chapter 2: He Daqing Is About to Leave
“Brother, wake up!”
He Yuzhu felt someone shaking him. He opened his eyes to see a little girl at his bedside, urging him to get up. At once, he realized it was his younger sister, He Yushui.
“Shazhu, hurry up and get out of bed, stop sleeping. Your sister is already up, so get moving and eat.” He Daqing came in carrying breakfast. Seeing that He Yuzhu was still in bed, he called out to him.
“Brother is such a lazybones!”
“Brother won’t get up, shame on him!” He Yushui said, tracing her finger across her cheek.
“I’m getting up!” said He Yuzhu, as he started to dress.
Once he was dressed, he went to the courtyard tap to wash up. Afterward, he returned inside for breakfast.
“Today, I’m taking Yushui to the park. You should come too, let’s all go together as a family,” He Daqing said during breakfast.
Yushui immediately brightened at his words, “Yes! We’re going to the park!”
“Alright!” He Yuzhu replied.
After breakfast, they tidied up the dishes. The whole family dressed and prepared to head out to the park.
He Daqing carried Yushui, while He Yuzhu stayed behind to lock the door. The family walked out together, and at the entrance, they encountered Yan Bugui, the guardian of the courtyard, watering his flowers.
“Teacher Yan, watering flowers, I see,” greeted He Daqing.
“Yes, I am. Where is your family heading?” Yan Bugui replied.
“It’s rare to have a day off, so I’m taking the children to the park. You’re busy, we’ll be on our way.”
With that, He Daqing left the gate with He Yuzhu and Yushui.
In the park, they took Yushui to see the animals. All morning, Yushui was so delighted she hardly stopped talking, describing everything she saw as she circled around He Yuzhu. He Daqing followed behind, watching his two children with a smile.
As noon approached, He Yuzhu called out to Yushui, “Yushui, come have some water. It’s time for lunch.”
Yushui, sweating from running around, hurried over. He Yuzhu scooped her up, wiped her sweat, and handed her the water bottle to drink.
“Where’s Dad?” Yushui asked after drinking, not seeing He Daqing nearby.
“Maybe he’s fallen behind. Let’s go look for him,” said He Yuzhu, taking Yushui’s hand and heading back.
Soon, they found He Daqing around a corner.
“Dad, it’s getting late. We should head home for lunch,” He Yuzhu said.
“We’re not going home for lunch today. I’m taking you both out to eat. Let’s have roast duck,” He Daqing replied.
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Yushui leaped with joy at the news, “Roast duck!”
He Yuzhu picked up Yushui, brushed her nose playfully, and said, “So excited just hearing about food, you little greedy cat!”
“Don’t touch my nose, brother, you’re annoying!” Yushui protested.
“Alright, enough, let’s hurry and eat,” He Daqing interrupted their squabble.
They arrived at Quanjude. The waiter led them to a table.
“You two sit first, I’ll go pick the duck,” He Daqing said. He chose a duck and ordered a few side dishes.
After a while, the dishes arrived one by one, and the roast duck, freshly cooked, was served last.
The waiter sliced the duck in front of them and placed it on the table.
“Let’s eat,” said He Daqing, rolling up a pancake for Yushui and placing it before her.
The three ate their fill. After resting a bit, they got up to head home.
On the way, Yushui grew tired, so He Yuzhu carried her on his back. Before long, she fell asleep there.
At the courtyard entrance, He Daqing said to He Yuzhu, “You two go ahead, I have something to take care of.”
“Alright, go on. I’ll look after Yushui,” replied He Yuzhu, carrying Yushui inside as He Daqing left.
“Zhuzi, why is it just you and your sister? Where’s your father?” Yan Bugui asked, seeing only the siblings.
“Teacher Yan, my dad has something to do. Yushui’s asleep, I need to hurry home and put her down,” He Yuzhu replied as he walked.
“Alright, go on then,” Yan Bugui said.
He Yuzhu carried Yushui home, laid her in bed, and covered her with a blanket.
Watching his sister sleep peacefully, He Yuzhu pondered He Daqing’s strange behavior that day. Remembering the plot of "Love Fills the Courtyard," he guessed that He Daqing was planning to run away. He wasn’t sure exactly when, but it seemed he needed to have a serious talk with his father today.
The afternoon passed in a haze of thoughts for He Yuzhu, and Yushui woke up. He played with her for a while. He Daqing returned carrying a fish, saying, “We’ll have fish for dinner tonight,” and went straight to the kitchen to cook.
After dinner, He Yuzhu played with Yushui again and coaxed her to sleep. Then he sat down in front of He Daqing, staring him down.
“Dad, are you hiding something from me?”
He Daqing, uneasy, replied, “What could I be hiding? Don’t be silly.”
“Dad, are you keeping it from me and Yushui that you’re planning to leave with the Widow Bai?” He Yuzhu pressed.
Seeing that He Yuzhu had already guessed, He Daqing gave up pretending. “Yes, I’m going to Baoding with the Widow Bai.”
“Dad, you’ve been single for years, raising me and Yushui. I don’t object to you finding someone, but why do you have to go to Baoding?” asked He Yuzhu.
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He Daqing sighed, “I have my own difficulties, don’t worry about it.” He continued, “I’ll make arrangements. After I leave, I’ll entrust you and Yushui to Yi Zhonghai’s care. I’ll send you some money each month—you won’t go hungry.”
“Dad, if you don’t want to explain, I won’t ask. But you must agree to a few conditions.”
“Alright, go ahead,” He Daqing readily agreed.
“First, you need to come up with a reason to reassure Yushui.”
“That’s easy enough. I’ll tell Yushui someone is offering a high wage for me to be head chef in Baoding,” said He Daqing.
“Fine. Second, transfer the house to me. It’s the foundation for me and Yushui to settle down. If you get confused later and give it away, we’ll have nowhere to live.”
“How could that happen? This house is meant for you,” He Daqing insisted.
“It could happen. Don’t explain. Transferring it to me gives you a way back—if you’re ever abandoned, you can return and I’ll take care of you.”
“Alright, tomorrow I’ll transfer the house to you. Any other requests?”
“When you’re in Baoding, don’t send letters to the courtyard. Send them to my Master Fan’s place. If you send them here, I might not get them,” He Yuzhu said after thinking.
“Alright,” He Daqing agreed, considering the people in the courtyard. “Anything else?”
“You can’t take all the money from home. You must leave some for us,” said He Yuzhu.
“Fine, I’ll leave you 200 yuan (for convenience and clarity, all amounts use 1955 RMB). I need money in Baoding too. Anything else?”
“That’s all,” said He Yuzhu after thinking.
“In that case, let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow we’ll do the transfer,” said He Daqing.
The next morning, He Daqing first went with He Yuzhu to complete the house transfer, then took Yushui out for another round of fun.
In the afternoon, He Daqing packed his belongings, handed a wooden box to He Yuzhu, and said, “Inside are my notes from culinary school, recording the secrets of the Tan family dishes, your mother’s jewelry, the promised 200 yuan, and a letter of recommendation from the steel mill. You’ve worked there with me for so long, you know everyone, so no one will make things difficult for you. As for Fengze Yuan, that’s up to you.”
“Well, I’m leaving now. If I don’t go, I’ll miss the train. Look after Yushui.”
He Daqing shouldered his luggage and left.