Chapter 61: He Yushui Becomes an Adopted Daughter

"Auntie, what's wrong?"

"Aiguo, could you do me a favor and ask Director Wang if I can become He Yushui's adoptive mother and take care of her from now on?"

Auntie Liu asked eagerly, "You know as well as I do that Tianquan and Diquan are both away, and an old woman like me lives alone, feeling rather lonely. Yushui is a good child. If she lives with me, I can take good care of her."

Well, He Yushui taking Auntie Liu as her adoptive mother sounded like a rather good idea.

Li Aiguo's eyes widened in excitement.

Liu Tianquan and Liu Diquan were far away on the frontier, and nobody knew when they would be able to return.

Auntie Liu was getting older, and living all by herself was indeed inconvenient.

As for He Yushui, a young girl left entirely on her own in the courtyard, constantly relying on neighbors for help wasn't a long-term solution either.

Currently, the authorities were promoting the idea that more people meant greater strength.

Which family didn't have several children to look after?

"Aiguo, I know you have a good relationship with Director Wang. I was hoping to ask you to put in a good word with her."

"Alright, just wait here."

Li Aiguo turned around, led Director Wang to a quiet spot, and explained Auntie Liu's proposal.

"I was just fretting over He Yushui's situation; this happens to be a wonderful solution."

Director Wang was well aware of the Liu family's circumstances.

Auntie Liu was a kind-hearted person.

Every month, Liu Tianquan and Liu Diquan sent money back home.

The Liu family was not short of money or food, so they wouldn't wrong He Yushui.

"However, we still need to ask for He Yushui's opinion on this matter."

Li Aiguo wasn't worried about that at all.

The fact that she could decisively cut ties with Silly Zhu and come up with the stunt of a fake hanging showed that He Yushui was a smart person.

Taking Auntie Liu as her adoptive mother and living with her in the future was the best possible choice for He Yushui at the moment.

Sure enough.

He Yushui, who had been worrying about her own future, pondered for a moment upon hearing this and nodded heavily.

Auntie Liu had been watching He Yushui intently. Seeing that the matter was settled, she shed tears of joy, rushed forward, and pulled He Yushui into her arms.

"My daughter!"

He Yushui's biological mother had died of dystocia while giving birth to her.

Ever since she was little, seeing other children acting spoiled in front of their mothers filled He Yushui with envy, and she had often yearned to have a mother of her own.

That sincere and affectionate cry of "daughter" struck a deep chord in He Yushui's heart.

Her heart trembled, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Unable to help herself, He Yushui rested her little head on Auntie Liu's shoulder, bit her lip, and whispered, "Mother."

That scene of a mother and daughter reuniting moved everyone present.

"Yushui is truly blessed after surviving this ordeal."

"The Liu family doesn't have a daughter; they will definitely treat He Yushui like their own flesh and blood from now on."

"Exactly. If Liu Tianquan and Liu Diquan come back and find out they have a new younger sister, they'll be overjoyed."

...

Liu Haizhong didn't have a daughter either.

The reason he had proposed taking He Yushui as his daughter the day before...

Aside from wanting to make things difficult for He Yushui, there was also a genuine intention to truly take her in as a daughter.

The little girl was diligent and hardworking with her hands and feet.

When she grew up, she could even be married off to Liu Guangtian or Liu Guangfu as a wife.

It was a win-win situation, which meant Liu Haizhong would win twice.

Now, seeing He Yushui turn around and take Auntie Liu as her adoptive mother, he felt a suffocating tightness in his chest.

Naturally, he held no goodwill toward Li Aiguo, who had bridged the connection.

Yet, with Director Wang standing right beside them, he didn't dare utter a sound and could only stand there panting with anger.

Xu Damao chimed in sarcastically, "My, oh my, whose pig just wandered in here?"

Furious, Liu Haizhong picked up a stool, intending to smash it at Xu Damao.

He Yushui glared at him. "Second Uncle, that stool belongs to me now. Put it down, please."

Liu Haizhong: ......

Watching this scene from the side, Yi Zhonghai was suddenly overwhelmed by a deep sense of helplessness.

He felt that the courtyard was slipping further and further out of his control.

This feeling was far from good.

Yet, he had too much on his mind to dwell on it now.

First Aunt had spent the entire day at the hospital taking care of Deaf Old Lady, and he had to go relieve her.

After exchanging a few words with Director Wang, Yi Zhonghai staggered away.

As for the Jia family—Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairou, and Jia Dongxu—they had left as soon as they paid back the money.

The residents gradually dispersed, and the room soon held only Director Wang, He Yushui, Auntie Liu, and Wang Ruxin.

Watching Auntie Liu and He Yushui sitting together whispering, Director Wang walked over to Li Aiguo and said with a smile, "Comrade Aiguo, I really must thank you this time. If you hadn't stopped He Yushui, and something had happened to her, our neighborhood would have been in big trouble."

Li Aiguo replied, "It was only right that I did so."

Director Wang asked, "I heard you've already become a train driver?"

"Train 131, running from the capital to Tianjin."

"Oh, what a coincidence! My maternal family is in Tianjin. Every year during the Spring Festival when I go back to visit them, I worry about not being able to get a train ticket."

"Don't worry, Director Wang, I won't put you in a position to break the rules, and we won't take advantage of the state either."

"As long as you can help me get a ticket, that's enough. A hard-seat ticket will do."

Director Wang had heard that train drivers were allocated a few flexible tickets that didn't require waiting in line at the ticket window.

Under Director Wang's expectant gaze, Li Aiguo nodded. "Auntie Wang, don't worry. Just let me know in advance whenever you wish to travel."

...

The crowd dispersed.

By the time he returned to the backyard, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

Greeting Xu Damao and Zhang Gangzhu, Li Aiguo prepared to return to his room to fetch water and wash up.

"Hey, Aiguo, wait a moment." Zhang Gangzhu stopped him. "I got a pig's large intestine this afternoon and had your sister-in-law stew it in the pot. It should be tender by now."

"Come on, let's go inside and have a bite."

Pig's large intestine in this era... was quite a delicacy.

You couldn't buy it on the market; all of it was divided among the employees of the food supply station.

Before Li Aiguo could say anything, Jia Dongxu sidled over from somewhere with a cheeky smile. "Brother Gangzhu, I like eating that too."

"Get lost!" Xu Damao said loftily.

Jia Dongxu rolled his eyes, initially wanting to pick a fight with Xu Damao.

In the past, he wouldn't have been afraid of Xu Damao.

After all, he had his partner-in-crime Silly Zhu to back him up, but at this moment, Silly Zhu was still locked up at the railway police station.

Jia Dongxu could only slink away sheepishly.

Having chased Jia Dongxu off, Xu Damao curled his lip. "Who does he think he is, wanting to hang out with us?"

"Brother Gangzhu, my dad has some sweet potato liquor."

"Should I go fetch it for you?"

Zhang Gangzhu patted the butcher knife at his waist. "You get lost too."

"You got it!"

Seeing Xu Damao walk away with his hands behind his back, Zhang Gangzhu grabbed Li Aiguo's arm, eager to pull him inside.

However, Li Aiguo stopped in his tracks.

"Brother Gangzhu, I remember this afternoon, not long after you brought the pig's large intestine back, you and Sister-in-law Gangdan went over to Silly Zhu's place."

"When on earth did you wash the pig's large intestine?"

"Wash? Why would anyone wash a pig's large intestine?" Zhang Gangzhu's eyes widened. "What we eat is precisely that gamey flavor."

Li Aiguo: .....

Zhang Gangzhu chuckled. "I'm actually quite particular about it. At least I squeezed the pig manure out of it, cut it into sections, and stewed it with some chili peppers."

"Old Yu, who works my shift, is the truly hardcore one. He pulls a fresh pig's large intestine right out of the pig's belly and swallows it raw."

"He says eating it that way is a great tonic and is good for a man."

"I tried it twice, but I simply couldn't swallow it down..."

Zhang Gangzhu wore an expression of deep regret, as if he had missed out on some rare mountain delicacy.

Li Aiguo: "......"

Eating raw pig's large intestine.

Was that something a human being could possibly do?

Li Aiguo had no choice but to politely decline.

"You, you're not manly enough at all."

Just as Zhang Gangzhu was looking extremely proud of himself, a furious roar echoed from inside the house.

"Zhang Gangzhu, get back here and pour my foot-washing water right now!"

"Coming right up!"

The iron-clad tough guy from a moment before instantly transformed into a docile little sheep. He cast an embarrassed smile at Li Aiguo and ducked into the room hunched over.

Those two really were a match made in heaven, each one uniquely subdued by the other.

Smiling, Li Aiguo returned to his room.

He sat back down at his desk, picked up his book, and began to read.

...