Chapter 684 Three Aunts Offer Suggestions 3
He Yuzhu looked serious and solemn. He slowly raised his head and nodded heavily. The firmness in his eyes was like a shining star, as if he was not only making a solemn promise to the amiable old man in front of him, but also solemnly swearing something in his heart. Then, he supported his knees with his hands, slowly stood up, and straightened his back, as if he wanted to concentrate all his strength in this upright posture.
He tilted his head back slightly and took a deep breath. The fresh air flowed slowly into his chest through his nasal cavity, making him clearly feel as if there was a warm current flowing in his chest. The original dull and depressed feeling dissipated instantly, and was replaced by a renewed vitality, as if the long-dry land had welcomed a hearty rain. In his heart, at this moment, an unprecedented sense of relief surged up. It felt like a heavy burden had been unloaded, making him feel exceptionally comfortable.
Then, he took a few steps towards the uncle with a slightly solemn step, and then bowed deeply to the uncle respectfully. The extent of his bow showed how deep his gratitude was. He said with deep affection and sincere gratitude in his voice: "Uncle, thank you. You know, when I was confused and perplexed, every word you said was like the brightest light in the dark night sky, which penetrated the heavy fog and completely illuminated my way forward. From now on, I, He Yuzhu, promise you that I will never let you down. I will live a good life and feel every beauty in life with my heart. I will also muster up the courage to boldly pursue the happiness that belongs to me. I will never be muddle-headed and muddle through again."
The old man always had a kind smile on his face. After hearing He Yuzhu's sincere words, he smiled gently and waved his hand. The action was full of casualness and affinity, indicating that He Yuzhu didn't need to be so polite. His eyes flashed with a loving light like the warm sun, and that light contained endless care and warmth. He slowly said: "Go, child, life will not stop because of a temporary thing. It is still going on, and you still have a long way to go. You must remember that no matter what difficulties or troubles you encounter in the future, our courtyard will always be your safe haven. If you have anything in your heart, don't hold it in. You can come to me at any time to talk. I, this old bone, will always be here to support you. Just feel free to move forward boldly."
He Yuzhu listened to the old man's words and nodded again, his head shaking up and down, as if responding to the deep friendship given by the old man. Then, he slowly turned around and walked out of the old man's room with firm and powerful steps. Every step he took seemed to carry a different kind of power, as if every step was accurately stepped on the beat of hope, as if the footsteps were playing a movement towards a better future.
Back in the yard, He Yuzhu's eyes swept in one direction intentionally or unintentionally, and saw Xu Damao still standing there like a piece of wood, looking a little stubborn, and seemed to be a little unwilling. He Yuzhu looked at him, and a complicated emotion suddenly surged in his heart. There was the resentment left after the quarrel just now, and there were also different emotions accumulated from living in the same courtyard for so many years, and there was also a kind of helplessness in the relationship between them. Although the fierce quarrel just now did create a clearly visible crack between them, just like a glaring crack appeared on the originally intact porcelain, He Yuzhu knew very well in his heart that everyone lived in the same courtyard and saw each other every day. There is an old saying that "it is better to resolve enemies than to make them". It is not good for anyone to continue to be deadlocked like this.
So, he secretly made a decision in his heart. After his excitement calmed down completely, he would find a suitable opportunity to sit down and talk with Xu Damao calmly, so as to completely resolve this misunderstanding that was unnecessary in the first place. This would also allow everyone to live more comfortably in this courtyard in the future, and not always be unhappy because of such a small matter.
The bright sunshine was like a golden veil, still radiating its bright light without reservation, gently sprinkled in every corner of the courtyard. The mottled light and shadows passed through the gaps in the leaves, falling on the ground in dots, as if covering the courtyard with a layer of haloed carpet. And the warm sunshine seemed to have magical power, slowly penetrating into He Yuzhu's heart, dispelling the remaining haze in his heart bit by bit, making his originally heavy heart gradually become open and warm.
He Yuzhu raised his head slightly, and slowly looked at the vast sky. The sky was so clear and blue, just like a huge and clear sapphire, pure and without any impurities. White clouds floated leisurely in the blue ocean. They were in various shapes, sometimes like a group of docile sheep strolling leisurely, and sometimes like a boat setting sail, floating freely. Looking at such a beautiful sky, He Yuzhu felt as if even the sky was silently telling him through this picturesque scenery that no matter how many ups and downs he had experienced in the past, no matter what kind of unhappiness he had encountered, everything was still in time, and everything was still hopeful, just like the sky would always have sunshine penetrating the clouds and shedding light.
As he thought about it, He Yuzhu couldn't help but smile. That smile was full of longing for a better life in the future, as if he had seen himself living a fulfilling and happy life every day in the future, surrounded by a group of like-minded friends, and the person who could accompany him for the rest of his life. At the same time, that smile also contained a kind of self-affirmation, which was his determination to say goodbye to the past self who occasionally fell into negative emotions, to meet the challenges of life with a brand new look, and to embrace the upcoming beauty.
From that day on, He Yuzhu was like a different person, and began to actively adjust his mentality. He was no longer like before, always indulging in the painful memories of the past, and letting himself fall into the quagmire of sadness and depression again and again. He knew that life was like a long journey, and if you always carry the burden of the past, you will not be able to move forward easily. So, he tried hard to focus on the present and on things that can make him better.
In terms of work, he has invested a lot of energy. He comes to the factory kitchen early every day, wipes the pots and pans until they are shiny, and prepares all kinds of ingredients properly. He studies every dish carefully, thinking carefully about how to make the dishes taste more mellow and how to match the seasonings to make the taste richer. Every time he cooks, he concentrates on it, as if the whole world is just him and the stove and iron pot in front of him. Hard work pays off. With his continuous efforts, his cooking skills have improved day by day. He, who was originally a good cook, can now turn ordinary ingredients into delicious dishes that are praised by everyone. After tasting the meals he made, his colleagues in the factory all gave him a thumbs up and praised his cooking skills. All kinds of praises also flew to him like snowflakes, which made He Yuzhu feel very satisfied and strengthened his determination to continue to study the cooking skills.
Moreover, He Yuzhu is no longer limited to the life of work and home. He began to try to participate in various social activities. On his free weekends, he would go to the cultural exchange activities organized by the community with some enthusiastic colleagues in the factory. There, he met many people from different industries and with different interests and hobbies. Everyone shared interesting things in life and exchanged their views with each other. This opened He Yuzhu's eyes and made him feel that life could be so colorful. He also actively participated in some activities organized by outdoor sports clubs, climbed mountains and rode bicycles with everyone. While exercising, he also broadened his social circle and met many new friends with cheerful and positive personalities. In his heart, he always had a beautiful wish, that is, he hoped to meet the right person who fits with his soul and can accompany him for life in the process of constantly expanding his social circle, and start a romantic and happy emotional life of his own.
As for Xu Damao, after the fierce quarrel with He Yuzhu, although he still pretended to be tough on the surface, walked with a haughty attitude, and talked to others with a reluctance to admit defeat, in fact, deep in his heart he had begun to quietly reflect on his past behavior. Whenever it was late at night, he lay in bed, looking at the dark ceiling, and his mind would involuntarily recall the scenes of the quarrel with He Yuzhu and his daily actions. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
He gradually realized that for so many years, he had been holding an overly calculating attitude towards life, always thinking about taking advantage of others when doing anything, and always thinking about how to get benefits from others when getting along with others. He never really opened his heart to treat the people around him. It was precisely because of this that those people around him who could be called friends gradually became estranged from him. In the world of love, he was also repeatedly frustrated and never found someone who could truly understand and accompany him.
The changes in He Yuzhu during this period were like a mirror, allowing Xu Damao to clearly see his own shortcomings and also brought him great inspiration. Under the influence of He Yuzhu's positive attitude towards life, Xu Damao also began to try to slowly let go of the high wall of vigilance in his heart, and tried to face the people and things around him with a more sincere and tolerant attitude. He began to take the initiative to greet his neighbors, and no longer always ignored them like before; when he encountered others in trouble, he would also try to help instead of standing by and watching. Although he was not used to it at first, and felt that doing so seemed to go against his previous style of doing things, he slowly found that when he treated others sincerely, others would treat him with the same sincerity. This feeling made him feel warm in his heart, and made him feel more and more how stupid his previous practices were.
As time passed quietly between the bricks and tiles of this courtyard, the atmosphere in this courtyard also changed unconsciously. The tense relationship between He Yuzhu and Xu Damao, which was originally tense, gradually eased. In the past, whenever the two of them met, the atmosphere immediately became cold, and no one wanted to look at each other for a second, as if they would be unable to help but quarrel if they looked at each other for a second. But now it is different. Occasionally, you can still see the two of them sitting at the stone table in the yard, playing chess leisurely together. They would chat and laugh while holding the chess pieces, sometimes talking about some new things in the factory, and sometimes exchanging views on some trivial matters in life. The picture looks so harmonious and harmonious, as if the previous unpleasantness had never happened.
Of course, after being together for a long time, there will occasionally be some minor frictions due to some small things, such as who regrets a move when playing chess, or a dispute when chatting. However, unlike before, they are now more able to understand and tolerate each other. When encountering disagreements, they no longer argue with each other like before, but will patiently listen to the other party finish speaking, and then calmly explain their ideas to strive to reach a consensus.
Neighbors were sincerely pleased to see the changes in the two of them. Every time they saw the two of them getting along harmoniously in the yard, they couldn't help but smile and nod, and privately praised them for finally understanding each other's tolerance. They also lamented that the atmosphere of the courtyard had become more warm and harmonious because of their changes. Everyone felt that such a life was full of human touch, which made people feel at ease and comfortable.
Moreover, He Yuzhu and Chunyan started to develop feelings for each other again, and their feelings gradually became stronger from the initial weak ones. Chunyan wanted to marry He Yuzhu without even needing her parents' consent.