Chapter 163
At seven o’clock in the evening, before the sky was completely dark, the streets were empty.
The stalls that usually push a cart on the side of the road to sell noodles haven’t come out for a long time, and most of the stores on both sides of the street are closed, only the medicine sellers and pawnshops are still open.
A few wild birds landed on the empty street, circling around the garbage cans to pick up garbage to eat.
There is a lot of garbage on the ground, hidden in piles along the street or by the wall.
The garbage collector hasn’t come for a long time, and the street sweeper has disappeared.
The main door of Zhujia Lou was closed tightly, and the lamp above the main door had been smashed with a broken bulb and was no longer lit.
At this time, the end of the street came a series of car honking, a car drove over quickly, driving while arrogantly honking.
The door of Zhu family building was opened by Ma Tianbao, he poked his head out and saw that the car really stopped right in front of Zhu family building.
Only then did he open the door, walk down two steps, standing at the gate.
The car stopped, sitting in front of the passenger seat of a man wearing a short shirt hurriedly jumped out of the car, ran around half a circle to open the door.
He opened the door carefully, shortened half his body, bowed and said to Su Chunjun, who stepped out of the car, “Slowly, slowly, Mr. Su, ouch, be careful with your feet!”
He opened his two arms, like the eagle playing with the children to catch the chick, carefully escorted Su Chunjun all the way to the front door.
Ma Tianbao also stepped forward and said politely, “Mr. Su, you are back.”
Su Chunjun smiled at Ma Tianbao and turned to the man and said, “I’m home now, you can go home without worrying about me. Thank you for sending me back, thanks to your protection, I was able to get home safely.”
The man smiled into a chrysanthemum, eyebrows and eyes all squeezed together, his body bent lower and lower.
“Aiyo, you don’t have to say that! This is all what I should do! I should! Then I’ll pick you up at nine o’clock tomorrow morning?”
Su Chunjun: “Okay, thanks a lot, see you tomorrow morning!”
He stood and watched the man run back to his car, which honked and drove away, before he sighed and turned around to give Ma Tianbao a pat, pulling him back with him.
“Alright, close the gate.” Su Chunjun said.
Ma Tianbao: “Okay.”
He followed Su Chunjun inside and turned back to close the main door of the Zhu Family Building, triple locking it from the inside to be at ease.
There was a dim light still on overhead in the foyer.
Su Chunjun was happy to see it, “Yo, the wires are finally fixed!”
A month ago, the poles on this street were burned by some fool, and the wires were cut.
Now at this time, where else can we find an electrician?
It had been delayed until now that the wires had been repaired, and only then had the electricity been turned on again.
But the angry thing is that even if the wires are broken, this month’s electricity bill is still not less pay.
Su Chunjun is now not the current management, and then for this small matter to seek the electricity bureau of some people can not, let Ma Tianbao pay the electricity bill.
Ma Tianbao now can not go out to find a job, the whole family is equal to the Zhu family to support. This is a good adaptation for Ma Tianbao’s parents, but they do not want Ma Tianbao to be a subordinate, and have been begging Su Chunjun to introduce a job to Ma Tianbao, and both of them have always cried to Ma Tianbao in private.
However, Ma Tianbao adapted well. His heart is not much dissatisfied and unfair.
He advised his parents that the world was different now, and that it was not so easy to find a job. Although he studied at the university, but now a leg is not good, any decent work can not do, he did not go to look for, touched the wall many times before recognizing the reality.
He used to live a decent, rich life because of the big umbrella of the Jin family.
He thought that only his parents are the subordinates of the Jin family, in fact, he is also the subordinates of the Jin family ah.
Those dreams in his heart had been shattered long ago now.
He was not the kind of person he thought he was.
He only wanted to live well now.
Ma Tianbao said, “Mr. Su, there is hot water on the stove, as well as steamed buns and boiled congee, you go up first to wash up, I will bring the rice up to you in a while.”
Zhu Jia Lou was originally a foreign building, behind the first floor was the big kitchen, with a stove and plumbing to cook the whole family’s meals, and a row of servants’ rooms.
But later, after it was converted into apartments, the big kitchen could have been turned into a communal kitchen, but Zhu Yanshu thought it would be dirty and didn’t want the tenants to cook in the big kitchen, so he sealed off the stove and left only the water pipes.
But then the tenants were blindly remodeling and building in the corridor and in their own houses, and she couldn’t be bothered with each one of them, so she had to let it go.
Su Chunjun now changed this back. The big kitchen stove had all been passed and was ready to use. This is where the Ma family cooked and burned vegetables during this time.
Su Chunjun laughed: “Where’s the trouble? I’ll just serve it up by hand, you take an early rest.”
Ma Tianbao didn’t argue, Su Chunjun couldn’t carry it all with two hands anyway. He helped him carry the pots and bowls up, and when Su Chunjun finished eating, he would bring the pots and bowls down tomorrow.
Ma Tianbao stood at the door and said, “Mr. Su, I’ll go down first, good night.”
Su Chunjun smiled and said, “Good night. Don’t read too long, the lighting is bad.”
He borrowed quite a few books for Ma Tianbao to read, saving him from wearing down his ambition in such a day-to-day life.
The meal was cooked by Auntie Ma, she had been an underling in the Jin family for many years, she was good at some home cooking and small snacks, and she was also good at making tea and coffee, but none of it could be used here.
Su Chunjun had stocked up on some grain at Zhu Jia Lou, but now there was a shortage of vegetables and meat, and they couldn’t be bought on the streets. He can occasionally get some from the mayor, and there are also people like the man today who purposely send vegetables and meat to Zhujia Lou, but since it’s not every day, the meals are less than satisfactory.
Su Chunjun wasn’t picky and drank congee with the buns and ate two plates of small dishes.
He had just finished eating when Ma Tianbao went and returned, knocking on the door and coming in to say, “Mr. Su, a letter came from the post office today.”
The recipient of the letter was Ma Dame, who put the letter under the vase in the foyer and instructed Ma Tianbao to take it to Su Chunjun. He forgot about it just now, and only remembered it when he was reminded by Auntie Ma, and rushed to deliver it.
Su Chunjun was so happy to hear it that he quickly took it, and it was indeed from Miss Yang! Her beautiful handwriting was written on the envelope, with “Mr. Su Chunjun personally” and “My daughter Yang’s second sister pays her respects”.
When he got the letter, he loved it so much that he didn’t even bother to lift his head, and said to Ma Tianbao, “Thank you very much, go back to rest, I’ll go to bed after answering the letter.”
When Ma Tianbao saw the letter, he knew that it was sent by Second Miss Yang, who was an unmarried couple with Mr. Su, and the two of them were in love with each other and had abundant affection.
It reminded him of his own love affair with Miss Yang, and a feeling of inclination and envy rose in his heart.
That beautiful love had been fixed in his university and had nothing to do with him now. Thinking about it now, college was like a beautiful dream. It was only after he woke up from the dream that he saw the real life.
“Well then, I’ll go down first.” Ma Tianbao went downstairs for the second time, thinking a lot in just two staircases, his thoughts too confused for words.
But he had pulled himself together by the time he pushed open his own door, and softly comforted his inquiring mother, “Already gave the letter to Mr. Su.”
“Mr. Su didn’t order anything else and said he was going to sleep when he answered the letter. Mom, let’s sleep too.”
Those who were subordinates could not rest before their masters. When Dame Ma had such a habit, Ma Tianbao noticed that every time Mr. Su came back, he hurried back to the house and wouldn’t come out to trouble them more. This little bit of thoughtfulness made Ma Tianbao’s heart while being touched couldn’t help but think of himself, wondering if he had such thoughtfulness?
Probably not.
He now realized that he borrowed money to invite Zhu family mother and daughter to dinner is how inappropriate a thing.
In his mind it was only twenty dollars. When he got a job, he could pay it back in the first month. So at that time he didn’t think it was a big deal.
He was wrong.
Why did he borrow the money?
Why fight for this little bit of scenery?
Because he was ashamed!
He thought it was a matter of shame that his parents were underlings!
So when he borrowed money from the young master and young lady of the Jin family, he was actually trying to prove that “I’m friends with them”!
Even when he took the young master and the young lady to the hotel, he was thinking the same thing!
He wanted to prove to the Zhu family’s mother and daughter that he and the Jin family’s young master and young lady were not master and servant!
They were equals and friends!
Had the latter not happened, he didn’t know how much longer he would have to lie to himself like this.
Ma Tianbao heard his father coughing, so he went over and fed him a little water.
Father was now unable to turn over and rarely spoke. He just passes out every day.
He knew very well that his father probably …… could not live much longer.
But he and his mom pretended not to know.
The house was dim. They had moved out of the small room in the foyer and into a room on the first floor. It had originally been designed as a maid’s room and then rented out. Now after the tenants had all run out, the rooms were all repossessed.
This room was originally designed with two beds side by side, and the place was not small. Now there were three beds for the three members of the family.
Fortunately, their family didn’t have much luggage and didn’t need a closet or a table, so it could be set up. The luggage baggage was placed in the corner, the water bottle and water jug were placed by the door, and the urinal and urine pot were placed under the bed.
There was also a small lamp in the room. Although there was no window, it was much more spacious than before.
Ma Tianbao lay down and couldn’t sleep, but still took the book out and read a dozen pages in the foyer with the small light on, and then gave his father two more times to catch the urine before going back to sleep.
He didn’t sleep long before he heard the big bell on the horse’s neck ringing as the manure cart went by on the street, echoing down the street, one after another, slow and dull.
There was a toilet on the first floor of the Zhu Family Building that was reserved for the underlings. But then it was blocked by Ms. Zhu, who refused to turn it into a public toilet for the tenants, forcing them to get up early every day and wait for the manure truck at the door. Now, of course, it’s all back in place, and Ma’s family used to have to get up early to pour urine, but now they don’t have to.
He heard his mom waking up with a start, and hurriedly patted Auntie Ma beside him, whispering a reminder, “There’s no need to get up, we’re in the Zhu family.”
Auntie Ma used to wait in the room, and when she got older, she retired from being a personal attendant and specialized in the chores in the room. Getting up early to pour the night pot was her job.
Until now, Auntie Ma couldn’t break the habit of getting up and working at this time.
When she heard her son’s voice, she let out a murmur and drowsily rolled over and fell back asleep.