Snow was falling thick and fast as Qin Ge led the mother and her three daughters into the Siheyuan.
At this time, most people were likely staying indoors. Someone caught sight of Qin Ge leading the four through the window as they entered his small courtyard.
A group of Aunties were sitting in a room sewing shoe soles when one of them spoke up, "First Aunt, look, what is he doing bringing four women into our Siheyuan?"
"We can't just let strangers into our Siheyuan willy-nilly. What if something goes missing?"
Third Aunt speculated, "Could they be Qin Ge's relatives?"
Another Auntie retorted, "Qin Ge came from out of town; he doesn't have any relatives here."
At that moment, a woman suddenly slapped her thigh. "That's right, it's them! This morning when I went to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, I saw this mother and her daughters begging on the roadside."
These words instantly caused several women to exclaim, "I remember now too! I also saw them begging there."
One woman said urgently, "The Three Aunties, since The Three Elders aren't in the courtyard, you're the only ones who can take charge. Go ask him what's going on and why he brought four beggars inside."
"It's so dangerous. Enemy agent activities are rampant these days, and their identities are unknown. If someone loses something, or if they turn out to be enemy agents, we'll all be implicated."
Everyone began to chatter and discuss the matter at once.
Qin Ge returned to his own courtyard and saw Master Wang leading the workers.
The seven or eight men were busy; some were repairing the doors and windows of the small house, while others were cleaning and arranging things neatly.
Qin Ge walked forward, opened a pack of cigarettes, handed one to each man, and called out, "Master Wang."
Master Wang responded, "Comrade Qin Ge, you're back? We'll have this finished shortly; you'll be able to move in tonight."
"Thank you, Master Wang," Qin Ge said, pulling a few more packs of cigarettes from his pocket and handing them to Master Wang. "Master Wang, take these and divide them among the brothers. Thank you all for your hard work, coming to help in such heavy snow. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have a place to block the wind tonight."
"Alright then, I won't be polite. I'll get back to work," Master Wang said, glancing back at the mother and daughters.
Qin Ge said to the older woman, "Auntie, you and your daughters find a place to rest first. I'll find a spot to put these things down, and then I'll arrange your sleeping quarters for tonight."
"Don't worry about us, go ahead with your work," the older woman said.
Qin Ge carried his things into the room and set them in order.
Master Wang said, "Comrade Qin Ge, we've finished tidying up the small room. We'll head out now."
Qin Ge hurriedly said, "I've troubled you all today."
"Think nothing of it. Just give us a shout if you need anything. We'll be back tomorrow."
The Aunties of the Siheyuan whispered among themselves for a while before deciding to seek out Qin Ge for an explanation. The Three Aunties, along with several other women, hurried to Qin Ge's small courtyard.
"Qin Ge, Qin Ge!"
Hearing the shouts, Qin Ge quickly came out of the house. "First Aunt, Aunties, is something the matter?"
"Qin Ge, everyone wants to ask, what's the deal with these four female Comrades you brought back? Strangers can't just enter our Siheyuan as they please."
Indeed, in this special era, a letter of introduction was required everywhere; without one, it was practically impossible to move an inch.
For this mother and her daughters, whether they were looking for work or a place to stay, they needed a letter of introduction. Money alone was useless.
Qin Ge thought for a moment and said, "Aunties, they are my relatives."
"Relatives? Who are you trying to fool!" one Auntie questioned. "Qin Changsheng lived here for so many years and we never heard of him having relatives. You just came from out of town; where did these relatives suddenly spring from?"
Qin Ge explained, "Aunties, I happened to run into them when I went out today. After asking a few questions, it turns out she's actually from my hometown—a distant cousin of my mother's."
"Cousin?" An old woman with triangular eyes leaned in. "You little bastard, who are you fooling! You say she's your mother's cousin, so she's your mother's cousin? Where's the proof?"
Qin Ge instantly flared up with anger. "You old woman, who are you calling a little bastard?"
"I'm calling YOU a little bastard!" The old woman refused to back down.
As soon as the old woman's words fell, Qin Ge suddenly laughed. "Yes, a little bastard is scolding me."
The Aunties couldn't help but burst out laughing. Seeing this, the triangular-eyed old woman got so flustered that she plopped down on the ground.
Slapping the ground, she wailed, "Old Jia! Someone is bullying your widow and orphan! Show your spirit and take this little bastard away!"
Qin Ge was startled and thought to himself, 'Holy crap, is this that "Soul Necromancer" Jia Zhangshi? She's too much; I can't afford to mess with her.'
"Hey, old lady, get up," Qin Ge said.
"What for?" the old woman asked crossly.
"Get up, I want to tell you something. Is that money on the ground yours?" Hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately looked all around and then scrambled up in a flash. "Where? Where? It's mine!"
At this, several Aunties again couldn't help but cover their mouths and snicker. Jia Zhangshi finally realized what happened and turned livid with rage. "You little bastard, you played me again! See if I don't tear your face apart!"
With that, Jia Zhangshi wiggled her chubby body and charged toward Qin Ge.
Seeing this, Qin Ge quickly snatched up a stick and pointed it at Jia Zhangshi. "Don't come over! When I go crazy, I even hit myself! Don't come over!" As he spoke, he swung the stick so hard it whistled through the air.
Jia Zhangshi stopped halfway. Seeing this stance, the Aunties worried Jia Zhangshi would come off worse, as Qin Ge looked like he wasn't one to be trifled with.
Jia Zhangshi didn't dare charge forward anymore, but she kept hurling insults. "Put that stick down if you have the guts!"
"I won't!" Qin Ge said, swinging the stick even more vigorously while lunging forward. "I can't stop! Get out of the way quickly, or I might hit you!"
Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi decided that a wise person knows when to retreat. She would deal with him once First Uncle returned, so she turned and ran back home.
First Aunt walked over and said with a smile, "Qin Ge, it had to be you! Jia Zhangshi acts like a tyrant in our courtyard; no one isn't afraid of her."
Another Auntie chimed in, "First Aunt is right. Whether it's the men or us women, we're all terrified when we see Jia Zhangshi throwing a tantrum. This is the first time we've seen someone who could handle her."
Qin Ge said modestly, "No, no."
First Aunt continued, "But Qin Ge, bringing strangers into the courtyard really won't do. You need to go to the Subdistrict Office to register them so they can stay. "
"If anything is stolen in the courtyard, or if they are fugitives, we'll all have to take responsibility."
Qin Ge quickly replied, "First Aunt, I'll go to the Subdistrict Office in a bit to find Aunt Wang and explain the situation to her."
First Aunt nodded. "Qin Ge, don't think we're making things difficult for you. In these extraordinary times, everyone has only just started living in peace; nobody wants to look for trouble."
Qin Ge said, "I know, the Aunties are doing this for my own good."
First Aunt reminded him, "It's good that you understand. Break it up, break it up. the men will be back from overtime soon, and it's time for us to cook." After she finished, everyone went to their respective homes, leaving only Qin Ge and the four others in the courtyard.
The older woman walked over and said with a slight apology, "Little Qin, I've caused you trouble."
Qin Ge waved his hand. "It's fine, no trouble at all. I'll go to the Subdistrict Office in a moment and explain your situation clearly to them."
"Alright, thank you, Little Qin. If it's too much trouble, we should probably leave," the older woman said.
Qin Ge quickly consoled her, "Auntie, please stay here with peace of mind. It's no trouble."