The heavens set sail from the courtyard

When Wang Gang heard He Wenda calling out, he didn't panic and told Yang's parents to calm down as well.

"Uncle and Auntie, there's a neighbor's child outside. I'll go check on him."

Mr. and Mrs. Yang frowned deeply as they looked at their daughter, Yang Maixiang.

Yang Maixiang hadn't told her parents that Wang Gang's ex-wife lived next door, which is why her expression was a little stiff.

Wang Gang opened the door, and little He Wenda stood there, holding a small bowl in his hands, the very one Wang Gang had given to Yu Qiuhua earlier.

"Brother-in-law, my mom told me to give the bowl back to you." He Wenda smelled the tempting aroma of braised pork again and desperately peeked his little head into the house.

Wang Gang took the bowl, rubbed He Wenda's head, and said, "Wenda, don't call me brother-in-law anymore. It's easy for others to misunderstand, and it wouldn't be good if Daqing heard it."

He Wenda nodded as if he understood, but drool still involuntarily dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Wang Gang chuckled and said, "You still want to eat meat!"

He Wenda nodded heavily and said, "Yes!"

Wang Gang squatted down and said to He Wenda, "If you promise not to call me brother-in-law anymore, I'll give you another piece of meat to eat."

He Wenda asked, "If you don't call me brother-in-law, what should I call you? Like my second sister calls you Old Liu?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Gang's lips twitched, but he couldn't argue with a five-year-old child.

"Call me Master Liu from now on." Wang Gang patted He Wenda's head again.

"Alright!" He Wenda was so focused on the food that he didn't care about anything else and agreed to whatever Wang Gang said.

Wang Gang returned to the table, picked up a piece of braised pork with a new pair of chopsticks, and stuffed it directly into He Wenda's mouth.

He Wenda puffed out his cheeks, but a happy smile appeared on his face.

“Um, thank you…” Ho Man-tat said, his words slurred.

Wang Gang laughed and said, "Let's go back!"

He Wenda left with his mouth bulging, and Wang Gang returned to the table.

"Uncle and Aunt, that child just now is my ex-wife's younger brother, He Wenda."

With a stern face, Mr. Yang asked, "Does your ex-wife live nearby?"

Wang Gang told the truth: "Their family lives next door."

Mr. and Mrs. Yang exchanged a glance, both feeling a little worried.
Yang Maixiang said nervously, "Dad, Mom, Hongchang has divorced He Wenhui and has no contact with their family anymore."

Mr. Yang glanced at the small bowl on the table and asked, "Since we haven't been in contact, what's the story behind this bowl?"

Wang Gang explained, "My ex-wife's mother came by just now, and out of politeness, I gave her two pieces of braised pork. The child just now came to return the bowl."

Also, my ex-wife is getting married this Sunday; she's marrying our neighbor in the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Yang's expression softened somewhat, but he still worriedly asked, "Won't it be awkward for you and your ex-wife to be neighbors, seeing each other all the time?"

Wang Gang firmly stated, "My ex-wife and I have long since lost our feelings for each other. Even if we meet, we'll just be ordinary neighbors. I promise to be devoted to Maixiang!"

Yang's mother glanced at her daughter and said, "Hongchang, it's not that we don't trust you, but we're worried about what might happen. Why don't you two move back home after you get married?"

Yang Maixiang said, "Mom, I believe in Hongchang."

Mr. Yang frowned and said, "Of course we believe Hong Chang, but we don't believe his ex-wife! Judging from the child's clothes, their family's living conditions must be average!"

Wang Gang laughed and said, "Uncle and Aunt, I know what you're worried about. I promise, staying here is only temporary. As soon as the housing market opens up, I will definitely move to another house!"

Mr. Yang asked, "Can I know why you insist on staying here?"

Wang Gang said, "Because I won an award in the cooking competition, I will soon be transferred to a job as the head chef at the city's largest state-owned restaurant. The restaurant is very close to Fengxiang Hutong, only a ten-minute bike ride away."

Maixiang's workplace isn't far from here, but my mom's is farther away.

Moreover, the primary and secondary schools in the Fengxiang Hutong area are quite good. If Maixiang and I have children in the future, I hope they can receive a good education.

After hearing Wang Gang's reason, Yang's parents said nothing more, though they still felt a little worried. The rest of the meal was rather somber; Yang's father had no interest in drinking and took his leave after a few drinks.

Wang Gang gave the leftover Moutai liquor to Yang's father to take away. Originally, Wang Gang wanted to take Yang's parents home, but they politely declined, so he had to give up.

On the other side, He Wenda ran home with his cheeks bulging. He chewed on a piece of braised pork, but couldn't bear to swallow it. He Wenyuan saw this.

"Wen Da, what are you eating?"

He Wenda immediately covered his mouth and quickly swallowed the meat.

"Second sister, I didn't eat much."

He Wenyuan walked over and sniffed He Wenda, and then he knew what was going on.

"Old Liu gave you meat again!"

Seeing that he couldn't hide it any longer, Ho Man-tat had no choice but to nod and admit it.

He Wenyuan's face darkened, and he said angrily, "Hmph, Old Liu certainly knows how to win people over with meat!"

He Wenda explained, "He said not to call him brother-in-law anymore, and he gave me a piece of meat."

He Wenyuan said angrily, "You are not allowed to go to Old Liu's house again."

"Why?!" He Wenda cried out in frustration.

"Haven't Lao Liu caused enough harm to our family?" He Wenyuan said angrily, "You are not allowed to have anything to do with him anymore."

"But his braised pork is so delicious," He Wenda said weakly.

He Wenyuan became even angrier and was about to teach his younger brother a lesson when He Wenhui came out with a basin.

"Wen Yuan, what were you talking about with Wen Da?"

"No, nothing!" He Wenyuan shielded He Wenda with his body and changed the subject, "Big sister, are you going to take a shower?"

"The weather is getting colder, so I'm going to wash my hair!" He Wenhui said.

He Wenyuan's eyes darted around, and he said, "Big sister, go wash your hair quickly, I'll keep watch outside for you!"

He Wenhui asked in surprise, "I'm just washing my hair, what's the big deal?"

The He family didn't have a dedicated bathroom or toilet. They would go to the kitchen to shower, close the doors and windows, draw the curtains, boil some water, and wash in a basin. It was especially inconvenient in winter.

"Big sister, I heard that someone in the next courtyard is being a pervert, specifically spying on people taking showers, and they still haven't caught him," He Wenyuan said.

"Really? I haven't heard of that." He Wenhui asked in confusion.

"Big sister, go ahead and wash your hair! I'll keep an eye on things outside." He Wenyuan pushed He Wenhui into the kitchen and thoughtfully closed the door for her.

Although He Wenhui found it strange, she didn't think much of it and started boiling water to wash her hair.

After closing the door, He Wenyuan immediately said to He Wenda, "Wenda, go to Old Liu's house again!"

He Wenda asked, puzzled, "Why?"

He Wenyuan found paper and pen, wrote a small note, folded it, and stuffed it into He Wenda's hand.

"Deliver this note to Old Liu and tell him that your older sister sent you!" He Wenyuan instructed. "If you can't do it, I'll beat you up when you get back!"

Seeing his second sister's expression, He Wenda knew she wasn't joking, and he quickly ran next door in fright.

When Wang Gang saw He Wenda run back, he thought he wanted to eat meat again.

"The braised pork is all gone! There's none left."

He Wenda nervously stuffed the note into Wang Gang's hand and said, "This is from your older sister."

Wang Gang was stunned for a moment, and He Wenda quickly turned around and ran away.

"How bizarre?" Wang Gang opened the note and his eyes narrowed instantly! (End of Chapter)