Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they bumped into Jia Zhangshi, who was pulling up her trousers and heading to the public toilet.

"Shuhai, let me tell you, you can't make tomorrow's banquet too meager!"

"The vegetables must be firm, and there must be plenty of meat. We absolutely cannot lose face for the Jia family, do you hear me?"

As soon as Jia Zhangshi saw Cheng Shuhai, she immediately stopped and put on an air of superiority, speaking in a condescending manner.

Cheng Shuhai almost laughed in exasperation at her matter-of-fact tone.

He stretched out his hand again, saying expressionlessly, "Fine, then give me the money. How am I supposed to buy you meat and vegetables if I don't have any?"

"Money, money, money! All you ever think about is money!" Upon hearing the word "money," Jia Zhangshi's face immediately changed. She clutched her stomach and cried out, "Ouch, my stomach can't take it anymore! I have to go to the toilet!"

After saying that, he ran off again in a flash, at a speed that didn't seem like he had an upset stomach at all.

Cheng Ling'er tugged at Cheng Shuhai's sleeve, looked up at him with worried eyes, and asked, "Big brother, are we really going to cook for that Aunt Jia? I don't think she's a good person."

Cheng Shuhai ruffled his sister's hair and said with a smile, "Ling'er, don't worry, your big brother didn't agree to her request. She didn't give her a single penny, so I'm not going to help her family for nothing. We'll leave her alone."

He happily took his sister home.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was the next day.

Cheng Shuhai got up early in the morning, boiled an egg for his sister, drank a bowl of porridge himself, and then carried a basin to the yard to wash up.

The Intermediate Court was already bustling with activity.

Jia Dongxu borrowed a shiny Forever brand bicycle from somewhere, with a big red flower tied to the handlebars, and was full of high spirits as he prepared to pick up his bride.

Adults and children in the yard all gathered around.

"Wow, Dongxu looks so energetic today!"

"That bicycle is really impressive!"

Several little kids were chasing and playing around the bicycle, their faces full of envy.

Jia Dongxu greeted his mother, Jia Zhangshi, and amidst a chorus of congratulations, he rode his bicycle with high spirits toward Qin Huairu's family home.

As soon as the person left, Jia Zhangshi became the focus of the entire event.

With her hands on her hips and a radiant smile, she boasted to the people in the courtyard, "Look at my son, how successful he is! He's the first young man in our courtyard to pick up his wife on a bicycle!"

"Brother Cheng, are you really going to cook for the Jia family?"

"Let me tell you, Jia Zhangshi is incredibly stingy. Don't get yourself into trouble this time."

Xu Damao also moved closer to Cheng Shuhai, nudged him with his elbow, and asked in a low voice with a wink.

Cheng Shuhai glanced back at him and said calmly, "I didn't agree to that."

After saying that, he turned around and went home, preparing to take his sister to a restaurant.

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao was taken aback at first, but then his eyes lit up instantly.

He realized that the Jia family was about to suffer a tremendous loss of face this time!

He was overjoyed and eagerly anticipated what would happen next.

Cheng Shuhai didn't take the matter to heart at all and leisurely took his sister to a small restaurant.

Inside the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai watched Cheng Shuhai's unhurried departure and began to have some doubts.

"Old woman, isn't this strange?" he said to his wife, Tan Zhaodi, who was beside him. "Didn't Sister-in-law Jia say that Cheng Shuhai would host the banquet? Look at him, he's not in a hurry at all. Is there still time?"

Tan Zhaodi nodded with a puzzled look. "Yeah, Lao Yi, I also feel something's off. Could something... go wrong?"

Yi Zhonghai felt increasingly uneasy, and as Jia Dongxu's mentor, he felt it necessary to find out the truth.

So he walked up to Jia Zhangshi and asked, "Sister-in-law Jia, have you arranged everything for the banquet?"

His question drew the attention of everyone else in the courtyard.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Jia Zhangshi. After all, this was about whether their monetary gifts were worthwhile. If the banquet was poorly organized, they would lose a lot of money.

As everyone watched, Jia Zhangshi's vanity was greatly satisfied.

She patted her chest confidently and announced loudly, "Don't worry! Everything's arranged! I spoke with that Cheng boy yesterday and told him to get ready! Everyone, just wait for the feast!"

Hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's good, that's good."

"Cheng Shuhai's cooking skills are really good. Last time I passed by his restaurant, the aroma made my mouth water."

"Yes, don't let her young age fool you, her wok-flipping skills are quite impressive."

Everyone started talking at once, praising Cheng Shuhai's culinary skills and looking forward to the lunch banquet.

Xu Damao stood on the outskirts of the crowd, looking at everyone's expectant faces, and could hardly hide the smile in his eyes.

His father, Xu Fugui, found it strange to see his son like this, so he pulled him aside to ask what was wrong. Xu Damao quietly told his father that Cheng Shuhai hadn't agreed to cook.

Xu Fugui's face was filled with surprise after hearing this.

He thought about how Jia Zhangshi usually made a scene in the courtyard and how she bullied his family. He felt a surge of pleasure at watching the show and quietly returned to the crowd.

Jia Zhangshi had no idea that she had been tricked by Cheng Shuhai. She was still enthusiastically directing the neighbors to set up tables and benches in the courtyard, as if everything was ready except for the start of the feast.

Time passed by, and several hours later, amidst cheers of "The bride is back!", Jia Dongxu rode his bicycle, carrying Qin Huairu, who was dressed in red, back to the courtyard house in high spirits.

The young people in the courtyard stared at the beautiful Qin Huairu with wide eyes, filled with envy.

The older women, on the other hand, were more concerned with practical matters, craning their necks and eagerly anticipating when the feast would begin.

Madam Jia looked at her son and daughter-in-law, her face beaming with joy. She cleared her throat and called out loudly to the people in the courtyard, "Hey, could any of you please go to the restaurant at the end of the alley and tell the Cheng family boy that the food is ready to be served!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Bugui, who was only thinking about taking advantage, immediately raised his hand, "I'll go! I'll go!"

He rushed ahead of everyone else, taking small, quick steps as he ran out of the courtyard.

When he excitedly ran to the entrance of the small restaurant, he was completely dumbfounded.

The bustling scene in the kitchen, filled with the aroma of food, that I had imagined, did not materialize at all.

The small restaurant was deserted; apart from two customers drinking and eating peanuts, there was no other noise.

The so-called ten-table feast didn't even have a single vegetable leaf in sight.

Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat. He quickly walked to Cheng Shuhai, who was wiping dishes behind the counter, and asked in a low voice, "Xiao Cheng, what... what's going on? Didn't you prepare for the Jia family's banquet?"