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

Cheng Shuhai looked up at him, then laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

"Uncle Yan, that's an interesting question."

"Aunt Jia didn't give me a single penny, so why should I prepare a banquet for her?"

"I run a business, not a charity. Besides, I didn't agree to her agreement yesterday!"

Cheng Shuhai put down his bowl and said slowly.

Yan Bugui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard this.

He even privately discussed with his wife that Cheng Shuhai was definitely going to be ripped off by Jia Zhangshi this time, leaving him with nothing.

And what happened? They weren't fooled at all!

He was just pitiful. He had specifically asked his wife not to cook dinner so that he could have a big meal today and eat his way back the money he had given as a gift.

Now it seems like I wasted a whole night going hungry!

Yan Bugui was filled with regret, but at the same time he admired Cheng Shuhai immensely.

He gave Cheng Shuhai a thumbs up, said nothing, and turned to run towards the courtyard house.

Inside the courtyard, Madam Jia was anxiously waiting. Seeing Yan Bugui return empty-handed, she hurriedly went to greet him and asked, "Old Yan, where are the vegetables? Where's that boy from the Cheng family?"

Yan Bugui stopped, took a breath, and looked at Jia Zhangshi, who was looking at him expectantly, with an indescribable expression on his face.

He didn't answer directly, but simply said, "Sister-in-law Jia, you should... go and try the small restaurant yourself."

The moment those words were spoken, the joyous atmosphere in the courtyard froze instantly.

Everyone wore expressions of confusion, and they all felt that something serious must have happened.

Madam Jia looked puzzled; she couldn't understand what could have happened.

Filled with doubt, she stormed out of the yard.

The people in the courtyard looked at each other, and finally, unable to contain their curiosity, they all followed suit.

Having just finished the wedding ceremony, Qin Huairu, still wearing her new clothes, had lost all color in her face. She looked at Jia Dongxu beside her with concern.

Jia Dongxu's heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of foreboding surged into his mind.

He felt that he was probably ruined by his own mother!

Jia Zhangshi took the lead, walking aggressively at the very front.

She was furious. What on earth was Cheng Shuhai up to? She'd agreed to have him serve the food, but instead, he sent Yan Laoxi to tell her to come over? He was putting on airs!

A large group of people stormed into the small restaurant at the alley entrance.

Cheng Shuhai had already heard the commotion outside. He put down his work, took his sister Cheng Ling'er's hand, and stood leisurely at the door, waiting for them.

"Here they come, the main character has finally arrived," Cheng Shuhai thought to himself. "Today is perfect. I'll establish the rules in front of the entire hospital, so that no one will try to take advantage of me in the future."

When Jia Zhangshi saw Cheng Shuhai's leisurely demeanor, her anger flared up instantly.

She rushed to Cheng Shuhai in three steps, her finger almost poking his nose.

"Cheng Shuhai! What do you mean by this!" she shrieked. "Where's the banquet I asked you to prepare? Where are the dishes? Where's the meat? Today is my son's big day, and you dare to abandon me? What are you trying to do?!"

Her voice was high-pitched and loud, instantly attracting the attention of passersby. Many people stopped and looked over curiously.

Cheng Shuhai remained completely calm in the face of her questioning, without even lifting his eyelids.

He gently pulled his sister behind him to prevent her from being sprayed with Jia Zhangshi's spittle.

Then, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice not loud, but his enunciation was clear enough for everyone present to hear him clearly.

"Aunt Jia, that's a really strange question."

"When did I agree to host a banquet for your family? Besides, even if I did agree, where's the money?"

"Did you pay?"

Cheng Shuhai said in a calm tone.

He looked at Jia Zhangshi and asked, enunciating each word clearly, "You haven't given me a single penny, yet you expect me to prepare ten lavish meals for you. Do you think there's such a good thing in the world?"

As soon as Cheng Shuhai said this, everyone in the courtyard looked at Jia Zhangshi with schadenfreude.

She retorted angrily, "Didn't I tell you yesterday? I told you to do it first, and I'd give it to you after I collected the money! How can you be so stubborn! You have no human touch at all!"

"Aunt Jia, I run a restaurant, not a charity."

"I buy rice, noodles, meat, and vegetables—everything costs money! If you cover all my capital for this small business, how am I supposed to survive?"

"Besides, I didn't agree to a single word you said yesterday. You were the one who ran away right after you finished speaking, and I didn't even have a chance to refuse."

Cheng Shuhai laughed, but his laughter was somewhat cold.

His words were so reasonable and well-organized that Jia Zhangshi was speechless, her mouth agape for a long time.

"Yesterday I was thinking Cheng Shuhai was going to get screwed over by Jia Zhangshi this time, but who knew the kid wouldn't take the bait!"

"Yes, it seems this lad does have some discernment; he knows Jia Zhangshi is unreliable!"

"The Jia family is going to lose face big time this time!"

Everyone's eyes were filled with schadenfreude at that moment.

Standing in the crowd, Jia Dongxu felt his head buzzing and his face burning. He finally understood why he had felt uneasy from the very beginning.

It turns out that my own mother came up with such a terrible idea in order to save money!

Today was supposed to be his wedding day! Now look what happened, the banquet is over, and he's completely humiliated!

Qin Huairu, who was standing next to him, had her head bowed low, and her eyes were red.

On her very first day of marriage, she encountered something like this. How will she ever be able to hold her head high in the courtyard again?

Seeing that the situation was about to get out of control, Yi Zhonghai felt he had to step forward.

He coughed twice, parted the crowd, walked to the middle, and adopted a serious and earnest expression.

"Shuhai," he said gently, looking at Cheng Shuhai, "Look, today is Dongxu's big day, and so many neighbors are waiting to celebrate. Is there some misunderstanding? We all live in the same courtyard, we see each other all the time, don't let such a small thing ruin our harmony."

His words sounded like he was trying to mediate, but in reality, he was taking sides. The implication was that Cheng Shuhai should consider the bigger picture and deal with the situation first.

Cheng Shuhai knew exactly what was going on.

This Yi Zhonghai wants to pretend to be a good person, but doesn't want to spend a single penny of his own money; he's a typical hypocrite.

Cheng Shuhai looked at Yi Zhonghai and sneered inwardly.

That old man, he's starting to try and smooth things over again.

"Uncle Yi, you make it sound so easy."

"Warn our relationship? I'm just running my business honestly. Aunt Jia wants me to host ten tables without paying a single penny. When she tried to take advantage of me, did she never think about how it would damage our relationship?"

Cheng Shuhai's tone remained calm, but his eyes sharpened.

"Now that things have gone wrong, you want me to consider the bigger picture? I won't consider the bigger picture!"

"I'll say it again: pay me, and I'll start firing. No money, nobody gets a single scallion from me!"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand again, looking directly at Yi Zhonghai without backing down.

Yi Zhonghai was speechless, his face turning pale and then red. He hadn't expected that this young man, Cheng Shuhai, would be so disrespectful, retorting to him in front of the entire hospital.

"You silly child..."

The neighbors who had originally wanted to join in the commotion in the courtyard all wisely kept quiet when they saw Cheng Shuhai's "money-grubbing" attitude.

Getting them to talk is fine, but actually getting them to spend money is worse than killing them.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Standing in the crowd, Jia Dongxu felt a burning sensation on his face, as if he had been slapped hard several times.

Looking at his newlywed wife Qin Huairu's pale and helpless face, he could no longer hold back.

He strode up to Jia Zhangshi, suppressing his anger, and growled, "Mom! Give me the money!"

This cry was filled with endless resentment and shame.

Madam Jia was already in the wrong, and when her son yelled at her like that, she immediately felt embarrassed.

Her initial guilt was instantly replaced by boundless anger and resentment.

"Well, Jia Dongxu! You ungrateful wretch who forgets his mother after marrying a wife!"

Jia Zhangshi slapped her thigh suddenly, and then sat down on the ground with a "thump".

She began to wail and cry, pounding the ground as she sobbed and muttering incantations.

"What have I done to deserve this?! I raised you with such difficulty, helped you find a wife, and now you're yelling at your own mother for the sake of some stranger!"

"Old Jia! Open your eyes and look! How your son is bullying me, a widow and orphan! I can't live like this! I can't live anymore!"

Jia Zhangshi's cries were shrill and piercing, and her skill in throwing a tantrum showed that she was a seasoned pro.