Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Xu Damao spoke with a smug look on his face, as if he had already got Lou Xiao'e figured out.

Zhang Dabiao looked down at his groin: "How's it going?"

Xu Damao said smugly, "I had a check-up. The number of babies is a bit less than normal, but the quality is okay. It won't delay having children!"

"I really have to thank you for growing chives here. You have no idea, I've become wary of eating chives lately, the smell is so strong..."

"Okay, okay, I believe you, just don't talk back to me!" Zhang Dabiao suddenly jumped two meters away, and the smell was really strong...

"What about Yan Jiecheng? Is he better too?"

Xu Damao nodded: "We went to investigate together. My condition is similar to mine, but slightly worse. I need to supplement my nutrition."

"He's even worse off than me. To save money, he eats the chives we grow ourselves every day, they're practically his staple food. His poop is even greenish-yellow..."

Zhang Dabiao snapped, like a cat with its fur standing on end: "Get lost! Why are you telling me this during mealtime?!"

"Go do whatever you want! Get out of here!"

Damn it, Xu Damao is a heartless bastard! Tonight, Qin Jingru was frying chive pancakes, and Zhang Dabiao took them out of the refrigerator in their "little nest." How can anyone eat this?!

Xu Damao ran off like a sly fox, saying, "It's a deal! You're not allowed to make a move on Xiao'e!"

"You can't mess with your brother's wife! If you ruin my plans, I'll never forgive you!"

"Get me some chocolate, milk candy, tea, or something. I'll go find it in your kitchen myself!"

After saying that, he went to the large wooden cabinet in the side kitchen and started looking for things. Zhang Dabiao usually kept some things there. These things were given as gifts, which was considered to be the icing on the cake. Lou Xiao'e loved to eat them.

Zhang Dabiao shook his head: "Damn it—"

He didn't know what to say anymore. Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e were all wrapped up together again... But could it work out?

Whether it succeeds or not is none of my business.

But Xu Damao's arrogant and smug demeanor caught Sha Zhu's attention. Sha Zhu overheard it but didn't take it too seriously.

During dinner, he cooked for the deaf old lady and casually said a few words.

What was said in jest was taken to heart by the deaf old woman.

Sha Zhuzi cooked for her, but he didn't have money to buy good ingredients. However, Lou Xiao'e was the daughter of a big capitalist. If she married Sha Zhuzi, she would never lack food or drink in her old age.

Lou Xiao'e, that girl, had visited the courtyard several times. The deaf old lady thought the girl was very easy to fool.

Why should she marry a scoundrel like Xu Damao?

So she had an idea, and she understood what Zhang Dabiao had said about him instigating Lou Xiao'e to divorce Xu Damao and also trying to match Lou Xiao'e with Sha Zhu.

Of course she'd do it!

But—could it be that Zhang Bansian (a fortune teller) had already foreseen all of this?

The old deaf woman didn't care much about these things. Anyway, Zhang Banxian was already dead, so her current goal was to help Lou Xiao'e marry Sha Zhu.

Moreover, she knew Lou Bancheng and could exchange a few words with him.

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu asked, "Grandma, is this really going to work?"

"Besides, Xu Damao is going to propose marriage tomorrow, and we're going to run into him... isn't that a bit unfair?"

The old deaf man's voice rose, becoming shrill: "Silly Zhuzi, if that scoundrel Xu Damao can propose marriage, why can't you, the proper successor of the Tan family cuisine, do the same?"

"Are you worse than Xu Damao or something?"

"Besides, Lou Xiao'e's mother, Lou Tanshi, is a genuine successor of the Tan family cuisine; you even have to address her as your 'aunt-master'!"

"Speaking of which, you, Lou Xiao'e, and Lou Tanshi are the real family, rightfully so!"

"Who does Xu Damao think he is?!"

Sha Zhu thought about it and realized that what he said made sense, but since he hadn't had that much of a conflict with Xu Damao recently, he still felt that what he had done was not fair.

"Grandma, what you say makes sense. Xu Damao isn't a good person, but we should only make a move if someone else's marriage proposal falls through, right?"

"Otherwise, what would I become?"

"Actually, I don't have any feelings for Lou Xiao'e."

Sha Zhu continued cooking while talking, which made the old deaf man so angry that he kept slapping him on the back.

"Hey, you silly Zhuzi, if you don't fight for this, you'll lose your wife!"

"No matter what, Lou Xiao'e is your junior sister. Xu Damao can't have children. If things go smoothly, wouldn't that be harming your junior sister?"

"Would you want to watch your junior sister fall into a fire pit?"

"Do you want to see Xu Damao smugly showing off his new wife in front of you? If he gets married, you'll be the only bachelor over 20 in our neighborhood!"

Other fools might still have some sense of morality, but the thought of Xu Damao flaunting his wife in front of him, while he himself remained a bachelor—

"That's impossible!"

"Go! Grandma, we're going tomorrow too! We have to at least ruin Xu Damao's marriage!"

Sha Zhu made up his mind. He had no objection to other people getting married, but what about Xu Damao?

That must be placed after me!

Of course, the deaf old lady instructed Sha Zhu not to tell anyone about this, not even He Yushui and Yi Zhonghai. Sha Zhu thought it was to keep Xu Damao and Zhang Dabiao away, so he agreed.

He hadn't taken it particularly seriously; he just wanted to sabotage Xu Damao's marriage proposal.

------------

So the next afternoon, Chen Ma (Xu Damao's mother) took Xu Damao, and the old deaf man took Sha Zhu, who had been dressed up, and they all went to the Lou family to propose marriage, carrying gifts.

In the Lou family's living room, Lou Bancheng and Tan Yali sat together, looking at the four people opposite them, all feeling a little awkward.

Chen Ma had worked for their family for decades, so she knew them well and wasn't considered an outsider.

Sha Zhu is actually Tan Yali's junior apprentice, so he's not exactly an outsider.

This is so awkward...

Xu Damao and Shazhu stared at each other with their bull-like eyes, neither willing to concede to the other.

The most crucial issue is that Lou Xiao'e wasn't home; instead, she brought Zhang Dabiao back to the Lou family home from outside.

Lou Bancheng told her before she left today that she had something to give to Zhang Dabiao and that he should come and get it himself. So she went to find Zhang Dabiao after get off work and came over together.

Xu Damao jumped to his feet, his finger trembling as he pointed at Zhang Dabiao: "Dabiao, that's not fair of you!"

"You're going back on your word from yesterday? You said you and Lou Xiao'e weren't a good match! I confirmed that with you before proposing!"

"I……"

"Don't say anything, I'll just pretend I was blind and mistook you for my brother!"

"Wait a minute..."

"Mom, let's go. Let's not talk about this marriage anymore!"

"Da Mao..."

"Da Biao, although you have been disloyal to me, I, Xu Damao, still wish you and Lou Xiao'e happiness, a long and happy marriage, and many children..."

"Shut the hell up!"

Zhang Dabiao couldn't hold back any longer and slapped him across the face.

"Huh?!"

"Goose, goose, goose, goose—"

Xu Damao was slapped onto the sofa by Zhang Dabiao, while Lou Xiao'e giggled foolishly beside him.

Zhang Dabiao was at a loss: "Xu Damao, can you...can you wait until I finish speaking?"

"Uncle Lou asked me to come here today because he has something to discuss. I didn't bring any gifts, and I'm not here to propose marriage!"

"real?"