The Courtyard House: The story begins with He Yuzhu beating up the White Widow.

"That makes sense!" Yan Bugui thought for a moment and agreed, secretly relieved that he hadn't followed Jia Zhangshi to He Yuzhu's house to take things.

In the blink of an eye, another half hour had passed. He Yuzhu started preparing dinner when Yi Zhonghai and his wife returned from outside. Yan Bugui saw Yi Zhonghai and asked with a smile, "Old Yi, you're back?! Are you alright?!"

Yi Zhonghai replied, "I'm fine!"

"It's good that you're alright!" Yan Bugui echoed, then asked, "When is Jia Zhangshi coming back?!"

Just as Yi Zhonghai was about to speak, Zhao Shufen blocked his way, saying, "How would we know?! Old Yan, if you want to know, go to the police station and ask them yourself." With that, Zhao Shufen led Yi Zhonghai past Yan Bugui.

After He Yuzhu left, Officer Zhao interrogated Yi Zhonghai again. Yi Zhonghai still stubbornly refused to speak. Finally, having no other option, Officer Zhao used a powerful memory restoration technique on Yi Zhonghai. Surprisingly, Yi Zhonghai still managed to pull through. When Zhao Shufen went to the police station to inquire, Yi Zhonghai had just been released. So the two of them went straight back.

"Rain! Dinner's ready!" He Yuzhu brought the prepared food to the table. He Yushui ran to the table, looked at the dishes, and a bright smile appeared on her face. She asked, "Brother, am I dreaming?!"

He Yuzhu pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "Twist yourself a little and see if it hurts!"

He Yushui rolled her eyes at He Yuzhu and said, "I'm not stupid!!"

"There wasn't enough time today, so I didn't make any steamed buns. Let's have rice instead." He Yuzhu said, scooping a bowl of rice for He Yushui and thoughtfully pouring braised pork gravy over it.

The aroma of meat from He Yuzhu's house wafted out through the cracks in the door and windows, slowly spreading into the yard. Jia Dongxu, who was at home eating a cold cornbread, smelled the aroma and immediately felt annoyed. He muttered, "Silly Zhu, you just wait! I'll make you regret what you did today!" Then, Jia Dongxu mistook the cornbread in his hand for He Yuzhu's and took a vicious bite.

After dinner, He Yuzhu, carrying cigarettes, alcohol, and snacks he'd bought from the department store, went out with He Yushui. The siblings had just reached the front yard when Yan Bugui blocked their way. Yan Bugui asked, "Zhuzi, where are you two going so late?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Teacher Yan, I'm taking Yushui to my father's sworn brother's place. We might be back late tonight, so please remember to leave the door open for us siblings."

Yan Bugui replied with a smile, "Sure! I'll give you an extra hour. Lock it up at nine o'clock tonight."

"Thank you, Teacher Yan!" After saying that, He Yuzhu left with He Yushui.

When Yan Bugui returned home, Yang Ruihua asked, "Old Yan, did He Yuzhu really go to his father's sworn brother's place?!"

Yan Bugui replied with a smile, "How could that be?! I reckon He Yuzhu went to his master's place."

Yang Ruihua said, "He Yuzhu's master came to our courtyard a while ago. However, he was turned away by Yi Zhonghai's wife and Jia Zhangshi. I heard them tell He Yuzhu's master that because He Daqing abandoned him and his siblings, He Yuzhu dislikes anyone related to his father and refuses to learn cooking from him anymore."

"Well, well! They're trying to tear apart a master and apprentice. Now look what's happened! If He Yuzhu really goes to his master's place, that kid will definitely come back to cause trouble. The Central Court will have something fun to watch now." After saying that, Yan Bugui picked up his cup, took a sip of the tasteless tea, and a bright smile appeared on his face.

Half an hour later, He Yuzhu led He Yushui into the alley where their master's house was located. He Yuzhu saw the middle-aged man walking ahead and excitedly called out, "Master!"

Hearing He Yuzhu's shout, Tian Zhenyue thought he was hallucinating and continued walking. When the second shout reached his ears, Tian Zhenyue realized he hadn't misheard. He turned around and saw He Yuzhu and her brother walking quickly towards him. Tian Zhenyue deliberately put on a stern face and demanded, "What are you doing here?!"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, then walked up to Tian Zhenyue and said, "Master, I know it was my fault for not asking for leave for more than a month. But something happened at home, and I had no choice."

Tian Zhenyue said, "Something happened at home, couldn't you have told me?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "Master, isn't this the first time we've encountered something like this?!"

Tian Zhenyue stared at He Yuzhu for a while, then said, "Come home with me and we'll talk!"

"Oh!" He Yuzhu responded, and led He Yushui to Tian Zhenyue's house.

About five or six minutes later, Tian Zhenyue returned home with He Yuzhu and his sister. As soon as they entered the yard, Tian Zhenyue called out, "Old woman, look who's here?!"

Tian Zhenyue's wife, Xi Juan, came out of the main room. Seeing He Yuzhu and his sister following behind her husband, a bright smile immediately appeared on her face. She said, "You two children have finally arrived!"

"Master's wife!" He Yuzhu called out respectfully.

Xi Juan said, "Don't stand at the door, come inside!"

"Yes!" He Yuzhu responded, leading He Yushui into the main room. He Yuzhu placed the things he was carrying on the table and said, "Master and Mistress, this is a small token of our appreciation from Yushui and me. Please accept it!"

Tian Zhenyue glared at He Yuzhu and said, "You're having a tough time right now, why waste this money?! Take it back with you when you leave!"

He Yuzhu replied, "Master, how can you bring back something you've given away?! I used to be short of money, but I made a small fortune when I came back this time. I'm not short of money now."

Tian Zhenyue gestured for his wife to sit down, then motioned for He Yuzhu and his sister to sit as well, saying, "Tell me, what exactly happened?!"

He Yuzhu didn't dare to hide anything and recounted the whole story to his master and mistress. After listening to He Yuzhu's account, Xi Juan pulled He Yushui into her arms and said, "That He Daqing is truly a scoundrel!"

Tian Zhenyue sighed and asked, "Zhu Zi, what are your plans for the future?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Master, I know we can't go back to Taifeng Restaurant. But I still want to learn cooking from you."

Xi Juan said, "Master, why don't you go to the shop and ask the manager tomorrow?"

Tian Zhenyue sighed and said, "Affected by the labor dispute at Fengzeyuan, the manager is now trying to lay off people. Taifenglou's pillar is definitely not going back."

Xi Juan said, "Even if we can't go back to Taifeng Restaurant, we still need to find a way for Zhuzi to make a living!"

After a moment's thought, Tian Zhenyue said, "Zhu Zi, go to the kitchen and cook two dishes. We'll have a drink together."

"Yes!" He Yuzhu responded and immediately ran to the kitchen.