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

It was four o'clock in the afternoon when Zhao Shufen brought food to the deaf old lady's house. The old lady glanced at the dishes on the table and asked, "A new person has come to the courtyard?!"

"Yes!" Zhao Shufen habitually sat down opposite the deaf old lady and continued, "The man's name is Cheng Yaojin, and the woman's name is You Jing. The man is a postman. I think that couple is quite honest; they look like hardworking people."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart! You'll only know if they're honest after a while." With that, the deaf old lady picked up a steamed bun made from two kinds of dough, took a bite, chewed it twice, swallowed it, and then said, "Shufen, I haven't had Tianfuhao's braised pork knuckle in a long time. Come to my place tomorrow morning to get some money to buy some."

"Okay! I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow and then go buy some more. Grandma, please eat yours, and leave the bowl when you're done; I'll come pick it up tomorrow morning. I'll be going now."

"Hmm!" The deaf old lady nodded slightly.

Near the end of the workday, a batch of urgent work came in from the steel rolling mill. Yi Zhonghai worked overtime for almost two hours to finish the parts. A little after 7 p.m., Yi Zhonghai left the factory. However, instead of rushing home, he took a detour to Chuanban Hutong.

Upon arriving at the door of No. 13 Chuanban Hutong, Yi Zhonghai cautiously looked to his left and right before knocking. After a short while, the door opened. A middle-aged man with a hooked nose appeared before Yi Zhonghai. The man asked, "Who are you looking for?!"

Yi Zhonghai asked, "Does Jiao Laosan live here?!"

The middle-aged man sized up Yi Zhonghai and asked, "What do you want with him?!"

Yi Zhonghai took out a bookmark and said, "The old lady who lives in No. 95 Nanluoguxiang asked me to come and find him."

"Come in!" The middle-aged man stepped aside, letting Yi Zhonghai in. He glanced outside, then closed the door and said, "I'm Jiao Laosan. How is the old lady?!"

Yi Zhonghai replied, "The old lady is quite nice!" Then, he changed the subject and got straight to the point: "I came to see you today because I want you to help me deal with someone."

Jiao Laosan asked, "Who is it?!"

Yi Zhonghai replied, "A boy who lives in the main house of the central courtyard of No. 95."

Jiao Laosan considered for a moment and said, "For the old lady's sake, two small yellow croakers. Pay one as a deposit first. The other half will be paid after the deal is done. The day after tomorrow morning, I'll go to the gate of No. 95 courtyard, and you can point me to someone. You don't need to worry about the rest."

"Alright!" Yi Zhonghai was already prepared and took out a small yellow croaker from his pocket and handed it to Jiao Laosan.

"Great!" Jiao Laosan took the small yellow croaker, bit it with his teeth, and put it in his pocket.

After Yi Zhonghai left, a burly man came out of the main room: "Third brother, what job have you gotten this time?!"

Jiao Laosan replied, "To do a dirty job." He then added, "The old lady introduced me."

The burly man cautioned, "Third brother, things are different now than before. Take it easy when you're doing this. Don't end up getting yourself into trouble."

Jiao Laosan sized up Da Kui and asked, "Da Kui, when did you become so timid?!"

Da Kui chuckled, "Third brother, it's not that I've become timid. It's just that I'm pragmatic. Tiger from the front gate got himself into trouble while doing dirty work for someone. I don't want you to have the life to make money but not the life to spend it."

Jiao Laosan handed the bookmark in his hand to Da Kui and said, "To be honest, I didn't want to take this job either. But what can I do? I already owe them a favor! After this, I feel like I've repaid that favor."

Da Kui sighed, patted Jiao Laosan on the shoulder, and asked, "Do you need my help?!"

Jiao Laosan said, "I can handle this, so you don't need to dirty your hands."

Yi Zhonghai returned home at eight o'clock in the evening. Seeing him return, Zhao Shufen immediately brought the food that had been warming on the stove to the table. Yi Zhonghai wiped his face, walked to the table, sat down, and asked, "What happened in the courtyard today?"

Zhao Shufen said, "We have new residents in our compound today. It's a young couple. They live next door to the deaf old lady."

Yi Zhonghai frowned slightly, then asked, "Do you know where this newcomer comes from?!"

Zhao Shufen said, "I don't know the specifics of his background. I only know that the man works at the post office."

"Oh!" Yi Zhonghai responded, not taking it too seriously. However, remembering that the lights were off in He Yuzhu's house when he came in, he asked, "Is He Yuzhu not home today?!"

Zhao Shufen said, "The brother and sister left early this morning. They haven't come back yet." Then she asked, "Do you think they might have gone to Baocheng to look for He Daqing?!"

Upon hearing the name "He Daqing," Yi Zhonghai, who was eating, instantly lost his appetite. With a cold face, he said, "Why are you asking about He Daqing out of the blue?!"

Zhao Shufen said, "I was just saying."

"Hmm!" Yi Zhonghai responded and continued eating.

Because of the graduation banquet tomorrow, many dishes needed to be prepared in advance, so He Yuzhu and He Yushui stayed at their master He Yuzhu's house tonight and didn't return to courtyard number 95. The next morning, just as dawn broke, He Yuzhu got up early and started preparing. Tian Zhenyue, smelling the aroma of the food, walked into the kitchen, looked at He Yuzhu working diligently, nodded with satisfaction, and said, "Zhuzi, you're up really early!!"

"Master!" He Yuzhu exclaimed, "I've been so excited all night because of the graduation banquet today."

After listening to He Yuzhu's words, Tian Zhenyue unconsciously recalled the scene of his own graduation from his apprenticeship and said, "Zhuzi, whether you can gain a foothold in this industry in the future depends on today. Don't put pressure on yourself. Just show your true skills."

He Yuzhu nodded emphatically and said, "Master, don't worry! I definitely won't let you down. Breakfast is ready. Shall I take it to the main room for you, or would you like to eat here?"

Tian Zhenyue said, "Let's do it here! We can have a good chat, master and apprentice!"

"Hey!" He Yuzhu responded, scooping up a bowl of fresh tofu pudding and a basket of sesame seed cakes and placing them on the table in front of Tian Zhenyue.

Tian Zhenyue picked up a sesame seed cake, took a bite, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "I didn't expect you to have this skill!!"

He then quickly finished a sesame seed cake, drank some tofu pudding, and asked, "Zhu Zi, you really don't plan to let me help you find a job?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Master, you don't need to worry about me. I know what I'm doing. A few days ago, I took Yushui to see my uncle's superior. I learned from him that my uncle had sacrificed his life. With my uncle's status as a martyr, I think the higher-ups will arrange a job for me."