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

He Yuzhu smelled the aroma of rice wafting in the air and said with a smile, "Isn't there going to be a war? Come on! I'll take you there and you'll see." With that, He Yuzhu led He Yushui toward a place where a crowd had gathered not far away.

Squeezing through the crowd, He Yushui looked at the object in front of her and asked curiously, "Brother, what's this?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "This is popcorn." Then he asked, "Do you want some?!"

He Yushui nodded first, then shook her head. He Yuzhu knew what He Yushui was thinking, so he didn't say anything more. He pretended to reach into his bag, but actually sent his divine sense into his spatial storage. He took out half a jin of rice and half a jin of corn from the container of rice and corn in his storage space and put them into two small cloth bags. He Yuzhu took out the cloth bags containing the rice and corn and handed them to He Yushui, saying, "Go and pop them!"

He Yushui was stunned for a few seconds, then took the cloth bag from He Yuzhu's hand and ran towards the popcorn vendor with a smile.

The stall owner took the cloth bag from He Yushui, weighed it on a scale, and asked, "Do you want it sweet?!"

He Yushui turned to look at He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu walked up to the stall owner and said, "I want it sweet!"

The stall owner said, "Sweet ones, 25 cents."

He Yuzhu took out some money and handed it over, saying, "Master, add more saccharin tablets."

"Got it!" the vendor replied, and started adding ingredients to the popcorn machine. Then he locked the lid, placed the popcorn machine on the stove, and started turning it on.

After about five minutes, the pressure gauge needle reached approximately the correct position. The vendor stopped turning the popcorn machine, stood up, and stuffed it into a cloth bag. Then he stood up again and shouted, "Bang!" A loud "pop" followed, and the popped popcorn flew into the bag like cannonballs. The vendor poured the popcorn from the bag into a bamboo pineapple and shook it.

He Yuzhu took out a clean cloth bag and handed it to He Yushui. He Yushui opened the bag and placed the opening under the winnowing basket. The stall owner poured the popcorn from the winnowing basket into the bag and instructed, "Tie the bag tightly after it cools down."

"Thank you, Master!" He Yuzhu greeted them and led He Yushui home.

As they walked, He Yushui asked, "Brother, how do you eat this?!"

He Yuzhu said, "You can eat now. But don't eat too much. If you eat too much, you won't be able to eat any more later."

"I understand! I'll just try one." With that, He Yushui reached into the cloth bag, grabbed a handful of popcorn, and handed it to He Yuzhu, saying, "Brother, you eat first!"

He Yuzhu smiled and brought his mouth close to He Yushui's hand. He Yushui smiled and fed He Yuzhu the popcorn, looking at him expectantly and asking, "Brother, is it good?!"

He Yuzhu nodded and said, "It's delicious! You should try it!"

"Hey!" He Yushui couldn't wait to grab a small handful of popcorn and put it in her mouth. After chewing a couple of times, He Yushui was instantly overwhelmed by the aroma of the popcorn.

Seeing the change in He Yushui's expression, he said, "Didn't we buy a jar of maltose a few days ago?! When we get back, I'll make you something delicious with the maltose and popcorn."

It's estimated that He Yuzhu had made Yan Bugui withdraw into himself before leaving. Therefore, when He Yuzhu and his sister returned, neither Yan Bugui nor his wife stopped them. They passed through the front yard without incident. Back home, He Yuzhu put the vegetables on the table, then took out some snacks like melon seeds and peanuts, placed them in a fruit bowl, and said, "Yushui, play by yourself. Remember, don't run outside the yard alone."

"Okay!" He Yushui replied, then said, "Brother! I'm not going out. I'll stay home and read comic books."

Seeing that He Yushui had taken out a comic book, He Yuzhu stopped arguing and began to prepare the vegetables he had just bought.

Meanwhile, while He Yuzhu was busy washing the pig offal, Jia Dongxu got off the long-distance bus with the matchmaker. After leaving the main road, they walked for a short while before the matchmaker led Jia Dongxu into Qin Family Village.

Qin Huairu's house wasn't far from the village entrance, facing south, with seven rooms of varying sizes, all made of adobe. The matchmaker led Jia Dongxu to Qin Huairu's door and called out into the courtyard, "Is anyone home?!"

Hearing the call, Qin Huairu's mother, Zhao Lianxiang, came out of the house. Seeing the matchmaker, Li, Zhao Lianxiang greeted her with a smile, "Sister Li is here?! Come in quickly!" She then walked to the courtyard gate, opened it, and let Jia Dongxu and the matchmaker into the yard. Zhao Lianxiang looked Jia Dongxu over, a satisfied smile appearing on her face. She urged, "Come inside quickly!"

Upon entering the main room, Zhao Lianxiang called out to the inner room, "Master, Sister Li is here."

Qin Huairu's father, Qin Hongshan, came out from the inner room, glancing at Jia Dongxu as he greeted Matchmaker Li: "Sister Li, you're here?! Please have a seat!"

Matchmaker Li gave Jia Dongxu a wink. Jia Dongxu understood and said, "Uncle! Aunt! This is my first visit, so this is a small token of my appreciation." With that, Jia Dongxu placed the things he was carrying on the table.

Matchmaker Li said, "Brother Qin, this young man is Jia Dongxu. He's a well-known filial son in our area. He works at the steel rolling mill. He just got a permanent position a few days ago. His monthly salary is 25 yuan."

Qin Hongshan said, "The young man is quite handsome."

Jia Dongxu hurriedly said, "Uncle, I promise you. If Huairu marries me, I will definitely treat her well."

Qin Hongshan gave his wife a wink. Zhao Lianxiang understood and nodded slightly before going into the inner room. About ten minutes later, Zhao Lianxiang came out of the inner room. She walked to Qin Hongshan's side and whispered a few words in his ear. Qin Hongshan thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Old woman, it's getting late. Take Huairu to cook."

"Yes!" Zhao Lianxiang responded, called Qin Huairu out from the inner room, and then led Qin Huairu to the kitchen.

Qin Hongshan placed the pipe bowl into the cloth bag containing tobacco leaves, preparing to fill the pipe bowl with more tobacco. Jia Dongxu immediately took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and offered it to Qin Hongshan, saying, "Uncle, have a smoke!"

Qin Hongshan took the cigarette and put it in his mouth. Jia Dongxu immediately took out a matchbox, lit a match, marked his name, and handed it to Qin Hongshan. Qin Hongshan lit the cigarette, took two puffs, and said, "I'll call you Dongxu! Li Damei told me about your family situation. You're the only son in your family, so it's not realistic for you to separate from your mother. But my Huairu has taken a liking to you. We parents can't just break up a loving couple. But let me make this clear: if I find out your family treats Huairu badly, don't blame me for being impolite!"