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

Jia Dongxu patted his chest and solemnly promised, "Uncle, please rest assured! I will definitely treat Huai Ru well."

Qin Hongshan glanced at Jia Dongxu, tossed away his cigarette butt, and said, "I heard your promise. I've kept it in mind. I hope you won't let me down."

"Yes!" Jia Dongxu responded obediently.

Qin Hongshan continued, "Originally, our family only wanted a five-yuan bride price."

Before Qin Hongshan could finish speaking, Jia Dongxu interrupted, "Uncle, I promised Huairu ten yuan as a bride price. But I just thought about it, and ten yuan is still a bit too little. So, I'll add five more yuan." With that, in order to win the beauty's heart as soon as possible, Jia Dongxu quickly took out fifteen yuan from his pocket and put it on the table.

Qin Hongshan was quite satisfied that Jia Dongxu had taken the initiative to increase the dowry. However, Qin Hongshan did not expect that after Jia Zhangshi was released from prison, she would fly into a rage upon learning that her son had married a rural woman for a dowry of only fifteen yuan, and even caused a scene at the Qin family home. As a result, Qin Hongshan was branded as someone who had sold his daughter.

Qin Hongshan put away the money and said, "Dongxu, it's still early today. I'll go to the village to get the letter of introduction later. This afternoon, take Huairu to the city to get the marriage certificate. Then, find a time to marry her."

Upon hearing that he could get the marriage certificate today, Jia Dongxu's face immediately lit up with a bright smile. He said, "Uncle, my family doesn't have any elders right now. How about this?! We'll get the certificate today. I'll come here to pick you up early on the third day of the Lunar New Year. You can invite some elders and relatives to come back to the city with me. I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant as a wedding banquet for Huai Ru and me."

Qin Hongshan agreed to Jia Dongxu's suggestion without much thought.

After lunch, Qin Hongshan took Qin Huairu to the village head's house and obtained a letter of introduction. Then, he had Qin Huairu's older brother, Qin Huaidong, escort Jia Dongxu, Qin Huairu, and the matchmaker, Li, to the main road. Around 1:00 PM, the long-distance bus arrived. The three of them boarded, found empty seats, and Jia Dongxu bought tickets for all three. He asked, "Fellow ticket seller, how many times a day does this bus run?"

The ticket seller replied, "There are two buses in the morning and three in the afternoon. This bus goes to Beijing and departs at 2:45 PM. The last bus departing from Beijing is at 4:15 PM."

"Thank you, comrade." After clarifying the situation, Jia Dongxu felt relieved.

After a bumpy ride, the long-distance bus pulled into its final stop a little after 2 p.m. Jia Dongxu, along with Qin Huairu and Matchmaker Li, got off the bus. He first took Matchmaker Li home, and then Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu went to the Military Control Commission.

"Comrades, what's the matter?!" Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu had just arrived at the entrance of the Military Control Commission when they were stopped by Grandpa Han.

Jia Dongxu immediately took out his cigarette case, pulled out a cigarette, handed it over, and asked, "Sir, is this where you get your marriage certificate?!"

Grandpa Han took the cigarette, sized up Jia Dongxu, then looked at Qin Huairu, and said, "Let's go in! The west wing of the front yard."

"Thank you, sir!" Jia Dongxu led Qin Huairu through the gate of the Military Control Commission and quickly arrived at the west wing of the front courtyard. Today, a man was processing their marriage certificate. Jia Dongxu offered her a cigarette, then took out his work ID and a letter of introduction from Qin Huairu's village. The staff member took the ID and letter, looked them over, and asked, "Are you getting married voluntarily?!"

Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu answered in unison, "Voluntarily!"

The staff member produced two marriage certificates, each the size of an award certificate, and wrote Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu's names on them, followed by the date. The staff member handed the certificates to the couple, saying, "Congratulations on your marriage!"

"Thank you!" Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu accepted their marriage certificate and turned to leave the Military Control Commission.

Presumably, it was because Jia Zhangshi wasn't holding back, and it was also because they fell in love at first sight. After getting their marriage certificate, Jia Dongxu took Qin Huairu to a clothing store, bought her a red cotton coat, and then took her to the long-distance bus station, even buying her a ticket.

After the long-distance bus drove away, Jia Dongxu returned to his courtyard house. As soon as he stepped into the central courtyard, a strong aroma of meat filled his nostrils. He was momentarily overwhelmed by the fragrance. However, Jia Dongxu quickly regained his senses, glared fiercely at He Yuzhu's house, and stormed back to his own home.

Not long after Jia Dongxu returned home, Xu Damao and his younger sister Xu Xiaoling appeared at He Yuzhu's door. Xu Damao, mustering his courage, pushed the door open a crack. He Yuzhu, who was busy preparing dinner, heard the noise and looked towards the door. He saw Xu Damao and Xu Xiaoling peering through the crack.

He Yuzhu said, "If you want to see, just come in!"

Xu Damao opened the door and walked in with Xu Xiaoling, chuckling awkwardly twice, and said, "Brother Zhu, what delicious food did you cook today?!"

He Yuzhu exclaimed, "Oh my?! Where did the sun come from today?! You, Xu Damao, have actually learned to be polite?!"

Xu Damao hurriedly said, "They came from the west."

"Look at you, so pathetic!" He Yuzhu glared at Xu Damao with a look of utter disappointment, then lifted the gauze covering the basin, took out some braised pig's head and pig intestines, sliced ​​a plateful, and handed it to Xu Damao, saying, "Take this home and eat!"

Xu Damao took the plate and eagerly grabbed a piece of braised pig's head, stuffing it into his mouth while also feeding his younger sister. After wolfing down the meat, Xu Damao gave He Yuzhu a thumbs-up and said, "Brother Zhu, your braised pork is absolutely amazing!"

He Yuzhu said dismissively, "It's nothing. Go back quickly! Otherwise, your parents will worry."

"Hey!" Xu Damao responded, carrying the braised meat and leaving with Xu Xiaoling. He Yushui walked up to He Yuzhu and asked, "Brother, why were you so polite to Brother Damao today?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Today is New Year's Eve. Besides, you can't hit a smiling face. He's being polite to me, so why should I be rude to him?! Xu Damao is fine except for his sharp tongue." After saying that, He Yuzhu took a pig's tail and handed it to He Yushui, saying, "Here, have some! We'll be having dinner soon."

At six o'clock in the evening, as He Yuzhu brought the prepared food to the table, firecrackers went off outside. He Yuzhu opened a bottle of Beibingyang soda and poured a glass of it into He Yushui's glass. Then he poured himself half a glass of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and said, "Yushui, today is our first Spring Festival together! No matter if he comes back or not, don't worry! I will never abandon you."

He Yushui picked up her glass, clinked it against He Yuzhu's, and said, "Brother, it's so good to have you!"

He Yuzhu smiled, took a sip of wine, picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of braised pork into He Yushui's bowl, and said, "I made all your favorite dishes today, so eat more."