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

Tian Zhenyue asked, "Zhu Zi, didn't you go to the machine tool factory?! Why are you at the Military Control Commission now?!"

He Yuzhu didn't hide anything and told Tian Zhenyue about the machine tool factory incident. After listening to He Yuzhu's account, Tian Zhenyue advised, "Zhuzi, the Military Control Commission is different from other places. Sometimes you must not act impulsively."

He Yuzhu said, "Master, don't worry! Your disciple knows what to do now."

Tian Zhenyue said, "You've come at the right time. The lunch dishes haven't been cooked yet. Go and cook them, let me see if you've forgotten how to cook."

"Okay! I'll go right away!" With that, He Yuzhu turned and walked towards the living room.

Xi Juan took out a red envelope and handed it to He Yushui, asking, "How is your brother treating you now?!"

"Thank you, Master's wife!" He Yushui accepted the red envelope and thanked her, then continued, "My brother treats me better than my father does."

"You little rascal!" Xi Juan affectionately pinched He Yushui's nose, then opened the cloth bag and took out the items one by one. Soon the table was covered with the things He Yuzhu had brought. Xi Juan complained, "This kid spends money like water. Is he not planning to live frugally?!"

He Yushui explained, "Master's wife, many of these things weren't bought by my brother. They were sent by my uncle's boss. As my brother said, this is called 'borrowing flowers to present to Buddha'."

Tian Zhenyue said, "Let's put the things away! The fact that this kid brought them over shows he cares about us. Let's not let his kindness go to waste."

"Okay! I'll listen to you!" Xi Juan put the things on the table into the cabinet next to her one by one, and then started talking to He Yushui.

About an hour later, He Yuzhu brought in the dishes one after another. Tian Zhenyue looked at the dishes on the table and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. After He Yuzhu brought the last dish to the table, Tian Zhenyue said, "Zhuzi, it seems you haven't lost your cooking skills."

He Yuzhu said, "Master, don't worry! Although I'm not a chef anymore, I practice my skills every day. Don't worry! I won't lose my family's best skills."

Xi Juan picked up her chopsticks, took a bite of food, chewed it twice, and swallowed. She said, "Zhu Zi, it's such a waste that you're not a chef with your skills. If all else fails, I think you should ask your master to help you find out where they need a chef!"

He Yuzhu hurriedly said, "Master's wife, there's no need to trouble my master. I'm fine now." After saying that, He Yuzhu picked up the wine bottle on the table, poured wine for his master and his wife, and then said, "Master, I heard that Fengzeyuan will be turned into a state-owned enterprise after the New Year."

Tian Zhenyue nodded and said, "That's true." Then he asked, "Zhu Zi, what do you mean by this?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Not only Fengzeyuan, but even the Lou's Steel Rolling Mill where my dad used to work, I heard that the higher-ups are also in contact with Boss Lou. It seems they're preparing to pilot a joint venture. I reckon that a joint venture is inevitable. If a joint venture happens, the kitchen won't need so many chefs. I think we should take advantage of the fact that many people haven't realized it yet and try it out at the company canteen." After saying that, He Yuzhu took out a cigarette case from his pocket, took out a cigarette from the case, and handed it to Tian Zhenyue.

Tian Zhenyue took the cigarette and said thoughtfully, "It seems we should start preparing soon."

He Yuzhu said, "Master, my senior brothers have all started training apprentices. The longest they've been training is two years. They have positions in the kitchen, so they're not worried about losing their jobs. But shouldn't we at least consider their apprentices' future?" Then He Yuzhu looked at Xi Juan and asked, "Master's wife, didn't my brother Qi and brother Yong come back for the New Year?!"

Tian Zhenyue's two sons were university students before the liberation. The eldest, Tian Qi, stayed at the university as a teacher after graduation. His wife is his university classmate, Feng Jing. They already have one son and are currently pregnant. The younger son, Tian Yong, studied mechanical engineering in university. After graduation, he went to work in Northeast China. He married Han Shiyi, the daughter of his teacher. They currently have one daughter.

Xi Juan said, "Your brother Xiao Qi's wife is pregnant and will give birth after the New Year. It's inconvenient for her to travel back and forth, so she won't be coming back for the New Year. She'll come back after the baby is born. Your brother Xiao Yong's transfer paperwork has been completed. He'll come back after the New Year when the paperwork is finished."

"That's wonderful!" He Yuzhu exclaimed with a smile, then looked at Tian Zhenyue and said, "Master, you don't have to go back to your hometown now, right?!"

Tian Zhenyue replied with a smile, "I'm not going back! In a few years, when your brother Xiaoqi is transferred here, our family will be officially reunited."

He Yuzhu said, "Master, if Brother Xiaoqi and the others are transferred back, your place won't be big enough for them to live in."

Tian Zhenyue said, "You don't need to worry about this. I've already made preparations for them."

After lunch, He Yuzhu and He Yushui stayed at their master's house for a while. Around 2 p.m., He Yuzhu and He Yushui said goodbye and left.

After He Yuzhu left, Tian Zhenyue said, "Of all my apprentices, this kid has the best talent as a chef. It's a pity he chose to do something unorthodox."

Xi Juan said, "I think Zhu Zi is doing quite well now. If He Daqing hadn't been so irresponsible, abandoning his son and daughter and running away, Zhu Zi wouldn't have to be both father and mother to his child." Then, thinking about what He Yuzhu had just said about what happened in courtyard number 95, Xi Juan couldn't help but ask, "Honey, do you think He Daqing will come back after receiving Zhu Zi's letter?!"

Tian Zhenyue replied thoughtfully, "It's hard to say. But based on my understanding of He Daqing, I reckon he'll come back for Yi Zhonghai's wife in their compound."

After leaving their master's house, He Yuzhu didn't rush to take He Yushui home. Instead, he took her to the temple fair. Although it was already afternoon, there were still quite a few people at the fair. Afraid that He Yushui would get lost, He Yuzhu carried her on his back as they walked into the fair.

With He Yushui and He Yuzhu as her mount, she was having a blast. She kept directing He Yuzhu to different places, and soon her hands were full of food.

They strolled around until a little after four in the afternoon before He Yuzhu finally took the still-excited He Yushui home.

Meanwhile, He Daqing received a letter from He Yuzhu. After reading it, He Daqing began to struggle with his feelings. Not long after He Yuzhu and his sister left Baocheng, He Daqing and the widow Bai had completely separated. A couple of days ago, He Daqing heard that the widow Bai had been arrested, and he had been feeling uneasy ever since. Yesterday after get off work, after much deliberation, He Daqing went to the police station and told them about his relationship with the widow Bai. The police gave him a few words of advice and then released him. Feeling reassured, He Daqing planned to find a woman to settle down with in Baocheng. Now, receiving He Yuzhu's letter and learning about what had happened in the courtyard, especially since He Yuzhu had written about Yi Zhonghai's arrest and his wife's divorce, He Daqing was starting to have second thoughts.