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

Lou Xiao'e habitually walked over and sat down next to Lou Zhenhua, saying, "He Yuzhu and his sister."

Lou Zhenhua frowned slightly and asked, "He Daqing's son?!"

"Hmm!" Lou Xiao'e responded, and said, "But I heard from He Yushui that He Daqing went to Baocheng to complete his resignation procedures. He'll be back in Beijing in a couple of days. He won't be leaving again this time."

Tan Lingya said, "Zhenhua, didn't you say that after He Daqing left, the factory's hospitality standards dropped?! Now that he's back, isn't it just perfect?!"

Lou Zhenhua said, "I already knew about this. This morning, he asked someone to contact me. He wanted to come back. I agreed." He then asked, "Is He Yuzhu working at the Military Control Commission now?!"

Lou Xiao'e nodded and said, "I heard from Yushui that the newly arrived Deputy Director Wang of the Military Control Commission almost became their aunt."

Lou Xiao'e's casual remark instantly revealed a crucial piece of information to the astute Lou Zhenhua. Lou Zhenhua said, "Xiao'e, since you're friends, invite them over that day. Have your mother cook a proper meal for them."

Lou Xiao'e asked in surprise, "Dad, can I really invite them over to play?!"

"Of course!" Lou Zhenhua replied, then asked half-jokingly, "You don't want to?!"

"Yes!" Lou Xiao'e replied decisively, excitedly adding, "I'll go see them in a couple of days and tell them about it."

After Lou Xiao'e returned to her room, Tan Lingya asked curiously, "Why did you think of inviting He Yuzhu and his sister over?!"

Lou Zhenhua said, "Nothing! Just curious. I wanted to see what Xiao'e's friends were like." Actually, before the Lunar New Year, Lou Zhenhua had already learned through connections that the higher-ups wanted to invest in his steel rolling mill. Although they hadn't mentioned it to him yet, Lou Zhenhua had been somewhat unsettled about it lately. He couldn't tell anyone around him about it. So, upon learning that He Yuzhu worked at the Military Control Commission and had some connection with the new deputy director, Lou Zhenhua planned to make a subtle move: have his daughter invite He Yuzhu and his sister over, and then subtly inquire about the information he needed.

When He Yuzhu brought He Yushui back to the courtyard house, Qian Bin and his men were finishing up the work. He Yuzhu greeted Qian Bin, checked the main house, and then went back to the side room.

No sooner had Qian Bin and his men left than people started returning from work. As soon as Jia Dongxu entered the house, he saw Qin Huairu setting the table with the food she had just prepared. Jia Dongxu eagerly hugged Qin Huairu from behind. Sensing Jia Dongxu's presence, Qin Huairu gave a token struggle and said, "The food is ready. Let's eat!"

Jia Dongxu sat down and asked, "Are you settling in comfortably at home?"

Qin Huairu said, "It's fine. It's just that I'm a little bored."

Jia Dongxu said, "You're free now, but you won't be free after a while, once you're pregnant."

Qin Huairu gave Jia Dongxu a slightly shy glare, then asked in a serious tone, "Dongxu, don't forget the three-day homecoming!"

Jia Dongxu smiled and agreed, "Don't worry! I won't forget! I'll ask the factory for half a day off before I leave work tomorrow. We'll leave early the day after tomorrow and try to get back after lunch."

"Okay!" Qin Huairu replied, handing a steamed bun made from two kinds of dough to Jia Dongxu, and then said, "A lot of people came to the main house of the central courtyard this afternoon. It seems they are repairing the house."

"Renovate a house?!" Jia Dongxu was stunned for a moment, then said, "Why would you need to renovate a perfectly good house?! What a waste of money!"

Qin Huairu asked, "Dongxu, I came yesterday, but you haven't told me about the situation in our courtyard yet. Could you tell me about it?"

Jia Dongxu thought for a moment and replied, "Alright! I'll tell you." Jia Dongxu paused slightly, then continued, "There's not much to say about the families in the front yard. But be careful with the Yan family. They've got taking advantage of others to their core. They're always thinking about how to get something for nothing. In the middle yard, there are only a few families. You know them. The family across the street used to be my master's. But he was implicated by the old deaf man in the back yard and was arrested. He divorced his wife a few days ago. Now his wife lives alone across the street. The family in the main house is surnamed He. They have a lot of connections with our family." "Enmity. My mother's death at the fence is all thanks to their family. I'm telling you, you absolutely must not have anything to do with them." After saying this, Jia Dongxu took a bite of his steamed bun, chewed a few times, swallowed it, picked up a piece of vegetables with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth as he said, "There are two families living in the backyard now. One is surnamed Liu and the other is surnamed Xu. Liu Haizhong, the head of the Liu family, is a blacksmith in the factory. Xu Wude, the head of the Xu family, is a projectionist in the factory. However, Xu Wude has a son named Xu Damao. That kid is no good. He can't resist women. And he's a womanizer. Don't be fooled by him."

Although Qin Huairu didn't leave the courtyard today, she still heard some things about what was happening there from the older women. While their accounts differed slightly from Jia Dongxu's, the overall picture was similar. Although the Jia family's circumstances weren't outstanding in the courtyard, Jia Dongxu was quite handsome. Qin Huairu's attraction to him was probably largely due to his good looks. Qin Huairu picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and put it in Jia Dongxu's bowl, saying, "You've been working hard, eat more. It'll help you recover."

Jia Dongxu also put a piece of food on Qin Huairu's plate and said, "You should eat more too."

Nothing more was said that night. The next morning at seven o'clock, He Yuzhu waited for Qian Bin to arrive with the house repairmen. Only then did he take He Yushui to the Military Control Commission. A little after four in the afternoon, when He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard house with He Yushui, they saw that He Daqing had already returned. He Yuzhu greeted He Daqing and asked, "Dad, is everything in Baocheng settled?!"

He Daqing nodded and said, "It's all taken care of. On my way back, I went to Lou's Steel Rolling Mill. The onboarding procedures are all done. Although I can't be the canteen manager, I still have a deputy position, just in charge of the factory's small kitchen."

He Yuzhu instructed, "Dad, things will be different in the future. If you have the chance, teach a few more apprentices. With their help, you can save yourself some trouble."

"Don't worry! I know what I'm doing!" He Daqing replied impatiently, then asked, "Zhuzi, how are we going to sleep tonight?!"

He Yuzhu looked around and, seeing that there wasn't much of a crowd, pulled He Daqing into the side room, closed the door, and said, "Dad, I've bought the house in the backyard of the neighboring No. 97 compound. The paperwork is all done. I plan to go there later to take a look and tidy up the house. You and Yushui can make do in the side room for now; I'll stay there for a few days. I'll move back in once the main house is ready."