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

No sooner had Jia Dongxu left than He Yuzhu came in from outside carrying a lunchbox and an aluminum pot. Aunt Pang greeted him, "Oh my?! Yuzhu, you're up really early today?! You're going to work today?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "I'm not working today. We have guests coming over, so I got up early to prepare."

Ma Cuilan asked, "Zhu Zi, who is it?!"

"My father took my brother's family." After saying this, He Yuzhu took the things and went into the kitchen. Not long after, He Daqing came out of the main house. After greeting the people in the yard, He Daqing went to the kitchen. A dozen minutes later, He Yushui also came out of another east wing room.

After He Yushui entered the side room, the neighbors couldn't help but gossip: "The He family is the most well-off in our courtyard."

"Who can argue with that?! Both father and son work. Yesterday, He Daqing even bought two bicycles and a sewing machine."

"They have two grown men and a little girl in their family. What does He Daqing need a sewing machine for?! Is it just for decoration?!"

"Who knows?! Can't someone just be rich?!"...

He Daqing and his two sons sat together eating breakfast, listening to the neighbors' gossip. He Daqing said, "Zhuzi, take Yushui to buy some vegetables later."

"Okay!" He Yuzhu readily agreed, then instructed, "Dad, after you finish eating, go to the bathhouse and clean yourself up."

He Daqing laughed and said, "Do you think I need you to teach me how to be your father?!" Then, He Daqing looked at He Yushui and said, "Yushui, you're free this afternoon, how about Dad takes you out to play?!"

He Yushui's eyes lit up immediately when she heard she was being taken out to play. "Dad, where are you taking me?" she asked.

He Yuzhu said, "Yushui, I'll take you out to play this afternoon. Don't bother Dad while he's looking for a girlfriend."

He Yushui thought for a moment and said, "It's still early, let's talk about it this afternoon."

"You little rascal! Eat up! It won't taste good if it gets cold." With that, He Daqing finished his breakfast in a few bites and left the kitchen. He Yuzhu and He Yushui exchanged a glance. He Yushui looked worried and asked, "Brother, now that Dad has a stepmother, won't he abandon us?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "Let's just pretend he didn't come back. We'll live the same way we did before. Anyway, with your brother here, I'll never let you suffer any injustice."

After breakfast, He Yuzhu and his sister worked together to wash the dishes. Then He Yuzhu took a basket and went out with He Yushui.

A little after nine in the morning, He Yuzhu returned with He Yushui from grocery shopping. Yan Bugui, who was loitering near the gate, saw the vegetables in He Yuzhu's basket and his eyes lit up. Luckily it was morning; if it were night, he'd probably mistake Yan Bugui for a wolf in sheep's clothing. Yan Bugui reached into the basket and touched the meat, saying, "He Yuzhu, the meat you bought today looks good!"

He Yuzhu instinctively dodged to the side, saying, "Teacher Yan, wanting meat is easy! Just have your wife buy it!" With that, He Yuzhu glared at Yan Bugui and walked past him with He Yushui. Yan Bugui watched the siblings' retreating figures, gave a heavy "humph," and prepared to wait for his next prey. But then, the person Yan Bugui least wanted to see appeared.

Yan Bugui saw Yan Bufu, Yan Buhua, and Yan Burong and tried to hide at home. But the three brothers weren't about to let him go so easily. They grabbed him. At first, Yan Bugui tried to struggle, but Yan Bufu and Yan Burong didn't give him a chance. One of them pulled out a worn handkerchief and stuffed it into Yan Bugui's mouth. The other took out a rope he had prepared beforehand and quickly tied him up. Then, the three brothers dragged Yan Bugui to the very back of the alley, where, in the TV series, he stored the scrap he had collected.

The three Yan brothers had long wanted to teach Yan Bugui a lesson, but they had never had the chance. Today, they finally got their chance. How could they let him go?! The three brothers used Yan Bugui as a punching bag, each taking turns beating him for more than ten minutes. After venting their anger, Yan Bufu pulled the handkerchief out of Yan Bugui's mouth and said, "You think we can't find you just because you're hiding?! Trying to get everything for yourself? There's no such thing as a free lunch!"

Yan Bugui begged for mercy, "Brother! I was wrong! I was wrong, okay?! Please let me go! I took those things, but I didn't keep them! Otherwise, I wouldn't be living here."

Yan Burong sneered, "You, Yan Bugui, are a lying devil. Don't think we don't know your little schemes. Let me tell you, we've already found out everything about those storefronts. Don't think you can get away with this today. I'll give you two choices. One, we'll split the properties equally, and we'll also split all the rent you've collected over the years. From now on, we'll live in peace. The other, we'll kill your whole family. And we'll split everything equally among the three of us."

Yan Bugui knew that if he didn't give them an explanation today, this day next year could very well be the anniversary of his family's death. At this moment, Yan Bugui hated himself. If he had bought the house, sold it, and left Beijing with his wife and children, they would never have found him. Now, his only option was to pay up to avoid further trouble.

Yan Bugui gritted his teeth and said, "I only have two storefronts left. I have none of the others."

"Still trying to fool us?!" Yan Buhua couldn't help but slap Yan Bugui again. Yan Bugui gave him a pitiful look. If Yan Bugui were a woman, looking at Yan Bufu and his two brothers with that look might have softened their hearts and let him go. Unfortunately, Yan Bugui was a man, and that look looked rather lewd. Yan Bufu and his two brothers, once again upholding the principle that the eldest brother is like a father, once again took their place on behalf of their deceased parents and gave Yan Bugui a good scolding. This time, after being beaten again, Yan Bugui became obedient. He obediently agreed to all of Yan Bufu and his brothers' demands and led them home to get their things.

"Old Yan, what's wrong with you?!" Yang Ruihua was startled when Yan Bugui returned from outside.

"Hiss!" Yan Bugui was about to speak when he accidentally aggravated the injury on his face. Helpless, Yan Bugui could only gesture with his lips towards the outside. Yang Ruihua looked in the direction Yan Bugui was pointing. At this moment, Yan Bufu and the other two had already arrived at the Yan family's door. When Yang Ruihua saw these three familiar faces, he immediately understood everything.

Without Yan Bufu and the others urging him, Yan Bugui had already gone into the inner room. A short while later, Yan Bugui emerged dejectedly, carrying a rosewood jewelry box. He placed the box on the table and said, "Come in!"