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

"You're the one who fled?!" Jia Dongxu retorted, saying, "The sacks are full of things my father-in-law gave me, things he grew on his own land." Then he asked, "Teacher Yan, isn't your wife from Zuojiazhuang?! Today is the day for married daughters to return home. Why didn't you accompany your wife back to her parents' home?!"

Yan Bugui was immediately stumped. It wasn't that he didn't want to accompany his wife back to her parents' home, but rather that he was afraid to go with her. Yang Ruihua's hometown was in Zuojiazhuang, a rural area. Yang Ruihua had many siblings. Bringing too little would be embarrassing, while bringing too much would be painful. If he reciprocated with gifts from his father-in-law, he could feel a little better. But if he didn't reciprocate, wouldn't he be at a huge loss?! Yan Bugui could accept anything, but he couldn't stand being taken advantage of.

Yan Bugui's eyes darted around, and he said with a smile, "Jia Dongxu, you must have brought a lot of things when you went back to your wife's parents' house, right?! Compared to what you took there, what you brought back is probably nothing. It's a good thing your mother wasn't here. Otherwise, she would have given you a real dressing down!"

Jia Dongxu said, "Yan Bugui, you're just being a sour grapes. I'm too lazy to talk to someone like you who only cares about profit and has no feelings for family!" With that, Jia Dongxu carried his things and walked towards the central courtyard. Qin Huairu, who was holding the stick, didn't give Yan Bugui a friendly look either, and followed Jia Dongxu home.

Back home, Qin Huairu put the stick on the kang (a heated brick bed), then walked over to Jia Dongxu and said, "Dongxu, we all know what kind of person Yan Bugui is. You don't need to get angry with someone like that."

Jia Dongxu reached out and patted Qin Huairu's hand that was around him, saying, "Wife, I'm not angry at all!"

Qin Huairu said, "Dongxu, Yan Bugui is a very cunning person. You only noticed the surface meaning of his words. Actually, he meant for you to give him some benefits as hush money. Otherwise, when Mom comes back, he will definitely stir up trouble. You, as her son, know Mom's temper best. She will definitely think that I instigated you behind your back. In the end, to quell her anger, she will definitely make a scene with me. You will be caught in the middle and suffer from both sides."

"That Yan Bugui is really no good!" Jia Dongxu muttered viciously, then said, "Huai Ru, don't worry! I know what I'm doing. If Mom comes back and makes a scene about this, I'll definitely be on your side."

Qin Huairu nestled into Jia Dongxu's arms and said, "Dongxu, you're so good to me!"

With a somewhat distracted look, Jia Dongxu said, "You're my wife. If I don't treat you well, who will?!" He then carried Qin Huairu onto the kang (heated brick bed). Qin Huairu made a token struggle, but then gave in to Jia Dongxu.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, He Yuzhu went out to buy groceries with He Daqing. After returning, He Yuzhu took the groceries directly to courtyard number 97. Yan Bugui, who was guarding the gate, saw He Yuzhu go next door and immediately showed a regretful expression. He Daqing, who happened to be entering, noticed the change in Yan Bugui's expression. He Daqing asked, "Hey! Hey! Hey! What are you looking at?!"

Yan Bugui's face immediately broke into a smile, and he asked, "Old He, are you hosting a dinner party today?!"

He Daqing said, "Whether my family hosts a dinner party or not seems to be none of your business!"

Yan Bugui said, "Old He, your two cooks are busy preparing food and probably don't have time to entertain guests. If you don't mind, I can act as your entertainer and serve the guests in your place."

He Daqing said, "No need to trouble you. Zhuzi is in charge of cooking today. Besides, we're entertaining my brothers today. What's your relationship with them?! You want to entertain the guests for me? Why didn't you ask me to entertain your wedding night in your place?!" After saying that, He Daqing snorted, put his hands behind his back, and hummed a little tune as he slowly walked towards the central courtyard.

Yan Bugui quickly regained his senses, his expression shifting several times like a palette of colors. He was about to hurl a few curses, but remembering He Daqing's ruthless methods, he held back.

After waiting at the door for a while, Yan Bugui, seeing he hadn't gotten anything out of it, went straight home. Yang Ruihua, who had just finished breastfeeding, saw Yan Bugui's dejected look and said, "Old Yan, you're such a cultured man. Every day you're scheming about this onion and that garlic in the yard. You haven't gotten anything. You've offended everyone in the yard. What are you doing all this for?!"

Yan Bugui said, "Are scallions, ginger, and garlic free?! Every little bit helps. Besides, what can the people in the courtyard do for us?!"

Yang Ruihua said, "Old Yan, what you're scheming about are all petty gains. In the end, you'll gain nothing and only ruin your reputation. If I were you, I'd either not scheme at all, or I'd scheme for something big. You're currently working at the school library and also responsible for cleaning. Your monthly salary is almost a third less than before. I heard that the steel mill is about to expand. Since you can't teach, you might as well find some connections and transfer to the propaganda department of the steel mill. Although there's not much money to be made in the propaganda department, you can get some pens, paper, ink, and newspapers. These things are much more valuable than those onions, ginger, and garlic you're scheming about."

Yan Bugui said, "Do you think I didn't want to use connections to get a job transfer?! I never thought much of it before. Now I realize that class background has become a major obstacle standing in our way."

Yang Ruihua's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "So what should we do now?!"

Yan Bugui sighed and said, "If I had known things would turn out this way, I shouldn't have been greedy for those shops in the first place. Now I haven't even gotten to eat the mutton, and I've gotten myself into all this trouble. I have no one to complain to, even if I'm in the right."

Yang Ruihua's eyes darted around, and she asked, "Weren't our family's things already robbed by Yan Bufu and his gang?! Besides, you were adopted out. Given the current situation, your uncle can at most be classified as a middle peasant. Why don't you find someone to issue a certificate to change your class status?!"

Yan Bugui was somewhat tempted, but the thought of having someone help him cost him money. Yan Bugui said decisively, "Forget it! We've come this far, there's nothing more to say. Now we just hope Jie Cheng can get into a vocational school. That would be a real source of pride for us."

Yang Ruihua knew his son's level very well. He said, "Old Yan, I'm not counting on Jiecheng. Let's hope for Jiefang or Jiekuang instead!"

Yan Bugui knew his wife wasn't wrong. But for the sake of saving face, he stubbornly insisted, saying, "I'll have a good talk with Jie Cheng later and tell him to work harder. After all, our Yan family is a scholarly family. How could someone from a scholarly family not know how to study?! If word got out, wouldn't people laugh at us?!"