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

He Yushui, who was battling the orchid crab, glanced up at He Yuzhu, smiled, and put a piece of fish in her mouth. Xu Damao followed suit and put a piece of fish on Xu Xiaoling's plate as well. Xu Xiaoling was stunned. Xu Xiaoling stared at Xu Damao for a while, then smiled and put a shrimp on his plate.

Seeing the harmonious atmosphere in their home, He Daqing and Xu Wude's smiles widened even more. Before they knew it, they had drunk a couple more glasses. The dinner didn't end until 7 PM.

He Yuzhu greeted He Daqing and Liang Wanping, then took Song Ran and went out.

Walking Song Ran back to her dorm, listening to the sound of the wind, He Yuzhu noticed that Song Ran unconsciously tightened her coat, so he immediately took off his own jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Song Ran turned to look at He Yuzhu and said, "Zhuzi, next time you go shopping for seafood, could you bring some back for our school too?!"

He Yuzhu would always stand up for others if they offered their opinions. But when Song Ran spoke, He Yuzhu hesitated. After a few seconds of hesitation, He Yuzhu said, "The price is eight cents a pound. If your school can accept that, I'll bring some back for you next time we buy supplies. If not, then forget it."

Song Ran replied, "I'll talk to Director Zhang of the Logistics Department tomorrow." Then she asked, "Zhu Zi, why do so many units have purchasing authority, but why don't they go to Tianjin to buy?"

He Yuzhu replied, "Transportation and storage—these two issues alone can stump many organizations. Winter is manageable. But at other times, goods must be processed as soon as they come ashore. If it's delayed, they'll all rot."

Chatting as they walked, He Yuzhu and Song Ran unknowingly arrived at the entrance of Hongxing Elementary School. Song Ran handed the coat she was wearing to He Yuzhu, said a reluctant goodbye, and then went into the school.

Nothing more was said that night. The next morning, He Yuzhu had just reported to the station and hadn't even had a sip of water when Ye Guoliang appeared before him and asked, "Zhuzi, when are you going to buy seafood again?!"

He Yuzhu paused for a few seconds, then asked, "Uncle Ye, why are you in such a hurry? What happened?!"

Ye Guoliang said, "The head chef of the branch canteen happens to be from Zhejiang Province. He doesn't use oil when cooking seafood, and it tastes great. The branch leaders discussed it and decided to purchase a batch. Then they contacted the supply and marketing cooperative in Tianjin. They don't even have enough for their own supply, let alone what we can buy here."

Before Ye Guoliang could finish speaking, He Yuzhu asked, "Does the higher-ups want me to go and make the purchases?!"

Ye Guoliang nodded and said, "That's what they mean." Then he asked, "How much can you procure?"

He Yuzhu said, "Uncle Ye! My dear uncle, the problem isn't how much I can buy. It's how much grain you can offer in exchange. A fishing village is a fishing village because their main source of income is fishing at sea. The village has little land, and the grain produced isn't enough to feed them. Besides fulfilling their quotas with the commune, they exchange the rest of their catch for grain to solve their food problem. You know the purchase price. You also know the price of grain. Just calculate it yourself! Once you've figured out how much you need, tell me."

Ye Guoliang sighed and said, "Okay! I'll call the branch office right now."

After Ye Guoliang left, Ma Huaimin asked, "Can the other parts of the pillar be replaced?!"

He Yuzhu asked, "What?! Old Ma, someone asked you to inquire about this too?!"

Ma Huaimin said with a wry smile, "It's all because my wife loves to show off. That's how she brought this trouble upon us."

He Yuzhu said, "You know the situation in the rural areas around us. The fishing village is not much better than the rural areas around Beijing! Sometimes it's even worse than the rural areas around us! To put it bluntly, they lack everything there."

Ma Huaimin's eyes darted around, and he instantly understood how to go back and explain himself.

About an hour later, Ye Guoliang sent someone to summon He Yuzhu. As soon as He Yuzhu entered Ye Guoliang's office and closed the door, Ye Guoliang's voice rang out: "Zhuzi, your superiors have assigned you an important task!"

He Yuzhu pulled out the chair in front of Ye Guoliang, sat down, and said, "Uncle Ye, stop beating around the bush and just tell me how much you want to exchange!"

Ye Guoliang said, "The branch office has collected 500 jin of refined grain and 3,000 jin of coarse grain. We've also prepared 2,000 yuan and some receipts for you. How much you can purchase depends on your ability."

He Yuzhu thought for a moment and said, "I can't handle this alone. Have the branch office arrange two trucks and send a few people with me. I'll take them there once. They can go by themselves after that."

Ye Guoliang asked curiously, "Zhu Zi, other purchasing agents treat relationships like their lifeblood, how could you give them away so easily?!"

He Yuzhu said, "Uncle Ye, if it's just our office's procurement, I can guard this road and keep it a secret, no problem. The problem is that it involves procurement from higher-ups. If things aren't handled properly, it could give them something to hold against me. I don't want to get caught up in this mess." After saying that, He Yuzhu stood up and said, "If the higher-ups have made arrangements, let me know in advance. I'll go and say hello over there so I don't make a wasted trip."

"Okay! I'll call the branch office right now!" With that, Ye Guoliang picked up the phone right in front of He Yuzhu and dialed the branch office number.

Meanwhile, at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

After hanging up the phone, Hong Defu, the canteen director, rushed to the third canteen and found He Daqing, who was drinking tea in a small private room at the back of the canteen. He said, "Old He, Director Li just called and asked you to go to his office."

He Daqing put down his teacup, stood up, and said, "Alright! I'll be right there."

Seeing He Daqing's slow pace, Hong Defu couldn't help but urge him, "Director Li seems to be in a hurry. You'd better hurry up!"

He Daqing said dismissively, "Old Hong, I know what's important! You know perfectly well why Director Li wanted to see me!"

Hong Defu sighed and said, "It's difficult to procure supplies right now. And logistics are under Director Li's control, how can he not be anxious?!"

He Daqing smiled, said nothing more, and walked out with his teacup. About ten minutes later, He Daqing arrived at Li Huaide's office door and knocked. Hearing the knock, Li Huaide called out, "Come in!"

He Daqing pushed open the door and walked into Li Huaide's office, closing the door behind him. Feigning respect, he asked, "Director Li, you wanted to see me?!"

Li Huaide immediately broke into a smile and said, "Master He, you're here?! Please have a seat!"

"Yes!" He Daqing responded and sat down opposite Li Huaide.