At the beginning, he took his seven younger siblings to join Yi Zhonghai.

Even washing pig offal by the pond in the yard, Yi Zhongding and He Yuzhu couldn't find peace and quiet.

Every now and then, people getting up and washing in the courtyard would ask them all sorts of questions.

He Yuzhu had originally planned to lend a hand if Yi Zhongding couldn't handle the situation.

But to his surprise, Yi Zhongding showed none of the timidity and inferiority complex he had imagined in children from mountainous areas when they first arrived in big cities.

She was always so poised and composed, no matter who she was facing.

But he didn't think much of it.

On the contrary, they were happy with it.

At this moment, the door to the west wing of the central courtyard opened.

A short, plump, white woman emerged, looking like a big white rat.

I spotted the two people by the pool at a glance.

He then glanced at Yi Zhongding.

He stared intently at the pork offal.

"Hey, Shazhu, where did you get such a huge pile of pig offal? Perfect, my bang genk isn't producing any milk, so this is exactly what I need to supplement it with."

As Jia Zhangshi approached, she spoke loudly and matter-of-factly.

"Aunt Jia, this won't do. This isn't mine. Uncle Yi bought it. He has so many children; this isn't even enough for the two of them to eat."

He Yuzhu shook his head repeatedly and stood in front of her.

"Hey, you silly Zhu, your auntie is giving you face by letting you eat a couple of bites, how can you be so ungrateful?"

"If you won't give it to us, then don't. Why are you blocking our way? The Jia family is a noble and wealthy family; do we need to resort to robbery?"

When Jia Zhangshi saw his actions, she immediately became angry, put her hands on her hips, and started yelling loudly.

"If this were mine, I wouldn't hesitate to ask, but it's not mine, Auntie. Why don't you go ask Uncle Yi?"

He Yuzhu shook his head, showing no intention of moving aside.

"Hmph." Madam Jia snorted lightly, her triangular eyes turning to Yi Zhongding again, and said, "You're the younger brother that Old Yi brought back? I'm Madam Jia from the Jia family across the street, and my son is your elder brother's apprentice."

"Good job, Sister-in-law Jia (revised)."

Yi Zhongding greeted him with a smile.

"Your older brother and I have been neighbors across the street for over ten years. My son is even his apprentice. Our two families are more like one family."

"We don't need much, just a little bit of each will do, you happen to have a knife here."

Jia Zhangshi nodded, seemingly satisfied with his reaction, and then asked for something.

"Sister-in-law Jia, you'll have to ask my elder brother about this. As you know, I'm now living off him and can't make the decisions myself."

Yi Zhongding smiled slightly and gestured towards his house.

"Aren't you brothers? That's called helping each other out. It's not about relying on each other or having any say in who's in charge. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Jia Zhangshi stomped her foot in anger, glanced furtively at the opposite door, and, seeing no movement, breathed a sigh of relief and continued her deception.

Although she was resentful that the Yi family's inheritance that her family might have received was gone.

But she was even more aware of the consequences of angering Yi Zhonghai.

That could lead to endless trouble for their own family.

The most obvious reason is that her son would never have a good life in the factory.

Therefore, she didn't dare to go too far.

A widow struggling to survive with her son during a chaotic era.

They are the best at assessing the situation.

"Even brothers wouldn't do this. The older brother paid for it, so he must have been asked first."

Yi Zhongding remained in a gentle and agreeable manner.

"You... Hmph."

Seeing that he was unyielding and not daring to go too far, Jia Zhangshi could only sway her plump waist and stride away.

He Yuzhu watched her retreating figure and gave a light scoff, seemingly disdainful.

"Uncle, you'd better stay away from this Jia Zhangshi. If you get involved with her, you'll end up with a fishy smell on your hands. She's an unreasonable shrew with no shame."

He Yuzhu leaned close to his ear and whispered something.

"Okay, thanks for reminding me, Pillar."

Yi Zhongding smiled and nodded.

"Oh, I was just being nosy. Even if I didn't say it, Uncle Yi would have reminded you. This courtyard is full of all sorts of people."

"In this courtyard, only your eldest brother and sister-in-law can be considered truly kind and honest people."

"Before, they had no children, and many people in the courtyard gossiped about them. Aunt Yi couldn't hold her head up high; she just couldn't stand up straight."

"Now that you're here, it's all good. The Yi family has the most people and the most power in the courtyard, so no one can bully you."

He Yuzhu muttered to himself as he washed his intestines.

Yi Zhongding rarely offered any opinions; he simply listened quietly.

I also took the opportunity to ask about many people and things in the courtyard.

Although he had watched TV series.

But that's the concentrated essence.

There are many people and events that haven't been filmed.

So he needs to find out more first.

The two of them quickly and efficiently cleaned the intestines.

I'm back home.

"Dingya, you did a great job just now. I was worried that you would be bullied since you're new here."

Yi Zhonghai patted his shoulder with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

"Big brother, you're watching everything."

Yi Zhongding smiled.

"Your older brother is worried. He's been standing by the window for ages, watching you all. You weren't even talking loudly, so he'd love to hear you."

Tan Xiulian said with a laugh.

"There's nothing to worry about. Although this is the capital, the people living here are just ordinary people, not royalty or nobles. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"Besides, we're all human, why are we afraid of them?"

Yi Zhongding was deeply moved, but he still tried to show his true personality so as not to make them worry.

"Haha, you're right, I can rest assured now."

"And after what happened today, no one will look down on you anymore. Plus, the Yi family is now numerous and powerful, so no one dares to underestimate us."

Yi Zhonghai said with a loud laugh.

"Aunt Yi, I'll go cook some porridge first. I brought all my secret mushroom powder with me today. It'll be so delicious it'll make your taste buds tingle."

"Don't use the pig's heart and tail to make porridge, I'll make a soup for them. It's a pity we don't have any pig lungs today."

He Yuzhu explained his plans.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work today, Zhu Zi. You went out early this morning to buy the goods and help with the cooking."

Tan Xiulian said with a smile.

"No, Auntie, you've taken such good care of me and Yushui, we haven't been polite to you at all."

"With such a large group of younger brothers and sisters coming, it's only right and proper for me to cook them a nice meal."

"The noodles you made yesterday, the braised noodles, right? The aroma wasn't quite right. I was worried you'd think I was being disrespectful and begging for food."

"Otherwise I would have come to help yesterday. I saw my uncle in the yard yesterday afternoon. That young man is so energetic."

He Yuzhu said in a bold and unrestrained manner.

"Yes, yesterday our family had a reunion noodle dish, so we didn't invite anyone else."

"Come back early tonight. I'm calling all the heads of the household over for a get-together so everyone can get to know each other."

Yi Zhonghai glanced at him and said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll come back early and cook."

He Yuzhu nodded.

"No need, you just focus on your studies. We'll just make a simple big pot of pork stew with cabbage. Don't let it affect your impression on your master."

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and said sincerely.

"That's fine too. I'll be completing my apprenticeship soon. Once I'm done, I promise to give it my all for any celebration in your family."

He Yuzhu didn't insist. He nodded, picked up the seasonings he had brought, and went to the kitchen.

Not long after.

The aroma of pork offal congee gradually rose and filled the air above the courtyard.