Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

"Brother, are we going to Xicheng Elementary School tomorrow? Will I be studying there?" He Yushui asked after dinner.

"Yes, we'll send you to Xicheng Elementary School. You're of school age now, and it's close to the restaurant."

You go to school in the morning and afternoon, while your brother works at a restaurant. The school is less than 400 meters from the restaurant, without crossing the road. You can walk back to the restaurant by yourself, just be careful.

"Didn't they say elementary school doesn't start until September? Why are we going in June?"

"There's no holiday in June. Your brother needs to check if you can study there. According to the rules, you should attend Gulou Primary School, so we need to ask in advance."

You're all grown up now and of school age. Going to Xicheng Elementary School is the most convenient option. Do you like going to school?

"I like going to school. There are lots of other kids there, and I can play with them. My brother's idea is that we go to finalize the school we'll be attending tomorrow, and we'll start school in September."

"It's just like you think. School starts in September, so you can play with lots of other kids."

However, you shouldn't hit classmates without reason at school. If other classmates bully you, don't hit them with all your might, just use one-tenth of your strength.

Also, don't talk about how we eat meat at home; just say that I work at a restaurant and eat the food there. Many of my classmates only get to eat meat once every one or two months.

"Brother, I understand. I won't hit my classmates at school. I'll go back to the courtyard and beat up Jia Zhangshi, Yi Zhonghai, and Jia Dongxu. I won't say I eat meat too often." He Yushui said very seriously.

This kid has his eye on those three unlucky guys. Next month, He Yushui will take another Power Pill, and it won't be difficult for him to beat them all.

"It's good that Yu Shui did this. There are teachers at school, so try not to fight and tell the teacher if something happens."

"When we go back to the courtyard house, my older brother will be there. I'll deal with the three of them. They bullied me during the rain, so I'll give them a good beating. Girls should be more obedient."

"Mmm." I don't know if she listened or not.

.......

"He Yuzhu, do you know why Tan Guilan isn't making a fuss? Didn't she say she'd already gone to the hospital for a checkup? I'm getting really impatient." Xu Damao asked anxiously after school at noon.

"How would I know? Tan Guilan might have her own ideas. It's only been a few days, don't rush, wait a little longer. She's very concerned about whether she can have children; something might happen."

"You're so carefree. It's been ten days already. How could I not be anxious? I've been wanting to see Yi Zhonghai get into trouble."

"Stay calm. He says he's not a child anymore. It won't be long, I estimate within a month. Don't rush things."

"You don't work at the steel rolling mill, so you don't know that Yi Zhonghai is treated like a rat in the street, and the workers have a very bad attitude towards him."

"I was thinking of adding fuel to the fire, wasn't I? It would be best if the steel mill fired Yi Zhonghai, and we'd see what kind of big shot he'd be acting like in the courtyard house without a job."

"Is Yi Zhonghai really that bad in the steel rolling mill? Didn't the Women's Federation endorse him for his landlord-like behavior?" He Yuzhu was unaware of what had happened at the steel rolling mill.

"No one listens to him recite his lessons. He's a veteran at the steel rolling mill, earning 400,000 yuan a month, which is very high in the factory. Many of the workers hate him."

He used to use his grand principles to talk to others when he was at the steel rolling mill, but now his grand principles don't work anymore. After something happened, everyone is against him, and some people even ask him for money. Heh, mutual help.

Especially before your father passed away, his relationship with Yi Zhonghai was well-known in the factory; they were good brothers.

Your father had barely passed away when he started bullying you and your siblings. You are minors, yet he has been accused of a whole host of crimes, including being vicious, ungrateful, and hypocritical.

When he was getting lunch, the workers asked him, "When your father was alive, he often gave you extra food. Now you don't remember his kindness and you and your siblings feel good about being bullied."

"A despicable scoundrel..." Xu Damao described Yi Zhonghai's current situation at the steel rolling mill.

"Yi Zhonghai deserves it. It's good that Jia Zhangshi spread his story so that everyone can see his true colors. This hypocrite won't admit defeat easily."

"My dad also said that he's pretending to be honest now, but he'll find a way to make a comeback later. We have to crush him and make sure he can never recover. That's why I'm so worried about Tan Guilan's situation."

"It should be soon."

The next day, after work, I took a break in the afternoon and went to Xicheng Elementary School with He Yushui.

The two places are less than 400 meters apart. It took me seven or eight minutes to walk there with He Yushui. If He Yushui were to walk back to the restaurant alone after school, it would probably only take ten minutes.

Children can run faster on their way home from school.

"Comrade, may I ask who is in charge of admissions at your school? Where is their office located?" He Yuzhu asked the school's gatekeeper.

"Little girl, is there a problem with going to school?"

"My home is in Dongcheng District, and my workplace is nearby."

"Got it. The principal and the academic affairs director are in their offices on the second floor. Go ask about the specific procedures; there are quite a few cases like yours. Hehe, you can get into school just by paying the fees."

"Thank you, comrade. I'll go find the principal." He Yuzhu left a cigarette behind and headed towards the office building.

The principal's office is on the second floor. There's a sign. Knock on the door and go in.

"Comrade, what's the matter?" The principal was over fifty years old and looked like a southerner.

"Hello, Principal. I'm here to ask about my sister's schooling..." He Yuzhu explained the situation.

"It's okay for you to come to our school because of work. You can enroll normally. Come to the school from September 1st to 3rd, and bring your household registration book and 20,000 yuan for tuition."

"There are no other requirements. When filling out the enrollment form, please write that it's because of your parents' work," the principal replied.

"Thank you, Principal. We will come to school on September 1st."

"You're welcome."

The current principal is quite approachable.

Leaving the school and walking down the street, she said, "Brother, I'll be going to school here from now on, right?"

"Yes, the enrollment went smoothly. This is the route from the school back to the restaurant; we'll walk it a few times, so remember it."

"Brother, I've memorized it. The school and the restaurant are on the same road, and it's very obvious and easy to remember."

Just remember that.

Upon returning to Emei Restaurant from school, He Yuzhu heard news that someone had booked a wedding banquet at the restaurant on Sunday, June 10th.

Another wealthy person wants to book a banquet at noon. The lowest price for a banquet at Emei Restaurant is five million yuan, not including the cost of ingredients and the cost of preparing the banquet.

"Thirty million yuan for the banquet, that's really damn rich. The Lü family and the Cheng family, these two families truly deserve to be called century-old prominent families in Yanjing. They're really willing to spend so much on their children's weddings."

"It would take me, a cook, twenty months' salary to afford a single wedding banquet," said Chef Ma, the second cook, expressing his envy.

"I estimate they have only a little less money than Lou Bancheng. They are both from wealthy and powerful families, and we ordinary people can't compare to them."

Aren't there plenty of rich people who eat at restaurants? They order more than a dozen dishes at a time, some of which cost more than my monthly salary." Fourth Brother was also envious.

"They are lucky. We are just ordinary people, destined to serve others. We don't need to compare ourselves to them." The master knew what a cook's job was.

"I just envy their wealth. There are many large, centuries-old families in Yanjing. Their ancestors were officials, then opened factories, and sold their goods, making a lot of money."

"I won't even bother to teach them a lesson. These families aren't exactly good people either. Their servants used to be arrogant and domineering, they've only become a little more obedient in recent years."