Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

He Yuzhu finally had the opportunity to watch his master make "boiled cabbage in clear broth" in person. On the Lantern Festival, he made the "boiled cabbage in clear broth" and served it to the guests.

He Yuzhu gained 500 experience points at once, the same as he usually does in one night. Is it true that a complicated process, using many different ingredients, and requiring complex cooking methods results in a higher experience gain?

At noon, He Yuzhu cooked 80% of the stir-fried dishes, while his master prepared boiled cabbage in clear broth and authentic camphor tea duck.

The master and apprentice had a clear division of labor, preparing the lunch needed to satisfy the customers.

At 1:30 pm, He Yuzhu took He Yushui back to Zhengyangmen. School was about to start, so they wanted to play with the children a little longer.

Back at the courtyard house in the evening, it had been relatively quiet these past few days, with no one breaking windows anymore, despite Xu Damao's strong dissatisfaction.

Perhaps this guy also realized that smashing windows was pointless and stopped.

It was almost 11 p.m. when He Yuzhu wanted to sleep. He had been reading for a long time and was feeling a little sleepy.

At home, seeing the light from a flashlight shining from the courtyard, He Yuzhu quickly went behind the curtains. It was 11 p.m. to go to the toilet. Impossible. Who could it be?

It was Lao Gou and Xiao Lu from the front yard. Lao Gou didn't have a formal job and always did odd jobs, such as rickshaw pullers and street hustlers.

There are three children in the family, and they have always been relatively poor. It is normal for them to go hungry for one meal a day.

Xiao Lu is an orphan, probably twenty-one years old. He doesn't have a formal job and works as a rickshaw puller. He lives alone and is relatively well-off. He usually stays in a courtyard house and is considered a semi-normal person.

The two of them hooked up today and tried to take advantage of Yi Zhonghai's ill-gotten gains. That's interesting. Xiao Lu shouldn't have done such a thing, but there's a reason he came.

Behind the curtains, He Yuzhu saw the two of them openly approaching Yi Zhonghai's door. He wondered if they used a wire to open the door, as it took less than a minute.

The two men were quite skilled; it wasn't their first time prying open doors and twisting locks, and they had some of 'Master Zhu's' abilities.

The two of them went in and started taking all sorts of things, including a bed board and a quilt. I don't know what they'll do with them when they get back.

The scheme to exploit Yi Zhonghai began, and it was executed flawlessly. For a full half hour, neither of the two men returned. The front door of Yi Zhonghai's house was closed.

It was as if nothing had happened at Yi Zhonghai's house, and Gou Dongxi and Xiao Lu had never appeared.

.......

He Yuzhu is taking a break.

The next day was a severe drought. He Yuzhu went out to collect cool water and prepared to mix it with some boiled water to wash his face and brush his teeth.

Tan Guilan rushed into the house. "Zhu Zi, Zhu Zi, last night, Old Gou and Xiao Lu in the front yard..."

"Don't worry, Aunt Tan. Taking Yi Zhonghai's things has nothing to do with you. When the Military Control Commission people come, they're just sleeping. They don't know anything else. Don't let them hold a grudge against you."

I saw it last night too. Those two were openly embezzling public funds; they're just being greedy. If Yi Zhonghai's room is still usable, more people will come next time.

"I was worried you didn't know, so I told you to be careful of them too. Neither of them are good people. Especially Old Gou, who's over thirty and still doesn't do anything productive."

I found two children at the Dongcheng District Military Control Commission's adoption center. They are twins, a boy and a girl, about three years old, and very polite. I think it will be a good time for me to adopt them in a couple of days.

When Tan Guilan talked about children, her face was full of smiles, and she seemed very happy. She also made her decision about her future: to adopt children.

"A three-year-old is perfect, it saves a lot of trouble. Congratulations, Aunt Tan," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"I also want to thank you, Zhuzi. Without you, I might not have had the money to adopt two children. You're busy, I'll head back now."

Take care.

Yi Zhonghai was on his way to work when he passed by this house and didn't realize that he had been cheated out of his family fortune; the lock on the door was just loose.

Wait for the next episode!

........

He Yuzhu continued to practice his skills at the restaurant, not caring that the people in the courtyard were starting to eat Yi Zhonghai's extinct children.

Improving one's skills is the most important thing. Since there was only one week of school, He Yushui studied very conscientiously on her own. She didn't care about any problems.

On the third night, just after returning to the courtyard house, Tan Guilan brought two children to greet her; they were the brother and sister she had brought back from the orphanage that day.

"Zhuzi and Yushui, these are the two children we brought back from the Dongcheng District Orphanage today. The older one is a boy, and I named him Tan Jun, with the nickname Junjun."

The little one is a girl named Tan Jing, nicknamed Jingjing. I brought her here so you can see her. She will be my son and daughter in the future.

Junjun, Jingjing, this is Brother He Yuzhu, and this is Sister He Yushui.

"Hello, Brother He and Sister He, my name is Tan Jun (Jing)." The two children weren't shy.

"Hello to you two." He Yuzhu and his sister greeted them in return. Then He Yuzhu took out a handful of candy from the "all-purpose drawer" and gave it to the two children.

"Thank you, Brother He." The two children were quite polite.

"Aunt Tan has decided to adopt them. She'll raise the two siblings from now on. If they need anything, just let me know," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"Things are fine now, but when I grow up, the house at home won't be big enough, so I'm thinking of buying a house. I don't know if the military control council will sell them."

"I don't know anything about the houses either. You can ask the Military Control Commission. There are no houses to buy in the middle and back yards; they're all private houses. Ask about the front yards instead."

Inside the courtyard house, those two are still young, so you need to keep a close eye on them. Some people are capable of anything, especially Yi Zhonghai.

"What about Jia Zhangshi? I'm wary of her; she's not a good person either."

"Mrs. Jia may say some unpleasant things, but she doesn't have the guts to do anything too outrageous. Yi Zhonghai, on the other hand, is very bold."

There are also some dishonest people in the front yard, but they don't have any conflict of interest with you, so it's unlikely they'd harm the two children.

"I understand. This morning, Yi Zhonghai discovered that everything in his house was gone, and the room was empty. He returned at noon to report it to the authorities."

The military control commission came and asked me questions, but I was sleeping at night and knew nothing. The people in the front yard sold Jia Zhangshi.

It was said that they saw Jia Zhangshi carrying a bed and a wardrobe. The military control officers searched Jia's house and found several pieces of furniture. She was taken back by the military control officers.

Yi Zhonghai was so angry that his face turned ashen, and his right hand trembled violently. Jia Dongxu was not present and did not know how he would handle the situation.

Yan Bugui from the front yard was no good either. He implied in his words that he was blaming Jia Zhangshi for everything that was missing from Yi Zhonghai's house, as if he had no responsibility at all.

I saw him take pots and pans, and even search the floor of Yi Zhonghai's house, probably looking for a place to store money. He's quite bold.

"Yan Bugui is no good person. He will always try to take advantage of any opportunity. With Jia Zhangshi as a target, he will shirk responsibility."

Large pieces of furniture, if not chopped into firewood immediately, will just become filthy. Jia Zhangshi is sometimes too self-righteous.

There aren't many decent people in the front yard; they're all poor. Why wouldn't they take advantage of a bargain? Yan Bugui came from the old society and is a primary school teacher; he's smart. Just be careful in the future.

"I understand. We'll go back now and won't disturb your studies." Tan Guilan left with the two children.