Uncle Shazhu, a simple-minded man in a courtyard house, persuades people with reason.

At No. 91 Beiluoguxiang, He Daqing enjoyed fine wine and food, his tender feelings as vast as the sea. At No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, Yi Zhonghai swallowed a hard cornbread with hot water and curled up in his cold bed.

Even in his sleep, he kept muttering "Bitch! Bitch!"

At the He family home, He Ping'an was putting Xiao Yushui to sleep. The clock had slowly moved toward ten o'clock, and his two sword-like eyebrows furrowed involuntarily... At seven o'clock in the evening, the waiter from Taifeng Restaurant brought dinner, saying that He Daqing had gone out to help cook.

Three hours? The abalone and shark fin in Tan Family Cuisine require two or three days of preparation in advance; it's impossible to call someone at the last minute. Some everyday dishes don't even need that much time! Where are they?

"Knock knock knock!"

An aged voice, accompanied by a knock on the door, entered the room:

"Young man, open the door, I have something to tell you!" The deaf old lady calculated the time and guessed that her goddaughter had finished her business, so she came to He Ping'an to confront him.

Although puzzled, He Ping'an still politely welcomed the woman into the house. It wouldn't be right to turn away a woman in her fifties without reason. Besides… it was his older brother!

Upon entering the room, the deaf old woman naturally took the seat of honor. He Ping'an's brow twitched slightly, and he smiled as he handed her a teacup. Instead of sitting down with her, he went to the portrait and lit three sticks of incense.

The deaf old woman's heart skipped a beat, slightly displeased: "Young man He, what do you mean by this?" The host is offering incense to the dead as soon as the guests arrive. It's awkward no matter how you look at it, especially for an elderly person!

He Pingan bowed three times to the portrait, then turned to look at the deaf old woman. His smile didn't reach his eyes, and his mouth seemed to be poisoned, aiming straight for the old woman's heart.

"I'll wake my sister-in-law up and have her come up to meet you, the pimp who finds her husband other women. I'll also ask my sister-in-law if she can take you down with her."

These days, most people are somewhat superstitious, and the deaf old woman was no exception; the older they get, the more they believe in these things. He Ping'an's words truly struck a nerve.

"You...cough cough...whoosh!"

Seeing that the deaf old woman couldn't spit out any phlegm and her breathing became increasingly rapid, He Ping'an calmly took out his silver needles and inserted them several times.

"...Ugh!" The deaf old woman spat out a mouthful of phlegm, and a trace of color returned to her deathly pale face, though her voice was weak and feeble. Her finger trembled as she pointed at He Ping'an.

"You...you're so young, how can you speak so viciously! Aren't you afraid...?"

He Pingan waved his hand dismissively:

"Don't threaten me. I'm a scholar, but I'm more than just a scholar. My medical skills are excellent; I can save lives and kill silently. Let's stop with the threats and get straight to the point..."

My elder brother still hasn't returned, and Li Guifen, who's always by your side, is nowhere to be seen. And you yourself came to our door so late at night. I suppose my elder brother has already slept with your goddaughter by now?"

The deaf old woman nodded confidently; she understood men all too well.

"You know your older brother's personality better than I do. Although he's not a womanizer, he can't sleep without a woman in his life. And Li Guifen is Yi Zhonghai's wife; He Daqing even calls her 'sister-in-law' when they meet!"

"Sigh..." He Ping'an glanced at the portrait, unsure of who to blame.

"You wouldn't do something so pointless for no reason! Yi Zhonghai can't have children, and at her age, remarriage isn't a good option. If she wants a child, then the only solution is... to use a sperm donor!"

You have power, but you're old and worried that Li Guifen, a widow with children, won't be able to survive. You want to use the children to secure a future for her with the He family! I can understand that!

But there are many people like my older brother, so why choose him? My sister-in-law passed away less than a year ago, why?

Seeing He Ping'an's directness, the deaf old woman didn't beat around the bush either. She just glanced at the portrait and eventually lost her previous imposing manner.

"Raising a child is a lifelong worry, even for ninety-nine! My daughter calls me her godmother, so this old man has to plan for her future before I die. 'He Daqing' is easy to find, but you, 'He Ping'an,' are one of a kind!"

He Ping'an nodded, accepting the deaf old woman's flattery with a clear conscience:

"It seems that some of the things I did caused you to misunderstand, leading to today's misunderstanding."

I'm kind to Zhuzi and Yushui because they are my sister-in-law's children, entrusted to me by her with tears in her eyes before she passed away. They are my emotional support for my sister-in-law!

Fearing the deaf old woman wouldn't understand, He Ping'an asked again, "You understand, right?"

The deaf old woman glanced at the portrait again, this time with extreme seriousness, her eyes filled with a mixture of jealousy and envy. Meeting He Ping'an's questioning gaze, she nodded weakly.

"I understand! We older generation call it 'longing'! But..." she changed the subject.

"Your eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, and you are very filial! What about your eldest brother? He can't possibly never find a woman or get married! My goddaughter just wants a child, that's all."

As for what happens after I die? Look at the conscience of you He brothers; the dead can't control the living!

In the end, the deaf old woman left the He family with a smile! Leaving He Ping'an alone, facing her portrait, murmuring a self-mocking tone in the darkness:

"The dead can't control the living, ha... She can't control herself, and you can't control him!"

The next day, the sky was clear and the midday sun pierced through the courtyard of No. 91 Beiluoguxiang. Clothes were scattered everywhere—on screens, on the floor, and even on the bed. A few scraps of cloth still hung on the headboard.

He Daqing groggily reached out to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight, but his arm suddenly felt heavy. He struggled to open his eyes, and there lay Li Guifen's pale body in his arms. Trying to recall, his memory finally settled on fragments of her calling him "sister-in-law"...

"Um……"

He Daqing moved a little too much, and Li Guifen in his arms whimpered twice and slowly woke up!

"Great Qing, I am merely..."

By today's lifespan standards, 28-year-old Li Guifen is already over fifty, but she remained calm. Naked, she explained everything in a few words. Finally, still not entirely at ease, she added:

"Da Qing, all I want is a child, so I won't be lonely and helpless in my old age. Don't worry, I'll never bother you again! Sister-in-law..."

"You... um!"

The dazzling whiteness and his sister-in-law's provocation spurred He Daqing to leap over her and swallow her words. Li Guifen froze at first, then wrapped her arms around He Daqing's neck, and the room was filled with the warmth of spring once more.

In the evening, He Daqing, his legs weak, shuffled back to the courtyard house. The distance between Nanluoguxiang and Beiluoguxiang, only a hundred meters, took him a full half hour to walk.

He Ping'an sat before the portrait, his words laced with sarcasm:

"Hey... Chef He's back! Winter's almost here, and you're wearing Yi Zhonghai's clothes, giving him the first hat of winter, and even a child. Your kind of reward is truly unique!"

He Daqing was speechless for a moment, and tried to brush it off with a few awkward laughs. Seeing that He Daqing had not given up on Li Guifen, He Ping'an was too lazy to waste any more words.

"You can leave your perfunctory answers to your sister-in-law!"

(A humble opinion... brothers are like limbs, women are like clothes!)