Courtyard House: My max-level medical skills specialize in treating beasts.

He Yudong, clutching two grass carp weighing seven or eight pounds each, their gills still oozing blood, stood in Aunt San's yard:

"I just caught this while fishing in the moat. Uncle San was there too. Here, you two can have a taste!"

Aunt San kept saying "I'm so sorry," but her hands moved as fast as if she were catching a chick. When she took the fish, she deliberately straightened her back. She carried the 15 or 16-pound fish as if she were carrying two cabbages, without even swaying her feet.

"Let Uncle San come over for dinner tonight!" He Yudong said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

"I caught over twenty fish and released them into the tank. They can eat them anytime."

"Oh, thank you so much, Yudong!"

Aunt San had a loud and clear voice, and she knew exactly what was going on: this young man was sweet-talking and knew how to get things done. He was more honest than that old fox Yi Zhonghai. Although he liked to take advantage of others, he had never done anything as despicable as Liu Haizhong's "scheming to the bone".

Turning back into her own courtyard, laughter drifted out from He Yushui's house.

Yu Haitang was braiding He Yushui's hair with a rubber band when she saw He Yudong enter the room. Her hand trembled, and half of the braid came undone.

"Rain, studying?" He Yudong leaned against the door frame and smiled.

"elder brother!"

He Yushui jumped up, and Yu Haitang followed with a flushed face, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers. She had specially worn a new blue cotton shirt today, with her school badge pinned to the collar, just to show off in front of He Yudong.

"Brother Yudong!" Yu Haitang's voice was barely audible, her eyes glancing at the fish in his hand. "This fish... it's really big."

"Who is this classmate of yours?" He Yudong raised an eyebrow.

"My class beauty! The steel mill's announcer!" He Yushui blurted out, poking Yu Haitang's lower back. "Haitang, my brother works at the steel mill's infirmary. He'll protect you if you become the announcer!"

Yu Haitang's ears turned bright red instantly. She hadn't come here today to see He Yushui at all.

Ever since she saw He Yudong in military uniform helping someone move honeycomb briquettes at the school gate, his "tall and handsome" appearance had haunted her dreams for several nights. Lying in bed thinking of him, she couldn't help but clench her legs together.

"Brother, why isn't Second Brother home?" Yu Haitang deliberately changed the subject, her fingers twisting even tighter.

"I just got back from the army a few days ago, and I don't have a boyfriend yet," He Yushui said, suppressing a laugh. "But my brother is so outstanding, the line of girls chasing after him could stretch from the moat to Yongding Gate! If you want to be my sister-in-law, you'll have to win me over first!"

"Oh, Yu Shui!" Yu Haitang stamped her foot in frustration, then suddenly pounced on He Yu Shui and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I knew you were the best!"

"Indecent assault!"

He Yushui wiped her face and smiled. He Yudong watched the two girls bickering and knew perfectly well that his sister was trying to play matchmaker for him.

Yu Haitang is pretty, the class beauty and the broadcaster, but he doesn't see the "cool" vibe that Ding Qiunan has, so he doesn't have any particular interest in her.

But I had to give my sister face, so I nodded: "If the factory needs anything, just call me."

"Stay here for dinner tonight!"

He Yudong placed the fish on the stone table in the courtyard.

"There are over twenty of them; it would be a waste if we couldn't finish them all."

"How could I possibly accept that..."

Yu Haitang declined verbally, but she didn't move her feet. She would be overjoyed to be able to have dinner at the same table as He Yudong.

"Brother, you really caught more than twenty?" He Yushui's eyes widened.

"I caught it with a hand rod and earthworms. The fish in the moat are very clever; you have to play them slowly." He Yudong wiped the water off the fish. "I'll catch more if they want to eat. The tank is in the kitchen; they're lively and energetic."

The two girls were helping to gut the fish when there was a "click" from the window next door.

He Yudong glanced sideways and saw that Banggeng was peeking through the window, his little eyes darting around like a rat trying to steal oil.

He deliberately raised his voice: "Rain, cook extra rice tonight. That kid Banggeng will smell it and come over for a free meal!"

The two girls inside were startled. He Yushui picked up a fish scale and threw it at them: "You little brat, peeking again!"

The pheasant let out a "whoosh" and shrank back, causing everyone in the yard to burst into laughter.

Behind the broken window of Qin Huairu's house, Banggeng peeked at the window paper, his eyes glued to the fish bag in He Yudong's hand. The bag was still moving; the fish must be jumping around!

Seeing He Yudong pull out two large grass carp, each weighing seven or eight pounds, Bang Geng's drool dripped onto his underwear with a "plop":

"Grandma! He Yudong brought back two big fish! I haven't smelled fish for three months!"

As Jia Zhangshi was sewing shoe soles, the needle suddenly pierced her finger, and a bead of blood appeared.

"That brat! He doesn't share the good stuff with us, what an ingrate!"

In her eyes, it was "perfectly natural" for Sha Zhu's family to give her things. Back then, Sha Zhu helped the Jia family, so now He Yudong's fish should "come to her door automatically."

"Grandma, I'm going to steal one!" Banggeng rubbed his hands together. "I'll sneak in and grab one when they're not looking!"

"You good-for-nothing, what do you know!"

Jia Zhangshi spat and grabbed the handle of the stick.

"Taking things from Sha Zhu's house is stealing? You're so clever! Grandma taught you: Climb over the back wall, sneak into the kitchen, find the fish in the basin, grab it and run! They owe us that!"

Banggeng's eyes gleamed like a mouse that had stolen oil: "We're having fish tonight!"

This boy's "stealing" was nurtured by Jia Zhangshi with a sense of entitlement, and it's exactly the same as her "cheating and swindling" character when she was young.

In the He family courtyard, He Yushui was scaling fish, the back of the knife making a "swish swish" sound.

When she was a child, she watched Sha Zhu cook and learned the trick of "removing fishy smell and keeping freshness". She cleaned the fish's internal organs and cut the gills neatly, and the two fish shone silver in the basin.

When Qin Huai came home from work, he saw the fish and his eyes immediately fell on its tail. This fish weighed at least fifteen pounds. How could Sha Zhu's family of five possibly finish it?

She wiped the sweat from her brow, put on her usual friendly smile, and leaned closer: "Rain, this fish is so plump! Shall I help you prepare it?"

He was already calculating in his mind: He Yushui was skillful and handled things cleanly. If he took one back, Sha Zhu would definitely be "too embarrassed to refuse." After all, "it's Sha Zhu's stuff, so why not give it to him?"

"No need, sis, I've got it done."

He Yushui glanced at her sideways, picked up the fish basin and walked towards the kitchen. Usually when Qin Huai came, Sha Zhu would have stuffed the fish into her arms, but today He Yudong was here, so this widow was "polite".

Qin Huairu's smile froze on her face as she followed and reached out her hand:

"Rain, don't be so polite with me! Take this fish to my house and I'll cook it. I have some perilla leaves from the countryside; they make the stewed fish very fragrant!"

Just as her fingers were about to touch the fish scales, He Yushui slapped them away.

"Qin Huairu, what are you doing?"

He Yushui was furious. This widow had a face thicker than a city wall; she pretended to "help" while stealing fish!

Hearing the noise, He Yudong and Yu Haitang came out of the house carrying freshly picked water spinach.

He Yudong glanced at Qin Huairu's outstretched hand, then looked at his sister's knuckles gripping the rim of the basin, and knew perfectly well that this widow was "restless" again.

"What's wrong, Rainwater?" He Yudong shielded his sister behind him.

Qin Huairu's face was all smiles, and his waist was bent like a shrimp:

"It's nothing! I saw the rain was pouring, so I wanted to lend a hand..."

"Sister Qin, we have enough fish to eat." He Yudong's voice turned cold.

"If you're craving one, I'll catch a few for you tomorrow, but don't get any funny ideas."

Qin Huairu's face turned pale instantly, but she forced a smile: "Look at what you're saying, I was just kidding..."

As she turned around, her eyes were filled with venom; if looks could kill, He Yudong would have been torn to pieces long ago.

"Brother, she went too far!" As soon as she entered the house, He Yushui slammed the fish basin on the table. "Not only did she steal the fish, but she also pretended to be a good person!"

He Yudong rubbed his sister's head: "That's just how that family is. Qin Huairu married Sha Zhu and has no children to rely on. Afraid of being kicked out, she can only survive by 'robbing' and 'scheming'. Don't pay attention to her, the more you pay attention, the more she'll get into trouble."

Outside the window, Banggeng was carrying bricks to stand on, while Jia Zhangshi kept watch beside him, saying, "Be quiet, don't disturb the dog..."

"Brother Yudong, what's going on?" Yu Haitang asked curiously.

"It's nothing, it's just that there aren't many good people in this courtyard." He Yudong didn't want to say more to her, after all, Yu Haitang wasn't a member of the courtyard, and there was no need to involve her in these troubles.

He Yudong didn't say anything, but He Yushui poured out all the unpleasant things that had happened in the past few days, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Yu Haitang, a naive high school graduate, was astonished: "How could they do this? Your older brother helped them so much, and they repay kindness with enmity! It's outrageous!"

At this moment, Sha Zhu walked into the yard carrying a bag containing several kilograms of cornmeal he had bought for Qin Huairu, but he hadn't brought a lunchbox.

Qin Huairu saw him through the window; although he had taken the grain, he didn't have a lunchbox, and she was immediately dissatisfied.

She walked out, and Shazhu happened to see her. He handed her the bag, saying, "Here you go, the cornmeal I ordered. I bought it myself."

"Silly Zhu, you're so good to your sister. By the way, why aren't there any lunchboxes today?" Qin Huairu asked with a smile.

"There won't be any more lunchboxes from now on," Sha Zhu said, turning around and walking home.

"Wait, Sha Zhu!" Qin Huairu quickly called out to him, "Your family is having fish today, can we have some? Bang Geng and Huai Hua are growing, they can't eat cornbread every day."

"My family eats fish? How come I didn't know that?" Sha Zhu asked in confusion.

"I saw two big fish killed by the rain, each weighing at least seven or eight pounds. Your family definitely can't finish them," Qin Huairu said, making up a reason.

Sha Zhu didn't want to stay with her any longer, afraid that people would see and gossip: "I'll go back and check first."

"Then I'll wait for you," Qin Huai said softly, her voice deliberately seductive, and she even pretended to be shy. She didn't look like a widow in her thirties at all.

She's clearly pretending to be a novice.

She was plotting something: once Sha Zhu offered to give her the fish, she would continue to "leech off" him.

As soon as Sha Zhu arrived in front of the house, he saw He Yudong looking at him with amusement.

"What's going on, Yu Dong?" Sha Zhu asked.

He Yudong shook his head: "I really don't know what to say to you, I think you're really hopeless."

After saying that, he turned and went inside.

Sha Zhu blushed, realizing his younger brother was talking about him and Qin Huairu, and quickly followed him into the house.

"You don't need to tell me!"

He Yudong was furious.

"I was even thinking of finding you a wife today, but you're still the same old you. You wilted the moment that widow cried. How pathetic are you?"

"Second brother, don't talk about eldest brother like that. How can you expect him to change all at once?" He Yushui chimed in.

"Oh, we have a guest."

He Yuzhu then noticed Yu Haitang in the room, and his eyes lit up when he saw that she was beautiful.

"Brother, this is my classmate, Yu Haitang. She came to see me today," He Yushui quickly introduced. "Haitang, this is my older brother, He Yuzhu. Everyone calls him Silly Zhu. He's the head chef at the steel mill now, and he's an excellent cook!"

"Hello, Brother He, I am Yu Haitang." Yu Haitang greeted him politely. In fact, she was lusting after He Yudong's body and needed to build a good relationship with the He family first.

He Yudong picked up a piece of fish belly meat, chewed it, and suddenly frowned:

"Rain, when you introduce your brother to outsiders in the future, don't always call him 'Silly Pillar,' especially in front of girls. Once they hear the nickname, they'll definitely think our brother is a simpleton."

He Yushui stuck out her tongue and shoveled rice into Sha Zhu's bowl: "Okay, Second Brother, I'll call you 'Brother Zhu' from now on, alright?"

Sha Zhu, who was engrossed in eating fish, looked up and grinned, "It's alright, call me whatever you want! Everyone in the compound knows my nickname, right? Really!"

"Stop being silly!" He Yudong tapped the rim of his bowl. "We have guests over, so I'm cooking today myself. The fish is already marinated, so you can make your own. Oh, by the way, Uncle San is coming over in a bit. I specially invited him to introduce you to someone."

"Really?!" Sha Zhu's eyes lit up instantly, almost dropping his chopsticks. "Any girls? Pretty ones?"

"Don't laugh yet!" He Yudong glared. "Watch me later. Don't say another word. That old bastard San is as cunning as a monkey. Do you think he'll take the bait without some 'bait'?"

On the other side, the small kitchen of Rujia in Qinhuai was filled with the sour smell of cornbread.

Banggeng clung to the windowsill, stamping his feet. "Mom, why hasn't Shazhu brought the fish yet? I already made plans with Erguai to steal some!"

"Shut up!" Qin Huai grabbed his ear. "He Yudong is home. If he gets caught again, we'll tear the roof off our house!"

She caught a glimpse of Xiao Huaihua staring in the direction of Sha Zhu's house, swallowing hard. Her heart pounded. That morning, she had used her "honey trap" on Sha Zhu, coaxing and pleading until she got cornmeal and a promise to "go home and visit." If Sha Zhu really sent fish, he would definitely give it to his own family first.

It's already noon, and there's not even a fish in sight...

"It smells so good..." Little Locust Flower sniffed. "It's Sha Zhu's family making fish! Mom, I want to eat fish..."

Qin Huairu's heart tightened, and she quietly peeked through the crack in the window. White steam was billowing from the chimney of Sha Zhu's house. Grandpa San strolled over, carrying a bottle of "Erguotou" (a type of Chinese liquor), his face beaming like a chrysanthemum!

"Oh no!" Her heart skipped a beat. The other day, Uncle San had been talking to Jia Zhangshi about introducing a "textile factory accountant" to Sha Zhu, saying that she was "good-looking and capable of managing a household."

If Sha Zhu really gets married, who will still send fish and meat to their family?

The "money-making path" of sucking the blood of the fool must not be cut off?

"Mom, where are you going?" Banggeng tugged at her clothes.

"Shh!" Qin Huairu made a shushing gesture. "You guys eat at home, Mom's going out for a bit."

Jia Zhangshi shoveled some cornbread into her mouth, her eyes darting around. "Banggeng, forget about your mother, hurry up and eat! Your mother's probably off to 'chat' with Shazhu. We've been working together for so many years, I know exactly what she's thinking!"

Over the years, Jia Zhangshi has played the bad cop while Qin Huairu has played the good cop; one takes advantage while the other protects their reputation, keeping everyone in the compound in the dark.

In Sha Zhu's yard, braised fish was bubbling in an iron pot, the fish soup as white as milk.

He Yudong brought a bowl of fish soup to the old lady living alone in the backyard. When he returned, he saw Uncle San rubbing his hands and peeking into the house: "Zhuzi, is this fish enough for our whole compound to eat for three days?"

"Hey, Uncle San, please have a seat!" Sha Zhu hurriedly poured Uncle San a drink. "The main thing is the fish were good. I went fishing with you today, and we caught more than twenty in half an hour. Yu Dong even gave me two!"

Grandpa San took a sip of his wine, smiled with narrowed eyes, and said, "Your cooking is so perfect, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, even better than the chefs at state-run restaurants! It's just that..."

"Zhu Zi, you're not getting any younger, it's time to find a wife."

Yu Haitang was eating with her head down when she heard this and her ears turned red. She was He Yushui's classmate. Her eldest son, Yan Jiecheng, was dating her sister, Yu Li. Uncle San had long noticed that she was interested in He Yudong and deliberately teased Sha Zhu.

Qin Huairu scurried along the wall to the outside of Sha Zhu's yard, peering through the gaps in the fence. There, Grandpa San was holding a wine glass and talking to Sha Zhu about the "textile factory accountant"!

"No way!" she clenched her fists. "We absolutely cannot let Sha Zhu get married!"

She touched the "treasure" in her pocket, half a piece of osmanthus candy that she had exchanged with Xu Damao yesterday.

Taking a deep breath, she called out in a high-pitched voice, "Brother Zhu!"

Inside the house, Sha Zhu was arguing with Uncle San about whether the accountant could cook. Hearing this, he paused, then called out to the courtyard, "Sister Qin, is something wrong?"

Qin Huai swayed as she walked in, her eyes slightly red: "Brother Zhu, I... I feel dizzy, I think I caught a chill yesterday..."

Grandpa San squinted at her. This widow was wearing a faded blue cloth shirt, but the top two buttons of the collar were deliberately left loose, revealing her collarbone.

He sneered inwardly: Here we go again!

Sha Zhu quickly stood up: "Sister Qin, please sit down! I'll get you some hot water!"

He Yudong nudged Sha Zhu's foot under the table, and Sha Zhu finally realized what was happening. He quickly shut his mouth and just handed Qin Huairu a towel with a silly grin.

Grandpa San slammed his wine glass on the table, stood up, and said, "Zhu Zi, Auntie has something to attend to, I'll be going now! We can talk about my girlfriend another day!"

He flicked his sleeves and went out the door. Yu Haitang suppressed a laugh, while He Yushui kept winking at He Yudong.

Sha Zhu scratched his head, still not understanding: "Why did Uncle San leave? Where's the accountant?"

Qin Huai wiped away non-existent sweat and gave Sha Zhu a sweet smile: "Brother Zhu, thank you for your concern. I'll be fine after a rest..."

She glanced at the half-eaten fish left in Sha Zhu's bowl, her eyes darting around, and said, "Brother Zhu, if you don't mind, could my Bang Geng try some? He's growing and needs some nutrition..."