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

Several workers came to see a doctor in the afternoon, and this time He Yudong let Ding Qiunan do all the treatment while he just stood by and supervised.

He gradually realized that Ding Qiunan had a solid foundation in Western medicine and learned quickly, making her a true talent for medicine.

Yu Haitang felt a pang in her heart as she watched He Yudong constantly instructing Ding Qiunan, and the whole afternoon passed without any enjoyment.

Finally, it was time to leave work, and the three of them walked together towards Ding Qiunan's dormitory. As soon as they entered, Yu Haitang saw several large fish lying in a big bucket, and her eyes widened: "Brother Yudong, these fish are so big, did you catch them all?"

"Of course, I caught three!" Ding Qiunan interrupted before He Yudong could reply, her tone full of pride, like a child showing off a new treasure. "Brother He is amazing! He even saved a little boy who fell into the water the other day. The act of bravery you mentioned on the radio yesterday was the real thing that happened to us."

Yu Haitang puffed out her cheeks and sourly changed the subject: "Brother Yudong, let's go fishing together this weekend. I want to learn from you."

"This weekend... I'm afraid it won't work." He Yudong scratched his head.

Why?

"I'm arranging a blind date for my brother Zhu Zi this weekend. I have to keep an eye on it and make sure that widow next door doesn't mess it up."

"Oh, right. Brother Zhu's matter is more important. Let's make an appointment next time." Yu Haitang agreed, but in her heart, she was planning to go to He Yushui's place on the weekend and see if she could lend a hand.

"Brother He, let's cook. I'll help you." Ding Qiunan came over.

"Me too," Yu Haitang said, not wanting to be left behind.

He Yudong smiled and waved his hand: "Don't bother, just sit and wait to eat. I'll take care of everything today." The two girls were openly and secretly competing with each other. Although he, as a man, somewhat enjoyed the feeling of being fawned over, he also found it troublesome.

"Then I'll cook rice," Ding Qiunan said, taking the first seat.

"I'll wash the dishes," Yu Haitang added immediately.

He Yudong walked to the bucket, picked up a large fish weighing about ten pounds, which was still thrashing about in the bucket. He grabbed a cleaver, twirled his wrist, and executed a beautiful flourish, the blade flashing between his fingers. Yu Haitang and Ding Qiunan were stunned. This wasn't cutting a fish; it was like a martial arts master wielding a sword. The cleaver in He Yudong's hands seemed to dance. The blade grazed the fish's body with practiced ease, yet the skin remained perfectly intact. When the knife stopped, he gently flicked his wrist, and the entire fish—skin, scales, innards, and flesh—separated cleanly, leaving only a whole, clean fish-shaped piece of meat on the cutting board, without a single bone in sight.

"My God, Brother He, are you doing magic?" The two of them exclaimed at the same time, speechless with astonishment.

He Yudong ignored their expressions; he was trying to familiarize himself with the art of butchering an ox. He turned and heated the wok with oil, then tossed the cleaned fish in whole. As he stir-fried, the fish flipped and turned, yet remained perfectly intact. His movements were fluid and graceful, like watching a meticulously choreographed play, a feast for the eyes. Soon, the braised fish was ready, its aroma filling the air, instantly captivating the two girls.

When they came to their senses, they realized that the rice hadn't been cooked and the dishes hadn't been washed. Only after He Yudong reminded them did they hurriedly get to work.

Half an hour later, the dishes were served. Not only Ding Qiunan and Yu Haitang, but even He Yudong himself was a little looking forward to it. It was the first time he had used the "dissecting a cow" method to make braised fish. How would it taste?

"It's so delicious, Brother Yudong! I've never eaten such fragrant fish before!" Ding Qiunan took a bite, and the fish melted in her mouth, filling her mouth with its aroma. There was no fishy smell at all, and the freshness of the fish was brought out completely.

"Wow, amazing! Brother Yudong, what will we do if we can't eat your fish anymore?" Yu Haitang was also won over, and her chopsticks never stopped.

He Yudong laughed: "Eat more if you like it. I'll make more for you if you want more." He picked up a piece to taste and was secretly surprised. The taste was far superior to Sha Zhu's. Sure enough, his skill in dissecting cattle was not just for show.

A ten-pound fish, after being deboned and cleaned, weighing only seven or eight pounds, was devoured in no time, leaving not a single grain of rice.

"Oh dear, I'm so full. What if I gain weight?" Yu Haitang worriedly rubbed her stomach. That's how women are; they can't resist the temptation of delicious food, yet they're also concerned about their figure, forever torn between the two.

"If you're afraid of gaining weight, then don't eat it," Ding Qiunan retorted.

"Hmph, I'm going to eat it anyway, just to spite you! Brother Yudong, I'm scared to go back alone, can you walk me home?" Yu Haitang looked at He Yudong expectantly.

"It's not even dark yet, how can it be dangerous?" Ding Qiunan pouted, looking unconvinced.

Yu Haitang, her thoughts exposed, felt a little embarrassed: "Um... I've finished eating, I'll go back first." With that, she got up.

"I'll go with you too, it's on the way." Yu Haitang quickly followed, afraid of being left behind if she was even a step slower.

"Alright, Brother He, be careful on the road." Ding Qiunan glanced at Yu Haitang with displeasure and said to He Yudong. She was certain that since she was with He Yudong every day, Yu Haitang couldn't take him away.

When they arrived at the infirmary, He Yudong was about to leave with his cart when Yu Haitang clung to him again, grinning, "Brother Yudong, let me go back with you. I'll go see how Yushui's studying is going."

She said she was going to check on the rain, but really she just wanted to spend more time with He Yudong, and maybe even get to know him better and make her future sister-in-law happy. After all, she was thinking about her brother, so she had to get along with her sister first. If she could stay until evening, she could even get He Yudong to give her a ride home.

"Okay, get in the car." He Yudong couldn't refuse, so he had to agree.

The electric scooter was fast, and it entered the courtyard in just a few minutes. Aunt San, who was watering the flowers, saw He Yudong bringing a girl back. She looked familiar, so she quickly went inside and whispered to Uncle San, "Old Yan, why does that girl Yudong brought back look so familiar?"

"How could you not recognize her? That's Yu Haitang, the younger sister of Yu Li, the eldest brother's girlfriend. I reckon she's here to see Yu Shui," said Grandpa San.

"Oh, it's that girl. I was wondering why she looked familiar." Aunt San clicked her tongue. "But she doesn't look like her at all. Why does it seem like He Yudong and her are dating?"

"Really?" Grandpa San's eyes lit up when he heard this. If the two of them really got together, they would be relatives. He Yudong earned a little over a hundred yuan a month, which made him one of the wealthiest people in the courtyard. He was also very generous. Becoming relatives would bring him many benefits.

"It would be great if they could get together, then they'd be relatives. I think Yu Dong is a good kid, a good person, and the factory leaders value him. If they get together, we can benefit from it too." Aunt San thought about it and agreed.

"By the way, didn't you introduce Teacher Ran to Sha Zhu before? How did it go? As long as Teacher Ran and Sha Zhu meet, He Yudong will give us ten catties of pork belly." Aunt San added.

"Don't worry, it's all settled. Teacher Ran agreed to meet, and we'll have him come over this weekend. I've praised Zhuzi to Teacher Ran quite a bit about this."

"Yu Dong gave us ten pounds of pork belly. If Sha Zhu and Teacher Ran get together, won't they remember us? Yu Dong said the thank-you gift will be much more than ten pounds of pork belly."

"Really?" Aunt San's face lit up with joy. "Then we can't let anything go wrong, especially not if Qin Huairu ruins it, otherwise we'll lose all the benefits."

"She wouldn't dare!" Grandpa San snorted. "If Qin Huairu dares to ruin Zhuzi's blind date this time, I'll never forgive her!"

……

When He Yudong and Yu Haitang arrived at their doorstep, He Yushui came out to greet them. Seeing her brother's unhappy expression, she said, "Brother, why are you so late? I haven't eaten yet. Hey, Haitang, you're here too?"

"I came to see you. I know you've been studying hard." Yu Haitang stepped forward and took He Yushui's arm, smiling sweetly. They were like two fake best friends.

"Huh? Where's my brother? Why hasn't he come back?" He Yudong asked.

"I was picked up by a car at noon to cook for my boss, and I haven't come back yet," He Yushui muttered. "Hurry up and cook for me, I'm starving! I'm the only one our family can rely on to go to university."

He Yudong laughed: "Okay, future Tsinghua University student, just tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you."

"I want to eat braised pork."

"No problem, just wait."

"Okay, thanks, brother. Haitang, let's go inside and talk." He Yushui pulled Yu Haitang inside to whisper to her.

He Yudong went back to his room, took out a piece of pork belly, and used his expert butchering skills to braise the pork. In less than half an hour, the rice was cooked, the braised pork was ready, and the aroma filled the entire courtyard.

The Qin Huai family next door were eating cornbread and drinking noodle soup. Smelling the food, I suddenly felt like I was eating pig swill.

"Mom, it smells so good! Sha Zhu's family is making braised pork." Bang Geng slurped his saliva.

Qin Huai peeked out the window and said, "It's not Sha Zhu, it's He Yudong."

Madam Jia slammed down her bowl and chopsticks, cursing, "That damned He Yudong! He cooks delicious food every day, but he never brings any over! What an ingrate!"

"Mom, I want to eat braised pork. Go ask He Yudong for some," Banggeng pleaded.

"Did you hear me? Qin Huairu, my grandson wants to eat braised pork, what are you still standing there for?" Jia Zhangshi's voice was sharp and shrill.

Qin Huai sighed inwardly. This mother-in-law was too much of a troublemaker. If it weren't for her, she could have pretended to be a cunning woman without being exposed. But her mother-in-law had laid bare her shamelessness; no wonder no one would give them braised pork. She was a complete liability. She patiently replied, "Mom, you know perfectly well that He Yudong wouldn't give our family braised pork."

"Aren't you usually quite good at being coy and sweet? Think of a way! Otherwise, just steal it!" Jia Zhangshi urged, glaring at her.

"Grandma, stealing is wrong. If you steal, you're not a good child," Little Locust Blossom interjected timidly.

"You little good-for-nothing, what do you know!" Madam Jia poked her two granddaughters. "This morning when you came out of He Yudong's house, your breath still smelled of eggs. He must have given them to you!"

Little Huaihua's eyes reddened with anxiety: "Grandma, Mom, Grandma and Mom gave all the good food to my brother this morning. My sister and I didn't eat breakfast, and we were hungry, so Uncle Yudong treated us to something..."

Xiao Dang tugged at Jia Zhangshi's sleeve, "Grandma, Uncle Yudong is a good man, please don't speak ill of him..."

"Look at that! He Yudong bribed those two girls with just a little sweet talk!" Madam Jia pointed at Qin Huairu and scolded, "What's the use of raising you? You only care about your own enjoyment and don't even bring anything home!"

"Mom, can you please say less?" Qin Huairu said, suppressing her anger.

"I said less? Did I say something wrong?" Jia Zhangshi slapped her thigh and shouted, "You two ungrateful wretches, not only do you eat all the food yourself, but you don't even say a kind word to me!"

"Wah!" The two little girls cried, feeling wronged. In their hearts, their grandmother was a bad person, but they didn't dare to talk back.

"Grandma, didn't you want to eat braised pork?" Banggeng suddenly jumped out. "I'll sneak over later and take He Yudong's braised pork back! If he won't let us have any, I'll steal his!"

"You idiot! You want to steal something and get caught?" Qin Huairu was furious.

"Qin Huairu, you're not allowed to talk about my grandson!" Madam Jia Zhang stood with her hands on her hips, protecting her grandson. "If you're so capable, go make braised pork yourself! If you're not capable, why can't you make my grandson do it?"

"Mom, can't you use your brain?" Qin Huairu patiently advised, "Wouldn't it be better to let Xiaodang and Huaihua go over there? He Yudong is willing to give them breakfast, and he'll definitely give them braised pork if they want it. You let Banggeng steal it, and if you catch them red-handed, we'll have even less grounds to argue!"

On the other side, He Yudong stood at the door and called out, "Yushui, dinner's ready, come and eat!"

"Hey, brother!" He Yushui came out wiping her hands and saw Yu Haitang still sitting at the table. She quickly greeted her, "Haitang, want to eat something together?"

"No need, Yu Shui," Yu Haitang smiled, "I already ate with Brother Yu Dong before I came."

"Oh," He Yushui winked mischievously, "Tell me honestly, are you after my second brother?"

Yu Haitang's face flushed red, and her voice was so soft it was like a mosquito's buzz: "Will you help me or not? Yu Dong is so outstanding, I'm afraid other girls will have their eyes on him... Good Yu Shui, you have to help me!"

"Haha, I knew it!" He Yushui laughed, slapping her thigh. "The cool and confident Haitang from school is now insecure? This isn't like you!"

"Oh, let's eat first!" Yu Haitang nudged her towards the table. "We'll have a proper chat tonight."

"Alright, alright!" He Yushui replied with a smile, pulling her to sit down.

At this moment, Xiao Dang and Huaihua, the two little girls, timidly moved to He Yudong's door.

Upon seeing that it was the two of them, He Yudong casually asked, "Is something the matter, Xiaodang and Huaihua?"

Xiao Dang looked up and said, "Uncle Yu Dong, Mom and Grandma told us to come and ask you for braised pork. They said they won't let us eat if we don't get it."

Huaihua chimed in, "Grandma just told my brother to steal something, but I said stealing isn't good."

He Yushui, who was inside the house, heard this and her face immediately darkened: "Brother, how could Qin Huairu and the others do this? Letting a child steal is outrageous!"

"Forget it, don't bother with them." He Yudong waved his hand, then turned to the two girls and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Xiao Dang and Huaihua shook their heads together: "Grandma said we're a money-losing burden, and she won't give us food if we don't get braised pork."

He Yudong was furious inside, but he didn't show it on his face. He called the two children into the house: "Eat here with your uncle, and then go back. If your mother and grandmother ask, just say you want meat and come ask me for it."

"Yes, thank you, Uncle Yudong. Uncle Yudong is so kind." The two girls' eyes shone like stars.

He Yudong served them rice and added a few pieces of braised pork. Huaihua ate with glistening grease, smacking her lips and exclaiming, "Sister, the braised pork is so delicious! This is the first time Huaihua has ever tasted anything so good!"

Xiao Dang nodded in agreement: "Uncle Yu Dong's cooking is much tastier than Uncle Sha's."

"You have to call Uncle Shazi 'Uncle Zhu' or 'Uncle He,' otherwise people will say you're ill-mannered." He Yudong chuckled and ruffled their hair. "Got it?"

"I'll remember that, from now on call him Uncle Zhu!" Huaihua answered crisply.

He Yudong's heart softened. These two girls hadn't gone astray yet, much better than that ingrate Bang Geng.

He Yushui joked from the side, "Brother, your braised pork is indeed more delicious than your eldest brother's. If you were to become a chef, your eldest brother would be starving."

"My best skill is medicine; cooking is just something I do when I'm bored," He Yudong laughed.

On the other side, Qinhuai Rujia.

Madam Jia tapped on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and urged, "Xiao Dang and Huaihua have been gone for so long, why aren't they back yet?"

Banggeng jumped up. "I'll go check it out." He tiptoed to He Yudong's house. The door was closed, so he could only eavesdrop by pressing himself against the wall. Actually, He Yudong had already sensed the commotion. Footsteps within 300 meters on the battlefield couldn't escape his notice, let alone this kid's noise, which sounded like banging on a clapper. He couldn't be bothered. As long as they didn't cause trouble, he found it annoying to even glance at that family.

Inside the house, Xiao Dang patted his round belly: "Uncle Yudong, I'm full from eating locust flowers!"

"I'm full too!" Huaihua's cheeks puffed out, and her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled.

He Yudong took a handkerchief and wiped their greasy mouths: "Wipe them clean before you go back. Be good children."

"Yes! We'll be good and never steal again!" The two girls nodded in unison.

The boy outside gritted his teeth in anger. His sisters were eating and drinking well inside, and they wouldn't even let him take a piece of meat home! Hatred flared up instantly, but when he heard his sisters were about to come out, he quickly slipped back into his own home.

"How is it?" Jia Zhangshi grabbed him.

"Grandma, He Yudong is so mean! He lets Xiaodang and Huaihua eat good food, but he won't let them bring it back!" Banggeng said angrily.

"That heartless bastard! He's going to drive us to our deaths!" Madam Jia cursed, hands on her hips. "Where are Xiao Dang and Huaihua?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the two maids shrank their necks and went into the room, not daring to look at Jia Zhangshi.

"I told you to bring braised pork, why did you come back empty-handed?" Jia Zhangshi asked, glaring at her.

Huaihua hid behind Xiaodang in fright, saying, "Sister, I'm scared..."

Xiao Dang was a little bolder and mustered up her courage to say, "Uncle Yudong said that if you want to eat meat, you should go and ask him yourself."

"Two good-for-nothing bastards, utterly useless!" Madam Jia Zhang spat as she spoke. "That damned He Yudong, he won't be satisfied until he drives our family to our deaths!"

Qin Huairu couldn't stand it anymore: "Mom, why say these things in front of the children? Xiaodang and Huaihua didn't do anything wrong!"

"Shut up!" Madam Jia turned and scolded her, "Who are you to interrupt me when I'm disciplining my granddaughter? You're usually so capable, aren't you? Now you can't even get a piece of meat!"