Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

Gao Xiaosheng talked until his saliva was almost dry before reluctantly ending the conversation.

No wonder so many people enjoy lecturing; it's so satisfying.

He would write down a sentence as he spoke, demonstrating an extremely positive attitude towards learning, which greatly boosted Gao Xiaosheng's sense of accomplishment.

"Brother Sheng, are you thirsty? I'll boil some water for you." He Yushui put down her pen, picked up the kettle, and ran towards the central courtyard.

Gao Xiaosheng nodded with satisfaction.

As his first disciple and the first head of the No. 95 Courtyard Children's Group, He Yushui is a model of respecting teachers.

"Oh dear, I knew I forgot to buy something, I hadn't thought about it at all, I forgot to buy coal briquettes!"

He Yushui busied herself with various tasks: getting the water ready and moving the coal stove to the doorway. But when she went to the kitchen, she found there were no coal briquettes.

"It's okay, Brother Sheng, wait for me a moment. I'll go home and get some, and I'll go shopping with you tomorrow afternoon."

"Hmm... I'll write this down first, so I don't forget it later."

It has to be said that He Yushui could carry a whole show on her own.

Gao Xiaosheng didn't even open his mouth; he just watched her perform all by herself.

When He Yushui hurriedly ran out the door again, Gao Xiaosheng chuckled, shook his head, and lit a cigarette.

He just shared a lot of valuable information with the little girl; she deserves this treatment.

To prevent traitors from appearing, Gao Xiaosheng proposed several measures.

For example, they cannot hire people who are too young; at the very least, they must be primary school students who understand some principles of conduct and behavior.

Those whose character is questionable must be rigorously investigated. People like Yan Bugui's children must be investigated with utmost care.

According to Gao Xiaosheng's idea, He Yushui should give priority to recruiting 12-year-old Liu Guangtian, while 6-year-old Liu Guangfu can be temporarily included as a reserve member.

the reason is simple.

Among those with bangs, he's relatively less bad. Aside from being somewhat "official-minded," his biggest problem is that he likes to beat his children.

But for Gao Xiaosheng, this was actually the best opportunity.

The father and sons were at odds, and Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu betrayed Liu Haizhong without any sense of guilt.

Moreover, Gao Xiaosheng can provide them with protection.

Whenever the two brothers get a chance to run out of the house and ask Gao Xiaosheng for help while they are being beaten, if Liu Haizhong dares to chase after them, they will not be able to escape unscathed. He will have to give Gao Xiaosheng a few chances to win the lottery.

As for 15-year-old Yan Jiecheng and 5-year-old Yan Jiefang, even if they successfully pass the probationary period, they can only be unofficial members.

The so-called "outside the official ranks" simply means that He Yushui uses the milk candy and food provided by Gao Xiaosheng to unilaterally exchange for valuable information from them, nothing more.

It's not fair to blame Gao Xiaosheng for his differential treatment; the Yan family members are just too good at being double agents—they're the type to follow whoever offers the best treatment.

"Brother Sheng, I've brought ten coal briquettes, some waste newspapers, wood shavings, and dry branches."

He Yushui was panting heavily as she carried a large winnowing basket in both hands.

Gao Xiaosheng quickly got up, took it, and placed it next to the coal stove.

"You take a break, I'll start the fire."

"It's okay, I can do it." He Yushui shook her head stubbornly.

She promised to boil water for Gao Xiaosheng, how could she give up halfway?

"Okay, let me know if you need any help."

Gao Xiaosheng watched as He Yushui placed newspapers, wood shavings, and dry twigs into the stove one by one, lit a match, and then slowly fanned the stove opening with a fan.

Only when the fire was burning brightly did they pick up two briquettes of coal and carefully put them in.

The little girl's movements were a bit clumsy, but the order was correct. Apart from the smoke being a bit too thick at the beginning, there were no other problems.

That's why they say technology changes lives.

Before honeycomb briquettes became widespread, lighting a stove was a skill that required several attempts to master.

There are specific rules regarding how much kindling to use, when to add the coal briquettes, how many briquettes to use, and how to add them.

He Yushui did a very good job.

Especially when placing the coal briquettes at the end, they were almost holding their breath as they gently placed them on the tree branches, afraid that if they used too much force, they would compact them.

Once there's no space left, it becomes smoldering, not only emitting billowing smoke, but also making it very difficult to light the coal briquettes.

He continued fanning for another two minutes, and when he saw the edges of the coal gradually turn red, He Yushui finally breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Hehe, stop rubbing, your hands are dirty, if you keep rubbing you'll look like a little kitten."

"I'll get you a basin of water to wash your hair, and after I fill the thermos, you can boil some water to wash your hair too."

Gao Xiaosheng got up, grabbed a washbasin, and headed straight for the central courtyard. He Yushui, who was squatting at the door, watched his retreating figure, her eyes gradually reddening.

She hadn't felt this kind of care since her father, He Daqing, passed away.

Although her older brother He Yuzhu treated her well, he was still young and particularly careless. He didn't even pay attention to whether she had enough to eat, let alone other small things.

Hmm... no, it has nothing to do with age. It's just that the older brother is too silly. Brother Sheng is only one year older than him.

Did He Yushui not know she needed to wash her hair? Of course she did.

The problem is that she doesn't know how to braid her hair, so she can only tie it up simply after washing it.

Every time he asked his older brother to help him braid his hair, he was reluctant and clumsy, and it would take him a long time to make two crooked braids.

The braids she has now were braided by Qin Huairu a little over ten days ago. Although they've become quite loose, they still look better than the ones her silly brother He Yuzhu braided.

The little girl was very conflicted, worried that her hair would turn into a "crooked braid" again after washing it, and that her classmates would definitely laugh at her at school tomorrow.

As for wearing a ponytail to school, that was not even on He Yushui's radar.

Throughout Beijing, whether in schools or on the streets, almost all girls had short hair that reached their ears or double braids.

A ponytail is almost synonymous with sloppiness; a well-behaved girl wouldn't wear a ponytail to school.

"What are you thinking about? Come and wash your face."

"Oh, okay, sure."

He Yushui obediently followed Gao Xiaosheng to the washstand.

"This towel will be yours from now on, so don't mix them up."

Gao Xiaosheng handed over the newly bought towel.

He Yushui shook her head repeatedly, splashing water droplets all over the ground.

"No need, it'll dry in a bit."

"Just use it. I have a new towel in my bag."

Gao Xiaosheng wiped He Yushui's face a few times with a towel, thus establishing a fait accompli.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a towel? I should have just bought one."

He Yushui muttered under her breath, wiping her face as she complained softly.

"The towel won't break if we don't use it, so we're using it now."

"The water's boiled. I'll pour two cups and let them cool. You can use the rest to wash your hair first, and then I'll fill the thermos with the next pot of water."

He Yushui was clean and fair after washing her face, but unfortunately the specks of oil on her head were too out of place, and Gao Xiaosheng couldn't stand it for even a minute.

"Brother Sheng, I think I'd better not wash it," He Yushui said hesitantly.

"Your hair is so oily and you still haven't washed it. You need to pay attention to personal hygiene, you know?"

He Yushui was so embarrassed she was about to cry. When she saw Gao Xiaosheng pick up a basin to go to the central courtyard to pour or get water, she quickly stopped him.

"I... I don't know how to braid hair. After washing my hair, I just can't braid it anymore."

He Yushui would never have confessed to Gao Xiaosheng if there were any other way.

I finally managed to turn the tide in the afternoon, proving that I wasn't a useless piece of trash, but less than two hours later I was back to square one.

"Pshaw, I thought it was something big. It's just braiding hair, I can do that!"