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

"Rainwater, open your mouth, there's more in the cupboard, help yourself if you want some."

"You can also give one or two to Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, but not too many."

While He Yushui wasn't looking, Gao Xiaosheng took out half a pound of ABC Mickey Mouse milk candies, peeled one open and put it in Yushui's mouth, and stuffed the rest into the drawer.

"Brother Sheng, I don't... um."

He Yushui wanted to refuse, but before she could finish speaking, her taste buds on the tip of her tongue had already tasted the rich milky aroma. She immediately closed her mouth tightly, afraid that the sweet saliva would flow out from the corner of her mouth.

"It's delicious. I'll go get some water to wash the vegetables later." Gao Xiaosheng habitually rubbed Yushui's little head.

"Mmm." He Yushui wanted to nod, but after lowering her head a little, she raised it again, swaying it from side to side and rubbing against Gao Xiaosheng's big hand in the opposite direction.

Gao Xiaosheng was extremely satisfied; even after he had walked outside, the corners of his mouth were still turned up in a wide smile.

Only a younger sister can be so attentive and clingy. If it were a seven or eight-year-old brother, he would be absolutely disliked and a complete troublemaker.

The smile on Gao Xiaosheng's face didn't last more than a few seconds before it completely vanished as soon as he entered the Intermediate People's Court, and he unconsciously frowned.

Compared to the deserted front yard, the middle yard was quite lively.

Qin Huairu sat on a small stool next to the pool, washing clothes.

Jia Zhangshi, holding her beloved grandson Banggeng, chatted with Yi Zhonghai's wife Wu Guizhen under the eaves.

Upon seeing Gao Xiaosheng, Jia Zhangshi sternly snorted, "She's an old lady. You should talk to your husband, Lao Yi, about how the atmosphere in our courtyard isn't what it used to be."

"These young people nowadays don't know how to respect the elderly or help each other. They only care about themselves and won't suffer even the slightest loss."

Wu Guizhen didn't give Gao Xiaosheng a friendly look either, deliberately turning her head away and making an expression as if she didn't want to talk to him.

"Sigh, Sister Zhang, things are different now. My word doesn't carry weight in my family anymore."

"They're just like regular police officers, doing whatever they want and making extra money whenever they want. They don't take the big boss seriously at all."

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Wu Guizhen had never worked in her life and relied entirely on Yi Zhonghai for support. It wasn't until she took on the job of making lunch for He Yushui that she experienced the satisfaction of earning money for the first time.

As a result, Gao Xiaosheng messed things up.

Yesterday, I hid at the Jia family's house and deliberately kept quiet, thinking that it wouldn't be a big deal for He Yushui to go hungry for a meal, and I would save money wherever I could.

Yi Zhonghai had told her that one should not go to extremes in anything and should always know how to maintain a proper balance, and Wu Guizhen had taken that to heart.

Today, she timed her get out of class to end on a rainy day, steamed small cornbread buns, and prepared pickled vegetables.

He had it all figured out: once the rain entered the yard, he could just say a few words of apology and the matter from yesterday would be over, essentially making a thousand yuan for free.

The steamed buns I made at home got cold, but the rain never came. Instead, the aroma of stir-fried vegetables wafted from the front yard.

Wu Guizhen knew Yan Bugui's family too well. They were reluctant to cook at night, let alone at lunchtime. They would consider it a holiday if they could cut up more mustard greens or pickled vegetables.

To verify her ominous suspicions, Wu Guizhen deliberately crouched down and ran to the front yard to take a look. Only after confirming that He Yushui was cooking did she return to the middle courtyard, cursing all the while.

Her only source of income is probably about to be cut off.

The culprit is none other than Gao Xiaosheng.

They had only moved in for a day when they dared to hand over their house keys to a ten-year-old girl and even let her cook for herself.

Is this something a normal person would do?

Wu Guizhen and Jia Zhangshi were chatting just now, and they had already given Gao Xiaosheng a good scolding. If it weren't for the strict regulations now, Jia Zhangshi would have wanted to make a little mannequin out of scraps of cloth and prick it with a thousand or eight hundred needles every day.

Now, when they see the person in question, they still give him the cold shoulder and make sarcastic remarks.

Jia Zhangshi and Wu Guizhen took turns criticizing Gao Xiaosheng, but neither dared to name him directly.

"These days, anyone can become a policeman. The higher-ups don't bother to select officers properly. Anyone who looks like a bandit can get in."

"That's right. Other police officers are there to help people solve their problems, but this guy from our hospital just seems to be picking a fight with his neighbors."

"..."

The two old women chatted animatedly and spiritedly, venting their pent-up resentment.

Gao Xiaosheng pretended not to hear, and continued to shake his head and shrug his shoulders as he walked straight to the pond in the middle of the yard.

"Brother Sheng, come get some water. Wait a moment, I'll make room for you."

Just as she was about to step into Qin Huairu's laundry tub, the young woman suddenly looked up, pretending that she had just seen Gao Xiaosheng.

"Hmm, no rush." ​​Gao Xiaosheng stood still, his head lingering on Qin Huairu for a few seconds.

It has to be said that Qin Huairu is the epitome of emotional intelligence in the entire No. 95 compound.

Even though her mother-in-law and her husband's teacher's wife were making veiled attacks, Qin Huairu still chose to be kind to them, even addressing them as "Brother Sheng" to build rapport.

You can't hit someone who's smiling at you. Even though Gao Xiaosheng knew this young woman wasn't a good person and was a complete hypocrite, he could only be cold to her.

"Oh dear, there's too much water in the basin. Let me help you get some."

Qin Huairu sensed the distance in Gao Xiaosheng's tone, but she didn't give up; instead, she became even more enthusiastic.

She would never side with her mother-in-law against Gao Xiaosheng, even if she was scolded by Jia Zhangshi when she went inside.

Qin Huairu was well aware that no matter how well she behaved as a dutiful daughter-in-law, Jia Zhangshi would not give her an extra bite to eat.

Whether you can get enough to eat depends entirely on your own efforts.

Sha Zhu's lunchboxes are the foundation, but we can't put all our hopes on him; we need to strive to continue opening up new sources.

Gao Xiaosheng is her new target.

The reason is simple: Yu Shui has been eating at Gao Xiaosheng's house for two consecutive days, and her hair is clean and neatly braided.

This is enough to show that although Gao Xiaosheng has some violent tendencies, he is generous and willing to help the weak.

Most importantly, they seem to be quite wealthy!

How could Qin Huairu let such a rich guy slip away so easily? She had to treat him like Sha Zhu, keeping him at arm's length, sometimes hot and sometimes cold, easily controlling him through constant push and pull.

"Okay, thank you for your trouble." Gao Xiaosheng glanced at the large basin and stool blocking his feet, nodded, and handed the vegetable basin to Qin Huairu.

"Brother Sheng, I just saw Yushui come over to wash clothes. Was she washing them for you?"

While they were getting water, Qin Huairu took the initiative to start a new conversation.

"Rain is young and doesn't have much strength in its hands, so it can't wash clothes properly. Next time you have dirty clothes, I'll help you scrub them clean."

"No need," Gao Xiaosheng refused decisively. He didn't want anything to do with Qin Huairu and was trying to avoid her as much as possible.

"It's fine. It doesn't cost money to use more water anyway. I don't have anything to do, so I'm just sitting around doing nothing."

No wonder Qin Huairu hogged the sink all day long. It wasn't because she had too many dirty clothes to wash; it was because the water bill was fixed and cost the same no matter how much she used, so she was trying to get a discount.

"Today was an accident; I usually wash myself."

Gao Xiaosheng stared at the water flow and realized for the first time that the water pressure was too low; the small vegetable basin was not even full.

He was not afraid of Jia Zhangshi's tantrums and unreasonable behavior, nor was he afraid of Yi Zhonghai, who was good at moral blackmail.

The only one I fear is Qin Huairu, who is a soft knife with a constant smile and relentless pleading.

You can't hit them or scold them. They live in the same courtyard, and you can't even stay far away from them. There's no way to avoid them except to patiently and politely refuse.

"You work so hard every day, why don't you take a break while you're doing laundry?"

"Besides, this kind of work should be done by women. It's embarrassing for men to wash their own clothes."

"Alright, the water's ready. Just let me know if you need anything in the future."

Qin Huairu picked up the dish and handed it to Gao Xiaosheng.