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

Without Yan Bugui's obstruction, the furniture and belongings on the cart were quickly transferred to Gao Xiaosheng's home.

After settling the bill with the chef, Gao Xiaosheng went to the central courtyard to fetch a basin of water, while He Yushui went home to get two rags.

The two, one tall and one short, one on top and one on the bottom, worked together seamlessly, chatting as they wiped the cabinet.

"Brother Sheng, why did you hit that old lady?"

"Actually, the auntie is a very nice person. She has never stopped anyone from asking for things, nor has she ever scolded me."

After chatting for a while, He Yushui couldn't resist.

When Gao Xiaosheng slapped Yan Bugui, He Yushui wanted to applaud, but in her heart, Yang Ruihua was one of the few kind elders in the courtyard.

"Hmm... Rainwater, there's a saying you might not have heard before."

"Two kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed."

Gao Xiaosheng stopped what he was doing, patted He Yushui on the shoulder, and gestured for her to sit down and rest with him.

"How many years have Yan Bugui and his wife been married?" Gao Xiaosheng asked.

"I'm not sure exactly, but it's definitely around sixteen or seventeen years old. Brother Jie is already sixteen by the traditional Chinese age reckoning."

He Yushui obediently sat down next to Gao Xiaosheng, resting her chin on her hand as she answered.

"After being married for so many years, how could she not know who Yan Bugui is?"

"Yan Bugui snatched Sun Youtian's things, and she didn't stop him; he snatched your brother's lunchbox, and she didn't stop him either. What do you think she was thinking?"

Gao Xiaosheng was very patient with He Yushui, and instead of giving her a direct answer, he guided her to think for herself.

Since he was all alone and didn't even have a younger sister, he had to trick someone else's sister into coming to him.

Having more sisters makes life more colorful and less monotonous.

Moreover, he had even higher expectations for He Yushui.

"I think the third aunt couldn't persuade the third uncle, since she couldn't earn money to support the family, and the six people all depended on the third uncle to support them."

He Yushui still tries to think positively about Yang Ruihua.

"This possibility exists, but it won't last long."

"If she continues to oppose it, even if she doesn't express it publicly, she will definitely communicate with Yan Bugui in private."

"If Yan Bugui had listened to advice, he would at least have restrained himself. If he hadn't listened... even if they hadn't divorced, their relationship wouldn't have been good. His wife wouldn't have left the child with you today and come over to fight with me."

"The fact that the two of them have such a good relationship shows what? It shows that Yan Bugui's wife approves of his actions."

He Yushui's face was tense, as if she had encountered a math problem beyond her syllabus. She pondered it carefully for a while before slowly nodding as if she understood.

This expression is all too common in the classroom; it's a favorite of average students who are neither particularly outstanding nor below average.

They seem to have understood, but not entirely. They seem to have understood a little bit, though they also seem to have not understood at all.

The two words to describe it are "as if I understood".

"Let me give you a few more examples, and you'll understand." Gao Xiaosheng smiled and patted He Yushui's forehead, then casually rubbed her brow a couple of times.

Why are you frowning so much, you little kid? Do you want to be a "three-bar" (a derogatory term for someone who is lazy and incompetent)?

"Yi Zhonghai takes 30,000 yuan from your brother every month, and promised to provide you with lunch, right?"

"Mm." He Yushui nodded gently.

"His wife doesn't eat with you; she only gives you a small steamed bun and a dish of pickled vegetables every day."

"Your brother went to confront them, and Yi Zhonghai, through a combination of deception and lies, shifted the blame onto you, right?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm." He Yushui nodded frantically.

"That's what they call 'two kinds of people can't sleep in the same bed,'" Gao Xiaosheng said with a smile.

"Yi Zhonghai and his wife worked together to set up a scheme, with the husband handling external affairs and the wife handling internal affairs, completely manipulating you two siblings."

"The Jia family is similar."

Following up on the topic, Gao Xiaosheng launched into a comprehensive critique of the beasts in the courtyard.

"Qin Huairu took your brother's lunchbox and even brought the bowl to your house. Whether she did it on her own initiative or was encouraged by her mother-in-law and husband, at least everyone in the family knew about it, right?"

"Of course I knew. My brother said that most of those dishes were eaten by Aunt Zhang and Brother Dongxu."

Mentioning the Yi and Jia families, He Yushui's expression became even more serious, as these were her two biggest victims and the root cause of her hunger.

"Yes, that just means all three of them are bad people, they just have different roles. There's an idiom called 'birds of a feather,' which describes them perfectly."

Gao Xiaosheng not only reasoned with He Yushui, but also taught her some Chinese language knowledge.

"The Liu family is the same. Liu Haizhong hits the child, doesn't his wife see it? Doesn't she stop him?"

"Not doing anything yourself doesn't mean you're a good person; you might even help by handing them a broom or a belt."

Seeing He Yushui's brows gradually relax, Gao Xiaosheng judged that she must have understood.

"Let's get back to Yan Bugui."

"He stole the lunchbox, and ate it all by himself? He stole the things for himself, but his wife and children got a share too?"

"To put it mildly, Yan Bugui's wife allowed him to steal things; to put it more seriously, she should be called an accomplice or an associate."

"Rain, remember this: unless one of you is mentally challenged, idiotic, or stupid, if you stay together for a long time, you'll both end up the same. Don't laugh at a pig for being black."

"Giggle giggle"

He Yushui was amused by Gao Xiaosheng's last line, "Don't laugh at a black pig when it's a crow."

"Brother Sheng, according to you, my brother and my future sister-in-law must be completely different, haha."

"..."

He Yushui's thought process was indeed beyond Gao Xiaosheng's imagination.

Is it possible that you won't have a sister-in-law for a long time to come?

"Brother Sheng, you don't know, my brother has been slow-witted since he was a child. My dad called him Sha Zhu, and later everyone in the neighborhood called him that."

"I always felt that my brother might not have been that stupid before, but people made him seem stupider and stupider."

"He believes everything anyone says except Xu Damao, especially what Uncle Yi says."

Although He Yushui said she didn't hate her brother, she still harbored a lot of resentment in her heart, and her little fists were clenched tightly.

Gao Xiaosheng's eyes lit up; he seemed to have found a breakthrough.

"Rain, actually, you can't entirely blame your brother for this. Some people are just honest and simple, and easily trust others."

"If you run into a good person, there won't be any problem, but our compound... tsk tsk, it's almost like a bandit's den."

Gao Xiaosheng carefully observed He Yushui's expression.

"That's right. Apart from you and Brother Sun, there aren't many good people among the neighbors in this courtyard."

"Brother Sun is quite honest, but he gets bullied the most. Every time the neighborhood organizes a cleanup, the three old men make him clean the outhouses."

He Yushui completely agreed with Gao Xiaosheng's assessment: this is just a den of bandits.

Huh? A bandit's den?

He Yushui blinked and looked at Gao Xiaosheng.

"Brother Sheng, aren't you supposed to be a bandit fighter? Could you take care of everyone in the courtyard too?"

"If this continues, I'm worried they'll kill my brother."

He Yushui counted on her fingers as she told Gao Xiaosheng how badly He Yuzhu had been scammed over the past two years.

When Jia Dongxu got married, Yi Zhonghai made He Yuzhu the head chef for free. Not only did he not receive a penny, but he also contributed a lot of seasonings.

Last year, flour purchase certificates were issued in Beijing, and white flour was subject to rationing. Yi Zhonghai said that Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were rural residents and were not subject to rationing. He asked He Yuzhu to promote the spirit of mutual help and help the Jia family solve the white flour shortage problem.

What solutions could a factory canteen cook possibly offer? He could only donate a portion of his own flour purchase certificates.

"Hmm..." Gao Xiaosheng drawled out the last syllable, putting on an expression that said the matter was very troublesome and that he was in a difficult position.

"Brother Xiaosheng..." He Yushui grabbed Gao Xiaosheng's wrists with both hands and shook them gently, using the innate coquettish skills of a little girl, making the last syllable longer and more rhythmic.

"There is a way, but it's quite difficult."

Gao Xiaosheng lit a cigarette, smoked most of it, and then slowly gave an ambiguous answer.

"In the past, when we fought bandits, we could just kill them one by one with a shot and that would be the end of it. But these people in our compound don't deserve to die. We have to be prepared for a long-term struggle and fight a protracted war and a tug-of-war with them."

"I definitely can't do it alone. I need help, and it has to be someone long-term and reliable, not someone who's only enthusiastic for a short time."

He Yushui raised her arm high, "Me? I'll help you."

Look, the fish has taken the bait!