Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

But He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids. He pushed the cart straight into the house, his movements swift and decisive, leaving no room for hesitation.

This time, he really didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore, and he didn't want to say another word.

Inside the house, He Daqing hadn't returned yet; he was probably out preparing a feast and would likely bring back three boxes of leftovers.

So He Yuzhu didn't cook any dishes. He just kneaded a few cornbreads, steamed some mixed flour buns, and cooked a pot of cornmeal porridge, waiting for the old man to bring the food home so they could have a meal together.

……

The days passed by.

Because He Daqing often cooked outside, he had a wide network of connections and a strong reputation, so even Jia Zhangshi, who was the most troublesome person in the courtyard, didn't dare to come to his door to cause trouble.

The neighborhood committee came twice during that time, both times to ask He Yuzhu to lend them a bicycle for the wedding procession.

Without saying a word, he agreed on the spot.

The person who came even accompanied the official to the door; they were clearly honest and straightforward people.

Upon hearing that the car had been successfully borrowed, she was so excited that she immediately handed over a handful of wedding candies—ten in total, quite a heavy amount.

He Yuzhu doesn't usually eat candy, but he didn't give it all to He Yushui either.

He set a rule: two stars as a reward for finishing his homework every day.

— Clear rewards and punishments, and effective incentives—that's the way to manage a woman.

Seeing this, the other people in the courtyard also started to have ideas and tentatively came to borrow the car.

When I heard their reasons: going for a drive in the park, going to see a movie, or taking a bike ride...

He Yuzhu raised his chin and chuckled as he turned the tables, saying, "Sorry, I don't usually lend things out."

He knew what these people were after—wasn't it just that they wanted to show off their new cars on the street?

But if this loophole is opened, and someone else rides it today, it would take a month for more than twenty companies to take turns riding it.

Besides, showing off once isn't enough. They'll definitely come to freeload every day, it's so annoying.

Let's just establish the rules in public:

For emergencies, we can lend you our services—weddings, medical care, or announcing a death—it's all easy to arrange.

Other? Sure, you can ride it, it's two cents a ride.

The price is just right, not too high, not too low.

Two cents is enough to buy a pound of rice, enough for a family of three to enjoy a delicious meal of white rice.

Paying this much just for a bike ride? Not worth it.

Instantly, all those restless thoughts died down.

Behind his back, people naturally murmured: "He Yuzhu is stingy" and "He's so cheap."

But no one dared to say a word to their face—after all, they had said it was free for emergencies and that the road wasn't blocked.

Besides, compared to the Jia family's sewing machine—

At first, you could borrow money, but later it became one cent per borrowing, and you had to be watched by Jia Zhangshi, whose eyes were like knives and who kept muttering to herself, which made people develop a psychological trauma.

Finally, they simply locked up the sewing machine and wouldn't let anyone touch it.

Compared to this, He Yuzhu is practically a saint.

……

During this time, He Yuzhu also took the time to take the cook certification exam.

With a letter of recommendation from Fengzelou and Li Yuanguo's personal guarantee, the qualification review went smoothly all the way.

The test was held at the city's catering company, where several experienced chefs took turns tasting the dishes.

He Yuzhu showed no restraint, perfecting his knife skills, cooking time, seasoning, and plating.

A braised pork belly dish, glistening with oil and rich in sauce, melts in your mouth;

A dish of stir-fried bean sprouts, crisp and tender, cooked to perfection;

The braised sea cucumber with scallions, served last, drew frequent nods of approval from the examiners.

Results are in – Level 4 cook, a sure thing!

He knew that his senior brother Zhang Deliang, a highly accomplished person, didn't care about such empty fame, so he didn't need to pretend to be low-key.

When it's time to show your skills, you have to show them off fully.

However, Fengzeyuan is still in private hands. Even though He Yuzhu has a fourth-level cook's certificate, his salary depends entirely on the manager's mood, and he has no say in how much he earns.

Unless he switches jobs to a state-owned restaurant, or waits for Fengzeyuan to become a joint public-private enterprise, then his rank will truly be more valuable than his wealth.

That noon, He Yuzhu was holed up in his room flipping through a Russian book.

He's already mastered this skill to the peak of level four, which is more than enough for him to chat with the older brother.

Language skills are capped at level five. If you take it a step further, you'll be able to master all the professional terminology and technical documents.

dong dong dong——!

Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks came from outside the door, the force was fierce and rapid, as if it were a death knell.

He Yuzhu frowned: Who is it? In a hurry to be reborn?

He got up and opened the door, feeling annoyed. He had barely opened the door half a foot when he saw the deaf old woman standing outside, her back hunched and her face all smiles.

To be honest, this old lady had been incredibly kind to him in his past life—it was through her matchmaking that he had a son. But it was precisely because she kept bewitching him, constantly saying things like, "This old man is a good person, you can't go wrong by listening to him," that she gradually pushed him into a dead end.

In the end, he froze and starved to death, his wretched life wasted under the bridge, and no one even provided him with a simple coffin.

Having been reborn into this life, He Yuzhu has long since seen through the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

I don't want to get involved with Yi Zhonghai, the Jia family, or this smiling old hag in front of me.

Neighbors are neighbors, but don't try to freeload off him by stepping on his head.

He leaned against the doorframe, his tone indifferent: "Grandma, what is it?"

"Oh dear, can't you even look at my precious grandson for no reason?"

The deaf old lady grinned, wrinkles forming at the corners of her eyes. As she spoke, her eyes darted around into the house—clearly, she had come because of the smell of meat.

He Yuzhu knew exactly what was going on, but remained outwardly calm: "Never mind, just call me Zhuzi."

He shook his head, his words carrying a hidden barb: "If you need any help, I'll lend a hand if I can, since I'm on my way..."

The implication is clear: if it's not something you can easily do, then we'll each go our own way in the backyard.

The old lady understood perfectly well, but her stomach was growling empty, so she decided to play dumb: "Oh my, Zhu Zi, what are you busy with in the middle of the day?"

It means: Isn't it time to cook? An old man is standing here, aren't you going to invite me in for a bowl of soup?

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids: "Reading a book."

My daughter and I had a big meal this morning, and now I'm feeling sleepy, so I'm planning to take a nap.

He pretended to be confused.

If other elderly people really have no food to eat, he might let it go if he takes pity on them once.

But this guy? Once he enters the door, he won't stop until he's eaten until his mouth is greasy, and he'll still pick and choose, complaining about whether it's too salty or too bland.

In this life, he will never be indebted to anyone. All that talk of "love filling the courtyard" is just bullshit and emotional blackmail.

The old lady's face stiffened, and she twitched her lips.

She really wanted to get a hot meal, but He Yuzhu refused to open the door, saying that he was "too full to sleep," which was clearly an attempt to kick her out.

She gritted her teeth and changed her tune: "Zhu Zi, you old lady went out today and haven't been seen since. I've been waiting at home all day..."

He Yuzhu frowned: "You mean, she didn't leave you lunch before she left?"

"Yes, yes, yes! So I was thinking... could I..."

"That's too much!"

He Yuzhu suddenly raised her voice, her face contorted with anger, "Who doesn't know that your two families are just living together? Since you're living together, you have to take responsibility! You leave without even keeping us company, are you treating us like outsiders? Don't be angry, Grandma, I'll go find Second Uncle Liu Haizhong right now and hold a hospital-wide meeting to properly criticize this irresponsible behavior!"

"Wait! Wait, Pillar! Don't go yet!"

The deaf old woman was so frightened that she grabbed his sleeve and almost lunged at him to hug his leg.

How could she dare let He Yuzhu cause trouble? Actually, the old lady had left some food for him before she left—cold cornbread, cold cabbage, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.

Can that stuff even be called food? It's so hard to swallow!

She was after meat, aroma, and oil! That's why she eagerly came to He Yuzhu, hoping he would light the stove and stew some pork intestines or stir-fry some liver tips for her.

To my surprise, the young man exploded as soon as he heard this, and immediately wanted to hold a meeting of the whole courtyard. If this matter really gets out of hand and people find out that she is trying to extort money from people for a bite to eat, wouldn't the whole courtyard call her a "greedy old witch"?

"Zhu Zi... I remember now!" she quickly corrected herself, her voice trembling, "You old lady... you probably... you must have left me some food... I'll go back and check, you definitely left some... definitely!"

Before he finished speaking, he turned and strode away, his steps so fast it was as if he had a different leg, showing none of the shaky way he usually walked.

……

"Zhu Zi, should we remove the scales from the fish?"

It was another Sunday, and Yan Bugui arrived at the door carrying a fishing rod and a bucket of water, just after he had finished his breakfast.

Last time, He Yuzhu casually mentioned, "I'll catch a fish sometime and make you sauerkraut stewed silver carp." As it turned out, this old fox had very sharp ears and immediately remembered it. Today, he came straight to the door to fulfill his promise.

Actually, Yan Bugui didn't really want to drag He Yuzhu fishing; he just wanted that bicycle.

But He Yuzhu had said before – don't even think about borrowing the bike if you don't have anything important to do. Want to ride it? Pay up two cents!

Two cents was a huge sum for Yan Bugui. He had already bought half a pound of meat, so how could he just spend it like that? But he really wanted that shiny old bicycle, so after thinking it over, he decided to use the excuse of "fishing for one yuan" to sneak over there several times.

If He Yuzhu agrees to go together, it would be perfectly logical for him to then offer to give both of them a ride.

"Hey, Uncle San, you're here so early? The food isn't ready yet, please wait a moment."

When He Yuzhu opened the door and saw Yan Bugui, he greeted him casually, then turned around and squatted down in front of the table to busy himself with the lunchboxes.

This time he specially prepared an extra set, intending to take He Yushui with him.

One meat dish and one vegetable dish—the stir-fried cabbage with meat was fragrant and glistening with oil, and the shredded potatoes were cut as thin as hair; three cornbread buns and two steamed buns made from a mixture of flour and water were stacked layer upon layer into the aluminum lunchbox, and finally pressed down firmly to seal it tightly, without a single leak.

After getting everything ready, he tied the fishing rod and bucket to the back of the bicycle and fastened them with a click.

This vehicle is a manganese steel frame that he bought on his last trip to the city. It's very sturdy and can carry 300 pounds without wobbling.

"He Yushui, let's go!"

With a shout, the little girl bounced out.

As soon as the two stepped out the door, they saw Yan Bugui standing in the yard, one hand on the handlebars and the other hand stroking the frame of the bicycle. His eyes looked as if he were touching his newlywed wife.

"Hey, Zhu Zi, you're carrying so much stuff?" Yan Bugui said, but he was secretly overjoyed—now he could really ride it!