Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Oh my!" He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, and he quickly cupped his hands in thanks. "Thank you so much for your kind offer, shopkeeper! Don't worry, I'll do my best in the kitchen from now on, and I'll make every dish look amazing!"

Fengzeyuan offered generous benefits, and he originally planned to work there steadily for three or four years.

If you can get through these three years, it's not too late to change jobs in six or five years.

The shopkeeper left with a smile.

These past few days, every customer has been praising the business as they leave, and he knows exactly who brought in the customers.

Getting promoted a few days earlier just means getting paid a few days earlier, which is a trivial matter for him.

When the get off work bell rang, He Yuzhu hopped on his bicycle and headed straight for Hongxing Primary School.

Last night, he asked Yan Fugui to let He Yushui stay at school for an extra hour to do her homework, since he could pick her up on his way home from get off work.

The wheels spun rapidly, weaving through streets and alleys, as fast as the wind.

To make it easier to ride his bike, he packed only dry and fragrant meat dishes in his lunchbox, leaving all the soup and broth for his senior to eat.

Things will be different starting tomorrow—he'll be a full-time employee, and he can bring home two dishes with a clear conscience!

Let alone two, I wouldn't mind having ten.

With his current skills, back in the Republic of China era, he could single-handedly run a long-established restaurant, with the owner personally serving him tea.

"Big brother!"

Upon seeing him from afar, He Yushui skipped over like a little sparrow, grabbed the hood of the car, brought her nose close to the lunchbox, sniffed it twice, and her eyes instantly lit up: "Wow! There's meat tonight?"

He Yuzhu immediately put his index finger to his lips and lowered his voice: "Shh—it's a secret! There will be a surprise when we get back."

……

Sunday morning, the sun was shining obliquely.

He Yuzhu pushed his bicycle, with a small schoolbag strapped to the back seat, preparing to take He Yushui to the library.

Just as I stepped out of the compound gate, I bumped into Yan Bugui.

"Zhu Zi, where are you going?" Yan Bugui stopped him with a smile.

The relationship between the two families is still fairly amicable.

Since the last time he helped him, Yan Bugui has stopped calling him "Silly Zhu" and speaks to him much more politely.

What's more—he was planning to borrow the bicycle for a couple of days, so naturally he needed to warm up the relationship.

He Yuzhu grinned and said directly, "Third Uncle, it's the weekend today. Take Yushui to the library. We won't be back for lunch."

Yan Bugui was stunned, his brows furrowing deeply: "What? Yushui is only in fourth grade and he's already in the library? That's a proper place to read, not a joke."

"Hehe, everyone says 'education should start from childhood,' right?" He Yuzhu chuckled slyly as he pushed his newly bought bicycle. "Fourth grade isn't young anymore. Waiting until she's in middle school to start learning? It'll be too late then!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he nimbly climbed onto the car, lifted the back seat, and pulled the bouncing He Yushui up with him.

With a turn of the wheel, the two disappeared at the gate of the compound, leaving a group of people watching with longing eyes.

Actually, he wasn't really worried about his sister's studies. He knew perfectly well that he was just there to borrow books.

But if the dignified "Silly Pillar" says he wants to study, wouldn't people laugh their heads off? So he has to use He Yushui as a shield, and at the same time, he can pretend to be a "good older brother".

However, to be fair, he does have some plans for this younger sister.

He Yushui is quick-witted and understands things easily, but she is lazy, loves to eat and play, and yawns whenever she sees a book.

Getting into high school is already a commendable achievement, but failing to go to university ultimately shows a lack of drive.

This time, He Yuzhu decided to get serious—to use money to create a future.

"Listen up," he turned around in the car, smiled at the little girl in the back seat, "the top three in the next exam will get a reward! First place gets three dollars, second place gets one dollar and fifty cents, and third place gets fifty cents."

"Once this opportunity is gone, it's gone forever."

He Yushui's eyes lit up immediately, like sparks flying from a small kerosene lamp lit in the night.

Three yuan? My goodness! That's enough for her to buy so many popsicles, several packs of spicy snacks, and several comic books! And her grades aren't bad to begin with; with a little effort, she could easily be in the top three. Isn't that like making money while lying down?

"Brother! I'm sure I'll get first place!" The little girl clenched her fists, her voice trembling with excitement.

He Yuzhu chuckled to herself: Her salary was only a few dozen yuan a month, and she only took a few exams a semester. Even if she got first place every time, she would only earn twelve yuan a year.

For him, it was just a drop in the ocean.

But for a child, that's real start-up capital for a dream.

And so, amidst the envious gazes of the neighbors, the brother and sister strode away.

Some people clicked their tongues and shook their heads:

"Oh my, Sha Zhu is so lucky! He Daqing is really generous, buying him a bicycle when he was just a teenager!"

"You bet! With his carefree attitude, how did he end up with a dad like that? He must have money to burn... Being a cook really does make money fast!"

Among the crowd, Yan Bugui was the only one who didn't join in the commotion.

He's been getting close to the He family lately, he's all sweet talk and quick to get things done, and he even manages to snag a free meal from time to time.

More importantly—he had already figured it out: He Yuzhu had definitely been promoted!

Otherwise, would it be like meat falling from the sky to fall into your home every day?

The He family father and son are both excellent cooks; their skills speak for themselves. These days, inviting them to host a banquet would cost at least eight yuan, and even then, it might not be possible to get them to do so.

As long as Uncle Yan bows his head, apologizes, and says a few soft words, he might just get another meal of braised pork hock.

That's a great deal, an absolute steal!

-

Stepping out of the courtyard, the morning light was just right.

He Yuzhu led He Yushui into a breakfast stall, waving his hand generously: "Two meat buns, a bowl of soy milk, and a plate of pickles, eat as much as you want!"

This year, there are no restrictions on the number of tickets available for eating meat, so he simply increased the supply.

Anyway, he earns a lot of money, so he doesn't care about this little bit.

He was also planning to take his sister to a state-run restaurant for lunch, the one right next to the library.

If it weren't for the fact that Fengzeyuan was too far away, he would have liked to just go there and have some fun.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two headed straight to the library.

Upon entering, you must first obtain a certificate, and then pay without hesitation.

When the administrator handed over a small blue card, He Yushui held it like it was a royal decree, her face clearly saying, "I'm a cultured person now."

Upon entering, the room was filled with the fragrance of books.

The bookshelves are neatly arranged and categorized, with even elementary school textbooks displayed in a dedicated section.

He Yuzhu picked out a book called "Russian Language Learning Manual for Beginners," sat down by the window, and casually pressed He Yushui down next to him: "Read it carefully, don't look around."

This girl used to hate reading the most; she couldn't sit still for more than three minutes before she would wander off.

But today is different—three yuan is floating above her head, like a hook firmly holding her soul.

She chewed on her pencil, staring intently at the textbook, studying each word carefully, silently chanting: First in the class, three yuan; first in the class, three yuan…

He Yuzhu was also busy.

He opened the Russian book and muttered to himself, "Good morning... Доброеутро... Oops, why does this pronunciation sound like he's holding half a mouthful of water?"

"Hello... Здравствуйте..."

His lips moved slightly, barely uttering a sound, yet he memorized every single letter by rote.

After reading for a while, he closed the book and tried to recall the words—strangely, those strange letters and pronunciations were still clearly imprinted in his mind, not a single one was lost.

"Did it work?" His heart skipped a beat.

He silently called out in his heart: System!

The next second, the familiar panel appeared before my eyes.

[Proficiency System]

[Host: He Yuzhu]

【技能：厨艺（四级：46521/200000）｜家务（三级：12/400）｜俄语（一级：56/100）】

"Holy crap!" He almost shouted out loud, then quickly covered his mouth.

My Russian language skills actually improved! Although it's only level one, those 56 points of proficiency... could it be from those words I just memorized?

Who cares, as long as it works!

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately turned the book back to its original page, reading more attentively than anyone else.

Sunlight streamed through the glass window onto the paper, reflecting off his lowered eyelashes and illuminating the ambition hidden beneath his ordinary exterior.

One Russian word after another was forcibly etched into He Yuzhu's mind.

On the system panel, the experience bar for the Russian language section was jumping wildly, its progress soaring—the next second, it broke through to level two!

Immediately afterwards, a strange yet clear linguistic pattern suddenly exploded in my mind.

The grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation rules that he hadn't even had time to memorize seemed to have been poured in out of thin air, automatically returning to their proper places in an orderly fashion.

"Holy crap, this system... it's amazing!"

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, and he felt a surge of satisfaction.

The feeling of having a sharp mind is even more exhilarating than eating a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

He grinned, immediately turned back to the book, and continued his relentless attack.

Time flies by, and it's noon in the blink of an eye.

He Yushui gently patted his shoulder and blinked her eyes: "Brother, I'm hungry."

He Yuzhu closed the book, got up and stretched, then took his sister to a nearby state-run restaurant.

When the dishes were served, he only glanced at them before his brows furrowed slightly—the cooking time was wrong, the seasoning was too rigid, and the oil wasn't moist enough.

In his eyes, this level of skill was at best equivalent to a sixth or seventh-grade cook, far from adequate.

He Yushui took a bite and muttered quietly, "It's not as fragrant as my brother's."

Even so, with two meat dishes and one vegetable dish laid out before them, the siblings didn't hesitate and ate everything clean.

In the afternoon, He Yushui felt a little lazy while reading, and her eyelids kept drooping.

But He Yuzhu's opening line, "I'll give you 50 cents for finishing a book," instantly snatched her back from the brink of sleep.

So she sat up straight and watched intently all afternoon, ignoring the noise outside the window.

When the library bell rang, He Yuzhu slowly checked out the book, tucked the "Introduction to Russian" into his pocket—he had to finish it tonight!

On my way back to the hospital, I passed by the gate and casually greeted the third uncle.

As he entered the house and pushed his bicycle through the door, Qin Huairu straightened up from the pool. Upon seeing him, she immediately forced a smile and tried to strike up a conversation.

She was trying to ease the tension—after all, she would have to ask him for a ride if she wanted to borrow his car in the future.