Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

No wonder Lou Bancheng suddenly asked him a few days ago if he was married, and has been arranging for him to meet with Lou Xiao'e these past two days. It seems he's planning to find a son-in-law for him.

Good heavens, it turns out that this meal of Tan family cuisine wasn't a test of culinary skills, but rather of the son-in-law's abilities!

He remembered that Chairman Lou had indeed considered marrying Lou Xiao'e to him, but that was several years later.

Right now... Lou Xiao'e is only fifteen or sixteen years old, just three years older than her younger sister He Yushui. She's in the prime of her youth, and her ponytail could whip up a breeze with a flick of its tail.

Is Chairman Lou already starting to make plans? What kind of scheme is he plotting?

Is he overthinking it? It doesn't seem like it.

Lou Bancheng's eyes couldn't be hidden; they were clearly written on his face.

As He Yuzhu was pondering this, Lou Xiao'e frowned and asked, "What on earth is my dad thinking?"

"Forget it, you'll definitely freak out if I tell you. Let's just go ask him ourselves."

He Yuzhu waved his hand, thinking to himself—what if I guessed wrong? Wouldn't I be embarrassed for no reason?

"How absurd!" Lou Xiao'e stomped her foot, turned and ran, her skirt fluttering, clearly heading straight for her father to confront him.

He Yuzhu shook his head and smiled, then turned and went into the kitchen.

Before long, four bowls of clear soup noodles were served.

Although it's called clear broth noodles, it's actually quite expensive—the broth is made from a base of clear bird's nest soup, and chicken, duck, ham, and dried scallops are all added to the pot and simmered overnight over a low flame until it's as clear as mountain spring water, transparent and without any residue.

The noodles are an absolute specialty: dragon whisker noodles, as thin as hair. When cooking them, you can't even breathe too loudly, or the whole pot will break apart.

We'll have a light lunch, but the main event is in the evening – Tan Family Cuisine will be the grand finale.

The noodles had just been placed on the table when Lou Xiao'e sat there pouting, sulking. It was clear that she had had a falling out with her father.

But the moment the fragrance filled their nostrils, the father and daughter's quarrel was instantly forgotten.

The three of them stared intently at the four bowls of noodles, especially Lou Tanshi, who, as an old-fashioned culinary expert, immediately recognized the secret.

"Pillar, this side..." Her voice softened.

"Madam Lou, don't worry, we'll save the Tan family dishes for tonight."

I was afraid of getting hungry at noon but didn't dare to eat too much, so I made some clear soup dragon beard noodles to fill my stomach.

The soup was a clear bird's nest broth, I just took a sip and accepted it.

Before he finished speaking, Lou Tanshi had already scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth.

With a flick of his tongue, his eyes suddenly lit up.

After a moment, she slowly nodded: "Okay! The freshness of the dried goods has completely melted into the soup, making it neither cloying nor greasy, with a lingering sweetness."

And speaking of these noodles... I've never seen noodles thinner than these in my entire life. Back in the day, Master Zhang was known as "One-Thread-Through," but even his noodles weren't this delicate.

The noodles were so thin that you had to hold your breath to pick them up with chopsticks; if you applied too much force, they would snap in two.

If it breaks once, it can still be saved; if it breaks twice, you might as well just accept your fate and drink the soup.

"Zhu Zi, your skills are truly amazing!" Lou Bancheng exclaimed, his tone full of amazement.

Even when he was a prominent figure in the business world, he had never eaten such elaborate noodles.

Lou Xiao'e couldn't wait any longer and picked up her chopsticks to pick up the noodles, but after two attempts, they all broke and fell into small pieces floating on the soup.

Lou Tan chuckled upon seeing this: "Xiao'e, you can't rush things, let alone with this dragon beard noodle."

Be gentle, steady, and slow—watch how Mom does it.

As she spoke, she gently picked up a whole strand of noodle with the tip of her chopsticks and slowly put it into her mouth.

It is smooth yet not crumbly, resilient yet not hard, and melts in your mouth with a gentle swirling motion.

After swallowing, the layers of soup linger in your mouth: first the richness of the chicken soup, then the salty aroma of the ham, and finally the sweet freshness of the dried scallops, gently spreading across the back of your tongue.

Lou Bancheng also took a bite, closed his eyes and savored it carefully, as if the bite of noodles had taken him back to the prosperity of the past.

Lou Xiao'e, standing nearby, was so anxious that she kept biting her lip. After several attempts, she finally managed to turn the whole bowl of noodles into "noodle soup".

Left with no other choice, I could only pick up the bowl and use a spoon to drink the soup spoonful by spoonful to satisfy my craving.

But compared to the distinct strands of dragon whisker noodles, just drinking the soup ultimately lacks soul.

After asking around anxiously and confirming that no extra noodles had been made, he had no choice but to resign himself to picking up the spoon and slowly scooping up the soup, staring at the empty bowl as he drank, his face full of "unwillingness".

After the meal, the stove in the back kitchen was burning gently, simmering the Tan family dishes for the evening. It only needed to be checked on every two hours.

Lou Bancheng then invited He Yuzhu into the study.

The two sat down, and before the tea had even heated up, Lou Bancheng went straight to the point:

"Zhu Zi, did you... guess why I sent Xiao'e to the kitchen to find you?"

He Yuzhu chuckled twice: "Chairman Lou, I... do have some ideas."

However, Miss Lou is still young...

"You actually guessed right." Lou Bancheng was not embarrassed at all. Instead, he laughed loudly. "I didn't misjudge you. You're a smart kid with a keen mind."

He paused, then his tone turned serious: "It's getting late."

In families like ours, people used to get married at sixteen or seventeen.

I only have one daughter, Xiao'e. I used to protect her too much, raising her like a little child, making her overly naive.

"But can we protect her for the rest of our lives? No."

While I still have some influence, I'll find her a reliable family, someone I know well. After two years of getting to know each other, things will naturally fall into place.

I was planning to book it as soon as possible, while I still had some influence, to lend a hand... But after your reminder last time, I realized—the bigger my moves now, the harder I'll fall in the future.

He looked out the window and lowered his voice: "So I have to keep this under wraps."

But, my heart is set on you.

How could He Yuzhu dare to say anything more? He was a complete stranger, and if Lou Bancheng made a mistake, wouldn't he be made the scapegoat?

He waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Chairman Lou, aren't you overthinking this? The public-private partnership has only just begun, and you're one of the first to set an example. We won't touch the benchmark, no matter who we touch."

"Zhu Zi, don't try to comfort me." Lou Bancheng gave a bitter smile, but his eyes were as deep as an old well. "The higher you stand, the stronger the wind blows."

My old friends have already been quietly paving the way for their future.

I was so smug a while ago, but now... I can't even take a single step.

He paused, then lowered his voice: "The Lou family has too much stuff—not to mention the shares in those factories, just the cash, goldware, antiques, paintings, and property deeds… how are we supposed to take all this? Can we even take it?"

Traveling alone with light luggage is no problem.

But without these foundations, what can he do even after leaving this door? Start from scratch with a small shop and build up "half a city" again?

dream.

He's no longer at the age where he could risk everything.

"Zhu Zi, I'm too lazy to beat around the bush." ​​Lou Bancheng stared straight at him, his gaze like a nail. "I asked Xiao'e, and you two are getting along well."

I've also looked you up; you're reliable and dependable.

If you're willing—get engaged next year, and marry her the year after, once she turns eighteen.

What do you think?

"this……"

He Yuzhu froze, his mind going blank for a moment.

He was indeed attracted to Lou Xiao'e, but this matter came too suddenly, like a blow to the head.

But he could tell that Lou Bancheng wasn't joking.

After a moment of silence, he composed himself and said, "Chairman Lou, as long as Xiao'e has no objections, of course I'm willing."

"Hahaha!" Lou Bancheng suddenly stood up, strode forward, and slapped him on the shoulder with such force that it felt like he was going to shove him into the family genealogy. "Good! Zhuzi, don't worry, I'll talk to Xiao'e. Her mother and I both have high hopes for you!"

They say they respect their daughter's wishes and that the policy advocates free love, but when it comes to the day of marriage, which family doesn't need the parents' approval to count?

In this era, "free marriage" still depends on the family's approval.

Without the support of their parents, they couldn't even find a place to build a wedding room.

While the two were chatting and laughing in the study, on the other side, Lou Tanshi was embracing Lou Xiao'e and whispering sweet nothings under the lamp.

The girl's face turned as red as the sunset burning half the sky; she twisted her handkerchief in her fingers and remained silent with her head down.

One of them would try to win her heart, while the other would persuade her to marry him; this was a plan that the Lou family had devised long ago.

That's why Lou Bancheng didn't mention it at all during the meal.

After He Yuzhu said goodbye and left, Lou Xiao'e still came out, stood on the steps and waved from afar, her ears red and her eyes darting away.

It was obvious that her mother had just spoken to her in private.

After seeing the person off, He Yuzhu walked in the night, his mind already racing with plans.

The Lou family's situation is both difficult and simple.

Just give the country what it wants most.

Now that everything is in ruins and needs to be rebuilt, people are tightening their belts to carry out construction. Industry needs to be developed, technology needs to be introduced, and food needs to be guaranteed... Everything outside is highly sought after.

The Fok family on Hong Kong Island is a prime example.

The country is now more than willing to have a few more such "white gloves". Even though the Huo family already exists, who would complain about having one more?

In his past life, he had heard Lou Xiao'e mention how the Lou family started their business in Hong Kong.

In this life, if you follow the path once, you can almost avoid all the pitfalls.

Moreover, he also possessed the formulas for dozens of beeswax pills.

In this area alone, not to mention Hong Kong Island, there are few Chinese medicine shops in the entire Southeast Asia that can rival him.

If the Lou family were to shift their focus to the pharmaceutical industry in Hong Kong, he would bet that they would make a name for themselves within three years and dominate the region within five.

In addition, with a solid foundation in the catering industry, it can take root and flourish once it's established.

As for himself, he married Lou Xiao'e, and his background will be implicated if investigated in the future.

Ha, he's not afraid at all.

He can just openly admit: I have overseas connections, so what?

Ten years later, the West imposed a blockade on China, and Big Brother withdrew its aid and supplies, leaving the entire country isolated.

What did the Lou family, who secretly transferred technology and supplies to China every year, mean back then?

Foreign exchange is precious? That's because it can be exchanged for life-saving items.

However, many critical supplies are not necessarily available for purchase even if you have the money.

But the Lou family is different.

On the surface, they were just wealthy businessmen who were "targeted" and fled to Hong Kong Island, bearing the infamy and keeping a low profile.

In reality, they became the blood vessels in the underground canal.

Buying sensitive goods? Nobody checks them.

Transshipment of prohibited goods? That makes perfect sense.

What others would fight tooth and nail to get their hands on with foreign exchange, the Lou family could easily acquire.

At that time, it won't be foreign exchange that will be valuable—it will be the Lou family that will be more useful than foreign exchange.