Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Don't touch my parents!

The reason I've been so powerful these past two days is entirely because I have Brother Zhu backing me up.

He dared not retort and, like a frightened rabbit, quickly shrank to He Yuzhu's side for protection.

"What are you afraid of?" He Yuzhu winked at him, grinned, and gently bumped him with his shoulder.

"Brother Zhu, what if I get separated from him? He's several years older than me, I really can't beat him."

He Yuzhu chuckled inwardly: This kid looks clever, but that sharp tongue of his is a real troublemaker. He knows perfectly well that being alone means he'll get beaten up, but he still insists on being defiant.

"Then you should just stay home obediently!"

"No, Brother Zhu," Xu Damao immediately said with a bitter face, "I don't want to be locked in the house by my mother again. That feeling is worse than being beaten."

"Then you'll have to train with me from now on. Look at your skinny frame, you're as thin as a bean sprout, a gust of wind could blow you away."

"Who looks like a bean sprout!" Xu Damao was displeased when he heard this. The thought of a bean sprout with a big head and a thin body made him feel extremely insulted.

Jia Dongxu, standing outside the window, was so angry he felt like his lungs were about to explode. These two brats were completely ignoring him, not even giving him a second glance.

He gritted his teeth, his roguishness returning instantly, and immediately shouted in a sarcastic tone:

"Zhu Zi, you'll regret this! We'll run into each other all the time in this compound. If you ever run into trouble, don't expect me to help you."

He Yuzhu then slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt:

"Jia Dongxu, what can you do to help me? Oh, by the way, the fact that you're not trying to take advantage of me is already a huge help."

Seeing his chance, Xu Damao immediately added fuel to the fire: "That's right! Jia Dongxu, as long as you don't come here to freeload, that's the biggest help you can give Brother Zhu."

"He Yuzhu, you just wait, one day you'll be begging me for help!" Jia Dongxu was so angry that he was trembling all over, and even his fingers were shaking.

"I'll wait." He Yuzhu said calmly, but his hands didn't stop flipping the meat skewers.

Meanwhile, after kicking her son out, Jia Zhangshi followed him to the door to watch the commotion.

I thought this would be a piece of cake, but to my surprise, my son not only didn't get any benefit, but was also severely insulted by those two brats.

Seeing her son trembling with anger, Madam Jia felt utterly humiliated and immediately spoke up:

"Dongxu, what have you been doing? Is the family short of food or drink? Tomorrow, Mom will buy meat and make dumplings for you, enough to make those two little rascals drool!"

Jia Dongxu was completely stunned, and kept wondering to himself: Didn't you tell me to come and ask for it?

But he knew his mother's temper well; this was clearly an attempt to give him a way out.

He simply couldn't believe it. The family had just celebrated the New Year, and the oil was almost gone. His mother would really be willing to buy meat to make dumplings.

He Yuzhu and Xu Damao exchanged a glance, and both of them couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Before Jia Dongxu could reply, He Yuzhu deliberately raised his voice and shouted loudly out the window:

"Hey, Aunt Jia Zhang, how many pounds of meat are you planning to buy? Don't forget, dumplings have to be meat and egg filling to taste good!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Meat and egg dumplings are the best. They're so juicy and delicious!" Xu Damao echoed reflexively. After all, meat and egg dumplings were the ultimate delicacy in his mind.

"Zhuzi, Damao, are your sparrows ready yet? Bring them over as soon as they're done!" Chen Shuxiang's voice came from the inner room.

She really didn't want to get involved in the younger generation's arguments, and besides, Jia Zhangshi's mouth was too sharp; she was afraid her son would be corrupted by it.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately lost face.

She was just bluffing to save face; she wouldn't actually go and buy meat to make dumplings.

But how could she possibly swallow her anger after being teased like that by He Yuzhu and Xu Damao?

"He Yuzhu, you little brat, do you think I can't afford meat? It's just a few rotten sparrows, I don't even want to eat them!" Jia Zhangshi shouted and cursed.

"Oh, Aunt Jia, you've got a tough tongue." He Yuzhu retorted calmly, skillfully flipping the meat skewers in her hands. The flames licked the skewers, making the aroma even more intense and enticing. "Then I'll wait here tomorrow to see if your family can really make meat dumplings."

"You...you ill-mannered wretch!" Madam Jia Zhang trembled with rage, shaking like a leaf. She stomped her foot angrily and turned to yell at Jia Dongxu, "Dongxu, go home! Don't waste your breath on those two ill-mannered fools, it's beneath you!"

"Zhang Ruhua, who are you calling ill-mannered? Your son is well-mannered, so well-mannered that he comes to our door to steal our food?"

"Haven't I disciplined you in a while? Are you itching for a beating?"

Chen Shuxiang didn't want to get involved, thinking that it was normal for children to bicker, and at worst they would fight; that's how they all got through it.

But as Jia Zhangshi's words became increasingly offensive, her protective nature flared up immediately.

He Yuzhu was slightly taken aback by his mother's words, and thought to himself: My mother usually seems gentle, but I didn't expect her to be so capable? Why don't I remember her?

Xu Damao really knew how to flatter, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Aunt He is so powerful and domineering!"

"Get lost, you little brat!" Chen Shuxiang said, both angry and amused, waving her hand.

He Yuzhu slapped Xu Damao across the neck and said irritably, "You're just looking for trouble, why are you talking so much nonsense!"

"Hehe, that felt so good! That old woman from the Jia family scratched my mother's face all over. If I hadn't run away fast yesterday, she would have hit me with a shovel." Xu Damao rubbed the back of his head and recalled with lingering fear.

"Aren't you afraid she'll come after you later?"

"What's there to be afraid of? I still have Brother Zhu to protect me." Xu Damao showed a silly grin.

He Yuzhu was too lazy to pay attention to the kid at the moment, and lowered his head again to concentrate on roasting sparrows.

"Brother Zhu, you can't just stand by and watch your little brother get bullied, can you?" Seeing that He Yuzhu ignored him, Xu Damao was not going to let the topic go easily.

"What if I don't care?" He Yuzhu teased him deliberately.

"Ah? I shouldn't have said that!" Xu Damao's face instantly fell, his eyes reddened, and he looked like he was about to cry. "Brother Zhu, you can't abandon me! You're my dearest brother!"

"Alright, alright, look at you, so pathetic, acting all coy like a little girl."

"Hehe, I knew Brother Zhu was the best to me." Xu Damao immediately went from sad to happy, and a smile returned to his face.

"Get out of my way, kid. Are you a dog with a face? You change your mind in an instant, faster than turning the pages of a book."

At the same time, Jia Zhangshi's muffled curses came from inside the house: "Crazy woman, why didn't I hurt you to death when I gave birth to you..."

She grabbed her son's arm tightly and dragged him into the house. Then, with a loud bang, the Jia family's door was slammed shut.

Immediately afterwards, Jia Zhangshi's rapid-fire scolding came from inside the house, one sentence after another, almost without pause.

"How could you be so stupid? You couldn't even trick those two little brats out of what they had. Are you even my biological child?"

"Mother..." Jia Dongxu was filled with grievance and resentment. In the past, He Yuzhu would bring him hot food without him even having to ask.

This time, he shamelessly went to ask for it in person, but not only did he get nothing, he also suffered a humiliation for nothing. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became, and he couldn't understand what was going on.

"We'll find a chance to teach those two brats a lesson later. Remember, don't do it in the yard, understand?"

"Understood, Mother." These two women had not only failed to gain anything in the past few days, but had also suffered setbacks at every turn. Jia Dongxu had been harboring a grudge for a long time and was planning to find an opportunity to teach those two boys a lesson.

However, he might not be a match for He Yuzhu by himself, so he planned to wait until Xu Damao was alone and then give him a good beating to vent his anger.

Leaving aside how the mother and son were secretly plotting and waiting for their opportunity, He Yuzhu had almost finished roasting the sparrows and then began to busy himself with preparing various seasonings.

Unexpectedly, while searching through the ingredients, I found a pleasant surprise—cumin. It seems his dad really keeps a comprehensive supply of seasonings.

To his delight, he even found chili powder. So he turned to Xu Damao and asked, "Can you eat spicy food?"

Xu Damao shook his head vigorously, so He Yuzhu took a bowl, dissolved the salt in it, and evenly smeared it on the sparrows. They should have marinated them for a while before roasting, but they were so hungry they couldn't wait.

After sprinkling on cumin, a rich aroma bursts forth, wafting straight into the nose and whetting one's appetite.

At this point, Xu Damao jumped up and down anxiously: "Brother Zhu, Brother Zhu, are you done yet? Give me a skewer, hurry up and give me a skewer, I'm so hungry!"

"What's the rush? Take this skewer to your auntie and let her try it first." He Yuzhu handed over a skewer. Xu Damao took it and turned to run into the house, sniffling as he ran, his mouth practically watering.

"Auntie, auntie, come and have some roasted sparrows! They're freshly roasted and still warm!"

"Da Mao is so sensible!" Chen Shuxiang looked at him, who was so eager to eat but still managed to resist, and took the roasted sparrow from him, praising him with a smile. Xu Da Mao chuckled and quickly ran back to the kitchen with his short little legs.

"Brother Zhu, where's mine? Where's mine?"

"You'll get yours too." He Yuzhu handed over another skewer. Xu Damao took it and took a bite. Before He Yuzhu could warn him to be careful of the heat, he heard a cry of "Ouch—ouch!" Xu Damao gasped as he was burned, his face scrunched up, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"What's the rush? How can something that's just been baked not be hot?" He Yuzhu raised his hand and gently patted his little head.