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

"You...you got your hands on meat again?"

Yi Zhonghai took a deep sniff; the air was filled only with the cool night breeze, and there was no fishy smell, so he was certain that it was not chicken or duck.

"What, you want to meddle in my private affairs?" He Daqing frowned, his voice tinged with displeasure.

"Great Qing Dynasty, please don't misunderstand! Please don't misunderstand!"

Seeing that things weren't going well, Yi Zhonghai quickly put on a forced smile and explained, "I'm just itching to know if I could get some for the brothers too?"

"We haven't had any meat in almost three months!"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but lick his chapped lips.

"Yes, yes! Great Qing, please have mercy and help us!" Old Jia chimed in, trying to mediate.

"It's not meat. I can't get that kind of thing either," He Daqing said decisively.

"Great Qing, we'll run into each other again someday, I know you're capable."

"Didn't you manage to get chicken and pig's trotters before using your skills? Getting some meat for us shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?"

Yi Zhonghai's tone gradually changed, and his words carried a subtle threat.

"That's right! That's right! My Dongxu is so thin he's practically skin and bones. Daqing, how can you bear to watch your child starve?" Jia Laonian continued to fan the flames, adding fuel to the fire.

"I really can't help you with this." He Daqing's attitude was firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Da Qing, you're a head chef in a fancy restaurant, where the profits are plentiful. If you just 'leak' a little bit out, wouldn't that be enough?"

Yi Zhonghai, still unwilling to give up, uttered such utterly shameless words.

"Heh." He Daqing sneered as if he had heard the funniest joke, and retorted, "Since it's so easy, why don't you 'leak' some steel from the steel mill and sell it?"

"How can they be the same?" Yi Zhonghai retorted stubbornly.

"Besides, we can't just watch you eat meat and fish every day while we, the neighbors, suffer from the smell, can we? We're willing to pay! At market price!"

"Grandma! Yi Zhonghai, do you think I, He Daqing, am easy to bully?"

He Daqing's long-suppressed anger finally erupted at this moment.

He shoved the bundle in his hand into He Yuzhu's arms, gesturing for his son to hold on tight and catch it securely.

He Yuzhu reacted quickly, taking the item with both hands and taking a few steps back to deliberately distance himself from his father.

After all, the bag contained a baby bottle for my younger sister, which is made of glass and is fragile. If it gets bumped or broken, it will cause a lot of trouble.

Upon seeing He Daqing's enraged demeanor, Yi Zhonghai knew that a fight was inevitable, and hurriedly changed his tune, begging for mercy.

"Great Qing, Great Qing, don't do anything! It's all a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! I absolutely didn't mean anything by it, I just thought you had connections and wanted to ask you to smuggle some money for everyone from outside..."

"I misunderstood you, grandpa!" He Daqing wasn't buying it at all, and his pent-up anger finally erupted.

He darted forward, his movements swift and decisive, and with a pull and a push, sent Yi Zhonghai sprawling head over heels.

After taking down Yi Zhonghai, He Daqing slowly turned around, his gaze fixed on Jia Laonian with a sinister look, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth: "Heh heh, Laonian, were you also plotting something, trying to get some benefits from me?"

"You...you work in a restaurant, you absolutely cannot reach in and take anything from there," Old Jia said hastily, his legs trembling and his calves shaking.

"If... if you can easily buy it, even if it costs money, I will definitely take it for free. Fish, even just a fish will do..." He still couldn't figure out what incredible treasure He Daqing was holding in his hands.

"Fish?" He Daqing was slightly taken aback at first, then suddenly realized the reason.

He turned around abruptly to look at He Yuzhu, and his eyes met his son's smiling, innocent face.

A nameless rage surged within He Daqing, and he cursed inwardly, "That little brat, he's really grown up and started causing trouble for me behind my back!"

After venting his anger, He Daqing slowly squatted down, stretched out his fingers, and gently patted Yi Zhonghai's face, who was lying on the ground, twice. The movement was frivolous and contemptuous, as if he were patting something dirty.

"See that? That's what you call asking for a favor, Lao Nian. Do you even understand?"

"I understand, I understand, I get it..." Yi Zhonghai rubbed his aching back, bowing his head and responding meekly, but the hand hidden in his sleeve was already gripping the wooden handle of the kitchen knife tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the force.

He Daqing was focused on teaching Yi Zhonghai a lesson and didn't notice the fleeting look of resentment in the other's eyes.

I've completely lost face today, and what's even more embarrassing is that I suffered such a huge humiliation in front of a teenager.

Although Yi Zhonghai always held himself in high esteem, even if he was seething with hatred inside, he would never show the slightest weakness on the surface. He figured that He Daqing still had some friends outside, so he figured that this cook wouldn't dare to really do anything to him.

What Yi Zhonghai didn't notice was that several pairs of eyes, full of prying intent, were quietly peeking out from the cracks in the doors of the east and west wing rooms.

Those were the two large families in the courtyard, all holding their breath and secretly watching this good show.

As for why Yi Lishi in the west wing didn't step forward to mediate, it was simply because her husband hadn't spoken yet, and she dared not take the initiative.

As for Madam Jia in the east wing, well, this has absolutely nothing to do with her. It's not like her man was being humiliated on the ground.

"Zhu Zi, let's go home." He Daqing straightened up, ignoring Yi Zhonghai who was still groaning and in pain on the ground, and waved to He Yuzhu.

"Yes!" He Yuzhu responded crisply, clutching the bundle tightly in her arms, and quickly followed behind her father.

After He Daqing led his son across the threshold of the He family home, Jia Laonian hurriedly stepped forward and carefully helped Yi Zhonghai up, lowering his voice to complain, "Zhonghai, you really need to change your temper. You're far too impulsive. Who is He Daqing? He's a ruthless character with real skills, not someone to be trifled with. If you try to fight him head-on, you're just asking for trouble."

"It's alright, we'll see," Yi Zhonghai said through gritted teeth, rubbing his aching hip. "He's just a lousy cook, what's so great about him!"

"Alright, alright, let's go back inside first," Old Jia urged from the side, fearing that the matter would escalate further and become difficult to resolve.

"Return."

Back in her house, Chen Shuxiang saw that the father and son had returned so late, and the atmosphere inside was unusually heavy and strange. She quickly went to greet them, asking with concern, "I heard a commotion in the yard just now. What happened? Did they really fight?"

He Daqing plopped heavily on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), waving his large hand impatiently. He said irritably, "It's nothing, just a false alarm. It's that bastard Yi Zhonghai, jealous that we eat well, who kept forcing me to get him some meat. These days, is meat so easy to get? He even tried to take advantage of the restaurant where I work. It's fine for me to eat and drink a little myself—that's a blessing for a cook—but if he secretly takes ingredients from the restaurant, that's theft! How can I tolerate his bad habit?"

"It seems our family has been eating too much these past few days. We should tone it down in the future and just ignore him."

"What are you afraid of? You still have to eat. As a chef, how can I deprive myself of food?" He Daqing glanced at his wife, who was still weak after giving birth, and his originally irritable tone softened considerably. "You've only been out of confinement for a few days. You must take good care of yourself and avoid sitting for too long, or you'll exhaust yourself."

It's better to keep a low profile and be more discreet to avoid attracting jealousy and resentment from others.

What's there to be afraid of? If they really push their luck and get too big for their britches, we can just ask the old lady to step in and kick them all out!

It's just a little bit of rent owed.

Look at Jia Zhangshi from the Jia family. She's cunning, lazy, gluttonous, and sly. She has every single flaw imaginable.

Yi Zhonghai may seem honest and law-abiding on the surface, but upon closer reflection, he's not a good person at all.

You should tell that to the old lady yourself; I can't bring myself to say it.

Chen Shuxiang looked somewhat troubled. The old lady was worried that if the house remained empty and uninhabited for too long, it would be exposed to the wind and sun and eventually fall into disrepair, which would be a real pity.

You mean... could it be that the old lady secretly sold this yard to these neighbors behind our backs?

He Daqing suddenly had this thought.

It shouldn't be that bad, right?

Chen Shuxiang was taken aback at first. "I've never seen anyone from a brokerage firm come and go in our yard before."

Hmm, I'll go ask the old lady myself tomorrow.

Alas, they were not a family of one mind after all. Forcing them to live together in the same courtyard naturally led to a lot of gossip and disputes.

Sigh, this is the only house the old lady owns for her retirement, and she has no other source of income.

If we don't rely on renting out houses to supplement our household income, are we going to let her starve?

Chen Shuxiang couldn't help but sigh softly.

Alright, alright. Anyway, you and your family should keep your eyes and ears open when you walk around the yard from now on.

After He Daqing finished speaking, he suddenly noticed that He Yuzhu was standing still, staring blankly, looking somewhat dazed.

He immediately reached out his finger and gently poked He Yuzhu's forehead.

I'm talking to you, Pillar!

From now on, you must be clever and sensible at home, and take good care of your mother and your sister.

Huh? Dad, how old am I?

He Yuzhu pretended to be stupid, his eyes darting around.

You little brat, you dare to play dumb in front of me?

He Daqing pretended to be angry and raised his hand to slap her.

The Qing Dynasty...

Sigh, I really can't control your son anymore.