Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Of course, it is also noted above that this authorization is valid until Qian Datong is released from prison.

He Yuzhu didn't want to take over his house, so he didn't object to the condition.

After saying goodbye to Qian Datong, He Yuzhu didn't return to the courtyard house until the afternoon.

I took a day off, but I wasn't in a hurry to go to work. I bought some groceries and came back. As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu already tidying up in Qian Datong's house.

When He Yuzhu walked to the door, he saw a broken lock lying in the corner.

He deliberately asked, "Jia Dongxu, didn't you say you had the rental contract?"

Jia Dongxu straightened up, turned around to see He Yuzhu, and then said unhappily:

"Yes, didn't I already show you the contract? Why are you asking again?"

He Yuzhu nudged the broken lock with his foot twice: "Since you rented the house, why didn't Qian Datong give you the key and instead broke the lock? You should compensate him for that, right?"

Jia Dongxu pretended not to mind and said, "His lock was originally broken; it just wouldn't open no matter what I did."

The two chatted for a few minutes. Originally, Granny Zhang wanted to throw all of Qian Datong's things into the trash, but He Yuzhu was staying here and didn't want to leave.

He Yuzhu was thinking of getting Qian Datong's things so he could deliver his bedding and clothes to him.

Granny Zhang said, "Zhu Zi, look at Qian Datong's things. It looks too messy if they're all in the house. Why don't we borrow one of your rooms to put his things there?"

Granny Zhang just said it casually, she was used to taking advantage of others, and afterwards she felt a little uneasy and regretful. If Sha Zhu turned around and beat her up, wouldn't she feel very wronged?

Surprisingly, He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Sure, it's fine if I can free up an extra room in my house to store all this stuff. You can move in there."

"Really? You're not kidding me, are you?" Jia Dongxu was very surprised.

Previously, when I wanted to borrow He Yuzhu's house, he refused no matter what I said. But now, when I casually asked, he agreed to let me borrow the house.

He Yuzhu said, "We're all neighbors, so it's no problem for me to lend you a room to store my things, but you have to buy me drinks tonight."

“Okay, that’s easy. Call my master tonight, and the three of us will have a drink together.”

Although Granny Zhang was worried about the money, she kept giving her son meaningful glances.

However, Jia Dongxu also had his own ideas. Since He Yuzhu had shown goodwill, it wouldn't hurt for him to spend some money to buy meat and wine and treat He Yuzhu to a meal.

So that he won't cause trouble when I get married.

Moreover, if we get closer to each other, won't we be able to gain advantages in other areas in the future?

After all, we managed to borrow a house so easily today.

Only then did he belatedly ask, "Zhu Zi, I'm busy with my wedding and don't have any money on hand. Let me make it clear that it's just a loan, not a rental."

He Yuzhu laughed and said, "Sure, it's just a room. I said it's a loan, I won't charge you."

Granny Zhang was overjoyed. Renting a room would cost one or two yuan a month, and she had actually managed to borrow a room from He Yuzhu.

"Zhu Zi, it's a deal now, no backing out."

"I won't go back on my word, but look, Qian Datong's clothes and bedding are all damp, and some are even moldy. You need to wash them all before putting them in the room, and put the blankets back on as well."

He Yuzhu was worried because he still had to wash Qian Datong's clothes; after all, he couldn't just send him moldy and damp clothes.

This is a good opportunity to have Granny Zhang redo the clothes and bedding.

This way, I don't have to clean it up myself.

Granny Zhang was immediately displeased, her face showing a troubled expression, unsure how to refuse.

Jia Dongxu quickly tugged at his mother, then said with a smile, "Don't worry, Zhuzi, this is all I should do. I'll wash it later and put a new quilt on it."

"Okay, that room is still empty. You can air out the furniture and send it over later."

He Yuzhu then left the front yard and went back to his home.

Granny Zhang complained, "Why do I still have to wash his clothes?"

"What's the trouble of washing them? Besides, these are all good clothes, and the bedding has been cleaned and replaced. We can use them directly, and I can wear the clothes too."

Things are different now than in later generations. Fabric and cotton are very expensive and scarce, so many poor people buy second-hand clothes directly.

There are people in the capital who specialize in this industry, going from street to street to buy old clothes, cleaning and mending them before reselling them.

Some shopping streets have these stalls that only sell second-hand clothing.

They're so poor they have to buy secondhand clothes, so they don't care if the clothes were worn by dead people.

It's good enough to have clothes to wear.

Besides, the clothes Qian Datong left behind were of very good quality; he only went to jail and didn't die unexpectedly.

Therefore, Jia Dongxu did not mind wearing the clothes left behind by Qian Datong.

Granny Zhang's eyes lit up, and she suddenly realized: "Yes, yes, how come I didn't think of that? You're so smart! I'll wash these clothes tomorrow and send the quilts to be fluffed again. That way, we'll have two more quilts."

After discussing it, the two moved some extra furniture out to air it out, and by evening they had carried it all into He Yuzhu's house.

He Yuzhu lent a room to the Jia family, which surprised all the neighbors in the courtyard.

However, no one came forward to say anything more.

After Yi Zhonghai finished work, Jia Dongxu stopped him in the front yard and explained the situation, concluding with:

"Master, it seems there's a possibility that Sha Zhu might reconcile with us. Why don't you go buy some groceries, and we can treat him to drinks tonight?"

When Jia Dongxu said he was going to treat everyone, he already knew that Yi Zhonghai would pay for the food and drinks tonight, so that he could also gain a good reputation in front of Sha Zhu.

Yi Zhonghai was surprised and asked, "Did Sha Zhu take the wrong medicine today?"

"I don't know what happened, but he was unusually agreeable today. He even lent me a room. It seems like he wants to make up with us."

"I really didn't expect that. Okay, take this money and buy some meat and two bottles of wine."

Yi Zhonghai was very happy and took out 3 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Jia Dongxu.

After Jia Dongxu took the money and left, he hummed a little tune as he walked to the Intermediate People's Court.

Sure enough, the front door of the house to the east of He Yuzhu was wide open, and inside were a lot of old furniture, all of which belonged to Qian Datong.

This is extremely easy to recognize. Qian Datong, as the richest and most powerful man in the courtyard, also had the best furniture. He did not choose ordinary hardwood furniture, but rather precious woods such as rosewood and mahogany.

However, the furniture that Qian Datong bought back then was all second-hand, and it had become quite worn out over the years.

Yi Zhonghai stood in front of He Yuzhu and chatted for a bit. He Yuzhu was engrossed in a grand strategy, so he became much more amiable.

Yi Zhonghai felt relieved and then invited him to his home for tea.

He Yuzhu smiled and agreed, and they went to the east wing together.

Yi Zhonghai took out his treasured tea and said, "This is a top-quality pre-rain Longjing tea that Boss Lou personally rewarded me with when I made a batch of very difficult parts last time."

"Really? Then I'd like to try it."

Yi Zhonghai brewed some tea for He Yuzhu, who tasted it and found it to be delicious. However, He Yuzhu didn't know much about tea and couldn't really explain its flavor.

However, since it's such good tea, we can't let it go.

He Yuzhu said with a smile, "The tea is quite good, why don't we share it?"

As he spoke, he divided the tea leaves beside him into two portions, wrapped most of them in old newspapers on the table, and put them into his pocket.

Yi Zhonghai's lips twitched, barely suppressing the urge to curse.

These tea leaves are said to cost twenty or thirty yuan per kilogram, and He Yuzhu snatched up more than half of them.

"you..."

"It's just a little tea, Uncle Yi wouldn't be so stingy, would he?"

"I..." Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, feeling extremely regretful. Why did he think of using such fine tea to entertain him?

We have plenty of fine tea at home, why give him such good tea?

The tea leaves had already been stuffed into Sha Zhu's pocket; he couldn't very well reach out and snatch them, and besides, he couldn't possibly out-snatch them from Sha Zhu.

He could only suppress his anger and tell himself that he should never let Sha Zhu see good things again.

A moment later, Jia Dongxu returned with cooked food and wine, and Aunt Yi also cooked two dishes. The three of them ate and chatted.

Jia Dongxu was somewhat pleased with himself. Now that the obstacles to his blind date were gone, he had three rooms at home, and he had also managed to get Qian Datong's house and borrowed one of He Yuzhu's rooms, all without spending any money.

Now that he has resumed a superficial relationship with Shazhu, at least he won't interfere with his affairs.

You could say you'll be able to go on blind dates and get married soon, and finally you'll have a wife.

The next morning, not long after He Yuzhu returned home, he saw Granny Zhang carrying a large wooden basin and already washing clothes under the tap.

The wooden basin was full of Qian Datong's clothes.

He Yuzhu didn't say much, got up and went to the moat.

While practicing wrestling, he would occasionally release his mental energy to catch some fish from the river.

He Yuzhu didn't ask any questions when he saw Tian Zao; it wasn't the right time to make this public yet.

There are four great joys in life. Jia Dongxu won't be able to enjoy the kind of celebration like passing the imperial examination, but he can still have his wedding night.

Therefore, He Yuzhu decided to give Jia Dongxu another surprise when they got married and entered the bridal chamber.

After finishing practice, He Yuzhu asked Tian Zao, "Sister, are there any houses for rent around Shichahai?"

Tian Zao was very surprised: "You want to rent a house? Why? Were you bullied in the courtyard house?"