Courtyard House: Passing through the Silly Pillar, Activating the Blessed Cave Heaven

84

Seeing his younger sister sitting obediently on the small stool, He Yuzhu returned to the house, closed the door, drew the curtains, and in a flash, entered the blessed land.

This time, he brought a 20-pound bag of Jingxi rice, a jar of salted duck eggs, a jar of homemade pickled vegetables, some peanuts, and half a bag of red beans.

These items were all packed in specially made cloth bags, which he had commissioned to be made beforehand.

He Yuzhu first took the peanuts, red beans, and rice to the kitchen, then went back to bring over the kimchi jar and salted duck egg jar.

He poured most of the pot into a pot of water, rinsed a bowl of rice and put it into the pot, then washed a handful of peanuts and some red beans and added them to the pot as well.

Then he helped He Yushui light the stove fire.

Looking at his younger sister's profile as she focused on tending the fire, He Yuzhu felt a warm feeling well up inside him.

While the fire was burning, he took six duck eggs out of the salted duck egg jar, washed off the dirt, and put them in a plate.

Then, radishes and cucumbers were taken out of the kimchi jar, diced, and mixed with their own special chili oil.

As the steam from the pot continued to rise, the rich aroma of rice gradually filled the entire kitchen.

At dinner, He Yushui drank a bowl of thick rice porridge and ate it with salted duck eggs, enjoying it immensely.

The remaining porridge was devoured by He Yuzhu, who had an astonishing appetite.

The younger sister said contentedly, "Big brother's porridge is even more delicious than Dad's." He Yuzhu smiled and pinched her little cheek, "If you like it, big brother will make it for you every day from now on, but don't get too chubby."

As they were talking, Yi Zhonghai's voice came from the courtyard: "Has everyone finished eating? If you're done, come out for a bit. Director Wang from the neighborhood office will be here soon." He Yuzhu, holding his younger sister, carried a small stool and sat down on the steps in front of the door.

Before long, neighbors from the front and back yards also brought their stools and gathered in the middle yard.

Once everyone had arrived, Liu Haizhong slowly walked over.

Yi Zhonghai looked around at everyone and said, "He Daqing, who was in charge of the Central Court before, has taken his newlywed wife to settle in Baoding." As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard immediately erupted in discussion.

"Everyone, please be quiet!" Yi Zhonghai raised his voice. "Although He Daqing has moved away, his son He Yuzhu has officially returned to live here permanently."

He Yuzhu previously learned cooking at Fengzeyuan, and from now on, he is a new member of our No. 95 courtyard.

"Zhu Zi, get up and say hello to everyone, let them get to know you."

He Yuzhu stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to everyone, and said, "Hello, neighbors. My name is He Yuzhu. I hope you will all take care of me in the future." Although he grew up in this courtyard, he rarely came back after he turned twelve, and only showed up twice a month.

Looking at his nearly two-meter-tall, imposing figure, everyone couldn't help but exclaim, "He's got the build of a pillar! No wonder he's called He Yuzhu!"

Listening to everyone's discussion, He Yuzhu chuckled to himself: If names really could determine appearance, then Yang Dingtian would have to be incredibly tall and imposing! Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai interrupted the discussion in time: "When Director Wang comes over to speak later, everyone must remain quiet. This is a sign of respect for the leader."

Just as Yi Zhonghai finished giving his instructions, shouts of "Director Wang is here!" came from the front yard.

He immediately got up and went to the front yard to greet them. Liu Haizhong saw this and quickly followed.