The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

"This... can't be!"

Lou Xiao'e stammered.

"impossible?"

Ye Juan picked up a peanut, popped it into her mouth, and crunched it to pieces.

"How old is Sha Zhu this year?"

Lou Xiao'e thought for a moment and said, "I remember it was three or five years ago, and I'm twenty-nine this year."

"And what about reputation?"

"Uh... Sha Zhu is helping the Jia family, which gives him a bad reputation."

"So, do you think Sha Zhu is a good person?"

Lou Xiao'e pondered for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Aside from his foul mouth, Sha Zhu isn't really a bad person. I'd say he's a good guy."

Ye Juan was stunned. Lou Xiao'e was so stupid it was laughable.

"You're wrong. Sha Zhu is a born bad guy, and he's cunning, malicious, and wicked!"

"That scoundrel is also a lecher. You call him a good person? Besides helping the Jia family, who has he ever helped?"

Lou Xiao'e pondered deeply, and a hint of surprise and doubt finally appeared in her clear, foolish eyes.

Because after thinking about it carefully, she realized that Sha Zhu seemed to only be helping the Jia family.

There are many families in the courtyard who are in worse situations than the Jia family. For example, there is the Dong Zhengshan family next to the deaf old lady. They have four children, their wives are unemployed, and their mothers are in poor health. They rely entirely on Dong Zhengshan's monthly salary of 27.5 yuan to make ends meet, and they live a very frugal life.

What about the Jia family?

Qin Huairu's salary was the same as Dong Zhengshan's, but she received financial assistance from Yi Zhonghai, who was known as "Silly Pillar." Every now and then, Yi Zhonghai would organize a general meeting to donate money to the Jia family.

"You should understand now, right? Sha Zhu isn't kind or warm-hearted; he's just lusting after Qin Huairu."

"Qin Huairu also knew that Sha Zhu was after her, so she flirted with Sha Zhu, making him willingly help the Jia family."

Ye Juan then changed the subject.

"But Sha Zhu doesn't really want to marry Qin Huairu!"

Lou Xiao'e was stunned, her mind was a bit foggy, and her thoughts were in complete disarray.

Liu Hao almost laughed; Ye Juan was really putting the goddess of wisdom, Lou Xiao'e, in a difficult position.

"If Sha Zhu wanted to marry Qin Huairu, why didn't he just say so after Jia Dongxu died? Why was he always thinking about blind dates?"

"It's said that Sha Zhu has high standards: he wants a city hukou (household registration), a formal job, to be beautiful, and not have a heavy family burden. With his prematurely aged and ugly appearance, and his notorious reputation, he's almost thirty years old and has absolutely no self-awareness."

Lou Xiao'e asked instinctively, "If Sha Zhu doesn't want to marry Qin Huairu, why is he still involved with her in this ambiguous relationship?"

"It's simple. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to marry a young, unmarried woman and have Qin Huairu as his mistress. How wonderful!"

Liu Hao was impressed. The little queen's brain was so sharp that even ten Lou Xiao'e tied up couldn't compare to hers.

Xu Damao's eyes widened in surprise; he had never thought of this before.

"This... that idiot Zhu, with his looks, I doubt even Qin Huairu would even look down on him. How dare he be greedy, wanting what he doesn't have?"

"They think they're in a good position!"

Ye Juan seemed to have thought of something and couldn't help but chuckle. Her radiant smile was breathtakingly beautiful.

Liu Hao was momentarily stunned, his eyes glazed over.

Ye Juan noticed Liu Hao's gaze and rolled her eyes at him.

This guy really likes her; he doesn't even pretend. He practically has "I like you" written all over his forehead.

Strangely enough, she had no interest in any of the children of high-ranking officials or her classmates who liked her. Some clung to her like glue, trying every trick in the book to please her; others were gentle and refined, talking to her about literature and life ideals; still others flaunted their family background and status.

Liu Hao is different; he is witty and humorous, and occasionally flirtatious, but she doesn't find him offensive.

Moreover, Liu Hao's gaze towards her was devoid of greed or lust; it was purely one of appreciation and affection.

Having seen countless men who wanted to possess her at all costs, their eyes filled with calculation and lust, she was suddenly struck by Liu Hao's clear and open gaze, devoid of any overbearing heat, only showing the cherishing and joy of seeing someone who suited her. Her tense nerves relaxed abruptly, and her nose even felt a little sore.

She was liked not because of her aura, but simply because she was herself, without needing to be defensive or speculate.

Why don't you try to get to know him?

Hmm... Life's important decisions require careful consideration. Let's spend more time getting to know each other and understand each other's personalities and character before making a decision.

Ye Juan shook her head, clearing her mind, and continued, "I've only lived in this courtyard for less than a month, and I've already heard Sha Zhu brag about himself several times."

"His salary was 37.5 yuan, he worked in a courtyard house with three main rooms, and he was the head chef at the steel mill. Even the leaders had to be careful around him."

Xu Damao took a sip of his drink and said, "Is this considered good? My salary is 42 yuan, and I have two rooms. I'm highly regarded by my superiors, so I wouldn't dare say I'm well-off."

"That's because you don't have anyone to support you!"

Ye Juan picked up the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of chicken soup, and slurped it down.

"The deaf old woman Yi Zhonghai is so fond of Sha Zhu that she's almost turned him into a real idiot."

Xu Damao suddenly realized and nodded in agreement, even mimicking Yi Zhonghai's tone, saying, "That's true. Yi Zhonghai often praises Sha Zhu. That boy Zhu is honest and kind-hearted, respectful to his elders and helpful to his neighbors. Such a good young man is hard to find even with a lantern. He's sure to have a bright future!"

"Zhu Zi, I've never had any children of my own, so I've always treated you like my own son. You're skilled and have a good character. Learn from me how to be a good person; from now on, we'll have to rely on you to run this courtyard house!"

Lou Xiao'e almost spat out the steamed bun in her mouth, while Ye Juan and Liu Hao burst into laughter.

You know what, Xu Damao's imitation was incredibly accurate, almost lifelike.

Ye Juan laughed and said, "That's right, that's exactly it. Sha Zhu was flattered by Yi Zhonghai's deaf old lady for many years, so he naturally developed an arrogant and conceited personality."

"The deaf old lady has come to talk to me several times, praising Sha Zhu to the point that there is no one else like him in the whole capital, and trying to match me up with Sha Zhu."

Xu Damao was furious and cursed, "That deaf old woman is a real jerk! That son of a bitch Shazhu is worse than a toad, yet he dares to dream of eating swan meat?"

After he finished cursing, Xu Damao's expression changed, and he looked at Ye Juan with a worried look.

"Auntie! My dear auntie, I urge you to find someone soon! All those guys in the neighborhood and factory are always clamoring to be my uncle... sigh!"

With a deep sigh, Xu Damao suddenly realized that his aunt and Liu Hao were an absolutely perfect match.

They're about the same age and both are cadres who graduated from vocational schools; they're a perfect match.

"How about you date my brother Liu?"

Ye Juan's face immediately turned red.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'm only nineteen. What kind of relationship do you want? I'm not dating!"

Liu Hao raised his glass and clinked it against Xu Damao's, feigning a melancholy expression, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

"Sigh, Comrade Ye Juan doesn't think much of me."

"Life is a long journey, and it's common to want things but not get them, to love but not get them. I'm going on a blind date next week; my teacher introduced me to a girl."

Upon hearing this, Ye Juan flew into a rage. How could she just say she didn't like it?

"It's not that I look down on you, it's just that we only met today. Who starts dating right after meeting someone?"

Liu Hao's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "So when do you mean we should start dating?"

"It'll take at least a month or so... Wait, wait a minute, are you kidding me, you little bastard?"

Ye Juan immediately realized that Liu Hao was using a provocation tactic, and she had foolishly fallen for it.

Liu Hao smiled smugly, realizing that the little queen was also interested in him.

"Okay, one month it is! I can wait."

Ye Juan pursed her lips, but did not refuse.

"You're just as glib as Xu Damao."

Xu Damao: ? ? ?