The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu Returns with Boundless Hatred for Revenge

He Yuzhu bought a lavish spread of groceries: chicken, duck, fish, meat, various side dishes, and seasonal vegetables—everything imaginable. He was also there to show off his skills in front of Xu Damao. As the saying goes, to win someone over, you must first control their mouth. He knew Xu Damao's character inside and out; like Li Huaide, he was a glutton. He'd been fighting with He Yuzhu for years, but had never truly gone all out when given the chance, partly because he was greedy for He Yuzhu's cooking.

"Brother Zhu, I'm not bragging, but I've actually practiced chopping vegetables. I used to help my dad show movies in the countryside, and sometimes I'd help the villagers out. That's how I learned." Xu Damao picked up the cleaver, tested the blade, and started chopping meat. His chopping wasn't top-notch, but it was decent enough to barely meet He Yuzhu's standards.

He Yushui washed and peeled vegetables on the side, while He Yuzhu cooked. The three of them had clear division of labor and were having a lively time.

In less than an hour, a table full of dishes—seven dishes and a soup—was ready. Even He Yushui was eating such a lavish meal for the first time. He Yuzhu added some spring water, something he hadn't been using much lately. After all, He Yushui had been getting a bit too much nutrition from the spring water. Thanks to He Yuzhu's nourishment, the thirteen-year-old girl had a rosy complexion, was chubby all over, and had even grown a bit taller. He Yuzhu was worried that she would develop too early and have difficulty growing taller later, so he hadn't given his younger sister the spring water in a long time.

The main reason I took it out today is because I thought Xu Damao was also childless in his previous life, so I thought I'd see if the spring water could cure Xu Damao's problem.

This was the first time Xu Damao had tasted He Yuzhu's cooking, and he almost ate his tongue. He regretted calling him "brother" so late. If he had known that Sha Zhu had this skill, he would have called him that much sooner.

He raised his hand and gave a thumbs up, "Brother Zhu, your skills are amazing! I doubt even the head chef at a state-run restaurant could match your level!"

"Look at you, so naive. Da Mao, let me tell you the truth, with my skills, even the head chef of a state-run restaurant wouldn't be worthy to carry my shoes."

If this statement were to get out, it would offend every master chef in Beijing, including his own master, Sun Fuhai. You must understand, He Yuzhu's current culinary skills are the culmination of all the soul fragments combined, further enhanced by the spring water; even a top-tier chef at a state banquet couldn't reach this level. Just considering his culinary skills alone, it wouldn't be wrong to say that Sun Fuhai isn't even worthy of carrying his shoes.

"Brother, what's the occasion today? You made so much delicious food!"

"What day is it? I'm celebrating making a new brother. From now on, Damao is your brother, and Yushui is your sister. No matter what, you have to protect Yushui for me." After saying that, he took out his wine glass and clinked it with Xu Damao's.

Xu Damao quickly picked up his wine glass, clinked it with He Yuzhu's, and drank it all in one gulp. "Brother Zhu, don't worry, as long as I have food to eat, I guarantee that Yushui will have plenty too."

These words reassured He Yuzhu. That one sentence was enough. No matter what happened in the future, no matter how his relationship with Xu Damao changed, his relationship with He Yushui would remain the same, and he would definitely take care of her. He trusted Xu Damao's assurance.

The three sat around a table, enjoying their meal in a warm and convivial atmosphere. He Yuzhu and Xu Damao clinked glasses and chatted about things at the factory and in the yard. Xu Damao was a skilled conversationalist, always choosing topics that He Yuzhu might be interested in, occasionally offering a few flattering remarks without sounding cloying. This made He Yuzhu, who had been reborn, look at Xu Damao with newfound respect.

This guy is born to be an official. He's only been an apprentice at the steel rolling mill for a few days, yet he's already thoroughly investigated every aspect of the factory, even knowing more about many leaders than he, the deputy director of the canteen, does. With proper training, he could become a great asset to the He family in the future. However, his flaws are equally obvious: he's impatient for quick success, prone to losing sight of the bigger picture, petty, vindictive, and ruthless in achieving his goals. He'll need to be kept in check from time to time.

While the He family was filled with laughter and joy, the beasts in the courtyard were suffering terribly. The aroma wafted out, amplified by the spring water, making their noses tingle and causing them to swallow hard, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred towards He Yuzhu's family. "So what if you're an official? Is it okay to flaunt it like this? You're so greedy, aren't you just blatantly bullying and tormenting us?" Fortunately, it was 1957. If it were two years later, these beasts would surely have reported He Yuzhu to the neighborhood committee for his extravagant eating and drinking habits.

Inside the Jia family's house, the little brat Banggeng had been rolling on the floor crying and screaming for ages. "Mom! I want meat! I want to eat the fish from Shazhu's house! I want to eat chicken! Go get it now! Are you going or not? If you don't go, I won't get up!"

Jia Dongxu lay on the makeshift bed, pretending to be dead. He was no longer qualified to sleep on the same kang (heated brick bed) with Qin Huairu and the children. He also smelled terrible, and that was only because Qin Huairu cleaned him up every day; otherwise, no one could stay in the whole room.

Qin Huairu sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), holding Xiao Dang, her face extremely gloomy. "That He Yuzhu, she's really gone too far! Eating such good food, doesn't she know how to help her family out? Doesn't she know she just gave birth and needs nutrition? Doesn't she know Bang Geng is still growing? Doesn't she know Dongxu is disabled and needs to be nourished? She has no neighborly affection at all, a heartless wretch!" If Jia Zhangshi were here, she would definitely be astonished by her daughter-in-law's change. These were all her words! She never expected that in just a few days, all her abilities would be inherited by this little bitch.

"He Yuzhu, you just wait! You're so smug now, but once I've got you wrapped around my little finger and made you a crony for the Jia family, all these good things will be mine and Bang Geng's! When you're old and useless, I'll kick you out and let you freeze to death on the streets, your body left to rot in the wilderness!"

Seeing her eldest son crying harder and harder, an idea suddenly popped into her head. She got up, carried the little boy to the innermost part of the kang (heated brick bed), covered him with a quilt, and went into the main room to take out the ancestral large bowl from the cupboard. Wasn't He Yuzhu always the most susceptible to her tricks? Feigning pitifulness and complaining always yielded some benefits. Although he had changed recently, what if? Xu Damao was here now; he had to save face, right? This was a perfect excuse to test whether He Yuzhu was interested in her.

"Bang Geng, stop fooling around, Mom will go take a look." Qin Huairu tidied her hair and clothes, trying to make herself look more delicate. She also pulled her collar down a bit to reveal a patch of snow-white skin. She picked up the big bowl, wiggled her big butt, and left the house.

Jia Dongxu watched his wife walk towards the He family's house, his heart burning with rage, yet he dared not utter a word. "That shameless slut! She's not even dead yet, and she dares to openly seduce men like this! Mother, please come back! I'm being bullied to death! Waaah..."