Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

When Yi Zhonghai brought wine and meat to find Zhang Dabiao, Sha Zhu had just come out of Zhang Dabiao's place.

Let's rewind a little over an hour.

Sha Zhu, carrying a bottle of wine and a bag of pig's head meat, knocked on the door of the small courtyard.

Zhang Dabiao was fiddling with the newly bought tape recorder in the cabin when he heard a knock on the door. He looked up and froze.

"Silly Zhu? What's wrong?"

Sha Zhu chuckled and shook the wine and meat in his hand.

"Let's grab a couple of drinks and have a chat."

Zhang Dabiao squinted and sized him up.

"You're buying me drinks? Has the sun risen in the west?"

Sha Zhu didn't stand on ceremony and went straight into the courtyard, placing the wine and meat on the table.

"What, you're not welcome?"

Zhang Dabiao smiled, put away the tape recorder, and took out two cups from the room.

"Please sit down."

The two sat down, and Sha Zhu poured the wine and picked up his glass.

"Come on, let's have one first."

Zhang Dabiao clinked glasses with him and drank it all in one gulp.

He put down the cup and looked at Sha Zhu.

"Speak, what is it?"

Sha Zhu chuckled, picked up a piece of pig's head meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to talk to you."

Zhang Dabiao leaned back in his chair, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and squinted at him.

"Silly Zhu, it's written all over your face, 'I have something on my mind, something important.'"

Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment, then touched his face.

"Is there?"

Zhang Dabiao laughed.

"Speak up, don't hold it in."

Sha Zhu remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking.

"Da Biao, I want to marry Qin Huairu."

Zhang Dabiao almost dropped the cigarette from his mouth.

He stared blankly at Sha Zhu, speechless for a long time.

Sha Zhu felt a little uneasy under his gaze.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Zhang Dabiao took the cigarette down and tapped it on the table.

"Idiot Zhu, are you out of your mind?"

Sha Zhu panicked: "What's wrong with my brain? I like Sister Qin, I want to marry her, what's wrong with that?"

Zhang Dabiao looked at him, unsure of what to say.

After a long while, he finally spoke.

"Silly Zhu, do you remember what I told you before—about your original fate?"

Sha Zhu paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Remember."

Zhang Dabiao looked at him.

"Do you remember me saying that after you married Qin Huairu, you were kicked out of the compound by Bang Geng and his gang in your old age, and that Xu Damao was the one who collected your body in the end?"

Sha Zhu nodded again.

"Remember."

Zhang Dabiao spread his hands.

"So you still want to marry her?"

Sha Zhu remained silent for a long while.

Then he looked up at Zhang Dabiao.

"Da Biao, I know what you're saying. But that was the original fate, not the present one, right?"

Zhang Dabiao was stunned.

Sha Zhu continued, "Things are different now. Sister Qin has taken over the job and has a job now. Jia Zhangshi doesn't dare to be so arrogant anymore. Bang Geng is still young; if we teach him properly, maybe he can be taught well."

He looked at Zhang Dabiao with an indescribable look in his eyes.

I want to give it a try.

Zhang Dabiao fell silent.

Sha Zhu continued, "I know you might think I'm stupid. But I just like her. From the first day she entered this courtyard, I liked her. All these years later, I can't change my mind."

He picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Besides, Da Biao, didn't you tell me to be careful? Now that I know the outcome, if I still can't prevent it, then it's my own incompetence."

He looked at Zhang Dabiao with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Can't you just give me some advice?"

"That Jia Zhangshi treats me like a thief; I have absolutely no chance!"

Zhang Dabiao remained silent for a long time.

【You're a level eight chef? With your skills, you'd have no problem getting to level six next year!】

You still have three main rooms; wouldn't it be better to marry a young, unmarried woman?

Is this fondness for widows truly hereditary?

[If even Dorgon couldn't handle it, what makes you, Sha Zhu, think you can?]

Finally, he sighed.

"Silly Zhu, you're doing something like knowingly going into a dangerous place."

Sha Zhu was stunned—[Wasn't it supposed to be heading towards the tiger's den?]

"I really want to try."

Zhang Dabiao looked at him and suddenly felt a little dazed.

This silly pillar is truly silly.

But his foolishness also makes one feel something... indescribable.

"Alright," Zhang Dabiao said, "I'll think about it and let you know when I have an idea."

Zhang Dabiao didn't agree immediately; he felt he needed to discuss it with Yushui first.

Sha Zhu's eyes lit up.

"real?"

Zhang Dabiao nodded.

Sha Zhu stood up and bowed to him.

"Da Biao, thank you!"

Zhang Dabiao waved his hand: "Alright, alright, stop with the nonsense. Go back first, and we'll talk about it when I've thought it through."

Sha Zhu chuckled and walked away with the empty wine bottle.

As he reached the courtyard gate, he suddenly turned back.

"Da Biao!"

"Um?"

Sha Zhu smiled.

"Am I stupid?"

Zhang Dabiao looked at him and smiled.

"It's pretty silly."

Some people pursue the ideal woman, the one they longed for but could never have in their youth. Zhang Dabiao couldn't judge such things.

In his later life, after graduating from university and making money, he sold a bunch of Ultraman and Godzilla models that were previously unavailable, but...

I'm getting old and can't play with those things anymore; they just take up space on the bookshelf.

Actually, these were bought for myself when I was a child; it's a kind of obsession.

Once I actually bought them all, I didn't feel anything anymore.

Sha Zhu nodded.

"That's fine then."

He turned and left.

Zhang Dabiao sat in the courtyard, watching his retreating figure, and suddenly a sentence came to mind—

Some people are foolish their whole lives because they choose to be foolish.

You are not a fish, how can you know the joy of a fish?

------------

Then, not long after, Yi Zhonghai came to the door.

Zhang Dabiao was utterly astonished; these people...

One wanted to be a rich old man, the other wanted to marry a widow.

The old and young men in this courtyard each have their own way of living.

What should we say about them?

Yi Zhonghai's request was simple: as long as Zhang Dabiao didn't interfere in the affairs of the compound and didn't oppose him, he could just state his conditions directly.

Zhang Dabiao didn't agree immediately, saying he would think about it.

Yi Zhonghai also breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that the deaf old woman was right. Zhang Dabiao had no intention of getting involved in their mess at all, which was why he relented.

Now we'll see what conditions Zhang Dabiao will offer.

At worst, Yi Zhonghai will simply stay out of anything involving Zhang Dabiao in the future.

That's fair, isn't it?

That evening, after He Yushui finished school and had dinner, Zhang Dabiao, Mu Wanqing, Qin Jingru, and He Yushui sat together in the stable and discussed their plans.

"Rainwater, that's the thing."

"Your brother knew perfectly well that the cow dung was poisonous, but he still insisted on tasting it."

"And you want my advice? What do you think we should do about this?"

When He Yushui explained the whole story, the little girl was stunned.

She really can't keep this guy; isn't he just plain crazy?

"Wait, Da Biao, tell me again, what was my brother's original—fate supposed to be like?"