I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

Seeing that it was almost time to get off work, Zhou Weiguo hopped on his bicycle and rode off towards the compound without even waiting for Sha Zhu and Natasha.

As soon as he stepped through the gate of the courtyard house, Yan Fugui greeted him with a broad smile, "Oh, Weiguo is back!"

Zhou Weiguo paused, looking at Yan Fugui with a puzzled expression. "Third Uncle, what stroke of luck did you have today? Did you find some money on the street? Why are you so happy?"

Yan Fugui was not angry at all; on the contrary, he laughed even harder.

He was secretly pleased with himself, feeling that he had figured out Zhou Weiguo's temperament. As long as Zhou Weiguo called him "Third Uncle", he was in a good mood; if he called him "Brother Yan", he was probably up to no good; and if he called him "Yan Fugui", it meant that he might be "making trouble" for him.

He quickly put on a smile and said, "I don't have that kind of luck! It's all because you've made something of yourself for the country, becoming a leader at such a young age. I'm genuinely happy for you!"

Zhou Weiguo suddenly realized what was going on and said politely, "Then thank you very much, Uncle! I have something to do today, so I'll head back first."

After saying that, he ignored Yan Fugui's instantly crumbling face and walked straight home.

Yan Fugui stood frozen in place, reaching out his hand only to pull it back. His carefully planned scheme to "trick Zhou Weiguo into hosting a banquet" had failed.

However, thinking about the good show that was going to happen in the courtyard later, he couldn't help but follow behind and walk towards the central courtyard.

As soon as Zhou Weiguo stepped into the Intermediate People's Court, he froze on the spot.

Qin Huairu had returned sometime earlier and was still firmly occupying the pool.

While Zhou Weiguo was in a daze, Qin Huairu caught sight of him. Ignoring the water on her hands, she wiped them haphazardly on her clothes and rushed to Zhou Weiguo, kneeling down with a thud.

She clung tightly to his legs, tears streaming down her face, pleading, "Brother Weiguo, I beg you! Please spare my mother-in-law! Banggeng has already been punished, please have mercy!"

Hearing this familiar lament, Zhou Weiguo couldn't help but find it amusing: "Qin Huairu, I've already told you I'm Zhuzi's uncle, and you're still calling me brother? This is making things difficult for me! And don't speak while kneeling, get up quickly, what kind of behavior is this?"

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up, and she stood up abruptly, but her hands clung tightly to Zhou Weiguo's arm. She quickly changed her tune, "Uncle Weiguo! Uncle Weiguo! Huairu begs you, please let my mother-in-law go! Don't worry, as long as you're willing to help, I'll do anything to repay your great kindness!"

Zhou Weiguo felt the pressure coming from Qin Huairu's chest and quickly said, "Relax first."

Unexpectedly, Qin Huairu suddenly became ill and started grabbing Zhou Weiguo's arm, swinging it back and forth in front of her chest, saying, "Uncle Weiguo, Huairu begs you, please let my mother-in-law go, okay? I'll let go, alright?"

Seeing Qin Huairu release his arm, Zhou Weiguo, for reasons unknown, reached out and pinched her cheek hard, saying with a half-smile, "My dear niece is so good, quite capable indeed. But why should I let your mother-in-law off the hook just because you rubbed against her a couple of times?"

After saying that, he shook his head and smiled, then turned and walked home.

Qin Huairu then realized she had been tricked, her face flushed with anger. Just as she was about to chase after him, she heard Zhou Weiguo say coldly without even turning his head, "If you don't want Jia Dongxu to work at the steel mill, then keep pestering me. Do you think I can do that? Qin Huairu, you don't want your man to lose his job, do you?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Qin Huairu, leaving her frozen in place, caught in a dilemma.

Neither of them noticed that Jia Dongxu was standing behind the moon gate, staring at them with a gloomy expression.

As soon as Zhou Weiguo entered the house, He Yushui rushed towards him like a cheerful little bird: "Uncle, you're back!"

Zhou Weiguo smiled and ruffled her hair: "Yushui, you've been so good today, coming home so early?"

He Yushui beamed with pride, her chest puffed out high: "Uncle, I've completed the mission!"

"Oh? Tell your uncle about it!" Zhou Weiguo immediately became interested.

"I made plans with Yu Haitang. She's coming to our house this weekend, and she'll be bringing her older sister, Yu Li!" He Yushui's eyes sparkled.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Weiguo beamed with joy: "Great! By the way, Yushui, you still haven't told me how old Yuli is?"

"Haitang is two years older than me, and Sister Yuli is four years older than Haitang!"

Zhou Weiguo was overjoyed. This was perfect! He quickly praised, "Our rainwater has done a great job! Your uncle will treat you to a big meal this weekend!"

"Yay! Uncle, tell me what delicious food you're treating me to?" He Yushui asked excitedly.

Just then, the door creaked open.

He Yuzhu looked excited, with Natasha following behind him.

Upon seeing Natasha, Zhou Weiguo flew into a rage and kicked He Yuzhu, yelling, "What are you doing bringing a foreign guest to our house? Don't you even know we have room for her? Wouldn't it have been better to send her to the Friendship Hotel? You blockhead!"

He Yuzhu, carrying a bag of things, grumbled pitifully, "Uncle, you left me behind this morning, and then abandoned me and my aunt this afternoon. That's too much!"

Natasha burst out laughing.

He Yushui curiously stepped forward, pulling Natasha up and down for a second: "You're my aunt? My brother calls you aunt? Wow, you're so beautiful! This is the first time I've ever seen someone so unique and beautiful!"

Natasha smiled and picked up He Yushui, giving Zhou Weiguo a sidelong glance before saying gently, "That's right, my name is Natasha, I'm a goose person, and I'm also your aunt. But we have a deal, you can only call me that at home when there are no outsiders. Auntie is a foreigner, so I look a little different from you Chinese."

He Yushui nodded, seemingly understanding, "Yes, Yushui will remember! When there are outsiders, I'll call you 'sister,' okay?"

Zhou Weiguo shook his head helplessly and kicked He Yuzhu again: "Stop dawdling and hurry up and cook! Don't you have any common sense!"

He Yuzhu suddenly leaned close to Zhou Weiguo's ear and whispered, "Uncle, when I came in just now, I heard screams coming from the Jia family. They were so terrible that even Second Aunt ran away in fright..."

"Just cook when I tell you to, stop babbling. Are you still thinking about Qin Huairu? Don't you want to find a wife?" Zhou Weiguo interrupted him irritably.

He Yuzhu hurriedly agreed and went out with the groceries.

It turned out that just now, Jia Dongxu had been hiding behind the moon gate, staring intently at Qin Huairu and Zhou Weiguo. However, as he watched their behavior, the ruthlessness in Jia Dongxu's eyes grew stronger. Only when he saw Zhou Weiguo enter the house did he dare to rush out in a fit of rage, grab Qin Huairu, and head towards the house.

Qin Huairu was startled and before she could speak, Jia Dongxu slammed the door shut, raised his hand and slapped her across the face, cursing, "Qin Huairu, you shameless bastard! How dare you hug and flirt with that beast Zhou Weiguo in public! I'm not dead yet! I've told you off countless times before about how close you were to Sha Zhu. Now you're not even pretending anymore, are you? Where did you two get the nerve to flirt so openly in the yard?"

Qin Huairu was dizzy from what she was being said, and only then did she realize that Jia Dongxu had misunderstood. She cried and explained, "Dongxu, you've misunderstood! I just wanted to beg Zhou Weiguo to let our mother go, I really didn't..."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu immediately cursed, "Qin Huairu, do you need to hug someone and rub your chest against them when you ask for help? Do you think I'm blind? Tell me, have you been having an affair with Zhou Weiguo and Sha Zhu for a while now? I'll teach you to have an affair, I'll teach you to have an affair!"

Thinking of what he had just witnessed, Jia Dongxu's anger surged again, and he slapped her face hard again, this time on the face that had been touched.

P.S.: Please urge me to update more and give me good reviews. Thank you!