Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

Yi Zhonghai sat on his own stool, his heart bleeding.

Today, Director Li extorted 100 million yuan from him. That bastard said the chef he hired temporarily was overpriced, and he had to pay for it.

Yi Zhonghai knew perfectly well that the other party was trying to extort him, but he dared not retaliate.

"Old Yi, don't feel bad about it," his wife advised from the side. "It's better to lose money than to suffer a bad fate. Just think of it as spending money to buy some peace and quiet."

Yi Zhonghai said with a wry smile, "I'm just afraid that if he gets a taste of success, he'll continue to extort money from me next time?"

He grew angrier the more he thought about it, and slammed his fist on the table: "It's all that little bastard Sha Zhu's fault! If he hadn't fallen for the trap, would I have had to pay this money?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion arose in the front yard.

Yi Zhonghai frowned and walked to the window, lifting a corner of the curtain to look outside.

Under the moonlight, He Yuzhu was pushing a brand-new Flying Pigeon bicycle home.

Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of anger rush to the top of his head, and his chest ached terribly.

He Daqing ran off with the widow, but Sha Zhu is doing better and better?

Entering the Oriental Hotel, appearing in newspapers, and now even having bicycles...

"Old Yi, you..." His wife saw that her husband's face was ashen and wanted to say something.

"Shut up!" Yi Zhonghai roared, turned around and went back into the inner room, slamming the door shut.

That night, Yi Zhonghai tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The more he thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated he became.

He finally drifted off to sleep just before dawn.

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

The next morning, He Yuzhu got up early as usual to practice boxing.

The wooden dummy has been installed, and he has been practicing on it for an hour every morning for the past few days.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The punches and kicks struck the wooden stakes, producing dull thuds that were particularly clear in the courtyard in the early morning.

Inside the Jia family's house, Jia Zhangshi was kept awake by the noise and angrily cursed, "Knocking and banging so early in the morning, is this some kind of funeral?"

Qin Huairu had already gotten up and was in the kitchen making breakfast. When she heard this, she just pursed her lips and didn't say anything.

Jia Dongxu rolled over and mumbled, "Mom, keep your voice down, don't let him hear..."

"So what if I heard that? Am I afraid of him?" Jia Zhangshi said stubbornly, but her voice clearly softened.

After finishing his boxing practice, He Yuzhu went back to his room to wash up and took out a few meat buns from his system space for breakfast.

I made extra a few days ago, and it's still as fresh as when it came out of the pot.

After eating and drinking his fill, he pushed his bicycle out the door.

"Zhu Zi, off to work?" Aunt Qian greeted him with a smile as she washed clothes by the sink.

"Okay, good morning, Aunt Qian!" He Yuzhu replied, got on his bike, and rode away.

"Wow, that car is really nice!" Aunt Qian exclaimed, watching his departing figure.

Upon arriving at the Oriental Hotel, He Yuzhu locked his car in the backyard where employees' bicycles were parked, then changed into his chef's uniform and began his day's work.

Around 10 a.m., the kitchen staff were busy preparing for lunch.

Just as He Yuzhu was about to start cooking, Xiao Zhang from the office hurriedly came over.

"Master He, Director Zhao would like to see you in his office."

He Yuzhu was taken aback: "Now? I was just about to start cooking..."

"It's urgent. Director Zhao said you need to come over immediately," Xiao Zhang said in a low voice. "Two police officers have arrived."

Police officers?

"Okay, I'll go right now." He Yuzhu put down the spatula, wiped his hands, and followed Xiao Zhang to the office.

Upon knocking on Zhao Dezhu's office door, He Yuzhu immediately saw two uniformed police officers sitting inside.

Zhao Dezhu sat behind his desk, his face looking rather grim.

"Zhu Zi is here." Zhao Dezhu waved. "These two are officers from the police station. They want to verify some things with you."

He Yuzhu's heart was pounding, but he remained calm on the surface: "Hello, comrades, I am He Yuzhu."

The older police officer sized him up and said, "Comrade He Yuzhu, we received a report today and came here specifically to verify it."

"Report me?" He Yuzhu was taken aback. "Report me for what?"

"Someone anonymously reported that your bicycle is of dubious origin," the young police officer continued. "And it's not just one; we received six reports this morning, all all alleging that your bicycle's origin is unclear."

He Yuzhu's mind went blank for a moment, and anger surged up instantly.

Six whistleblower letters?!

It's obvious who did it without even guessing. Who else could it be but those beasts in courtyard number 95?

Zhao Dezhu breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it was about bicycles.

He quickly said, "Comrades, so it's about the bicycle. That bicycle was a reward given to He Yuzhu by our hotel leaders last night."

As he spoke, he called out towards the door, "Xiao Zhang, go and call Old Wang from the finance department, and bring over the car purchase invoices and related documents!"

"Yes, Director!" Xiao Zhang replied and quickly ran out.

Seeing this, the older police officer softened his tone: "Comrade He Yuzhu, we're just doing our job! Since Director Zhao said it was a unit reward, let's wait for the receipt to arrive and verify it."

He Yuzhu suppressed his anger and nodded, saying, "I understand!"

He cursed inwardly: These guys really need to be dealt with. We've only had a few days of peace, and they're already causing trouble again.

A short while later, Lao Wang from the finance department rushed over with a file bag.

"Director, these are all the receipts and documents for purchasing the bicycles." Old Wang handed the document bag to Zhao Dezhu.

Zhao Dezhu took it and handed it directly to the two police officers: "Cousins, please take a look. This is the proper documentation for our restaurant's purchase of bicycles, and everything is in order."

The two police officers carefully examined all the receipts and verified information such as the bicycle's serial number.

Finally, the older police officer returned the documents to Zhao Dezhu, saying, "The paperwork is complete."

He looked at He Yuzhu, a helpless smile on his face: "Comrade He Yuzhu, you've just attracted jealousy!"

The young police officer laughed too: "Looks like someone in your unit is jealous of your success!"

He Yuzhu said with a wry smile, "I'm really sorry to have made you two come all this way for nothing."

"It's alright, as long as it's been verified." The older police officer stood up. "Then we won't bother you any longer!"

"Of course, of course, thank you both." Zhao Dezhu quickly stood up to see them off.

After seeing the two police officers off, Zhao Dezhu closed the door and let out a long sigh.

He walked up to He Yuzhu and patted him on the shoulder: "Yuzhu, what kind of people live in your yard?"

He Yuzhu said with a wry smile, "Director, I'm sorry you had to see this."

Zhao Dezhu patted him on the shoulder and shook his head, saying, "I'm not making fun of you, I'm just worried about you. What kind of big compound are you living in!"

He paused, then said seriously, "But Zhu Zi, this incident also serves as a reminder to you. Be careful in the future, and don't let anyone find any fault with you."

"I understand." He Yuzhu nodded. "Thank you, Director."

"Alright, go back to work!" Zhao Dezhu waved his hand. "If you're upset, leave early and don't let it affect your work."

"it is good."

He Yuzhu walked out of the office, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Six letters of complaint...

The Jia family definitely received one, Yi Zhonghai can't escape it either, that old bastard Yan Bugui is probably involved too, and Xu Damao and his son are likely not left out either...

"Fine, very well." He Yuzhu gritted his teeth and sneered, "Since you're so heartless, don't blame me for being ruthless in return."