Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

He Yuzhu suddenly raised his head, his gaze meeting the girl's questioning eyes.

When Qian Daniu saw He Yuzhu suddenly barge in and fall flat on his face, his already bad expression darkened even more. He angrily shouted, "Idiot Zhu, what are you doing in here? Get out!"

The onlookers at the entrance burst into laughter upon seeing this scene.

He Yuzhu quickly got up from the ground, dusted himself off, and his mind raced.

Ignoring the commotion at the door, he grinned at Qian Daniu and said, "Hey, Brother Daniu, sorry, sorry! I was just watching the fun at the door when that bastard Xu Damao ambushed me and I accidentally fell in."

He changed the subject abruptly, looking earnestly at Qian Daniu and his mother: "Brother Daniu, Aunt Qian, now that I'm here, can't you just let me observe and learn how to go on a blind date?"

"I won't have studied for nothing. Tonight, I'll be the head chef for your family's dinner, and I promise it will be beautifully prepared!"

Qian Daniu frowned, about to refuse, but his mother, Aunt Qian, brightened up and said first, "Sure, Zhu Zi's father is a master chef. He's been learning the craft since he was little. Let's try Zhu Zi's cooking today!"

Aunt Qian had her own little plan. It seemed that her son hadn't taken a liking to the girl. She was going to treat him to a meal anyway, and having Sha Zhu, a proper student of cooking, cook the meal would save her trouble and make her look good.

Moreover, if Sha Zhu is a good cook, we can invite him to cook when Da Niu gets married. I wonder how much money a half-grown boy like him can charge.

He Yuzhu was overjoyed and quickly thanked him.

Seeing that the system countdown hadn't started yet, he took the initiative to introduce himself: "Um... you must be Brother Da Niu's blind date, right? Hello, my name is He Yuzhu, I live in the main house of the middle courtyard, and I'm currently learning a trade at Emei Restaurant."

"Don't worry, my cooking skills are absolutely top-notch; everyone who's tried it raves about it!"

His words made the onlookers outside laugh even harder.

This silly Zhu came to observe the blind date and even started talking to the girl. Is this how you learn to do things?

Qian Daniu's face darkened further. He was about to tell them to leave when his mother quietly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "What's the rush? Zhuzi is only sixteen. What can he do to steal your girlfriend? Let him cook a meal, and we'll save money!"

The girl looked at He Yuzhu and also felt that the scene was a bit strange.

Since they had already greeted her, she couldn't very well not respond, so she said softly, "I... I also have the surname He, and my name is He Lanlan. I work in a textile factory."

The moment He Lanlan spoke in response, the countdown in He Yuzhu's vision finally began to flash.

"Oh, we're from the same clan! What a coincidence!" He Yuzhu seized the opportunity, his smile widening.

Qian Daniu and He Lanlan seemed to have covered most of what they needed to say, but He Yuzhu's interruption only made the atmosphere more awkward, and neither of them knew what to say.

The matchmaker on the side was quite shrewd; she had already noticed that Qian Daniu seemed rather dissatisfied with He Lanlan, but the Qian family had promised to provide a decent dinner regardless of whether the blind date went well or not.

Seeing the awkward silence, she steered the conversation towards He Yuzhu, smiling as she tried to smooth things over, saying, "Oh my, this young Comrade He is quite interesting. How old are you this year? Haven't your parents been trying to find you a partner?"

No wonder the matchmaker asked that question; He Yuzhu looks older than his age. At sixteen, he looks more mature than Qian Daniu, who is nineteen.

He Yuzhu knew this, so he wasn't embarrassed. He scratched his head, sighed, and began to put on an acting performance, saying, "Oh, Auntie, don't mention it."

"My dad ran off to Baocheng with a widow a couple of days ago. I just sent my sister there to him so he can raise her himself."

"Now, I'm the only one back, so we've completely separated and are living separately."

His words were incredibly revealing, and the crowd gathered at the entrance instantly erupted in a frenzy.

"What? He Daqing really ran off with a widow?"

"Did Zhuzi go looking for it? And even sent rainwater over?"

"Separate from the family? He's only sixteen and already living separately?"

"Oh my god, that He Daqing is really a scoundrel..."

The sounds of discussion, exclamations, and curses mingled together, creating a chaotic scene.

Yi Zhonghai, who was also watching the commotion in the crowd, felt a sudden sinking feeling in his heart when he heard He Yuzhu's words.

He couldn't hold back any longer, pushed through the crowd, and questioned with a serious expression, "Zhu Zi, who told you to go to Baocheng to find your father...?"

He Yuzhu interrupted him directly, saying, "Uncle Yi, you've come at the right time. My father said he left two million with you before he passed away, for my siblings and me to live on. Now that I'm back, give the money back to me!"

Yi Zhonghai, feeling guilty, blurted out upon hearing the figure of "two million," "Nonsense, your father only left one million when he passed away..."

As soon as he said it, Yi Zhonghai realized his mistake and his face turned deathly pale!

Oh no, we've been tricked!

He Yuzhu grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, and said with a hint of mockery, "Oh, it's one million? Then I must have misremembered. Uncle Yi, please give me back this one million!"

Yi Zhonghai felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead as he looked at the suspicious and scrutinizing gazes of his neighbors.

He quickly explained, "Zhu Zi, your father gave me the money so I could take care of you and your siblings' daily needs. I can't give you the money all at once. You're young, what if you squander it?"

"Uncle Yi, you don't need to trouble yourself with that."

He Yuzhu calmly took out the mediation agreement from his pocket, unfolded it, and said loudly, "I have already separated from my father. It's written in black and white, and the police station has also stamped it."

"Now I can make my own decisions, even he can't control how I spend my money, so you don't need to worry about it!"

Seeing this, Yan Bugui immediately squeezed through and said, "Let me see, let me see!"

He took the agreement, pretending to read it carefully, but actually read it aloud in a low voice: "After negotiation between both parties, He Daqing transfers the property rights of the three main rooms on the west side of the central courtyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang to He Yuzhu..."

"He Daqing paid He Yuzhu a total of 2.4 million yuan in living expenses, effectively buying out his child support payments until he turned 18..."

"He Yuzhu promised to assume corresponding support obligations after He Daqing loses his ability to work..."

Every time Yan Bugui read out a line, a collective gasp and murmur arose from the surrounding crowd.

"All three main rooms belong to Sha Zhu!"

"Two million four hundred thousand? My family doesn't even have that much in savings!"

"Could this be considered a blessing in disguise for Sha Zhu?"

"He even promised to take care of He Daqing in his old age; what a kind-hearted young man!"

"Who says otherwise? I'm the one who won't take care of him in his old age!"

"Sigh, although Zhuzi was a bit of a troublemaker when he was young, he still has a good heart."

"Wait a minute, the He family also has a second branch in the Central Court!"

"Are you stupid? That's where He Daqing is saving it for his retirement..."