Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

In the following days, He Yuzhu completely gave up.

Once the door was closed, he began a life of sleeping and eating, eating and sleeping.

On the first day, he used the ingredients he bought to make a simplified version of broth.

I made myself two side dishes and enjoyed them immensely.

But by the next day, a strong sense of laziness took over his mind, and he wouldn't get out of bed except to relieve himself.

"Sigh, how boring..." He lay on the warm kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the ceiling, and sighed.

Just two days ago, Mingming was still ambitiously thinking about finding Lou Bancheng as soon as possible to avoid running out of money.

But it was so cold that day, he just wanted to lie there forever.

As for going to find Lou Bancheng? Let's wait until tomorrow, I'll definitely go tomorrow!

So, time flew by and it was almost noon on the fourth day.

He Yuzhu was still lying sprawled out in bed, dreaming of eating famous dishes from all over the country.

A series of loud knocks on the door abruptly pulled him out of his culinary reverie.

"Who is it...so early in the morning..." he mumbled groggily, reluctantly opening his eyes.

A slightly hoarse old man's voice came from outside the door: "Young man He, it's me, Old Hu! I've brought you coal!"

He Yuzhu was jolted awake, suddenly remembering what had happened yesterday afternoon.

He went out to use the toilet yesterday and saw a coal vendor selling coal from a cart at the entrance of the alley.

He was worried that his coal supply was running low and that he couldn't go through the winter without coal, so he ordered a truckload of coal from that honest-looking old man, Mr. Hu, and arranged for it to be delivered today.

He hurriedly put on his cotton-padded jacket and trousers, slipped on his shoes, ran over, unlatched the door, and opened the door.

Outside the door, Grandpa Hu was wearing a worn-out cotton hat, his face covered in coal dust, rubbing his hands and breathing out white vapor.

Behind him, a cart was piled high with coal.

"Hey, Uncle Hu, you're here so early!" He Yuzhu scratched his messy hair a little embarrassedly.

Grandpa Hu looked at the sun, which was already high in the sky, speechless, and said helplessly, "Zhu Zi, you slept so long... Look at the sky, it's almost noon. Where are you going to put all this coal? Hurry up, I have to rush to the next house."

"Okay, okay, come with me." He Yuzhu hurriedly led Grandpa Hu to a place under the eaves that was used to store coal and firewood.

He opened the shed door and said, "Just put it here, thank you for your trouble, Uncle Hu."

As he spoke, he quickly went to the house to fetch a ladle of hot water, found an old towel, and let Grandpa Hu wipe his face. He then haphazardly splashed some cold water on his own face to wake himself up.

Watching Grandpa Hu and his son neatly stack a cartload of coal, He Yuzhu paid the bill and gave them an extra thousand yuan as a reward for their hard work.

Grandpa Hu declined a couple of times, but seeing He Yuzhu's insistence, he happily accepted it, thanked him repeatedly, and then pulled his empty cart away.

He Yuzhu was pondering whether to go back to sleep or get some lunch when a sharp voice rang out behind him.

"Silly Zhu, silly Zhu!"

He Yuzhu turned around and saw Jia Zhangshi walking quickly from her house.

"Silly Zhu, don't forget! My son Dongxu is going on a blind date tomorrow at noon, and you promised to cook a meal for us!" Jia Zhangshi said loudly, afraid that He Yuzhu would change his mind.

He Yuzhu nodded and said, "Don't worry, I won't forget. I will definitely do what I promised."

Just as a hint of smugness appeared on Jia Zhangshi's face, He Yuzhu changed the subject, staring at her as he continued, "But Aunt Jia, we need to make this agreement beforehand."

"I promised to cook for you, but I didn't promise to conjure up delicacies for you. I'll cook whatever you have prepared."

"If the dishes you prepare yourself are not presentable, then don't expect me to make you a presentable feast."

"If the girl you're looking for doesn't like Dongxu because he's not good enough, don't blame me."

His words were blunt, directly exposing Jia Zhangshi's little scheme.

Jia Zhangshi blushed with embarrassment, but she didn't want to spend money on groceries and wanted He Yuzhu's cooking skills to make a good impression, so she had to suppress her anger.

She retorted, sticking her neck out, "Do you even need to tell me? Our Dongxu is going on a blind date, how could he be short of food? He'll definitely prepare everything perfectly!"

Even though she said that, she cursed inwardly: Damn idiot Zhu, what's wrong with radishes and greens? As long as there's something to eat, that's fine!

He Yuzhu was too lazy to argue with her anymore. He yawned, waved his hand, and said, "Okay, as long as you know, I'll get up early tomorrow morning."

After saying that, he ignored Jia Zhangshi, turned around and went back into the house, slamming the door shut.

Madam Jia pursed her lips at He Yuzhu's door, muttered "lazy little brat" under her breath, and then turned and went back to her own warm room.

He Yuzhu returned to the house and lay back down on the still warm kang (a heated brick bed), but couldn't fall asleep for a while.

If I'm not mistaken, the person Jia Dongxu is going on a blind date with is Qin Huairu, the one who will turn the courtyard upside down and ruin his life.

"Qin Huairu is coming..." He gazed at the ceiling, his eyes flickering, a subtle, enigmatic smile slowly curving his lips. "I wonder what reward she'll give me this time. I'd love to get a spiritual spring space, or a looks-enhancing card or something?"

"I don't expect to become a handsome man like Pan An, but at least don't make me go on blind dates with this anxious face..."

Having been in this world for so many days, he subconsciously avoids looking in the mirror.

The original owner of the body, He Yuzhu, had such a face that he lacked the courage to face his miserable life.

"If your looks aren't enough, your hairstyle will make up for it!" He Yuzhu suddenly sat up on the kang (a heated brick bed), slapped his thigh, and exclaimed, "That's right! I'm going to get a haircut, take a nice bath, and change into clean clothes. I'll definitely look completely different!"

Just do it!

He scrambled off the kang (a heated brick bed), rummaged through chests and cabinets, and found a clean set of blue cotton trousers and a jacket.

Although it's faded a bit from washing, at least there are no patches.

Thinking he was going to take a shower, he hid all his money and only took some loose change with him.

He Yuzhu, carrying a change of clothes, strode out the door with a proud and imposing air, heading straight for Old Zhang's barbershop at the entrance of the alley.

The barbershop wasn't crowded in the afternoon, but it wasn't empty either.

Upon entering, a strong smell of soap pods and hair oil wafts towards you.

The shop was small, with a mottled mercury mirror hanging on the wall, and the chair cushions in front of the mirror worn smooth and shiny.

The experienced hairdresser was using scissors and a comb to thin out the hair of a middle-aged man.

These days, there are no high-tech shampoos, and nobody washes their hair every day, so thinning is the most popular treatment, which will surely make many young people in the future envious.

He Yuzhu sat down on a long bench and waited quietly.

Watching the experienced stylist's skillful technique, he pondered what kind of hairstyle he wanted.

The original owner basically had no hairstyle at all. When it grew long, she would just cut it haphazardly, making it look like a dog had chewed it.

After waiting for about half an hour and seeing off three customers who came to have their tea, it was finally He Yuzhu's turn.