Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

Jia Zhangshi swallowed hard, cursing inwardly: What's wrong with that idiot Zhu? Why does he have a convict-like hairstyle?!

But then I remembered that I had promised to let him come and learn, and that I would have to rely on him to cook lunch.

She quickly whispered to the matchmaker and the other woman, "This is He Yuzhu from our courtyard. He's usually on good terms with Dongxu, and he came here today to help out. He'll be in charge of cooking lunch."

The matchmaker then realized that although she thought He Yuzhu looked a bit fierce, she couldn't say anything since he was there to help.

He Yuzhu walked over to Jia Dongxu naturally, nudged him with his elbow (who was still in a daze), and whispered, "Hey, Dongxu, snap out of it! Hurry up and call the people!"

Jia Dongxu then seemed to snap out of his daze, hurriedly stepping aside to make way for Qin Huairu, his eyes still fixed on her: "Please...please come in..."

"Yes, come on, come on, don't just stand in the yard, come inside and chat!" Seeing this, Madam Jia quickly called out, and the group then entered the Jia family's house.

Outside, the crowd of onlookers in the courtyard had not yet dispersed.

The crowd couldn't see what was going on inside through the doors and windows, but their curiosity was piqued.

"Hey, did you guys see that? That girl was really pretty!"

"Yeah, what incredible luck did Jia Dongxu have?"

"Where did you find this matchmaker, Wang? Her appearance..."

"But why did Shazhu go in?"

"Let me tell you..."

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

As soon as everyone entered the Jia family's residence, Qin Huairu subconsciously looked around.

The Jia family's house was a room and a half, divided into inner and outer rooms.

The outer room serves as both a living room and dining room, furnished with an eight-immortal table, chairs, and several stools, with a few old cabinets placed against the wall.

The room was fairly clean, but the space was small and the lighting was somewhat dim.

Qin Huairu frowned almost imperceptibly. Isn't it said that city dwellers live in spacious and bright houses?

Why does the Jia family seem... not much better off than theirs?

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the room, he naturally found a stool against the wall and sat down, saying with a smile, "You guys chat, I'll show you what I can do at noon."

Madam Jia could only agree, saying, "Yes, yes, Zhu Zi is learning to cook at Emei Restaurant. His skills are excellent. Let him show you his skills at noon."

As she spoke, she poured a glass of water for each of them: "Come on, girls, sit down and have some brown sugar water to warm yourselves up."

"Thank you, Auntie." Qin Huairu took the bowl and thanked her softly, her voice sweet and melodious.

At the same time, the system's voice finally rang in He Yuzhu's mind:

[Ding! A potential blind date has been detected. Blind date task triggered.]

[Task Requirements: The blind date must last at least 30 minutes; otherwise, the task will fail.]

[Mission Reward: One Body Strengthening Pill, Grandmaster-level Bajiquan Inheritance.]

Hearing the system notification in his mind, He Yuzhu thought to himself: Goodness, as expected of the female lead in the drama, this reward is really generous.

Although it wasn't the spiritual spring space I wanted, health is the foundation of everything, and besides, even though Beijing was liberated, the city was still in chaos.

With these two things, one at least has a certain ability to protect oneself.

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

Inside the room, Jia Dongxu was staring at Qin Huairu with a silly grin, while Jia Zhangshi and Wang the matchmaker were flattering each other. Although Qin Huairu had her head down, she kept glancing around from the corner of her eye.

Just then, Wang the matchmaker cleared her throat, preparing to speak.

He Yuzhu spoke first, saying to Jia Dongxu, "Brother Dongxu, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and introduce yourself to Miss Qin. There's no way you'll just let her sit there!"

Although it wasn't Jia Dongxu's first blind date, compared to Qin Huairu in front of him, all the others he had met before were like chickens meeting a phoenix. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating.

Urged on by He Yuzhu, he subconsciously straightened his back and stammered, "I...I am Jia Dongxu, I am twenty years old, I am an apprentice at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill, learning to be a fitter from my master Yi Zhonghai, and at home...it's just me and my mother."

This introduction is dry and lacks any highlights.

He Yuzhu chuckled inwardly, but on the surface he wore an "I see" expression, saying, "Oh—so that's how blind dates are introduced? Sounds interesting, I'll give it a try, consider it a learning experience!"

Before Jia's mother and son could react, he turned to Qin Huairu and said quickly, "My name is He Yuzhu. I live next door. Those three main rooms in the middle courtyard are all mine. I'm currently learning to cook at Emei Restaurant."

"I separated from my father a while ago and now I live alone. My father has remarried in Baocheng with my sister and probably won't be coming back."

Wang the matchmaker's eyes lit up instantly. A cook, a person, and three main rooms... these are nothing on their own, but combined they are a treasure trove of resources!

Compared to Jia Dongxu, who was crammed into a room and a half with his mother and was still an apprentice, their conditions were much better!

Her smile immediately turned incredibly warm, and her gaze towards He Yuzhu became even more enthusiastic.

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat. She secretly compared the two: Jia Dongxu was decent-looking, but his family was poor and he had a mother-in-law who was obviously difficult to get along with.

He Yuzhu may look a bit prematurely aged and fierce, but he occupies three rooms by himself, is the cook, and most importantly, he has no mother-in-law to manage him after marriage, so he can be in charge of the household himself.

This comparison clearly shows the superiority of the latter!

She couldn't help but raise her eyes again and steal a glance at He Yuzhu.

With that one glance, the countdown to the task in front of He Yuzhu started moving.

He Yuzhu was puzzled. He thought that last time the system only started counting down after he finished introducing himself. Could it be that the activation condition was self-introduction?

However, Qin Huairu's furtive glance, though well-hidden, did not escape Jia Dongxu's watchful eye.

Jia Dongxu's heart skipped a beat, and a strong sense of crisis instantly surged into his heart!

Is that bastard Sha Zhu here to cause trouble?

Seeing that Matchmaker Wang was about to follow up He Yuzhu's lead with another question, Jia Dongxu panicked and blurted out to Qin Huairu, "Comrade Qin... Qin Huairu! As long as you're willing to marry me, our Jia family... will buy you a sewing machine as a bride price!"

These words shocked everyone in the room!

Matchmaker Wang gasped. A sewing machine?

These days, a sewing machine is a dowry that countless girls dream of. This young man from the Jia family really went all out to get a wife!

Qin Huairu was also clearly stunned, her beautiful eyes looking at Jia Dongxu in surprise. The allure of a sewing machine is immense for anyone.

Only after a brief moment of astonishment did Madam Jia's face turn ashen!

She suddenly grabbed Jia Dongxu's arm and scolded, "Dongxu, what nonsense are you spouting! Where would we get the money to buy a sewing machine? What's wrong with you?!"