Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

Seeing that his mother hadn't made a move, Jia Dongxu said to Yi Zhonghai, "Master, I'll take the meat to Sha Zhu. You can eat at my house today!"

Yi Zhonghai nodded noncommittally and continued chatting with Qin Huairu.

This infuriated Jia Zhangshi, who cursed Jia Dongxu inwardly for being bewitched. Why couldn't he have kept the meat for himself and his son?

She snatched the meat from her hand and said, "You sit and chat with Miss Qin, I'll take it to you." With that, she carried the meat to the kitchen.

When He Yuzhu saw her bringing over the meat, he exclaimed in surprise, "Jia Zhangshi, have you struck it rich?"

He Yuzhu was taken aback when he called out "Jia Zhangshi" so disrespectfully. He quickly realized what he had said, but it was too late to take it back.

At that moment, Jia Zhangshi's mind was entirely on the piece of meat, so she didn't care about the way she was addressed, but she rolled her eyes in annoyance.

She lowered her voice and cursed, "Make a fortune my ass! It was given to us by that old, childless Yi Zhonghai, and it's all going to those guys in the house for free!"

As she spoke, she tossed the piece of pork belly she was holding onto the cutting board and instructed, "Cut...cut two ounces to make a meat dish, and the rest...make me a braised pork dish separately. Once it's done, put it aside; don't bring it to the table!"

He Yuzhu immediately understood that this person wanted to take it all for themselves.

He felt contemptuous and didn't bother to get involved. He simply gestured towards the kitchen knife next to him with his lip: "The knife is over there. You can cut it yourself, so my hand doesn't slip and I end up cutting too much."

Madam Jia was taken aback and glared at He Yuzhu, but then she realized that he was right.

She then stepped forward, picked up a cleaver, and gestured at the piece of meat for a long time before carefully cutting off a small piece.

The weight was so small, it was hard to say whether it was even one and a half ounces, let alone two ounces.

"Here, this is all. Make some braised pork with radish." She pushed the small piece of meat in front of He Yuzhu and said.

He Yuzhu looked at the small amount of meat, his lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

Jia Zhangshi put the remaining meat back on the cutting board, and then added with concern, "Remember, once the braised pork is cooked, put it aside, and I'll get it myself."

After saying that, she walked out of the kitchen.

But as soon as she reached the door, she paused, wondering what if Sha Zhu might sneak a bite or cut corners.

No, we have to keep an eye on it!

So she stood at the kitchen doorway, her triangular eyes fixed on He Yuzhu and the stove in front of him.

He Yuzhu felt uncomfortable under her gaze and cursed inwardly at the old woman's extreme paranoia.

He originally planned to simply blanch cabbage, potatoes, and radishes in boiling water and serve them up as a "vegetarian feast" to get by.

As for that previous statement, "Today I'll show you what a master really is!", it was just for his own amusement.

But now that Jia Zhangshi has sent over some meat, even though it's only a little bit, the plan has to be changed.

Helplessly, he scooped out the water that had just boiled in the pot, which he was preparing to blanch the vegetables, and set it aside before starting a new pot.

In no time, He Yuzhu had prepared three dishes: braised pork with radish, stir-fried shredded potatoes, and stir-fried shredded cabbage with vinegar.

Watching from the side, smelling the aroma of the dishes, Jia Zhangshi's stomach was already rumbling with hunger, and she kept swallowing her saliva.

"Alright, take these three dishes inside!" He Yuzhu plated the three dishes and said to Jia Zhangshi, "I'll make you braised pork."

Upon hearing the words "braised pork," Jia Zhangshi perked up and quickly stepped forward to pick up two plates, hurriedly carrying them into the house.

A short while later, he came back, taking the remaining plate with one hand and picking up a basket of steamed cornbread from the pot with the other.

Before leaving, he turned back and reminded me again, "Don't serve that braised pork, save it for me!"

"Okay, I'll put it in the cupboard for you once it's done!" He Yuzhu waved his hand and began to process the remaining piece of meat.

As soon as Jia Zhangshi's figure disappeared at the kitchen door, He Yuzhu immediately took action.

He quickly cut the pork belly into even small pieces, blanched it, caramelized the sugar, stir-fried the meat, added water and seasonings... a series of actions that were so smooth and fast that it was dazzling.

Inside the Jia family's house, the atmosphere was much more lively than before.

With Yi Zhonghai in charge, he shared some interesting stories from the steel rolling mill, which barely managed to keep the situation afloat.

Jia Dongxu stood by with a forced smile, but his eyes kept glancing at Qin Huairu.

Matchmaker Wang kept praising Jia Dongxu for being down-to-earth and hardworking, having a good mentor and a bright future, and also praising the Jia family mother and son for being amiable people.

When Jia Zhangshi brought in the dishes, the enticing aroma instantly attracted everyone's attention.

"Oh my, this fragrance!" Matchmaker Wang sniffed hard. "Just from the smell, I can tell that Zhu Zi's skills are superb. Sister-in-law Jia, you've really gone to great lengths today!"

Madam Jia looked pleased with herself, but said modestly, "Knowing you were coming, I definitely wanted to treat you well."

As she spoke, she placed the plate of braised pork with radish in the center of the table, put the other two plates of vegetarian dishes on either side, and then put down the basket of steamed buns.

Although there were only three dishes, they were all delicious and visually appealing thanks to He Yuzhu's skillful cooking.

"Come on, come on, don't be shy, pick up your chopsticks and eat while it's hot!" As the hostess, Madam Jia warmly invited everyone to start eating.

She first picked up a piece of radish and meat with her chopsticks and put it into Qin Huairu's bowl: "Huairu, try it and see if it suits your taste."

Qin Huairu thanked her softly, picked up a slice of radish and a thin piece of meat from the bowl, and took a small bite.

The next moment, a look of amazement flashed in her beautiful eyes.

This radish, soaked in the delicious meat juices, melts in your mouth.

She couldn't resist picking up a piece of shredded potato with her chopsticks. It was crisp and refreshing, and tasted better than any stir-fry she had ever eaten at home!

"Mmm, it's delicious." Qin Huairu looked up and praised it sincerely.

Matchmaker Wang and Yi Zhonghai also picked up their chopsticks, and once they started eating, they couldn't stop.

"Mmm, this cabbage is stir-fried so well, it's crisp and flavorful, it's delicious!"

"This braised pork with radish is amazing! With so little meat, the whole dish is incredibly fragrant!"

Jia Dongxu, without a care in the world, echoed the praise, which made Jia Zhangshi feel guilty, and she couldn't help but glare at him.

As they ate, they praised the food endlessly, their chopsticks flying across the table, and the dishes on the table disappeared at a visible rate.

As Jia Zhangshi watched the slices of meat in the braised pork with radish disappear quickly, her heart ached and she clenched her teeth.

Seeing Qin Huairu eating so happily, Jia Dongxu was overjoyed!

Just then, the enticing aroma of braised pork from the kitchen wafted in through the curtain.

The group of people who were engrossed in eating suddenly paused.

Matchmaker Wang sniffed, puzzled, and said, "Huh? This smell... is it braised pork?"

Yi Zhonghai nodded: "Yes, it smells like braised pork~"

Without thinking much, Jia Dongxu casually said, "It must be Sha Zhu doing it. I'll go check if it's done yet..."

"Sit down!" Jia Zhangshi panicked and quickly kicked her son under the table. "What are you looking at? That's not something we made."

Both Wang the matchmaker and Yi Zhonghai were shrewd people. They exchanged a glance, both knowing exactly what was going on.

However, they didn't want to point it out, so they pretended not to smell it and continued eating.

Qin Huairu was intelligent and quick-witted, and naturally she noticed something amiss, but as a girl who had come for a blind date, she couldn't say anything.

She lowered her head silently, taking small bites of her cornbread, and gained a deeper understanding of Jia Zhangshi's stinginess and scheming.