Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

"Who is it?" He Yuzhu asked hurriedly.

Matchmaker Wang said mysteriously, "Do you remember He Lanlan, the one Qian Daniu went on a blind date with last time?"

He Yuzhu certainly remembered; that was the "hero" who helped him complete his first system task.

"The person I'm going to introduce to you is her cousin, He Qiuyue, who just turned seventeen this year."

Matchmaker Wang launched into a long and enthusiastic introduction: "This girl is pretty and gentle. She has two older brothers and two younger brothers. Both her parents are factory workers."

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu understood about 70-80% of what was going on.

These days, girls with many siblings often don't have a very generous dowry, and may even have to ask the groom's family to give more money to support their family.

Given his own circumstances, it was clear that the matchmaker Wang was trying to deceive him by introducing him to such a girl.

However, he didn't care about any of that, as long as the system could trigger the task.

"Aunt Wang, when can we meet?" He Yuzhu asked impatiently.

Seeing his impatient look, Matchmaker Wang smiled and said, "Look how anxious you are. Here's what I'll do: I'll go to the He family tomorrow and ask. If the girl is willing, we'll set a date."

"Wait for my news. I'll come to your house tomorrow afternoon to tell you."

"Okay, okay!" He Yuzhu nodded repeatedly. "Then I'll wait for your good news!"

Matchmaker Wang nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, I heard you're not an apprentice at the Emei Restaurant anymore? What are you doing now?"

He Yuzhu had anticipated this question and immediately offered his prepared explanation: "Aunt Wang, to be honest, my father left me a job at the steel rolling mill when he passed away, but I didn't go there."

"I'm waiting for my master to make arrangements for me. He's asking someone to find me a suitable place. You mustn't tell anyone about this."

He paused, then added, "Besides, with my skills, even without a formal job, I can make a living by cooking for banquets."

"Look at the dishes Uncle Xu's family is serving today. If they were to cook this elsewhere, it would easily cost at least 100,000 or 200,000 yuan, right?"

Matchmaker Wang thought it made sense; He Yuzhu's skills were indeed superb. Just this one meal today alone could easily earn him 100,000 yuan if he went out to find other customers.

She thought about the harsh conditions the girl had proposed, and realized that only this silly Zhu could fool her!

Matchmaker Wang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Alright, it's settled then. I'll come to your house tomorrow afternoon."

"Oh, thank you, Aunt Wang!" He Yuzhu quickly thanked her.

Matchmaker Wang waved her hand and turned to go back to the Xu family.

He Yuzhu watched her disappearing figure through the courtyard gate, his heart filled with joy!

"Little brat, not even accepting money from the matchmaker, who knows how ugly they are! But the more of this kind of scheming, the better. I just love the exotic, hehehehe..."

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Meanwhile, in Qin Family Village outside Beijing.

The matchmaker Liu, whom Yi Zhonghai entrusted, finally found Qin Huairu's house after a lot of effort.

The Qin family lived at the east end of the village in three mud-brick houses, which looked more dilapidated than most other houses in the village.

As soon as Liu the matchmaker entered the room, she saw Qin Huairu sitting on a stool in the main room sewing shoe soles, with a middle-aged woman sitting next to her, presumably her mother.

"Is...is Sister-in-law Qin...at home?" As soon as Matchmaker Liu opened her mouth, her slight stutter was immediately apparent.

Qin Huairu looked up and saw a stranger, which surprised her.

Her mother, Qin's mother, quickly stood up and greeted her, "And who is this lady?"

"I...I am surnamed Liu, and I am from...I am from Nanluoguxiang." As she spoke, Liu handed over the pastries in her hand. "This...this is something that Master Jia asked me to bring, just a small token of my appreciation."

Mother Qin accepted the pastries, her smile widening. "Oh, Sister Liu, you're too kind! Please, have a seat!"

Qin Huairu put down her work, went to the kitchen to pour a bowl of hot water, brought it over, placed it in front of Liu the matchmaker, and then sat quietly to the side, waiting to hear her speak.

The matchmaker, Liu, took a sip of water before getting to the point: "Sister-in-law Qin... I... I've come today... to discuss the marriage of your Huai Ru."

Mother Qin was taken aback: "A marriage proposal? Didn't we already reject it?"

"That...that was Sister Wang's message. I...I'm here on behalf of Master Jia," Liu the matchmaker quickly explained.

"Master Jia... Master Jia is Dongxu's master, Yi... Yi Zhonghai, you... your daughter met him yesterday."

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat. Yi Zhonghai? That middle-aged man who looked quite imposing?

"Master Yi said... he said he truly treats Dongxu like... like his own son," Matchmaker Liu continued. "Yesterday, after we went back, Dongxu cried like... like something, and Master Yi felt... heartbroken seeing him like that, so... so he asked me to come again to... to make things clear."

She paused, observing the expressions of the Qin mother and daughter. Seeing that they didn't immediately refuse, she felt there was a chance!

"Master Yi said that if this marriage goes through, he will definitely help. Dongxu is his apprentice, and he will take care of him in his marriage and daily life."

Qin's mother's eyes lit up as she listened, and she tentatively asked, "Sister Liu, what exactly do you mean by 'helping'?"

"Oh dear, Sister-in-law Qin, is this even a question?" Matchmaker Liu slapped her thigh and said, "Master Yi is a senior worker at the steel rolling mill, his monthly salary is at least a million or two. He... he doesn't have any children, so in the future, won't all of this... won't it all belong to Dongxu?"

"Besides... besides, Master Yi is a very influential person in the courtyard. With his help, who... who would dare to bully Huai Ru after she marries into the family?"

Qin Huairu listened quietly to the sound of her voice, her mind racing with calculations.

She could tell from their conversation that Yi Zhonghai was a capable person; he spoke and acted with great method and was clearly a competent individual.

If they really had his help, the Jia family would definitely be doing well.

Moreover, although Jia Dongxu is a bit of a mama's boy, he's not bad-looking, has a city residency permit, and a stable job...

Qin's mother was clearly persuaded as well, and turned to look at her daughter: "Huai Ru, look..."

Qin Huairu pondered for a moment, then raised her head and said to Matchmaker Liu, "Aunt Liu, we appreciate Master Yi's kindness, but it's not enough for you to handle this matter alone."

"Oh? Then... then what do you mean?" Liu the matchmaker asked.

"Since Master Yi values ​​this marriage so much, then please ask him to come in person and talk to my father face to face," Qin Huairu said unhurriedly. "Also, the sewing machine that Jia Dongxu promised me yesterday cannot be forgotten."

Upon hearing this, Liu the matchmaker's heart skipped a beat.

Asking Yi Zhonghai to come and negotiate in person? That's not impossible, but the sewing machine...

She overheard Yi Zhonghai mention it yesterday; it seemed the Jia family wasn't planning on buying a sewing machine, and Yi Zhonghai hadn't explicitly said he would pay for it.

"This... I'll have to go back and ask Master Yi," Liu the matchmaker said with some difficulty.