Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

He Yuzhu walked towards Wang the matchmaker's house according to the address in his memory. After passing through several alleys and making several turns, he finally found the alley.

At the entrance of the alley, an old man was sitting on a small stool, basking in the sun, holding a pipe and puffing away.

"Sir, may I ask you something? Does Matchmaker Wang live here?" He Yuzhu walked over and asked politely.

The old man looked up, squinted at him, and pointed with his pipe stick into the depths of the alley: "Go in, the third house from the back, the one with the jujube tree in front."

"Thank you so much!" He Yuzhu said, and walked in the direction the old man pointed.

Sure enough, before they even reached the third-to-last house, they saw Wang the matchmaker chatting with several older women in an open space in the middle of the alley.

As soon as He Yuzhu approached, Wang the matchmaker spotted him immediately.

Her smile vanished instantly, she rolled her eyes dramatically, and said sarcastically, "Oh, isn't this Comrade He Yuzhu, who runs faster than a rabbit? What brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, several middle-aged women nearby turned to look at He Yuzhu, their eyes filled with curiosity.

He Yuzhu wasn't annoyed. He grinned and walked up to her, saying, "Hey, Aunt Wang, I'm not angry with you, yet you're still holding a grudge?"

"Given my circumstances, you're introducing me to this kind of thing? Should I, in front of all you aunties, recount what conditions the He family demanded at their house that day, and let everyone judge for themselves whether I, He Yuzhu, am ungrateful?"

Upon hearing this, Wang the matchmaker's face changed instantly.

If the conditions the He family proposed that day had actually been stated in front of so many neighbors, her reputation as a matchmaker would have been ruined!

A smile instantly spread across her face. She stepped forward and grabbed He Yuzhu's arm: "Oh dear, Yuzhu, I was just joking with you. Look at you, how could you take it so seriously!"

As she spoke, she pulled He Yuzhu toward her house: "Come on, come on, let's go to your aunt's house for a cup of tea. Let's sit down and chat slowly. It's so cold outside, it's freezing!"

Several middle-aged women nearby were listening intently to the gossip, but when they saw that Matchmaker Wang was going to take the man away, they refused.

"Sister Wang, don't rush off! Let this young comrade tell us what happened."

"Exactly, it's perfect for keeping us old folks entertained!"

"If that young comrade wants to speak, why are you stopping him?"

Matchmaker Wang turned around and glared at them irritably: "Go away, you bunch of people just love to stir up trouble! Zhu Zi and I have important business to discuss, we don't have time for your idle chatter!"

As she spoke, she pulled He Yuzhu away with force.

The middle-aged women behind them started grumbling, "Oh, what's going on that you're afraid people will find out?"

"It must be because the company they introduced us to wasn't very good!"

"Sister Wang, that's not very kind of you!"

Wang the matchmaker pretended not to hear and quickly led He Yuzhu to her front door.

She took out her key, opened the door, and led He Yuzhu inside.

Matchmaker Wang let out a sigh of relief, wiped non-existent sweat from her forehead, and pointed to the chair, saying to He Yuzhu, "Sit down, Zhuzi, let me pour you a glass of water."

He Yuzhu didn't stand on ceremony and sat down in the chair, looking around.

Matchmaker Wang poured a bowl of hot water from the thermos and placed it in front of He Yuzhu. She then sat down opposite him and asked, "Yuzhu, what brings you here to see your aunt today?"

He Yuzhu didn't answer directly. Instead, he reached into the inside pocket of his cotton-padded jacket, pulled out a wad of cash, took out a bill for 10,000 yuan, and pushed it in front of Wang the matchmaker.

"Aunt Wang, although the He family was awful last time, you still made several trips back and forth. This is your errand fee, don't think it's too little."

When Wang the matchmaker saw the ten thousand yuan bill on the table, her eyes lit up instantly.

These days, matchmakers only receive a thank-you fee if the match is successful; otherwise, it's considered a wasted effort, and at most, the host family might give them some snacks or gifts as a courtesy.

People like He Yuzhu, who would voluntarily pay a running fee even if the marriage didn't go through, are extremely rare.

She reached for the money, but still politely said, "Oh dear, how could I possibly accept this? The matter wasn't even settled..."

That's what he said, but his hand quickly stuffed the money into his pocket.

He Yuzhu smiled and said, "Take what you owe. If you find someone suitable in the future, keep introducing me to them. I won't shortchange you a single penny."

Upon hearing this, the matchmaker's slight displeasure vanished instantly.

She laughed and said, "Zhu Zi, you silly boy... Don't worry, Auntie will definitely find you a good girl next time, the kind you'll be satisfied with!"

He Yuzhu nodded and praised, "Aunt Wang, I know how capable you are. The Jia family next door is even going to Qin Family Village to propose marriage. You're really amazing! You managed to close the deal even then!"

The smile on Wang the matchmaker's face suddenly froze, and she stood up abruptly.

She asked loudly, "What? The Jia family is going to propose marriage? I... I already returned their proposal, didn't I?"

He Yuzhu looked bewildered and said, "You weren't the matchmaker? But I heard it clearly: they said the Qin family had already received the betrothal gifts and were just waiting to choose an auspicious day to formally propose marriage!"

"By the way, quite a few people in our department know about it. Jia Dongxu's mother has been telling everyone she meets these past few days."

"They've already accepted the bride price? Impossible, absolutely impossible! I'll go to Qin Family Village myself to report back!"

Wang the matchmaker suddenly stopped, remembering that she had bumped into Yi Zhonghai and Liu the matchmaker at the gate when she came out of courtyard number 95 that day.

Matchmaker Wang's face instantly turned ashen, and she gritted her teeth as she cursed, "You bastard Liu Xiufang, you dare to steal my man! I'll beat you to death!"

She didn't care that He Yuzhu was still there, and was about to rush out.

She had just rushed to the door when she suddenly remembered that there was someone else inside.

Matchmaker Wang turned around, forcing a smile, and said, "Zhu Zi, um... Auntie has some urgent business to attend to, you..."

He Yuzhu immediately stood up tactfully and said, "Aunt Wang, you go ahead with your work, I'll be going now."

"Okay, okay! Don't worry, your aunt will definitely find you a good one!" Matchmaker Wang nodded repeatedly.

He Yuzhu went out, and Wang the matchmaker followed him out, locking the door with a "bang".

She stood at the door and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Sister Zhang, Sister Li, Aunt Liu, are you home? Come out and come with me!"

A short while later, three elderly women of similar age came out from several nearby houses.

"What's wrong, Sister Wang? Why are you calling so urgently?"

"What happened? Why do you look so pale?"

Wang the matchmaker cursed, "That old stutterer Liu Xiufang stole my match! Come on, let's go find her. If I don't tear that liar's mouth apart today, I'll change my name!"

"What? Liu Xiufang dares to steal your matchmaker?"

"She's gone too far! Let's go, we're all going!"

"Let's go, let's go, we have to teach her a lesson!"

The three old ladies also got angry when they heard this. Matchmakers have their own rules, and what they hate most is their competitors poaching their partners.

Watching Wang the matchmaker and her companion disappear around the corner of the alley, He Yuzhu shook his head and turned to leave as well.

He was in a good mood. He spent 10,000 yuan to both appease Wang the matchmaker and trip up Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family.