Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

He Yuzhu tightened his grip on He Yushui's hand, noticing that the little girl's face was red from the cold.

"Rain, are you hungry? Let me take you to get something to eat and warm you up," He Yuzhu said to his younger sister.

He Yushui nodded obediently and said in a clear voice, "Okay~"

He Yuzhu looked up and saw a sign that read "Lao Ma's Noodle Shop" not far away, so he pulled Yushui over there.

As you lift the heavy cotton curtain, a warm current of aroma mixed with the scents of noodles and scallions wafts out.

The shop is small, with only four or five square tables, but it's quite clean.

It wasn't peak time yet, and there weren't many customers in the store. A middle-aged man wearing an apron, who looked like the owner, was leaning against the counter.

"Boss, two bowls of shredded pork noodles, large bowls, please." He Yuzhu found a seat for Yushui at the back and called out loudly.

"Alright, two bowls of shredded pork noodles!" the boss replied, calling out to the kitchen.

Then, he came over carrying a large teapot and two rough porcelain bowls, poured them hot water, and warmly greeted them, "Young comrade, are you traveling so far with your sister all by yourself? Here, have some hot water to warm up."

"Thank you, boss," He Yuzhu said.

Seeing that the shop owner looked friendly, he took the opportunity to ask, "Sir, could you tell me something? Are there any guesthouses nearby?"

"A guesthouse?" The owner glanced at the brother and sister, noticing that although their clothes weren't exactly shabby, they didn't seem like the children of officials.

So he asked hesitantly, "Yes, there is. Just turn right at the intersection ahead, walk about two hundred meters and you'll see it. But... that place is mainly for cadres coming down from higher up, and people who join the army. They check it strictly, and ordinary people can't easily stay there. Do you... have a letter of introduction?"

He Yuzhu took out the letter of introduction that Deputy Director Wang had given him from his inner pocket, unfolded it and showed it to the boss: "Yes, it's from the Sijiucheng Police Station. We've come to Baocheng to find my father to handle some family matters."

The boss squinted at the contents of the letter, and when he looked at He Yuzhu and his sister, his eyes were filled with sympathy.

"Oh, so that's what happened. He Daqing, right? What a scoundrel this father is!" The boss spat indignantly.

"Don't worry, this letter makes things much easier. When you get there, just show them the letter. If they give you trouble, just say it was me, Old Ma, who introduced you!"

"Thank you so much, Boss Ma!" He Yuzhu quickly expressed his gratitude. Boss Ma must have some connection with that side to say that.

Soon, two large bowls of steaming hot shredded pork noodles were served. The noodles were chewy, the soup was rich, and the noodles were topped with plenty of shredded pork and chopped green onions.

He Yushui was starving, so she picked up her chopsticks and started eating in small bites.

He Yuzhu also ate with great relish, and the hot soup warmed him up from head to toe.

When it came time to pay, Boss Ma shortchanged him by a thousand yuan, saying it was for the children to buy some snacks. He Yuzhu couldn't refuse and had to thank him repeatedly.

Following the directions given by Boss Ma, He Yuzhu quickly found the guesthouse.

It's a three-story building with a sign hanging at the entrance; it looks more impressive than the surrounding buildings.

Upon entering the lobby, it was very quiet, with only one comrade in a Zhongshan suit sitting behind the counter reading a newspaper.

He Yuzhu stepped forward and said politely, "Hello comrade, we would like to stay at the hotel."

The comrade looked up, sized him and He Yushui up, and frowned slightly, saying, "Young comrade, this is an internal guesthouse, mainly for government officials. Do you have a letter of introduction?"

"Yes, yes." He Yuzhu quickly handed over the letter of introduction written by Deputy Director Wang.

The comrade took the letter and read it carefully.

As he looked, his brows furrowed more and more, and his face darkened.

After reading it, he slammed his fist on the counter and roared, "Outrageous! How can there be such a father in the world! Abandoning his underage children to run off with someone else! This is a disgrace to us men and a stain on our new society!"

His sudden outburst of anger startled He Yushui, who shrank back behind He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu quickly patted his sister reassuringly and said to the comrade, "Comrade, don't be angry. We came to find him, didn't we? It's just that it's getting late, and we have nowhere to go with your sister. You see..."

The comrade took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and said, "Young man, don't be afraid, I'll take care of this! You wait here, I'll go report to my superiors!"

After saying that, he took the letter of introduction and strode into the inner office.

Not long after, he came out with a leader who was wearing an official uniform and was a bit older.

The leader looked at He Yuzhu and He Yushui, sighed, and said to He Yuzhu, "Comrade He Yuzhu, right? We understand the situation. In principle, you do not meet the accommodation requirements, but due to the urgency, we cannot let the organization see the two children homeless."

He turned to the comrade wearing glasses and instructed, "Old Zhang, get them a quiet guest room on the first floor."

"Thank you, leader! Thank you, comrade!" He Yuzhu quickly bowed and expressed his gratitude.

The leader waved his hand and solemnly instructed, "Staying here is fine, but it's best not to wander around at night; it's not a good influence. If you need anything, just tell the officer on duty."

"Don't worry, we will definitely follow the rules!" He Yuzhu quickly assured him.

Comrade Zhang quickly completed the formalities and handed He Yuzhu a key with a wooden tag attached: "Room 107, turn right at the end of the corridor. Here's the key and a thermos. The hot water room is on the other side of the corridor. Be careful when getting water, don't burn yourself."

He Yuzhu took the key and two empty thermos bottles, thanked them again, and led He Yushui to room 107.

The room was small and simply furnished, with a single wooden bed, a desk, a bedside table, two chairs, and a cement floor that was kept very clean.

"Brother, are we staying here?" He Yushui asked curiously, looking around the room.

"Yes, I'll stay here tonight." He Yuzhu put his bundle on the chair. "Yushui, you stay inside for now. I'll go get some hot water for you to wash your face and feet."

After settling Yushui in, He Yuzhu carried two thermos bottles and followed the signs to the hot water room.

After fetching hot water, he carefully locked the door and used the hot water to wipe his face and feet from the rain.

The little girl had experienced so much today, she was exhausted and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

He Yuzhu tucked the blanket around his sister, then leaned against the headboard fully clothed, listening to the faint sound of the wind coming from outside the window, his thoughts in turmoil.

He's been calling the system all day, but there's been no response.

He resigned himself to his fate, comforting himself: "It's good enough that I was able to time travel. Besides, with my understanding of the plot, I certainly won't end up in such a miserable state!"

He glanced at the little girl beside him. The original owner was only 16 years old this year and still had to learn a trade, so he had no time to take care of He Yushui.

I remember that He Yushui suffered a lot when she was a child in her previous life. She grew up in the environment of No. 95 compound, so it's no wonder that she didn't care about He Yuzhu later.