Courtyard House: Become Stronger Through Blind Dates

As dawn broke, He Yuzhu opened his eyes.

After a night's rest, I felt completely refreshed.

He sat up abruptly, got dressed, pushed open the door, and went out into the yard.

As soon as He Yuzhu opened the door, he heard the sound of splashing water coming from the pool.

He turned his head and was stunned.

Qin Huairu had gotten up even earlier than him and was squatting by the pool washing clothes.

She kept her head down, the washboard in her hands moving up and down rhythmically.

Hearing the door open, Qin Huairu looked up and met He Yuzhu's gaze.

Her face flushed red instantly, and she quickly lowered her head, her hands moving even faster.

"Good morning, Sister Qin." He Yuzhu greeted her first, her tone so natural as if nothing had happened last night.

Qin Huairu gave a soft "hmm," lowered her head even further, and her ears turned bright red.

He Yuzhu said no more and walked to the open space in the center of the courtyard, slowly assuming the starting stance of Bajiquan.

He took a deep breath and began to slowly throw a punch.

The movements gradually increased in speed, and the force of the punches became increasingly fierce.

"Whoosh—ha!"

The occasional exhalation sound was particularly clear in the quiet morning.

While washing the clothes, Qin Huairu secretly glanced at He Yuzhu out of the corner of her eye.

In the morning light, He Yuzhu's figure appeared exceptionally upright.

His every move exuded power, and his muscle lines were faintly visible beneath his thin clothes.

His waist and hips, in particular, appeared exceptionally strong and powerful as his punches rose and fell...

Qin Huairu suddenly remembered last night, her first time consummating her marriage with Jia Dongxu.

Jia Dongxu was a novice, and he messed with her four times in one night.

Unfortunately, the longest one lasted less than three minutes, which is nowhere near as long as He Yuzhu's...

Qin Huairu was startled by her own thoughts and quickly shook her head, trying to banish these inappropriate ideas.

But the more restrained one is, the clearer the contrast becomes.

"Snapped!"

Qin Huairu slapped her face hard, making a crisp sound.

"What am I thinking!" she cursed herself inwardly. "That...that's..."

She dared not think any further, quickly finished washing the clothes, wrung them out, and carried the basin back into the house.

"Sister Qin, are you done washing up?" He Yuzhu asked as he finished a set of punches and stood still.

Qin Huairu paused, grunted "Mmm" without turning her head, and rushed into the Jia family's house.

Watching her flee in panic, He Yuzhu shook his head and continued his morning exercise.

He performed two more sets of punches until his whole body was steaming with heat before stopping and letting out a long breath.

He went back to his room to boil water and wash up, and then began preparing breakfast.

I have a day off today, so I don't have to rush to work and I have plenty of time.

He Yuzhu took out a piece of pork belly from the cabinet and found some scallions, ginger and other seasonings.

He had made plans last night, preparing the dough in advance to make some meat buns.

Chopping filling, seasoning, kneading dough... He Yuzhu's movements were fluid and effortless.

Before long, the plump white buns were all wrapped and neatly arranged in the steamer.

He lit the fire, placed the steamer on the pot, and then sat in front of the stove to add firewood.

More than half an hour later, He Yuzhu lifted the pot lid.

Steam rose into the air, and a basket of plump, white steamed buns appeared before your eyes.

He picked one up, blew on it, and took a bite.

The meat filling is tender and juicy, and the dough is soft yet chewy—it tastes absolutely amazing!

"I'm such a genius!" He Yuzhu boasted, and quickly devoured five large meat buns.

He drank another bowl of millet porridge that had just been cooked on the coal stove, and then patted his stomach contentedly.

Looking at the time, it's almost 9:30.

He Yuzhu cleaned up the dishes, changed into clean clothes, put the money in his pocket, locked the door, and left.

He first went to a nearby grocery store, bought some pastries and candies, and then picked out two bottles of good wine.

Carrying these things, He Yuzhu walked towards the Lou family's direction.

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

At the entrance of the Lou family compound, He Yuzhu knocked on the gate, and someone quickly came to open it.

It was Butler Zhou who opened the door. When he saw He Yuzhu, he smiled and said, "Master He, you've arrived. Please come in."

"Butler Zhou, are Mr. Lou and Aunt Tan home?" He Yuzhu asked.

"Yes, yes, the master and mistress are both home today." Butler Zhou stepped aside. "Please come in, I'll go and inform them."

He Yuzhu followed Butler Zhou into the living room and placed the things he was carrying on the coffee table.

Not long after, footsteps could be heard on the stairs.

He Yuzhu looked up and saw Lou Bancheng and Tan Yali coming down the stairs one after the other.

To He Yuzhu's surprise, a little girl was following behind them.

The little girl was about eleven or twelve years old. She had two pigtails, wore a red cotton-padded jacket, and had a round face and big eyes. She looked very cute.

"Zhu Zi's here!" Lou Bancheng greeted him with a smile. "Why did you bring something? You're too kind!"

"It's my pleasure, Uncle Lou." He Yuzhu stood up. "I've been wanting to thank you and Aunt Tan for a while, but I've been busy since I just started working, so I'm only coming today."

Tan Yali walked over, looked him up and down, and nodded with satisfaction: "Hmm, you look good. It seems you're doing quite well at the Oriental Hotel."

She turned around, pulled the little girl behind her over, and introduced her: "Zhu Zi, this is my daughter, Xiao'e."

"Xiao'e, this is Brother He Yuzhu, quickly greet him."

Lou Xiao'e blinked her big eyes, looked at He Yuzhu curiously, and called out in a clear voice, "Hello, brother."

"Hello, Little Sister Xiao'e," He Yuzhu replied with a smile.

He looked at the little girl in front of him, who was only eleven years old, and felt a sense of emotion.

This is Lou Xiao'e from the original drama, who was later harmed by Xu Damao and had a relationship with Sha Zhu!

She is still just an innocent young girl, completely unaware of the hardships that lie ahead.

"Zhu Zi, sit down, don't stand," Lou Bancheng said. "I heard you're doing well at the restaurant, and you were even in the newspaper?"

He Yuzhu sat down on the sofa and said modestly, "It's all luck; I just happened to run into a reporter."

Tan Yali picked up the conversation, saying, "I read that report; it was quite objective."

"Don't worry, Aunt Tan, I understand," He Yuzhu nodded.

Lou Bancheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "You've now established yourself at the Oriental Hotel, but there's something I need to remind you of."

"Uncle Lou, please speak," He Yuzhu said seriously.

"The situation is getting increasingly tense." Lou Bancheng lowered his voice. "The Oriental Hotel is a government-run reception facility, so it's relatively safer! But you also need to be careful not to stand out too much, especially don't get too close to those guests."

He paused, then continued, "I saw in the newspaper that there's a cooking competition in the city. Do you want to participate?"

"Yes, Director Zhao has already registered me," He Yuzhu replied.

Lou Bancheng nodded and advised, "If you win a prize this time, don't participate in this kind of event again. These days, the nail that sticks out gets hammered down; it's better to keep a low profile."

He Yuzhu kept these words in mind and said gratefully, "Thank you for reminding me, Uncle Lou. I will pay attention."