Courtyard House: New Life, New Silly Zhu

Chapter 86 Painting

As soon as the older woman entered the courtyard, she saw He Yushui washing furniture.

"Rain, what are you doing?" The older woman had a guess in her mind, but she wasn't sure yet.

He Yushui thought to herself, "Even doing a job isn't stable," but she still replied, "Auntie, you're back. I'm washing the furniture. My brother is getting married, so I'm moving the furniture out to wash it, then I'll paint it and let it air dry."

The older woman was pleased to see how diligent He Yushui was and wanted to help, but after looking at the medicine in her hand and remembering that her husband would be back for dinner soon, she didn't say anything and went straight home.

After putting the medicine away, she quickly prepared all the food, went straight out the door, rolled up her sleeves, and said to He Yushui, "Yushui, let me help you. I'm strong, and you're still young and not as quick at working." The old lady got right to work and immediately cleaned the furniture that He Yushui hadn't washed.

Sure enough, it's much faster with adults helping. By the time He Yuzhu returned, the furniture had already been washed and cleaned.

He Yuzhu handed the lunchbox he had taken from his spatial storage to He Yushui, then said to the older woman, "Thank you, ma'am. I bought some groceries. Would you like to come and eat with us?"

The older woman waved her hand, refusing, "No need, you all eat. My family has already cooked. Zhu Zi, if you need any help with your wedding, just let us know, don't be shy."

"Okay, I'll definitely call you if I need any help." He Yuzhu nodded and smiled in agreement.

He Yuzhu took out some newspapers he had read in the cafeteria from home, spread them on the ground, placed the furniture on the newspapers, and began to apply layers of varnish with a paint bucket.

It must be said that after being painted, these old pieces of furniture have been given a new look.

By this time, the steel mill workers had all finished their shifts, and the long procession of workers from the courtyard returned to the courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the others saw He Yuzhu painting and gathered around.

"Zhu Zi, not bad, your skills are really good," Liu Haizhong praised.

Yi Zhonghai nodded and smiled, "Zhu Zi is a good cook, and his carpentry skills are just as good."

"Once you understand one skill, you understand all skills. All skills are interconnected. Doing this job is just like cooking; you have to be careful, meticulous, and take it slow," He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"You're right, Zhu Zi, you're right." Jia Dongxu chimed in.

When Madam Jia saw her son return, she sat at the doorway and coughed softly.

Hearing the cough, Jia Dongxu turned around and saw Jia Zhangshi winking at him.

So Jia Dongxu hurriedly returned home. Jia Zhangshi glanced at He Yuzhu, then went back home and said to Jia Dongxu.

"Dongxu, look at that silly Zhuzi. He's painting this yard and the whole place smells terrible," Jia Zhangshi complained.

"Mom, this is the smell of paint. There's nothing wrong with how other people paint their pillars, right?"

Jia Dongxu disagreed, arguing that many painted items have a strong odor.

Madam Jia Zhang ignored her and instructed Jia Dongxu, "Dongxu, go and persuade him to stop painting. We still have children in our family."

Jia Dongxu, unable to resist his mother's persuasion, could only walk towards He Yuzhu, turning back every few steps.

One of the biggest hobbies of men is watching construction sites like this.

He Yuzhu had previously watched others play Da Bai for a whole morning, finding it very enjoyable.

And his current state is not much different from before; several grown men are just surrounding him, painting the O.

Sometimes they would point and criticize, saying that the paint in a certain area was not applied evenly enough and needed to be applied again.

He Yuzhu was quick at brushing, and there were indeed some places he didn't notice. He also listened to advice, and if he didn't brush well, he would brush it again.

At this moment, Jia Dongxu walked up to He Yuzhu, looking somewhat embarrassed, but still said, "Zhuzi, um, I wanted to ask, could you please tell me if this is okay?"

Seeing the expression on Jia Dongxu's face, He Yuzhu misunderstood and thought that he wanted to borrow some paint, so he immediately said, "No problem, Jia Dongxu. After my furniture is painted, you can take the leftover paint and paint your own house."

He Yuzhu felt that the paint wouldn't last, so he didn't pay any attention to it.

The more generous He Yuzhu was, the more embarrassed Jia Dongxu became. He wanted to go back and persuade his mother again, but when he turned around, he saw Jia Zhangshi glaring at him and sighing.

Having no other option, Jia Dongxu continued, "Zhu Zi, it's like this, the paint you're using has a very strong smell. Could we stop painting for now?"

He Yuzhu immediately became displeased, frowning and saying, "Jia Dongxu, what nonsense are you spouting? I'm not painting in front of your house; I'm painting on my own side. What's it to you?"

At this moment, the third uncle also walked over from the back of the crowd.

The old man adjusted his glasses and looked at Jia Dongxu: "Dongxu, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're really being unfair. Someone's painting in front of their own house, what's it to you? Besides, this yard is so big, how could the smell possibly get into your house?"

Jia Dongxu understood what the Third Uncle was saying: that his family was too petty, and that the Intermediate Court was so big, while He Yuzhu was just painting in front of his house, so far away, that he was just looking for trouble.

But he also knew that this was just an excuse. He could see clearly that the Third Uncle was doing this on purpose. After all, no matter how big the courtyard was, it was still big.

Being young and easily embarrassed, Jia Dongxu felt too ashamed to stand there any longer and immediately turned around and went home.

Madam Jia looked at her son with displeasure: "Dongxu, you're just too easily swayed and can't say anything harsh. You'll suffer for it later."

The matter of Jia Dongxu was just a minor incident, and the Third Uncle immediately took two steps forward with a smile.

"Zhu Zi, I just heard that after you finish painting this, you can give the rest to someone else. Don't you think so?" the Third Uncle asked with a smile.

"Uncle, while I may say that, it should be given to those who need it. Your furniture is so well-maintained, is it really necessary?" He Yuzhu said with a smile, refusing.

The Third Uncle is the kind of person who will always try to take advantage of you again, even if you only get a little bit of benefit from him. So He Yuzhu would rather offend him than let him take advantage of her, even though she had just spoken up for him.

Liu Haizhong, with his hands behind his back, said, "Yan Bugui, don't bother joining in the fun. Your furniture looks brand new after all these years of maintenance."

Without waiting for Yan Bugui's reply, Liu Haizhong looked at He Yuzhu and said to him, "Zhuzi, I heard that you're painting these furniture pieces for your wedding?"

He Yuzhu nodded without refuting it, after all, it was the truth.

"Listen to me, Zhuzi, we live in the best main room of the courtyard house. According to the old Beijing custom, we need to add a central altar table, an eight-immortal table, two grand master chairs, and a set of round tables and stools for the 'Five Sons Passing the Imperial Examination' ceremony," Liu Haizhong said, shaking his head.

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu's lips twitched slightly: "Second Uncle, I don't have the money to buy any of those things you're talking about. Who wouldn't want to buy new ones if they had the money? Why don't you lend me some?"

He Yuzhu was just saying it casually, after all, when he asked Yi Zhonghai for help before, Yi Zhonghai had always refused very decisively.

Unexpectedly, Liu Haizhong waved his hand and said, "No problem, Zhuzi, this is easy to talk about. Just tell me how much you want to borrow, and I'll lend it to you."

He Yuzhu glanced at Liu Haizhong, then silently looked at Yi Zhonghai.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai didn't show any expression and pretended not to see it. He would rather talk than actually take out money, especially since he knew that if he actually asked, He Yuzhu would definitely ask him for money.

He Yuzhu sincerely thanked him, saying, "Then thank you very much, Second Uncle. You're the most generous person in our courtyard. But I have enough money, so I won't trouble you any further."

Borrowed money always has to be repaid, and besides, this can also be considered owing someone a favor.