Courtyard House: Wudang Disciple Sweeps Through the Compound

He quietly observed Ms. Bai, who was busy at the moment, and found that her brows still carried the unique naivety and innocence of a young girl, obviously not having experienced too much of the world's hardships.

The thought that such a pure and beautiful teacher might be ruined by that beastly Gao Yi in the future caused Chen Wenqi a pang of pain in his heart.

He even hesitated in his heart, wondering if he should intervene in this matter.

After all, Teacher Bai has an appearance that is very similar to that of his lover from his previous life, Ayaka, which makes him feel a sense of closeness involuntarily.

But then he thought again and gave up the idea—if he rashly intervened, it might cause more unpredictable trouble.

Just then, Yu Xiaotang walked over, gently nudged his arm, and said, "Chen Wenqi, what are you daydreaming about? You're holding a broom and you're not even moving."

"Let me help you clean."

Chen Wenqi noticed that when Yu Xiaotang reached for the broom, her fingers seemed to have inadvertently brushed against the back of his hand. He frowned and said, "No need to trouble you. Go and do other things. I can handle this myself."

But Yu Xiaotang held the broom tightly and refused to let go, insisting, "It's okay, I'll clean it. You can just sit and rest for a while."

Her attitude was very firm, leaving Chen Wenqi no room to refuse.

Left with no other choice, Chen Wenqi had to compromise. He glanced around the classroom and noticed that Teacher Bai was also busy cleaning.

Bai Ying was standing on a chair, tiptoeing, wiping the edge of the high blackboard.

Suddenly, a crisp cracking sound rang out, and one of the chair legs came loose without warning.

Bai Ying exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!"

She lost her balance instantly, her body tilted uncontrollably backward, and she was about to fall off the chair.

The students in the classroom gasped in surprise.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Wenqi rushed forward like an arrow, opening his arms and firmly embracing Bai Ying's waist.

A dull cracking sound rang out as the chair slammed heavily onto the ground, its broken leg clearly visible.

Bai Ying fell into a firm yet warm embrace, a strong masculine scent gently enveloping her.

It was only then that she realized she had been rescued.

Bai Ying slowly raised her head and met Chen Wenqi's handsome face, which was as striking as a star's. She was instantly stunned, her mind went blank, and she just stared at him blankly.

Chen Wenqi also felt the faint fragrance emanating from the person in his arms, and the soft touch of his palm made his heart tremble slightly.

He quickly regained his composure, carefully helped Bai Ying to her feet, and asked with undisguised concern, "Teacher Bai, are you alright? Did you get hurt anywhere?"

Bai Ying's pretty face instantly turned bright red, looking like a girl experiencing her first love. She stammered, "No... I'm fine. Thank you so much, Chen Wenqi."

In fact, she is only nineteen years old this year and has just graduated from teachers' college. She has never been in a relationship.

Just a moment ago, when Chen Wenqi hugged her, she inexplicably felt a flutter in her heart, which made her even more shy.

Chen Wenqi nodded slightly and said softly, "It's good that you're alright. Dangerous tasks like wiping high places should be done by men. You didn't need to do it yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the rag from Bai Ying's hand and turned around to focus on wiping the window glass.

Bai Ying stood quietly in place, her gaze following Chen Wenqi's tall and straight back. She couldn't help but secretly blame herself: Chen Wenqi is just a junior high school student, so young. How could I, as his teacher, have such messy thoughts about him?

But on second thought, Chen Wenqi, this big boy, does indeed possess a unique charm that makes people want to pay attention to him.

The minor incident quickly subsided, but it caused quite a stir in the class.

Many boys cast envious glances at Chen Wenqi, secretly regretting that they hadn't rushed forward first and staged a hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress scene.

Yu Xiaotang's face was full of displeasure, her little mouth was slightly pouting, and there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

She secretly glanced at Teacher Bai standing next to her, then looked down at her own chest and couldn't help but compare them in her mind. She found that her figure was indeed much inferior to Teacher Bai's.

A question began to linger in her mind: Could it be that Chen Wenqi prefers women with fuller figures? What should she do?

The cleaning didn't end until noon. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the whole class, the classroom, which was originally a bit dirty and messy, had become bright, clean, and brand new.

After the cleaning was finished, Chen Wenqi turned around and left his classroom, heading to the first-year junior high classroom to call his younger brother, Chen Wenlin.

He was just about to leave the school with his younger brother when he found He Yushui following behind him. With no other choice, he had to take her with him as well.

The three of them returned to the central courtyard together. He Yushui immediately noticed that her own door was tightly closed and the house was empty.

Upon seeing this, a look of grievance immediately appeared on her face, and her eyes reddened slightly.

He Yushui knew perfectly well that it must be her somewhat foolish older brother, He Yuzhu, who had gone to Qin Huairu's house to deliver food again, completely disregarding whether she had anything to eat.

"Come to my house for lunch. Judging from your appearance, you definitely haven't eaten enough."

Looking at He Yushui's thin and frail figure, Chen Wenqi already knew what was going on—her family probably didn't have much to eat again.

"Um."

He Yushui did not refuse at all and silently followed behind Chen Wenqi and Chen Wenlin, heading towards the backyard.

"Brother, how about we have Mapo Tofu for lunch? I haven't had it for days, and I really miss it."

As soon as he stepped into the house, Chen Wenlin eagerly begged his brother.

The younger sister, Sisi, had lunch with her mother and didn't come back here. At this moment, only the brothers Chen Wenqi and Chen Wenlin are at home.

"Okay, then let's make Mapo Tofu, stir-fry some cured pork, and have a simple stir-fried cabbage. Rain, what would you like to eat?"

As Chen Wenqi spoke, he turned to look at He Yushui, who was standing to the side.

"I...I can eat anything, I'm not picky."

He Yushui hadn't expected Chen Wenqi to specifically ask about her preferences, so she quickly waved her hand and then offered, "Let me help you. I learned a little cooking from my dad when I was little, so I can be of some help."

"Okay, then you can help wash the vegetables first."

Chen Wenqi readily agreed to her request.

"Um."

He Yushui nodded obediently, then turned around to prepare to wash the vegetables.

"Xiaolin, go and steam the rice. Prepare enough for the three of us."

"Okay, bro!"

Chen Wenlin skillfully scooped out an appropriate amount of rice from the rice jar and squatted down to wash it carefully.

Now the family is much better off, with rice and flour stockpiled. Chen Wenqi replenishes the rice and flour bins every now and then, and there's no trace of cornmeal in the house anymore, only some cornmeal for emergencies.

Their cornmeal is different from the coarse cornmeal sold outside. It is made from pure corn kernels that are finely ground, and it has a rich, fresh grain aroma. The whole family loves to eat it.

Most cornmeal sold in the market is crushed along with the corn stalks, which makes it rough in texture and can irritate the throat.

Chen Wenqi took out tender tofu, glistening cured meat, fresh cabbage, scallions, garlic, and a few round eggs from the vegetable cabinet.

These ingredients all come from a secret region, and their quality is far superior to that of ordinary goods available on the market.

He Yushui originally wanted to go forward and help, but when she saw Chen Wenqi's cooking movements were smooth and skillful, she realized that she couldn't help at all.

What's more, the aroma wafting from the pot had already made her stomach rumble, and she couldn't help but secretly swallow.

Before long, Mapo tofu, stir-fried cured pork with onions, stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and a bowl of fragrant egg drop soup were all served on the table, along with steaming white rice. He Yushui's eyes widened at the sight.

"Chen Wenqi, isn't this...a little too lavish?"

He Yushui rubbed her hands together a little embarrassedly, thinking to herself that Chen Wenqi must have made so many delicious dishes because she was here.

Chen Wenqi didn't explain much, after all, the meals at his home were usually better than they were now.

"Eat it while it's hot."

Chen Wenqi deftly scooped a full bowl of steaming rice and steadily handed it to He Yushui.

He Yushui took the bowl of warm rice with both hands, and her eyes instantly reddened—she couldn't remember the last time she had eaten such a decent, filling meal.

Ever since her father, He Daqing, left the courtyard house, her mentally challenged brother initially took good care of her. However, ever since he became obsessed with Qin Huairu, she has never had a proper meal again.

She was almost fifteen years old, but her body was as thin as a bamboo pole, and she seemed to sway in the wind.

Looking at Chen Wenqi's meticulous care for his younger siblings, she felt a mix of emotions—this is what an older brother should be like.

Turning her head to think of her own good-for-nothing fool Zhu, He Yushui felt a surge of grievances and resentment, and her resentment towards Zhu grew stronger.

"Thank you."

He Yushui composed herself, picked up her chopsticks, and began to eat heartily.