Courtyard House: My max-level medical skills specialize in treating beasts.

"Hmm, this is my letter of introduction. Please take a look." He Yudong handed the letter of introduction to Xu Shuji.

Xu Shuji unfolded the letter, his gaze pausing slightly as he scanned its contents. A Northwest Army medic, a battalion-level officer, twenty years old, awarded one collective first-class merit and three individual second-class merits, a veteran of actual combat. He then sized up He Yudong: young and handsome, with an upright posture and a natural air of military integrity. Xu Shuji himself had fought in battles, and his first impression was quite positive.

"Director He, please have a seat. I understand your situation, but I didn't expect you to have made so many contributions at such a young age." Xu Shuji pointed to the chair opposite him. "Our factory clinic has just been built, and the equipment and medicines won't arrive until next week. You don't need to come to work for the next few days."

"It's alright, I just got back, I'll just rest for a few days." He Yudong sat down, his tone calm.

"Cough cough," Xu Shuji suddenly coughed a few times, then quickly covered his chest and calmed down after a while.

He Yudong noticed his expression and said, "Director Xu, you don't look well."

"It's an old problem, nothing serious." Xu Shuji waved his hand.

"If you trust me, I can take a look at you and maybe I can cure you." He Yudong said confidently. He inherited the skills of the legendary physician Li Yaoshi and the murderous doctor Vesali. There were few in the world whose medical skills could match his.

"Haha, good, it's a good opportunity to see your skills as a military doctor!" Xu Shuji laughed heartily.

He Yudong asked him to extend his hand to take his pulse, and after a moment asked, "Director Xu, you were shot in the lung at least ten years ago, weren't you?"

Xu Shuji was astonished. Amazing! He could tell just by taking a pulse?

"You figured that out already?"

"Hmm." He Yudong nodded. "It was a penetrating wound back then, but it was freezing cold and medical conditions were poor, so the cold seeped into your body. You were physically strong, so you didn't feel anything when you were young, but as you get older, old wounds are more likely to flare up."

"This is incredible!" Xu Shuji's eyes flashed with shock. "This gunshot wound was inflicted by the American devils in Korea eleven years ago. It was freezing cold back then, and medical conditions were terrible. It's a miracle I even survived. I've seen so many doctors, but nothing worked. Is there any way to cure it?"

He Yudong felt a surge of respect. This was a veteran who had participated in the Korean War, and he himself had also been a soldier on the battlefield.

"It can be cured," he said. "I'll start with acupuncture, then prescribe some medicine for recuperation. It should take about a month. I carry silver needles with me."

"That's great, Director He!" Xu Shuji now trusted He Yudong completely. First, they were both from the military, and he was recommended by an old comrade-in-arms who had been on the battlefield. Second, his diagnosis was absolutely accurate, even more so than hospital equipment. No one except his wife knew about his gunshot wound, but He Yudong was able to pinpoint it in a single sentence.

Xu Shuji lay down on the sofa, and He Yudong took out silver needles, disinfected them with alcohol swabs, and then inserted the needles. Using a special technique, the needles pierced Xu Shuji's body, but he felt no pain whatsoever, not even the sensation of a mosquito bite, and thought the needles hadn't been inserted. But then, he felt his blood and qi circulating freely within his body, and he began to sweat.

Twenty minutes later, He Yudong removed the needle, disinfected it, and put it away. Xu Shuji, drenched in sweat, let out a long sigh of relief. His previously pale face turned rosy, and he revealed a long-lost smile.

"Director He, your medical skills are amazing! After the acupuncture, I feel full of energy, and my lungs feel completely healed. It's incredible, you're a miracle doctor!" Xu Shuji said excitedly. He had never felt so relaxed before; his old ailment was truly cured.

"A mere trifle," He Yudong laughed. "You've only recovered about 50% so far, and you still need to drink herbal medicine to recuperate. I'll prescribe a formula, one dose a day, and it should take about a month."

He took a pen and paper, quickly wrote down the prescription and precautions, and handed it over. Xu Shuji treasured it and carefully put it into his bag.

[Ding! You have cured a great man's intractable illness. You have been rewarded with 100 merit points.]

Upon hearing the notification sound, He Yudong was overjoyed. He had actually earned 100 merit points for curing the leader, which meant he was not far from the next ten-pull draw.

"Yu Dong, I never expected your medical skills to be so superb. The higher-ups have really sent me a treasure!" Xu Shuji was in high spirits. "If you encounter any difficulties at the factory in the future, just come to me. I'll handle anything that doesn't violate my principles."

"Thank you in advance, Director Xu."

"Don't call me Director Xu anymore. You're about the same age as my son. If you don't mind, just call me Uncle Xu," Xu Shuji said. "You also came from the military, and I like the look of you."

"Okay, I'll call you Uncle Xu in private."

"By the way, don't go back for lunch. Come have lunch with me, and I'll introduce you to the leaders of Hongxing Factory. It'll make things easier for you at work in the future. Director Yang has found a Sichuan cuisine master; let's try his cooking together."

He Yudong initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought, "Could it be that Director Yang's Sichuan cuisine master is my brother He Yuzhu?" It seemed that his silly brother probably couldn't get leave, so he agreed.

When Xu Shuji and He Yudong walked side by side toward the steel rolling mill, they immediately attracted a lot of attention.

"Who is that young man? He was chatting and laughing with Director Xu?"

"He's really handsome. Could he be Director Xu's son?"

The factory girls were all smitten by He Yudong's handsome face and unique charm.

Among the crowd, Liu Haizhong, the second uncle of the courtyard, almost didn't recognize him. He hadn't seen He Yudong when he came back yesterday, but he had seen him before and thought he looked familiar. The first uncle and Qin Huairu were surprised to see him walking with the factory leaders.

"Yu Dong has really made something of himself; the leaders think highly of him," said Uncle Yi.

"Master Yi, do you know that young man?" a female employee asked.

"He's from our hospital, He Yudong, a doctor who was just transferred to the infirmary. He's the younger brother of He Yuzhu, the head of the cafeteria," Yi Zhonghai introduced.

"What? The second son of the He family? How come he's hanging out with Xu Shuji and they're on such good terms?" Uncle Liu Hai was shocked. He immediately started to have an idea. Xu Shuji was the top boss of the factory and his word was law. He had to get on good terms with the second son of the He family. Maybe he could make connections and even get a promotion.

"He's so young and already so popular with his superiors, and he's handsome too. Master Yi, does he have a girlfriend?" a woman in her thirties asked.

"What? Sister Hua, at your age, you still want to make advances on young men?" the male employee asked with a smile.

"Get lost! I wanted to introduce my niece to Director He," Sister Hua said.

"Come on, your niece is so big and burly, do you think she'd even be interested in you?"

The midday sun warmed the courtyard, but Jia Zhangshi couldn't wait any longer. The pork belly she had stolen from He Yuzhu was already cut into large chunks on the cutting board, sizzling with oil, and the aroma of braised pork mixed with caramel color filled the house.

Qin Huairu eats at the factory canteen and won't be back for lunch. Jia Zhangshi deliberately chose this time to cook braised pork, a shrewd plan: she'd eat more first, so when Qin Huairu came back in the evening, there would be less for her!

"Grandma, the braised pork belly from Shazhu's family is so delicious!" The braised pork had just come out of the pot when Banggeng came over, poked a piece with his chopsticks, and stuffed it into his mouth, oil dripping down his chin. Jia Zhangshi, not caring about the heat, also wolfed it down, mumbling, "I don't know where they bought this meat, it smells so good… Banggeng, eat more, you need to grow strong!"

"Grandma, we want to eat locust flowers too!" "Grandma, Xiao Dang wants to eat too!" The two little girls tugged at Jia Zhangshi's clothes, their eyes fixed on the meat in the bowl.

"Just eat the vegetables!" Madam Jia shoveled the meat into the bowl with the stalks, glancing at the two girls. "This meat is for your brother; I'll cook it for you two tonight. Why feed girls so well? They'll just have to get married when they grow up; they're a waste of money!"

Xiao Dang and Huaihua's eyes instantly reddened, and they shrank resentfully into the corner. Under Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng's sweeping attack, a large bowl of braised pork was emptied in the blink of an eye. The two girls stared at the empty bowl, tears welling in their eyes.

"Oh dear, Grandma, my stomach hurts! I need to go to the toilet!" Banggeng suddenly clutched his stomach and squatted down, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

"Go quickly!" Just as Jia Zhangshi finished speaking, her stomach suddenly rumbled and cramped, making her wince in pain. "Ouch, my stomach..."

The grandmother and granddaughter stumbled towards the public restroom. Before they even entered, their trouser legs were stained with filth and reeked of a foul stench. From inside came a weak, pitiful scream: "Ouch... my intestines are coming out..." The two women leaned against the wall, feeling as if their internal organs were churning.

"That damned idiot Zhu! There must be something wrong with the meat, it gave us diarrhea!" Jia Zhangshi cursed as she ate, but then another cramp shot through her stomach, making her unable to straighten up. "When Zhu comes back tonight, he has to pay me back! Ouch..."

In a private room in the steel rolling mill canteen, He Yudong sat next to Xu Shuji. Factory Director Yang, Deputy Factory Director Li, and leaders from the steel rolling mill and machine repair shop were also present. Xu Shuji personally introduced He Yudong, his attitude quite amiable. The leaders exchanged bewildered glances; clearly, Xu Shuji valued this young man highly.

"Director He, you've already made such a great contribution in the army at such a young age, you're truly remarkable!" Factory Director Yang quickly added, "If the factory needs anything in the future, just let me know!"

He Yudong smiled faintly, "Thank you, Director Yang." He wasn't trying to curry favor. In his eyes, no matter how powerful these leaders were, they still had to ask him for treatment (after all, everyone gets sick sometimes). He was only temporarily staying at the Hongxing Factory clinic; he was still planning to open his own clinic and practice medicine independently. Besides, there were many employees in the factory, so he could earn merit points (healing people increases merit, healing bad people decreases merit), and once his reputation spread, people would definitely flock to him for treatment.

"Who made this dish today? Authentic Sichuan cuisine!" Xu Shuji picked up a piece of food, his eyes lighting up. He was from Sichuan, and this Beijing-style Sichuan cuisine suited his taste perfectly. He was thinking of asking the chef to come to his home to cook for him later.

"He Yuzhu, the head chef of the steel rolling mill," Factory Manager Yang called to his subordinate, "Xiao Li, bring Sha Zhu here!"

A short while later, Sha Zhu, wearing an apron, walked into the private room. He was stunned to see his younger brother sitting with Xu Shuji: "Yu Dong, what are you doing here?"

"He's my brother," He Yudong introduced with a smile.

"Oh my, He Yudong and He Yuzhu, they're brothers!" Factory Director Yang exclaimed in surprise. "One is a superb doctor, the other a superb cook—they're the treasures of our steel rolling mill!"

Xu Shuji looked at Sha Zhu and said, "Comrade He Yuzhu, your cooking is excellent! A rare combination of brothers, one a divine doctor and the other a master chef!"

"You flatter me, sir. I'm just a cook," Sha Zhu chuckled, unable to resist showing off. "My brother's a 'little miracle doctor,' that's what everyone in the alley calls him!"

"I've already experienced Yu Dong's medical skills firsthand, they're amazing!" Xu Shuji praised. "Even my chronic ailment, which I couldn't get cured at several hospitals, he fixed with just a few acupuncture needles! Come, sit down and eat with us!"

Sha Zhu was in a great mood and slipped into the kitchen under the pretext of serving the dishes. When he came back, Xiao Li, who was carrying the dishes, followed behind him. Xu Shuji said, "After the dishes are served, you can sit down and eat too!" Director Yang echoed, and Sha Zhu, no longer restrained, sat down next to his younger brother.

"Comrade He Yuzhu, I heard you're a level seven cook? You've been a veteran employee for eight years, haven't you?" Director Yang asked.

"Yes, factory manager."

"With your cooking skills, Level 4 is enough!" Factory Director Yang decided. "Just submit the application report, and talented people should be promoted! We'll follow the rules, no problem!"

Xu Shuji nodded in agreement. Sha Zhu quickly thanked him, thinking, "This is great! My salary was originally 37.5 yuan, but after being promoted three levels to four, I can earn 73.5 yuan a month! (Each promotion adds 12 yuan, and three promotions add 36 yuan.)" He was overjoyed: "Now it won't be hard to find a wife!"

After lunch, the two brothers said goodbye to their supervisor and left. Although Sha Zhu hadn't asked for leave, he was beaming. Soon, a notice about his promotion and raise was posted on the factory bulletin board, and the news spread like wildfire throughout the entire factory.

Qin Huairu was daydreaming in the workshop: "Shazhu earns over seventy yuan a month now, I should get him to help me out more in the future! I can lend him a few dozen yuan each month, he's a bachelor and can't spend it all anyway. I can just act pitiful and cry a few tears, he'll definitely soften up, and I won't have to pay it back..."

"Qin Huairu! Qin Huairu! Something terrible has happened!" An older woman rushed in, interrupting her reverie.

"Auntie Yi, what's wrong? What happened?" Qin Huairu panicked.

"Your mother-in-law and Bang Geng have fainted in the toilet, and the people in the yard have taken them to the hospital! You need to go quickly!"

"Oh? I'm going right now!" Qin Huairu asked her colleague to help her ask for leave and ran to the hospital as fast as she could, her heart pounding: I hope nothing serious happens to this old hag!

He Yudong pedaled his newly bought Phoenix bicycle, the bell jingling as he rolled along the stone-paved road of Chaoyang Vegetable Market. An empty bamboo basket sat in the handlebars; he was going to buy chicks. The small world had just opened, and he needed to raise some live animals to "connect with the earth." He also wanted to bring a rooster to his sister He Yushui, who was returning home for her wedding today, to help her recover.

"Auntie, how much is this chicken?" He stopped in front of a bamboo basket stall, where speckled chickens were flapping their wings.

The auntie wearing a blue apron tapped the edge of the basket with a palm-leaf fan: "Roosters are one yuan and fifty cents, hens are two yuan, no coupons needed! The hens are laying eggs every day, they're very fresh!"

"Five chickens, three females and two males, nine yuan for you." He Yudong counted out the money, his fingertips stained with chicken droppings, but his smile was genuine. These days, being able to buy chickens without a ration coupon was even harder than getting meat ration coupons.

He carried the chickens and turned into the alleyway. With a thought, he entered a small world: a pale blue membrane enveloped five chickens, which suddenly squawked and fluttered about like sparrows that had fallen into a rice jar. The chicken coop, which he had bought for 20 merit points, floated beside the spiritual spring. Its bamboo and wood structure exuded a fresh fragrance. The hens clucked and scurried inside to peck at the rice, while the rooster paced around the spring. Even more wonderful was the hidden compartment on the side of the coop. He silently chanted "kill the chicken," and a small knife popped out of the compartment. Amidst the flying feathers, the prepared chicken meat was already arranged on a porcelain plate. The blood seeped into the soil beside the spiritual spring and was instantly absorbed cleanly.

"These merit points were well spent!" He Yudong said with a smile, picking up the fattest rooster and riding his bicycle towards the courtyard.

At the entrance of the courtyard house, an old woman was washing bed sheets with a washing mallet. Seeing the chickens in his bicycle basket, she exclaimed with sharp eyes, "Yudong's back? He bought so much stuff! That bicycle is gleaming; it must have cost a fortune!"

"My sister is coming home for her wedding today, let's give her something nourishing." He Yudong stuffed the chicken into the chicken coop in the kitchen, avoiding the sour looks from the third aunt. Ever since he became successful, the "envy disease" in this courtyard has never stopped.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw that Sha Zhu's door was ajar, and Bang Geng's crying could be heard through the crack. He Yudong frowned and pushed the door open: the house was a mess, as if it had been burgled. Sha Zhu's enamel mug was upside down on the table, probably left unlocked when Bang Geng stole the pork belly that morning. "This silly brother, if he doesn't lock the door, the Qin family might tear down the roof beams for firewood!" he muttered, putting away his valuables in his small world, and then bought three "high-end locks." The locks gleamed coldly, the keyholes were hidden in a rotating pattern, and the keys were bronze, engraved with the character "He".

Inside the old lady's room, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The octogenarian was sewing shoe soles when He Yudong entered. Her wrinkles crinkled into a smile: "My dear grandson, you're here? Come, sit down! Grandma saved some dates for you."

"Let me take your pulse." He Yudong took out a pulse pillow and placed his fingertips on the old lady's wrist. Her pulse was deep and weak, indicating that she was elderly and had qi deficiency and dampness. He poured a cup of water with a bluish glow from a hidden compartment in the medicine box: "This is Chinese medicine made with spiritual spring water. Drinking it will give you strength in your legs."

The old lady took a sip with some skepticism, then suddenly her eyes widened: "Oh dear! My old, rheumatic legs feel like they've been soaked in hot water!"

"The Spirit Spring nourishes you; drinking it regularly can make you live to be a hundred!" He Yudong suppressed a laugh. The old lady patted his hand, chuckling, "Then Grandma will live a few more years to see you and Sha Zhu get married!"

In a ward at the People's Hospital, Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng were hooked up to IV drips, their faces as white as paper. The grandmother and grandson were dehydrated from diarrhea, and their sheets were stained with excrement, the stench making the person in the next bed wrinkle their nose.

"It must have been that silly Zhu's brother who did it!" Madam Jia Zhang cursed, slamming her hand on the bed railing. "That pork belly must have been laced with laxatives! That damned He Yudong, he'll have to pay for it!"

Qin Huai clutched her chest, her heart aching. Twelve yuan for medical expenses—her monthly salary was only twenty-seven yuan and fifty cents. That was a survivor's pension; touching it was like risking her life. When the nurse handed her the bill, her voice trembled: "Could...could you give me a discount?"

"Go haggle at the market!" The nurse rolled her eyes and walked away. Qin Huai gritted her teeth and went to pay, her nails digging into her palms: This money has to be paid by Sha Zhu!

At dusk in the courtyard, He Yuzhu, carrying a lunchbox of chicken stew with mushrooms—a gift from the steel mill leaders—froze at the door. Qin Huairu hadn't stopped him from taking the lunchbox! Usually at this time, she would have been blocking the door with her hands on her hips, tears welling up in her eyes: "Silly Zhu, leave Huairu some soup, she needs to grow strong..."

"Brother, here's the lock." He Yudong came out of the house and handed him a set of bronze keys. "The keyhole is hidden in the pattern, to prevent the Qin family from blocking the lock with mud. There are three keys, one for each of us siblings, so we can't get a replacement if one is lost."

Sha Zhu stared blankly at the key, "This lock... it's like magic!"

"That's some advanced stuff." He Yudong smiled as he locked the door for him. "Remember to lock it next time you go out, so the Qin family won't be able to steal anything again."

The setting sun dyed the gray tiles of the courtyard house golden red. He Yuzhu touched the new lock and suddenly felt at ease. With his younger brother around, life in this courtyard could finally be a little more peaceful.

Meanwhile, in the hospital room, Jia Zhangshi was gripping Qin Huairu's hand fiercely: "When we get back, we'll make Sha Zhu pay us fifty yuan! If he's short even a penny, we'll stay at his house and never leave!"