Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Suddenly noticing a figure beside her, she slammed the ledger shut and slammed it on the table, ready to get up. But when she looked up, her anger instantly turned into a smile.

"What brings you here today?" she asked.

He Yuzhu smiled and handed over the lunchbox: "Farewell My Concubine - stewed turtle and hen, still warm, specially brought for you."

Chen Xueru's eyes crinkled into a smile: "At least you still remember me." Then she lowered her voice, her eyes sparkling, "When the store gets crowded later, come with me to the back warehouse. They just finished loading the goods... and our home is in the back."

The last few words reached his ears, and He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, his blood slightly warming. Now that he had tasted her, he truly knew the sweetness of love and couldn't wait to carry her into the house to check how sturdy the bed was.

But he hadn't forgotten her worried expression, so he asked, "What was troubling you just now?"

"Who else could it be?" Chen Xueru sighed. "That bastard Fan Jinyou, I don't know what tricks he used, but he was promoted by the neighborhood committee director to be the general manager here. Once he comes, he's bound to boss everyone around and cause chaos."

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, "Before the manager was gone, the business was booming; now that he's involved, it's going to be like that old tavern again."

Before the words were finished, footsteps sounded at the door—Tailor Zhang had returned.

Chen Xueru immediately stood up and handed the soup box to Chef Zhang: "Chef Zhang, Director He and I are going to check on the warehouse in the back. Please take care of things at the shop."

Master Zhang was originally an old relative of hers. He worked in the silk shop before the public-private partnership, and Chen Xueru later introduced him to many side jobs. Given this relationship, he naturally wouldn't say anything inappropriate.

Upon entering the courtyard house in the backyard, Chen Xueru, who had just finished showering, wrapped herself in a bath towel and glared fiercely at He Yuzhu: "All you do is cause trouble! I asked you to come and see the house, but you just stayed here all afternoon—"

As she spoke, she slowly and deliberately put on her stockings and high heels, her movements languid and alluring. The courtyard house had already been tidied up, and all the furniture was brand new.

But the first thing He Yuzhu did upon entering was to slam the door shut and head straight for the master bedroom. Chen Xueru saw through his intentions at a glance and tried to argue, but he pulled her into his arms and pushed her into the room.

The next moment, passion erupted inside the room, a passionate display of desire. The newly bought solid wood bed frame creaked and groaned from the exertion, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

After getting up and drinking water, Chen Xueru finally calmed down from her passionate struggle. Still catching her breath, she quickly took a shower and prepared to go out—she hadn't shown her face at the silk shop all afternoon, and who knew what rumors might circulate about her.

She had just emerged from her bath, her hair still damp and fragrant, her skin as white as snow, her eyes misty. He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, and his throat bobbed. He quickly suppressed his lust, thinking: If I let this little desire lead me by the nose, what's the point of talking about strategic maneuvering?

He grinned: "It's alright, Master Zhang isn't a gossip. I'll send him a bottle of medicinal wine to strengthen his bones and muscles later, and everything will be fine."

It was a matter of mutual consent. Besides, Chen Xueru was the private manager of the silk shop. Why should Master Zhang offend two powerful figures just to gossip?

As they were talking, Chen Xueru suddenly leaned closer, her red lips slightly parted: "By the way, speaking of medicinal wine... have you ever thought about increasing production?"

"Expand production?" He Yuzhu shook his head. "It's difficult. We rely entirely on liquor coupons. I haven't been to the pigeon market much lately, and I only bought thirty or forty catties. That's barely enough for social obligations."

In his eyes, medicinal herbs were not the cost; the real bottleneck was the liquor—specifically, a strong liquor like Xifeng. If it were Moutai, it would be a pipe dream.

Chen Xueru chuckled softly and sat down next to him: "Then... can Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) be used as a substitute?"

"We'll only know if we try." He Yuzhu's eyes lit up. "Can you get your hands on it?"

She gave a soft snort, her eyes darting around: "I just figured out how to source the goods from that little tavern. If I really want to get some, two or three hundred catties a month shouldn't be a problem."

"Then let's bring back a batch to try!" He Yuzhu said confidently. "If the taste changes, I have a way to adjust it back. Anyway, we don't care about the cost of the medicinal materials. A pound of Erguotou costs one yuan to produce and we resell it for twenty yuan. Even with packaging, the profit is more than ten times."

He paused, his expression turning serious: "But remember one thing—never accept cash! It's better to exchange tickets or give them directly to Elena to resell. If you dare accept money and someone reports you, you'll face at least ten years in prison, and a lifetime in jail!"

He repeatedly gave instructions, his tone stern, yet revealing his undisguised concern.

Chen Xueru's heart softened, her eyes sparkling. Suddenly, she leaned forward and left a red mark on his face, her voice sweet and charming: "I know, I'll do whatever you say."

"Hey, you flirted and then ran away?" He Yuzhu's eyes blazed with anger.

"Heh, you still have the energy... No, Yuzhu, I was wrong, I shouldn't have provoked you~" She caught a glimpse of the hard thing throbbing in his crotch, and her face paled instantly. She quickly begged for mercy—if she didn't leave now, the silk shop would be closed today and no one would have seen her, and she wouldn't be able to explain herself.

"I'll remember this, I'll deal with you properly next time." He Yuzhu chuckled through gritted teeth, quickly putting on his clothes. If she continued to rub against him, he really couldn't guarantee he could still hold back.

It's almost time; I need to rush back to cook for He Yushui. Although the girl has become much more sensible lately—she doesn't need to be picked up from school, can cook for herself, and even does the housework—he's been coming home too often late at night, and if he stays out overnight again, it's bound to arouse her suspicion. If she accidentally lets slip something to Lou Xiao'e, that would be troublesome.

This courtyard house is hidden deep in the alley. It is a two-section house with its own entrance. The gate of the house opposite has long been sealed off. There is a sign outside that reads "Xue Ru Silk Shop Warehouse". It has been vacant for a long time, but the area is quite large.

The two courtyards together cover nearly ten acres, and the house inside is fully furnished—Chen Xueru originally bought it from a down-on-his-luck acquaintance who, like Pian Ye, had fallen on hard times and had to sell his house to make ends meet.

After getting ready, the two hurriedly left and headed straight for the silk shop.

But as soon as they reached the door, Chen Xueru's expression changed drastically, her gaze turning icy: "Fan Jinyou, what are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that, Manager Chen!" Fan Jinyou brandished a transfer order, his head held high. "From today onwards, I'm the general manager. Tell me, am I qualified or not? As for you, you've been nowhere to be seen all afternoon—serious dereliction of duty!"

Chen Xueru chuckled lightly, her tone laced with sarcasm: "Fan Jinyou? Someone who was publicly reprimanded in a tavern, I wonder what back channels he used to become the general manager of a silk shop. Someone with a criminal record dares to be so arrogant, who gave you that audacity?"

Fan Jinyou's face turned ashen, and he angrily rebuked, "That's just sophistry! I just got here, how am I supposed to know where the goods are? Does it really take that long to inventory something? This is serious dereliction of duty!"

"Oh?" Chen Xueru raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Is Manager Fan up to his usual class reform scheme again? Hmm? How does he plan to 'educate' me, the private sector manager?"

One sentence hit the nail on the head.

Fan Jinyou was immediately speechless, his face turning bright red. Wasn't it this incident at the tavern that got him fired? Public and private managers were on the same level, so what was this talk of "reform"? Feeling guilty, his momentum vanished instantly. He snorted coldly, turned around, and slunk away.

As soon as he left, everyone else in the silk shop lowered their heads and went about their work, no one looking in their direction anymore. Although the cashier and warehouse manager were government employees, Chen Xueru was always decisive and had a strong hand, and even people within the system respected her.

Once the storm had passed, Chen Xueru casually picked out some small gifts and distributed them one by one. People's hearts are like that; you have to win them over little by little. She didn't care about quantity, just stability.

He Yuzhu watched the whole thing with a cold eye, and seeing that Chen Xueru could handle the situation on her own, he didn't interfere. He was truly loyal—he would only stand up for her if she was at a disadvantage. He took the new clothes that Chen Xueru had prepared for him and turned to go back to the courtyard house.

I didn't ride my bike, so I got back a bit late and naturally missed dinner again.

As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, I heard a commotion in the middle courtyard. My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately quickened my pace.

as predicted.

Raindrops streamed down her face as she was being helped into the house. The doorway was a mess—broken bowls, spilled soup, and half a trampled steamed bun.

When the older woman saw He Yuzhu return, her heart sank. She quickly went to greet him with a forced smile, "Zhuzi, you're finally back..."

Although she was able to talk to He Yuzhu because of her son Yi Zhiliang, she knew very well that the two families were not close.

He Yuzhu didn't even glance at her, strode to his front door, and said in a voice laced with anger, "Yushui, who bullied you?"

The older woman hurriedly explained, "No one bullied me, it's just a misunderstanding, really..."

"Old lady," He Yuzhu interrupted coldly, "I'm asking about rainwater."

Yu Shui looked up and saw her brother. Her emotions finally calmed down, and she sobbed, "Brother... I just finished cooking, and an old lady said she'd bring me some food. Since I'd already cooked, I took some cured meat to exchange for it... But then Aunt Jia suddenly rushed out and yelled at me, saying she'd rather help this 'little money-loser' than help the Jia family... Then she snatched the steamed buns away and even took the cured meat I'd given her... The bowl was knocked over when she grabbed it..."

He Yuzhu clenched his fists after hearing this.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he realized no one was hurt; but the thought of that old hag Jia Zhangshi daring to lay a hand on the rainwater made his anger flare up again.

What's even more disgusting is that after the old hag snatched the things, she pushed her sister.

An older woman sensed something was wrong and quickly intervened, "Zhu Zi, Jia Zhangshi didn't know it was rainwater. I'll have her apologize; it really wasn't intentional..."

"Alright," He Yuzhu said in a low voice, "Auntie, you should go back and go with Zhiliang. This is none of your business."

He gently patted Yushui's head, his tone gentle yet brooking no argument: "Go inside, close the door, and don't come out."

As soon as the rainwater retreated into the house, He Yuzhu turned around abruptly, his eyes like knives, and strode towards the Jia family's house, his roar shaking the entire courtyard:

"Jia Zhangshi! You old hag, get out here right now!"