Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

When he arrived at the Lou family's house, he knocked twice and then pushed the door open and went inside. Lou's parents, who had just gotten up, immediately beamed with joy when they saw him—the house had been quiet for a long time, and they couldn't wait for him to visit every day.

But when they heard that he had come to take Lou Xiao'e out hunting, their expressions changed instantly, and they were filled with worry.

He Yuzhu could only repeatedly assure her, "I will definitely bring Xiao'e back safely. We'll just take a short trip in the suburbs and she won't wander off."

Lou Xiao'e also pleaded with them, saying she had been cooped up at school for too long and had been wanting to get some fresh air. After much persuasion, the two elderly people reluctantly nodded in agreement.

The bicycle ride would take a long time, and He Yushui was too short to sit on the back seat the whole time, so Lou Xiao'e rode one as well, while He Yuzhu carried He Yushui on the back.

Both girls were leaving the city for the first time, chattering incessantly the whole way, as excited as birds just released from their cages. He Yuzhu, on the other hand, had frequently traveled to the countryside in his previous life, knew the area like the back of his hand, and even knew which groves had pheasants.

After traveling more than thirty miles, they finally left Beijing. Along the way, He Yuzhu gave Lou Xiao'e a stimulant pill to keep her from collapsing from exhaustion.

"That mountain ahead is our destination."

He pointed to the distant mountain peak, then casually used one hand to grab Lou Xiao'e's handlebars, pulling her along with him. The maneuver was effortless and stress-free for him, saving Lou Xiao'e a lot of energy.

Before long, the three arrived at the foot of the mountain.

At this time, the outskirts of Beijing were a picturesque landscape with clear waters and crisp air. Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui jumped up as soon as they got out of the car, eager to head down the mountain road and into the woods.

While they weren't paying attention, He Yuzhu quietly put the three bicycles into his spatial storage and then quickly followed.

Each person was given a ginseng pill to replenish their energy and keep them alert, so they wouldn't get weak in the legs while climbing the mountain later.

He Yushui suddenly blinked and asked, "Brother, didn't you come here to hunt? Why didn't you bring any weapons?"

"Who said I didn't bring it? I've prepared everything."

He Yuzhu grinned and took out a handful of pebbles from his pocket, shaking them around.

Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui looked at each other in disbelief.

"You can use this thing for hunting?"

"Don't underestimate people," He Yuzhu scoffed. "Open your eyes and watch carefully."

Before he finished speaking, he had already picked up a pebble, flicked his wrist, and the pebble shot through the air, striking a tree branch high above with a whoosh—crack! The broken branch fell to the ground, and leaves scattered everywhere.

Leaf-throwing daggers? He can do that with ease now.

"Wow...that's amazing!"

Lou Xiao'e exclaimed in surprise, and He Yushui's eyes widened in disbelief, never expecting that her elder brother had such a hidden skill.

From that moment on, the way the two of them looked at him changed; it was now full of admiration.

They were lucky; they hadn't gone far when two pheasants darted out of the bushes and began pecking at their food. Before Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui could react, He Yuzhu had already reached out to stop them, flicking his fingertips and sending two pebbles flying like lightning.

boom!boom!

The two pheasants' heads were smashed open, and they collapsed on the spot without even having a chance to utter a sound.

He Yuzhu stepped forward, picked up the prey, and held it high: "For lunch, let's have roasted pheasant!"

Continuing onward, they soon encountered several more wild rabbits, and the outcome was the same: they were all accurately hit in the head by pebbles.

What defines a top hunter? This is it.

He Yuzhu's senses were heightened at this moment. He could sense every rustle of grass within ten meters. If he weren't looking after the two little girls, he could have cleared out all the living creatures from the entire mountain in a few days.

Around noon, the three of them went to the riverbank and decided to cook a meal on the spot.

He Yuzhu's backpack was fully equipped. It looked like an ordinary shoulder bag, but it could actually hold anything—as long as it wasn't too big, it could fit everything.

The roasted wild rabbit sizzled with oil, and when the beggar's chicken was cracked open—it was golden and crispy, with an aroma that wafted straight into their noses! Paired with the refreshing pickled vegetables and soft, fluffy steamed buns that He Yuzhu had brought, the three of them sat around and ate until their mouths were full of oil and their bellies were round.

In the afternoon, they continued to wander deeper into the forest, but He Yuzhu was mindful: play without taking risks, safety first.

But fate had other plans—on the way back, we unexpectedly stumbled upon a litter of wild boars! A dozen or so were huddled at the bottom of the slope, the larger ones as strong as calves, the smaller ones lively and energetic. Just taking down two or three adult boars would yield five hundred pounds of firm meat!

This thing is a scourge at the foot of the mountain. During the autumn harvest, it specifically targets and uproots crops. The villagers grit their teeth whenever they see it.

He Yuzhu immediately made a "shush" gesture to Lou Xiao'e, his eyes sharpening: Today, he would act on behalf of Heaven!

"Director Wang, I'm donating these two to the subdistrict office, specifically for impoverished households and families of martyrs—I'll keep the pig's trotters for myself, please don't mind. As for the remaining five, the steel mill will take three; I've completed all the paperwork."

He pointed to the wild boar that had just been unloaded from the truck: its hind legs were gone, but the blood was still warm. It lay horizontally on the bluestone slab, its heavy weight making one's heart tremble.

The entire litter of wild boars, including the adult ones, were all hit in the head with precise shots from the stones he flicked; the piglets, however, were clever and darted into the bushes, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Later, he went straight to the cooperative and made a phone call to Li Huaide to send a driver, who then dragged the five "mountains of meat" down the mountain. If Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui hadn't been there, he would have stuffed the wild boars into the system space, mounted his bicycle, and sped away.

Upon hearing that there were wild boars, Li Huaide immediately intercepted three of them and bought them all at the purchasing department's price—He Yuzhu got three or four hundred yuan for free, the banknotes still warm in his pocket.

The remaining two? He simply gave them to the neighborhood committee. Too much meat to eat, better to exchange it for a real, good reputation.

As soon as Director Wang stepped outside, his eyes lit up, and he smiled so broadly that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes: "Zhu Zi, how could I accept this! How about the neighborhood committee charges the market price? That would be a way to help you out..."

"No need!" He Yuzhu waved his hand. "I just sold three heads to the steel mill and made a fortune. Today was just pure luck; I stumbled upon the whole nest on the mountain—you should quickly distribute them to the poor households and families of martyrs in Nanluoguxiang. I have to leave now."

These days, if an individual sells meat to a factory, as long as the source is clean and the paperwork is complete, it's not considered speculation. In his past life, Yan Bugui caught a big fish and sold it to the canteen honestly, didn't he? He Yuzhu is even more blatant this time, not even washing the pig hair. Who's going to investigate? Investigate what?

Wild boar meat may be tough, with lots of tendons and thick skin, making it difficult to prepare, but it's still meat! Every household only has two ounces of fat per month, so even if wild boar is hard to chew, people would still salivate at the smell of tree roots.

"Don't worry, Zhuzi! Every impoverished household and family member of a martyr will receive five jin (2.5 kg)! The rest can even be used by the street office officials for an extra meal!"

Director Wang patted his chest and gave his assurance.

"Alright, I'm off then—the harvest with my sister today was amazing, I need to rush back to make some grouse soup!"

He had to keep his promise to Lou Xiao'e.

When He Yuzhu brought in the mountain produce, Lou Xiao'e and He Yushui were already huddled inside, engrossed in a storytelling performance on the radio and reading comic books. No one was looking for trouble; perfect timing to start a fight!

He chopped up the pheasant and blanched it, diced the wild rabbit and marinated it thoroughly, and he was too lazy to move the wild boar leg, so he neatly hung it on the roof beam—he dared to openly hang it out to dry since it was hunted openly, and anyone who was envious would have to suffer!

Before long, the courtyard was filled with an irresistible aroma: the bamboo shoot, wild mushroom, and pheasant soup was thick and bubbling, the stir-fried rabbit meat was fragrant and crispy, the stir-fried cured pork was glossy and savory, and the braised potato slices were soft and flavorful—four main dishes were served, and the aroma, like hooks, went straight to the cracks in the windows of the neighbors.

The children were so hungry they were practically drooling, and they almost all peeked through the windows of the He family's house. Unfortunately—He Yuzhu had long ago established a rule: anyone who dared to provoke the He family would be dealt with by a stick! Now they would even avoid the sound of coughing, let alone get close enough to smell it.

The Jia family.

Banggeng sniffed and immediately jumped up, shouting, "Mom! It smells good! It smells like meat! I want to eat meat!!"

Qin Huairu clutched a handful of cornmeal she had just borrowed, her face turning green: "Next month, next month we'll definitely eat it!"

"No! I want to eat it now!! Mom, go get some! Meat!! Meat!!!"

He stomped his feet and swung his arms, looking exactly like Jia Zhangshi. Qin Huairu, losing face, grabbed his collar and gave him a few hard slaps on the buttocks, yelling as she did so:

"Are you going to eat or not? Are you going to make a scene or not? Your grandma's not home today, let's see who can protect you!"

In the past, whenever Qin Huairu wanted to discipline Bang Geng, Jia Zhangshi would immediately jump out to protect her; now that Jia Zhangshi is gone, Qin Huairu has no more scruples when disciplining him and shows no mercy.

Before long, Banggeng cried out in pain, begging for forgiveness and swearing that he would never dare to act recklessly or throw a tantrum again.

The meal was eaten in great enthusiasm, and Lou Xiao'e was so full she could barely move. He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately told He Yushui to clear the dishes, while he himself went forward to help her up, saying, "Come on, let me take you back to your room to rest for a while."

He Yushui was feeling lazy and didn't want to move, but when He Yuzhu said, "If you're lazy again, I won't bring you braised pork tomorrow," she immediately jumped up, angrily carried all the dishes into the kitchen, and started washing them.

As soon as she left, He Yuzhu sidled up to Lou Xiao'e, grinning slyly, "Xiao'e, come inside and sit for a while. I'll give you a massage to improve blood circulation, aid digestion, and make you feel better..."

"You know massage?" Lou Xiao'e was skeptical, but as soon as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her heart skipped a beat—something was off.

Her face flushed red, and she instinctively tried to dodge, but how could she escape He Yuzhu's grasp? He managed to fool her with a few words, and with a touch of subtle flirting, she could only give in with her ears burning red.

When He Yushui finished washing the dishes and came in, she immediately saw Lou Xiao'e sitting on the bed, her cheeks flushed and her breathing a little erratic. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Sister-in-law, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?"

Lou Xiao'e quickly lowered her head to cover up, "No...it's nothing, I just ate too much, and I get tired after walking just a few steps..."

He Yushui was too young to understand the implied meaning, so she nodded blankly and then suggested, "How about I go get the radio, and we can listen to some opera in the room?"

Before he could finish speaking, He Yuzhu interrupted immediately: "No need, Yushui. Xiao'e can rest here for a while and I'll take her back. It's already dark, and your aunt and uncle will be worried if it gets any later."

He Yushui pouted, reluctantly agreeing but unable to do so. She and Sister-in-law Xiao'e had gotten along quite well today, and she was rather reluctant to part with her.