Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He Yuzhu took a step forward, his voice booming like thunder: "Yan Jiecheng, who do you think you are? How dare you gossip about my wife? Are you itching for a fight?"

He rolled up his sleeves and was about to step forward when Lou Xiao'e grabbed his wrist with lightning speed—he was already lying flat, and if he pounced on him again, things would be completely skewed.

"My son—!"

The three women rushed out of the house, their voices cracking, and stumbled towards the lump on the ground.

"He Yuzhu! What right do you have to hit my son?!"

She reached out to pull him up, but Yan Jiecheng was as limp as mud. In the end, Yan Jiefang had to lend a hand to help him up, half-dragging and half-lifting him.

Even after he managed to stand firm, Yan Jiecheng was still hunched over, his face ashen, and cold sweat trickling down his temples.

"His mouth is foul, and my legs are hard. He dares to spew filth, so I'll teach him what it means to be 'scratched on the ground'."

He Yuzhu's gaze was like a knife, fixed on Yan Jiecheng's face. The latter's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes darted away—that kick had made his internal organs tremble, and his stomach still ached terribly.

"My wife is a mediator officially appointed by the neighborhood committee; her job is to resolve conflicts. You two have been arguing for ages, each swear word more offensive than the last. Even people from the next courtyard are peeking through their doors to watch the spectacle; you're disgracing the entire courtyard!"

"She tried to mediate with kind words, and you, instead, started throwing dirty water on her. I kicked her today, and I'll kick her again tomorrow; anyone who dares to talk nonsense about my wife again, I won't hesitate to teach them a lesson—don't like it? Go ahead and complain to the police, I'm waiting!"

He Yuzhu's words were sharp and forceful, not a word he was being lenient. As long as it didn't cause internal injuries or send him to the hospital, the security team would have made a wasted trip with just this one kick—they weren't just busybodies who watched neighborhood squabbles.

At this moment, Yan Bugui also strolled out, his face gloomy. He bent down and asked his son how he was doing. Yan Jiecheng waved his hand and shook his head, but his previous fierceness had long since vanished.

Yan Bugui didn't argue with He Yuzhu. He could see clearly from inside the house that the fault didn't lie with the other party. If the matter really escalated to the neighborhood committee, it would definitely be his family member, Jie Cheng, who got scolded.

"Raindrops, hold on a bit."

Lou Xiao'e reached out and took He Yuzhu's arm, gently pulling him back to a more measured stance. If he continued, the Yan family would be so ashamed they'd want to disappear into the ground.

"I came over because I heard the commotion was too loud, and I was afraid things would escalate and get out of hand—I'll have to explain myself if Director Wang asks. Xu Damao and Yan Jiecheng were arguing so fiercely they were about to come to blows, I can't pretend I didn't see it..."

This statement was perfectly succinct: it was my duty, not to meddle; and since the situation had alarmed both inside and outside the compound, I couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Everyone listened and nodded in agreement—who isn't rushing to cook dinner? The arguing may be one thing, but delaying the cooking process is unacceptable to anyone.

Lou Xiao'e turned to Xu Damao, her tone calm: "Damao, you tell me, why exactly did you and Jie Cheng clash?"

Xu Damao glanced at her sideways, a surge of bitterness welling up in his heart. If only he had listened to his mother and visited the Lou family more often; such a dignified and elegant young lady could have become his Xu family's daughter-in-law, but he was bewitched by Chen Xueru's smiling face.

If he had taken the initiative to approach Lou Xiao'e back then, he might have won her heart.

Xu Damao was lost in thought when He Yuzhu saw him hanging his head and remaining silent. He immediately frowned and said, "Xu Damao, I'm asking you a question! If you don't want to talk to me, then get home now, or we can go outside and have a private discussion—your shouting in the yard is disturbing the neighbors' peace. What kind of logic is that?"

Hearing this, Qin Huairu, standing at the entrance of the former Zhongyuan Garden, muttered to herself: You, He Yuzhu…

"Hmph, fine, I'll tell you! A couple of days ago, my mom arranged a date for me. I met her once, and I thought we clicked, so I invited her over for lunch today. But just as I was seeing her off, Yan Jiecheng ran into her—coincidentally, he'd also seen this girl before..."

Xu Damao noticed He Yuzhu clenching his fists and letting out a cold snort before recounting his entanglement with Yan Jiecheng. It wasn't that he was afraid of him; he simply wanted to cut things off quickly and avoid any further complications.

"Then Yan Jiecheng stopped me, saying that he was pursuing that girl and accusing me of stealing her away! Bah! I legitimately asked someone to act as a matchmaker, and both families were informed. How did that become 'hijacking'? He even warned me with a stern face that I was not allowed to contact Yu Li again—everyone, be the judge, which family passed down this rule?"

Upon hearing the name "Yu Li," He Yuzhu's mind immediately cleared. He remembered that this girl had known Yan Jiecheng for many years, but their marriage had been delayed until now, probably because of issues with housing and job security. They would only register their marriage once everything was settled.

Now that Yu Li has been brought into Xu Damao's home first, it's not quite accurate to say "steal" her—it was a proper blind date arranged by elders and a matchmaker; this is only the second time he's invited someone over for dinner. Although He Yuzhu has always looked down on Xu Damao's character, this time, he really can't find fault with him.

Yan Jiecheng, on the other hand, is extremely petty and narrow-minded. However, He Yuzhu had long understood his temperament, so it wasn't surprising that he did something like this.

As soon as Xu Damao finished speaking, he turned to Yan Jiecheng and shouted, "Yan Jiecheng, am I right? Should we call Yu Li back for a face-to-face confrontation? I still have the matchmaking invitation here!"

After hearing this, and seeing Yan Jiecheng's ashen face and tightly closed mouth, most of the people in the courtyard believed Xu Damao's words.

"Judging from this, Yan Jiecheng is really in the wrong... They were just having a nice blind date, why did you have to interfere?"

"Exactly! If he really likes that girl, why doesn't he go and ask her out? Why is he taking it out on Xu Damao?"

"Oh dear, you're arguing over such a small thing? You were just digging up dirt on each other. If Lou Xiao'e hadn't come in time, I don't know how much trouble we'd have caused over this..."

The neighbors chattered amongst themselves, and the Yan family felt their faces burning with embarrassment. Yan Bugui glared fiercely at his eldest son—just when the neighborhood committee had awarded them a certificate and their lives were beginning to look up, this kid had stirred up trouble again.

Even after trying to dissuade him, Yan Jiecheng tried to persuade Yan Jiefang to join in, but Yan Bugui held him down firmly.

Fortunately, a real fight didn't break out; otherwise, once the truth came out, the Yan family would have become the laughingstock of the entire courtyard.

"Boss, is what he said true?"

Yan Bugui turned his head, his voice low and heavy, staring directly at Yan Jiecheng. The latter's face was ashen; although his stomach pain had subsided, he still pursed his lips tightly, refusing to utter a single word—he felt guilty. If he continued to be stubborn, and Xu Damao really brought the matchmaker, he would be even more embarrassed.

Yan Bugui knew at a glance that the matter was almost certainly true. He swallowed hard, sighed, then put on a smile and apologized to Xu Damao, saying, "Damao, this time Jiecheng was just being ignorant. Uncle apologizes on his behalf."

"snort!"

Xu Damao raised his chin, not even lifting his eyelids—Yan Bugui wasn't some old man anymore, so he didn't need to give him face.

Lou Xiao'e then spoke up: "If what Xu Damao said is true, then Yan Jiecheng did indeed lose his composure. If you really value Yu Li, you should openly get to know her and pursue her. Why resort to words to shut her up? Don't let Teacher Yan apologize for you; you have to stand up and admit your mistake to her face."

She paused, then turned to Xu Damao: "Damao, once Yan Jiecheng has apologized, don't hold it against him. In the end, it was just a misunderstanding, and you didn't lose anything."

Xu Damao was silent for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement: "Okay, if he's willing to back down, then this matter is over."

Lou Xiao'e, being a cadre from the subdistrict office, spoke fairly and concisely. If Xu Damao were to stubbornly resist, not only would it be difficult to explain to the subdistrict office, but He Yuzhu, the man in front of him, would likely not allow him to act so arrogantly.

Yan Bugui quickly turned around and urged, "Jie Cheng, hurry up and apologize to them!"

Yan Jiecheng stood frozen in place, his teeth grinding together. After a long while, he finally moved, his voice hoarse: "I'm sorry, I was wrong this time."

Before he finished speaking, he turned and went into the house, his back view exuding a sense of frustration.

Yan Bugui could only bow to the surroundings, chuckle awkwardly, and pull the three aunties along as they hurriedly retreated into the house.

This time, the Yan family's reputation has been completely ruined—they had just received an award from the neighborhood committee, only to have it torn to shreds by their own son.

After the Yan family had walked away, Xu Damao nodded slightly to Lou Xiao'e: "Thanks, it's all thanks to you for helping to smooth things over."

But deep down, his resentment towards He Yuzhu hadn't dissipated in the slightest.

"This time, I'm seriously dating someone! Once we're married, I have to have a big, healthy son before Sha Zhu does!"

He secretly pondered: The Yu family may be poor, but Yu Li is pretty and has a well-proportioned figure, with curves in all the right places, a slim waist and a big bottom. She looks like she'll bring good fortune to her husband and children...

Thinking of this, Xu Damao felt a surge of warmth in his heart, wishing he could immediately marry Yu Li, have children, and start a career.

With the commotion over, He Yuzhu and Lou Xiao'e went back to their rooms to prepare dinner. Just as the food was being served, He Yushui pushed open the door and came in.

A plate of spicy and sour cabbage, and a plate of braised eggplant—the eggplant contained a full half pound of meat, making it a definite semi-meat dish.

"It smells amazing! Let me rub my hands together and I'll be right there—"

He Yushui propped up her bicycle, rushed to the pond, scooped up some water to wash her hands, her fingertips still smelling of grass, then plopped down on the wooden stool in front of the dining table, grabbed a golden, slightly chewy cornbread and took a bite.

Nowadays, the He family's cornbread is no longer made from coarse grains—it's made from fine cornmeal that has been sifted twice, steamed until fluffy, soft, and fragrant, with a chewy texture and a wheat aroma, making it even more delicious than ordinary white flour steamed buns.

Lou Xiao'e glanced at He Yuzhu sideways, then turned to Yushui and asked softly, "Where did you run off to today?"

"I went to see a classmate! We both got into the same high school and are in the same class. Today she invited me to go for a spring outing at the foot of Xishan Mountain, and we even rollerbladed for two hours at the Cultural Palace..."

"Homework? Have you finished it? I ran into your homeroom teacher last time, and he kept praising you for being quick-witted and having a solid foundation. He said that as long as you keep up the good work, you'll definitely be fine in college..."

Lou Xiao'e paused, her voice lowering slightly but becoming more serious: "Yushui, your sister-in-law has never been to university, so you have to break down that door for our family."