Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He looked around: the courtyard was quite large, with a three-section layout. If it really belonged to him, his future would be secure and prosperous, and he wouldn't have to worry about making money.

Just then, an old voice gently called to him:

"Silly Zhu, you're back?"

He turned around at the sound and saw an old lady with a cane standing at the door, smiling at him.

It turned out to be a deaf old lady.

She was probably the only truly honest person in the entire courtyard.

Therefore, He Yuzhu not only had no aversion to her, but also felt close to her from the bottom of his heart.

"Um!"

He just smiled slightly, but when he saw the deaf old lady trying to get up, he quickly stepped forward and steadily supported her arm.

"Please take your time..."

He was genuinely a little worried. What if she lost her balance and fell? He would have to carry her to the hospital, and the registration, X-rays, and medication alone would cost a lot of money.

He's really strapped for cash right now, and he's trying to stretch every penny in half.

"Grandma, please sit here comfortably! I'll cook dinner and bring it to you tonight."

After saying this with a smile, He Yuzhu turned around and went back into the house to prepare dinner, intending to treat himself to a good meal.

But after taking only two steps, a clear and urgent shout suddenly came from behind:

"Idiot Zhu!!!"

"Silly Zhu, wait a minute, I have something to tell you!"

Qin Huai hurried along, watching He Yuzhu reach out to push the courtyard gate. Fearing he would close and lock it, she rushed after him.

She caught a glimpse of the plump chicken he was holding, and with a flick of her wrist, she reached out to take it.

He Yuzhu reacted quickly and hid the chicken behind his back.

What are you doing?

His face clearly showed impatience.

How could this widow be so inconsiderate?

The two weren't even familiar with each other, and when she saw him with something, she reached out and took it. Where would she put her face?

Qin Huai smiled and said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Silly Zhu, don't be stingy~"

"I've been waiting for you for ages! I even bought your favorite wine and a plate of peanuts. How about coming over for a couple of drinks later?"

"Ding! The system has issued a new task. Please make your choice."

Option 1: Accept the invitation to visit the Home Inn in Qinhuai, and receive a reward of two yuan.

Option 2: Politely decline the invitation, and receive a reward of eight yuan.

"Choose two."

He Yuzhu silently vowed to himself. Even without this system, he would never have gone.

Are you kidding me?

A widowed woman, raising three unruly children, plus a mother-in-law who only leeches off her son-in-law—this isn't visiting relatives, it's jumping into a fire pit!

I really don't know how that silly Zhu managed to endure it all!

"Get out of the way!"

Before he could finish speaking, he raised his arm and gently blocked Qin Huairu from entering through the door.

He immediately slipped into the house, and with a loud bang, the courtyard gate slammed shut, making the door frame vibrate.

Qin Huai stood there, stunned: What's going on? Why did He Yuzhu suddenly turn on me? What did I do wrong?

That's not right!

In the past, Sha Zhu always granted her every request. Every time he came in, he would bring candy or pastries, and he even remembered to bring the shortbread that her child liked.

But the one in front of me had a cold look in his eyes and moved swiftly, as if he were a completely different person.

"Silly Pillar..."

She was about to shout again when a strange, eerie tune drifted from afar:

"Hey, isn't this Sister Qin?"

"What's wrong with you today?"

Qin Huai turned her head and saw Xu Damao swaggering over. When did he get back? His gloating tone made her furious.

"none of your business!"

She said that, turned around and left without even glancing at him.

"snort!"

Xu Damao stared at her retreating figure, his teeth grinding together: "You just wait, one day I'll have you firmly in my grasp!"

He had been eyeing this woman for more than just a day or two, often making excuses to loiter around her house and strike up conversations, but she never gave him a friendly look.

As soon as He Yuzhu stepped into the room, a system notification sounded:

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully rejecting Qin Huairu's invitation. Reward: eight yuan."

"Today's harvest wasn't bad."

He muttered to himself as he took out all his belongings and counted them; there were a total of thirty-five yuan.

This is a month's wages for a factory worker!

Money can come quickly, but you can't just hoard it.

He figured it was time to upgrade his cooking skills.

Anyway, he can eat whatever he wants in the factory canteen, so he won't go hungry. He might as well spend the money wisely.

He took out thirty yuan and decisively invested it in skill improvement.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, your 'God-level Culinary Skills' have jumped from LV1 to LV4. You are just one step away from the maximum level. The next skill will be unlocked soon."

He paused for a moment as soon as the system notification finished:

"Skill?"

Without this system to support me, I probably would never have figured it out on my own.

and many more,

Do I really not have a single penny in savings?

He Yuzhu has lived in the courtyard house for so many years, how could he not have saved anything? Impossible!

He immediately started rummaging through drawers and cabinets, even lifting up the bed frame to take a look...

After struggling for a while, I slumped into a chair and spread my hands:

"What are you looking for? There's not a single hair on the ground!"

He held it in for a long time, and finally blurted out:

"What a pushover! He's spending all his money to support those women in the brothel; he's a complete freeloader!"

"well……"

He sighed deeply, got up, grabbed the chicken, and prepared to stew it to relieve his boredom.

Nowadays, the craftsmanship has improved by leaps and bounds. When the heat is just right, the aroma wafts out through the window cracks, filling the whole courtyard with a rich and fresh fragrance.

At the same moment, Qin Huai was like home.

"Ugh! Where's this smell coming from?"

Her mother-in-law was munching on a cornbread when she sniffed and suddenly stopped eating the coarse grain.

"Who else could it be?"

Qin Huai shook his head with a wry smile, "Sha Zhu brought a chicken back today, I reckon it's being stewed now."

Of course she saw it, but the aroma was stronger and more enticing than ever before, and she couldn't help but swallow.

Banggeng, Huaihua, and the other children's eyes lit up immediately. Even Qin Huairu felt a warmth in her heart, let alone them.

Everyone turned their heads in unison, their eyes all falling on the mother-in-law, Zhang.

Zhang understood immediately, looked up at Qin Huairu, and spoke in a tone that was both probing and brooked no refusal:

"Huai Ru, go and check on Sha Zhu's family. You know, Bang Geng and the other two are still growing and need plenty of food."

So...

Before she finished speaking, her meaning was clear: she was to go to Sha Zhu's place and see if she could smuggle some chicken back.

Little did she know that Qin Huairu had just been humiliated at Sha Zhu's door and was still seething with anger; how could she possibly bring herself to go and beg again?

Unfortunately, Zhang was completely unaware of this and kept urging them on.

The three little ones stared intently, their mouths slightly open, full of anticipation.

Qin Huairu was both angry and aggrieved. A lump formed in her throat, and she slammed her hand on the table.

"Eat your food, everyone!"

Just then, He Yuzhu had just taken the stewed chicken to the deaf old lady's room and was about to turn around and go back to enjoy the meal.

As soon as he turned into the courtyard, he saw a shadowy figure sneaking into his house.

"stop!"

"Who gave you the audacity to barge into someone's house in broad daylight?"

He Yuzhu shouted, startling the sparrows at the base of the wall, which then fluttered away.

What is this? Turning your own doorstep into a marketplace? Trying to lord it over the rules?

If this had happened later, he would have been taken to the police station long ago.

But Xu Damao wasn't afraid at all. He had just spotted the glistening stewed chicken on the stove, and the aroma was so enticing that he knew it was the right chicken!

"Hmph! He Yuzhu, you've got some nerve! Tell me, where did you get this chicken? Confess!"

His voice was hoarse and rough, like a broken gong scraping the bottom of a pot. He had already concluded in his heart that the old hen he had lost must have been stolen by Sha Zhu.

"Xu Damao, stop talking nonsense and get lost!"

"Hey Sha Zhu, did you steal my chickens?"

Ding! A new task has been triggered for the host. Please make a choice.

Option 1: Ignore it and kick them out on the spot. Reward: 7 yuan.

Option 2: Speak up and defend yourself, claiming you did not steal anything, and you will be rewarded with one yuan.

He Yuzhu didn't even lift his eyelids, sneering inwardly: Bowing down to someone like this? No way! Besides, he really paid for the chicken himself, so what's there to be afraid of?

He grabbed a broom handle from beside the door, pointed it directly at Xu Damao's nose, and his voice was as cold as ice:

"Don't want to leave? Fine, I'll leave for you!"

"Silly Zhu, let me tell you, you can't fool me."

Before he finished speaking, He Yuzhu had already stepped forward, his eyes sharp and his steps firm.

"you……"

Xu Damao felt a chill run down his spine, suddenly realizing that Sha Zhu really wasn't bluffing this time. He turned and ran, yelling at the top of his lungs as he ran:

"Grandpa! Grandpa! Grandpa! Come out quickly! Sha Zhu is about to hit someone! He's hitting someone!"

That shout really turned the whole courtyard upside down.

Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was the first to rush out of the house, his brows furrowed in worry:

"What are you yelling about? What kind of behavior is this!"

Xu Damao grabbed his sleeve and, his face flushed, began to complain:

"Second Uncle, you've come at the perfect time! The commune showed me a movie the other day to thank me, and they gave me two old hens, do you remember?"

"Yes, I know about that." Uncle Er nodded.

Xu Damao immediately perked up: "When I came home from get off work just now, I found one was missing! Look here, chicken feathers everywhere!"

He pointed to the door of He Yuzhu's house, where sure enough, there were a few clumps of brownish-yellow feathers scattered about.

"He's probably the one who did it!"

The second uncle frowned, glanced at him, then turned to He Yuzhu, his tone turning somber:

"Silly Zhu, where did you get this chicken?"

He Yuzhu looked down and saw that, sure enough, the chicken feathers he had carelessly left at the door when he killed the chicken hadn't been cleaned up yet, and the wind was blowing them all over the ground.

A surge of anger rose within him: He had bought a chicken for no reason, and now he was being accused of theft?

"I bought it with my own money, what law did I break? Am I so poor that I can't even afford a chicken?"

His tone was flat, yet it sounded like a piece of iron hitting the ground.

"Bought it? Who would believe that! You eat your fill in the cafeteria every day before leaving the house, and at most you'll bring home half a box of leftovers. Where would you get the spare money to buy chicken?"

Xu Damao scoffed, his face full of disbelief.

The second uncle didn't ask any more questions and immediately spoke:

"Go and invite Uncle Zhang and Uncle San right away. Let's have a quick meeting."

"Alright!" Xu Damao grinned, his eyes gleaming. He had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, and finally he could suppress this silly Zhu's arrogance!

After he ran off into the distance, the second uncle turned around, his tone softening, and patted He Yuzhu on the shoulder: