I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

The school was quite far from the courtyard house, and the two of them managed to persuade Yu Shui to come back. Yu Haitang, on the other hand, was purely there for Lin Feng's family's food. These days, you can't let go of any meat; that would be a crime!

"Aren't your parents worried about you not coming home for Chinese New Year's Day?"

"I told them I was going out beforehand. My sister is in that courtyard, what are they worried about? Wait a minute, I can sleep with Yushui! If I stay with her, her brother won't dare to bully her."

The three walked and talked, and Lin Feng thought for a moment. "If what happened to your father is true, what do you plan to do?"

The rain kept its head down, silent. "I don't know, my mind is so confused!"

Do you hate your father?

Rain trembled slightly. "Before this incident, I definitely hated it, but now..." And now my feelings are very complicated, my mind is full of all sorts of chaotic thoughts.

"I wonder if my brother knows about this, if he does!" Rain said, a pained expression on her face.

"Your brother probably doesn't know. Although he's a bit carefree and might overlook you, he's fundamentally good to you. He raised you all by himself until you graduated from vocational school. You know, he was just a child when your father passed away!"

"Yes, Rain! I saw him crying at the school gate last time. He's just been blinded by that woman! Your brother is already like this, just turn a blind eye. The hardest days are over, and you'll be free in six months!"

Rain sighed. "I don't know. It would be a lie to say I'm not angry with my brother, but I am really angry with him! I'm really, really angry! He's my own brother, but he listens to everyone else except me! I don't hate him, I'm more worried about him! He's so old this year, and he's hanging out with widows every day. What's going to happen to him?"

"That widow Qin in your courtyard is so shameless! Instead of finding someone to marry, she insists on clinging to your brother. And your brother too, with such good prospects, why doesn't he find a wife? What's he after?!" Yu Haitang pouted, completely baffled.

"Forget it, let's not talk about these upsetting things during the New Year. Let's have a nice meal at my place today, and tomorrow we'll go to the post office with Yushui to check and then we'll talk about it!"

"That's true! The more I talk about it, the angrier I get!"

The three walked for more than an hour, and it was already dark when they returned to the courtyard house. Fortunately, the vegetables in Lin Feng's kitchen had already been washed and chopped, and the dough had been risen. All they had to do was cook.

Sha Zhu came once during that time, but was fiercely scolded and kicked out by Yu Haitang. Seeing that there was no longer a lone man and woman in the room, Sha Zhu never came back.

After the three of them had eaten and drunk their fill, they discussed the details, and then, with a final, repeated instruction, "Keep this a secret until the matter is fully investigated, especially your brother, whether he knows it or not!"

"Alright, you've told me 800 times already! Like an old man..."

The three of them devoured all eight dishes, and as they left, Yu Haitang was still thinking about "Farewell My Concubine." "I want to eat that dish tomorrow, and you're not allowed to lie to me!"

"Okay, okay, after we finish our business tomorrow, I promise I'll let you have a taste!"

Before leaving, Yu Shui slipped Lin Feng a note. "This is my brother's recipe for a cold dish, lotus root salad. It tastes pretty good!"

Lin Feng took the note, and after seeing the two girls off, he read its contents. It was incredibly detailed! Indeed, it's easy to guard against a thief within your own ranks, but difficult to guard against one's own. This thing could easily support a roadside stall in later years!

Through the window, Sha Zhu saw Yu Haitang and his sister return to the house. The two girls were a little drunk, muttering a few words before turning off the light.

Lying on the bed staring at the dark ceiling, Sha Zhu kept replaying a dish in his mind. Ever since he went to Lin Feng's room and saw the boiled pork slices, his mind hadn't stopped racing.

"You two good-for-nothings, eating so well, you'll stuff yourselves to death! And you're even trying to drink like other women, where's your ladylike demeanor?" Jia Zhangshi, behind the window, couldn't sleep because of the smell in Lin Feng's house. She had been cursing them for at least two or three hours since they started eating.

Qin Huairu had been listening the whole time, and her ears were practically calloused from hearing it. He dared to go into anyone's house in the yard, except for Lin Feng's house, which was the kind of place where even Yi Zhonghai would get beaten up. Who knew if that guy would hit a woman? He was just a kid, and he never knew when to hold back!

"Where did that Lin family brat get so much money? He's buying bicycles and eating meat at every meal! He's even hiring two good-for-nothings! The money just falls from the sky! He doesn't even bother to help my family out; he has no compassion at all."

"His parents had some savings, so it's not surprising they bought a bicycle. It's just that this kid used to be very stingy, but now he's like a completely different person!"

Jia Zhangshi put down the shoe sole she was holding. "Tch, men can change so much, it can only be because of one thing: women! This kid's got his eye on her!"

As Jia Zhangshi spoke, her eyes darted around. "Don't you have a cousin back in the countryside? Why don't you invite him to come to the city for a visit? I've done the math on that kid's family's finances; they're quite well-off! His parents have worked for so many years, and he's been frugal for so long; they should have saved at least seven or eight hundred!"

"Oh dear, Grandma! My cousin is only 15! She's too young, no way!"

"Don't you have a cousin?"

"She's already engaged, and her family has accepted the bride price! She'll probably get married in the latter half of this year!"

"You're so clueless! The countryside can't compare to the city. Even if Lin Feng is terrible, he's still a cook. He lost money after the New Year and is about to go back to school. This is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation!"

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat. "Still no good! If my cousin comes, Sha Zhu will probably be even more eager! No way!"

Madam Jia frowned as well. "I hadn't even noticed until you mentioned it, this yard is full of wolves! You're right, Sha Zhu's side is the real culprit! That kid's lucky! But he won't have it easy either, doesn't he? He loves to beat people, doesn't he? Heh heh!"

Hearing this, Qin Huairu silently lowered her head. The two had lived together for many years, and Qin Huairu knew exactly what Jia Zhangshi was going to say the moment she bent over. She silently mourned for Lin Feng in her heart.

"Mother-in-law! That Lin Feng is a hothead; he doesn't know his own strength. You have to be careful."

"Don't worry! Who am I? He can't find me!"

Yu Shui tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep, while Yu Haitang slept soundly, holding Yu Shui in her arms like a lover. Yu Shui looked helplessly at her best friend with her eyes open, finally managing to get through the night.

She patiently waited until after 8 o'clock before Yu Shui woke up her best friend. The two girls hurriedly washed up and knocked on Lin Feng's door.

"Little sister, why are you knocking on that boy's door so early in the morning?"

"Oh, sister, don't worry about us, we have important business to attend to today!"

"What's up now?" Yu Li had to admit that her younger sister was lucky with food. She had been drooling over the food from across the street all night, and the aroma was still fresh in her memory.

"Don't ask anymore!" The two sisters were chatting casually when the door was opened from the inside.

Lin Feng didn't let the two girls into the house, but handed them the steamed buns he was carrying. "Just make do with these, we'll eat as we walk!"