I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

Lin Feng pushed his car inside and parked it when Yu Shui ran over. "Lin Feng, come to my house for dinner! My father asked me to come and get you."

Lin Feng parked his bicycle, closed the door, and followed the rain to the He family's house. Sha Zhu was busy in the kitchen, while He Daqing came out to greet him.

The aroma of food wafted from the He family's house, and even Lin Feng, who hadn't been lacking in oil and fat lately, couldn't help but drool. This silly Zhu was usually so clueless, but his cooking skills were truly impressive.

He Daqing raised his glass. "Thank you so much for this. No need for words of thanks. If you ever need Uncle He's help in the future, just let Yushui know. I'll drink this one to the last drop!"

Lin Feng didn't stand on ceremony and downed his drink in one gulp. "Yu Shui is my classmate; it was just a small favor!"

After a few drinks, Sha Zhu brought out the last soup. There were four people at the table, so each person had a side.

"I'm leaving in a couple of days, and I'm really worried about leaving my two children in the yard. Although you're not very old, I've heard a lot about you from Yushui these past few days. If your children are ever bullied in the future, please give them a heads-up, as we're neighbors!"

"Uncle He, are you leaving?"

"The factory over there has already started operations! We've had quite a few pre-Lunar New Year celebrations, and they've already sent several telegrams urging us to hurry up! I can't stay here any longer!"

"So that's how it is!" Lin Feng put down his wine glass. "Then Yi Zhonghai..."

He Daqing sighed. "I owe the old lady a favor, so I spoke on Yi Zhonghai's behalf. I think he'll get a lighter sentence, but don't worry, no matter how light the sentence is, it won't be less than 5 years! We'll know the specific result after the Lantern Festival!"

Raindrops chimed in curiously, "Lin Feng, you seem quite afraid of Yi Zhonghai?"

"It's not that I'm afraid of him! As the saying goes, you can't guard against a thief for a thousand days. Yi Zhonghai is a deep and cunning man. It's not comfortable to live with him constantly on my mind!"

"You're absolutely right! That old bastard is ruthless when he schemes against people. I, He Daqing, am incredibly unlucky to have him as a brother! If he hadn't come back this time, my son would definitely have been driven out of the family by his schemes!"

"Am I that stupid?" Sha Zhu said, somewhat unconvinced. "I just have high standards, and I haven't found a wife yet."

Sha Zhu's silence only drew a stare from the father and daughter. "You have the nerve to say you've been working for seven or eight years, the house is still unrepaired, your savings are only two or three hundred, your sister is skin and bones from being raised by you, you even lost your cook job and were punished by being sent to the workshop with a major demerit! Tell me, what do you have that's worth? If you weren't my biological daughter, I really wouldn't care about you!"

He Daqing gets furious whenever this is mentioned. "Back in the courtyard, you looked down on everyone, and the master we found for you didn't learn properly; you just went off to work in a factory! Not only did we not have a graduation banquet, but your cooking skills are already miles behind your fellow apprentices!"

These days, He Daqing has taught Shazhu a lot. When he accompanied Shazhu to visit his master for the New Year, he almost got beaten up if it weren't for He Daqing's face!

"Brother Zhu's talent is still quite good!" Lin Feng sighed. There are some things that you can't really envy.

"Even the best talent can't be wasted like this. His master's four apprentices, even the worst one, are already level 4 chefs. Look at him!" He Daqing scoffed. "He's been in the factory for almost 10 years and he's still only level 8! It's embarrassing to even talk about it!"

Sha Zhu kept his head bowed low. He wouldn't back down if you said anything else, but he really couldn't refute this! The skill he showed off at his master's house during the New Year almost got him a double beating from the two old men!

"How am I supposed to improve my cooking skills with ingredients from a factory?" Silly Zhu muttered as he drank, feeling so frustrated that he wanted to bang his head against the wall when he remembered the scene when he left the hotel!

Rain looked at her brother with heartache. "Your master finally forgave you this time, so go back to the restaurant and learn properly. Forget about the factory; what kind of job is a cook in a factory? Look at all the jobs Yi Zhonghai has arranged for you over the years—not a single one has been reliable!"

Sha Zhu sighed. It's not that he didn't know the value of things, it's that he was afraid of comparing them. His senior brother, whom he used to look down on the most, is now the head chef of a state-owned restaurant, and his salary has long since reached over 100! He can't keep up with the demand for work outside! It's like heaven and earth!

As they drank more and more, the conversation became more and more relaxed. Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, He Daqing looked at Lin Feng expectantly.

"My son is going to Fengzeyuan for an apprenticeship this year, so he probably won't be able to come back to the courtyard much. He'll be living alone in the courtyard then, so please take good care of him! Thank you!"

"Uncle He, what are you saying? Yi Zhonghai is gone. Who in the courtyard would dare to bully a girl? If someone does that, I certainly won't stand idly by."

"Although Yi Zhonghai schemed against my son, no one dared to lay a finger on him when he was around. Now that he's gone, don't I know what kind of people those neighbors in the courtyard are? A young woman occupying three main rooms plus a side room—I'm afraid someone might try something underhanded! It's a pity those two widows across the street ran away, otherwise I would have at least taught them a lesson!"

Lin Feng had drunk quite a bit and started to speak without thinking. "Yu Shui is graduating soon. Once she has a job, finding a girlfriend will be much easier, right?"

Hearing this, Yu Shui blushed slightly, while He Daqing's eyes flashed with disappointment. "I hope everything goes as you say!"

"Don't worry, if that day ever comes, you can come back! I remember the old lady in the backyard also likes Brother Zhu very much, and she has a lot of influence with him!"

"I'm not afraid of open attacks, but I'm afraid of covert ones! My foolish son's mouth is always dripping with venom; he doesn't even know how many people he's offended. Now that Yi Zhonghai is gone, I'm afraid the old lady won't have an easy time either. At that point, forget about helping him; she'll be lucky to even protect herself!"

As expected, becoming a father brings endless worries. Lin Feng glanced at Sha Zhu, who looked completely indifferent, out of the corner of his eye. He figured He Daqing was destined to feed the dog with all his heart.

After He Daqing left, many neighbors in the courtyard felt that the sky was much bluer. The happiest person was Liu Haizhong, who now felt that he was the most important person in the world.

After finishing work and having dinner, Sha Zhu, who had already left the factory, hadn't returned yet, and the yard wasn't as noisy anymore. Liu Haizhong was patrolling the yard with his hands behind his back, like a fierce beast surveying its territory.

"He has no respect for his superiors at all!" Liu Haizhong frowned and muttered as he watched Lin Feng lock himself in his room as soon as he returned. Just then, Xu Damao entered the courtyard with his new wife.

"Oh, who is this?" Although the Third Uncle no longer guards the gate, he can always arrive at the scene immediately if a target appears at the gate.

Xu Damao, beaming with pride, took a bag of candy from his wife and handed out a few pieces to everyone present. "This is from my wife, Lin Xiujuan, with whom I got our marriage certificate!"

The two elderly men were taken aback as they took the candy. "You're married?"

"Yes! My wife is from Linjia Village. Please ask the people in the courtyard to take good care of her."

After Xu Damao finished speaking, he took his wife's hand and went to Lin Feng's house. He stood at the door, coughed a few times, and knocked on Lin Feng's door.