Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

What can the system teach?

Sometimes it's all just theoretical talk, and when it comes to actual practice, it's completely useless.

He Yuzhu muttered to himself, but had no choice but to bite the bullet and try it out.

He knew perfectly well that the milk powder of this era could not compare to the instant milk powder of later generations.

If you don't stir it vigorously, it won't dissolve properly and might even clump together.

"That's good."

Chen Lanxiang took the baby bottle and weighed it in her hand.

The glass bottle felt cool to the touch.

She glanced again at He Yushui, who was whimpering from hunger, and asked with a slight frown.

"This bottle doesn't look very big, should we fill the whole bottle? Also, if the milk gets cold and then we reheat it, will the baby still be able to drink it?"

"I can drink it, it's fine."

He Yuzhu responded and turned to look at He Daqing, who was watching the commotion with his hands in his pockets.

He spoke seriously.

"Dad, this formula needs to be mixed with hot water; it won't dissolve in cold water. You'll have to learn how to do it properly later."

"If she wakes up hungry in the middle of the night during the rain, you can wash her up. You can't wake me up every time."

"Don't worry, this little thing won't stump your dad."

He Daqing waved his hand dismissively, a hint of arrogance on his lips.

"I can figure it out in one glance. How could it be harder than making my secret sauce? That sauce is all about the perfect balance of five flavors, and you can't be off by the slightest bit. Making this milk is just a matter of adding some water and stirring it up. Simple!"

He spoke with such confidence, as if making milk was a simple task, but he failed to notice the barely concealed worry in He Yuzhu's eyes.

The father and son walked towards the kitchen, one after the other, carrying a can of milk powder and a baby bottle.

She walked quietly, afraid of disturbing Chen Lanxiang and the child in the inner room.

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the kitchen, he closed the door behind him and whispered in He Daqing's ear.

He spoke in a very low voice, so low that only the two of them could hear him.

"Dad, do you think Yi Zhonghai will hold a grudge after you scolded him today? What kind of trouble will he cause us behind our backs?"

Upon hearing this, He Daqing's face immediately darkened.

He glared at her and slapped the stove.

The force was so strong that the iron pot on the stove shook, and the low sound carried a fierce undertone.

"He wouldn't dare? If he really dares to have any wicked thoughts, I'll break his legs! Does he really think I'm a pushover, someone he can bully?"

He Daqing had long seen through Yi Zhonghai's little scheme.

They simply thought He Daqing was easy to manipulate and wanted to take advantage of him.

As a result, they were rebuked and lost face, and who knows what bad things they might be holding in.

"I know he wouldn't dare to do it openly, but it's always good to be cautious, just to be on the safe side."

He Yuzhu glanced at the door again to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then lowered his voice even further.

"Have my mother keep this formula safe and hide it in a secluded place. When feeding Yushui, don't do it in front of outsiders—if anyone is in the yard, just make do with some rice oil and rice water, and don't let them see the formula."

"Do I need to remind you?"

He Daqing glanced at him, pointed to the foreign characters on the milk powder can, and spoke with a wary tone.

"Look at the writing on this; it's all in foreign languages. Can just anyone get their hands on something like this?"

"Don't even mention the neighbors in this compound; if someone outside sees this and goes to the police station to set off a firecracker, the detective squad will be the one to come. Our whole family will be in trouble then!"

"Hehe, I was just afraid you'd forget when you got busy."

He Yuzhu scratched his head and gave an awkward smile.

He knew his father understood perfectly well, but he couldn't help but add one more word of advice.

"Your mother is here. She's more meticulous than anyone else, so don't worry."

He Daqing waved his hand, his tone confident. Chen Lanxiang was always meticulous, and there would be absolutely no problem entrusting this matter to him.

"Okay! I'm relieved!"

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief; the weight that had been hanging over him finally lifted.

The stove in the kitchen hasn't been turned off yet.

The father and son had left a fire on when they went out; the copper kettle on the stove was boiling water, bubbling and steaming.

The misty water vapor floated in the air, carrying a faint warmth.

He Yuzhu first picked up the baby bottle, unscrewed the nipple, and put the bottle into hot water to scald it.

His movements weren't exactly skillful, but he was extremely earnest.

"What are you doing?"

He Daqing looked at his actions with a puzzled expression and reached out to grab the baby bottle.

"disinfect."

He Yuzhu gave a casual reply, without stopping what he was doing.

"disinfect?"

He Daqing was taken aback.

His expression immediately changed drastically; he was terrified.

He raised his hand and gave He Yuzhu a hard slap on the neck, the force of which was neither too light nor too heavy.

"You brat! Are you crazy? This stuff is poisonous and you dare give it to your sister? Are you trying to kill her?"

"father!"

He Yuzhu was stunned by the blow and covered his head, letting out a wronged cry.

Rubbing his sore neck, he hurriedly explained.

"I'm not saying this sterilization is toxic; it's just to scald off any dirt on the bottle, to disinfect it, just like you wash your hands after using the toilet—it's for hygiene, to prevent the baby from getting an upset stomach!"

"You should have said so earlier! You little rascal, you only said half of what you wanted to say, and you scared me half to death!"

He Daqing breathed a sigh of relief, patted his chest, and his expression finally calmed down.

He was genuinely terrified just now, thinking his son had gotten hold of something poisonous and was going to use it on the rainwater.

He Yuzhu pursed his lips, not daring to refute, and could only obediently continue to heat the baby bottle.

He thought to himself, "I'd better speak more clearly next time, or I'll get beaten up again."

After scalding the first bottle, He Yuzhu wiped the bottle clean, then turned around and went into the house to get another spare bottle.

This baby bottle is also made of glass, exactly the same as the one from before; he specially brought it along.

Chen Lanxiang was holding and comforting He Yushui when she saw him take out another baby bottle. She thought he had broken the previous one.

Glass is fragile and easily broken, so he hurriedly asked, "Why did you take another one? Did you break the previous one?"

"No, Mom, I'll just heat this one up and keep it ready. If we finish this one, we can make another bottle, saving us the trouble of heating it up again and again."

He Yuzhu offered an explanation and hurried away.

"Don't worry, it's not broken. I'll go make the milk right away; Yushui is starving."

Chen Lanxiang nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

He waved for him to hurry to the kitchen, where He Yushui, still in her swaddling clothes, was whimpering.

The little head was turning left and right, clearly indicating that it was extremely hungry.

He Yuzhu took the baby bottle and quickly returned to the kitchen, where he scalded the bottle before starting to prepare the formula.

He Daqing stood aside, watching his movements intently.

From scooping the milk powder to adding water and then stirring, he watched it once and confidently declared it was all done.

"Okay, I got it. It's super easy."

That being said, neither the father nor the son knew exactly how much milk powder or water to add.

They couldn't read a single word of the foreign language on the milk powder can, so they had no idea about the mixing ratio.

He Yuzhu carefully scooped two spoonfuls of milk powder into the baby bottle.

I dare not add too much, for fear that it will be too concentrated and cause the child to have a sore throat, or that it will be too diluted and not keep them full.

He looked at the milk powder in the can and calculated in his mind that this can only contain about two pounds of milk powder.

The rain is so light.

Although I don't drink much, I can't keep up with drinking every day. I guess I won't be able to drink for much longer, so I'll have to find a way to get some more later.

He added hot water and stirred vigorously with chopsticks until the milk powder was completely dissolved without any lumps.

I put the bottle in warm water to warm it up, tested the temperature, and only when it wasn't too hot to drink did I feel comfortable screwing on the nipple.

"Let's go, let's deliver this to the rainwater."

He Yuzhu picked up the baby bottle.

He Daqing followed behind, the father and son walking one after the other into the inner room, their steps extremely light, afraid of disturbing the child.

Chen Lanxiang took the bottle, glanced down at the shape of the nipple, and her cheeks flushed instantly.

The design of this baby bottle is exactly like a woman's breast. I don't know who came up with this idea, but it fits the baby's mouth quite well.

She held He Yushui in her arms and brought the pacifier to the baby's mouth.

A faint milky aroma wafted out, immediately stopping the little one's whimpering.

Her little nose twitched, and she smacked her lips, eagerly leaning in.

As soon as the pacifier was in her mouth, He Yushui immediately started sucking on it vigorously.

The little mouth puffed out and made soft sucking sounds, drinking the milk with extra relish.

The crying and fussing just now vanished without a trace, and her little eyes were squinted, looking completely satisfied.

Not long after.

She drank half a bottle of milk, perhaps because she was really hungry.

She showed no sign of stopping and drank another half bottle until her tummy was bulging.

Milk overflowed from the corner of his mouth and flowed down his chin, but the little guy was still sucking on the nipple with all his might, unwilling to let go.

"Okay, okay, stop drinking, you'll be stuffed if you drink any more."

Chen Lanxiang quickly removed the bottle, afraid that the child would drink too much and get an upset stomach.

Looking at her daughter's chubby little belly, her face was full of tenderness.

She turned to He Daqing and called out, "Quick, get a handkerchief to wipe the child's mouth."

He Daqing immediately responded, quickly took a clean handkerchief, and handed it to Chen Lanxiang.

Chen Lanxiang carefully wiped away the milk stains from He Yushui's mouth, her movements gentle, afraid of hurting the child.

The little guy, still wanting more, smacked his lips a few times and nuzzled his head into Chen Lanxiang's arms.

Then he started yawning, his small eyes narrowing into slits, clearly indicating that he was full and sleepy.

Chen Lanxiang gently patted her back until she fell asleep.

Only then did they carefully place her on the kang (a heated brick bed), cover her with a small quilt, and move as lightly as a feather.

She then asked He Daqing to find a clean cloth to wrap up the unfinished baby bottle.

It was placed on the side of the kang (heated brick bed) next to the fire, where the kang remained warm year-round.

As long as the kang (heated brick bed) doesn't get cold, the milk can stay warm, so if the child gets hungry in the middle of the night, they can drink it directly.

"Alright, Zhu Zi, you must be tired too. Go back to sleep. Your father and I are here."

Chen Lanxiang looked at He Yuzhu, her tone filled with heartache. This child had been busy all night and hadn't had a break.

"Mother, I'm alright."

He Yuzhu shook his head, then turned to look at He Daqing and reminded him again.

"Dad, don't forget to tell Mom about what I just told you. Make sure to hide the milk powder well and don't let anyone else see it."

"Do you think your dad can't handle this? Why are you being so long-winded?"

He Daqing waved his hand impatiently and urged him on.

"Get out of here and go to sleep right now. You have to get up early tomorrow, so stop dawdling around."

"Alright! I'm going back now. Mom, Dad, you should go to bed early too."

He Yuzhu responded, turned around and walked out of the house, gently closing the door behind him. He walked very quietly, afraid of disturbing the people inside.

At this point, he no longer cared where his son's skills came from.

It doesn't matter how he got his position, as long as it's his son's ability to provide a good life for the whole family, that's enough.

Looking at his sleeping daughter and thinking about his capable son, He Daqing was filled with anticipation, as if he could already see the good days ahead for his family.

"Alright, alright, you're just dreaming." Chen Lanxiang was amused by him, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"No matter how capable Zhu Zi is, he's still just a ten-year-old child. What can he possibly do?"

"Can you go out and become a cook, or find a job? Stop daydreaming. Earning money to support your family is better than anything else. What are you thinking?"

"I was just thinking about it, you know. Can't a person even have something to look forward to while they're alive? Are you saying we can't even have something to think about?"

He Daqing muttered resentfully, but his face was smiling, showing no anger whatsoever.

"Well, think about it, anything can happen in dreams."

Chen Lanxiang smiled and urged him on.

"Hurry up and wash your feet and get into bed. You have to get up to look after the kids in the middle of the night. Stop dawdling around."

"Okay, go to sleep, I'm going to sleep now."

He Daqing responded cheerfully.

He turned around and went to the kitchen to wash his feet.

He quickly climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and when he lay down, a smile still lingered on his lips.

"Tonight is finally a relief, I don't have to go and cook rice porridge, hehe, it's so good to have this milk powder."

On the other hand, while the He family's home was filled with warmth, the Yi Zhonghai family presented a completely different scene.

When He Daqing led He Yuzhu inside, Yi Zhonghai was returning from outside with a dark expression.

His face was so gloomy it could drip water, and the oppressive atmosphere around him was almost overflowing.

Neighbors passing by didn't dare to talk to him, for fear of running into trouble.

As soon as he entered the house, Yi Zhonghai threw his coat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and shouted at Yi Lishi in an annoyed tone.

"Guihua, hurry up and get me some peanuts and wine!"

When Yi Li saw him like this, her heart skipped a beat, knowing that he must have encountered something troubling him.

Not daring to ask any more questions, he quickly turned around and went to the kitchen, where he brought out a plate of peanuts.

Finally, he took a pot of wine and a wine glass and placed them on the table.

Yi Zhonghai sat at the table and poured himself a full glass of wine.

He picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy liquor slid down his throat, burning it and making his throat hurt, but it did nothing to quell the anger in his heart.

One glass after another, downed in no time, the glasses slammed heavily on the table, making a crisp sound.

He looked up at Yi Lishi, his tone icy.

"Guihua, find an excuse to go to Old He's house tomorrow and see how they are doing."

"Where are you going?"

Holding her wine glass, Yi Li asked cautiously, her mind filled with doubt.

"Whatever He Daqing brings back is his own business, so let's not meddle in his affairs, okay? It's better to avoid trouble and get ourselves into trouble..."

"Getting into trouble? I'm not going to swallow this!"

Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table, making the peanuts on it bounce. His eyes were filled with anger as he gritted his teeth and said...

"All I asked was to help me buy some meat, and he went and completely humiliated me, making me lose face in the yard. What kind of scoundrel is He Daqing? How dare he show me such disrespect!"

Today in the courtyard, He Daqing's words, whether openly or subtly, were a slap in the face to him, making him lose face.

The neighbors in the courtyard are all watching. He has completely lost face. If he lets it go like this, how will he ever be able to stand up in the courtyard again?

"Honey, did you say something you shouldn't have?"

Yi Li frowned and asked cautiously.

"He Daqing is usually quite easy to talk to, not the kind of unreasonable person. Why would he suddenly treat you like this? There must be a reason."

"You don't need to worry about the reasons, just do as I say."

Yi Zhonghai interrupted her, his tone forceful and leaving no room for negotiation.

"Go to the He family tomorrow, find an excuse to go in and see what good things He Daqing brought back tonight. Tell me everything when you get back, not a single word can be omitted!"

Seeing his firm attitude, Yi Li sighed inwardly, knowing that she couldn't persuade him otherwise.

She didn't want to get involved in the He family's affairs, but Yi Zhonghai was the head of the household, and he always made the decisions.

In addition, she had never given birth to any children for Yi Zhonghai over the years, so she already felt guilty.

She had no confidence in front of him and could only obediently agree.

"Okay, I'll go check it out tomorrow."

Yi Zhonghai nodded in satisfaction, picked up his wine glass, and drank again.

However, his face remained gloomy, and the anger in his heart had not subsided at all.

He wanted to see what kind of good stuff He Daqing had come up with to dare to challenge him like this.

The Jia family hasn't been idle either.

Jia Laonian followed Yi Zhonghai home.

As soon as she entered, Jia Zhangshi came up to her.

Her eyes were full of curiosity as she tugged at his arm and pressed him for an answer.

"Old Nian, you were following behind Uncle Yi just now. Did you see He Daqing go out that night and bring back something good? Did he bring back some meat or grain?"

"Those two, father and son, were acting all secretive; they must have gotten their hands on some good stuff!"

Jia Zhangshi's nose is more sensitive than a dog's.

I saw He Daqing and He Yuzhu carrying things back from afar, wrapped up tightly.

Judging from its appearance, I knew it was something good. I was itching to go and see it right away.

"have no idea."

Jia Laonian shook off her hand and said something irritatingly.

Sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), I rubbed my sore legs. I had been standing all day, and my legs were numb.

"You don't know? How could you not know?"

Jia Zhangshi persisted, moving closer and shaking his arm.

"Didn't you even go up and ask? Or sneak a peek? How could you be so stupid? You missed such a good opportunity!"

"If you had something good, would you just tell people about it? Would you let others see it?"

Old Jia rolled his eyes at her and asked in an annoyed tone, with a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"What others acquire is their own skill. Instead of wasting time being envious of others, you should think about how to earn some money to support your family, instead of spending all your time eyeing other people's things."

"So what if I'm envious? Who in the neighborhood isn't envious?"

Jia Zhangshi pursed her lips and said confidently.

"Why does the He family get to get their hands on such good stuff? We're dirt poor, we can't even afford a decent meal, while they're living the high life. Why should they?"

Her eyes darted around, she was plotting something, and her face was full of calculation.

She's not stupid. If she has something good, she wouldn't just tell everyone. She would definitely eat and use it secretly and not let anyone know.

"You might as well just say that you're a good-for-nothing, you can't get anything good out of you, and I'm the one who has to run this household."

Madam Jia glanced at Old Man Jia, her tone full of disdain.

"I'm so unlucky to have married such a good-for-nothing like you. I can't even get a decent meal, and I suffer with you every day."

"Don't do anything reckless."

Old Jia frowned, his face darkening. He reached out and grabbed her, his tone wary.

"Let me tell you, the He family is not to be trifled with. They have connections with the old lady in the backyard. We rent this house from her. If we offend the He family and make the old lady unhappy, she might kick us out. Then we won't even have a place to live. What will we do then?"

The old lady in the backyard is a prominent figure in the alley; she's not someone to mess with.

Everyone in the courtyard knows that the He family has a good relationship with the old lady.

He didn't want to offend the He family over such a trivial matter and end up homeless.

"What could it possibly have to do with anything?"

Jia Zhangshi waved her hand dismissively, shaking off his hand with a contemptuous tone.

"So what if they moved in a few years earlier than us, and the old lady ate a few more meals at their house? What kind of close relationship could they possibly have? Don't try to scare me with the old lady; I'm not afraid."

She was afraid of the old lady because she was renting the old lady's house.

These days, it's not easy to find such a nice house at such a reasonable price.

But so what? The old lady can't just kick them out over such a small matter, can she?

As for the He family?

She didn't take it seriously at all.

He Daqing worked from dawn till dusk every day, busy making money.

Chen Lanxiang had just given birth and was unable to get out of bed during her postpartum confinement period. There was only ten-year-old He Yuzhu at home, so what could they do to her?

At most, she'd just hurl a few insults; Jia Zhangshi had never been afraid of anyone in her life.

That brat He Yuzhu hasn't even grown his first hair yet.

She refused to believe that she and her son Jia Dongxu couldn't have a baby.

Thinking of this, Jia Zhangshi had an idea.

A calculating smile crept across her lips. She planned to find an excuse to go to the He family's house first thing tomorrow morning and have a look inside.

She wanted to see what good stuff He Daqing had gotten, hoping to get some back and gain some advantage.

These past two days, she's been mistreated everywhere in the courtyard and hasn't gained any advantage whatsoever.

I've been feeling uneasy for a while now.

Seeing how well the He family was eating, she wished she could rush over to their house, take all their pots and pans, and let them experience what it's like to go hungry.

Looking at her calculating expression, Jia Laonian's heart skipped a beat.

Knowing she was about to cause trouble again, he quickly advised her, "Don't do anything reckless. Let's not get involved in the He family's affairs, lest we get ourselves into trouble."

"Don't worry about it, I know what I'm doing."

Jia Zhangshi shook off his hand, looking smug.

They didn't take his words to heart at all.

She had already come up with an excuse to go to the He family first thing tomorrow morning; she was sure she would get something out of it.