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

He Yuzhu didn't take Yi Zhonghai's side seriously at all.

Every time He Yuzhu met Yi Zhonghai's eyes, filled with a fierce glint that seemed to want to devour him alive, he simply treated it as entertainment. Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai didn't dare linger; he would glare at him a few times and then leave dejectedly, unable to cause any real trouble.

He Yuzhu only had to spend a short time with the girl who had just entered the courtyard, but he knew perfectly well that she was no ordinary country girl.

Her eyes, her posture, and the undisguised sharpness—it was clear she had fought the Japanese in real combat. But once inside the city, she had to conceal her strength. When they first met, He Yuzhu absolutely refused to believe that this was a young woman who had never left her home.

In the backyard, the old lady looked up at Wang Cuiping, her tone calm yet authoritative:

"Girl, tell me yourself, what brought you to the city?"

"Let's get married." Wang Cuiping's voice was steady and unhurried.

Where does your husband's family live?

"Jinmen".

The young woman glanced at Zhao Fengnian subconsciously, and only after seeing him nod slightly did she reply steadily.

The old lady turned to look at Zhao Fengnian and asked casually:

"Young man Zhao, you're in Beijing, why don't you introduce someone there for easier care instead of pushing them to Tianjin?"

Zhao Fengnian's heart skipped a beat.

He truly regretted bringing people into this courtyard; the old lady had a sharp eye and was not easily fooled.

"Grandma, that family are my trusted friends. They're reliable, and I trust them." Zhao Fengnian carefully chose his words.

The old lady gave him a deep look.

Zhao Fengnian looked refined and scholarly, like an honest engineer, but the old lady knew from the first time she met him that he was no ordinary man. She didn't bother to pry into his specific identity; she only had one bottom line—don't bring trouble to the courtyard.

"Alright, Grandma, I'll believe you this time."

"Thank you so much, ma'am! As for the house..."

"What's the rush?" the old woman said slowly. "Young lady, what's your name? How old are you?"

"Auntie, my name is Wang Cuiping, and I am twenty-one years old."

"Twenty-one? Why are you only looking for someone now?"

"A few years ago, the Japanese devils were causing a huge disturbance, and we were fleeing everywhere, which delayed things." Wang Cuiping's words were half true and half false, and there was nothing wrong with them.

The old lady nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"Lanxiang, take her to clean up that west wing room in the middle courtyard. Zhao boy, you stay here, I have a few words to say to you."

After saying that, she bent down and took out a heavy bunch of brass keys from under the cabinet.

Chen Lanxiang took the keys, still feeling uneasy, and lowered her voice:

"Grandma, how about... we go to my room to talk? I'll have Zhu Zi keep you company."

"No need." The old woman slammed her cane on the ground; her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a lot of weight. "What can that Zhao kid do to an old man like me?"

"No, no, absolutely not!" Zhao Fengnian quickly waved his hand.

Seeing that the old lady was determined to do so, Chen Lanxiang stopped trying to persuade her and pulled Wang Cuiping to leave.

Along the way, Chen Lanxiang joked with a smile:

"Wang family girl, you are so beautiful. I wonder which lucky boy in Tianjin is so fortunate."

Wang Cuiping's cheeks flushed slightly, a little embarrassed.

"Sister-in-law He, I... I haven't even met her yet."

"You really need to practice your Mandarin properly," Chen Lanxiang said in an even lower voice. "Don't let your hometown accent show. This is Beijing, a city with lots of mouths and ears. One wrong word could get you into big trouble."

"I've got it. Thank you for reminding me, Sister-in-law He."

"Stop calling me 'sister-in-law' all the time. My husband's surname is He, and my family name is Chen. You can call me Sister-in-law He or Sister Chen, it's fine."

"Then I'll call you Sister-in-law He."

At this time, most of the men in the courtyard were not there.

Jia Laonian went out to buy grain, He Daqing was invited to cook a banquet, Yi Zhonghai was wandering around somewhere, and Xu Fugui's factory hadn't closed for the holidays yet, so he had to wait for the boss to give the go-ahead before he could come back.

The people living in the front yard either went out to do odd jobs or went up the mountain to chop firewood, making the yard much quieter.

Upon entering the Intermediate People's Court, Chen Lanxiang immediately shouted:

"Zhu Zi! Stop playing around! Tell Da Mao to watch your sister and come to the backyard to keep the old lady company!"

A crisp, clear reply immediately came from inside the house:

"Okay, Mother!"

He Yuzhu was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) teasing He Yushui, pinching the little girl's chubby cheeks until they were puffed up. He then casually handed his little sister to Xu Damao, who was standing next to him.

"Keep an eye on our sister. If you dare make her cry, I'll deal with you when we get back."

"I understand, Brother Zhu! Don't worry!" Xu Damao quickly hugged the little girl tightly.

As soon as He Yuzhu got off the kang (a heated brick bed), He Yushui's little mouth pouted, and she looked like she was about to cry. Xu Damao hurriedly grabbed the little rag doll from the head of the kang, made funny faces and shook the toy, and finally managed to coax the little girl to calm down.

He Yuzhu pushed open the door and immediately saw Wang Cuiping next to his mother, and froze on the spot.

My heart just exploded:

"Looks so familiar? Those lips, those eyebrows... isn't that the celebrity from my past life? What's she doing here?"

"What are you daydreaming about!" Chen Lanxiang glared at her. "This is your Aunt Wang, Wang Cuiping. Hurry up and greet her!"

"Aunt Wang? Wang Cuiping?" He Yuzhu muttered subconsciously.

Wait a minute, this plot isn't right!

Shouldn't she have gone straight to Tianjin and married someone there? Why did she end up in Beijing and even sneak into our courtyard house?

"You brat, what are you staring at that girl for! You have no manners!" Chen Lanxiang raised her hand and gave her a light slap on the neck.

He Yuzhu immediately snapped out of his daze and hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting: "Hello, Aunt Wang, my name is He Yuzhu, you can just call me Zhuzi."

Wang Cuiping was amused by the boy, her eyes crinkling into a smile: "Sister-in-law He, your son is quite interesting. How old is he?"

"It's only October 1st after the New Year, and he's already like this. He's tough, just ignore him."

"Only eleven?" Wang Cuiping's eyes widened slightly, almost blurting out, "With that physique, he could carry a gun!"

He swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue, and only smiled and said, "This child is really sturdy."

"You're tall and clumsy, but not very clever," Chen Lanxiang teased with a smile.

"Mother, I'm going to the backyard first." He Yuzhu felt uncomfortable being criticized by the two women to his face, so he ran to the backyard as soon as he finished speaking.

It's still swirling in my mind:

Why did Wang Cuiping come?

Did that old bastard Zhao Fengnian bring it back?

As for why it's Old Zhao... does it matter? Anyway, it has nothing to do with him. As long as it doesn't interfere with his stockpiling, going to school, or fighting traitors, that's fine.

In the backyard, as soon as Chen Lanxiang and Wang Cuiping left, the old lady's smile immediately faded.

"The Zhao family's boy."

"Grandma." Zhao Fengnian immediately stood up straight.

"I don't care who you are or what you're doing," the old woman's voice turned stern. "Don't bring trouble into my yard. Do you understand?"

"I understand, I absolutely understand," Zhao Fengnian said sincerely. "I guarantee with my integrity that I will never implicate anyone in the hospital."

"And another thing," the old lady raised her eyes, "that Wang family girl speaks Mandarin so poorly, her rustic accent is too jarring. This is Beijing, not the countryside, you must remind her to watch her mouth."

"Yes, yes, I'll tell her repeatedly later!" Zhao Fengnian felt a surge of relief.

Thankfully, they didn't just find a random place to settle her outside, and they certainly didn't dare send her directly to Tianjin. With Wang Cuiping's accent and demeanor, she would have been spotted halfway there; that wouldn't have been helping her, it would have been sending her to trouble.

"Just staying for a month?" the old lady asked.

"Maybe... a few more days. You can decide how to calculate the rent."

"I don't want much," the old woman said calmly, "half a dollar a month."

"No problem!" Zhao Fengnian immediately took out a silver dollar and gently placed it on the kang table. "This is one dollar. If you stay longer than the allotted time, the rest can be used to offset next month's rent."

The old lady glanced at the silver coins and nodded: "Alright. Hurry up and tidy up the house and buy some New Year's goods. You just came back from out of town, you should rest."

"My cousin can take care of the house herself. I'll go out and buy her some daily necessities and prepare some New Year's goods."

"Go on," the old woman waved her hand, "Remember what you said today."

"Rest assured, I will absolutely not bring any trouble to the courtyard!" Zhao Fengnian solemnly cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and left the back room.

As soon as I stepped out, I bumped into He Yuzhu, who was rushing towards me in a flurry.

Their eyes met, and He Yuzhu suddenly understood.

It turns out that Zhao Fengnian brought Wang Cuiping in; no wonder the plot went so awry.

"Zhu Zi, why are you running so fast?" Zhao Fengnian spoke first.

"Hello, Uncle Zhao." He Yuzhu smiled obediently. "My mother asked me to come and keep my wife company."

"I just got back today and had something to talk to the old lady about. You go ahead, I'm leaving now." Zhao Fengnian glanced at the unusually strong but not quite grown-up boy and nodded to himself.

He knew that He Yuzhu was practicing martial arts with her. It was normal for Chen Lanxiang to ask her son to come and watch over the old lady because she was worried about her.

Moreover, the old lady had long noticed that something was wrong with Wang Cuiping, but she just didn't point it out.

"Okay, Uncle Zhao, take care."

He Yuzhu smiled and nodded, watching Zhao Fengnian leave before turning and walking towards the back room.

When he reached the door, he raised his hand and gently knocked:

"Madam, I'm here."

The old lady responded from inside the house, with a slight smile on her face:

"Zhu Zi? What are you doing here? It's not even lunchtime yet."

"No, my mother was worried about you, so she asked me to come and keep you company." He Yuzhu pushed open the door and entered, smiling honestly.

The old lady looked at the boy, a knowing glint in her eyes.

This child may seem careless, but he's more insightful than anyone else.

Sometimes, it's best to keep things unsaid for peace of mind.