All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Watching Qin Huairu's retreating figure, He Yuzhu sighed and helplessly turned back into the house.

As soon as he entered the house, the Third Uncle knocked on his door.

"Oh dear, Uncle San, what's wrong?"

"Silly Zhu, it's like you're not welcoming me."

"No...no, come, Uncle, please sit down, I'll pour you some tea!"

Over the past year, He Yuzhu has stopped arguing with everyone in the compound as before, and the relationship between neighbors has improved a lot. Everyone's impression of He Yuzhu has also improved a lot.

Despite finding it strange that the Third Uncle had come to visit so suddenly, He Yuzhu quickly poured tea and took out some snacks from the cabinet, knowing that the Third Uncle had a taste for them.

The two sat down, and the old man took a sip of tea, peeled a piece of candy with satisfaction, looked around the empty room, and thought of his own room where his family was crammed together, and couldn't help but feel envious.

"Silly Zhu, you're over thirty, aren't you? Haven't you thought about finding a wife yet?"

When He Yuzhu heard what the Third Uncle said, he really started to think about it. Lou Xiao'e had been gone for three or four months, and he had long since moved on from that relationship.

Some time ago, because of Lou Xiao'e's incident, no one dared to introduce him to a potential partner. During this period, due to the wave of the epidemic, half of the salary was paid, and every family was tightening their belts to make ends meet. On the contrary, He Yuzhu, the cook, ate and drank every day and seemed to be living a more and more comfortable life.

During this period, when many unmarried female workers from the steel plant went to the canteen to get food, they would take the opportunity to chat with him. He met a few, but none of them were satisfactory. Instead, he introduced one of the female workers that Ma Hua had taken a liking to to Ma Hua, and the two progressed very quickly.

Hearing the Third Uncle mention this, He Yuzhu thought of Teacher Ran Qiuye. When he first arrived in this world, he was quite looking forward to having a relationship with Teacher Ran, but various things later made him gradually lose that feeling.

With Lou Xiao'e's involvement, he had almost forgotten about it.

"Uncle, do you have any good girls to recommend?"

The old man smiled, took another sip of tea, and nodded.

"You know Yu Haitang, the younger sister of my eldest son's wife, Yu Li, right?"

He Yuzhu nodded. Could this third uncle be trying to introduce Yu Haitang to him?

If He Yuzhu still harbored a sliver of hope for Haitang before, now he avoids her like the plague, as Haitang has been making headlines for the past few months.

Although her affair with Xu Damao didn't work out, she caught the eye of Director Li. The two didn't have a romantic relationship; Director Li valued her talent and her revolutionary enthusiasm for daring to fight and get things done.

Now, Yu Haitang is not only the head of the broadcasting team at Zhagang Steel Plant, but also the women's affairs officer at the plant—a truly indispensable role.

He Yuzhu wouldn't dare to get involved with such a strong-willed girl. He'd rather leave her to someone else; he wasn't lucky enough to have her!

"Third Uncle, you wouldn't be thinking of introducing Yu Haitang to me, would you?"

"Silly Zhu, look at you. Yu Haitang is not good enough for you. Don't you know what kind of status she has now?"

"Alright, alright, Third Uncle, I only feel that I'm not good enough for Yu Haitang because I know her current status. Don't ruin her future!"

"Silly Zhu, what do you mean by that? So you look down on Yu Haitang?"

"Third Uncle, no, to be honest, I'm not very ambitious and I have a stubborn temper. If I really married Yu Haitang, she would be pushing me every day. Do you think I could live like that?"

When the Third Uncle heard He Yuzhu's words, he thought about it for a moment and realized that it made perfect sense. If Yu Haitang really married into the family, with He Yuzhu's personality and temper, the two of them would surely turn on each other.

The third uncle nodded, indicating his agreement with He Yuzhu's words. He had come today on behalf of his eldest daughter-in-law, Yu Li.

Everyone in the compound lives in the same compound. Yu Li has been married into the compound for almost a year now, and she knows pretty much everything about everyone in the compound.

Given He Yuzhu's family's circumstances, there are very few like them in the entire steel mill, especially during this special period when every family is eating cornbread and cabbage, and their meager monthly salary isn't even enough to cover their food and drink.

There's also the issue of bedrooms. The whole family, young and old, is crammed together in one or two rooms. Even Yu Li herself now uses a curtain to separate them, with her brother-in-law sleeping right across from her. How envious she is of He Yuzhu's family's situation!

He Yuzhu now lives in a large room by himself, and his sister's room is empty, she only stays there a few times a year. You can't find many places like this in the entire city of Yanjing.

In addition, He Yuzhu was a chef by trade, and his skills were famous for miles around. Even now, the legend of He Yuzhu's amazing cooking skills is still circulating in the steel mill.

The vegetarian chicken a few months ago completely elevated He Yuzhu's culinary skills to legendary status. After all, in this era, many people haven't eaten meat for months. Suddenly eating a chicken leg, even though they later learned it was vegetarian, everyone had tasted it. It was indeed similar to real chicken. Many people still think it was the best chicken leg they've ever eaten in their lives.

Through word of mouth among thousands of people, He Yuzhu's culinary skills have become renowned in the area. Fortunately, He Yuzhu is low-key, and with the word spreading, many outsiders still think it's just a legend.

However, as a family member of the steel mill owner, Yu Li naturally knew that, considering all factors, He Yuzhu's current conditions were enough to make countless unmarried women interested in him.

And so, the scene of the third uncle coming to act as matchmaker came about.

After listening to He Yuzhu's analysis, the third uncle thought it made a lot of sense, but he didn't want to leave so soon. After all, the tea and candy were free, so why not take them?

Seeing that the Third Uncle's eyes were fixed on the milk candy in the plate, He Yuzhu couldn't help but smile. Then he simply grabbed all the remaining milk candy and put it in the Third Uncle's hand, while saying something.

"Uncle, actually I also want to ask you something. You can take this candy for now. If this matter is settled, next time, I'll give you two pounds of this candy!"

The old man's eyes lit up and he nodded quickly.

"Uncle, I'd like to ask how Ms. Ran Qiuye from your school is doing now? Does she have a boyfriend?"

He Yuzhu was also worried that since they hadn't seen each other for more than half a year, if Teacher Ran already had a boyfriend, he would completely give up on that idea. Although he still had some feelings for Teacher Ran, it wasn't that he had to marry her. These days, there are just too many good girls. Men always have a bit of nostalgia, and all men understand.

When Uncle San heard He Yuzhu ask about Teacher Ran, he paused for a second, then smiled and quietly put the candy into his pocket. He picked up his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said...

"Silly Zhu, do you have feelings for Teacher Ran?"

He Yuzhu chuckled and nodded.

This time, the third uncle confidently put down his teacup and looked at He Yuzhu. He Yuzhu was taken aback by the look in his eyes, but then he understood. He quickly stood up and took out another handful of peanuts from the cabinet. He had been saving these peanuts for himself to have with his drinks, but he was now contributing them as well.

The old man peeled open a peanut with satisfaction, making a crunchy sound as he bit into it, before slowly speaking.

"Teacher Ran is having a tough time these days!"

Chapter 45: Seeing is not always believing

He Yuzhu was taken aback and quickly asked.

"What's wrong with Teacher Ran?"

The old man peeled open a peanut and said irritably.

"Ran Qiuye's parents are both overseas Chinese. Given her family's social status, what else can happen?"

He Yuzhu immediately realized what was happening and, remembering the current era, nodded without saying anything more. Finally, he couldn't help but ask.

"Is Teacher Ran still teaching?"

"What's there to teach? She still has to study hard every day and undergo further self-improvement. She studies in the morning and cleans toilets and does chores in the afternoon, but her attitude is quite good!"

He Yuzhu nodded heavily. Teacher Ran was already considered lucky. At most, she was just a lowly... stinking ninth grader, and at least she could stay at school. If Lou Xiao'e's family hadn't left yet, they probably would be in a very bad situation now... I don't even want to think about it!

However, when Uncle San talked about Teacher Ran, he didn't seem to be gloating much. His family had a good class background, so at least he could still teach. But in these times, even the steel mill could still pay half of his salary. As for Uncle San, he hadn't heard from him for two months.

He Yuzhu didn't want to discuss this heavy topic with the Third Uncle, but after thinking about it, he felt that if he pursued Teacher Ran at this time, he should have a good chance, so he continued to ask.

"So, Ms. Ran, you're not dating anyone yet, are you?"

The third uncle glanced at He Yuzhu and snorted.

"No, silly Zhu, I'm not trying to be mean, but things aren't like they used to be. With your current conditions, you could easily find someone with good conditions, why bother looking for Ran Qiuye?"

He Yuzhu smiled and said helplessly.

"Uncle, you don't understand. How about this, could you help me arrange to meet Teacher Ran tomorrow afternoon?"

The old man drank his tea silently.

He Yuzhu reluctantly poured him another cup of tea before continuing.

"Uncle, this isn't a wasted effort for you. Like I said before, if this is done, you'll get two pounds of candy, no questions asked!"

The third uncle suddenly remembered what He Yuzhu had just said, looked down at the candy in his pocket, gritted his teeth and stood up.

"Okay, then it's settled. Come back early tomorrow, around 5:30 pm. I'll invite Teacher Ran over for dinner, how about that?"

"Alright, alright, thank you, Uncle!"

"Alright, I'm leaving then. Silly Zhu, you peanut... well, I'll just..."

"Take it, take it, it's all for eating!"

Upon hearing He Yuzhu's words, the Third Uncle immediately beamed with joy. He acted as if he were one of the guests, quickly stuffing the peanuts into his pocket. Finally, he finished the tea in his cup before leaving satisfied.

Watching the Third Uncle leave, He Yuzhu shook his head helplessly. The Third Uncle was quite the oddball when it came to scheming.

But thinking about it these days, people who don't use computers probably don't even know where their next meal is coming from!

Take Qin Huairu for example. She hasn't schemed against He Yuzhu for a long time. What's become of her family?

However, sometimes seeing is not believing. At this moment, Qin Huairu's family was just about to start dinner. Several children were sitting at the table with their bowls in hand, watching Qin Huairu open the lunchbox and take in the food.

Looking at the white pork belly and a few pieces of chicken, all the children swallowed hard, and even the squinty-eyed old woman stared wide-eyed.

Qin Huairu heated up the food with a blank expression before finally bringing it to the table and placing it in the center. She then brought out the steamed buns before calling the children to start eating.

The children's chopsticks flew across the meat and vegetables, and the squinty-eyed old woman also picked up a piece of fatty meat, took a bite, and sighed.

"The food that Sha Zhu brought back still smells the best. Can you believe how long it's been? It's been almost a year since I've had any of his cooking!"

As the squinting old woman ate, she couldn't help but sigh. Qin Huairu silently ate her cornbread, not picking up any meat, but instead picking up some side dishes from the plate, her thoughts unknown.

This meal was the best Qin Huairu's family had had recently. After the meal, the children went out to play, and Qin Huairu started clearing the table. Her squinty-eyed mother-in-law saw Qin Huairu clearing the table, quietly stepped forward, and asked in a humble tone with a fawning expression.

"Daughter-in-law, could you... could you still give me three cents?"

Qin Huairu spoke expressionlessly, without turning her head.

"no!"

The squinty-eyed old woman didn't give up, and continued to ask in a pleading tone.

"Sanmao, my chest hurts so much, I haven't slept well for several nights!"

Hearing the expression on her mother-in-law's face, Qin Huairu's eyes showed a hint of pain and struggle, but she eventually regained her composure, put down her chopsticks, turned to look at her mother-in-law, and spoke in a gentler tone.

"Mom, we're really struggling to make ends meet. The steel mill only pays a little over ten yuan a month. Do you think that's enough for food and drink? Are you really trying to drive us to our deaths?"

Upon hearing this, the squinty-eyed old woman's eyes flashed with a fleeting sense of guilt. However, having taken painkillers for so many years, she was truly addicted and found it difficult to quit. It had become a deep-seated problem for her. Despite this, she made a final effort and pleaded with Qin Huairu.

"Then I don't need the money for next week, just give me three cents now, I'll only eat here this once!"

Looking at the fat, big-eared old woman in front of her, Qin Huairu's despair deepened. A hint of hatred welled up on her face, eventually turning into sorrow. Her eyes welled up with tears, she wiped them away, stood up, took out a small bag from her pocket, pulled out three cents, and threw it on the table.

The old woman with the slanted eyes saw the three cents on the table, her eyes lit up with joy, she quickly picked it up and stuffed it into her pocket, then looked outside and saw that it was getting dark, her expression immediately showing disappointment, and asked Qin Huairu.

"Is the hospital closed now?"

Qin Huairu didn't turn her head and continued tidying up the table.

The squinty-eyed old woman probably knew that painkillers were no longer available, and she became restless, pacing around the room. She stopped sewing cloth shoes and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) in a daze.