All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

Qin Huairu ignored her mother-in-law. After tidying up the table, she suddenly heard a noise outside. Looking out, she saw Qin Jingru walking past the door.

Qin Huairu quickly put down what she was doing and quietly followed him out.

Qin Jingru probably sensed something and quickly quickened her pace, jogging towards the inner courtyard.

Qin Huairu followed behind at a leisurely pace until they reached Xu Damao's house. Only then did she knock on the door. Qin Jingru hid inside, deliberately remaining silent as if she wasn't there.

Qin Huairu stood at the door, her face cold, and knocked harder once more.

In the end, Qin Jingru opened the door, and Qin Huairu walked in with a cold face.

"Sis, it's so late at night, why aren't you home for dinner? Why are you here?"

Qin Huairu looked at Qin Jingru, who was grinning foolishly and pretending to be confused, with a cold face, and spoke in a very calm tone.

"Lend me another twenty yuan. The steel mill is only paying half of our wages this month, and we can't make ends meet!"

"Twenty!!! Sis, please let me go! Last month it was fifteen, and this month it's twenty again. Sis, I really don't have that much money. Da Mao only gives me a few cents a day to buy groceries. I save every penny to save a few dollars a month. I've given it all to you. You want twenty this time? I really don't have it!"

Qin Huairu, however, continued to look coldly at Qin Jingru and spoke slowly.

“Jingru, I’m your sister. You’re living a leisurely life now, as an official’s wife. Have you ever thought about what kind of life your sister’s family is living? Have you ever thought about how you got this comfortable life?”

Qin Huairu deliberately emphasized the last sentence, and Qin Jingru's face turned pale, revealing a pleading expression as she looked at Qin Huairu.

Chapter 46: "Borrowing Money"

Qin Huairu saw the pleading look on Qin Jingru's face, but pretended not to see it and continued speaking.

“Do you think I don’t know what kind of person Xu Damao is? He’s done a lot of heinous things. He can’t possibly not bring his ill-gotten gains home. Jingru, I’m not asking you for much. I’m just trying to keep my children from starving. Aren’t you going to help me with this little thing?”

Qin Jingru felt a little embarrassed by these words. She didn't know all the bad things Xu Damao had done, but she knew a little bit about it. Even with that little bit of knowledge, Xu Damao hadn't brought anything home. Qin Jingru was right; the money Xu Damao gave her was far more than twenty.

At least Qin Jingru herself is a bit of a penny-pincher, and she can't stand her cousin "borrowing" from her every now and then.

However, she had leverage over him, and he couldn't refuse to lend it to her.

With a mournful face, Qin Jingru carefully took out an iron box from the drawer, counted out twenty yuan from it, and handed it to Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu took it, and wisely refrained from peering into the tin box. Clearly, she had no other intentions and understood the importance of taking things slowly. She even kindly gave her some advice.

"Xu Damao is never home. You need to hurry up and get pregnant soon. Xu Damao is the kind of person who is naturally fickle. You need to be careful!"

Looking at the money in Qin Huairu's hand, Qin Jingru felt as if she had lost a child. She gave a dejected "oh" and didn't say anything more.

Seeing that she had the money, Qin Huairu didn't linger and turned to leave the room, leaving Qin Jingru looking somewhat dejected.

Besides feeling frustrated about herself and being constantly asked to "borrow money" by her cousin, Qin Jingru was also troubled by the child that Qin Huairu had just mentioned.

Since her unexpected miscarriage, Qin Jingru has never missed an opportunity to take advantage of Xu Damao, serving him very well. However, there has been no news about the child.

How could Qin Jingru not be anxious?

What is Xu Damao's current status?

She felt incredibly fortunate to have married such a wonderful man. She knew how much Xu Damao longed to have a child of his own, but she was just not being able to have one. What could she do?

Cold!

Qin Jingru sighed and reluctantly got up to start cooking. Although she wasn't sure if Xu Damao would come back for dinner, Qin Jingru still cooked the meal, prepared the wine, and cleaned the house neatly and spotlessly.

Qin Huairu brought back twenty yuan and quietly returned home. Everything was as usual. The children had returned, and she began to busy herself boiling water to wash her face and feet. Her squinty-eyed mother-in-law was still pacing around the house, looking somewhat agitated.

Qin Huairu ignored them and continued with her work. Occasionally, she would glance out the window and see that the lights across the street had been turned off, at which point a faint smile would appear on her lips.

The truth of everything seems to have never been something that can be believed with one's own eyes.

The next day, He Yuzhu got up early, washed up, and went to work full of energy. He hadn't forgotten what he had agreed on with Uncle San that afternoon.

I wonder if Teacher Ran will agree to have dinner at my home. I'm getting a little excited just thinking about it.

During the time he spent with Lou Xiao'e, He Yuzhu experienced a different kind of happiness. Aside from the physical pleasure, a man's home truly needs a woman to be in charge.

Especially for women of this era, who are capable both in the living room and the kitchen, He Yuzhu hates doing housework the most. If there is a woman at home who comes home every day to a clean room and neatly arranged sheets, her mood will be completely different.

He Yuzhu was in a good mood today. During his free time at work, he gave Ma Hua a lesson on cooking a famous dish, which Ma Hua learned very seriously.

Ma Hua has been with me for quite some time and is a good apprentice. Now that he has a girlfriend, he can be considered a winner in life.

He Yuzhu was originally worried that Director Li would host a banquet in the afternoon, which would interfere with his dinner with Teacher Ran tonight, but luckily, Director Li had to go to a meeting today, so he had some free time.

After finishing his work with several people in the afternoon, He Yuzhu left work early at four o'clock.

Although he wasn't sure if Teacher Ran would come that evening, He Yuzhu still went to the market to buy some groceries.

Unfortunately, the afternoon market only had wilted cabbages and radishes, so He Yuzhu took the opportunity to go to the black market and bought a chicken and a fish to take home. In order to avoid trouble, He Yuzhu specially found a dark cloth bag to put them in.

He Yuzhu was so self-sufficient that his family never went hungry, even in this special era. With his skills and family background, as long as he didn't meddle in other people's business, he lived a better life than 99% of the people in this era.

When he got home, it was exactly five o'clock. His third uncle was still not back. He Yuzhu didn't care whether Teacher Ran would come in the evening or not. He started killing fish and chickens and was busy having a great time.

These days, everyone eats cabbage and radishes with cornbread. When He Yuzhu suddenly started killing chickens and fish again, many children in the compound would stand at the door and refuse to leave after school.

He Yuzhu ignored the group of brats and went about his business. He took out a bag of dried mushrooms from the cupboard, soaked them, separated the fish pieces and fish head, cut the chicken, and prepared everything. He was just waiting for Teacher Ran to arrive.

Perhaps He Yuzhu's wish really came true today. At 5:40, the Third Uncle pushed his bicycle into the courtyard, followed by Ran Qiuye, who had two long black braids. Teacher Ran was a little shy as she pushed her bicycle behind the Third Uncle.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, Yan Jiekuang, the youngest son of the third uncle, told the third uncle that He Yuzhu's family was currently slaughtering chickens and killing fish.

The old man's small eyes suddenly lit up like five-watt light bulbs. He quickly put down his bicycle and said to Teacher Ran behind him with a smile.

"Xiao Ran, I'm so lucky to have you today! That silly Zhu even bought chicken and fish especially for you, just waiting for you to come over!"

Ran Qiuye glanced shyly at the central courtyard without saying a word, her heart filled with unease.

She knew about He Yuzhu's situation before, and she used to look down on him. After all, she came from a scholarly family, and it always felt awkward to be introduced to a cook. But fortunes change, and now her scholarly background has become a burden.

Ms. Ran was also a little uneasy, mainly because she was worried that He Yuzhu would have a problem with her. After all, she had refused his invitations several times last year, but in the end she agreed to meet him, and the two of them still did not meet. In addition, now that their roles have been reversed and she is no longer a teacher, she was a little nervous.

The third uncle next to him had already focused his attention on the chicken and fish. He put down his bag and said to the third brother, Yan Jiekuang.

"Tell your mom not to cook tonight. Go to Sha Zhu's house for dinner, and remember to bring your own bowl!"

As a renowned shrewd strategist, the Third Uncle not only planned to eat He Yuzhu tonight, but also had the children bring their own bowls so they could take them home after they finished eating.

Yan Jiekuang immediately understood his father's words and went inside to call for help with a big smile.

"Xiao Ran, come on, I'll go with you. You know, that Sha Zhu's cooking is the best for miles around. Have you heard about that time he made those vegetarian chicken legs at the steel mill...?"

While boasting to He Yuzhu, the third uncle led Ran Qiuye toward the central courtyard.

Chapter 47: Goodbye, Teacher Ran

The two went to the central courtyard together and walked straight towards He Yuzhu's room.

He Yuzhu was putting the finishing touches on the fish pieces. Having come to this world and gotten used to northern cuisine, he suddenly missed the sour fish slices from his future life. He planned to have some sour fish slices tonight.

"Silly Zhu, look who's here!"

The third uncle, as if trying to curry favor, called out to He Yuzhu from afar.

He Yuzhu turned around and saw the tall, slender figure behind the Third Uncle. He immediately stood up with a smile and said.

"Teacher Ran, you're here! Come on, just put the bike against the wall!"

Ran Qiuye nodded shyly, put the bicycle against the wall, turned around and looked down at the man in front of her who had an honest but somewhat old-fashioned face.

The two looked at each other, and He Yuzhu smiled and generously invited them into the house, quickly pouring them water.

Upon seeing this, Ran Qiuye quickly got up and joined in the work.

Seeing this, the third uncle smiled broadly as he watched the scene unfold. Then, as if remembering something, he spoke to He Yuzhu.

"Silly Zhu, tonight I made sure your third aunt didn't cook, so you'd better steam lots of buns!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu immediately understood what the Third Uncle was planning, and said helplessly.

"Okay, okay, I'll take care of it today. I'll start cooking the dishes now. Please have a seat, and we'll be serving dinner in an hour at most!"

As he spoke, He Yuzhu got to work.

The only downside of this compound is that there's no kitchen. Everyone just sets up a makeshift stove in the yard. He Yuzhu is no exception; he built a temporary stove next to his house and makes do with it.

He Yuzhu spared no expense for today's meal, preparing a chicken, a fish, and other side dishes, at least four or five dishes in total, with white flour steamed buns as the staple food.

Knowing how cunning Uncle San's family was, He Yuzhu steamed several baskets of large steamed buns and planned to call Uncle San's family and the deaf old lady over later.

He Yuzhu is not lacking in food. Although he is no longer the canteen director, Director Li can't do without him. Now, Wang Datou has to bow his head when he sees him. Occasionally, he can bring some cornmeal from the canteen, but He Yuzhu rarely does. He always keeps a dozen kilograms of flour at home and occasionally cooks something special. That's enough for him.

While steaming large steamed buns, they also prepared stir-fried dishes. As the chicken and mushroom stew bubbled and steamed, the aroma wafted from the courtyard, making the adults around them envious and the children almost cry with envy.

They were so hungry they cried. Many children cried and went home asking their parents for meat. Instead of getting meat, they got a meat fry on their bottoms and a beating.

Qin Huairu had just gotten home from get off work when she smelled a rich aroma. She wondered why, since it wasn't a holiday, her family would be so extravagant.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw a stove by He Yuzhu's door, with bubbles bubbling on it. The aroma of chicken from the pot was irresistible. Qin Huairu swallowed hard and was about to greet him with a smile when suddenly, a bicycle by the wall came into view.

Qin Huairu's smile froze instantly. Looking into He Yuzhu's room, she saw a slender figure with only a head of jet-black hair visible.

He Yuzhu was busy with his meal when Ran Qiuye offered to help. He quickly asked her to go back and sit down, explaining that he had to cook the meal himself to win over Teacher Ran's stomach.

He didn't notice the change in Qin Huairu's expression not far away until she got closer, at which point he realized what was happening and quickly smiled and spoke.

"Sister Qin, are you off work?"

"Yes, Zhu Zi, then what about Teacher Ran?"

"Well, that's why Uncle Tuo invited Teacher Ran over for a meal. I'm not getting any younger, you know!"

Qin Huairu's face twitched slightly, but she quickly recovered and smiled, still looking like a caring older sister.

"You really should find a woman to keep you in check. I'm going back now; I need to start cooking!"

Upon seeing this, He Yuzhu quickly said something.

"Why don't we come over for dinner tonight? I'm too lazy to cook!"

Qin Huairu hesitated for a moment, but finally shook her head.

"Let's forget it. After all, you invited Teacher Ran. I'm just a widow, and I'd be disliked."

The more Qin Huairu refused, the more guilty He Yuzhu felt. During this time, Qin Huairu was indeed completely different from the person he remembered, and she was also different from the shameless person in the original novel who wanted to exploit He Yuzhu.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu helplessly pointed to the third uncle inside the house.