All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

After his relationship with Qin Huairu improved, Qin Huairu would occasionally come over to help him with laundry and sweeping. He Yuzhu tacitly accepted this, since living in a messy room was indeed a bit of a nuisance.

After silently taking all the dirty clothes, Qin Huairu stopped in front of the door and then spoke.

"Autumn and winter are just around the corner, and the weather is getting colder. I'll wash all the winter clothes you had last year; they're practically infested with bugs!"

Reminded by this, He Yuzhu realized that the weather had indeed turned cooler these past few days. Looking at the weather, he wondered if there would be any heavy rain. It was almost November, and if it rained, he would probably have to wear a thick cotton-padded coat.

Since he only had a few clothes anyway, He Yuzhu didn't think much of it and took them all out of the closet for Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu took it and went to the courtyard to wash clothes without saying a word.

Watching Qin Huairu wash his clothes in the icy water, He Yuzhu felt a warmth in his heart. If this woman didn't have children, she would truly be an exceptional wife.

As He Yuzhu was lost in thought, a gust of cool wind blew by, making him shiver. This damn weather, it gets cold so suddenly.

Looking at the gloomy sky, He Yuzhu guessed that the weather might really change. He wanted to go back and find an extra piece of clothing, but when he rummaged through the closet, he suddenly remembered that he had taken the clothes out to wash.

Alright, I'm still young and can withstand the cold, time for bed!

He Yuzhu woke up early the next morning, shivering from the cold. This awful weather was really uncooperative.

"Ah Qiu!"

He Yuzhu suddenly sneezed, feeling a bit of a stuffy nose.

Never mind, he got out of bed to wash up. It was drizzling outside, and a chill was in the air, making He Yuzhu shiver. Looking at the clothes drying in the courtyard, He Yuzhu estimated that they wouldn't be able to dry for at least half a month.

Finally, having no other choice, He Yuzhu borrowed a coat from an old man and put it on before braving the drizzle to go to work.

He Yuzhu's nose was stuffy all day, and he felt like he had a low-grade fever. Fortunately, it was the kitchen, where the heat was strong, and after being inside all day, he felt much better.

Thinking that Teacher Ran would come to dinner again tomorrow night, He Yuzhu felt a little expectant. In this life, a woman is needed to take care of you. How can a grown man manage a household?

After get off work, despite feeling a bit dizzy, He Yuzhu braved the rain to go to the black market to do some shopping.

These days, there are only a few regular black markets, but they've been cracking down on them a bit lately. However, He Yuzhu, being a chef, frequents these kinds of places and naturally has a lot of information, so he easily found new ones. After searching all over, he didn't find anything particularly interesting.

In reality, the black market of that era wasn't as magical as people imagine. It was simply a matter of secretly bringing over some agricultural products from nearby rural communes to exchange for various tickets, money, or other daily necessities.

For example, eggs are like an egg bank for many rural families. The whole family, young and old, depends on those two old hens all year round.

Rare finds are things that some idle farmers would pull out from ditches or rivers, like turtles or fish, to exchange for a few coins.

These days, fish and meat are worthless, and turtles have even less meat. Not many people eat them, and nobody likes them. Everyone is short of oil and fat, and the most prized thing is the thick layer of pork fat.

He Yuzhu spent half a day wandering around and finally brought back a turtle weighing over two pounds, a pound of eggs, and a pound of dried goods.

Back home, after putting his things down, He Yuzhu felt weak. He touched his forehead and felt a burning sensation. He Yuzhu felt like he was going to die. Without thinking about anything else, he covered himself with a thick blanket and stayed up all night.

He Yuzhu drifted off to sleep, not knowing how long he slept, but his mind was still foggy and he couldn't tell which way was which.

He vaguely sensed someone coming and shouting in his ear, but he couldn't hear them at all. His vision was blurry, and he seemed to see Qin Huairu, and also seemed to see an old man. He was in a daze and couldn't wake up. His head was throbbing.

This sudden illness left He Yuzhu in a daze for a whole day and night. He Yuzhu lay in the hospital ward and slowly woke up. Finally, he could see people clearly again.

There was someone lying by his bedside. He Yuzhu weakly tried to sit up, but the person by the bedside was startled awake. He opened his eyes groggily, and when he saw that He Yuzhu was awake, he seemed to breathe a sigh of relief before scolding him.

"You, you either don't get sick at all, or when you do, it's terrifying! Hurry up, I've been making this soup for you for ages, just waiting for you to wake up!"

Looking at Qin Huairu, who looked exhausted, He Yuzhu felt a warm current flow through his heart. This woman was actually quite nice.

"Okay, Sister Qin, thank you!"

"Look at you, so smug! Hurry up and drink it. This turtle you bought yourself, I spent ages killing it before I could make the soup. Why did you buy this stuff? It's barely any meat!"

Speaking of turtle soup, He Yuzhu suddenly slapped his forehead, realizing that Yue Ranqiuye had come home for dinner, and hurriedly asked about it.

"What time is it now?"

Seeing He Yuzhu's impatient look, Qin Huairu snorted and said.

"You've been unconscious for a whole day and night, and you're still thinking about your Teacher Ran?"

He Yuzhu responded with a silly grin, feeling a little regretful and secretly lamenting that he didn't know if Teacher Ran would come to see him if she knew he was sick.

"Drink it quickly, the soup's getting cold!"

"Okay!"

Qin Huairu watched He Yuzhu on the hospital bed drinking soup in large gulps, a smile appearing on her lips, and something else seemed to be growing in her eyes.

Chapter 50: I can still have children!

After finishing his soup, He Yuzhu noticed the dark circles under Qin Huairu's eyes and quickly told her to go back and rest, as he should be fine now.

Qin Huairu responded, took the soup bowl, and went back.

He Yuzhu's room was a three-person room, but it was actually a small room. An old man lived opposite him. After Qin Huairu left, the old man smiled and said to He Yuzhu.

"Young man, that woman isn't your wife, is she?"

He Yuzhu chatted for a while, then asked with some curiosity.

"Sir, how did you figure that out?"

The old man laughed heartily.

"Last night, this woman stayed up all night watching over you, touching your forehead every now and then, afraid that something might happen to you. You're not young anymore, how can an old married couple be this affectionate!"

He Yuzhu remained silent.

However, the old man's words touched He Yuzhu a little. Could it be that Qin Huairu really did have feelings for him?

My thoughts are a bit jumbled, I don't want to think about it anymore!

He Yuzhu rarely gets sick. In his memory, this body rarely needs to take medicine. He never expected that the illness would come on so suddenly, leaving him somewhat bewildered.

The doctor told He Yuzhu to stay in the hospital for two more days for observation, and he could be discharged if everything was fine.

He Yuzhu was fed and cared for by Qin Huairu every day, which made him quite grateful to her. He planned to bring her 20 jin of wheat flour after he was discharged from the hospital to express his gratitude!

Fortunately, after resting for two days, I recovered somewhat. During these two days in the hospital, an old man from the compound came by several times, and a deaf old lady even sat for most of the day.

Besides the few people from the compound who came, He Yuzhu's younger sister He Yushui also came once, and his apprentice Ma Hua also came twice. He Yuzhu stayed in the hospital for two days, and the ward was constantly filled with visitors. He Yuzhu couldn't stay any longer, so he got up early on the third day and was discharged.

MCA granted Ho Yu-chu a week's leave, and no one said anything about it. After all, it's only natural to be sick. Besides, Director Li told Ho Yu-chu to rest well, so what objections do you have?

When Xu Damao heard that He Yuzhu was sick, he secretly cursed that the silly Zhu might not be able to expel any of his anger on this trip.

After being discharged from the hospital, He Yuzhu was still a little weak, but his cold was better. Anyway, he had taken a week off and was going to rest at home for two days.

He Yuzhu was still slightly disappointed. Since he fell ill, Ran Qiuye hadn't visited him even once, making him wonder if he had misjudged her.

He wanted to ask his third uncle for help to find out what was going on, but he was a little embarrassed. He Yuzhu felt something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

At this moment, Qin Huairu walked into the room with several cotton-padded clothes and trousers. She saw He Yuzhu sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze. She put the clothes into the wardrobe as she spoke.

"I dried these clothes for you with a fire. Don't wear such thin clothes anymore. You know the weather is getting cold, but you don't know how to take care of yourself!"

He Yuzhu responded and looked at Qin Huairu, who was busy taking care of him. He sighed inwardly, thinking it was a pity that she was a widow with three children.

As if sensing what He Yuzhu was thinking, Qin Huairu turned her head, her expression somewhat shy, and whispered to He Yuzhu.

"I went to the hospital yesterday and asked Dr. Liu. Dr. Liu said that at my age, I can still have children!"

After saying that, He Yuzhu turned and left, still somewhat bewildered.

He Yuzhu was indeed a little confused. What did Qin Huairu mean by this?

What does her ability to give birth have to do with me?

etc.

Could it be that she hasn't given up yet?

He Yuzhu lay in bed, unable to sleep all night. Qin Huairu's recent initiative had once again stirred up his thoughts.

As someone once said, other people's lives always seem so happy and natural, while one's own life is always full of troubles no matter how one tries to live it. Even though one knows the right path to a happy life, one's own life is still a mess.

It's been over a year since I was reborn. Originally, all I wanted was to quietly find a wife and live a peaceful life, but life has been full of misfortunes, seemingly everywhere. Even though I know the original plot, why am I still having such a hard time?

Qin Huairu's thoughtfulness did indeed make He Yuzhu realize the woman's excellent qualities, but seeing that she seemed to have some feelings for him again, He Yuzhu hesitated, and this time he was really hesitant.

The main reason is that Qin Huairu has had a profound influence on his perception over the past six months. He used to hate it when Qin Huairu took advantage of him, but now, even when Qin Huairu's family is eating cornbread, they have never asked his family for anything to eat.

Previously, He Yuzhu particularly disliked that joke. In the past six months, perhaps due to Qin Huairu's parenting style, the child has stopped coming to his house to rummage through things, or perhaps it's because He Yuzhu himself has locked the doors.

The children no longer call him "Silly Pillar" when they see him; they call him "Uncle Pillar." It's as if the three ungrateful wretches from the original story have all grown up.

In short, there are many other things. For example, Qin Huairu used to flirt with He Yuzhu often, but now she doesn't anymore. She's become more conventional and well-behaved, like a friendly older sister next door.

These changes gave He Yuzhu the illusion that the woman had truly changed and that her children were also getting better.

Why do men like "green tea bitches"?

Because green tea bitches love to pretend!

After Qin Huairu tidied up He Yuzhu's clothes, she returned to her room. The children were already at the table, ready to eat. The old woman with the slanted eyes glanced at Qin Huairu as she entered the room and said in a dissatisfied tone.

"You're always making soup and bringing me food, do you really still have feelings for that idiot Zhu?"

Qin Huairu was already used to her mother-in-law's tone. She remained calm, took the cornbread out of the pot, and served the dishes. While urging the children to eat, she spoke to her squinty-eyed mother-in-law.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about something after dinner!"

The old woman with the slanted eyes glanced at the children, responded with a sound, and said nothing more.

After dinner, after coaxing the children to go to the inner room, Qin Huairu and her mother-in-law sat outside in front of the stove. Qin Huairu's expression was normal, but her voice was very low as she spoke slowly.

"This month, the factory only paid half the wages again, and yesterday the school came to urge us to pay the tuition again. We've also finished the last bit of cornmeal at home, and we're really going to run out of food tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, the squinty-eyed old woman became anxious and quickly asked.

"Let's see if we can ask one of the old men for some more!"

Qin Huairu said helplessly.

"They're not running a charity; they've already given money once this month!"

The squinting old woman was somewhat speechless, glanced at Qin Huairu with some unease, and finally looked towards He Yuzhu's room.

"Or, should we ask Sha Zhu for some?"

Qin Huairu turned her head to one side and remained silent.

Seeing this, the squinty-eyed old woman felt a pang of regret, but ultimately remained silent.