All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"Lou Xiao'e, I've put up with you for so long! Do you still think this is the old society? You still want to exploit me with your capitalist exploitation methods? Let me tell you, Lou Xiao'e, I'm not cooking today. Even if you eat your fill, you won't lay any eggs. Am I just being lazy?"

Lou Xiao'e was no pushover either. When she heard Xu Damao shamelessly bring up all her sore spots, she immediately pounced on him in a fit of rage, yelling as she did so.

"Xu Damao, you were the one who knelt down and begged my dad, promising to take care of me for the rest of my life and let me marry you. Now you're blaming me? My dad said long ago that you weren't a good person. You really are a heartless man. I'll fight you to the death today!"

Lou Xiao'e's parents were big capitalists before liberation. Even the steel plant with thousands of employees that it is now was a major shareholder of Lou Xiao'e's family before liberation. More than ten years ago, they even engaged in a joint public-private enterprise. Lou Xiao'e enjoyed a few years of glory.

However, her family suffered a terrible misfortune in the 1960s. But the struggle was relatively mild at that time, and even a starved camel is bigger than a horse, so Lou Xiao'e's family was still doing alright.

Even in his youth, Xu Damao was quite cunning. When he saw Lou Xiao'e working in the factory, he immediately fantasized that if her family could rise again, he would definitely gain power and soar to great heights. So he tried every means to get Lou's father to marry his daughter into his ordinary working-class family.

Who is Lou Xiao'e?

The pampered young lady, who had been waited on hand and foot by housekeepers and servants since childhood, was forced to marry an ordinary movie projectionist. This was entirely out of desperation. But people in that era were also simple-minded; they would follow their husbands wherever they went.

Since marrying into Xu Damao's family, Lou Xiao'e has been dutiful and gets along well with her neighbors. Xu Damao is naturally proud to have married such a wealthy young lady.

He had promised Lou's father that he would love Lou Xiao'e for the rest of his life. She couldn't cook, but he could; she couldn't sew, but he could buy it. He would take care of her like a princess.

But life is nothing more than the mundane realities of daily life. A few years into their marriage, a serious problem arose between them: they still couldn't have children. In this day and age, this was a fatal problem.

Besides this reason, there was another major reason why Xu Damao decided to change wives.

That's the reason.

Chapter 13: Have you eaten yet?

The reason for this was that as 66 approached, the domestic situation became increasingly severe, and Xu Damao, who was eager to climb the social ladder, also vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

His father-in-law is a big capitalist, and the wife he married is the daughter of a big capitalist. You tell me, if this matter gets involved, it will definitely affect him!

Whether it's because she can't lay eggs or because she wants to protect herself, Xu Damao is now increasingly disgusted with Lou Xiao'e.

So, over the past year and a half, the couple has had quite a few incidents of pulling hair and slapping each other.

Tonight, this battle is inevitable.

The fighting and shouting between the two quickly attracted the attention of the neighbors, and soon, an elderly couple who lived nearby arrived.

When they were pulled apart, Lou Xiao'e's eyes were already bruised and her face was swollen. There was still a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth. It was unclear whether it was from Xu Damao's ear or from the slap he delivered with a heavy blow.

"Lou Xiao'e, you shrew! How could I have married such a thing? Not only can't you lay eggs, but you can't even do laundry or cook! Sir, you've come at the right time. You have to tell me what happened!"

"Xu Damao, shut up! Waaah...waaah...!"

Lou Xiao'e didn't refute anything. Not having children was ultimately the biggest problem. She couldn't have children, so was it her fault?

She doesn't know how to do laundry or cook, a habit she developed since childhood. Over the years, she has slowly learned to do it. Apart from cooking, she, Lou Xiao'e, does all the other housework. She has already accommodated him enough!

Everyone in the compound knew what kind of person Xu Damao was, but in this era, not being able to have children was ultimately a woman's original sin.

However, the old man was a reasonable person. He believed that family scandals should not be aired in public, and this matter should not be publicized.

He dispersed the neighbors who were watching the commotion, let an older woman into the house to comfort Lou Xiao'e, and then pulled Xu Damao aside to give him a lecture. However, Xu Damao already had the idea of ​​changing wives, so he naturally couldn't listen to the old man's idea of ​​a loving family. He snorted a few times, his face showing dissatisfaction, and his heart was also unwilling to listen.

After finishing the banquet at the tycoon's house, He Yuzhu was personally driven back by the tycoon's driver. He quickly thanked him, then, carrying the bags and packages he had brought from the tycoon's house, thanked the driver again and happily prepared to go home.

Besides chicken, duck, fish, and meat, there were also two boxes of high-quality tea, along with a bunch of random candies and biscuits. These things were still rare for ordinary people, but for the still-powerful tycoons, they were just leftovers from their homes.

In the past, if such a good thing happened, He Yuzhu wouldn't even go home; he would probably just take it straight to Widow Qin's house.

But today, he took a few extra glances and, seeing that Qin Huairu's door was tightly closed, he quickly quickened his pace and ran to his own door.

He took the key out of his pocket, carefully opened the door, and slipped inside, carrying his belongings in one by one.

Although I'm past the age of eating snacks, there's no need for Qin Huairu's family to benefit from it. Children shouldn't be spoiled from a young age.

Qin Huairu's three children, especially her son Banggeng, are complete ingrates, with not a shred of gratitude in their hearts.

That brat has been naughty and mischievous since he was little. What has his grandma spoiled him into?

Moreover, Qin Huairu has always been laissez-faire in her approach to Bang Geng's education. The little guy must have done a lot of petty theft since he was a child, right?

Qin Huairu never said anything about it. Perhaps it was because her family was poor, and Qin Huairu thought that her son's petty theft was just stealing some food, and it wasn't a big deal.

Moreover, He Yuzhu used to be too indulgent towards Bang Geng, which is why such an ungrateful person exists.

In short, in the future, if I have food, I can share it with my children, but only when their survival is threatened.

He Yuzhu turned on the light, put everything away, sat on the edge of the bed, looked at the empty room, and suddenly felt a little empty.

It seems I need to find a mistress for this house as soon as possible.

I rubbed my stomach and felt a little hungry. I hadn't eaten at the boss's house today. Looking at the half-empty bottle of wine on the table, I felt a little itchy.

Unfortunately, the coal stove was out of flame. It was freezing cold at night, and the lack of fire made it quite chilly. But that was easy to fix.

He Yuzhu took a pair of pliers, picked up a coal briquette, looked at Qin Huairu's house across the street, thought for a moment, but decided not to go. He turned around and walked towards the backyard.

He took the coal briquettes to his neighbor's house to exchange them for a half-burnt briquettes, so he wouldn't have to start a fire himself. Whether it was to help or to calculate the gains and losses, the neighbors would help with this.

In the past, He Yuzhu would go to Qin Huairu's house to exchange items, but now, he tries to avoid contact with her family as much as possible, so he goes to the old man's house in the backyard to exchange items, which is the same.

As soon as he entered the backyard, he ran into Xu Damao, whose hair was all messy. He was pushing his bicycle out. When he saw that it was He Yuzhu, Xu Damao got angry, but he was afraid of being beaten. He snorted, quickened his pace, and ran away with his bicycle.

He Yuzhu was baffled. Why wasn't he going home this late at night? Was he crazy?

Ignoring them, as soon as they reached the backyard, they saw an old woman walking out of Xu Damao's house, followed by Lou Xiao'e, who looked aggrieved, with bruises around her eyes and blood at the corner of her mouth.

He Yuzhu now understood why Xu Damao had acted so badly earlier; the two of them had probably fought again, but this had nothing to do with him.

However, in the original novel, after Lou Xiao'e and Xu Damao divorced, she felt emotionally empty. With the strong support of He Yuzhu, her parents were able to temporarily leave prison.

On the night she left, she had a one-night stand with He Yuzhu and left He Yuzhu with a child.

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu took another look at the woman. This woman was actually quite pitiful; she was born in the wrong era.

With a sigh, He Yuzhu greeted the older woman with a smile, and the two went into the house together to exchange for a coal briquette.

Lou Xiao'e stood at the door, her expression blank, staring blankly at the dark sky. He Yuzhu passed by with a scalding hot coal briquette in his hand, glanced at it again, and felt a mix of emotions. He originally didn't want to meddle, but in the end he couldn't help but stop and say something.

"Have you eaten yet? I haven't eaten yet. I'll bring you some later!"

Lou Xiao'e was interrupted from her thoughts. She looked at He Yuzhu with a calm expression, neither refusing nor agreeing. She just quietly looked at He Yuzhu.

"Alright, you should go back and rest. If you're really hungry, come over and eat something later. If you're not in the mood, just wash up and go to bed early!"

After saying that, He Yuzhu ignored the silly woman. There were too many tragedies in this era, and Lou Xiao'e was not the only one. Could he possibly manage to control everything?

He no longer needed Lou Xiao'e to father a child for him, so their relationship naturally ended. However, whether as a neighbor or knowing the original plot, He Yuzhu still felt some other emotions towards this woman.

Back home, He Yuzhu selected some meat and vegetables and simply made a mixed stew. With his skills and the ingredients, it only took half an hour. When the aroma wafted through the air, the meal was finally ready.

He Yuzhu looked across at Qin Huairu's house and saw that the lights were off. He was satisfied and picked up his small wine glass, ready to enjoy this little life.

These days, everyone goes to bed early, and the front, middle, and back yards are already dark. Only He Yuzhu's house still has a little light on, but there are curtains covering the outside of the windows, so it doesn't bother them.

Just as He Yuzhu was picking up a piece of meat and stuffing it into his mouth, he heard a soft knock on the door.

He Yuzhu stopped what he was doing, and upon listening again, he realized that someone was indeed knocking on his door.

He gently opened the door, and Lou Xiao'e stood there, looking straight at him.

Chapter 14: Good Things

He Yuzhu was startled and quickly looked around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he hurriedly told Lou Xiao'e to come inside.

He quietly closed the door and shut it tightly before He Yuzhu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This woman is really bold. I was just being naive and said it casually. I never thought Lou Xiao'e would actually dare to come.

If a few old men see this, there will inevitably be a lot of gossip.

However, since he was already there, He Yuzhu didn't think much of it and took out another bowl and chopsticks, handing them to Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e was probably really hungry. She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of meat, and started eating. Perhaps she ate too quickly, as the wound around her mouth hadn't healed yet. She cried out and gasped for breath, but she quickly forgot about it and continued to eat heartily.

The woman didn't hesitate to pick up the glass of wine that He Yuzhu had just poured and drink it herself. The alcohol made her gasp for breath again from the pain in her mouth.

He Yuzhu had finally met a tough one. This woman was clearly asking for trouble. He Yuzhu couldn't stand it any longer, so he stood up and took out a bottle of red medicine from the drawer.

He found a clean cloth, poured some water on it, and raised his hand to wipe the bruises on Lou Xiao'e's face. Suddenly, he remembered that it was a bit rash of him to do this in this day and age, so he put it directly on the table.

"You can take it home and wipe it yourself! It's inconvenient for me to wipe it!"

Lou Xiao'e looked up at He Yuzhu, hummed in response, and then stopped talking and continued eating.

The two had never been so intimate before. They didn't speak, but kept picking at a stew of mixed meat with their chopsticks until it was all gone. Only then did they put down their chopsticks.

After Lou Xiao'e finished eating, she put down her chopsticks, picked up the red medicine and strips of cloth on the table, and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking.

"Silly Zhu, thank you!"

He Yuzhu smiled and said.

"If you really want to thank me, just call me Pillar from now on! Actually, I don't like the nickname 'Silly Pillar'!"

Lou Xiao'e paused for a moment, then smiled sweetly, picked up the medicine, and said as she walked towards the door.

"Okay, I'll call you Zhuzi from now on. You're actually a really nice person!"

After saying that, he opened the door and disappeared in a flash!

Looking at the mess in the room, and Lou Xiao'e's last words, "You're a nice person," He Yuzhu helplessly began to clean up.

It's best not to try to guess what a woman is thinking; you can never figure it out!

The next day, He Yuzhu locked the door, took the key with him, and then went to work with a satisfied heart.

No sooner had he left than Qin Huairu's door opened. As a mother of three and also having to take care of her mother-in-law, Qin Huairu worked tirelessly from early morning to late at night.

She picked up the enamel chamber pot and was about to walk towards the public restroom when she thought for a moment and looked towards He Yuzhu's room. She saw that the door was already locked, and she paused for two seconds, looking somewhat dejected.

He Yuzhu's door, which was never locked before, was suddenly locked now. Qin Huairu knew perfectly well who it was keeping out of. At this moment, she felt as if something was slowly being lost, and her eyes suddenly stung.

However, Qin Huairu never thought of severing ties with He Yuzhu from now on. These days, He Yuzhu has been distancing himself from her, which she can naturally sense. But she is naturally unwilling to lose a long-term meal ticket like this.

He Yuzhu has been helping her family for so many years, so she naturally knows what a normal bachelor needs. However, her situation is special. She has to get past her mother-in-law, and she also has three children, so she is worried about losing them.

She was somewhat reluctant to introduce her cousin Qin Jingru to He Yuzhu, but if she kept He Yuzhu hanging, given his circumstances, he would eventually find a partner, and then a strange woman would be in charge, and she and her two daughters would completely lose He Yuzhu.

Therefore, since that's the case, she couldn't let outsiders benefit from it. Seeing the iron lock on He Yuzhu's door, Qin Huairu made up her mind. She still had to hurry up with her cousin Qin Jingru's matter.

When He Yuzhu arrived at the canteen, he looked at the mission notice. The situation was getting more and more serious, and there were more and more slogans at the steel plant, but the food was getting worse day by day.