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

"Zhu Zi, when you have some free time later, take some things to your Aunt Ping."

As Chen Lanxiang spoke, she bent down and lifted the old wooden box beside the kang (a heated brick bed). The box creaked with a dull sound, carrying a smell of aged camphor wood mixed with old cloth.

She reached inside and rummaged around for a bit, quickly pulling out a small bundle carefully wrapped in blue cloth, with all four corners neatly tied.

He Yuzhu stood by the kang (a heated brick bed) and casually replied, "Okay, Mother."

He was a little puzzled. Why would he suddenly send something to Wang Cuiping? And what kind of rare thing was it? He couldn't figure it out for the time being.

When He Yuzhu arrived at the Wang family home, Wang Cuiping untied the bundle in front of him. Upon seeing the contents, He Yuzhu immediately understood, and then turned to his mother, both amused and exasperated, asking:

"Mom, why did you bring the baby bottle to Aunt Ping? Aunt Ping doesn't have any formula, what's the point of bringing this?"

Chen Lanxiang didn't even lift her eyelids, casually patting the corner of the bundle: "Just do as I tell you to do. Why all the nonsense? This is an adult matter, children shouldn't pry."

Upon hearing the words "baby bottle," He Yushui's eyes lit up instantly. She took a leap with her short legs, let out a yelp, and pounced forward, reaching out to grab it.

"That's mine! That's my baby bottle!"

Although the girl had been weaned long ago, she couldn't bear to throw away the bottle. She used it to drink water and sugar water every day, treating it like a precious treasure.

Chen Lanxiang gently pushed her daughter aside, her tone carrying an undeniable firmness:

"What do you mean 'yours' and 'mine'? This bottle belongs to Siyu now. The little baby can use it. How old are you? You're still clinging to this bottle. What kind of behavior is that?"

"Waaaaah—Mom, you're unfair! Mom, you don't love me anymore!"

He Yushui immediately started howling, but hardly any tears fell. Her voice was deafeningly loud, a typical case of all talk and no action.

Chen Lanxiang was annoyed by her nagging and glared at her irritably: "Alright, stop pretending in front of me. Don't I know what you're thinking?"

"mother--"

He Yushui called out and twisted her body to cling to Chen Lanxiang, grabbing her thigh and swaying back and forth in a coquettish manner.

"Don't rub against me," Chen Lanxiang said, taking a light half-step back and pointing at He Yuzhu. "Go hug your brother if you want. I don't have anything to comfort you here."

She knows her daughter too well; whenever she's this clingy, she's definitely up to something.

He Yushui's eyes darted around, and she immediately changed direction, rushing over like a little cannonball. She grabbed He Yuzhu's leg, tilting her little face up and sweetly calling out:

"elder brother--"

He Yuzhu looked down at the little girl clinging to his lap and sighed helplessly, "So, what do you want this time?"

"My bottle was taken by Mom, brother, get me a new one." He Yushui pointed to the blue cloth bundle on the table with her little hand, speaking with a straight face.

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment.

He knew all too well what the family's circumstances were like at that moment; they usually drank water from large, rough porcelain bowls, and it was hard to even find a proper enamel cup.

He Daqing did have a decent-looking tea set, but it was very precious. He wouldn't let the younger generation touch it casually, for fear of accidentally breaking it, let alone letting He Yushui use it as a toy.

Moreover, enamel mugs weren't very popular in the market at that time, so finding a small baby bottle was harder than hunting a rabbit in the mountains.

He Yuzhu was silent for a moment, but seeing his sister's pleading look, he finally softened and said, "Alright, I'll go out for a walk later and try to find it for you."

"You just spoil her!" Chen Lanxiang scolded, glaring at her son. "No wasting money, and no causing trouble outside, you hear me?"

"Okay, Mom!"

Upon hearing her brother's agreement, He Yushui was overjoyed and pushed He Yuzhu by the back, hurrying towards the door: "Brother, let's go, let's go! We need to deliver the things to Aunt Ping right away, or we'll be late and cause trouble!"

He Yuzhu smiled helplessly at his mother, picked up the small blue cloth bundle, and followed behind He Yushui, who looked like a little pendant, and they left the house one after the other.

As they walked to the entrance of the Wang family compound, He Yuzhu raised his hand and gently knocked on the door.

The door creaked open a crack, revealing Xiaoman's round little face.

But when the girl saw that it was He Yuzhu standing outside the door, her face turned slightly red, and she quickly closed the door with a creak.

He Yuzhu was stunned on the spot, looking completely bewildered.

Immediately afterwards, Xiaoman's hushed voice came from inside the door:

"Brother Zhu, you should go back first! Aunt Ping is breastfeeding Xiao Yu right now, so it's not convenient for her to see anyone!"

He Yuzhu suddenly realized, slapping his forehead: "Oh, is that so? Then come out for a moment, I brought some things for Aunt Ping, could you help me take them inside?"

"good!"

Xiaoman responded, opened the door a crack just big enough for her to squeeze through, quickly slipped out, and then slammed the door shut again, afraid that someone would see what was inside.

"There's a baby bottle in here," He Yuzhu handed over the bundle, adding a special note, "Tell Aunt Ping to scald it with boiling water before using it to sterilize it. It's better to keep things for the baby clean."

"Yes, I remember. I will definitely tell Aunt Ping." Xiaoman took the bundle with both hands and nodded obediently.

"Alright, I'll head back now. You should go inside too."

Just as Xiaoman was about to turn around and go inside, her gaze suddenly fell on He Yushui, who was standing to the side, and her eyes showed a hint of envy: "Yushui, are you bothering your brother again?"

He Yushui tilted her little face up and proudly raised her chin: "My brother is the best storyteller, and I love following him."

"So that's how it is..." Xiaoman replied softly, her eyes filled with even more envy as she looked at He Yushui. She also longed for someone to be with her every day and to care for her, but at home there was only her, Aunt Ping, and a little brother who had just been born.

"Then I'll go in first."

Xiaoman nodded gently to He Yuzhu and his sister, then pushed open the door and entered the courtyard with her bundle in her arms.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wang Cuiping brought Wang Siyu over in her arms.

She gently handed the sleeping child to Chen Lanxiang to look after, and before leaving, she specially brought over a small bottle of milk, instructing He Yuzhu:

"Zhu Zi, you don't need to come over at noon. I've arranged everything here. You can go to work with peace of mind."

After saying that, Wang Cuiping hurried off to work.

As for Xiaoman's schooling, no one needs to worry about it at all, since that kid Xu Damao is there.

This kid now treats Xiaoman like the apple of his eye, following her to and from school every day. He acts like a protector of a flower at school, and has even gotten into several fights with other teenagers for her sake.

Every time Xu Damao returned from a fight looking disheveled, he would always run up to He Yuzhu to boast about his achievements, looking like he wanted praise.

He Yuzhu was never stingy; he would always take out a few pieces of fruit candy and toss them to Xu Damao, making Xu Damao grin from ear to ear.

However, as soon as the candy got into Xu Damao's hands, it would be swarmed and looted clean by the other teenagers in the yard.

He Yuzhu watched the noisy group of kids, but instead of being annoyed, he enjoyed it and felt that the yard had finally become more lively.

After the brother and sister got up and tidied up, Chen Lanxiang instructed He Yuzhu: "Zhuzi, go to the backyard and invite the old lady over. Mother has something important to discuss with her. It's about the houses that several families in the yard are buying. We need to make things clear."

"it is good."

He Yuzhu stood up in response, and He Yushui followed closely behind him, swaying all the way to the backyard.

As soon as she entered the door, He Yushui took off running towards the Xu family's house to play wildly with Xu Xiaoman.

He Yuzhu invited the old lady to the main room, Chen Lanxiang brought hot water, and the group sat down and began to talk about selling or renting houses in the courtyard.

When Li Guihua was mentioned, the old lady couldn't help but sigh deeply, a hint of pity appearing on her face:

"Sigh, what a tragedy... It's not easy for a woman to raise a child alone. Let her rent for now, and we can talk about buying a house when she finds a stable job and has more money."

"Okay, I'll go over and tell her later." Chen Lanxiang nodded in agreement.

Once Wang Siyu was fast asleep, Chen Lanxiang got up and went to the east hall to convey the old lady's message to Li Guihua.

However, upon hearing this, Li Guihua couldn't hold back her tears and burst into tears, holding Chen Lanxiang's hand and thanking her profusely.

Chen Lanxiang couldn't stand seeing others cry, so she quickly made an excuse to leave after saying only a few words, because she really couldn't bear the oppression.

In the evening, just after the family finished dinner, footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard gate.

Xu Fugui pushed open the door and walked in, getting straight to the point: "Grandma, Sister Lanxiang, I've made all the preparations for buying the house. We can go to the Military Control Commission to complete the formalities first thing tomorrow morning."

As he spoke, he pulled a cloth bag from his pocket and dumped it on the table with a clatter, revealing a dazzling array of white silver dollars.

Xu Fugui was decisive and paid the full amount upfront, without shortchanging anyone.

Not long after Xu Fugui left, Wang Cuiping also quietly came over, bringing several gold bars as well, and they discussed going to complete the formalities together the next day.

However, she made one small request: when handling the formalities, please lower the price of the house, or simply say it was a gift between relatives, to avoid gossip.

The old lady didn't care at all, waving her hand: "It's fine, it's fine. We've already got the money, so whatever you say is up to you, it doesn't matter."

On the other hand, He Daqing had already spoken to Jia Laonian.

The old lady didn't ask for exorbitant prices for the few rooms in the courtyard; each room cost thirty-five silver dollars.

Old Jia gritted his teeth and finally said he only wanted to buy one room, and would still choose to rent the other.

He wouldn't even dare to dream of the other nice houses in the courtyard; with the Jia family's meager wealth, they simply couldn't afford them.

However, that night, Jia Laonian did not come to pay the money or give a reply in person.

He Yuzhu knew perfectly well that there would definitely be another uproar within the Jia family. Given Jia Zhangshi's temperament, she wouldn't easily agree without throwing a tantrum.

The next morning, Xu Fugui and He Daqing both asked the factory for leave.

He Yuzhu pushed out his old bicycle, let the old lady sit steadily on the back seat, and carefully held the handlebars. The four of them headed towards the Military Control Commission.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the Military Control Commission, Wang Hongxia was immediately spotted.

When Wang Hongxia saw them, a look of surprise was clearly on her face.

She originally thought that the residents in the courtyard looked ordinary, barely making ends meet, and couldn't afford to buy a house, so she never expected them to come so quickly.

She didn't ask how much the house actually cost.

The new government has only been established for a short time, and the old system of property tax and transaction tax used by the Kuomintang has not been used. The procedures are simple and efficient, without so many twists and turns.

Wang Hongxia led them to the service window, pointed to the location, and then turned to He Yuzhu and said, "Go and call Wang Cuiping over too, it'll save trouble if we do it together."

He Yuzhu responded and ran over. By the time he brought Wang Cuiping over, Xu Fugui and He Daqing had already completed the formalities and were holding the brand-new property deed firmly in their hands. Their efficiency was astonishing.

When it was the old lady's turn, it was a little slower.

After all, the old lady owns many houses. If we consider the entire courtyard, one property deed is enough.

But now they are sold separately, which naturally makes the registration process much more complicated.

When Wang Cuiping was completing the formalities, the clerk asked about the house price, and the old lady immediately smiled and smoothed things over: "We're all relatives, just give a little something, it's not a business transaction."

A single sentence easily covered it up.

Finally, it was He Yuzhu's turn to receive his share.

The clerk had just witnessed He Yuzhu and Wang Hongxia chatting and laughing, their relationship clearly unusual, so she didn't ask any further questions and readily processed the paperwork.

After all the formalities were completed, Wang Cuiping rushed back to the factory to work, while He Daqing and Xu Fugui also went back to the steel rolling mill together.

Just as He Yuzhu was helping the old lady to leave, Wang Hongxia suddenly stepped forward and called out to them, "Grandma, Yuzhu, wait a moment, there's something else I want to tell you."

The old lady stopped and turned back with a smile: "Miss Hongxia, is there anything else? Please feel free to ask."

"That's right," Wang Hongxia said earnestly, "those who registered before saying they wanted to live in your courtyard will be coming to view the apartment in the next couple of days, so please be prepared."

The old lady nodded slightly: "What kind of people are they? I hope they're not some shady characters; living together would be a hassle."

"Don't worry, they are all respectable families. There are factory workers and school teachers, and their backgrounds are all clean."

"How many households are there in total? Is the front yard big enough for everyone?"

"There are four households in total, and the front yard is just enough. I calculated that one household can live in the two rear rooms, one household in each of the east and west wing rooms, and one household in the west hall room. That's just right."

Upon hearing this, the old lady asked another question: "Workers? Which factory's workers?"

Wang Hongxia smiled and said, "You must be familiar with that place; it's a steel rolling mill."

"A steel rolling mill?" The old lady was slightly taken aback. "How did you end up arranging this job? I thought you were a new employee directly hired by the factory."

"They weren't recruited by the factory; they were employees transferred from other places by the government, and housing was provided for them."

The old lady nodded, then asked, "And what about the teacher? And from which place is he?"

"That family originally lived in old Beijing, but they fled to the south when the Japanese invaded the city. Now that they've returned, their original house is gone, so the school asked us to help arrange accommodation. I saw that their Jiaodaokou Elementary School was close to your courtyard, so I arranged for them to stay there as well."

"Jiaodaokou Elementary School?" The old lady's eyes lit up. "That's a good school. The teachers there must be well-educated and reasonable."

"Yes, that's it."

The old lady understood the situation and immediately said, "Alright, then I'll wait for them at home. But let's be clear from the start: if anyone comes and I don't like them or they're not of good character, I won't allow them to stay. Don't blame me then."

Wang Hongxia nodded quickly: "I understand, I understand. After all, we'll be seeing each other all the time, so I really have to keep an eye on his character, otherwise we'll have no shortage of petty troubles in the future."

"That's good," the old lady breathed a sigh of relief, "we'll head back now."

"Let me see you off."

"No need, no need. You go about your business, we can go back on our own."

The old lady's visit to the Military Control Commission allowed her to truly experience the atmosphere of the new government.

The sentries at the gate stood ramrod straight, their eyes fixed straight ahead, neither deliberately making things difficult nor putting on airs; the staff inside were efficient and decisive, neither dragging their feet nor shirking responsibility, and certainly not soliciting any benefits.

Compared to the old government offices, this is like heaven and earth.

After leaving the Military Control Commission, He Yuzhu saw that the old lady was in a good mood, so he pushed his bicycle and deliberately drove slowly around the East District.

At first, the old lady was a little nervous, holding tightly to He Yuzhu's clothes, afraid that she would fall because the road was uneven.

After strolling around for a while, seeing the bustling and peaceful atmosphere on the street, the old lady gradually relaxed and became more talkative.

She had lived in Beijing her whole life, but after Chen Lanxiang got married, the city was occupied by the Japanese a few years later. She had been trapped in the courtyard for years and had hardly ever gone out for a stroll.

Walking again on the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar streets, the old lady was in high spirits, chattering to He Yuzhu as she went:

"Look here, it used to be a silk shop. The owner was from Shanxi, a very honest man..."

"That shop over there, it's been there for decades, and it hasn't changed at all, it's still the same..."

"I've been to this alley before when I was young; it was much more lively back then..."

He Yuzhu listened patiently, occasionally responding with a few words of agreement.

He hadn't experienced these old almanacs himself, but hearing them from the old lady's mouth sounded like listening to a series of interesting stories.

He had explored almost the entire eastern part of the city since he started school, except for those winding, narrow alleys that he hadn't yet set foot in.

As they strolled towards Wangfujing, the old lady looked at the bustling crowds at the street entrance, her legs starting to ache, and she waved her hand, saying, "I'm not going in, there are too many people, my old bones can't walk anymore."

She raised her hand to ask the time, and upon hearing that it was almost lunchtime, she immediately urged He Yuzhu, "Hurry home, your mother must be getting impatient, don't let her worry."

When the two returned to the courtyard, Chen Lanxiang, as expected, couldn't help but scold He Yuzhu as soon as she saw them: "You child, why did you take the old lady out for so long? What if something had happened to her on the way? Could you bear the responsibility?"

Just as He Yuzhu was about to speak, the old lady stopped him with a smile: "It's not Zhuzi's fault, I just wanted to go out for a stroll. I was in a good mood, so I walked a few more steps."

With the old lady protecting her, Chen Lanxiang didn't say anything more.

That evening, Jia Laonian finally came looking for him.

When he entered, he looked somewhat flustered, rubbing his hands together. After stammering for a while, he finally explained his purpose: "Grandma, I'd like to... I'd like to buy that east wing room in the front yard. The money... I might not be able to come up with all at once, could you pay me back gradually?"

Without a second thought, the old lady shook her head, her tone calm yet firm: "Old Jia, it's not that I don't want to help you. Everyone in the courtyard knows your family's situation. If you really want to pay in installments, who knows when you'll be able to finish? Besides, that east wing is considered one of the better houses in the courtyard, and I really don't want to sell it to your family."

Jia Laonian looked embarrassed and remained silent for a moment before relenting: "Then...then I'll buy two rooms with the back facing the wall, but I can only pay half upfront, and I'll pay the rest later."

The old lady still wouldn't budge: "You should go back and think about it some more. If it really doesn't work out, renting is just as good. There's no need to force yourself to buy a house."

Upon hearing this, Jia Laonian immediately understood—they were openly refusing to agree.

He then sighed and revealed his true bottom line: "Then...then I'll just buy a small house in the back, okay?"

Actually, all those questions he asked earlier were forced upon him by Jia Zhangshi at home.

He knew in his heart that there was no chance of getting the east wing, but Madam Jia was persistent and told him to ask around more, just in case it worked out.

Now that he's been rebuffed, he has no choice but to reveal his true intentions.

The old lady nodded calmly: "Then you just wait. I'm an old woman, and I don't want to make another trip to the Military Control Commission just for your family. There are new residents coming to see the house in a few days. Once we've settled things with them, we'll complete the formalities together."

Old Jia had no choice but to return to the front yard dejectedly.

As soon as she entered, Madam Jia Zhang rushed over, bombarding her with questions: "How did it go? Did you finalize the deal on the house? Can you buy the east wing? Can you give us a discount?"

A barrage of questions came at him, and Jia Laonian couldn't answer a single one.

When Jia Zhangshi saw him like this, she immediately exploded, pointing her finger at his nose and cursing him, calling him incompetent, cowardly, and unable to even fight for a house.

In the past, Jia Laonian would have slapped him long ago.

This time, however, he simply squatted silently in the corner, smoking one pipe of tobacco after another without uttering a word.

My son, Jia Dongxu, is already quite old and it looks like he'll be getting married soon.

What girl would want to marry into a dilapidated, upstairs house?

But the old lady's attitude was clear: she wouldn't rent or sell the good house, and there was nothing their family could do about it.

These past few days, Jia Zhangshi has been busy, running around every day, inquiring about other courtyards.

But either the rent was too expensive, or the residents in the courtyard were a mixed bag, which was troublesome.

As for buying a house? Don't even think about it, no one is willing to sell to them.

Jia Laonian had originally planned to visit them outside of their mealtimes to avoid offending them and to be more polite in his words.

Even so, they still failed to reach an agreement.

Now, upon hearing that new residents are about to move into the front yard, Old Jia feels even more anxious and uneasy.

He even had a vague worry that the old lady might not want them to continue living in the back room.

He didn't dare say this to Jia Zhangshi. If that woman found out, she might cause a huge uproar in the courtyard.

Sunday arrived quickly.

Early in the morning, several large families arrived at the courtyard, with their children and grandchildren making up more than a dozen people in total, and they entered the courtyard in a grand procession.

As soon as the group stepped into the front yard, Jia Zhangshi appeared out of nowhere.

She didn't say a word, following the group at a distance as if guarding against thieves, her eyes scanning them warily.

"My goodness, this yard is huge!" a woman in the crowd exclaimed in surprise.

Another man who was following along nodded in agreement: "Look at this layout, a three-courtyard mansion, it must have been the residence of a high-ranking official in the past."

Hearing this from behind, Madam Jia immediately chimed in, "Of course! They're very wealthy!"

The woman who had just been sighing turned to look at her, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Are you the owner of this courtyard?"

Jia Zhangshi raised her chin: "No, that's not it."

"Then why are you following us if you're not the master?" The woman frowned slightly.

Jia Zhangshi retorted confidently, "I'm a resident of this courtyard! What's wrong with me following strangers in to check on them? If something gets stolen, can you afford to pay for it? By the way, what are you all doing here?"

The woman, annoyed by her sharp retort, immediately retorted, "We're here to look at the house. Where is the owner?"

"Of course the master lives in the main courtyard, is that even a question?" Madam Jia Zhang pouted.

The woman wanted to say a few more words, but was gently pulled aside by a middle-aged man in a long gown, thin in build and wearing glasses.

The man lowered his voice and advised, "Honey, say less. You might be neighbors in the future, and you'll run into each other all the time. Don't make things too awkward."

"She's not even the host, yet she's staring at us like we're thieves. It makes me feel really uncomfortable," the woman muttered resentfully.

"Hold on a little longer, let's look at the apartment first," the bespectacled man advised.

The woman then reluctantly shut her mouth.

But another middle-aged man next to her, wearing glasses and slightly overweight, couldn't help but speak up, looking at Jia Zhangshi: "Ma'am, how long have these houses in the front yard been empty?"

Madam Jia thought for a moment: "It's been quite a while."

"Who lived here before?"

"Workers at the steel rolling mill."

The fat man with glasses' eyes lit up: "What a coincidence, I also work at the steel rolling mill, in the forging workshop."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately perked up, exclaiming with a hint of boasting, "Then we've met someone in the same trade! Our family has two workers at the steel rolling mill!"

"Oh, that's really good. Getting into a steel rolling mill isn't easy," the fat man said politely.

Madam Jia became even more smug: "Of course!"

The fat man abruptly changed the subject, asking the most crucial question: "By the way, sister, how much is the rent for this yard? How is it collected?"

Madam Jia retorted, "You'll have to ask the master about that. How would I know?"

"How much is your rent? Tell us so we can have an idea."

Madam Jia turned her head away: "I can't tell you this. If the master finds out and gets upset, I can't bear the consequences."

The fat man asked around for ages but didn't get any of the most crucial information, and he got a little annoyed: "Why are you like this? Can't I even ask you one question?"

"Alright, alright, honey, why waste your breath on her? Let's go inside and ask the master." The fat man's wife quickly tugged at his sleeve.

Upon hearing the word "nonsense," Jia Zhangshi immediately exploded: "How can you talk like that? How is talking to you considered nonsense? Explain yourself!"

The woman completely ignored her and dragged the fat man toward the central courtyard.

Madam Jia Zhang was furious and took a step forward to block their way: "Stop! I'm talking to you, where are you going!"

Just then, Jia Laonian and Jia Dongxu rushed over.

Seeing this, Jia Laonian turned pale with fright and quickly grabbed Jia Zhangshi, saying, "Alright, stop making a fool of yourself here. What does it have to do with you if they're looking at houses? Go home!"

"Let me go!" Jia Zhangshi struggled desperately. "She just called me a liar. Fine, you won't help me, but why are you pulling me away?"

"Dongxu, come and lend a hand!" Old Jia called out to his son.

He didn't want to offend the new residents before they even moved in, so that if they all lived in the front yard, they would be arguing and fighting every day.

Jia Dongxu was originally looking around in the crowd, but after scanning the children, he found that they were all boys and lost interest. Hearing this, he reluctantly walked over and, together with Jia Laonian, dragged Jia Zhangshi back to the back room.

The minor disturbance outside has finally subsided.

The group of people who were looking at the house were in a bad mood and didn't want to linger in the front yard. They went straight through the moon gate into the middle yard.

The courtyard of the Intermediate People's Court was quiet and deserted.

The bespectacled, overweight man stepped forward, stood at the main doorway, and raised his voice, calling out, "Excuse me, is the owner of this house in? We were referred by the Military Control Commission to view the property!"

Before the old lady could even speak, a crisp reply came from inside the house:

"They're here!"

Immediately afterwards, He Yuzhu strode out of the house.

Inside the main room, the old lady, He Daqing, and Chen Lanxiang exchanged glances, all looking somewhat puzzled.

Normally, this kid doesn't care about these chores in the yard and tries to avoid them if he can. Why is he so enthusiastic today?

He only takes this initiative when it involves Xu Damao and Wang Cuiping.

He Yuzhu stepped into the courtyard, his gaze sweeping across the crowd. When he saw the two distinctive bespectacled men in the crowd, a meaningful smile crept onto his lips.

He thought to himself:

As expected, it was one of these two companies.

The plot has a really strong inertia; it went around in circles and still managed to bring these two into the picture.

Seeing that He Yuzhu was tall and looked energetic, although a bit young, Liu Haizhong subconsciously regarded him as the host and quickly put on a warm smile, reaching out to offer him a cigarette.

"Young man, does this entire courtyard belong to your family?"

He Yuzhu waved his hand lightly, his tone indifferent: "I don't smoke."

Liu Haizhong's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He awkwardly withdrew the cigarette and quickly asked, "May I ask how the host is addressed?"

"I'm not the host either," He Yuzhu said, his smile widening.

Liu Haizhong was taken aback: "Then...where is the master's family?"

"Wait a moment, I'll go call him for you."

He Yuzhu left a sentence behind, turned around and went back into the house.

Liu Haizhong stood there, inwardly grumbling: "He's not the host, why is he acting like such a big shot? I wasted so much time being polite to him."

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the house, the old lady reached out her finger and gently tapped his forehead, both amused and exasperated: "You little rascal, why are you so naughty? If you take a joke too far and offend someone, see how you clean it up."

He Yuzhu grinned nonchalantly: "What's there to be afraid of? If Madam doesn't like anyone, she can just say one word and not let them move in. We're the ones who call the shots in this courtyard."

The old lady chuckled at his words and nodded, "You're right. Come on, help me out, let's go out and meet them."

"Okay!"