Chapter 66 Betrothal

Hearing the sound of the gong, the neighbors in the courtyard curiously stepped out of their rooms. Within moments, they had surrounded He Yuzhu three layers deep.

"Listen up, everyone! I have great news to share with all of you!" He Yuzhu said, beaming with a bright smile and a booming voice. "I, He Yuzhu, am officially engaged to Ran Qiuye! All of you attended our engagement banquet previously, and now I'm giving each household ten pieces of white rock sugar to thank you for your continuous care and support!"

As soon as the crowd heard they would receive ten pieces of white rock sugar, their faces bloomed with joy.

Right amidst the laughter and chatter, the Third Master suddenly raised his voice and asked loudly, "Zhuzi, do we need to give a gift in return for this white rock sugar?" The Third Master had always been calculating and cautious in everything he did. As soon as these words left his mouth, even He Yuzhu was amused.

Smiling, He Yuzhu counted out ten pieces of white rock sugar and handed them personally to the Third Master, saying generously, "Third Master, put your mind at ease. This is a sincere gift from the bottom of my heart for everyone, and no return gift is necessary. Just accept it with peace of mind!" Upon hearing this, the Third Master's smile burst open instantly. He hurriedly reached out, carefully yet somewhat eagerly slipping those ten pieces of white rock sugar into his pocket, as if afraid that this hard-earned sweetness might fly away.

Seeing the Third Master's actions, the rest of the neighbors in the courtyard no longer hesitated. One by one, they consciously formed a neat and orderly queue, waiting to receive the white rock sugar distributed by He Yuzhu.

Those who received the rock sugar had mouths as sweet as if they had been smeared with honey, showering He Yuzhu with endless praises.

Someone remarked, "Zhuzi is truly generous, handling things in such an upright and open manner!" Another chimed in, "Exactly! We've always known Zhuzi has a warm heart, but today he's simply beyond comparison!" All sorts of flattering remarks rose one after another, endless to the ear.

He Yuzhu stood there with a faint smile, maintaining an air of effortless calm.

In reality, however, he was secretly feeling rather smug, thinking to himself: *Money makes the mare go. Although the saying is a bit cliché, having money truly allows a person to live boldly and unrestrained. Why not be a little headstrong for once?*

This should have been a time of joyous celebration and complete happiness, but for the past few days, He Yuzhu's brows had been tightly furrowed with a troubled expression.

What on earth was troubling him so much? As it turned out, the relationship between him and the First Master had grown exceptionally cold and stiff, reaching the absolute pinnacle of awkwardness.

Nowadays, the First Master treated He Yuzhu as if he were completely invisible.

Whether in the small world of the courtyard or in the busy working environment of the Red Star Rolling Mill, whenever the First Master caught sight of He Yuzhu, he acted as though he didn't see him at all, withholding even the most basic eye contact. His indifference was chilling enough to freeze one's heart.

The First Master's treatment of He Yuzhu was intricately connected to events that had transpired a few days prior.

Previously, He Yuzhu had been full of anticipation, hoping to invite the First Master to act as a matchmaker and visit Teacher Ran's family on his behalf, imagining that under the First Master's witness, his engagement to Teacher Ran would proceed smoothly.

However, the First Master had his own calculations. He was dead set on matching He Yuzhu with Qin Huairu, believing that the two of them made the most suitable pair.

Yet He Yuzhu had long since made up his own mind and completely refused to buy into the First Master's ideas.

Decisively turning his back on that suggestion, he finalized his engagement with Teacher Ran instead.

This series of actions thoroughly offended the First Master.

Feeling that his dignity had been ruthlessly trampled underfoot by He Yuzhu, the First Master could not dispel the lingering resentment in his heart.

After calming down and pondering the matter thoroughly, He Yuzhu felt from the bottom of his heart that he had done nothing wrong.

Choosing whom to spend his life with was entirely his own freedom and right, and outsiders had no business interfering.

Merely out of his own self-serving interests, the First Master had attempted to arrange He Yuzhu's lifelong affairs. In He Yuzhu's view, such behavior was utterly unreasonable and arguably unethical.

Although He Yuzhu had analyzed the rights and wrongs, pros and cons of the matter quite clearly, he did not want to remain at such an impasse with the First Master indefinitely.

After all, they all lived in the same courtyard and ran into each other every day. If they continued to pretend not to see each other and treated the other as air, life would become unimaginably awkward and uncomfortable.

After much deliberation, He Yuzhu decided to seek help from the Deaf Old Lady in order to mend his relationship with the First Master.

He knew very well the status and influence the Deaf Old Lady held within the courtyard; perhaps only her intervention could appease the First Master and ease the tension between them.

Walking lightly and quietly toward the Deaf Old Lady's room, he caught sight of her from afar, eyes gently closed as she lay leisurely on her rocking chair, looking completely relaxed and seemingly fast asleep.

Seeing this, He Yuzhu instinctively lowered his voice and asked cautiously, "Is the Old Lady asleep?"

Who would have guessed that the moment his voice trailed off, the Deaf Old Lady sprang her eyes open as if triggered by a hidden mechanism.

This sudden movement gave He Yuzhu, who was slowly stepping closer, a massive fright.

Instinctively taking a large step back, He Yuzhu flusteredly pressed his rapidly beating heart in shock, and exclaimed with a face full of astonishment, "Oh, Old Lady, you were just feigning sleep! You gave me quite a scare!"

Squinting with a smile on her face, the Deaf Old Lady asked, "Zhuzi, coming to see Grandma—could it be that you're here to cook something delicious for me?"

Smiling, He Yuzhu replied, "Grandma, you really know what's on my mind. I bought some top-quality pork belly, intending to make your favorite braised pork." As he spoke, he sat down on the steps, leaned closer to the Deaf Old Lady, and continued, "Grandma, I actually have a favor to ask of you."

Upon hearing this, the Deaf Old Lady immediately turned serious and said, "My good grandson, what is it? As long as Grandma can help, I won't hesitate at all!"

He Yuzhu then recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end to the Deaf Old Lady.

Listening with rapt attention, the Deaf Old Lady initially just frowned slightly, but as the story progressed, the anger on her face grew increasingly obvious. She couldn't help cursing, "Yi Zhonghai has gone way too far this time!" Ordinarily, the Deaf Old Lady referred to him deferentially as the First Master, but now she addressed him directly by his given name, which clearly showed just how furious she was.

He Yuzhu's original intention in seeking the Deaf Old Lady's help was to resolve the issue, not to escalate the conflict further.

Therefore, he quickly added, "Grandma, we can't blame the First Master entirely. I also had my faults and spoke a bit too harshly. The First Master probably had good intentions for me, which was why he wanted to match me with Qin Huairu."