At first, I thought it was a simple matter: just buy He Yushui a house, move her, and she'd be out of the courtyard house, right? But after thinking about it more deeply...
Although Beijing is a large city, where can He Yushui escape to? Given He Yushui's background, unless she marries someone who is missing an arm or a leg, or a middle-aged bachelor, who would dare to marry her?
Recipe notes? This is practically a betrothal gift! He Daqing, that old bastard, is so cunning. No wonder he's on friendly terms with Yi Zhonghai.
This isn't as simple as it seems. Once I agree, I have to take full responsibility. That old bastard He Daqing is definitely planning to make me marry He Yushui. He's even tempting me with recipes. I already have Qin Jingru. I can't afford your pair of A's.
"You!" He Yushui was both angry and embarrassed. She hadn't expected Ma Hua to see through her so easily. Remembering her father's instructions, she pouted and said to Ma Hua coquettishly, "Will you help me or not?"
She felt her father was right; given her current situation, she couldn't marry into a good family anyway, so she might as well marry Ma Hua and then exchange their house in the courtyard for someone else.
With Ma Hua being so fierce, the people in the courtyard would definitely not dare to cause trouble, and I would finally be free from this misery. Besides, Ma Hua is also so handsome.
"Heh, I won't help," Ma Hua sneered twice. He Yushui was completely dumbfounded. How come things weren't going as she expected? Was she really that bad?
He Yushui bit her lip sadly, wondering what she was going to do in the future.
“I have other ways to help you. Do you want to hear them?” Ma Hua saw He Yushui’s current state and was reminded of his own helplessness in his past life.
Ma Hua sighed and said, "Have you ever thought about supporting the Third Front, or sending educated youth to the countryside, even the Northwest?"
"This," He Yushui was dumbfounded. She hadn't expected Ma Hua to give her this idea. Thinking about the situation in the countryside, He Yushui's face turned so gloomy that it was almost dripping with water.
In this era, going to the countryside is not a good way out; only unemployed people in the city who laze around all day would do that.
"You still have one person you can ask for help from, Lou Xiao'e," Ma Hua said with a sigh. Another option is to go to Hong Kong, but that's a last resort.
But could He Yushui go there by herself? Impossible, absolutely impossible. Even if she did go, a little girl like her would probably be eaten alive.
Ma Hua told He Yushui this because she was curious whether He Daqing knew Lou Xiao'e's mother. She was still curious: were He Daqing's womanizing skills really that good? He'd won over Lou Xiao'e's mother in just a few days?
Or perhaps the two knew each other before, after all, He Daqing is known as the successor of Tan Family Cuisine, and Lou Xiao'e's mother also has the surname Tan.
Upon hearing Lou Xiao'e's name, He Yushui looked at Ma Hua in disbelief, then quickly shook her head. Because of her brother Sha Zhu, she was not very familiar with Lou Xiao'e.
Lou Xiao'e, who was eavesdropping at the door, couldn't hold back when she heard Ma Hua say that. She strode into the house and scolded Ma Hua, "Ma Hua, what do you mean by that?"
"Oh, so you've finally decided to come out?" Ma Hua chuckled lightly. He had already heard Lou Xiao'e hiding outside. He had said this on purpose, and sure enough, it lured Lou Xiao'e out.
“Ma Hua, you still haven’t told me what you meant just now,” Lou Xiao’e said, ignoring Ma Hua and staring at him with wide eyes.
“I take people’s money and do their bidding, just like your deal,” Ma Hua said, shrugging his shoulders with a hint of helplessness.
"You," Lou Xiao'e glared angrily at Ma Hua.
He Yushui was startled by Lou Xiao'e's sudden appearance, then frowned, wondering what Ma Hua meant by this. She then looked at Lou Xiao'e with a puzzled expression.
Lou Xiao'e ignored He Yushui and instead glared at Ma Hua, waiting for an explanation from them.
Ma Hua ignored the two men, instead picking up his teacup and drinking it all in one gulp: "You only have a high school diploma. You can apply to volunteer for support in the third-tier cities."
This way, you're more likely to be assigned to a good place. You can settle down there. As for going to the countryside, it's pretty much the same as staying in the courtyard house. That's my solution. Think about it carefully."
Hearing Ma Hua's words, He Yushui nodded blankly and left Ma Hua's room, leaving only Lou Xiao'e and Ma Hua inside.
Ma Hua glanced at Lou Xiao'e, who was glaring at him angrily: "Alright, what do you want? Did you bring the recipes?"
"No, what did you mean just now? Tell me quickly." Lou Xiao'e ignored Ma Hua and asked directly.
"Hmph, what's wrong? You, Lou Xiao'e, don't still think you're the rich young lady you used to be, do you? I'm not Xu Damao, so don't try to act tough with me. It won't work."
Ignoring Lou Xiao'e's unpleasant expression, Ma Hua spoke slowly and deliberately.
Lou Xiao'e felt utterly powerless upon hearing Ma Hua's words. What Ma Hua said was exactly the same as what her father had said. Dejected, she sat down on the bench opposite Ma Hua.
"Alright, my place is too small to accommodate someone as precious as you," Ma Hua said coldly, having her own plans.
"I'm sorry," Lou Xiao'e said softly, somewhat reluctantly.
"What? I can't hear you?" Ma Hua picked at his ear and said to Lou Xiao'e with some impatience.
"I apologize, I was wrong just now," Lou Xiao'e said angrily to Ma Hua. She had to hold back; her father's words were still echoing in her mind. She had to find out exactly what Ma Hua meant—it was crucial.
"Alright, get to the point," Ma Hua said impatiently. "I'm not some traitor; I won't cause trouble. I don't want you to cheat on me after you leave."
“My dad said he wants to meet you,” Lou Xiao’e said, biting her lip.
“Sigh, whether I meet him or not, it’s all the same, isn’t it? Your dad probably already knows what’s going on. Is there any need to meet him? He’s probably already thoroughly investigated my background,” Ma Hua sighed.
"No, no, that can't be," Lou Xiao'e said, forcing a smile. She suspected Ma Hua was telling the truth; her father had already sent people to investigate Ma Hua.
"Fine, I'll see you for the sake of the recipe. But even though I, Ma Hua, am not someone important, I'm not someone you can just summon and dismiss at will. You'll have to pay me an appearance fee!" Ma Hua sighed. He really wanted the recipe.
"Huh?" Lou Xiao'e was a little confused. What did Ma Hua mean just now?
"A kickback! Not much, just two large yellow croakers." Ma Hua glanced at Lou Xiao'e with a hint of helplessness.
"Fine. It's just two fish!" Lou Xiao'e said dismissively.
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