My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 277: Qin Huairu Teases Zhang Lei

After shopping, Chen Xueru smiled and saw them off. The group rode their bicycles back, and Zhang Lei recounted how he met Cai Quanwu at the tavern and confirmed his true identity. The five women listened with astonishment.

Ye Shuqin asked in surprise, "Honey, are there really people in the world who look so alike?"

Zhang Lei laughed and joked, "Are you stupid? All three of you sisters standing there look exactly alike!"

The women burst out laughing at this. Ding Qiunan teased, "It's true what they say, 'pregnancy makes you stupid for three years.' You're already getting confused right after getting pregnant."

Ye Shuqin felt a little embarrassed by what was said, and scratched her head to explain, "This is also the first time I've seen someone who looks so much like us sisters."

Seeing this, Zhang Lei quickly tried to smooth things over: "When I take He Daqing to find Cai Quanwu, I'll invite you all to come along and join in the fun, how about that?"

Upon hearing that there was something exciting to see, the girls immediately perked up and chattered excitedly, clamoring to go along.

Back near Nanluoguxiang, Zhang Lei told his wives to go back to courtyard house number 90 first, while he went alone to courtyard house number 95 to find He Daqing.

Zhang Lei knocked on the He family's door, and Qin Huairu answered. He immediately asked, "Qin Huairu, where is He Daqing?"

"Daqing went to buy things, he'll be back in a bit," Qin Huairu replied.

Zhang Lei stood at the door and said, "Then I'll wait here for a while."

Qin Huairu grabbed him and said impatiently, "Why are you being so polite with me? Come on in!"

Zhang Lei thought about it and agreed, so he followed her into the house. Looking at how spotless the house and yard were, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Qin Huairu, you live in the backyard, how come even the front and middle yard houses are so clean? Isn't this where He Yuzhu lives?"

"Our whole family eats in the courtyard every day. If it's not cleaned properly, we won't feel comfortable eating there," Qin Huairu replied casually while tidying up.

Zhang Lei joked with a smile, "You're really hardworking. I wish you hadn't married Jia Dongxu back then."

Qin Huairu rolled her eyes at him, her tone tinged with self-deprecation: "Even if I hadn't married Jia Dongxu, given our age difference, you still wouldn't have married me."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lei raised an eyebrow and said, "That's not necessarily true."

Qin Huairu stopped what she was doing and looked at him with a half-smile: "It's too late to say anything now. I'm already married to He Daqing. You were the one who brought us together."

Zhang Lei's smile widened: "So how are you going to thank me?"

No sooner had she finished speaking than Qin Huairu suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand, her eyes alluring: "Is this a good way to thank you?"

Zhang Lei was startled, his heart skipped a beat—it was broad daylight, and if He Daqing suddenly returned, he'd be in deep trouble. He quickly pulled his hand back forcefully and whispered, "Qin Huairu, are you crazy?"

Qin Huairu, however, persisted, raising an eyebrow with a smile: "Zhang Lei, you used to dare flirt with me, why are you such a coward now?"

Zhang Lei was enraged and said in a deep voice, "Qin Huairu, don't play with fire."

"I'll play with fire, what can you do about it?" Qin Huairu looked at him defiantly.

Zhang Lei glanced at the closed door, making sure no one was outside, then pulled her into his arms and said in a deep voice, "Fine, since you dare to play with fire, then I'll help you vent your desires."

Soon, a commotion came from inside the room. Qin Huairu covered her mouth tightly, not daring to make a sound.

More than half an hour later, everything returned to calm. Qin Huairu leaned against Zhang Lei, her eyes filled with satisfaction, and said reproachfully, "You're such a beast."

Zhang Lei pinched her chin, his tone somewhat domineering: "You forced me to do this. Don't let it happen again."

Just as Qin Huairu was about to say something more, the courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open. Startled, she froze instantly and quickly turned to straighten her clothes. Zhang Lei, however, remained unfazed, stood up to greet the newcomer with a smile, "Uncle He, you're back."

Upon seeing Zhang Lei, He Daqing was utterly astonished: "Zhang Lei? What are you doing here?"

"Uncle He, I've been waiting for you for ages," Zhang Lei said calmly. "Qin Huairu just said you went to buy something, so I waited in the house for a while."

Qin Huairu quickly smoothed things over with a smile: "Daqing, since you weren't back, I figured Zhang Lei must have something urgent to tell you, so I didn't let him leave and let him stay a little longer."

Without giving it much thought, He Daqing looked directly at Zhang Lei and asked, "Zhang Lei, what do you want with me?"

Zhang Lei's joking expression vanished, and he asked seriously, "Uncle He, do you have any twin brothers, or other relatives with the surname He?"

He Daqing looked puzzled: "Twin brothers? No, why?"

"Are there any relatives with the surname He who were given away years ago?" Zhang Lei pressed.

He Daqing's confusion deepened: "Zhang Lei, what exactly do you want to ask?"

Zhang Lei then revealed the reason: "Uncle He, I met someone today who looks a lot like you. His name is Cai Quanwu, and he works at a small tavern near Zhengyangmen."

"What?" He Daqing stood up abruptly, his voice trembling. "What did you say his name was?"

"Cai Quanwu," Zhang Lei repeated, and seeing his excited expression, he already knew the answer in his heart.

He Daqing grabbed Zhang Lei's arm nervously and asked anxiously, "Where did you see him? How is he now?"

Zhang Lei patted him on the shoulder and reassured him, "Uncle He, isn't Cai Quanwu your brother?"

He Daqing nodded heavily, his eyes instantly reddening: "Ah, this is a long story. Life was so hard back then. My grandfather and father led the family on a long journey, and my mother gave birth to a younger brother. But we couldn't even get enough to eat back then, and my mother died in childbirth. My father was afraid he couldn't raise him, so he gave him to a family surnamed Cai."

He paused, his voice choked with emotion: "Later we went to Tianjin, where my grandfather and father passed away one after another. I was left to learn cooking from my master, and later we settled in Beijing. With my skills, I bought these few rooms, got married, and had Zhuzi and Yushui. You should know what happened after that."

Zhang Lei listened with a sigh, never expecting He Daqing to have such a past. He said, "Uncle He, if you have time, let's go to the small tavern near Zhengyang Gate. Cai Quanwu is there. You can talk in detail when you meet."

"Okay! Let's go, right now!" He Daqing was so excited that he was trembling all over, eager to see his younger brother immediately.

Zhang Lei thought for a moment and then suggested, "But should we tell Zhu Zi and Yu Shui about this?"

He Daqing immediately nodded: "Yes, we need to let them know too! You wait here for a moment, I'll go get them!"

After saying that, He Daqing rushed out in a hurry.

As soon as he left, Qin Huairu slammed the courtyard gate shut, turned to Zhang Lei, and said with a sly look in her eyes, "What, trying to leave again?"

Zhang Lei was speechless: "You're still going on about this?"

How could he be controlled by a woman? He immediately turned the tables and took the initiative.

An hour later, Qin Huairu leaned against Zhang Lei, her eyes filled with satisfaction and her tone tinged with admiration: "You really are the toughest man in the courtyard."