My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 370: Delivering Meat

Zhang Lei felt stifled, so he rode his bicycle out for a walk to clear his head and also to see how things were going between Liu Hongchang and Yang Maixiang.

He arrived near Liu Hongchang's house and, hearing that Liu Hongchang had gone to buy groceries, followed him.

As soon as I arrived at the meat stall, I saw Liu Hongchang and He Wenhui standing together.

When Zhang Lei got closer, he saw that He Wenhui wanted to buy some meat and happened to run into Liu Hongchang.

He instantly recalled a scene from a TV series and had an idea.

Zhang Lei went straight up to the stall and pointed to the remaining meat and bones: "Boss, how much are these?"

The shop owner didn't even look up: "Get in line."

Zhang Lei laughed: "Why are you queuing? None of them said they wanted to buy anything. Besides, I need a lot, and what you have might not even be enough."

The shopkeeper sized him up: "I still have dozens of pounds of meat and bones here. Can you take them all?"

Zhang Lei patted his pocket: "I want it all. My family has dozens of people, and this might not even be enough to eat."

Everyone around was stunned.

Zhang Lei cupped his hands in a gesture of apology to the crowd: "I'm a purchasing agent. I have a large family and a lot of demand, so I apologize to everyone."

Liu Hongchang recognized him too and exclaimed in surprise, "Zhang Lei?"

Zhang Lei pretended to have just noticed him: "Liu Hongchang, you're here to buy too?"

Liu Hongchang nodded: "Yes, I didn't expect you to take care of everything."

"How about I share some with you?"

"Never mind, I'll come another day."

Zhang Lei could see clearly that Liu Hongchang's eyes kept glancing towards He Wenhui.

Without saying a word, he bought all the meat and bones, and asked the shopkeeper to pack a small piece of bone weighing about three pounds with meat separately.

In those days of scarcity and food shortages, Zhang Lei's generosity was the envy of everyone.

Zhang Lei pushed his bike away, deliberately riding in the direction He Wenhui had gone.

He Wenhui turned around when she heard the bicycle bell, and was stunned when she saw Zhang Lei.

Zhang Lei deliberately blocked her view so that Liu Hongchang in the distance couldn't see her too clearly, and said in a light tone, "What a coincidence, we've run into you again."

He Wenhui smiled and said, "Yes."

She didn't want to pay much attention to it at first, but seeing how much Zhang Lei had bought, she was really envious.

Zhang Lei asked, "How is your mother?"

"It's still the same. My sister Wenyuan is at home taking care of things."

Zhang Lei feigned surprise: "Your sister's name is He Wenyuan? I know her. It seems I really have a connection with your family."

He Wenhui smiled and didn't think much of it.

Zhang Lei suddenly grabbed her hand and stuffed the individually packaged meat into it: "Since we're destined to meet, you can have this meat."

He Wenhui was startled: "No, no, I can't take it."

She didn't even notice that their hands were still clasped together.

Zhang Lei wouldn't let go: "I'm not giving this to you, it's for the old lady. I have a connection with her, please give it to her for me."

He Wenhui couldn't refuse, so she had no choice but to accept: "Well... thank you."

Only then did she realize that Zhang Lei was still holding her hand, and her face flushed red instantly.

Zhang Lei quickly let go, pretending to be embarrassed: "Sorry, sorry, I was in too much of a hurry just now."

"My name is Zhang Lei, and I live in a courtyard house at No. 90 Nanluoguxiang. You can come to me if you need anything."

Before He Wenhui could say anything more, Zhang Lei got on his bicycle and rode off into the distance.

Not far away, Liu Hongchang saw all of this, and felt as if something had clenched his heart.

Zhang Lei and He Wenhui are so close; their relationship is clearly not ordinary.

Liu Hongchang felt both bitter and disappointed, and stood there motionless for a long time.

He Wenhui clutched the meat, her mind heavy with worry, and went home.

The younger siblings' eyes lit up when they saw so much meat.

He Wentao exclaimed in surprise, "Sis, where did you get so much meat? It's enough for us to eat for many meals!"

He's mother, Yu Qiuhua, who is blind, hurriedly asked, "Wenhui, did you buy this meat?"

"No, it was given to you by Zhang Lei, the one who brought you back before. He said it was to help you recover."

Mother He was taken aback: "Is it that young man? What does he look like? I can't see him."

He Wenhui didn't know how to describe him for a moment, she only knew that Zhang Lei looked very energetic.

He Wenyuan, who was standing to the side, suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Zhang Lei?"

He Wenhui looked at her: "You know him?"

He Wenyuan's eyes darted around, and he said in a low voice, "I... I ran into him once."

He Wenhui didn't think much of it.

Mother He said, "Remember where this young man lives. Send him some of our pickled vegetables another day to thank him properly."

He Wentao was already craving meat: "Sis, don't worry about anything else, hurry up and stew the meat!"

He Wenda also pursed his lips, looking expectant.

Helpless, He Wenhui had no choice but to take out some meat, add vegetables, and stew it in a pot.

Soon, the whole house was filled with the aroma of meat.

Zhang Lei rode his bicycle back to Nanluoguxiang and happened to run into He Daqing, who was walking back.

He cut off a small piece of good meat from the car and handed it over: "Uncle He, this is freshly bought meat. Take it home and nourish Qin Huairu."

He Daqing's dazed expression snapped back to reality, and he quickly took the gift, saying, "Zhang Lei, thank you... thank you."

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "Why are you being so polite with me? She's pregnant right now."

He Daqing gave an awkward smile.

Zhang Lei noticed the paper package in his hand and casually asked, "Uncle He, what good stuff are you holding?"

He Daqing's expression changed, and he quickly hid behind his back: "No...it's nothing, just some seasoning."

Zhang Lei didn't suspect anything: "Okay, I'll go home and deliver the meat first."

Watching Zhang Lei's departing figure, He Daqing breathed a long sigh of relief.

What he was clutching tightly in his hand wasn't any condiment at all, but rather an abortion pill that he had just gotten through someone.

He looked down at the meat Zhang Lei had given him, then at the medicine packet in his hand, his eyes gradually turning cold, and he had already made up his mind.

He Daqing, carrying the meat, hurried back to the backyard of courtyard house number 95. Qin Huairu felt a warmth in her heart upon seeing him return with the meat and smiled, asking, "Daqing, did you buy this?"

He Daqing didn't explain much, only smiling and instructing, "You're pregnant, so don't run around. Go to bed and rest. I'll go cook."

Listening to his gentle concern, Qin Huairu was overjoyed. She gently touched her belly and felt that only such a peaceful life could truly give her hope.

Today, He Daqing specially made stir-fried pork and braised pork with vermicelli, filling the house with their aroma. He stared at the stewing dishes in the pot, then secretly took out a little white powder and sprinkled it in. Watching the powder dissolve into the dishes, he felt uneasy and conflicted—he knew that Qin Huairu's baby couldn't be kept.

Before long, all the dishes were ready. Qin Huairu looked at the table full of food and said with heartache, "Daqing, why did you make so many dishes? It's just the two of us."

He Daqing looked at her and said gently, "I want to see if your tastes have changed during your pregnancy, what you like to eat, pick it out, and I'll cook it for you often in the future."

Qin Huairu felt a surge of warmth in her heart upon hearing this, and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek: "Daqing, you are so good. I've made the right choice in marrying you in this life."

Just as the two started eating, Qin Huairu was about to pick up some pork stew with vermicelli when He Daqing suddenly called out to her, "Huairu, wait a minute."

Qin Huairu looked up in confusion: "What's wrong, Qing Dynasty?"

He Daqing moved the dishes in front of him closer to her: "Try this first."

Qin Huairu didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement. But for some reason, she subconsciously picked up the plate of braised pork with vermicelli and ate it. Seeing her eat it, He Daqing also lowered his head and frantically shoveled food into his mouth without saying a word.

After finishing his meal, He Daqing, worried that Qin Huairu would become suspicious, made up an excuse and hurriedly left home.

He had just reached the front yard when he bumped into Yan Fugui. Yan Fugui, wanting to build rapport, smiled and congratulated him, "Daqing, congratulations! Your family is about to welcome a new member!"

Hearing this, He Daqing felt awkward and could only awkwardly reply, "Thanks, Lao Yan."

Without waiting for Yan Fugui to speak again, he turned and left. Yan Fugui watched his hurried back, feeling uneasy. He felt that He Daqing was acting strangely today. After thinking about it, he figured he was just in a hurry to go to the toilet because he couldn't hold it in.