Siheyuan: Silly Zhu Comes to His Senses, and the Whole Courtyard Panics

[Packed with satisfying payoffs, clever characters, and authentic Beijing flavor, this is the ultimate courtyard comeback story!]

In his previous life, He Yuzhu spent all his skills and ended up a laughingstock.

He gave his lunchboxes away, spent his wages on others, earned his sister’s resentment, failed to keep a wife, and watched his house become someone else’s. It wasn’t until old age that he finally understood: in the courtyard, the most precious thing wasn’t ration coupons, but people’s hearts.

When he opened his eyes again, it was the winter of 1952.

He Daqing had gone to Baicheng. He Yushui was curled up in bed, starving. Yi Zhonghai put on airs as an elder and told him to “know better.” Jia Zhangshi had her eye on the He family’s rice jar, and everyone in the courtyard was waiting to see the two He children bow their heads.

He Yuzhu set his lunchbox down on the table and smiled.

“If you want my help, fine. First, cough up every last cent my father sent back.”

In this life, he wouldn’t play dumb, let people take advantage of him, or trade his own sister for someone else’s praise.

With nothing but a cooking pot, he got into Fengze Garden, joined the steelworks, took charge of the main kitchen, trained apprentices, and set rules. If someone played fair, he’d invite them to a hot meal. If someone schemed against him, he’d lay out the account book in front of the neighborhood committee and factory leaders.

The courtyard was still the same courtyard.

But from that day on, the He family’s lights would come on first, their stove would be the first to heat up, and no one would get to push open their door whenever they pleased.