My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 240: Staying for Ding Qiunan

Soon, he placed the extra-large copper stove for hot pot on the table. Upon seeing this, Ye Shuhua and He Yushui quickly ran into the kitchen to help carry the plates.

Ding Qiunan looked at the table piled high with all sorts of meats and exclaimed in surprise, "This is too lavish!"

Zhang Lei said with a smile, "Don't be shy, eat as much as you want today, there's more if you're not full."

Ye Shuqi urged, "Don't be shy, let's eat quickly."

Everyone started eating enthusiastically, politely offering food to each other. Zhang Lei, watching Ye Shuhua enjoying her meal, smiled and said, "Don't rush, there's more in the kitchen."

With her mouth full of meat, Ye Shuhua mumbled, "Honey, I know, it's so delicious. Let me swallow this first before I eat more."

Zhang Lei said with a mix of helplessness and indulgence, "Alright, you can eat however you want."

This extra-large bronze stove was originally intended for Zhang Lei to serve his three brothers-in-law and their families. However, looking at the table full of people, he felt that the stove was too small and thought he should prepare two more in the future.

Seeing that Ding Qiunan was eating reservedly, he got up, took the plate, and put all the beef and mutton into the pot: "Ding Qiunan, don't be shy, make yourself at home. The broth is specially made with pork ribs, eat more."

Ding Qiunan nodded: "Thank you, Zhang Lei."

Ye Shuqi nudged Ding Qiunan with her elbow: "Why be polite with him? Just make yourself at home."

Ye Shuhua also looked at He Yushui: "Yushui, don't be so polite."

He Yushui's mouth was stuffed full, and she could only nod vigorously, unable to speak.

Zhang Lei hadn't expected the group to have such large appetites, especially the three pregnant women, Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua, who were particularly good at eating meat. Halfway through the meal, he had to take out slices of beef and mutton from his spatial storage and bring them to the table.

In the end, everyone ate until their bellies were bulging, and Zhang Lei felt gratified seeing their satisfied expressions.

He looked at He Yushui and casually asked, "Yushui, how's your brother? When will he be better?"

He Yushui thought for a moment: "There's still a week left. I went to see him yesterday; that's what the doctor said."

Zhang Lei nodded: "That's good. Staying in the hospital every day is a considerable expense."

He Yushui sighed: "Yeah, my brother hasn't been to work for so long, I bet the factory workers are complaining."

Zhang Lei comforted him, "Don't worry, your brother is skilled, the factory won't fire him easily."

Little did he know that after He Daqing refused Director Yang's plea, Director Yang had already harbored a grudge against the He family, but had not yet found an excuse to punish He Yuzhu.

After finishing the meal, Zhang Lei got up to clear the dishes, but Ye Shuqin quickly stopped him, saying, "Honey, don't move, we'll do it."

Zhang Lei didn't refuse again, and Ding Qiunan, seeing the three sisters busy, felt embarrassed to sit and joined in the tidying up.

He Yushui was too full and could only sit down to digest. Zhang Lei patted her shoulder and said, "It's okay, just sit and rest."

Just as He Yushui was about to say something, Zhang Lei interrupted her: "By the way, tell me about your school, see if there's anything fun there."

He Yushui immediately became interested and started talking non-stop about school. When she mentioned her best friend, Zhang Lei was taken aback when he heard the name "Yu Haitang": "Your best friend is named Yu Haitang?"

He Yushui nodded: "Yes, Brother Zhang Lei, we're really good friends."

Zhang Lei then asked, "Yu Haitang, is her older sister named Yu Li?"

Although he knew about their relationship, he still wanted to confirm it. After listening to He Yushui's introduction, he finally confirmed that these were the sisters he knew.

Zhang Lei said with a smile, "Since he's your good friend, bring him over to the courtyard house sometime and introduce him to Shuqin and the others."

He Yushui nodded quickly: "Okay, Brother Zhang Lei, I'll invite her over another day and let her envy me for being able to eat so much delicious food."

Zhang Lei laughed: "Okay, when she comes, I'll arrange another hot pot meal for you all to enjoy."

He Yushui was overjoyed. Although she and Yu Haitang were best friends, it was inevitable for women to compare themselves to each other, whether it was their lifestyle, their clothes, or their looks. She had long wanted to show Yu Haitang how good her life was now.

After tidying up the house, the group chatted for over an hour. Seeing that it was getting late, He Yushui got up, said goodbye to everyone, and went home.

Ye Shuqin had tidied up the room early on. She pulled Ding Qiunan to the door and said with a smile, "You'll stay in this room tonight. Everything is prepared inside."

Afterwards, Ye Shuqi carefully explained the location of the bathroom in her home to Ding Qiunan. Ding Qiunan was incredulous to see that Zhang Lei's house had a private bathroom—she usually went to public toilets.

Shocked, she couldn't help but ask, "Shuqi, is this the case in every household in your courtyard house?"

Ye Shuqi shook her head with a smile: "Of course not, only our family owns one in the whole courtyard. And now, the east and west courtyards plus the east side room are all occupied by our family members. This is all thanks to our husband, who has found many good jobs for the family members."

Hearing Ye Shuqi's proud words, Ding Qiunan felt envious. The two chatted for a few more minutes before returning to their respective rooms.

Ding Qiunan lay alone in bed, still feeling like she was dreaming. Who wouldn't enjoy a comfortable life? She closed the door, took out the new clothes she had bought during the day, and tried them on repeatedly, feeling a sweet warmth in her heart.

On the other side, Zhang Lei lay on the bed, looking at Ye Shuqin and Ye Shuqi beside him, and scolded them in a serious tone: "What's wrong with you two today? Ding Qiunan is visiting our house for the first time, and the way you two acted, you wanted me to just eat her up."

Hearing this, Ye Shuhua burst out laughing: "Honey, your analogy is hilarious."

Zhang Lei's forehead went black, and he looked at Ye Shuqi again: "Shuqi, tell me honestly, what are you thinking?"

Ye Shuqi smiled and pretended to be naive: "Honey, what am I going to say? I just thought Qiu Nan was a nice person, so I invited her over as a guest."

Seeing that she wouldn't tell the truth, Zhang Lei feigned anger and said, "If you two don't tell the truth, don't blame me for resorting to family discipline."

As he spoke, he started to play around, and Ye Shuqin and Ye Shuqi couldn't take it anymore and quickly begged for mercy.

Ye Shuqi, panting, said, "Honey, I just think Qiu Nan is a good person and beautiful, a perfect match for you."

Zhang Lei raised his hand and tapped her on the head: "What were you thinking? Saying these things on the first meeting, who introduces a woman to their man?"

Ye Shuqi said nonchalantly, "So what? My older sister told me that you've been feeling really down lately, so I just found someone to help you relieve your worries."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lei turned and glared at Ye Shuqin. Ye Shuqin leaned against his chest and said softly, "Honey, the three of us really don't mind. Having another sister will make the house more lively."

Ye Shuqi and Ye Shuhua quickly nodded in agreement.

Seeing how sensible the three of them were, Zhang Lei sighed helplessly: "Even if you don't mind, you can't be in such a hurry. You need to cultivate your relationship first. You can't force yourself on me."

Ye Shuqi's eyes lit up, and she quickly asked, "Honey, does that mean you agree?"

Zhang Lei's forehead swelled again: "What do you mean, 'I agree to'? These things require mutual consent; you can't force it."

Ye Shuqi said confidently, "Don't worry, sir, I guarantee I can make her like you."

Zhang Lei couldn't persuade her any further, so he waved his hand and said, "Fine, fine, do whatever you want, but let me make this clear: I don't like forcing people. If she doesn't agree, I will never marry her."

Ye Shuqi nodded quickly: "Don't worry, husband, we're not bandits, we're not going to kidnap a wife for you."

Hearing her absurd analogy, Zhang Lei tapped her head again and said helplessly, "Alright, go to sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow."