My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 232: Gossip in the Courtyard

At the entrance of the alley to the north of the courtyard, seven or eight children surrounded Zhang Lei, chattering about how they had been beaten up the night before. Zhang Lei waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I know what you want to say."

He pulled a handful of candy from his pocket and distributed it to the children: "Alright, four candies each, is that enough?"

The children's faces lit up with joy at the sight of the candy. Zhang Lei then asked, "Have you spread the word?"

Seven or eight children eagerly responded, "If we spread the word, everyone will know!"

Zhang Lei nodded: "That's good." He looked at the children, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, alright, you guys should go now."

At this moment, Liu Guangtian came over, looked at Zhang Lei, and said, "Zhang Lei, next time something like this happens, remember to think of us."

Zhang Lei listened and casually replied, "Okay, I won't forget you about this." But in his heart, he thought to himself, "Liu Guangtian is such a grown man, yet he's still acting like a child. It seems he's really not well-liked in the Liu family. Otherwise, why would he be so happy with just five cents?"

Meanwhile, in the courtyard, people were talking about what happened to He Daqing last night. The aunties and young wives in the neighborhood were all blushing with embarrassment when they heard it.

At Uncle Liu Haizhong's house, his second aunt was grumbling to him, "Old Liu, I don't know which brat spread the rumor, but they said He Daqing last night last night lasted for half an hour. He's so old, where does he get that much stamina?"

Liu Haizhong immediately scolded, "You shameless woman, you pry into everything!

The second aunt didn't take it seriously; everyone in the courtyard knew about it. She was just using the complaint to subtly imply that Liu Haizhong had become increasingly unable to keep up with his abilities over the years. Liu Haizhong, annoyed by her stare, waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, if you want to cook, go buy groceries. Stop staring at me. Is there something on my face?"

Aunt Er curled her lip and said disdainfully, "You old garlic clove, all looks and no use." With that, she picked up her vegetable basket and left. Liu Hai was furious and wanted to retort, but thinking about his recent situation, he couldn't say a word.

In the front yard of the Yan family's house, the third aunt was picking vegetables when she looked at Yan Fugui and asked, "Old Yan, do you think those two little rascals of ours went to eavesdrop on He Daqing's house last night?"

Yan Fugui stroked his mustache and said confidently, "It definitely is."

The third aunt asked again, "So, were all these rumors circulating in the courtyard today the work of those little rascals?"

Yan Fugui thought for a moment and nodded, "Probably. I'll ask Jiefang and Jiekuang when I get back."

"Why are you asking them?" The third aunt waved her hand. "Even if you ask, they're not going to tell you the truth."

Yan Fugui looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

The third aunt hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Old Yan, I was chatting with some of the women in the courtyard just now, and I heard that He Daqing last night lasted for more than forty minutes. Do you think Qin Huairu's petite frame can handle it? Won't he get hurt?"

Yan Fugui frowned and said in a deep voice, "What else do you want to do? We already have a lot of kids, I don't want to go through all this trouble tonight."

The three women immediately became unhappy and complained, "How long has it been since you tilled the land? Your own land is lying idle, it's almost overgrown!"

Yan Fugui was so angry that he puffed out his beard and glared at his wife: "I'm the only one in our family earning a fixed salary. There are so many mouths to feed. If I get pregnant again, do you want to work me to death?"

The third auntie was also suspicious after hearing this. Considering her family's situation, she ultimately dared not say anything more, but she couldn't help but think about the gossip that filled the courtyard.

The gossip about the courtyard had already spread like wildfire, but Zhang Lei didn't stay in the courtyard. He rode his bicycle, carrying his fishing rod, and went to Houhai again.

A number of anglers had already gathered on the shore. Zhang Lei chose a secluded corner, not wanting anyone to see him fishing. After settling down, he baited his hook and used his system's perception ability to lock onto the school of fish, precisely casting the line into the center.

As soon as the float bobbed up and down, Zhang Lei jerked his wrist, and a large fish weighing about two pounds leaped out of the water. He watched the fish fall into the bucket, smiled, and said, "The first one."

He then repeated the process, and the second, third, fourth, and fifth fish were caught in succession. Zhang Lei was immersed in the joy of fishing. With each rise and fall of his fingertips, he felt that he was surrounded only by himself and the fish in the water, completely forgetting the outside world.

Just then, a clear female voice suddenly rang out: "Wow, you're amazing! You caught so many fish!"

The pleasant voice interrupted Zhang Lei's concentration. He turned around in the direction of the voice and saw two girls, one big and one small. He was stunned for a moment—weren't these the Yu Li and Yu Haitang sisters?

Zhang Lei looked at the two of them and asked with a smile, "Who are you?"

Yu Haitang, being a lively person, immediately ran over and said in a clear voice, "Hello, my name is Yu Haitang, and this is my older sister, Yu Li."

When Yu Li saw her younger sister rattle off their names, she was immediately displeased and reached out to tug at her sister's sleeve. However, Yu Haitang was too busy talking to notice her older sister's expression.

Looking at the lively Yu Haitang and the cautious Yu Li, Zhang Lei asked again, "Are you two going fishing?"

Yu Li quickly waved her hand and explained, "No, no, we just came to take a look."

Upon learning that the two were just strolling around, Zhang Lei glanced at them twice, then lowered his head to continue baiting and casting his line, refusing to speak further. Yu Li and Yu Haitang, understanding the situation, didn't disturb them further and simply stood aside watching.

But what happened next completely stunned the two sisters—Zhang Lei caught a fish almost every minute, and in just half an hour, the bucket he brought was completely full.

The two sisters often came to Houhai and had seen many fishermen. Everyone had to wait for two or three hours to catch a single fish. But this man was making fish jump into the bucket one after another as if they were free. His skill was truly astonishing.

Yu Haitang couldn't contain herself any longer and ran up to Zhang Lei, her eyes sparkling: "You're amazing! Are you a fishing expert? Do you have any tips? Teach me!"

Zhang Lei looked up at her, smiled and waved his hand: "There's no skill involved, I just got lucky today."

Upon hearing this, Yu Haitang was completely unconvinced, puffing out her cheeks in obvious disagreement.

Yu Li, who was standing nearby, quickly tugged at her and whispered, "Haitang, stop fooling around."

Yu Haitang glanced at Zhang Lei with displeasure, then turned to glare at her sister and complained, "Sis, what are you doing?"

Yu Li was both angry and helpless. She pulled her aside and whispered, "What are you doing? They're fishing. Don't disturb them."

"I just wanted to ask about fishing techniques, that's all," Yu Haitang pouted in defense.

Yu Li frowned, her voice earnest: "If they really have the skills, why should they teach you? You're not even familiar with them. Besides, 'teaching a student can lead to the master starving,' who would willingly pass on their true skills to an outsider?"

Hearing her sister's words, Yu Haitang finally calmed down and nodded gently: "Sister, I was wrong."