My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 93: Dinner Party

Zhang Lei quickly arrived at the back room, went into the kitchen, and took out a lot of vegetables and meat from the space.

Seeing Zhang Lei carrying so many groceries, Ye Shuqin asked in confusion, "Honey, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Lei said with a smile, "I'm going to Sha Zhu's house for a meal later, and have a few drinks with some people my age in the neighborhood. I'll get some wine. You three don't need to cook anything later; I'll have Sha Zhu help me cook."

Hearing Zhang Lei's words, Ye Shuqin hesitated and said, "Honey, isn't this inappropriate?"

Zhang Lei waved his hand and said, "There's nothing wrong with it. Sha Zhu is a cook, and he cooks quickly. We can cook together and save you guys the trouble of doing it yourself."

Soon, Zhang Lei brought the meat and vegetables to Sha Zhu's house.

Sha Zhu's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he quickly said, "Zhang Lei, you're too kind. You brought so much meat and vegetables; it's enough for two tables."

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "I asked you to cook two tables, but we've only eaten so much that my wife and the others are still hungry."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to Sha Zhu's house opened again, and He Yushui walked in.

Upon seeing Zhang Lei, He Yushui called out in a clear, cheerful voice, "Brother Zhang Lei!"

Zhang Lei nodded and said with a smile, "Yushui, come to my house later and have dinner with my wife and her two sisters. Your brother and I will have some drinks at your house."

He Yushui listened to Zhang Lei's words and turned to look at Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu nodded directly and said to his sister, "Yu Shui, just listen to Zhang Lei. He brought a lot of meat and vegetables, enough for two tables. We can have one table here, and you can have the other in the back room."

He Yushui listened to Zhang Lei's words and turned to look at Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu nodded directly and said to his sister, "Yu Shui, just listen to Zhang Lei. He brought enough food to eat, enough for two tables. One table for us, and the other for you in the back room."

He Yushui nodded, indicating that she understood.

Actually, she had wanted to go to Zhang Lei's house for a long time. She had always heard that Zhang Lei's wife was a triplet. She had never chatted with the three sisters, Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua, before, and she had been looking forward to seeing what the triplets looked like up close.

Looking at He Yushui, Zhang Lei turned to Shazhu and said, "Shazhu, I'm telling you, you should be nicer to your sister. Look how thin she is. Yushui must be fifteen or sixteen now, she's a grown woman, but look at her, she doesn't look like a grown woman at all."

Sha Zhu looked a little guilty and muttered softly, "I didn't let her go hungry."

Zhang Lei rolled his eyes, somewhat speechless: "Is this about being hungry or not? You're the head chef at the steel mill canteen, where did all the leftovers and juicy food you brought go?"

Hearing Zhang Lei ask this, He Yushui panicked a little and quickly came to Sha Zhu's rescue: "Brother Zhang Lei, my brother is very good to me, but he's a grown man and a little rough around the edges."

Zhang Lei looked at He Yuzhu and said with a serious tone, "Silly Zhu, look how good your sister is to you. She's even speaking up for you now."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "People say that the eldest brother is like a father. You should take on more responsibility and not always give the good things you bring back to outsiders. Rainwater is the family you are connected to by blood."

Sha Zhu looked at Zhang Lei, muttering with dissatisfaction, "Fine, fine, I know. Look at what you're saying, are you his brother or am I his brother?"

After hearing this, Zhang Lei couldn't help but laugh. He turned to look at He Yushui and said in an exceptionally cheerful tone, "I'm fine as your older brother, Yushui. If you ever want to eat something delicious, just tell me, and I'll buy it for you. I'll definitely treat you like my own little sister."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu immediately became agitated, stubbornly shouting, "Zhang Lei, you wish! She's my sister!"

Zhang Lei raised an eyebrow and smiled, then slowly said to Sha Zhu, "If you're not good to the rain, then I'll take back your power and become the boss."

Sha Zhu felt he couldn't win an argument with Zhang Lei, so he could only say angrily, "Say what you want, I'm going to cook."

With that, she turned and plunged into the kitchen, busily getting to work.

Watching Sha Zhu's retreating figure, He Yushui stared blankly at Zhang Lei and whispered, "Thank you, Brother Zhang Lei."

She paused, then added softly, "My brother is really good to me; he just gets a little confused sometimes."

Zhang Lei looked at He Yushui with a gentle smile on his face: "I wasn't joking just now, I really want to treat you like a younger sister."

He said sincerely, "If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just tell me directly."

After saying that, Zhang Lei took out 20 yuan from his pocket and put it in He Yushui's hand, saying, "Look at your clothes, they're all too small. Take this money and buy yourself a couple of outfits, and have something good to eat."

When He Yushui saw the 20 yuan in her hand, she quickly pushed it away, saying, "Brother Zhang Lei, I can't accept this. It's too much."

Zhang Lei pretended to be angry and said, "Yu Shui, if you consider me your brother Zhang Lei, then take the money, otherwise I'll get angry."

He Yushui listened to Zhang Lei's words, and her eyes immediately reddened. Her fingers clenched the 20 yuan, and her fingertips trembled slightly.

She bit her lip, unable to speak for a long time, before finally whispering, her voice choked with emotion, "Thank you, Brother Zhang Lei."

Zhang Lei watched as He Yushui accepted the money, then smiled and said, "That's more like it. Alright, you go chat with my wife and the others in the back room first. I'll call you when the food is ready."

He Yushui nodded as she listened to Zhang Lei's words and walked out quietly. However, at this moment, there was a different emotion in He Yushui's eyes when she looked at Zhang Lei. He was only the second man in He Yushui's life to be kind to her; the first was her brother.

Sha Zhu's cooking skills were indeed impressive; soon the whole room was filled with the aroma of the dishes.

Just as the dishes were ready, the door was pushed open, and Xu Damao came in with Liu Guangtian and Yan Jiecheng.

Xu Damao, carrying two bottles of wine and beaming, shouted as soon as he entered, "Wow, this smells amazing! I could smell it from the yard. Silly Zhu's got some skills!"

Zhang Lei then looked at Sha Zhu and asked, "Sha Zhu, is that table in the back room still available?"

Sha Zhu nodded and replied, "We've set some aside; let's take it to them first."

Zhang Lei and Sha Zhu each carried three plates of food and quickly delivered them to the back room.

When the two returned to He Yuzhu's house, Xu Damao and the other two had already set out the wine.

Seeing Zhang Lei and his companion sit down, the three of them eagerly shouted, "Let's eat! Let's eat!"

Sha Zhu retorted directly to Xu Damao, "Are you a reincarnated starving ghost? Eating so fast!"

Xu Damao retorted, "I just want to see if your cooking is up to par!"

Zhang Lei then advised, "Are you two ever going to stop? Even eating can't shut you up."