My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 276: Cai Quanwu Admits His Mistake

Zhang Lei and Chen Xueru were drinking when, out of the corner of their eye, they caught a glimpse of a familiar figure flashing by in the corner of the backyard of the tavern. His heart skipped a beat, and he jumped to his feet, exclaiming in a trembling voice, "He Daqing?"

The shout abruptly broke the silence of the tavern, startling Xu Huizhen and Chen Xueru, who both looked in the direction he was looking. Chen Xueru frowned and asked, "Zhang Lei, what's wrong?"

Zhang Lei composed himself and carefully examined the newcomer. The more he looked, the more he felt that the person's features were different from the He Daqing he remembered. His face flushed, and he waved his hand awkwardly, "Ah, it's nothing, I mistook you for someone else."

Chen Xueru became interested and pressed on, "You mistook me for someone else? What happened?"

Xu Huizhen walked over with a smile and asked, "What happened?"

After Chen Xueru recounted what had just happened, Xu Huizhen looked surprised: "Is there anyone who looks so much like our Cai Quanwu?"

Zhang Lei nodded and explained, "It's He Daqing from our compound, just a little older than him, but they look about seven or eight parts alike." He then looked at Xu Huizhen and casually asked, "Cai Quanwu, does he have any relatives with the surname He?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huizhen waved her hand towards the backyard: "Quanwu, come here for a moment."

Before long, Cai Quanwu put down what he was holding, dusted off his hands, and walked over slowly. He smiled shyly at everyone without saying a word.

Zhang Lei leaned closer for a closer look and finally realized that he was indeed not the same person as He Daqing, which made him even more embarrassed.

Xu Huizhen pulled Cai Quanwu aside and said to Zhang Lei with a smile, "Quanwu, this comrade is asking you if you have any relatives with the surname He?"

Cai Quanwu was stunned for a moment, his eyes filled with astonishment. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything, and stood there frozen in place.

Chen Xueru was an impatient person. Seeing that he didn't speak, she urged him directly, "I said Cai Quanwu, do you have it or not? If you do, say so; if you don't, say so. What are you standing here for?"

Xu Huizhen quickly pulled her back, scolding, "What's the rush? Let Quanwu think it over properly, it won't make a difference if it's just a little while longer."

The scene fell silent for a moment. Cai Quanwu kept his head down and remained silent. Chen Xueru crossed her arms and looked at him with a half-smile. Zhang Lei awkwardly picked up his wine glass to hide his embarrassment at having mistaken someone for someone else.

After a moment, Cai Quanwu finally raised his head and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "My father told me before he passed away that I was adopted, and my family name is He."

The tavern fell silent instantly upon hearing this. Xu Huizhen, Chen Xueru, and Zhang Lei were all stunned; none of them had expected that this was actually true.

Zhang Lei immediately perked up, looked at Cai Quanwu, and said with a hint of enthusiasm, "Cai Quanwu, would you like to come with me to our courtyard house? Let's get to know each other as relatives."

Upon hearing this, Xu Huizhen's face immediately became more wary, and she frowned, saying, "Recognizing relatives? Going to your courtyard house?"

Zhang Lei nodded and gave the address: "Our courtyard house is at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang."

Xu Huizhen hesitated for a moment, then shook her head: "Going like this is too sudden. Our whole family needs to prepare properly. You should also talk to that guy surnamed He in your courtyard..."

"It's He Daqing," Zhang Lei quickly added.

"Yes, He Daqing." Xu Huizhen continued, "You also need to give him some preparation. It's only safe if both sides are prepared."

Zhang Lei thought about it and felt that what he said made sense, so he nodded and agreed: "Okay. How about we arrange a time, either I come here or I go to my courtyard house, either is fine."

Chen Xueru, who was standing nearby, noticed Xu Huizhen's concerns and spoke up directly to her defense: "Xu Huizhen, aren't you being too cautious? Zhang Lei is my friend, and his character is absolutely impeccable."

Hearing Chen Xueru defend him so fiercely, Zhang Lei was somewhat taken aback—the two were clearly meeting for the first time. He quickly realized the reason; it must be because of Lou Xiao'e. With that thought, he nodded to Chen Xueru, giving her a grateful smile.

Xu Huizhen disagreed, immediately retorting, "When have I ever been petty? I'm doing this for the good of both sides. If I suddenly go and mistakenly admit something, wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"Alright, alright, you two stop arguing." Zhang Lei quickly smoothed things over. "This was just my idea on the spur of the moment, and we really need to consult both sides. Sister Huizhen is right, we should also ask He Daqing first to confirm that this is true, otherwise it would be awkward if we were to admit something wrong."

Chen Xueru thought this made sense, so she sat down and said, "Alright, since Zhang Lei has said so, you two can set a time."

Zhang Lei thought for a moment and said, "I'll go back and ask He Daqing first. If he also admits to it, I'll bring him here. What do you guys think?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Huizhen looked at Zhang Lei and realized that she had been a bit too wary and had misunderstood his good intentions. She gave an apologetic smile and said, "Thank you, Zhang Lei. I'll leave this to you."

Zhang Lei waved his hand and replied with a smile, "Don't mention it, we're all friends."

After finishing his meal, Zhang Lei followed Chen Xueru back to Xueru Silk Shop. The five wives had already chosen their clothes and were waiting for him. Zhang Lei glanced around and nodded in satisfaction: "Have you picked everything out?"

The girls responded in unison, "We've chosen!"

Zhang Lei turned to Chen Xueru: "Boss Xueru, let's calculate the price."

Chen Xueru looked at the clothes in the hands of the group, each piece made of the finest fabric. She then glanced at Zhang Lei, who stood calmly at the counter, and inwardly marveled at his wealth. She quickly finished calculating the bill and said with a smile, "It's 310.7 yuan in total. I'll give you a discount, so it'll be 300 yuan."

Zhang Lei smiled and unceremoniously pulled out a wad of cash from his pocket and slapped it on the counter: "Boss Xue Ru, please count it."

Chen Xueru waved her hand and readily said, "No need, I trust you."

"Thank you very much, Boss Xueru," Zhang Lei said.

Lou Xiao'e stepped forward and took Chen Xueru's arm, saying, "Xueru, thank you so much for hosting our boss today."

Chen Xueru hugged her affectionately back: "Why are you being so polite with me? If you come by yourself, I promise I won't charge you a penny."

Lou Xiao'e smiled and shook her head: "That won't do. You're running a business, so you should calculate it the way you want."