My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 283: The Mute Aunt Enters the House, A Bond Formed at the Tavern

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Lei was wandering around his house when he suddenly heard a car horn outside. He pushed open the gate and saw the Lou family's driver standing there, with a woman of about fifty years old beside him.

Before Zhang Lei could even ask, the driver said, "This is someone Mr. Lou asked me to bring over. He said he's here to work."

Zhang Lei instantly realized that this was the cook the Lou family had hired. As for why they hired a cook instead of a male cook, it was naturally Zhang Lei's own selfish reason—his family was already full of his own wives, and he just didn't feel comfortable having a male cook.

At this moment, Lou Xiao'e hurried out of the house. Seeing the newcomer, she was overjoyed and quickly took the woman's arm, calling out loudly, "Auntie Ya! Auntie Ya! You've finally come!"

Seeing this, Zhang Lei asked in astonishment, "Xiao'e, what did you call her?"

Lou Xiao'e quickly explained, "This is Aunt Mute. She took care of me when I was a child. I never expected to see her here this time."

Zhang Lei was still puzzled: "Why didn't I see her when I went to your house last time?"

"Auntie Ya had some family matters to attend to and went back to her hometown. I never expected her to be willing to come," Lou Xiao'e replied.

Upon learning that it was someone Lou Xiao'e knew and trusted, Zhang Lei was completely relieved and secretly sighed that Lou Bancheng was indeed reliable.

As the group entered the courtyard, Zhang Lei quietly pulled Lou Xiao'e aside and whispered, "You call her 'Auntie Mute,' is she...?"

Lou Xiao'e nodded: "Yes, Aunt Ya has been mute since she was a child, but she's not deaf. She can hear everything we say. And she can write, so if we can't understand each other, we can just write it down."

Zhang Lei responded, then frowned slightly as he watched the mute aunt gesturing in front of him. Lou Xiao'e, however, smiled and said to the mute aunt, "Don't worry, Auntie, I'm doing very well. This is my husband, Zhang Lei."

Zhang Lei quickly nodded and smiled at the mute aunt, "Hello, mute aunt."

The mute aunt looked at Zhang Lei with eyes full of affection. Soon, she learned about Zhang Lei's family situation from Lou Xiao'e. When she heard that Zhang Lei had married five wives, she was somewhat surprised, but she just nodded silently—after all, she couldn't express herself.

Ye Shuqin was also very curious about Aunt Mute's situation when she met her. Before long, Zhang Lei saw Aunt Mute, Lou Xiao'e, and Ye Shuqin chatting enthusiastically. One person gestured with their hands, while the other two spoke, communicating without any obstacles. Only then was Zhang Lei completely relieved, since Lou Xiao'e had lived with Aunt Mute for many years and knew some sign language.

But soon, Zhang Lei began to look at Aunt Mute with new respect. A fragrant aroma soon wafted from the kitchen as plates of exquisitely presented and visually appealing dishes were brought out, rivaling the skill of a restaurant chef.

Zhang Lei couldn't resist any longer. He picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and smacked his lips as he chewed, repeatedly praising, "Delicious! Delicious! This is so delicious!"

Seeing his expression, the others exchanged smiles. Zhang Lei, while stuffing food into his mouth, gave Aunt Ya a thumbs-up: "Aunt Ya, this is delicious!"

Upon hearing this, the mute aunt gestured "thank you" to him. Zhang Lei also gave her a thumbs-up and kept gesturing in response.

In no time, the dishes were all eaten up. Looking at the mute aunt standing to the side, Zhang Lei felt a little embarrassed and turned to Lou Xiao'e, saying, "Xiao'e, from now on, the mute aunt is a member of our family. Tell her not to stand, but to sit down and eat with us."

Lou Xiao'e paused for a moment, then smiled and reminded him, "Husband, have you forgotten? Auntie Ya can hear, she just can't speak."

Zhang Lei slapped his forehead, realizing he'd been so engrossed in the aroma of the food that he'd forgotten all about it. He quickly laughed and said, "Right, right, I'll just tell Auntie Ya."

Seeing Zhang Lei's simple and honest demeanor, everyone burst into laughter. The mute aunt also sensed Zhang Lei's sincerity and knew she wasn't treated like an outsider, quickly integrating herself completely into the family.

That evening, Ding Qiunan, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua returned home. Having heard about Aunt Ya's culinary skills, they were all eager to try them. When plate after plate of exquisite dishes were served, everyone's appetite was whetted, and they all praised Aunt Ya's cooking. Aunt Ya's superb culinary skills completely won everyone's approval.

After cleaning up the dishes, the mute aunt insisted on finding a room to stay in the front yard. Seeing her resolute attitude, Zhang Lei didn't want to refuse too much, so he let her stay in the largest room in the front yard and instructed Lou Xiao'e to prepare all the necessary daily necessities for her the next day.

For several days in a row, Zhang Lei stayed home with Ye Shuqin and Lou Xiao'e. With Aunt Ya taking care of the housework and cooking, the yard was filled with laughter all day. Since Aunt Ya arrived, she had taken on all the cleaning and cooking chores. Zhang Lei felt sorry for his pregnant wives and didn't want them to work so hard. He also felt sorry for Aunt Ya's hard work, so he gave her a raise.

That day, Zhang Lei was bored and thought of the tavern again. He rode his bicycle and quickly arrived near the tavern. It was lunchtime, and the tavern was already full. Zhang Lei found a secluded table to sit down, and the sharp-eyed Xu Huizhen immediately came over with a smile: "Brother Zhang Lei, what would you like to eat today?"

Zhang Lei responded with a smile: "The same as always, a pot of wine, a plate of pickled vegetables, a plate of beef, and a few side dishes."

Xu Huizhen replied, "Okay, I'll get you the wine first, the other dishes will be here shortly."

Soon, the wine and dishes were served. Zhang Lei sipped his wine while listening to the surrounding guests chat, enjoying a very pleasant time.

While we were eating, a man walked over, smiling, and asked, "Hey buddy, wanna share a table?"

Zhang Lei looked up and thought to himself, "Oh, isn't this Master Niu?" He glanced around and saw that all the other tables were full, so he nodded and agreed, "Okay."

After sitting down, Master Niu cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Young brother, you look unfamiliar."

Zhang Lei also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and said with a smile, "I only recently discovered this wonderful place; I haven't been here often."

Master Niu laughed and said, "Let's get acquainted. Everyone, please give me face and call me Master Niu."

"Zhang Lei," Zhang Lei introduced himself.

Just as the two finished chatting, Xu Huizhen came over with the dishes and said to Uncle Niu with a smile, "Uncle Niu, this is young brother Zhang Lei. He's a benefactor to my husband, so please take good care of him."

Upon hearing this, Master Niu immediately said to Zhang Lei, "So that's how it is! Then there's no problem. Just ask, young brother, and if I, Master Niu, can do it, I guarantee I'll do it without hesitation."

Zhang Lei quickly waved his hand: "Sister Huizhen, you must be joking. I just helped out with a small matter."

Soon, Master Niu's wine and dishes were served. Zhang Lei glanced at the portions on the table and said with a smile, "Master Niu, please have some with us. I've prepared quite a lot of food."

Master Niu was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "This is the first time I've ever encountered someone who puts it so elegantly when inviting someone to dinner."

Zhang Lei smiled and said, "I'm so happy to have met Master Niu today, so I thought we could have a couple of drinks together."

Seeing his sincerity, Uncle Niu agreed. The two chatted more and more congenially, feeling as if they had known each other for a long time. Zhang Lei said to Xu Huizhen, "Sister Huizhen, bring two more jugs of wine and a plate of beef. Uncle Niu and I need to have a good chat."

"Okay, I'll be right there!" Xu Huizhen replied with a smile.

The other guests in the tavern also looked at Zhang Lei and Master Niu with curiosity, after all, Zhang Lei was a stranger.