My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 234: The most important thing is playing chess

Upon hearing this, Ye Shuqin gave him a helpless look: "How could you make such a basic mistake?"

"Don't complain, there are exactly four fish here." Zhang Lei said with a smile. "We'll keep the biggest one, and send one of the remaining three to each of our eldest, second, and third brothers, so they can have a good meal too."

Upon hearing his arrangement, Ye Shuqin immediately smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Honey, thank you for still thinking of my three brothers."

Zhang Lei reached out and playfully flicked her nose, laughing as he said, "Why are you making such a big deal about me? Your brother is my brother, so of course I can't favor one over the other."

"I'll go and clean the fish right away." Ye Shuqin smiled and picked up the fish to get to work.

Watching her work, Zhang Lei smiled and shook his head, then stepped forward to help. Soon, the two of them had cleaned all four fish. Looking at the five-pound fish, Zhang Lei thought, "This biggest one, let's make a spicy fish head, some braised fish chunks, and a fish soup. Add plenty of side dishes, and that'll be a feast!"

"Okay, we'll do it your way." Ye Shuqin nodded. "But it's still early, so I'll marinate the fish with seasonings first and cook it in the evening. It will taste even better then."

Soon it was time to leave work. Zhang Lei watched Ye Shuqin and Ye Shuhua enter the room, and smiled as he went up to each of them and gave them a hug. The two sisters were happy to tell him about the trivial things that happened at the factory and the supply and marketing cooperative during the day. Zhang Lei listened patiently, occasionally offering a few words of concern in a gentle voice.

The two glanced at the fish in the kitchen and their eyes lit up with delight. Ye Shuqin smiled and instructed, "Shuqi, Shuhua, take one of these three fish to each of our eldest, second, and third brothers' homes, so they can also have a taste."

Upon learning that Zhang Lei had caught the fish, the two sisters became interested. Ye Shuhua said with a smile, "I'll go fishing with you when I have time. I haven't fished in a long time, and I really miss it."

"Okay," Zhang Lei replied. "The four of us will go together, but the three of you need to take care of yourselves. I don't want to lose sight of the bigger picture."

The three nodded with smiles. It had been a long time since the family had gone out for a trip together. Ye Shuqin and Ye Shuhua went to work every day, and although Zhang Lei didn't have to stay in the factory all the time, he was often busy with other work.

Before long, Ye Shuqi and Ye Shuhua had delivered all the fish. When the three families learned that Zhang Lei had caught the fish, they thanked him repeatedly, their hearts filled with gratitude—Zhang Lei had helped them find their jobs, and now he was still taking such good care of them. Although they were family, this kindness was especially heartwarming.

When the two sisters returned, they both had smiles on their faces. Zhang Lei looked at them and said, "Now that the fish are delivered, let's talk about something important."

Upon hearing that something important was going on, the two sisters immediately sat down solemnly at the table, waiting for Zhang Lei to speak. Unexpectedly, Zhang Lei pulled out a chessboard from the corner and said with a smile, "The food won't be ready for a while, let's play a game of chess."

Ye Shuhua's eyes widened immediately: "Honey, is this the important thing you were talking about?"

"Yes, playing chess is the most important thing to me." Zhang Lei nodded, urging, "Quick, quick, which of you two wants to play with me?"

Ye Shuqin and Ye Shuhua exchanged a glance, their faces full of helplessness. Ever since Zhang Lei learned that the two of them were skilled at chess, he had been pestering them to play chess almost every day. Especially for Ye Shuqin, playing chess with Zhang Lei was simply torture for her—she could see through Zhang Lei's next move at a glance, but she was afraid of hurting his confidence, so she always had to deliberately make the game close. But Zhang Lei was oblivious to this, and after losing, he would clamor for another game, enjoying it immensely.

Ye Shuhua looked at the chessboard that had been set up and pouted, "Honey, don't play chess. You have absolutely no talent for it."

"How dare you talk about your man like that?" Zhang Lei glared at her, putting on a tough act. "I'm the boss in this house, and you two have to play a game with me, no matter which one of you is on it! Otherwise, I'll make a scene in bed with you tonight."

Hearing the threatening words, Ye Shuhua made a face: "Let my second sister play with you, I'm not playing with a chess idiot like you."

"How can you say that about calligraphy and painting?" Ye Shuqin glared at her.

Zhang Lei smiled and waved his hand, "It's alright, it's alright. I know my own chess skills. I'm just learning slowly."

Ye Shuqin suggested with a smile, "Honey, when playing chess, you need to think and observe more. How about I play calligraphy and painting while you watch from the sidelines?"

Zhang Lei thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Okay, you two play, I'll watch. But whoever loses has to play a round with me."

"Honey, you're cheating! How can I possibly win against Second Sister?" Ye Shuhua immediately became unhappy.

Zhang Lei looked at Ye Shuqin, who smiled and said to Ye Shuhua, "Little sister, I'll let you have a free shot, that'll be fair."

Upon hearing this, Ye Shuhua immediately laughed: "That's more like it."

Soon, Ye Shuqin and Ye Shuhua each sat on one side of the chessboard, while Zhang Lei stood by watching. The two moved back and forth on the chessboard at lightning speed. Zhang Lei was getting impatient and kept calling out, "Wait, wait, you two, don't play so fast! I haven't even seen it clearly yet!"

The two sisters shook their heads helplessly and had to slow down their moves. Zhang Lei stared at the chessboard, watching the two women's exciting duel, and couldn't help but nod repeatedly. A moment later, Ye Shuhua made a careless mistake, and Ye Shuqin captured one of her rooks. She immediately started to complain: "Second sister, no, no, I misread that move, it doesn't count!"

"Once a move is made, it cannot be taken back. One cannot lose one's integrity while playing chess." Ye Shuqin refused to give an inch.

Ye Shuhua pouted angrily and said defiantly, "It's not certain who will win or lose yet!"

After a fierce battle on the chessboard lasting more than ten minutes, Ye Shuhua was ultimately outmaneuvered and checkmated by Ye Shuqin. Helpless, he looked at Zhang Lei and said, "Master, I'll play with you."

Zhang Lei immediately beamed with joy and hurriedly replied, "Alright, alright! I know all your tricks inside and out. Watch how I annihilate you without leaving a trace!"

Ye Shuhua rolled her eyes, her face full of disdain. As she set up the chessboard, Ye Shuqin walked over to Ye Shuhua and whispered, "Shuhua, when you win later, let the head of the household win a little, don't let him lose too badly."

Ye Shuhua nodded and whispered back, "Second Sister, don't worry, I know what to do."

Soon, Zhang Lei and Ye Shuhua were locked in a fierce battle on the chessboard. Ye Shuqi, watching Zhang Lei's focused expression, couldn't help but smile. A moment later, Zhang Lei made a careless mistake, allowing Ye Shuhua to capture one of his cannons, causing Zhang Lei to furrow his brow. Seeing this, Ye Shuqi glared at Ye Shuhua, who sighed helplessly and deliberately revealed a weakness, allowing Zhang Lei to capture one of his horses.

Under Ye Shuhua's deliberate guidance, the two exchanged pieces back and forth, and soon only a rook and a knight remained on their respective boards. Zhang Lei stared at the few remaining pieces on the table, his mind a complete blank, utterly clueless about how to place his pieces. Just then, Ye Shuqin's voice came from the kitchen: "Honey, stop playing chess, dinner's ready, come and eat."