Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): 52 years of farming, producing hundreds of millions of tons

After chatting for a while, the two went their separate ways.

Early the next morning.

Jia Dongxu was awakened by a piercing sound.

After getting up, washing up, eating a bowl of hot porridge, and then two steamed buns, I walked towards the college committee office with renewed energy.

Chapter 294 General Assembly, Repairing the Wall

Today is the day for the entire courtyard meeting, and all the residents of the courtyard have arrived.

The meeting was chaired by Uncle Wan Ping'an, Uncle Liu Haizhong, and Uncle Yan Fugui.

The main purpose of this meeting was to announce the planning and construction scheme for courtyard houses and to provide guidance on the construction of courtyard houses.

According to the structural design drawings of the Siheyuan (courtyard house), the Siheyuan is divided into front and back courtyards. The front courtyard is the main house, and the back courtyard is the side rooms. The main house contains the kitchen, toilet, bedroom, and storage room, while the back courtyard is a vegetable garden, and chickens, ducks, fish and pigs are raised in special areas.

At the meeting, an elderly man named Wan Ping'an gave a key presentation.

He first introduced the basic architectural details of the 27 courtyard houses, and then made some reforms to the construction plan of the courtyard houses.

Everyone praised Wan Ping'an's abilities.

"You know what, ever since Wan Ping'an became an old man, the quality of life in our compound has improved dramatically. It's much better than when Yi Zhonghai was an old man."

"Of course! If Yi Zhonghai were truly so capable, would Wan Ping'an have been able to sit in the position of a high-ranking official?"

"Haha...yes, yes..."

"Wan Ping'an's suggestion this time is excellent. I support it and firmly endorse it."

The crowd buzzed with discussion. Only Jia Dongxu remained speechless, as did the deaf old woman. She disliked Wan Ping'an from the start and even hoped that if they could elect the Fourth Master, Yi Zhonghai could continue to be the Fourth Master.

Yi Zhonghai listened to the residents talking and suddenly felt embarrassed.

As I watched Wan Ping'an speak, I couldn't help but wonder: What kind of advice is this?

Wan Ping'an's suggestion was actually quite simple: first, build a wall. This wall didn't need to be particularly tall or wide.

But it must be sturdy enough to prevent theft from happening in the courtyard house.

In addition, a large warehouse needs to be built to store the residents' food and vegetables.

As for building the wall, it's simple. Just reinforce it a bit, and then surround the yard with some stone slabs; it won't be particularly sturdy.

However, ordinary petty thieves would never be able to break through, thus avoiding damage and protecting everyone's interests.

In addition, a small courtyard and a small gym are needed for regular exercise.

As a result, the courtyard became somewhat empty.

However, all of this was a year-long project. Now all that's needed is to build a wall. But not just anyone can build this wall; we need to hire professionals to design it. This is no small project.

As for building materials, wood can be used, and there is no need to purchase bricks, tiles, or other materials.

However, all of this money was raised by the residents of the facility through donations.

This was also the plan of Liu Haizhong, Yan Fugui, Wan Ping'an and others, hoping to win over a group of villagers through this move.

In this way, no one in the courtyard will secretly cause trouble for you.

"Alright, that's all for today's meeting. Everyone, go back and rest. Remember this: no matter what happens, things will improve after tonight." Wan Ping'an stood up and looked around.

"Alright, everyone go back now."

With that, Wan Ping'an took the lead and walked outside.

Liu Haizhong followed along, and the two chatted as they walked.

On the way home after the meeting, Jia Zhangshi took her son Jia Dongxu with her.

Suddenly, Madam Jia lowered her voice and said to Jia Dongxu, "Dongxu, when you go to see Li Mei today, don't say anything carelessly, and especially don't mention what happened yesterday, understand?"

Chapter 295 Jia Zhangshi's Fear of Wan Ping'an

Jia Dongxu paused for a moment, but didn't say anything and kept walking with his head down.

Seeing this, Madam Jia quickly caught up, tugged at Jia Dongxu's sleeve, and hurriedly explained, "Mother knows you don't like to talk to Li Mei, but she is, after all, your blind date. And let me tell you, this time I've put all the family's savings into it. If you and she get together, our family can become rich. I've already prepared a way out for myself. If you cause trouble again this time, I'm afraid I'll be driven to my death. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu stopped and turned to look at his mother. He looked at her seriously and said, "Mom, I've told you countless times that I don't like that Li Mei. That's why I said yesterday that we shouldn't go on a blind date. I can tell from the start that we're not a good match. With that spoiled young lady's personality, I just can't live with her."

Madam Jia patiently persuaded her, "I know you don't want to, but don't worry. As long as you marry Li Mei, I promise I won't force you to do anything you don't like anymore."

"Mother... I really can't agree to that... Sigh!" Jia Dongxu shook his head and sighed; he truly couldn't agree.

He didn't know why, but he felt uncomfortable all over when he saw this woman yesterday. He felt like he was stuck to a piece of dog skin plaster and couldn't get rid of it.

The most crucial thing is that this woman has such a bad temper, he's afraid he might lose his temper and kill her one day.

After Jia Dongxu finished speaking, he walked straight ahead. Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi quickly followed, and whispered, "Dongxu, I beg you, it's been so hard for me!"

"Mom, don't cry." Jia Dongxu said with heartache when he saw his mother crying.

"Don't cry, Mom is happy. Dongxu, I beg you, please help me. If you can marry Li Mei, our family will be rich right away, and then Mom can help you get a wife. I won't hurt you! Just go apologize to her and try dating her again."

Jia Dongxu pouted, clearly unwilling: "Mother, tell me, why are you insisting that I go and get along with that Li Mei? Are you afraid that Wan Ping'an and Li Mei will get together? I heard that yesterday the Li family even sent Matchmaker Wang to invite Wan Ping'an to their home to arrange a blind date for Li Mei."

Hearing her son mention this, Madam Jia's expression changed. She was indeed worried about Wan Ping'an, who now held immense prestige within the courtyard.

Especially after Yi Zhonghai was ousted from his post, and he took over as the head of the courtyard house, everyone held him in even greater awe.

Not only these residents, but even the second uncle Liu Haizhong and the third uncle Yan Fugui were somewhat wary of Wan Ping'an.

She worried that Wan Ping'an would use this opportunity to deal with the courtyard house and then target her, since she had bullied Wan Ping'an quite a bit in the past.

But she couldn't refuse Wan Ping'an's suggestion, because it was her last resort.

If the courtyard house collapses, she will lose the land she depends on for survival. At that time, let alone finding a wife for her son, it will be difficult to even maintain her current life.

Therefore, she had no choice but to compromise.

Madam Jia hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and nodded, saying, "Dongxu, did you understand everything? You must go and apologize to Li Mei as soon as possible."

"Mom, why are you like this?" Jia Dongxu said unhappily, "Why should I apologize? It's not my fault. If that woman surnamed Li wanted to marry Wan Ping'an herself, I couldn't stop her."

"Anyway, you're not allowed to cause trouble, or I'll disown you," Madam Jia said viciously.

"Hmph!" Jia Dongxu sneered, turned around and walked away.

Chapter 296 Getting Married Means Getting a Free New House

He didn't understand. He was just refusing Li Mei, so why should he sever his relationship with his mother?

He had thought about it, but marrying Li Mei was out of the question. He was still hoping to find a wife to serve him, and with Li Mei's spoiled, pampered personality...

I'm afraid that if I marry into this family, I'll have to be her slave.

An hour later, there was a sudden knocking on the door, followed by the voice of his mother, Jia Zhangshi: "Dongxu, dinner is ready."

Jia Dongxu opened his eyes, got out of bed, opened the door, and asked, "What are we having for dinner today?"

"Jiaozi, go wash up first. Dinner will be served in 163 soon." After saying this, Jia Zhangshi hurriedly left with Jia Tingyu.

Jia Dongxu shook his head and smiled, went to the bathroom to quickly clean himself up, and then went out.

On the table was a plate of braised pork, two steamers of dumplings, several side dishes, and a bowl of rice.

After finishing his meal, Jia Dongxu prepared to leave home and go for a walk.

However, just as he reached the door, he bumped into Wan Ping'an. He immediately frowned and said with disgust, "Oh, isn't this Grandpa Wan Ping'an? What are you doing here?"

Wan Ping'an saw that Jia Dongxu was not going to talk to him at first, but after thinking about it, he decided to talk to him anyway.

"Here's the latest subsidy policy for everyone. Couples who get married this year will be allocated a room in the new courtyard."

Jia Zhangshi, who was eating inside, didn't want to leave when she heard Wan Ping'an say those words, so she rushed out immediately.

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu forgot all about leaving and ran out after him, asking, "Is it true?"

"Absolutely true!"

"Great!" Jia Dongxu was so excited he almost jumped for joy. Getting a new house after marriage would be amazing!

Wan Ping'an smiled and nodded, "Yes, by the way, I remember you recently went on a blind date with Li Mei, didn't you?"

When Jia Zhangshi heard Wan Ping'an mention this matter, she was afraid that Wan Ping'an might also want to get married to Li Mei, so she stepped forward and said, "Uncle, there is a first-come, first-served principle in everything. Li Mei was the first to arrange a blind date for my Dongxu. Are you gloating over this? Or do you also want to get married and get a house?"

Wan Ping'an suddenly laughed and said to the mother and son, "You know I'm the old man in the courtyard now. What's wrong with me worrying about things in the courtyard? Besides, even if I don't get married, I can still buy a house on my own. Why would I need to get a house just because I'm getting married?"

Wan Ping'an's words immediately left Jia Zhangshi speechless.

Wan Ping'an said this not just to show off, nor was he deliberately trying to anger Jia Zhangshi.

Wan Ping'an is indeed wealthy now. Although he doesn't have much money, it's more than enough to buy a house.

Therefore, Wan Ping'an had no need to acquire funds through marriage. He also had no such intention, and thus he looked down on marriage in the first place.

Jia Dongxu understood Wan Ping'an's subtext and said disdainfully, "I can't be bothered with your mess, but you need to explain this to Li Mei clearly to avoid her misunderstanding. Also, I'm warning you, if you dare to play tricks or spread rumors, I won't let you off the hook!"

"Alright, alright, get lost. I'm just here to let you know I'm leaving soon. What am I supposed to explain to Li Mei? You were the one who told her yesterday to go on a blind date, making her lose face and have to find a blind date now, right? And remember what you said today, I'm looking forward to your wedding, Jia Dongxu." Wan Ping'an waved his hand and said.

Chapter 297 Does Li Mei really like Wan Ping'an?

"Wan Ping'an, what do you mean? Don't get cocky. Let me tell you, you're just acting like a big shot. What are you so arrogant about?"

Hearing Wan Ping'an's sarcastic remarks, Jia Dongxu retorted angrily.

"So what if I'm arrogant? I'm not going to back down. Let me tell you, Jia Dongxu, I only told you this because I felt sorry for you. Don't push your luck."