Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

The two sisters felt warm inside upon hearing this. Whether or not they contributed money was not important; the key was their attitude.

"No need, we have enough money!"

Niu Dazhuang knew she was rich, but he didn't expect her to be this rich. Then he thought about it and it made sense. She had owned a flour mill before, and although it had become a joint public-private enterprise, the dividends she had received over the years were still considerable.

"Do you still have money after buying the yard?" Niu Dazhuang continued to press.

"There's still quite a bit left." Ye Chunlan was a little embarrassed when she asked, after all, this money wasn't earned through her own labor.

"Is there a way to exchange it for gold bars?"

Ye Chunlan shook her head.

"No rush. Buy the yard first, and then use the remaining money to exchange for gold bars at the bank in batches and hide them away."

"Oh, is another war about to break out?" People who lived before the founding of the People's Republic of China are particularly sensitive to the possibility of war.

"Don't overthink it. Even if you don't buy gold, you can go to state-run stores like Rongbaozhai and Baoguzhai in Liulichang and buy some paintings by Qi Baishi, Zhang Daqian, and Xu Beihong."

"Speak slowly, I'll write it down." With that, Ye Chunlan went to the main room to get paper and a pen.

Niu Dazhuang wrote it down for her and instructed, "We don't know how to appreciate it, so have them wrap it in oil paper and then put it in a painting tube."

Once you get it back, hide it, or put it in a box, or better yet, bury it underground.

"What's going on?" Ye Chunmei asked, puzzled.

"Remember to keep this a secret. Don't tell anyone except the three of us. Just do as we say." Niu Dazhuang couldn't tell them.

Nowadays, Ye Chunlan trusts Niu Dazhuang even more than Ye Chunmei does, and will do whatever he asks.

Ye Chunlan blinked her big eyes, thought for a moment, and then asked, "I roughly calculated that after buying the yard, I still have over 30,000 yuan left. Did I buy everything?"

"Ahem... You really are a little rich lady. These days, their paintings are only seven or eight yuan per square foot, and a small piece is only a dozen yuan. With your 30,000 yuan, you can't even buy up all the paintings in that shop, and it still won't be enough."

After thinking for a moment, Niu Dazhuang said, "You two sisters should buy a little bit first, go once a week, and buy three or four sets each time. We'll figure out the rest when I get back."

"Dazhuang, why don't we buy some gold? I still feel more secure with gold."

"That's fine, but it must be kept secret. This is extremely important," Niu Dazhuang emphasized again.

"Okay, we know. Don't flaunt your wealth. We understand. Take care of yourself while you're out there."

Tonight was like the last supper before winter, and Ye Chunlan got greedy. As a result, she couldn't get out of bed again the next day. Fortunately, she didn't have to go to work.

I got up from the kang (heated brick bed) here in the morning, rode my bicycle for twenty minutes, and then got onto the kang at Chen Xueru's house.

He almost forgot about picking up the person, and it was almost noon when Niu Dazhuang finally arrived at the bus station south of Deshengmen.

Anyone who has waited for more than an hour will be angry, especially on such a hot day. Although the two are relatives and have met a few times, they are not very familiar with each other.

Qin Yueru didn't want to lose her temper with Niu Dazhuang, but her expression wasn't very pleasant.

When Niu Dazhuang found her, Qin Yueru was sitting under a big tree at the bus station exit, enjoying the shade.

"Sorry, something came up."

"Hmph! What's the use of just saying sorry? Show some real action."

"That's easy to say. There's a soft drink stand over there; how about I treat you to one?"

"That's more like it. Help me out, my legs are numb from sitting."

In this year-end of scarcity, a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda can make a girl happy, and a movie and a meal might just be enough to win over a virgin.

The two of them stood in front of the soda stall and started drinking soda.

Niu Dazhuang had already sweated a lot at Chen Xueru's house, and when he rushed over, he was covered in sweat again. One bottle wasn't enough, so he drank five bottles in a row. His stomach was full, but he still felt thirsty.

Qin Yueru also drank two bottles. After the bottle was returned, it cost 13 cents a bottle, and the gas bottle cost 91 cents.

Not a penny less.

Qin Yueru watched as Niu Dazhuang pulled out a dollar without even blinking. He casually stuffed the nine cents he received back into his pants pocket.

Once she was seated on the back of Niu Dazhuang's bicycle, Qin Yueru asked softly, "Brother-in-law, you must earn a good salary at work, right?"

"Brother-in-law? You're older than Xue Ru?"

"Of course I'll come. I'm the seventh in my family, and she's the eighth. Even though she's a few months older, it doesn't matter. I still have to call you brother-in-law. What's wrong with that?"

"Yes, I'm two years older than Xue Ru. Calling you 'sister' would make you sound old."

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, your Xue Ru has never called me 'sister' since she was little. I'm used to it."

"Then I'll just call you by your name from now on."

"Okay, let's call each other what we want. I'll call you brother-in-law, and you can call me Yue Ru."

This girl isn't pretentious. She should be easy to get along with.

Niu Dazhuang was just making conversation. After asking about his family, he said, "Jia Dongxu said you were coming back in the spring, but it's already summer and you're only just now coming."

"Hmph! He says that, but he can't make decisions at home. I'll only stay at his house for two days at most before his mother gives me the cold shoulder. Besides, it's spring, and that's when things really get busy back home. I'll come over after the wheat harvest."

"A couple of days ago, your sister said that she arranged for you to stay at my house this time. You can stay as long as you want at my house, and no one will give you a hard time."

"That's not quite right!"

"We're all family, there's nothing inappropriate about it. I'm going to support the construction of the Ming Tombs Reservoir in a couple of days, and I won't be able to stay at home for more than a few days. I won't be able to come back until winter."

"I can't stay that long. Although things aren't so busy at home anymore, it's a good time to earn work points. If I don't earn work points, I won't get any grain at the end of the year!"

"How could I not understand? Don't forget, we're from the same production brigade, and we've only been in the city for a few days!"

"Sigh! I'm not as lucky as Xue Ru. My sister wrote that Xue Ru came to the city, just like my sister, she doesn't go to work, eats very well, and all she does is rest during her pregnancy. She even called Ning Ru over to take care of her. How come she's so lucky! Brother-in-law, can you help me find a partner in the city too?"

Qin Yueru is just like that; she speaks very directly and never minces words.

"You should tell your own sister about this!"

"I've said this more than once. Every time I talk to her about it, she says that she's not doing well and that she'd be better off marrying into a rural family."

"What your sister said isn't a lie. You should stay here for a while and see for yourself how ordinary people in the compound live their lives."

"Oh, I'm here to take a look." The two chatted for about half an hour before arriving at the courtyard house.

On Sundays, the courtyard is bustling, especially before noon, when every household is cooking outside.

Jia Dongxu had wanted to wait at the main gate for a long time, but since Yue Ru was his sister-in-law, he couldn't be too enthusiastic. He usually just sat and waited for the gate to open, but he couldn't sit still today.