Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

5:20 PM.

When Yan Jiecheng came home from get off work, he was lifeless, his face was terribly gloomy, and he sat on the stool without saying a word.

He rushed to the workshop before work today, and thankfully the supervisor didn't find anything to punish him for. However, he was distracted all day and scrapped several workpieces, so the supervisor fined him two yuan.

That's a full two yuan! His monthly salary is only 18 yuan. Besides having to pay his father back five yuan every month, he also has to pay five yuan for food every month. After deducting the cost of meals at the factory, he can only save a little over four yuan but less than five yuan every month.

He had originally agreed with his father that he would pay back ten yuan each month, but after calculating, he realized that if he paid back ten yuan, his monthly salary of eighteen yuan would not be enough. In the end, they agreed that he would pay back five yuan each month for the time being, and he would pay back more when he was promoted.

When the third aunt saw Yan Jiecheng return with a worried look on his face, she asked, "Jiecheng, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

Yan Jiecheng gave a wry smile: "I ruined a few parts in the workshop today, and the foreman fined me two yuan."

"What?"

The three women's eyes widened in surprise, and they exclaimed, "Two yuan?"

"Jiecheng, what can I say to you? Can't you be a little more serious at work? These two yuan could have been enough for our family to eat sweet potatoes for two days."

Hearing their conversation, Yan Fugui came out of the room, his tone somewhat earnest:

"Jiecheng, this can't go on. Your dad borrowed 950 yuan from you to buy a workstation. With interest, you'll have to pay me back 1100 yuan. You've been working for so long, and you're only paying me back five yuan a month. When are you going to finish paying it back?"

Yan Jiecheng said with a wry smile, "Dad, I don't know what's going on. Our workshop foreman has been targeting me. I was supposed to be promoted to the second-tier salary of 22.5 yuan in the first three months, but he insisted that I wasn't doing a good job and postponed it for three months. I have to wait until next month for my salary to increase to 22.5 yuan."

Hearing this, Yan Fugui sighed deeply: "Jiecheng, can't you learn from your father? Try to say a few nice things to the workshop director more often. Look at you, always with a long face, looking at everyone like they owe you money. Who can feel comfortable seeing you like that? No wonder your director is giving you a hard time!"

Yan Jiecheng looked miserable and fell silent. He had tried to flatter the director before, but the director ignored him and even gave him a severe scolding.

Liu Yuhua, who was making steamed buns in the kitchen, heard Yan Jiecheng and his son talking and scoffed disdainfully:

"Dad, don't talk about him anymore. Yan Jiecheng is a complete good-for-nothing. He can't do anything right. When I first joined the steel rolling mill, my salary increased to 22.5 yuan in the second month, 27.5 yuan in the fifth month, and after passing the assessment in the eighth month, I became a first-level worker and my salary increased to 33 yuan."

"Look at Yan Jiecheng, he's so listless all the time. Anyone who didn't know better would think he hasn't slept for three days and three nights. And Yan Jiecheng, don't blame the workshop foreman for targeting you. If you can't do your job, how can the foreman promote you and raise your salary? Even if they make you a first-class worker now, can you do the work of a first-class worker?"

Hearing Liu Yuhua's merciless mockery, Yan Jiecheng's eyes instantly turned red. He stared intently at Liu Yuhua, who was kneading dough in the kitchen, his fists clenched tightly, wishing he could slap Liu Yuhua to death.

Yan Jiecheng took a deep breath. He didn't dare to talk back to Liu Yuhua, let alone lay a hand on her. No matter how much suffering or grievance he endured, he could only swallow his pride and bear it.

The harder his life gets, the more he hates Wang Feng. Unfortunately, Qin Jingru was lucky last time; she was pushed down but nothing happened. He hates heaven and earth, and he hates everyone.

Why does Wang Feng get all the good things? His wife, Qin Jingru, is not only incredibly beautiful, but also a top-notch chef.

Why is his wife such a shrew? Not only does she not give him money, but she also constantly mocks him. The worst part is that he can't beat Liu Yuhua, and he doesn't dare to. Whenever he dares to talk back to Liu Yuhua, she slaps him a few times. What sins did he commit in his past life?

Yan Fugui sighed helplessly when he heard Liu Yuhua's sarcastic remarks about Jie Cheng:

"Yuhua, just say less. Jiecheng is still your man, so give him some face."

Liu Yuhua snorted coldly: "Face isn't something given by others. Yan Jiecheng is a good-for-nothing. Go ask the people in the compound and his colleagues in the factory, who will give Yan Jiecheng face? He's useless himself, and no one can help him."

"Why."

Yan Fugui sighed deeply, shook his head, and left. He truly regretted marrying Liu Yuhua.

He had previously heard from matchmaker Li that Liu Yuhua's father was a level 7 fitter, her three older brothers were also regular employees at the slaughterhouse, and he himself was a level 3 fitter. He thought that by marrying Liu Yuhua, his family would get a great deal.

Now look what's happened! Not only did they not gain any advantage, but they also married a living ancestor. They can't hit her or scold her, and their whole family is often bullied by this new bride. What kind of situation is this?

Their family ate sweet potatoes every meal, but Liu Yuhua at least ate cornbread, and every few days she could eat white flour steamed buns. Sometimes she could even bring back meat from her parents' home, but Liu Yuhua would never share with them. She ate all by herself, and their family could only watch helplessly. How could they stand it for long?

Seeing this, the third aunt also sighed deeply. She didn't want to care about her son and daughter-in-law anymore. Ever since she married Liu Yuhua, she felt so tired.

Liu Yuhua wouldn't listen to advice. Even if the whole family combined couldn't beat her, and even if they could, they wouldn't dare to fight her, since she had three older brothers who worked at a slaughterhouse. The family really had no way to deal with their daughter-in-law, Liu Yuhua.

The Yan family sighed, but Liu Yuhua was in a good mood. It was the end of the month again, and it was time for the worker level assessment. She was now able to process level four workpieces on her own, and if nothing unexpected happened, she would become a level four fitter next month.

As for Yan Jiecheng, that good-for-nothing, she couldn't be bothered with him. To put it bluntly, she had absolutely no feelings for Yan Jiecheng. If it weren't for her age and the fear that her father would be ridiculed by others at the factory, she would never have planned to get married in her life. It's just that she was scared after going on so many blind dates without success.

Actually, she was quite grateful to Liu Lan. If Liu Lan hadn't introduced her to Yan Jiecheng, she wouldn't have married into the Yan family. Now, she basically lives separately from the Yan family members, and they can't bully her. Her father isn't being ridiculed either. It's a win-win situation for everyone.