Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

Time flies, and it's already the last month of the year.

The most eye-catching new item in the courtyard recently is Liu Haizhong's shiny Dragon Teng mobile phone.

In recent years, the Liu brothers, Guangtian and Guangfu, have been doing very well at Longteng Electronics. The money they send back each month has become increasingly substantial, and Liu Haizhong's wallet has become bulging, which has also made him stand taller.

I went to the Longteng mobile phone experience store a while ago to join the fun, and on a whim, I spent two thousand yuan to buy one. Now I've become a "celebrity" in the courtyard.

Every morning, Liu Haizhong would leave home with his phone in his hand, either squatting on the stone bench at the entrance of the alley or loitering around the door of Yan Bugui's house.

His fingers were clicking rapidly on the phone's buttons, but he wasn't actually dialing anything. He was just deliberately keeping the screen lit up so that the "Dragon Soaring" logo would dazzle Yan Bugui's eyes.

"Old Yan, look at my phone," Liu Haizhong held the phone up to Yan Bugui's face and waved it triumphantly.

"My second son called me yesterday, and even though we're thousands of miles apart, his voice was as clear as if we were talking face-to-face! This thing is truly a miracle!"

Yan Bugui stood on his doorstep, his eyes fixed on the cell phone in Liu Haizhong's hand, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily.

My heart felt itchy, like it was being scratched by a cat.

His family was actually wealthier than Liu Haizhong's, and he hadn't wasted a single penny of the money Yan Jiefang had sent back from Hong Kong during this period; he had saved it all.

But he was incredibly stingy; a phone that cost two thousand yuan was enough for him to use for a whole year.

But Liu Haizhong showed off in front of him every day, and his smugness was driving him crazy.

"Hmph, it's just a broken phone, what's there to show off?" Yan Bugui snorted defiantly, then turned and went back into the house with his hands behind his back.

The next morning, Yan Bugui sneaked out the door with a cloth bag in his hand.

When I returned at noon, I had an identical Longteng phone in my hand, but I hadn't even bothered to remove the protective film from the phone.

Liu Haizhong saw this and went over to tease him: "Hey, Lao Yan, you bought a cell phone too? Hurry up and make a call to try it out, so your family can hear your voice too."

Yan Bugui quickly stuffed his phone into his pocket, protecting it like a precious treasure, and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Why are you making calls? Phone calls are so expensive! Several yuan a minute!"

These words were overheard by Sha Zhu, who was passing by, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hey, you two old men, the way you bought these phones is really something! Old Liu carries them around showing off every day, while Old Yan treats them like they're his ancestors, he won't even make a call to them, aren't they just two decorations?"

Liu Haizhong blushed, and retorted defiantly, "What do you know! I'm just experiencing a new life!"

Yan Bugui glared at Sha Zhu, then turned and went into the house, locking his phone in the cabinet as if afraid of it getting bumped or knocked over.

Sha Zhu watched the two figures disappear into the distance and laughed even harder.

In recent years, his life has become more and more prosperous. His apprentices are all filial, and his monthly income is several times higher than when he was a cook in the steel rolling mill.

After Qin Huairu went mad, he didn't mistreat Xiaodang and Huaihua. He not only supported them through middle school, but also dressed them up neatly.

Now, Xiao Dang and Huaihua have both grown into graceful young women.

Xiao Dang has a fiery temper and is known at school for being fiercely protective of her own.

Huaihua, on the other hand, is more reserved, with delicate features, and her grades are among the best in the class.

When the two sisters came home from school, they would always help Sha Zhu with his laundry and tidying up. When the neighbors saw this, they couldn't help but praise Sha Zhu for being so lucky.

"Dad, we're back!" Xiao Dang and Huaihua said as they walked into the yard carrying their schoolbags.

Sha Zhu smiled and said to the visitors, "Are you hungry? I left some noodles with soybean paste in the pot for you, hurry up and eat."

The two sisters responded and skipped into the house.

At that moment, in the Longxing Machinery Factory residential compound, Li Yu had just pushed open his door when he smelled a faint smell of vinegar.

Bai Ling was squatting by the bathroom sink, covering her mouth and dry heaving, her face pale.

Li Yu's heart tightened, and he quickly walked over, gently patting her back, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Bai Ling paused for a moment, shook her head, and said in a weak voice, "I don't know what's wrong, but I started feeling nauseous this afternoon, and the smell of cooking oil makes me feel sick."

Li Yu remembered that Bai Ling had been feeling sleepy lately and had a much larger appetite, and he had a vague guess in his mind.

He quickly helped Bai Ling to her feet: "Don't delay, I'll take you to the hospital for a check-up."

The two rushed to the hospital, and after a series of examinations, the doctor smiled and handed Li Yu a test report: "Congratulations, your wife is pregnant, almost two months along."

Li Yu was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening, and a bright smile instantly bloomed on her face.

He gripped Bai Ling's hand tightly, his voice trembling with excitement: "It's wonderful! We're having another baby!"

Bai Ling's cheeks flushed, and her eyes were full of gentle smiles.

She gently stroked her lower abdomen, her heart filled with anticipation.

Back home, Li Yu told Nannan the good news.

Nannan was drawing in the living room when she heard this. She jumped up and ran to Bai Ling.

She carefully touched her mother's belly, her eyes wide with surprise: "Mommy, is there really a baby in your tummy?"

Bai Ling smiled and nodded: "Yes, from now on, Nannan will be the older sister."

Nannan's eyes lit up instantly. She straightened her little body and patted her chest.

She said with a smug look on her face, "Great! I'm the big sister now! I'm the boss at school, and I'll be the boss at home too!"

Seeing their daughter's mature demeanor, Li Yu and Bai Ling exchanged a smile.

At dinner, Li Yu specially prepared a table full of dishes that Bai Ling loved, which were light, refreshing, and without any oily smell.

The little girl sat at the dining table, constantly putting food on Bai Ling's plate: "Mommy, eat more, so that the little baby can grow strong."

Bai Ling took the bowl and put a piece of meat in Nannan's bowl, saying, "Nannan, eat more so you can grow up healthy."

While slurping noodles, Xiao Dang at Sha Zhu's house said, "Dad, Xiao Dang and I went to see Mom today."

After listening, Sha Zhu paused for a moment and then asked, "How is she now?"

"He seems alright, except that he occasionally acts a bit out of sorts. The doctor said he should recover gradually."

"But she still has unresolved issues."

Sha Zhu instinctively reached for a cigarette, and Huai Hua immediately lit one for him. After taking a puff, Sha Zhu said, "It's been so many years, some things should be let go. I'll go see her another day."

After saying that, Sha Zhu got up and walked into the yard. Xiao Dang was eating noodles in big mouthfuls, tears streaming down his face.

With a sob in her voice, Huaihua said, "Sister, shouldn't we have gone to see Mom? After all..."

Xiao Dang just kept stuffing noodles into her mouth without saying a word.