Love in the Courtyard: Starting with Engineers

The state-run department store is the largest and most well-stocked state-run store in the area. Although it's a weekday, it's still incredibly crowded and bustling.

Li Yu walked through the crowd and headed straight for the hardware and electrical appliance counter. When he arrived at the counter, he saw several old-fashioned bicycles displayed inside.

The black body, gleaming chrome handlebars and wheels attracted the attention of many passersby, but very few actually went up to ask the price, because everyone knew that money alone wasn't enough; you also needed a ticket.

Behind the counter stood a saleswoman in her thirties with curly hair, idly eating sunflower seeds, not even glancing at Li Yu in front of the counter.

Seeing this, Li Yu asked directly, "Comrade, how much is this old-fashioned bicycle?"

Upon seeing that he was an ordinary-looking young man, the saleswoman impatiently said, "185 yuan, plus a bicycle ticket. Do you have a ticket?" Because at that time, bicycle tickets were extremely difficult to obtain.

When people saw someone wanting to buy a bicycle, they all gathered around to watch, and when they heard the price, they all gasped.

Li Yu, without changing his expression, took out 185 yuan, then reached into his pocket—actually, he took a bicycle ticket from his system space.

When the sales clerk saw the young man produce so much money and a bicycle ticket, she wasn't envious but rather wary, asking, "Where did you get your money and ticket?"

Li Yu wasn't annoyed by the sales clerk's question, because with enemy agents rampant these days, it was perfectly normal for a young man to be suspected if he suddenly produced so many items.

Li Yu hurriedly took out the engineer's certificate he had just received that day from his jacket pocket and handed it to the salesperson. The salesperson, upon seeing that it was an engineer's certificate from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, immediately changed his demeanor and handed Li Yu the certificate with both hands.

She said in a much gentler tone, "I didn't expect you to be an engineer. I'm so sorry." Li Yu didn't mind and was about to leave with his bicycle when the salesperson hurriedly told him that he needed to go to the police station to have a steel stamp made.

Even after Li Yu left, the people around him were still reeling from the shock of discovering that Li Yu was an engineer at the steel rolling mill. These days, there aren't many engineers, let alone technicians, much less such a young engineer.

Li Yu later bought a radio and a watch. He originally planned to buy a sewing machine as well, but then he thought that he would need to renovate the house later and wouldn't have anywhere to put them.

The most crucial point is that he doesn't have a wife right now and she doesn't know how to use a sewing machine, so it's better to buy one when he gets married.

Li Yu rode his brand-new old-fashioned bicycle to the police station, attracting the attention of passersby. A handsome young man on a brand-new old-fashioned bicycle was quite a sight to behold.

Although it's only noon and everyone is still at get off work, the courtyard is unusually lively.

Yan Bugui's wife had just finished washing the dishes and was sitting at the gate of the courtyard chatting with a group of aunties from the neighboring courtyard when she saw a few people coming from the alley entrance.

The three women looked closely and saw Yi Zhonghai, Yang Ruihua, Sha Zhu, and the deaf old woman being carried on Sha Zhu's back. The three women thought, "Why are they back? Weren't they arrested by the police?"

Upon seeing the group of people approaching, the older woman immediately noticed the bright red handprint on Yang Ruihua's face. Without a doubt, it was the old man who had slapped her. "I never thought the old man was this kind of person. I always thought he wouldn't hit his wife."

When Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi returned in the morning, the Jia family had already been in chaos with shouting and cursing. Now that these people are back, she wonders if they'll cause another scene. Thinking about this, the Third Aunt couldn't wait for evening; the courtyard would surely be lively then.

Yi Zhonghai and his group went home without saying goodbye to anyone. As soon as they got home, Yi Zhonghai said to the deaf old lady, "I think Old Yan's wife is looking at me strangely."

The deaf old woman said nonchalantly, "Don't worry about Xiao Yi. The Yan family can't cause any trouble in the courtyard. It's Liu Haizhong and Li Jia who should be more careful."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and said, "I'll be more careful in the future." Yi Zhonghai was thinking that he had no intention of going against the kid surnamed Li at all; these two encounters had almost given him a psychological trauma.

He was still puzzled about why he had said those things last night. He thought about it all night at the police station and felt it must be related to the food Li Yu had given him. Therefore, he didn't plan to cause trouble for Li Yu for the time being, and besides, his prestige had been completely destroyed during this period.

The deaf old lady and Sha Zhu had all gone home, leaving only Yi Zhonghai and Yang Ruihua in the Yi family. Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately said nothing.

Yang Ruihua spoke first, saying, "Honey, you should rest for a bit. I'll cook something and we'll eat in a little while. Let's not talk about anything else, it's all in the past." After saying that, Yang Ruihua went to cook.

It was only around 2 PM at the He family's house, and He Yushui hadn't returned yesterday. When He Yuzhu pushed open the door, he saw the stove fire had long since gone cold. The quilt, which had been turned over and hung on the bed because he had left in such a hurry, was now empty. The kettle was also empty.

At this moment, Sha Zhu felt such a strong urge to find a wife for the first time. With a wife, at least the house wouldn't be as cold and quiet as it is now.

Li Yu had just come out of the police station to have his bicycle stamped when he saw an old man sitting by the door of the neighborhood office, dozing off.

Li Yu quietly approached the old man, took out a Daqianmen cigarette, and placed it under the old man's nose. The old man's nose twitched and his eyes immediately opened.

"So it's you, kid. What brings you to see Director Wang again?" The old man said, taking the large bottle of cigarettes that Li Yu had placed in front of his nose. He glanced at it and said, "Oh, the large bottle of cigarettes is still pretty good."

Li Yu joked, "It's a special gift for you, isn't it?" The gatekeeper, Old Zhang, laughed and said, "You're a decent guy with a conscience." Then he turned around and took the registration form and pen. "You still need to register."

Li Yu took it, wrote down his name and the person he was going to see, and went inside. Seeing that the door to Director Wang's office was not closed, he went straight in.

Seeing that Director Wang was writing something, Li Yu didn't disturb him and just sat and waited. After a while, Director Wang finished writing, looked up and saw Li Yu. "When did you get here, kid? You didn't even say anything when you came in."

Li Yu took the thermos from Director Wang's desk and poured water into the teacup on the desk, which had been empty for some time. As she poured, she said, "I didn't dare to disturb you because I saw you were busy."

Director Wang said, "I was going to come looking for you even if you hadn't come to me." Li Yu asked in confusion, "What does Aunt Wang want to see me about?"

Seeing that Li Yu was still pretending not to know anything, Director Wang said seriously, "How could I not know that such a big thing happened in your hospital last night? You were bullied in the hospital but didn't say anything."

Li Yu felt a warmth in her heart and pretended to be serious as she said, "I know I was wrong. If anything happens, I will definitely report to Aunt Wang immediately."

Director Wang chuckled when she saw Li Yu like that: "You little rascal, you're always up to no good. Alright, come on, tell Aunt Wang the details of what happened last night."

Li Yu then explained everything to Director Wang in detail. Director Wang became increasingly angry as he listened, but seeing that Li Yu was perfectly fine, he suppressed his anger.

However, he still said, "After everyone gets off work and goes back to their courtyard houses, I will also go to your courtyard house. The police station has also notified our street office, and the street office will handle the subsequent punishment of those people."

Li Yu continued, "Actually, Aunt Wang, that's not the main reason I came to see you today. I'm planning to renovate three rooms in my house."

"Indeed, your three rooms are quite large, but they are a bit old," Director Wang agreed.

Director Wang continued, "Tell me how you plan to fix it, and I'll give you some suggestions."

Li Yu explained his idea to Director Wang, which was to combine three rooms and use the one closest to the courtyard wall to make a kitchen and a bathroom. The rest would involve modifying the electrical wiring and relaiding the flooring, etc.

Director Wang agreed with Li Yu's idea, saying that since he had enough money from Yi Zhonghai and the others, the compensation of 4,500 yuan would definitely be enough.

After issuing a renovation certificate to Li Yu, Director Wang said, "At that time, your sewage pipe will be directly connected to the external sewer system. I'll just go to the municipal office for you."

Holding the renovation certificate, Li Yu smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, Aunt Wang." As she spoke, she grabbed a handful of White Rabbit milk candies that she had just bought at the department store and placed them on Director Wang's desk.

Director Wang did not refuse, but said, "There will be many places to spend money in the future, so be careful with your money." Li Yu nodded and said, "Yes."

After saying that, he came out of Director Wang's office. When he got to the door, he casually tossed the remaining half of the bag of Daqianmen cigarettes to the gatekeeper, Grandpa Zhang. Then he got on his bicycle and pedaled while saying, "This is for you, sir."

As for why Li Yu was so kind to Grandpa Zhang, it was because Li Yu knew from the first day he arrived that Grandpa Zhang must be a veteran from the battlefield. Although his sharp eyes looked kind, the killing intent inside could not be completely hidden, especially since Li Yu had mastered the Bajiquan, a master-level martial art.

Grandpa Zhang glanced at the cigarette in his hand and Li Yu's departing figure on his bicycle, smiled, and went back to sit down.