Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

"Ugh~ Why does my head hurt so much!"

"Ugh~ I feel like I'm going to explode!"

Lin Weidong suddenly opened his eyes. What he saw was a mud wall covered with newspaper, and a kerosene lamp with half of its porcelain missing hanging on the roof. The wind was blowing in through the crack in the door, carrying a smell of coal smoke and damp earth.

"Where am I? This isn't my room."

He remembered that he had stayed up all night to finish a report, and then casually turned on the old TV series "Full House of Love" to watch while eating. When he saw Yi Zhonghai and those old men plotting against Sha Zhu, he was so angry that he slammed his fist on the table and cursed, "A bunch of cunning old foxes who eat people without spitting out the bones." Then... then everything went black and he knew nothing more.

"Dongzi, you're awake? Quick, put on your cotton-padded coat, don't catch a cold."

"How could you fall asleep before it's even dark?"

A gentle female voice sounded in his ear, and a pair of calloused hands touched his forehead, feeling warm to the touch. Lin Weidong turned his head and saw a woman in her twenties, wearing a faded blue homespun jacket, her hair neatly combed, her eyes full of concern.

This face... looks familiar.

Before he could think it through, a flood of unfamiliar memories suddenly rushed into his mind, the chaotic fragments of images making his temples throb.

In 1951, the year after Beiping was renamed Beijing, the Hongxing Courtyard was located in the south of the city.

His name is Lin Weidong, he is seven years old, and he is the youngest son of the Lin family in the courtyard.

My father, Lin Jianjun, was a technician at a steel rolling mill. He was honest and hardworking, and he did a great job with machinery. My mother, Zhao Xiulan, was a production mobilization officer at the street office. She was assertive and capable, and she had a good reputation among the neighbors.

The family wasn't particularly well-off, but the advantage was that both parents had regular jobs, earning work points and salaries. Compared to the other families in the compound, they were considered quite well-off.

And this courtyard is the infamous Hongxing Courtyard, known for its ruthless and man-eating nature!

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, the three old men, were all there; Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, those two sworn enemies, were also there. And that deaf old woman who acted like she owned the place…

Lin Weidong gasped, instantly realizing his predicament: he had been transmigrated into this courtyard house that had caused countless viewers' blood pressure to soar, and he had become a seven-year-old baby!

"Mom..." he called out tentatively, his voice soft and sweet, with a childlike tone that seemed completely out of place with his twenty-something-year-old soul.

Zhao Xiulan laughed and pinched his cheek: "This child, are you still half asleep? Hurry up and get dressed. Your dad got paid today and bought two pounds of flour. He'll steam some buns for you tonight."

White flour steamed buns.

In this era when food is precious, wheat flour is not something you can eat every day. Lin Weidong's stomach rumbled appropriately, making Zhao Xiulan laugh again.

He obediently let his mother put a cotton-padded jacket on him. The coarse cloth rubbed against his skin, which was a little uncomfortable, but it made him truly feel the texture of this era.

Just as I finished getting dressed, I heard footsteps at the gate of the courtyard, accompanied by a strong voice: "Is Jianjun home? Your sister-in-law and I came over for a visit."

Lin Weidong's heart sank.

That voice belongs to Yi Zhonghai!

In his past life memories, he later referred to himself as "Uncle Yi" and was an eighth-level fitter at the steel rolling mill. He was highly skilled, earned a high salary, and had a very high reputation in the factory.

But in secret, he is a cunning old fox who has no children and is single-mindedly looking for a "retirement meal ticket". Sha Zhu is his number one target.

Why did he suddenly show up at our door?

Zhao Xiulan's expression changed slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and called out to the door, "It's Uncle Yi! Come in quickly! Jianjun just got off work and is washing his hands."

As soon as he finished speaking, the curtain was lifted.

The man leading the group was around forty years old, dressed in dark blue overalls, his hair neatly combed, and a gentle smile on his face—it was Yi Zhonghai. Beside him was a woman with a sallow complexion, dressed in gray cloth, carrying a bamboo basket—it was Yi Zhonghai's wife, Zhang.

Behind the two were two uninvited guests.

One was an old woman with gray hair, leaning on a cane, her face wrinkled like a walnut shell. She was the oldest deaf old woman in the courtyard. Relying on being a recipient of the Five Guarantees, she usually acted arrogantly in the courtyard, and it was common for her to freeload.

The other was a man in his early forties, wearing a faded long gown, holding an abacus in his hand, his eyes darting around. He was none other than Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, who was notoriously stingy, able to stretch every penny, and loved to scheme for every little bit of profit.

Lin Weidong sneered inwardly.

"Well, two of the three uncles have arrived, along with a deaf old lady. This is quite a show of force; they're probably up to no good."

Hearing the commotion, Lin Jianjun wiped his hands and came out from the inner room. He was taken aback when he saw the people at the door: "Uncle Yi, Aunt Zhang, Deaf Grandma, Uncle Yan, please come in and sit down."

He was honest and not good at refusing people, so he quickly ushered the group into the house, while Zhao Xiulan turned to pour water.

The small square table in the room wasn't big, and it instantly felt crowded when a few people sat down. Yan Bugui's eyes darted across the table, and when he saw the bag of flour that hadn't been put away yet, his eyes lit up, but he quickly covered them up again.

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat and spoke first, a heartfelt smile on his face: "Jianjun, I'm not here for anything else today, I just wanted to remind you that our courtyard house is all about neighborly help and harmonious coexistence."

Lin Jianjun nodded and smiled憨厚ly: "That makes sense, Uncle Yi is right."

"It's good that you know."

Yi Zhonghai nodded, then changed the subject, "You're the most educated person in our compound, and a technician at the steel rolling mill. You have a high salary and a respectable job, unlike us, who just rely on our meager salaries to make ends meet. Especially your deaf grandmother, she's so old, has no children, and relies entirely on the neighborhood committee's subsidies to survive. It's not easy for her."

The deaf old woman immediately chimed in, her voice trembling with tears: "Yes, Jianjun, you're a good boy, so kind-hearted. This old woman's health is deteriorating day by day. It's getting cold, and I don't even have a decent cotton-padded coat, let alone a hot bowl of white flour."

Lin Jianjun frowned, a hint of reluctance showing on his face.

Lin Weidong, who witnessed everything clearly, cursed inwardly, "Old fox! This is blatant moral blackmail!"

In the original owner's memory, the deaf old lady had just received a subsidy from the neighborhood committee this month.

Yan Bugui then joined in, tapping the abacus in his hand and sighing in a mocking manner: "Jianjun, I'm not trying to be mean, but we're neighbors, we see each other all the time."

"Look at your family, you have cornbread every meal, and occasionally you can even eat wheat flour. But look at the other people in the yard? Not to mention the deaf grandma, my children haven't seen what wheat flour tastes like for almost half a year. Since you have extra money, you should help your neighbors more. That would show that you, as a technician, have a sense of responsibility."

These words are even more malicious, directly linking "not helping" with "lacking awareness".

Lin Jianjun's face flushed red. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to refute it. He was an honest man and couldn't stand such words, especially since the other party had brought up the big label of "enlightenment".