Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

An older woman held the warm enamel mug, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she took a deep breath, slowly rolling up her right sleeve.

What should have been smooth arms were now covered with bruises, old and new, a shocking sight.

Lin Weidong's pupils suddenly contracted, and an indescribable shock surged into his heart.

Although he knew that Yi Zhonghai had been treating an older woman badly recently, he never imagined it would be to the point of physical violence.

"Weidong, look at this..." The old woman's voice choked with emotion.

"When he was in labor camp, I looked forward to his return every day."

"I thought that once he came back, things would go back to the way they were before."

"But who knew that he would become even worse after he came back."

She wiped away her tears, her voice filled with despair: "He was fine at first, but ever since the deaf old lady was grounded and he was asked to take care of her, he's like a completely different person."

"When I get home, I either give them the cold shoulder and don't say a word, or I nitpick and say that my cooking is bad, my clothes are not clean enough, and I even scold them for walking too loudly."

"A few days ago, just because I forgot to bring hot water to the deaf old lady, he raised his hand and shoved me. I hit the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and my arm got bruised."

"Later, it got even more outrageous; he would resort to violence at the slightest provocation..."

The older woman became increasingly distressed as she spoke, and tears streamed down her face once more.

"I know, it was that deaf old woman who instigated him behind the scenes!"

"She can't stand to see me doing well and wants Yi Zhonghai to divorce me, all because we had a falling out before!"

Lin Weidong sat to the side, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He had long been aware of Yi Zhonghai's hypocrisy and selfishness, but he never expected that the other party would be so cruel as to do such a thing to his wife of many years.

After the older woman calmed down a bit, Lin Weidong asked in a deep voice, "Auntie, can you still endure this kind of life?"

"Have you never thought about divorce?"

The middle-aged woman paused, her eyes dimming: "Divorce? I'm almost fifty, where can I go after a divorce?"

"How will they survive without anyone to rely on?"

"Actually, you don't need to be afraid."

Immediately afterward, Lin Weidong said, "According to the rules, after the divorce, you will each have one of these two rooms, and the family savings will also be divided equally."

"By then, we'll have a house and money, so we won't be destitute."

He paused, then added, "After the New Year, I'll be taking up my post at Hongxing Machinery Factory. I can arrange a job for you there so you can live a normal life."

The middle-aged woman's eyes suddenly lit up, filled with disbelief: "Really... really can that be?"

"Of course," Lin Weidong nodded.

Seeing the renewed hope in the middle-aged woman's eyes, Lin Weidong pressed on, saying, "Auntie, you're not even fifty yet, you have a long life ahead of you."

"I think Uncle He Daqing is a good person. He's about your age, and we know each other well. Wouldn't it be great if you two could live together and look after each other?"

"And you'll have Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu to take care of you in your old age."

The middle-aged woman froze, her face flushing red with embarrassment: "Is...is this appropriate?"

"What's inappropriate about it?" Lin Weidong smiled.

"Besides, think about it, isn't your good life the best revenge against Yi Zhonghai?"

"Let him see that you can still live a great life without him."

"And hasn't he always wanted Sha Zhu to take care of you in your old age?"

"Now that Sha Zhu is taking care of you in your old age and ignoring him, this is absolutely cruel."

These words seemed to strike a chord with the older woman. She bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded firmly: "Okay! I'll do as you say!"

"Don't worry, the divorce will proceed according to procedure. I'll arrange your work. As for Uncle He, I'll talk to him after the divorce is finalized," Lin Weidong assured him, patting his chest.

The woman thanked him repeatedly, her eyes welling up with tears, but this time they were tears of gratitude.

She stood up, a long-lost look of relaxation finally appearing on her face. After bidding farewell to Lin Weidong, she turned and walked out of the west courtyard.

Just as I reached the gate of the courtyard, I bumped into Yi Zhonghai, who was returning from shoveling snow.

He saw an older woman emerge from the west courtyard, his face immediately darkening with anger. He demanded sharply, "What were you doing at Lin Weidong's house?"

"Are you talking badly about me behind my back?"

In the past, this middle-aged woman would have already offered a humble explanation, but today, she straightened her back and looked at him coldly: "I'm just going to my neighbor's house for a visit, what's wrong with that? Is it illegal?"

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback by her sudden assertiveness and stood there in astonishment.

Watching the older woman walk into her house without looking back, a strange unease welled up inside me.

As for Lin Weidong, after seeing the old lady off, he picked up his coat and quickly walked out of the courtyard.

The jeep drove slowly through the snow-covered streets.

A short while later, the jeep stopped in front of the department store.

Lin Weidong pushed open the car door and stepped into the building through the snow. Inside, it was already decorated with lanterns and red lights, and the atmosphere was festive for the New Year.

This was the first time he had come out to buy New Year's goods since he came into this world.

He pushed his way forward with the crowd, stopping to buy whatever caught his eye.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, the department store was packed with people.

After shopping for a full two hours, Lin Weidong emerged from the department store with bags full of purchases. In reality, it was more like being squeezed into a crowded place than shopping.

He hasn't taken a single step voluntarily since he went in.

After leaving the department store, he came to a tea shop.

As soon as I pushed the door open, I saw a shop assistant fiddling with an abacus.

Hearing the doorbell, he looked up and said, "Welcome! What would you like to order?"

Lin Weidong approached the counter: "Give me two jin of Longjing tea."

The shop assistant's eyes widened. He suspected Lin Weidong was joking with him, since everyone was buying tea in ounces or twos these days.

He would have chased Lin Weidong away the first time he bought so much food.

Seeing that the other party was stunned, Lin Weidong took out the money and tickets.

"Give it to me, the money and tickets are here."

The waiter counted the money and then turned around to take out two packets of tea.

He respectfully handed it to Lin Weidong, saying, "Both jin are here, one pack per jin."

"These tea leaves can't get damp; you need to pack them carefully when you take them home."

"We won't compensate you if it breaks."

Lin Weidong returned to the car with two large bags of tea, and then went to Liubiju to buy a lot of pickles.

Lin Weidong spent nearly three hundred yuan on this trip.

If my parents were to buy this, they would probably be heartbroken.

After buying his things, Lin Weidong returned directly to the courtyard house.

Seeing Lin Weidong carrying things out of the car, Yan Bugui quickly stepped forward to offer his help.

"Weidong bought so much stuff? Do you need Uncle San to help you?"

As he reached out to take it, Lin Weidong stepped aside and went straight inside.

"Thank you, sir, but it's not necessary. I can carry it all myself."

"I'm afraid you'll lose it, and then I'll have nowhere to turn."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's expression changed repeatedly.

He muttered to himself, "You have no respect for your elders at all. I even taught you that before."