Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Early that morning, Lin Weidong accompanied his parents to Su Wanqing's home.

The two families sat down together and quickly set the wedding date.

Two days later, on an auspicious day, they got married and simply invited their neighbors to a meal in the courtyard.

Once the wedding date was set, the entire Lin family got busy.

Zhao Xiulan was extremely busy, taking out the fine cotton cloth that she had saved up for many years and cutting it into festive red quilts and red pillowcases.

He then went to the supply and marketing cooperative with his money and coupons and bought a full bag of fruit candies and shortbread candies.

They brought back quite a few good wines and cigarettes.

The walls of the inner room were covered with new newspapers, the bed was covered with a brand-new red quilt sheet, and even the window paper was decorated with cut-out double happiness symbols.

The neighbors in the courtyard also lent a hand, some pasting paper on the windows, others wiping the tables, and the courtyard was filled with a festive atmosphere.

Meanwhile, in the abandoned warehouses on the outskirts of the city, a completely different scene unfolded – one of icy coldness and biting chill.

The warehouse was empty and cold, with tattered burlap sacks spread on the ground.

Yi Zhonghai was bare-armed, his whole body was soaked in sweat, and his muscles were taut.

He was dragging a sandbag weighing over 100 pounds, running with difficulty through the warehouse.

The brutal training over the past few days had worn away his listlessness, but it had also nurtured a fierce and hateful spirit within him.

Li Yichuan, carrying a large red invitation card, slowly walked into the warehouse.

Looking at Yi Zhonghai, who was covered in sweat and panting heavily, a playful smile appeared on his lips.

"Yi Zhonghai, look what this is!"

He waved the invitation in his hand; it was red with gold lettering and festive patterns, making it particularly eye-catching.

Yi Zhonghai stopped and looked up, panting heavily.

Upon seeing the words on the invitation, his eyes instantly turned bloodshot, veins bulged, and he clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Lin Weidong's wedding invitation.

"Why...why!"

Yi Zhonghai let out a roar like a trapped beast, his eyes bloodshot.

The jealousy and hatred in my heart erupted like a volcano.

Yi Zhonghai was disgraced and suffered like a stray dog, hiding here and enduring hardship.

Lin Weidong, on the other hand, held a grand wedding and married a beautiful wife.

Why does Lin Weidong get all the good things? Why does he have to end up like this?

He suddenly bent down, picked up the sandbag on the ground, and dragged his heavy steps forward as if he were running madly, kicking up the dust under his feet.

Sweat splattered on the ground, leaving a trail of dust.

Hatred was the best fuel; he ran faster and faster, letting out hoarse roars as if he wanted to shout out all his resentment and bitterness.

He stumbled and fell heavily into the mud, his knees throbbing painfully, yet he felt no pain at all.

He braced himself on the ground with both hands, scrambled to his feet, and continued running like a madman, his back contorted and frantic.

Li Yichuan crossed his arms and coldly watched the scene. He turned to the middle-aged spy beside him and said calmly, "See? Hatred is the best catalyst."

"This hatred is enough to make him willingly risk his life for us."

Before they knew it, it was time for Lin Weidong's wedding.

The courtyard at No. 95 was covered with small red decorations, and two strings of bright red firecrackers hung at the entrance.

There were about ten tables set up in the courtyard, covered with clean red tablecloths, creating a festive atmosphere.

Lin Weidong specially invited He Daqing and his son He Yuzhu to be in charge of cooking.

The father and son were skilled cooks. The stove was roaring, the spatula was flying, and the aroma of braised pork, stewed chicken, and braised fish filled the entire alley, making people's mouths water.

The guests present were all wealthy and influential, including colleagues from the steel mill and neighbors from the compound.

Colleagues from the Weapons Research Institute were all present, and even the secretary of Minister Shen Hongtao of the Ministry of Industry made a special trip to deliver congratulatory gifts and blessings on behalf of the minister, making it a very grand occasion.

At the auspicious hour in the morning, the sound of firecrackers crackling and popping rang out at the entrance of the courtyard house, deafeningly loud, with paper scraps flying everywhere.

A jeep adorned with a large red flower came to a steady stop at the entrance, and the door opened.

Wearing a bright red wedding dress and a red velvet flower in her hair, Su Wanqing walked down slowly.

Lin Weidong, dressed in a crisp dark blue Zhongshan suit, stood tall and held Su Wanqing's hand firmly.

"A perfect match! They're a match made in heaven!"

"Comrade Lin is young and promising, and Miss Su is gentle and beautiful; they are a perfect match!"

The neighbors who gathered around all exclaimed in admiration, their eyes filled with envy.

Lin Weidong led Su Wanqing by the hand and slowly walked into the courtyard.

Liu Haizhong, standing in the crowd, clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and his eyes were filled with jealousy and resentment.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu grabbed handfuls of colorful scraps of paper and threw them at the two men's heads.

Jia Zhangshi stood in the corner, staring intently at Lin Weidong's back, her eyes surging with hatred.

He cursed under his breath, "Damn Lin Weidong, it's all your fault! If it weren't for you, Lao Yi and I would be married by now."

Lin Weidong led Su Wanqing into the house, scattering wedding candies along the way.

At the edge of the crowd, Li Yichuan, with a smile on his face, patted Chen Bin on the shoulder beside him.

"Look at Team Leader Lin and Wanqing, aren't they a match made in heaven?"

"I just don't know if these good days will last."

Chen Bin, completely oblivious to the underlying meaning, smiled and nodded, "Yichuan, you're joking. Things will definitely get better and better!"

Li Yichuan smiled without saying a word, a hint of something unreadable flashing in his eyes.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the alley outside the courtyard, an old man wearing a tattered felt hat, his face smeared with soot, and his clothes worn out, was staring intently at the festive scene inside the courtyard.

It is Yi Zhonghai.

He deliberately put on makeup and changed his appearance, blending into the crowd of onlookers, and no one recognized him as the old man from the old courtyard house.

"Lin Weidong, you'd better stay awake tonight!"

Inside the room, Lin Weidong looked at Su Wanqing, whose face was flushed, and asked, "What should you call me now?"

As he spoke, he pinched Su Wanqing's chin with his hand.

"Husband," Su Wanqing said, looking into Lin Weidong's eyes.

Just as Lin Weidong was about to lean down and kiss Su Wanqing, there was a loud knocking on the door.

Then the door was suddenly pushed open, and Liu Guangtian, Liu Guangfu, the three Yan brothers, and Sha Zhu and others rushed in.

"Weidong, today is your wedding day, let's raise a few glasses in celebration."

As Lin Weidong entered, Sha Zhu said to the others, "After dinner, we have to go and make things lively for Weidong."

"How's it lively?" Yan Jiefang asked.

"Shazhu, let me tell you, you can't go too far. After all, Weidong's status is what it is now."

Liu Guangtian reminded him.

Sha Zhu waved his hand, "Why bring up status now? We all grew up in the same courtyard."

"Besides, we're just going to offer him a toast and liven things up."

Lin Weidong looked at the group of people, each of whom was carrying a jug of wine.

I knew things wouldn't end well today.

Sha Zhu shook the wine jug in his hand and said, "Wei Dong, whether we can successfully consummate our marriage tonight depends on your drinking capacity."

"Yes," Liu Guangtian and the others echoed.

Not long afterward, they all begged for mercy.

"Wei Dong, you won, you won!" As soon as he finished speaking, Sha Zhu collapsed to the ground.

The others almost lost their balance, but fortunately they could still walk. They helped Sha Zhu and walked outside.

"Weidong, you can really drink! We couldn't even finish a pound, but you drank at least three pounds! We're impressed!"

Liu Guangtian said, hiccuping from the alcohol.

What they didn't know was that Lin Weidong had transferred all the wine into the system space.