Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Inside the Jia family's house, Jia Dongxu lay on the bed, listening to people outside talking about how Lin Weidong had become the chief person in charge of the steel rolling mill's military project again, his eyes burning with jealousy.

He laboriously turned to the side and shouted at Jia Zhangshi, who was sewing shoe soles:

"Mom! Listen to this! How successful Lin Weidong is now!"

"With military projects and special workshops all under their belts, their family is living the high life now, while our family? We eat thin porridge every day."

Jia Zhangshi paused in her needlework, and a surge of anger rose within her.

These days, she has been reprimanded by the neighborhood committee and ridiculed by her neighbors, and she has been holding back her anger for a long time.

Encouraged by Jia Dongxu, her tantrum-throwing urge returned.

Madam Jia threw the shoe sole she was holding onto the table. "You're right! We're all neighbors in the same courtyard. Now that the Lin family is doing well, they should help us out!"

"Besides, their whole family are cadres; shouldn't they be upholding the spirit of dedication? Why do they live a life of luxury while my daughter and I suffer poverty!"

Lying in bed, Jia Dongxu said, "Mom, go to the Lin family right now and make a scene! Make a big fuss, let the neighbors see how selfish the Lin family is! Then they'll have no choice but to help us!"

Swayed by her son's words, Jia Zhangshi immediately rolled up her sleeves, pushed open the door, and headed towards Linjiachong.

As soon as she reached the entrance of the Lin family compound, she began to wail and shout, "Lin Weidong! Zhao Xiulan! Come out here! Now that your family is rich, you don't care about the lives of your neighbors anymore! My Dongxu is bedridden, are you just going to watch us starve to death?"

Her crying immediately drew all the neighbors out of the courtyard.

Upon hearing the commotion, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong exchanged a glance, both seeing calculation in each other's eyes.

The two approached one after the other, intending to use Jia Zhangshi as an excuse to cause trouble for Lin Weidong.

Zhao Xiulan was cooking at home when she heard Jia Zhangshi calling from the door. She impatiently put down what she was holding and pushed the door open.

Upon seeing Zhao Xiulan emerge, Liu Haizhong adopted a righteous and stern demeanor.

"Comrade Zhao Xiulan, look, you're now the deputy director of the subdistrict office, and the Lin family is now a prominent family in our compound."

"As the saying goes, when one is in trouble, help comes from all sides. The Jia Zhang family is indeed in difficulty. Shouldn't your Lin family take the lead in donating some money and show your spirit of giving back?"

Yan Bugui quickly echoed, secretly thinking that if the Lin family started the donation drive, he might be able to benefit from it as well.

"Exactly! We're all neighbors in the same compound, we see each other all the time, we can't be so selfish! Chief Engineer Lin is a big shot in the factory now, he should set an example!"

The two women, working in tandem, were subtly pressuring the Lin family to donate. The surrounding neighbors whispered amongst themselves; some felt sorry for Jia Zhangshi, while others, knowing her character, simply watched the spectacle in silence.

Seeing this, Zhao Xiulan said, "Jia Zhangshi, haven't you made enough of a scene? You say our family should help you, but I'd like to ask, why should our family help you?"

Jia Zhangshi was stunned by Zhao Xiulan's imposing manner and paused for a moment before launching into another tantrum: "Why? Because we're neighbors! Because your family are all cadres! Because your family is rich!"

Zhao Xiulan sneered, "Neighbors? Neighborhood is about mutual help, not about forcibly taking what you've got! When your family was taking advantage of the neighbors, why didn't you think about neighborly relations?"

"Besides, you can't just donate whenever you want, or have others donate whenever you want! According to the regulations of the subdistrict office, any donation from any group or individual organization must be approved and registered by the subdistrict office. You can't just throw a tantrum here and expect it to count!"

Zhao Xiulan then turned her gaze to Yan Bugui, her tone serious: "Yan Bugui! As the liaison officer of the compound, you don't even know the basic policies of the subdistrict office."

"Still stirring up trouble here! Starting today, every day after get off work you will spend two hours studying policy documents at the neighborhood office. You can only come back as a liaison officer when you have fully understood them!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's face turned pale instantly. As the liaison officer of the institute, he was unaware of this regulation and was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Zhao Xiulan's gaze then fell on Jia Zhangshi: "And one more thing. Your household registration is still in the countryside. According to policy, you should have moved back to your rural hometown long ago!"

"You occupy the house in the yard, but instead of going to the countryside to do labor, you cause trouble here. Do you think that's appropriate?"

"If you keep causing trouble, I'll have someone send you to the countryside. The reason we did this before was because your family had a job at the steel rolling mill and because you were caring for Jia Dongxu, who is disabled."

Jia Zhangshi's crying stopped abruptly. She never expected that Zhao Xiulan would bring up household registration.

She knew better than anyone how hard life was in the countryside. If they were really sent back to the countryside, she and Jia Dongxu would have no way to survive.

Seeing the situation was turning sour, Liu Haizhong quietly shrank back, not daring to utter another sound. He knew that Zhao Xiulan was making an example of him; if he spoke again, he would be the next one to be scolded.

Seeing that neither Yan Bugui nor Liu Haizhong dared to speak up for her, Jia Zhangshi suddenly lost all confidence. She hung her head and muttered, "I...I was just asking..." After saying that, she turned around and went home dejectedly, too exhausted to even cry.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the neighbors dispersed. The farce was thus quelled by Zhao Xiulan with just a few words.

The next day

Lin Weidong stood at the entrance of the newly built military-specific workshop.

Lin Weidong's voice came through the loudspeaker: "Everyone, quiet down! We're going to select a group of skilled workers at level six or above to participate in the production of the military project. Participating workers will receive an extra monthly allowance, and those who perform exceptionally well will also receive factory recognition!"

Upon hearing this, the people who came to participate in the selection process became restless.

They were all eager to try their hand at it.

Liu Haizhong heard everything clearly from outside the crowd, and his eyes lit up instantly. He had been demoted, his salary had been cut significantly, and his family was struggling to make ends meet.

If I can participate in this project, I can not only receive subsidies, but I might also be able to use this opportunity to restore my work grade.

He pushed through the crowd and rushed to Lin Weidong, his face plastered with a fawning smile: "Chief Inspector Lin! Chief Inspector Lin! I'm in! I used to be a level seven blacksmith, my skills are absolutely top-notch!"

Lin Weidong looked at Liu Haizhong with a mocking expression and said, "We select skilled workers at level six or above. What level are you at now?"

Liu Haizhong's face flushed red instantly, and he stammered, "I...I used to be a level seven."

Lin Weidong interrupted him, "The past is the past, the present is the present. Our military projects cannot tolerate the slightest carelessness; what we need are skilled workers who meet the standards right now."

The surrounding workers burst into laughter, pointing and whispering about Liu Haizhong.

"Don't you know your own level?"

"Exactly! They did so many bad things with Yi Zhonghai back then, and now they want to get involved in the military industry? They must be joking!"

Liu Haizhong's face flushed red and then turned pale; he wished he could disappear into the ground.

He stood there, embarrassed and at a loss, and finally could only slink away from the crowd amidst their laughter.

When Liu Haizhong got home in the afternoon, his temper flared up instantly.

Looking at his two sons playing in the yard, a surge of resentment and anger welled up inside him.

Liu Haizhong rushed over and kicked each of his two sons, yelling, "You little brats! All you do all day is play!"

He then pulled out his belt and gave Liu Guangfu and Liu Guangtian a good beating.

The entire courtyard was filled with the screams of the two Liu brothers. Auntie Er wanted to stop them, but she was afraid of being beaten herself.

The deaf old woman heard Liu Haizhong beating his son again at home and laughed, saying to an older woman, "Parents who are not kind are not filial children."