Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

He Daqing had just finished get off work in the afternoon and was slowly walking back from outside with his hands behind his back.

As soon as he reached the entrance of the Intermediate People's Court, he saw Widow Li carrying an empty bucket, as if she was going to fetch water.

Upon seeing He Daqing, Widow Li said gently, "Brother, you're back?"

He Daqing was stunned for a moment, then recognized that this was the new maid that the deaf old lady had hired.

He already had a special "liking" for widows, and when he saw Widow Li taking the initiative to talk to her.

He nodded quickly, "Oh, you're back! Are you going to fetch water?"

"Yes, the water tank in the old lady's room is empty."

As she spoke, Widow Li started filling a water tap in the middle courtyard, chatting casually with He Daqing as she did so.

"Brother, you look unfamiliar. Which family in the courtyard do you belong to? The old lady said that the neighbors in the courtyard are all very kind."

"I'm Sha Zhu's father, He Daqing! I'm a head chef at a restaurant now, and my cooking skills are among the best in Beijing!"

A knowing glint flashed in Widow Li's eyes, then she feigned curiosity and asked, "Then you must have accumulated quite a fortune, right? A chef like you must earn a high salary."

He Daqing was flattered and completely oblivious to Widow Li's probing, and told her everything in detail:

"Absolutely! I don't have any other hobbies in my life, I just love saving money!"

"I currently have a few hundred dollars in savings and a few silver dollars, all saved up over the years!"

"The salary is a few dozen yuan!"

He became increasingly proud as he spoke, revealing all his family's wealth in one go, and not forgetting to boast:

"My son, Shazhu, is now a head chef at a steel rolling mill. He earns a good salary and is very filial. He buys me wine and meat every few days."

Widow Li listened, secretly scoffing to herself.

A few hundred dollars plus a few silver dollars, is that what you call a family fortune?

It was far from the gold and silver jewelry she had imagined. She had thought that being a chef in the Qing Dynasty would at least provide some extra income, but she hadn't expected it to be so meager.

The fish she used to catch were all small yellow croakers.

In an instant, Widow Li completely lost interest in He Daqing, this "small fish".

She still wore a docile smile, but in her heart she was already planning that there was no need to waste any more time on this person.

"Brother, you're really amazing!" Widow Li said perfunctorily.

Seeing that the water container was full, He Daqing reached out to help Widow Li carry the water, but Widow Li lifted the water herself and said:

"Thank you, brother. I can do it myself. I won't disturb your rest."

He Daqing wanted to chat with her a bit more, but seeing her attitude turn cold, he could only turn around and leave dejectedly.

Over the past two days, the deaf old woman's suspicions about Widow Li have deepened.

She felt something was off about the things in the room; many things had been moved, and the cabinets showed signs of being moved and their positions had changed.

The deaf old woman sneered inwardly; this widow Li was indeed after her things.

However, she wasn't worried.

She hid the truly valuable treasures in an underground secret chamber, which she had specially commissioned to be dug up years ago. The workers who dug the chamber back then are still inside it.

So no one knows about this secret room except her.

But Widow Li's behavior only made her more vigilant.

At first, she only suspected that Widow Li's identity was not simple, but now it seems that this person is not only suspicious, but may also have ulterior motives.

That evening, Widow Li brought water for the deaf old woman to wash her feet.

The deaf old woman sat in her chair and said slowly, "I've lived this long, what kind of people haven't I seen? Some people, don't think you can get away with pretending."

Widow Li's heart tightened, but she still pretended to be confused: "Grandma, what are you saying? I don't quite understand."

"Don't understand? Let me tell you, here, if you behave yourself, you'll have food to eat."

"If you dare to have any wicked thoughts, and something happens to me, you'll be the first one thrown into the moat to be fed to the fish."

These words sent a shiver down Widow Li's spine, and cold sweat instantly broke out on her back.

She knew the deaf old woman wasn't trying to scare her.

This old woman looks frail, but she must have powerful backers; otherwise, she wouldn't dare to threaten people so openly.

"Grandma, don't worry, I would never dare to have any wicked thoughts. I will definitely take good care of you," Widow Li quickly assured her.

The deaf old woman snorted coldly and said nothing more.

Meanwhile, Lin Weidong and Su Wanwanqing's relationship also became increasingly intimate without them realizing it.

The two went to and from get off work together every day, working side by side in the workshop to overcome one technical challenge after another.

Lin Weidong would ask his mother to cook an extra meal so he could bring it to Su Wanqing in the workshop the next day.

Su Wanqing would also share the local specialties sent from her home with Lin Weidong.

In the afternoon, the two rode their bikes home after get off work. Just as they arrived at the entrance of the courtyard house, they ran into Sha Zhu, who was walking home.

Upon seeing the two, Sha Zhu walked up and patted Lin Weidong on the shoulder, jokingly saying, "Hey, Weidong, Technician Su, you two are inseparable! You're looking more and more like a young married couple!"

Lin Weidong subconsciously glanced at Su Wanqing beside him and saw that she was also looking down with her ears turning red.

He quickly said, "Brother Zhu, don't talk nonsense! We're just colleagues. It's convenient for us to commute to and from get off work together, and it's also convenient for us to discuss work."

"Discussing work? I bet it's more than that! Look at you, you bring lunch to Technician Su every day, and he brings you local specialties in return. This kind of treatment isn't something your average colleague gets!"

Su Wanqing's face turned even redder. She gently tugged at Lin Weidong's sleeve and whispered, "Let's go quickly."

Sha Zhu stopped the two and continued teasing, "Hey, don't be in such a hurry to leave! Wei Dong, let me tell you, don't miss out on such a great girl as Technician Su!"

Lin Weidong smiled helplessly: "Stop teasing me. I don't care, but I can't ruin Technician Su's reputation."

"That's right! Since you're worried about ruining her reputation, then hurry up and marry her. That way, no one will gossip!"

Feeling embarrassed by what she'd been told, Su Wanqing rode off on her bike, saying, "I'm going back now!"

Lin Weidong and Su Wanqing quickly walked into the courtyard, then turned around and said, "Brother Zhu, don't start anything!"

Back home, as soon as Sha Zhu sat down, He Daqing said mysteriously, "Zhu Zi, I ran into Widow Li from the Deaf Old Lady's house today. She's quite decent-looking and seems honest."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu knew that his father had fallen back into his old habits.

Qin Huairu said from the side, "Actually, I think Widow Li is a pretty good person. She's busy at the old lady's house all day long and seems quite diligent."

"But she is, after all, the deaf old woman's person. Our relationship with the deaf old woman is already so strained. If we get too close to Widow Li, we'll only get ourselves into more trouble."

He Daqing said, "I know, I know, I was just saying."

But in his heart, he still thought about Widow Li.

In his view, Widow Li was gentle and capable, much better than the other women in the courtyard.

As for the deaf old woman, he didn't take it to heart, thinking that as long as he was careful, nothing should happen.