Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The news of Wang Huanbo moving into the west wing was like a boulder thrown into a dry toilet, creating not ripples but a stench that filled the air in courtyard number 95. On the surface, people dared not cause trouble directly because of the authority of Director Wang of the neighborhood committee and the halo of Wang Huanbo's "American PhD," but the undercurrents beneath were more turbulent than those beneath the ice of Shichahai Lake.

The front yard, Yan Bugui's house.

Uncle Yan Bugui sat in his creaky, broken rattan chair, carefully sipping a small cup of diluted, bulk liquor by the dim light. On the table was only a small dish of pickled vegetables. Auntie was mending clothes beside him by the light of a kerosene lamp.

"Jiecheng's mother, this matter can't just be left like this." Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses that had slipped down to the tip of his nose, his small eyes gleaming with calculation. "Three rooms in the west wing! Bright and spacious! Our Jiecheng is about to find a partner. If we could have one as a wedding room, how prestigious would that be? We could even save a lot on the bride price."

The three women didn't even look up, scoffing, "What else can we do? Didn't you hear what Director Wang said? It was the neighborhood committee's decision, a reward for the PhD! What can you do? Are you going to go to the neighborhood committee and take the house back?"

"There's always a way!" Yan Bugui lowered his voice. "We definitely can't rely on just our family. Old Liu's family in the backyard, Guangtian is almost old, he must be anxious too. And Old Yi in the middle courtyard... but Old Yi is a very cunning person, we have to be careful."

"Be careful? Why?" the third aunt asked, puzzled.

"Why?" Yan Bugui snorted. "Look at him, always so righteous and upright, taking Jia Dongxu as his apprentice and making a big show of it. Why? Isn't it just for a comfortable retirement? Jia Dongxu is a mama's boy, and is that old hag Jia Zhangshi easy to deal with? Do you think Yi Zhonghai would willingly bet everything on the Jia family? I think he's quite friendly with Sha Zhu too! This time in the west wing, the Jia family is the most vocal. If Yi Zhonghai were truly wholeheartedly for the Jia family's benefit, he wouldn't have said those empty words about 'thinking of Comrade Wang' in the courtyard just now.' He wants to have his cake and eat it too! If we partner with him, we might end up being sold out and helping him count the money, with the house ending up in the Jia family's or Yi Zhonghai's own pocket!"

The three women were stunned: "Really? Old Yi is usually very fair..."

"Fairness?" Yan Bugui sneered. "He's fair as long as his fundamental interests aren't affected. But retirement is his lifeline! What wouldn't he do for that? Look how suspiciously He Daqing left! Sha Zhu almost starved to death back then, how did he manage to 'coincidentally' get Sha Zhu into the steel mill? There's more to this than meets the eye! We should talk to the Liu family, and if the two families join forces, we can at least fight for one or two rooms. Even if we don't succeed, we can still cause some trouble for the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai, and we can't let them get too comfortable!"

The backyard, Liu Haizhong's house.

Uncle Liu Haizhong was yelling at his two sons, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu: "Look at him! A PhD who came back from America! He got a private house and apartment right away! And you two? You idle around all day, and can't even get a proper job! You've completely disgraced me, a level seven blacksmith!"

Liu Guangtian muttered, "Dad, that house wasn't earned through our own abilities; it was allocated by the neighborhood committee..."

"Bullshit!" Liu Haizhong slammed his hand on the table. "That's their skill! If you could become a PhD, the neighborhood committee would allocate you a house too! Now look what's happened, the duck that was about to be eaten has flown away! The Jia family wants it, Old Man Yan wants it, and our Liu family can't fall behind! Guangtian, you'd better find a girlfriend quickly, then I'll have a reason to fight for the house!"

The second aunt chimed in, "Dad, keep your voice down! Arguing? How can you argue? Didn't you see Director Wang's attitude?"

"Attitude? Attitude depends on the person!" Liu Haizhong said with an air of authority. "We need to be strategic! First, we must unite all forces that can be united. The Yan family is definitely anxious too. I'll go talk to Yan Laokou tomorrow. As for Yi…" He paused, a hint of disdain on his face, "Yi Zhonghai? Hmph, hypocrite! He appears virtuous on the surface, but who knows what he's scheming in his heart. We need to be extremely careful when cooperating with him! Let's see how the wind blows first."

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

Madam Jia sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), slapping her thigh and wailing, "This is outrageous! They're bullying us, a widow and her child! Such a nice house, and they give it to a baby who's just been weaned! I can't live like this anymore! Dongxu, you have to stand up for your mother!"

Jia Dongxu smoked silently, looking irritated. "Mom, stop yelling! The street order has been decided, what can I do?"

"No way? Go ask Yi Zhonghai! He's your master, and also your uncle. If he doesn't step up, who will?" Jia Zhangshi pointed at her son and scolded, "You useless thing! You're so big for nothing! Let me tell you, that west wing has to be ours! Banggeng is getting old, how will he get married without a house? Qin Huairu! Don't you think so?"

Qin Huairu, who was sewing shoe soles, was startled and nodded timidly, "Mom is right... but..."

"But what 'but'?!" Jia Zhangshi glared. "If Yi Zhonghai doesn't help, I'll hang myself at his doorstep! Let's see if he cares!"

Yi Zhonghai's home.

An older woman looked at Yi Zhonghai with concern: "Old Yi, this matter... I'm afraid it's not over with the Jia family. With Zhang's temper, she's bound to cause trouble."

Yi Zhonghai held his teacup, slowly blowing on the steam, his face expressionless: "Make a scene? What good will her scene do? Can she change the neighborhood committee's decision through mere noise?"

"Then... we're just going to ignore it? Dongxu is your apprentice..." the older woman hesitated.

"Of course we should manage it." Yi Zhonghai put down his teacup, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. "But we can't just do what Lao Yan and Lao Liu did, only knowing how to rob by force. We have to be strategic. This Wang Huanbo is no simple man. An American PhD, he donates huge sums of money to the country in one go; his background is unfathomable. We can't afford to offend him too much."

"So what do you mean?"

"Let's see. If the Jia family wants to make a scene, let them make a scene first, and find out what Dr. Wang is capable of. If necessary, we should even 'help' Dr. Wang and speak up for him to appear impartial." Yi Zhonghai's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "As for the house... it's still uncertain who it will ultimately end up with. Don't forget, there's still a 'stabilizing force' in the backyard."

An older woman followed his gaze and looked towards the direction of the deaf old woman in the backyard, seemingly lost in thought.

Yi Zhonghai's calculations ran deeper. The reason he treated Sha Zhu so well, even orchestrating He Daqing's departure, was to firmly control the helpless Sha Zhu as a backup plan for retirement. While Jia Dongxu was good, the presence of Jia Zhangshi made things too unpredictable. Sha Zhu was simple-minded and loyal; as long as you treated him well, he would give you his whole heart. Now, with Wang Huanbo's powerful background, if he could… Yi Zhonghai shook his head, temporarily suppressing this somewhat risky idea, deciding to stabilize Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu first.

Under the cover of night, everyone's schemes quietly took shape. Meanwhile, Wang Huanbo, inside the west courtyard, was immersed in the joy of communicating with the system, fully aware of the undercurrents outside the door, and filled with anticipation.