Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Qin Huairu laughed and said, "Zhuzi, I'm just concerned about the rain, I didn't mean to look down on you."

"Zhu Zi, the old lady was saying yesterday that she hadn't eaten meat in a long time."

Since you bought meat today, remember to take some to the old lady after you cook it.

Hearing the commotion in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai came out of the house and kindly gave instructions to Sha Zhu.

Without much thought, Sha Zhu readily agreed: "Don't worry, Uncle Yi, I'll take the stewed meat to the old lady as soon as it's ready."

Yi Zhonghai nodded in satisfaction and then added, "The old lady has bad teeth, so remember to stew the meat until it's very tender."

After explaining things to Sha Zhu, Yi Zhonghai greeted Jia Dongming with a smile, as if he had just noticed him: "Oh, Section Chief Jia is here too?"

If you were to ask who in this courtyard is the most cunning, Yi Zhonghai would undoubtedly be number one.

He couldn't have children himself, but he shifted the blame to an older woman, saying she couldn't conceive, thus preserving his reputation while appearing to be devoted to her.

In order to secure his retirement, he first took Jia Dongxu as his apprentice, and then plotted to force He Daqing to leave.

To make Sha Zhu a viable option for retirement, he first sowed discord between Sha Zhu and his master, causing Sha Zhu to give up his job at Fengzeyuan, and then used "training the hawk" to...

They used underhanded tactics to secretly withhold the living expenses that He Daqing sent to Sha Zhu and his sister, forcing the two children to scavenge for a living.

When Sha Zhu and his sister could no longer endure it, Yi Zhonghai appeared as a savior, pretending to use his connections to find Sha Zhu an apprentice job in the steel mill's canteen.

In fact, this position was left to Sha Zhu by He Daqing when he left the factory, and it was originally a permanent employee position.

Sha Zhu's repeated failed blind dates were actually orchestrated by Yi Zhonghai in secret.

Fearing that Sha Zhu would get out of control after getting married, he took advantage of the old grudge between Sha Zhu and Xu Damao. Every time he learned that Sha Zhu was going on a blind date, he would secretly inform Xu Damao and encourage him to go and sabotage the process.

Yi Zhonghai initially took Jia Dongxu as his apprentice with a hidden agenda—hoping that the latter would take care of him in his old age.

He intentionally didn't teach Jia Dongxu his true skills, only occasionally bestowing small favors upon him so that the Jia family would remember his kindness.

After Jia Dongxu died in the line of duty, Yi Zhonghai had the idea of ​​bringing Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu together, planning to have the two of them take care of him in his old age.

In the original story, Yi Zhonghai's scheme ultimately succeeded, and Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu saw him off at his deathbed.

Sha Zhu himself met a tragic end on the overpass because of the ungrateful boy he adopted, Bang Geng.

Now, due to Jia Dongming's unexpected arrival, the situation in the courtyard is quite different.

The Jia family no longer needed to rely on Yi Zhonghai for a living, and Qin Huairu also got rid of his influence and was transferred to the logistics warehouse as an administrator.

Therefore, as long as Yi Zhonghai doesn't provoke the Jia family, Jia Dongming doesn't bother with his past actions.

But if Yi Zhonghai still doesn't know what's good for him, Jia Dongming won't hesitate to ruin his reputation.

When Yi Zhonghai stepped forward to speak, Jia Dongming replied with a smile, "Uncle Yi, we ran out of vegetables at home, so I went to the market with Zhuzi on my way home from get off work and bought some."

Have you eaten yet?

Yi Zhonghai put on a concerned look: "Section Chief Jia, ever since you came back, the Jia family has been getting better and better."

My sister-in-law is getting healthier every day, and she always has a smile on her face when she sees someone.

Hearing Yi Zhonghai praise his son, Jia Zhangshi, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but show off, thinking about the good life they had been living recently: "Uncle, my son Dongming is now the head of the security department at the steel rolling mill. He earns more than a hundred yuan a month! Not only do we have no worries about food and clothing, but he also gives me ten yuan a month for retirement."

"Furthermore, you may not know this, but the house where we used to live, along with the courtyard that Dongming is in now, have all been bought by Dongming and are now part of the Jia family's property."

In a couple of days, I'll go back to my hometown to transfer my household registration. From then on, I'll be a legitimate city resident and won't have to worry about being sent back to the countryside anymore.

Jia Zhangshi's words not only surprised Yi Zhonghai, but also drew the attention of the other neighbors in the courtyard.

An older woman couldn't help but ask, "Aunt Jia, aren't houses not allowed to be bought and sold now? How did your family manage to buy one?"

With a smug look on her face, Jia Zhangshi explained to everyone, "Dongming made a meritorious contribution as soon as he entered the factory, capturing the hidden enemy agent."

The factory originally wanted to award him several hundred yuan, but Dongming refused and instead gave him the right to buy a house.

Most of the residents in the compound are employees of the steel rolling mill. Everyone had heard about the factory's arrest of enemy agents a few days ago, but no one expected that it was Jia Dongming who handled the case.

When the nosy aunties heard that Jia Dongming had given up his prize money and instead spent his own money to buy houses, they thought the family didn't know how to manage their money and stepped forward to ask, "Aunt Jia, how much did those two houses cost in total?"

Madam Jia raised her chin, with a hint of smugness: "Dongming's courtyard costs a thousand, the old house five hundred, totaling a thousand five hundred."

1,500 is no small sum. Auntie San kept muttering to herself, unable to understand why the Jia family would spend money to buy the house they already lived in.

The Li family's daughter-in-law, living in the east wing of the front yard, was quick-witted. Connecting this to Jia Dongming's position, she felt there must be a reason for his actions and asked, "Section Chief Jia, this yard was originally allocated to you by the factory. Why didn't you accept the reward and instead bought it at your own expense? Is there some special reason behind it?"

These days, most people feel that although the house belongs to the government, once it has been allocated to them, it is as if it were their own.

Therefore, almost no one is willing to spend money to buy the house they currently live in.

Jia Dongming, however, was different.

He came from the future and understood the future value of the courtyard house better than anyone else.

That's why he'd rather forgo the bonus than lose the property rights, and he even plans to buy a few more houses later.

However, he didn't expect that there were also sensible people in the courtyard.

Faced with the question from Li's wife, Jia Dongming naturally wouldn't reveal his true intentions. He simply pretended to be naive and replied, "Aunt Li, as you probably know, I was separated from my parents when I was a child."

That experience made me realize that only things that truly belong to you can be relied upon.

That's why I didn't take the factory bonus and instead got the opportunity to buy a house.

After hearing Jia Dongming's explanation, Li's wife did not believe his reasoning. She secretly planned to ask her husband to inquire at the neighborhood office after he returned, to see if they could buy their house as well.

To prevent everyone in the courtyard from focusing on the Jia family's house purchase, Jia Dongming handed the cloth bag in his hand to Qin Huairu and said to her, "Huairu! Zhuzi and I went to the market just now and saw some fresh river shrimp, so we bought some."

Take it home and stir-fry it with lard and garlic; the kids will love it.

Qin Huairu was quick-witted. As soon as she took the bag, she understood Jia Dongming's meaning and quickly smiled and said to He Yushui, "Yushui! I'll go back and cook now. Remember to come visit sometime."

Jia Dongming entered the house and saw Jia Zhangshi sitting smugly at the table. Recalling her boasting to the neighbors earlier, he shook his head and asked, "Mom, why did you tell the people in the compound about converting our public housing to private property? Isn't that just inviting envy?"

Madam Jia, however, remained unconcerned and instead declared confidently, "Dongming, before you came back, who in this courtyard respected our family? Today, I'm going to show them that the Jia family is no longer the Jia family it used to be."

Jia Dongming could somewhat understand his mother's thoughts, but remembering Yi Zhonghai's previous reaction, he couldn't help but ask, "Mom, aren't you afraid of being targeted by Yi Zhonghai?"

Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai's name, Jia Zhangshi's face showed disdain, and she said, "Dongming, do you really think your mother is stupid?"

Yi Zhonghai has no children and is eager to find someone to take care of him in his old age.

After your father passed away, it was just me and Dongxu, mother and son, left. If we don't find someone to rely on, we might be wiped out one day.

So, taking advantage of Yi Zhonghai's eagerness to find an elderly person to care for him, Chui got Dongxu to become his apprentice.

"Yi Zhonghai has a high salary, and he and his wife are frugal with their food and clothing to save for their retirement. Over the years, they must have saved quite a bit."

"He'll have a pension when he retires, so even if Dongxu takes care of him, it won't cost us any of our money."

After they pass away, won't their savings and two rooms all belong to the Jia family? Only a fool wouldn't take such a sure-fire deal.

Having read some stories about courtyard houses, Jia Dongming had always thought that Jia Zhangshi was an unreasonable and argumentative country woman.

After hearing her plan for Yi Zhonghai, Jia Dongming's impression of her completely changed.

Thinking of how Sha Zhu was schemed against by the Jia family and ended up in a miserable state, while the Jia family became the ultimate winner in the courtyard, Jia Dongming realized that compared to Jia Zhangshi's scheming, the old deaf lady's little schemes were nothing.

Jia Dongming couldn't help but give Jia Zhangshi a thumbs up and praised her, "Mom, since I came back these past few days, I've often heard people in the courtyard talking about our family. They all say that you are an unreasonable and ignorant country bumpkin."

"After hearing what you said today, I finally understand that your unreasonable arguments were actually to protect our family, and your ignorance was just an act."

If you were to rank the most intelligent person in this courtyard, no one would dare claim to be number one if you came in second.

This praise made Jia Zhangshi extremely proud.

Thinking of her plans for Yi Zhonghai over the past few years, a hint of hesitation appeared on her face. After a while, she spoke: "Dongming, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Seeing his mother's conflicted expression, Jia Dongming asked, "Mom, please speak frankly between us."

Then Jia Zhangshi said, "Dongming, I plan to have Banggeng recognize Yi Zhonghai as his godfather."

Jia Dongming was somewhat surprised and asked, "Mom, why did you suddenly think of having Banggeng recognize his godparents?"

Seeing his surprise, Jia Zhangshi smiled and revealed her plan: "Dongming, Yi Zhonghai is an eighth-grade worker, and his monthly salary is ninety-five yuan."

I estimate his current net worth is at least seven or eight thousand.

"Ever since you came back, Yi Zhonghai has been worried that our family won't support him in his old age, so he's started to have designs on Sha Zhu."

So I'm thinking of having Bang Geng recognize him as his godfather, so that in the future his money and house will all belong to Bang Geng.

Now that you're in charge of the household, Mom wants to hear your opinion first.

Jia Dongming pondered for a moment and said, "Mom, although I have the final say in family matters, I am just Banggeng's uncle."

"You should discuss Banggeng's matter with Huairu; she's Banggeng's biological mother."

Madam Jia thought this made sense and quickly nodded: "Okay, then Mom will talk to Huai Ru directly."

If she agrees, I'll talk to Yi Zhonghai about the godparenting arrangement in a couple of days.

At this point, Jia Zhangshi recalled Jia Dongxu's death from a work injury, and a flash of hatred appeared in her eyes. She then reminded Jia Dongming, "Dongming, Mom made Banggeng recognize her as a godfather not only for Yi Zhonghai's family property, but more importantly, to seek justice for your brother."

After hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, Jia Dongming realized that her scheming against Yi Zhonghai was actually for Jia Dongxu's sake. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, realizing that Jia Zhangshi's cunning was far deeper than it appeared on the surface.

He feigned ignorance and asked, "Mom! What do you mean by that?"

Unbeknownst to Jia Zhangshi, Jia Dongming possessed a soul from the future and was already intimately familiar with everything about the courtyard house.

Seeing that he asked the question, he lowered his voice and explained, "Dongming! Don't be fooled by Yi Zhonghai's gentlemanly appearance. Deep down, he's a treacherous and controlling person with an extremely strong desire for control."

"Back then, I asked Dongxu to become his apprentice because I wanted him to be someone to rely on in the courtyard, but Yi Zhonghai never really taught Dongxu the skills of a fitter."

He was afraid that if Dongxu's cooking skills improved and our family became more financially secure, we would escape his control.

"Dongxu studied fitter work with him for nine years, but he was still just a fitter when he left."

Everyone in the institute said Dongxu was slow-witted and couldn't learn more advanced techniques.

"Dongming! Your brother is not stupid at all, and he studies very hard, but Yi Zhonghai will not teach him himself, and he will not allow other masters in the workshop to guide Dongxu."

So, the reason Dongxu later got into trouble was ultimately because of Yi Zhonghai!

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi was becoming more and more agitated and her face was full of resentment, Jia Dongming naturally understood her feelings at this moment.