Courtyard House: I'm surrounded by celestial beauties on either side.

Think back to those people who were so subservient to you in Xuan Ning Province. How did you feel about them?

Fang Chengxuan stared at Lin Feng, who looked bewildered.

If it weren't for Ran Qiuye's matter, he wouldn't have realized that this seemingly cheerful young man harbored an inferiority complex deep down.

Lin Feng's face gradually turned pale. After a long silence, he whispered, "Brother Fang, I understand."

You want me to stand up straight and be a decent human being.

Fang Chengxuan nodded slightly: "It's good that you've figured it out."

However, there will likely be some twists and turns between you and Ran Qiuye, so be prepared.

"Huh? It can't be that bad, can it?"

Lin Feng looked completely bewildered.

Fang Chengxuan sighed softly: "Ran's parents might suggest that you marry into their family."

You would never agree to that, but Ran Qiuye is an only child. If her parents are adamant, she might not disobey.

Lin Feng said incredulously, "The Ran family is a scholarly family, and Uncle Ran is well-educated and reasonable..."

"The most righteous are often the lowly butchers, while the most ungrateful are often the scholars—education and character are two different things."

Fang Chengxuan shook his head. "I have already informed your elder brother about this."

Having met Ran's parents, it was inappropriate for me, as an outsider, to interfere further.

"When your brother arrives, let him handle it."

Lin Feng exclaimed anxiously, "No, Brother Fang! If my brother comes, things will get really out of hand!"

"He has to come eventually."

Fang Chengxuan said no more, "You can handle things yourself these next few days."

……

The next day, when Lin Feng went to the Ran family to pick up Ran Qiuye, he was met with a cold reception for the first time.

"Uncle, Aunt."

He forced himself to greet them.

Ran's mother nudged her husband and whispered, "Are you going to tell me or not?"

After a moment's hesitation, Ran's father said, "Yesterday didn't go very well."

We thought about it, and it really is unfair to have one child with the surname Ran and the other with the surname Lin.

"Lin Feng, your parents died early, and you have an older brother."

Why not marry into our Ran family?

Ran's mother quickly added, "We will definitely treat you like our own son!"

Lin Feng stood frozen in place, his heart filled with shock and disbelief—Brother Fang had actually predicted it!

He took a deep breath: "Uncle and Aunt, although I have no parents, I have an older brother. There is absolutely no possibility of me marrying into the family."

If Qiuye wants to break up, I will respect her choice.

The promise made earlier that the child could take the surname Ran remains valid.

After saying that, he turned and left.

Behind her came Ran's mother's angry rebuke: "I only agreed because he was an orphan and easy to manipulate. He's just a hypocrite! We might as well have Qiu Ye find a son-in-law who will live with her family!"

Lin Feng, who was standing outside the door, lit a cigarette. After a long silence, he returned to the courtyard house dejectedly and never mentioned the engagement again.

……

In the steel rolling mill office, Leng Si frowned and asked, "Lin Feng has been looking distraught these past few days. Has the wedding fallen through?"

"Ran's parents looked down on him, and I pointed that out at the dinner party."

Fang Chengxuan said calmly.

Leng Si asked worriedly, "Aren't you afraid he'll resent you?"

"Lin Feng isn't stupid; he sensed the Ran family's attitude long ago, but he was unwilling to face it."

Fang Chengxuan's gaze turned slightly cold. "It's better to resolve conflicts before marriage than to have them erupt after marriage."

"Since I promised Lin Mu I would take care of him, I can't bear to see him live such a miserable life."

Just then, Xu Pei came in to report: "Director Fang, a Mr. Lin Mu is looking for you."

Outside the factory gate, Fang Chengxuan stared at the one-eyed man in surprise: "Your eyes..."

"He was stabbed, which damaged his nerves; he's now disabled."

Lin Mu grinned and patted the bulging snakeskin bag on his chest: "I heard this kid is getting married, so I'm bringing him some mountain produce."

Fang Chengxuan said calmly, "There's been a slight problem with the marriage; it's still uncertain whether it will go ahead."

"What happened?"

Lin Mu pressed for an answer.

Fang Chengxuan briefly recounted what had happened, saying, "It was partly my fault. If I had agreed directly and hadn't said those things, things might not have turned out this way."

No, you did the right thing.

Lin Mu shook his head. "Ran Qiuye is a good girl, but her parents clearly don't approve of my brother. Even if they force themselves to get married, trouble is bound to arise in the future."

He frowned and said in a low voice, "I thought people from scholarly families were of upright character, but I didn't expect them to be so scheming."

The two walked back to the courtyard house.

When Lin Mu encountered He Yuzhu at the Intermediate People's Court, He Yuzhu noticed Lin Mu's tall and burly figure and the scar on his face. His gaze then fell on the bulging snakeskin bag in Lin Mu's hand, and he thought to himself, "Fang Chengxuan must have been doing something shady with this guy. I need to keep an eye on him."

Upon reaching the backyard, Lin Feng was surprised to see his older brother suddenly appear. He stood up in surprise and, noticing his brother's injured eye, his eyes instantly welled up with tears: "Brother, your eye..."

"It's nothing, just a minor injury."

Lin Mu waved his hand dismissively and asked, "But you, drinking alone? What happened? Did your marriage to the Ran family fall through?"

He Yuzhu, who was hiding in the corner, suddenly brightened up and pricked up his ears.

Lin Feng sighed: "It's probably hopeless."

When Ran's parents first discussed marriage, they hinted that I should marry into their family. I vaguely brushed it off at the time, and they didn't bring it up again.

This time, because of their attitude, Fang said a few words, and they immediately turned hostile, saying that unless I marry into their family, there's no point in discussing it.

"I cannot marry into the family; this matter must be dropped."

He said dejectedly.

"I don't dare to see Qiuye now, I don't know how to explain it to her."

She's the only daughter in the Ran family, and I don't want to force her to fall out with her parents.

Upon seeing his elder brother, Lin Feng felt as if he had found someone to confide in, and poured out all the pent-up frustration he had been holding in for the past few days.

Lin Mu listened quietly to his younger brother's story, while He Yuzhu's eyes darted around, and he quietly left, heading straight to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some gifts before going to the Ran family's house.

Ran Qiuye was not home at the time; it was Ran's mother who opened the door.

Upon seeing He Yuzhu, she remembered seeing him once at the state-run restaurant.

"Hello, Auntie, my name is He Yuzhu."

He smiled broadly, "I've come today to tell you the true colors of Fang Chengxuan and Lin Feng."

Ran's mother asked suspiciously, "What true face?"

He Yuzhu lowered his voice mysteriously: "You don't know, Fang Chengxuan is outwardly refined, but in reality, he is ruthless."

There used to be a widow in our compound. Everyone pitied her and often helped her out. But Fang Chengxuan, because she refused him, plotted against her, falsely accusing her of adultery and sending her to a labor camp…”

Ran's father and mother exchanged a glance, their expressions changing slightly.

"Furthermore, he was able to become the factory director by framing the old factory director who had been kind to him."

Even more appalling, in his quest to seize his wife's family's assets, he didn't even spare his in-laws and brother-in-law.

"Lin Feng is in cahoots with him. Now that he's pursuing Qiu Ye, he might be plotting the same thing."

After we get married, maybe…

As He Yuzhu spoke, he observed the two men's reactions. Seeing that they were intimidated, he was secretly pleased and continued to embellish the story: "Actually, I had long wanted to ask the third uncle in the courtyard—Teacher Ran's colleague—to help me make an introduction, but Fang Chengxuan and Lin Feng slandered me for having an improper relationship with the widow, injured me, and caused me to be arrested, which made Teacher Ran misunderstand me."

He spoke with righteous indignation, but then changed the subject, his face full of anticipation: "Uncle and Aunt, I can marry into your family! I have cooking skills, and supporting the family won't be a problem."

I genuinely like Qiuye. What do you two think of me as the son-in-law of the Ran family?

"you?"

Ran's mother looked He Yuzhu up and down, her tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

He Yuzhu straightened his back and actively recommended himself: "My father married into the family in his early years, and my family doesn't have any taboos about that."

Moreover, I only have one younger sister, and my family's life is simple.

I have two rooms in the courtyard house, and my cooking skills are superb. Although I lost my job at the steel mill because of Fang Chengxuan's scheme, I'll never go hungry anywhere with my skills.

He looked at the two of them expectantly: "Would you two please consider me?"

Ran's mother and father exchanged a glance.

Knowing that Lin Feng firmly refused to marry into the family, they did not directly reject He Yuzhu.

Ran's mother pondered for a moment and said, "It sounds quite good."

He Yuzhu was overjoyed and quickly added, "I'm an honest person, it's just that Fang Chengxuan and the others have smeared my reputation that's why I have a bad name."

If you go and inquire, please don't believe those rumors.

"Actually, long before Lin Feng met Teacher Ran, I wanted to ask Uncle San to help me make the connection, but he intercepted the deal and even tricked me instead."

He got more and more carried away with his words, as if he were truly the victim.

"Marriage is a serious matter and can't be rushed. We need to think about it some more."

Ran's mother gave an ambiguous response.

He Yuzhu nodded repeatedly: "Take your time to think it over, I'll agree to any conditions! I'll take care of you in your old age, the children will take your surname, I'll hand over my salary, and you can treat me like another son!"

Seeing his attentive attitude, Ran's mother felt a little more at ease.

He Yuzhu left the Ran family in high spirits. When he returned to the courtyard, he ran into Lin Feng and Lin Mu seeing Fang Chengxuan off.

He snorted coldly, held his head high, and walked past.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes, staring at his retreating figure: "That kid..."

"Don't worry about those idiots. I'm going back now. You all get some rest."

Fang Chengxuan gave a brief explanation and then turned and left.

After watching him walk away, Lin Mu turned to his younger brother and reached out to rub his hair.

"Although Ran's parents are not very satisfied with you, I heard that Ran Qiuye is a good girl."

"I'm here now. Go to the Ran family's house and ask them to meet her tomorrow."

Lin Feng glanced listlessly at his brother: "What good would it do if I saw her? Qiu Ye is an only child, and I can't marry into her family."

Her parents don't approve of me, so this marriage is definitely going to fall through, and it'll be such an ugly scene.

Lin Mu raised his hand and gently tapped his younger brother's head: "Since you and Ran Qiuye are in love, you can't make the decision alone."

"Use me as an excuse to go see her and hear what she has to say."

If she's adamant, as long as you're clear-headed after marriage and don't try to outsmart your brother Fang, with him keeping things under control, even if Ran's parents are biased, they won't be able to cause any trouble.

"Your brother Fang has a sharp eye and is extremely protective of his own people."

He wouldn't bother with these things if he wasn't worried about you suffering after marriage.

Lin Mu reminded his younger brother to prevent him from being misled and misunderstanding Fang Chengxuan's good intentions.

Lin Feng sighed: "I know Brother Fang is doing this for my own good."

In his eyes, I seemed to have unlimited potential; he had high hopes for me.

"Oh?"

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow with interest.

Lin Feng suddenly perked up and said excitedly, "I've always felt that I'm not good enough for Qiu Ye, but Brother Fang said that I'm not trying to climb the social ladder, I'm just unlucky in my birth time..."

Lin Mu listened with a smile to his younger brother's animated story.

After he finished speaking, Lin Mu asked, "Are you really not going to go find Ran Qiuye? A man's attitude is very important."

"Never mind, I wouldn't know what to say if we met."

Lin Feng shook his head and refused.

……

The next morning.

After having breakfast with his brother, Lin Feng suggested, "Brother, it's rare for you to come to Beijing, let me show you around."

Lin Mu smiled and said, "No rush, I have something to discuss with your brother Fang today."

"Okay, then tomorrow."

Lin Feng didn't ask any more questions.

After breakfast, Lin Mu waited for Fang Chengxuan at the gate of the steel rolling mill.

Seeing him ride over on his bicycle, Fang Chengxuan asked, "Aren't you going to spend some more time with your brother?"

Lin Mu flicked his cigarette ash and said calmly, "I can't stay long, I have to go back quickly."

Before leaving, I wanted to finalize things regarding Lin Feng and Ran Qiuye.

"Do you want to see Ran Qiuye today?"

Fang Chengxuan immediately understood.

Lin Mu was about to light a cigarette when he saw Fang Chengxuan frown, so he stubbed it out: "Well, the attitude of Ran's parents is not important, the key is Ran Qiuye."

"I think Lin Feng should handle this himself. If others interfere, he will never grow up."

"Marriage is bound to have its ups and downs, and not every family is as open-minded and trusting as mine."

Fang Chengxuan looked at Lin Mu with a serious expression.

"Ran Qiuye is a good girl, and Lin Feng is worthy of her."

However, the attitude of Ran's parents and Lin Feng's reaction exposed his character weaknesses.

"Lin Feng lacks self-confidence."

"He would only open his heart to Ran Qiuye and her family and compromise on everything."

"But once it becomes a habit, over time the other person may not appreciate it and instead take it for granted."

Fang Chengxuan sighed softly.

Lin Mu was silent for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "Is getting married really that complicated?"

"It depends on what kind of life you want to live."

If you can just make do, you'll get through it.

Seeing that there were more and more people at the steel rolling mill, Fang Chengxuan turned his bicycle around.

"Let's go to the courtyard house."