Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

"Why?" Huaihua looked up and asked.

"Wang Jun is making this TV antenna just to make money! I don't want him to make money off our family!" Bang Geng's voice rose.

Actually, he was also itching to install it, but the thought that Wang Jun could make money from his own family if he installed the antenna made him feel uncomfortable.

Huaihua retorted, "Brother, you're just jealous of Wang Jun! You're envious and upset because he's making money, aren't you?"

These words struck a nerve with Bang Geng, causing his anger to flare up. Huaihua added insult to injury: "A few days ago, Brother Jun said this is called 'impotent rage.' Brother, that's what you're going to be right now!"

"You want a beating, don't you?!" Bang Geng exploded on the spot, rolling up his sleeves, ready to strike. Huaihua, terrified, hid behind Sha Zhu, crying, "Dad, brother's going to hit me!"

Sha Zhu frowned and stopped him, saying, "Bang Geng, let's talk this out, don't fight! You're siblings, both adults, don't hurt each other."

Banggeng, though ultimately too afraid to actually lay a hand on her, still stubbornly insisted, "Silly Dad, did you hear that? Huaihua's words were so awful, she deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"I'm telling the truth!" Huaihua retorted. "Brother, dare you say you're not jealous of Wang Jun?"

Banggeng opened his mouth, but couldn't answer. He was jealous, but he would never admit it.

Banggeng suddenly remembered something, his eyes widened, and he stared at Huaihua again: "Huaihua, I heard you went to cook for Wang Jun today, is that true?"

Huaihua nodded: "Really."

As soon as these words were spoken, Jia Zhangshi, Sha Zhu, and Qin Huairu were all stunned. It was no small matter for a young woman to go to someone else's house to cook!

Jia Zhangshi's voice immediately rose: "Huaihua, you good-for-nothing! Cooking for others, have you no shame? Do you even want to get married in the future?!"

Banggeng was also furious, pointing at her and yelling, "You brat, you've got some nerve to cook for Wang Jun! I'm going to beat you up today!"

Qin Huairu couldn't sit still any longer, frowning as she advised, "Huaihua, isn't it better to stay at home? What's the point of running off to cook for others?"

Huaihua was a little flustered, but when she thought of the high salary Wang Jun offered, she felt reassured and straightened her back, saying confidently, "I cook for him because he pays me! Three yuan a day, ninety yuan a month!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into chaos.

"What?"

"Wang Jun gives you three yuan a day?"

"Really?"

Ninety yuan a month, that's more than Sha Zhu earns. Who wouldn't be dizzy when they hear that?

Seeing everyone's surprised expressions, Huaihua felt smug and added, "Of course it's true! Wang Jun's classmates all know. Look, he even gave me three yuan, see for yourself!" As she spoke, she took out the money and showed it to everyone.

Now no one could disbelieve it anymore, and those who had been cursing earlier shut their mouths. There was no way around it; Wang Jun's offer was too generous, and even Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were tempted to try and earn that money themselves.

Sha Zhu sat there without saying a word, but in his mind he was calculating. He was a renowned chef, after all. If he were to cook for Wang Jun, what kind of price would the other party ask for?

In the backyard, Xu Damao's family was also gossiping about Wang Jun.

As Qin Jingru picked vegetables, she muttered, "Wang Jun just finished making a radio the other day, and now he's set up a TV antenna. His business is clearly booming. Xu Damao, bring a few pounds of meat over tomorrow."

"Yes, I must!" Xu Damao stubbed out his cigarette on the corner of the table and answered decisively.

To be honest, he was truly impressed by Wang Jun. First, radios, then TV antennas—everything was in high demand, and he was making money like water.

The next day, at the first crow of the rooster, Xu Damao carried five catties of fatty pork out the door and strolled all the way to the gate of Wang Jun's compound, attracting the attention of the neighbors who peeked out.

"Hey, what's Xu Damao up to now?"

"Is there even a question? It's a gift! Look at that fat piece of meat in his hand, it's clearly going to Wang Jun."

"Wow, has the sun risen in the west? Xu Damao's got some sucking up to people?"

"Absolutely. Wang Jun is a god of wealth in the courtyard. Who wouldn't want to curry favor with him? These few pounds of fat, at least four or five pounds, all fat, he gave them away without batting an eye. He's really generous."

Xu Damao pretended not to hear and walked straight to Wang Jun's door. Wang Jun had just opened the door, rubbing his eyes, when Xu Damao thrust a greasy piece of meat at him: "Junzi, here's five jin of fatty pork for you! I made more than a year's salary working with you on the radio business the other day, so I have to show my appreciation!"

Wang Jun was taken aback: "For me?"

"Absolutely!" Xu Damao waved his hand. "Without you leading the way these past few days, how could I have gotten these benefits?"

Wang Jun knew perfectly well that although this kid loved to use his cleverness to trip people up, he was actually quite capable when it came to handling things. In the original drama, he was a cunning and wicked character, but he lived a much more comfortable life than Sha Zhu. Just look at his luck with women: Lou Xiao'e, Qin Jingru, Yu Haitang—weren't they all beautiful young women? Firstly, his job as a projectionist was respectable, and secondly, he was good at sweet-talking and charming people; the girls were easily swayed by his charm.

Wang Jun smiled and took the meat: "What a coincidence, I was just about to go buy meat, so I don't have to make a trip." He then carried it into the house. Guo Hongbing, Li Xiangdong, and the other guys who craved fatty meat would have plenty to eat until they were sick of it.

Xu Damao glanced into the room: "Junzi, I'm mainly here today to buy antennas. When do you open for business?"

"Alright," Wang Jun nodded, "Half of the antenna is yours, and the other half is for Uncle San. Pay up first."

Before long, the antennas stacked inside were almost gone. Wang Jun fiddled with the abacus: 132 antennas, 45 each, totaling 5,940; plus the 3,325 he made selling radios yesterday, that's a total of 9,265. After deducting the cost of materials (over 1,000) and labor (over 100), he netted 8,000 yuan. That's a decent income.

Looking into his pocket, he had over 20,000 yuan in savings, making him a small tycoon in the courtyard. Wang Jun pondered: He earned 8,000 yuan yesterday, maybe he can break 10,000 today? The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. Suddenly, he remembered the "pay-to-win fishing" he had heard about the other day. He had been fishing for free every day for the past few days, only getting bits and pieces of rice, flour, and sugar. Today, he wanted to try fishing for something special by spending money.

"System, grant me five beginner fishing attempts!"

"Order received."

"Five beginner fishing sessions are about to take place."

"Five hundred yuan has been deducted."

"Fishing begins."

The translucent fishing line darted out with a "whoosh," disappearing into some unknown corner. Immediately afterwards, a series of beeping sounds rang out:

Congratulations on winning a foreign exchange voucher of 300 yuan.

Congratulations on winning a TV ticket.

Wang Jun beamed with joy. Five hundred yuan for three hundred yuan in coupons and a TV ticket—a great deal! Perfect timing to go find a big TV and join the fun in the backyard.

These days, the nights are so quiet you can hear crickets chirping against the walls, and entertainment is a rare commodity. As soon as it gets dark, all you can do is lie in bed counting the roof beams and stare blankly until you fall asleep.

Wang Jun had his eye on a television set for a while, but all the good color TVs at the time were imported and required foreign exchange certificates. Those things were incredibly valuable; you couldn't even find one in the entire pigeon market. Coincidentally, on his first time fishing with real money, he managed to catch three hundred foreign exchange certificates plus a TV ticket, just enough to buy a big color TV.

He put the radio casing into the basket, and when he looked up, Guo Hongbing, Li Xiangdong, and Luo Xuenong were already carrying parts and had started assembling it. Tang Xiaoshan had to go buy raw materials and would arrive a little later.

"You three know the ropes, keep going." Wang Jun patted the dust off his hands. "I'm going outside to buy a big color TV."

"Buy a color TV?!" The three men's eyes lit up. Although black and white TVs were common these days, large color TVs were still a rarity.

"Boss, what brand are you planning to buy?" Guo Hongbing asked, rubbing his hands together.

"It's imported," Wang Jun replied casually. "The largest domestically made ones are only nineteen inches; they look cramped."

Upon hearing this, the three men couldn't sit still any longer and crowded around, saying, "Boss, take us with you!" "We want to see for ourselves!" "Let's see what imported goods are really like!"

Wang Jun waved his hand: "What's the point of buying a TV? I'll bring it back, and you can watch it for as many nights as you want. If you're envious, just assemble it properly and save up to buy your own."

The three of them thought it over and agreed that it made sense, so they got back to their busy work.

Wang Jun put on his officer's overcoat and headed straight for the Friendship Store. That place used to be reserved for foreigners, but now it was open to anyone with foreign exchange certificates. Imported large-screen TVs and other sought-after items were only available there. He squeezed onto two buses and transferred three times before finally spotting it on Donghuamen Street.

The four-story red brick building was quite impressive, and the people coming and going at the entrance were mostly blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigners. Being a "prestige store," its slogan was loud: "We want the best of what's available on the market, we must have what's lacking, and we must keep up with the latest foreign trends!"

Wang Jun, dressed as a military officer, stood ramrod straight and exuded an air of confidence, attracting several glances as soon as he entered. Several female sales clerks greeted him with smiles and warm hospitality; these days, good-looking men are popular wherever they go.

"Comrade, what would you like to order?"

"Buy a TV."

"This way, please."

The saleswoman led him to the electronics section, where glass cabinets displayed only color TVs; not a single black one could be seen. Wang Jun slowly scanned the display, his gaze settling on a Hitachi flat-screen TV in the corner. A massive 24-inch machine, it was practically a "jumbo" by today's standards, not to mention it could be remote-controlled—he could change channels from the comfort of his bed! How trendy!

"Comrade, how much is this one?" he asked, pointing.

"One thousand nineteen in cash, plus three hundred in foreign exchange certificates." The saleswoman flipped through the price tags. "Want me to explain the features?"

Wang Jun waved his hand: "No need, I'll take this one, check out."

He never haggled over prices at the Friendship Store, too lazy to waste time arguing. After paying and carefully keeping the receipt, two staff members helped carry the TV out the door, and immediately a group of people gathered around.

"Wow, this TV is huge!" "It says on the box, it's a 24-inch Hitachi!" "It would look so impressive in my home!" "If I had this treasure, I'd cuddle it to sleep every night..."

The chatter drifted away in the chill of the air. Wang Jun pulled his coat tighter and watched the workers load the television onto the tricycle. Well, when he got back tonight, Guo Hongbing and the others were going to have a wild time.

The television was quite large, and carrying it back to the courtyard house by bus would be too much of a hassle, so Wang Jun simply took out a dollar and hailed a tricycle. The driver was extra careful, afraid of bumping or damaging it. This television was obviously expensive, and if it were to break, he couldn't afford to pay for it even if he worked his whole life.

Along the way, passersby looked on with envy at the sight of this large color TV. In those days, even in Beijing, color TVs were a rarity, and one this big was even rarer. If a family could afford one for a wedding, it was considered very prestigious, guaranteed to attract a crowd of onlookers.

As soon as the car arrived at the courtyard house, the children erupted in excitement, swarming around it and craning their necks to see what was so new. They had never seen such a large television before, and they exclaimed in surprise:

"Wow, a television!"

"Brother Jun bought a TV!"

"What a huge TV!"

The commotion grew louder, attracting the attention of the adults. The older women and men in the courtyard gathered in small groups.

"This TV is way too big!"

"Is it really a color TV?"

"How could it be fake? It's an imported Hitachi brand, only available at Friendship Store. Ordinary people can't get their hands on it."

"How big is it?"

"It says 24 inches on the box. Oh dear, we still have 9-inch black and white ones at home."

"I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've ever seen such a big color TV."

"How much will it cost?"

"Even if you have money, it's hard to buy; you need foreign exchange certificates."

"Jun, that kid, is really capable!"

"Absolutely, I need to introduce him to my brother's daughter as soon as possible."

The older women praised him while helping Wang Jun carry the TV into the house.

"Soldier, hurry up and open it up to take a look!"

"We also want to see what imported goods look like."

Wang Jun responded, took a knife, cut open the packaging tape, and lifted the cardboard box. Guo Hongbing and the others immediately helped lift the TV onto the table. In Wang Jun's eyes, this Hitachi color TV wasn't particularly stunning in appearance, and its size was only so-so. But in the eyes of the neighbors, it was a perfect item, with an astonishingly large screen and a design that exuded an industrial aesthetic.

"So handsome!"

"Imported goods are just different."

"I heard the colors are amazing."

"Watching martial arts movies at such a young age must be really exciting."

"Hey, why is this screen flat?"

"I saw it too."

Wang Jun smiled and said, "This is a flat, right-angled design. It looks flat, the image is not distorted, and it's more realistic."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt it was even more impressive. He turned to Guo Hongbing, Li Xiangdong, and Luo Xuenong and said, "You three, stop watching and go outside to set up the antenna for me."

"Alright!" The three of them grabbed the power cord and found a spot to install it. Wang Jun plugged in the power, took out the remote control, inserted the batteries, and pressed a button. The TV turned on immediately. The neighbors were all stunned.

"Remote control!"

"My workplace has a color TV too, it's so convenient."

"Imported goods are always a godsend."

"You can change channels and adjust the volume with just a few presses; many TVs don't have that feature."

After the antenna was installed, Wang Jun pressed the remote control to search for channels. A moment later, CCTV's image appeared on the screen, clear and crisp, with vibrant and striking colors.

"So clear!"

"Color TVs are so beautiful! Look at their clothes, how pretty they are! Everything looks so dull and gray on a black and white TV."

"The trees are all gray and dull."

"The screen is big and in color, it's really enjoyable to watch. With this TV, I could watch for a whole day and night without going to sleep."

The people inside stared at the screen, praising it repeatedly, their lively atmosphere enveloping the entire courtyard.

The 24-inch color TV screen was so impressive that everyone watched it with great interest, even when it was just watching porn.

at this time,

The news that Wang Jun bought an imported large-screen TV.

It spread like the wind.

It caused a sensation.

Everyone in the entire courtyard knew about it.

Intermediate People's Court.

Madam Jia Zhang also heard the news and was itching to go see him. However, the thought of Wang Jun living a better and better life made her uncomfortable, and she immediately started cursing: "Wang Jun, that orphan, squanders every penny he has! Just wait, once he's spent it all, let's see how he'll live!"

Yi Zhonghai's home.

recent,

Yi Zhonghai is having a very difficult time.

He was clearly the old man from the courtyard house.

but,

More and more people

They stopped listening to him.

In contrast,

Wang Jun became the head of the courtyard house.

The most popular person

Even Xu Damao and Yan Bugui,

They all sent gifts to the door.

Go and flatter Wang Jun.