Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Assembling the antenna is not difficult. After Wang Jun taught them a few times, everyone basically got the hang of it.

"I got it!"

"Haha, that's easy, I can assemble it right now with the materials!"

"I can do it too!"

"Watch me show you what I'm capable of tomorrow!"

"I'm going to pack twenty tomorrow!"

"Twenty is nothing, I'll carry thirty!"

He got more and more excited as he talked, wishing he could make up a hundred stories a day.

Wang Jun tapped the antenna parts in his hand: "Listen up, everyone. You must take quality seriously when assembling. If it's substandard, I won't pay you, and you can forget about doing this job again."

Everyone nodded eagerly, patting their chests to assure them, "Don't worry, the quality will definitely be up to standard!" "Jun, don't worry, if anyone tries to cut corners, I'll be the first to punish them!" "This opportunity was given to us by Jun, we must cherish it and not mess it up!"

Wang Jun nodded in satisfaction: "Alright, everyone can go now. Let's see how you all do tomorrow."

Just then, a figure rushed in from outside the crowd—it was Jia Zhangshi.

She'd never gotten along with Wang Jun, who never showed up at meetings. But hearing everyone talking about how "it costs 80 cents to install an antenna," she immediately jumped at the chance: "80 cents per antenna, that's 8 yuan a day for ten! Why not make that money?"

"Wang Jun! I want to install an antenna too, teach me!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Wang Jun frowned. This old hag usually acted strangely towards him, and he never expected her to contribute money like this. He had no intention of letting her get involved: "Jia Zhangshi, our relationship is what it is. You don't need to do this job. Please go back."

Upon hearing that she couldn't make money, Jia Zhangshi glared and was about to start cursing, but the neighbors erupted first:

"Jia Zhangshi, you're only arriving now, clearly showing you look down on Wang Jun. You can forget about making this money!"

"You dare to insult Wang Jun? I'll sit in your doorway and curse you right now!"

"She always finds fault with Wang Jun, so now that he's not letting her earn money, she deserves it!"

"This kind of person helps her make money? Who knows what they'll say about her behind her back after they've made the money!"

"Shut up! If you make another sound, we'll throw you in the latrine!"

Uncle San, Yan Bugui, sauntered over: "Jia Zhangshi, stop fooling around. The whole courtyard is criticizing you; making a scene won't do you any good."

Liu Haizhong chimed in, "Don't cause trouble, or we'll send you to a mental hospital to make a scene!" He had long understood that Wang Jun was the most capable person in the courtyard, so he naturally took sides.

Jia Zhangshi was stunned. Before she could even utter a word, she was surrounded and attacked. Even Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong sided with Wang Jun, and it seemed like the entire courtyard was against her. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she shrank back and slipped away.

Wang Jun felt relieved to see everyone speaking up for him: "Thanks everyone, let's all get rich together!"

"Great! Let's get rich together!"

"Jia Zhangshi is too arrogant; she deserves to be taught a lesson!"

"Jun, if she provokes you again, we'll help you get revenge!"

"You're our God of Wealth! Anyone who messes with you, we'll beat them up!"

Inside the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi, hearing the commotion outside, felt a headache coming on from anger and had to swallow several painkillers to calm it down.

"That despicable Wang Jun, he gets cocky now that he has a little money! And all those sycophants, just you wait!"

She clenched her fists. "Wait till Bang Geng opens his restaurant and makes a fortune, then I'll brag to you all until you regret it!"

The next day, the materials were delivered into the courtyard, and the whole courtyard erupted in a frenzy.

"Here it comes!"

"Haha, the materials have finally arrived!"

"It can be assembled now!"

"I've already prepared all my tools!"

"Me too!"

Wang Jun stood in front of the crowd and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Take all the materials and start assembling! Remember, quality comes first, don't just rush!"

"clear!"

"knew!"

Don't worry!

Everyone got to work quickly, and the yard instantly transformed into a bustling factory, filled with the clanging and banging of metal. Wang Jun was overjoyed at the sight. He earned forty yuan for every antenna he installed; these people were working for him and making money for him!

He glanced around and saw that all the older women, aunties, and young wives in the courtyard had come, even Huaihua was there. This girl had been learning assembly from Guo Hongbing and the others these past few days, and had already mastered the ropes, working quickly and steadily.

Wang Jun walked over and praised, "Huaihua, you've done a great job! At this rate, you can pack twenty today, right?"

Upon hearing the praise, Huaihua's face flushed red, and she said in a loud voice, "Twenty is too few! Brother Jun, I'll pack twenty-five today and earn twenty yuan!"

"Keep it up!" Wang Jun encouraged with a smile.

At this moment, the whole courtyard was like it had been injected with chicken blood, and everyone worked like crazy. Most of them didn't even have time to eat lunch and just buried themselves in assembling the equipment.

By 3 PM, all the materials were used up, turning into a neat pile of antennas. Wang Jun was dumbfounded; he had ordered a thousand sets of materials today, but he hadn't expected them to be finished in just eight hours!

Next, it was time to settle the bill. Wang Jun, holding a small notebook, called out, "Don't rush, bring over the installed antennas for inspection. If they pass, you'll get paid on the spot! Line up!"

Everyone immediately lined up and carried the antennas to Wang Jun. He inspected them one by one and was quite satisfied. People in this era were thorough in their work, and the antennas were all of excellent quality.

"Aunt Jiang, there are thirteen of them. They're 80 cents each, so that's 10.4 yuan in total. Please count them."

"Aunt Li, fifteen pieces, twelve yuan each, count them, are they correct?"

"Zhou Xiaomei, eleven pieces, eight yuan and eighty cents."

As soon as the money was distributed, the courtyard erupted in chaos:

"Haha, I filled seventeen boxes and made thirteen yuan and sixty cents! I'm going to the pigeon market later to buy a few pounds of fatty meat to stir-fry!"

"Seventeen? You're really good! I'm clumsy, I only managed to pack ten, making eight yuan, but I'm still satisfied."

"Hehe, I packed twenty, sixteen yuan a month! That works out to four hundred and eighty yuan a month!"

"My God, how did you get here so fast?"

"There's no way around it, I'm just naturally quick and agile; this is what I'm cut out for!"

"Twenty is nothing! The fastest-growing crop in our yard is locust blossoms; we filled twenty-seven, making a profit of twenty-one yuan and six jiao!"

"My goodness, Huaihua is amazing!"

"Yeah yeah!"

"I'm not very skilled today, but I'll be able to pack twenty or thirty tomorrow. You just wait and see!"

Everyone clutched their money, excitedly shouting that they couldn't sleep at night if they didn't yell about how much they had earned in one day!

Just as things were getting lively, the men who had finished get off work returned to the courtyard one after another. Upon hearing the commotion, they were all dumbfounded:

"What's going on?! My wife earns fifteen yuan a day, which is half a month's salary for me! That's incredible!"

"My wife earned nineteen yuan!"

"My wife has fifteen yuan, enough to buy meat. I'll send her to get some right now!"

Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li were astonished by the scene as they entered. Yan Jiecheng rubbed his hands excitedly, saying, "Wife, assembling antennas is so profitable? Tens of yuan a day, several hundred a month! It's better than running a restaurant! Let's work with Wang Jun!"

Yu Li smacked him on the forehead in anger: "All you ever think about is working for someone else! What can your brain do besides eat? You're useless!"

Money is the most alluring thing.

In the backyard, the older women and young wives clutched their newly received wages, their eyebrows raised in smiles. Envy filled the yard like warm steam, and everyone's hearts stirred; they all wanted to work for Wang Jun, assembling antennas to earn money.

At the base of the back wall, Liu Zhonghai's two sons, Liu Guangfu and Liu Guangtian, huddled together whispering to each other.

"Wang Jun's got some nerve!" Liu Guangfu clicked his tongue. "He made a fortune himself, and he even got everyone in the compound to share in the profits!"

"I've wanted to quit my contract job and work for him for a long time!" Liu Guangtian said in a low voice. "This job isn't permanent, and we only make twenty-nine yuan a month. We're exhausted like dogs every day. Look at the people who work for Wang Jun. They earn at least seven or eight yuan, and some even twenty or thirty. They can buy meat and vegetables without any problem!" He's currently a contract worker, working himself to the bone for no money. Seeing the excitement at Wang Jun's place, how could he not be tempted?

Liu Guangfu was also envious. He was a temporary worker, even worse off than Liu Guangtian, earning only twenty-four yuan a month. He couldn't hold his head up in the factory and was always the subject of gossip. But he didn't rush to make a decision: "Quitting is no small matter; I need to think it over."

"I've recently figured it out," Liu Guangtian said, counting on his fingers. "Those who worked with Wang Jun have all turned their lives around: Yan Bugui used to be so poor he didn't even have enough money for retirement, but after working with Wang Jun, he immediately became rich; Xu Damao is even more amazing, earning several hundred yuan a day and sticking with Yu Haitang, living a life of luxury. On the other hand, those who opposed Wang Jun have all met with bad ends. Jia Zhangshi used to be so arrogant, but now she doesn't even dare to leave the house, and gets cursed at the mere sight of her; Bang Geng used to be the 'little tyrant' of the courtyard, but who still fawns over him now?"

Liu Guangfu's eyes lit up. So Wang Jun was a cash cow? Following him meant easy money! He slapped his thigh: "Let's do it! I'll find Wang Jun tonight, and I'll give him my hundred-plus pounds!"

"Together!" Liu Guangtian nodded emphatically.

Jia Zhangshi, from the Intermediate People's Court, peered out the window, gritting her teeth as she watched the commotion outside. "That damned Wang Jun! He earns so much in a day, more than he can spend, and he's so stingy, he won't let me benefit from it!" She could only curse from inside; if she dared to go out, she'd be roasted and unable to lift her head. The more she watched, the angrier she became, her features contorted with rage. While others made money assembling antennas and bought pork, chicken, and vegetables, she could only watch helplessly. Her obese body trembled with anger, and she had to take three or four painkillers to calm down.

During that time, she relied on painkillers every day to suppress the pain, but little did she know that taking too much of these drugs could be addictive and extremely harmful to her body, and she had to stop taking them decades later. Now, she feels like she's lost her soul without the medication, and she even enjoys eating them like snacks.

Inside the Intermediate People's Court, Yi Zhonghai looked at the money in everyone's hands, his heart itching with envy. Assembling antennas could earn him over ten yuan in just a few hours, a job he, an eighth-grade fitter, could do like a piece of cake. But he couldn't bring himself to ask Wang Jun for help. Besides, Wang Jun might not even hire him; Jia Zhangshi was a prime example. Once you offend someone, you can't even get a sip of soup.

The whole courtyard was filled with joy, and Wang Jun felt even happier. Many hands make light work; they assembled a thousand antennas in just one day! With the year-end approaching, who wouldn't want to buy an antenna to happily watch TV during the New Year? These antennas were in high demand; they were ready to sell as many as they could!

"Everyone's happy today, but I made the most money!" Wang Jun calculated his accounts, his mouth practically stretched to his ears. This was a sure win!

Wang Jun was fiddling with his abacus when Xu Damao and Yan Bugui strolled over again. They'd been doing this without fail for the past two days, coming to collect the antenna as soon as it was installed.

Looking at the mountain of antennas, the two men could barely contain their smiles. How sought-after were antennas these days? They sold as many as they could get! To them, this pile of metal lumps was clearly a stack of cash.

"Junzi, you've tinkered with so many antennas in just one day! That's fucking amazing!" Xu Damao exclaimed in a loud voice. "I admire no one but your hands!"

Yan Bugui nodded and chimed in, "Amazing, truly amazing! To assemble a bunch of parts into antennas—that's turning lead into gold!"

Wang Jun waved his hand, without a trace of pride on his face: "It's just a small-scale operation." In his mind, assembling radios and building antennas was at most earning pocket money, far from being a "career".

Seeing his composure, Xu Damao and Yan Bugui were even more impressed. Truly capable people are known for their calm and collected demeanor. Xu Damao gave him a thumbs-up: "Brother, you're destined for great things!" Yan Bugui nodded in agreement: "Shujun is the most promising and capable person in the compound!"

After exchanging a few words, Wang Jun got straight to the point: "We installed a total of one thousand antennas today. How many do you want?"

"I want a hundred," Yan Bugui said, rubbing his hands together. He had made some money recently, but he only had a little over four thousand yuan in total, so he could only afford a hundred at most.

Xu Damao chuckled and patted his chest boastfully, "I'll take all the remaining nine hundred!"

Yan Bugui's eyes widened in surprise. Nine hundred in one go? What kind of windfall did Xu Damao strike it rich with? Wang Jun was also somewhat surprised. When did this kid become so rich?

"I have a few friends who've partnered with me in the antenna business," Xu Damao said proudly, gesturing with his chin. "We'll buy as many antennas as you have!"

Wang Jun immediately understood. It was probably his cronies who were envious of his making money and had chipped in to join the scheme. He was too lazy to find out where the money came from; as long as the transaction was clean and straightforward, it was money on delivery.

Once the deal was agreed upon, they started settling the bill. Yan Bugui wanted a hundred, at 45 each, and immediately pulled out 4,500, picked up the antennas, and left. Xu Damao's nine hundred would cost 40,500, so he simply threw a bundle of money on the table, turned around, and called over a dozen young men to help carry the goods.

Wang Jun glanced at the pile of antennas and casually asked, "With so many, can you sell them all?"

"Don't worry!" Xu Damao grinned from ear to ear. "It's almost Chinese New Year, antennas are in high demand! We could sell out even if we got twice as many!" He was already calculating in his mind that he could make a profit from selling these nine hundred, and with the money, he could get a younger girl. Although Yu Haitang was pretty and had a decent figure, she was over thirty and he was already tired of her. He had to find a younger one to try, maybe she could get pregnant.

To be honest, Xu Damao's constant pursuit of women stemmed from two main reasons: a desire for novelty and a desire to have a child. After so many years of marriage without any offspring, he was convinced it was Qin Jingru's fault and wanted to try a few more. These days, not having children leads to gossip and criticism, especially with Sha Zhu constantly using the "childless" label to humiliate him. Xu Damao was determined to have a son to prove himself!

Seeing that the antennas were almost all moved, Xu Damao shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brother Jun, I'll come back to collect them again tomorrow. Take as many as you can, and save some for me!"

"Okay!"

After everyone had left, Wang Jun opened his notebook and did the math: 1,000 antennas, 45 yuan each, that's 45,000 yuan in profit. Material costs were 5,000 yuan, labor was 80 cents per antenna, 800 yuan for 1,000. After deducting these, he made a net profit of 39,200 yuan. These days there's no income tax, so everything that's in his hands is his own.

"Earning almost 40,000 a day..." Wang Jun laughed, fiddling with the abacus beads. "Now that's what you call making money! That's enough to buy two courtyard houses!"