Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Madam Jia was so angry that her face was contorted in a grimace, and she cursed filthy things, looking as ugly as could be.

Over here, Wang Jun was inspecting the antennas that Huaihua had assembled. Seeing that the workmanship was solid and the quality was up to standard, he smiled and reported the bill: "Huaihua, you assembled a total of 35 antennas, 80 cents each, for a total of 28 yuan." As he spoke, he stuffed two 10-yuan bills, one 5-yuan bill, and three 10-yuan bills into Huaihua's hand.

Huaihua clutched the money, her face flushed red, and her fingertips trembled. This was the first time she had ever earned so much cash!

"Well done," Wang Jun praised. "27 yesterday, 35 today, that's fast progress, keep it up!"

Huaihua nodded emphatically. Even if Wang Jun didn't say anything, she was determined to work hard; this job paid well, and she had to hold onto it tightly.

Jia Zhangshi stared at the money in Huaihua's hand, her eyes suddenly lighting up like a hungry wolf eyeing meat. This brat, earning 28 yuan a day, plus yesterday's, almost fifty! That's a worker's monthly wage. But the girl will get married sooner or later, and the money will belong to someone else once she's married.

A thought suddenly popped into my head: I have to squeeze all the money I earned from Huaihua as a "hardship fee" for raising her all these years!

However, she wasn't in a hurry to act. Right now, Huaihua only cost a few dozen yuan, which wouldn't be enough to fill a tooth gap. She had to wait until the girl had saved up a few hundred yuan before she could take it all at once—that would be truly satisfying! Just thinking about how Huaihua had worked so hard to earn money, only to have it all end up in her own pocket, made Jia Zhangshi feel like she had a ball of fire burning inside her, and she couldn't help but chuckle out loud.

As soon as Huaihua stepped into the courtyard, she heard the laughter. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly turned around and ran into the house, wishing she could bury herself under the covers.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the people in the courtyard were working like they were on steroids, assembling thousands of antennas. Wang Jun's pockets were bulging with more than 270,000 yuan.

Just then, the Liu brothers, Guangtian and Guangfu, came over, clutching a small notebook, and proudly handed it to Wang Jun: "Boss, just you wait and see!"

Wang Jun took the notebook, opened it, and his eyelids twitched. It was filled with the addresses of twenty-five courtyard houses, each with its price listed.

"What's this?" he asked, looking up.

"These are all courtyard houses for sale!" Liu Guangtian patted his chest confidently. "The prices are all clearly stated!"

"Why are so many people selling houses?" Wang Jun wondered.

Liu Guangfu chimed in, "What else could it be? Everyone's eager to go abroad and enjoy life!" Liu Guangtian added, "I've heard that foreign countries are incredibly luxurious! Fashionable clothes, beautiful foreign women, every family has a car and a villa—it's like paradise!"

Wang Jun immediately understood; it was probably a "craze for going abroad." Since the 1950s, when contact with the West was severed—a thirty-year hiatus, and over twenty years with Eastern Europe—everyone was itching to see the outside world. By the mid-1980s, policies had loosened, and young people were either studying abroad or settling down. Queues stretched from morning till night outside embassies, some even sleeping on the floor, and nearby residents were taking advantage of the situation by renting out deck chairs to make money!

In the minds of ordinary people, the West is synonymous with "wealth," and who wouldn't want to go abroad if they could? These people selling their courtyard houses are probably in a hurry to cash out and go abroad to enjoy a life of luxury.

Wang Jun laughed as he flipped through the notebook. These people would regret it to the core after twenty or thirty years of going out into the world!

These courtyard houses, in twenty or thirty years, any one of them could be worth hundreds of millions, and those in the best locations could even fetch billions. But now these people are selling their ancestral homes for a mere ten or twenty thousand yuan just to go abroad. This isn't selling houses; it's squandering their wealth. If their ancestors knew, they'd crawl out of their graves and start cursing them.

However, for Wang Jun, this was a golden opportunity to buy up courtyard houses at rock-bottom prices.

He flipped through the list in his hand and praised, "You did a great job, you deserve a reward!" He then took out two hundred yuan, and the two brothers, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, each received one hundred.

The two men grinned from ear to ear, clutching the money. These past few days, they'd been driving their Changjiang 750 all over Beijing, searching for courtyard houses, showing off like the plague. The locals in the alleyways were astonished when they saw them. Doing favors for Wang Jun was both prestigious and lucrative—a fantastic job.

Liu Guangtian rubbed his hands together, moved, and said, "Thank you, boss! With this money, I can buy New Year's goods and have a prosperous New Year."

Liu Guangfu also pledged his loyalty: "Boss, just let us know if you need anything, and we'll handle it perfectly!"

Wang Jun smiled and said, "Okay, I'll give you another job: negotiate the price with the owner of the courtyard house, haggle as hard as you can, and I'll make the final decision once you get the lowest price."

"Boss, how many are you planning to take?" Liu Guangtian asked.

"The more the better," Wang Jun said casually. "If we can take all twenty-five of them, we'll take them all."

The market price for courtyard houses is ridiculously low right now: a one-courtyard house can be bought for around ten thousand yuan, a two-courtyard house for around twenty thousand yuan, and even though three-courtyard houses were once the residences of high-ranking officials and nobles and are larger in size, the price isn't much higher. Wang Jun now earns a steady sixty thousand yuan a day, and buying several courtyard houses is as easy as playing around.

When the Liu brothers heard that they wanted to buy twenty-five rooms, they were completely stunned.

"My goodness, the boss is so generous! Buying twenty-five at once, how much money did that cost?"

"Don't even mention our alley, even the bosses in the south don't have that kind of power, right?"

Their hearts trembled, but neither dared to say a word.

Wang Jun tapped the table again: "Bargain hard, and I'll give you a big bonus if you succeed."

Upon hearing about the large red envelope, the two immediately perked up. Wang Jun was so rich; the red envelope must be at least a hundred or two hundred yuan. They had to get it! Full of fighting spirit, they went out to bargain, acting like they were grabbing cabbages and trying to drive the price down as fast as they could.

In just two days, Wang Jun acquired three courtyard houses: one with two courtyards and one with two courtyards. The Liu brothers negotiated the prices, and he paid and completed the formalities directly.

The two men really worked hard and managed to get the price down to an extremely low level. The first room, in an excellent location right next to Mao'er Hutong, only cost 12,000 yuan; the second room, in a more remote location, cost only 38,000 yuan together. In total, they got three courtyard houses for 50,000 yuan.

"Not bad, not bad," Wang Jun was in a great mood and became even more generous. "You did a great job these past two days. Here's some pocket money for you. You'll get big red envelopes for the New Year." He then stuffed another hundred into each of their hands.

"Thank you, boss!" "Boss, you're too kind!" The Liu brothers grinned as they clutched the money. They'd earned another hundred in two days; this job was much more comfortable than a regular job, and the money came in faster.

Wang Jun made the decision: "I'm going to buy a lot of courtyard houses, as many as there are. You guys keep negotiating the price, understand?"

"Understood, boss!" "Alright!" The two responded loudly and turned to get back into the alley to get busy.

The Liu brothers happily went out, clutching their notebooks to haggle over prices.

Wang Jun clutched the property certificate in his hand, his fingertips radiating excitement. It was the first property certificate issued by the state in 1950, resembling an award certificate with its red background and gold lettering exuding joy. His certificate was actually just a few pieces of paper; he wouldn't be able to exchange them for a "Property Ownership Certificate" and a "State-Owned Land Use Certificate" until 1987. But what did it matter? With these few pieces of paper, the three courtyard houses would truly belong to the Wang family.

He carefully stored the property certificate in his system space. These days, getting a replacement is such a hassle, he couldn't afford to lose it. Once it was safe, Wang Jun hopped on the Yangtze 750 and headed straight for Mao'er Hutong to check out the courtyard house he had just bought.

Mao'er Hutong is one of the ten most famous hutongs in Beijing, located in a very prestigious area. Even Wanrong, the last empress of the Qing Dynasty, lived here! Decades later, it became a popular tourist attraction, a must-visit for visitors to Beijing. Although Wang Jun's courtyard isn't inside the hutong, it's on the side, and its prime location explains its higher price.

After scanning the courtyard, he rode his Changjiang 750 motorcycle towards a street near the Third Ring Road, where two two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard houses) were located. At that time, the Third Ring Road had just been completed, and the Fourth Ring Road was still nowhere in sight, so it seemed a bit out of the way. However, Wang Jun planned to open a garment factory, so being a bit out of the way was better, as it would make transporting materials more convenient and avoid the inconvenience of people coming and going.

Upon entering one of the courtyards, they found a standard two-courtyard layout, with three main rooms plus side rooms, eighteen main rooms, and a cluster of smaller side rooms and storage rooms. The other courtyard was similar. The two courtyards were connected; they could be opened up by removing the wall, making it perfect for a garment factory. Wang Jun measured the area, finding it to be approximately 2300 square meters, almost 4 acres, with a total of 36 rooms. The larger rooms would serve as workshops, and the smaller ones as living quarters. He was increasingly satisfied and immediately decided that this was the place for him.

On the other side, Bang Geng had just rented a shop on the main street outside Tongluo Lane. It was 150 square meters, and the annual rent was no small sum. But he thought it was worth it. He believed that opening a restaurant in this location would guarantee booming business, and making money would be like picking up trash.

"Hehehe! From today onwards, my business is open for business!" He stood in the shop and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I'm going to make a fortune! I'm going to become the richest person in the courtyard!" After shouting, he threw his head back and laughed, scaring the landlord so much that his face turned white.

"Holy crap! Has this guy gone mad?" The landlord's heart pounded. "Will renting him the place cause trouble? What if he goes berserk and commits murder or arson? I'll be at a huge loss!"

Bang Geng got more and more excited as he looked at the store. He simply started dancing to the most popular disco music of the 1980s. He was so excited that he had to jump around to vent! The landlord's eyes widened. He thought to himself, "This isn't a human being, he's clearly a lunatic." He didn't dare to say anything more and slipped away.

Bang Geng stopped jumping around, his whole body burning, and roared with his hands on his hips, "Wang Jun! Those snobbish neighbors in the courtyard! Just you wait! I'll soon be a restaurant owner, making tens of thousands of yuan a month! You'll all be green with envy!"

He stood at the doorway and glanced around, remembering that Yu Li's shop was nearby, also a restaurant. But Ke Bang Geng didn't care at all; his dad was Sha Zhu! Sha Zhu's culinary skills were top-notch in Tongluo Lane and in the factory with over 20,000 employees!

"Heh heh heh, Yu Li, why did you have to open a restaurant of all things?" He sneered, "Coincidentally, I also own a restaurant. We're competitors. With my stupid dad helping me, my business is guaranteed to be booming, and your place can just wait to close down!"

He chuckled as he spoke. Although Yu Li was a bit older, she was quite pretty and maintained a good figure. If she came to him for a "small request," he might be willing to let her go.

Many teenagers crave adult food, and Bang Geng is no exception.

Ever since Yu Li married into the family, he'd been itching to do something, like a cat scratching its head. He'd been harboring these thoughts for a while, but he'd kept them hidden. Now, feeling like he'd struck gold, he was so smug his tail was practically wagging in pride, and before he knew it, he'd blurted out his true feelings…

At the courtyard, around 4 PM, Wang Jun finished unloading the last truckload of antennas. Today, he and his team assembled 1600 antennas, netting a profit of 62720 yuan after deducting material and labor costs. After calculating the accounts, he hopped on his Changjiang 750 motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and the motorcycle sped off towards the hotel.

Lu Guangrong was already waiting inside. As soon as he saw him, he said, "Boss, I've got the information. In three more days, the permits for opening our factory will definitely be approved."

Wang Jun was stunned. The procedures for setting up a factory were as complicated as winding yarn. Could it be completed in three days? That's fast!

"I pulled some strings, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone at the higher-ups wanted to finish things quickly and go home," Lü Guangrong explained.

Wang Jun nodded in understanding. Lü Guangrong frowned again: "But we need to find a designer to run a garment factory. Where can we find a good designer? I'm completely clueless."

Wang Jun laughed out loud and waved his hand, saying, "No need to look, I'm right here."

Lu Guangrong was stunned. In his eyes, fashion design was a high-end, Western-style job, something that only elites in suits could do abroad. How could one even get started without studying it for three to five years? Wang Jun may be good at making money, but he had never touched design before. Where did he get the skills?

Seeing that he didn't believe him, Wang Jun took out a picture book from his bag and threw it at him: "Take a look for yourself."

The catalog is a collection of exquisite designs selected from "Three Thousand Examples of Fashion Design," with over twenty designs neatly arranged. When Lü Guangrong opened the first page, he saw a women's coat. The stand-up collar made the wearer look smart, and the cinched waist perfectly accentuated her figure. The details on the neckline, shoulder line, and cuffs were tailored as if they were embroidered, so exquisite that there was no fault in them.

"My God!" Lu Guangrong's eyes widened. "This coat could be taken to an international exhibition! Girls wearing it would turn heads everywhere!"

He used to be the manager of a clothing factory, and he has a very keen eye. He saw the brilliance of the design at a glance. It was fashionable and suitable for everyone, and it could fetch a high price abroad.

Wang Jun laughed: "How was it?"

"Absolutely amazing!" Lü Guangrong gave a thumbs up, his voice trembling with excitement. "The design, the details—it's even better than what I've seen from designers in the South! We can produce these and sell them directly overseas, making money off foreigners!"

Wang Jun nodded. He had already planned it out: only high-end clothing would make money. A coat sold for several thousand or even tens of thousands of US dollars abroad was equivalent to a thousand ordinary clothes in China.

Lu Guangrong turned to the next page, which featured a women's sweatshirt. It was simple, solid-color, and had a slim fit that flattered the figure, making it suitable even for the coldest winter months. It exuded the youthful energy that girls in their early twenties love.

"This one's great too!" He slapped his thigh. "Perfect for a young woman, and it's a high-quality piece that can be exported!"

As Lü Guangrong watched, he uttered another round of praise.

After looking at several clothing designs, Lü Guangrong was completely convinced. These designs were all masterpieces, and he couldn't find any fault with them.

Whether it's menswear,

Still in women's clothing

They are all so fashionable and beautiful.

One can imagine that

After it is produced,

It will definitely be welcomed by young women and married women.

Wang Jun said, "So, how about it? Can I be a fashion designer now?"

Lü Guangrong nodded repeatedly and said, "That's amazing! You're the best fashion designer in the country. With you, our factory doesn't need any other designers!"