Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Wang Jun laughed heartily upon hearing this. He knew that Lü Guangrong was flattering him, but he still felt comfortable listening to it.

"Take this catalog home and take a look," he said. "You're the factory manager; you need to understand the products thoroughly."

Lu Guangrong waved his hands repeatedly: "I dare not take it! The costume designs in this catalog are all exquisite. If I took it abroad, it could fetch at least tens of thousands of US dollars. I dare not touch something so valuable. If it were leaked, the loss would be enormous."

Wang Jun nodded: "Then leave it here with me."

Suddenly remembering something, he changed the subject: "I also want to open a cannery. I'll give you the information later and help you with the paperwork." Having won the lottery for cannery equipment and obtained the formula, he planned to set up the factory as soon as possible, since it wouldn't cost much money anyway.

Lu Guangrong was taken aback. The garment factory wasn't even finished yet, and now they were going to open a cannery? The boss really had a lot of money! But he didn't ask any more questions and just replied, "Okay, give me the documents, and the paperwork will be done after the New Year."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and Wang Jun received good news: the house was renovated and ready to move in. To celebrate, he bought a large bundle of firecrackers and set them off with a "crackling" sound. Firecrackers were banned in Beijing after 1993, but now that he had money, he could do whatever he wanted.

The sound of firecrackers attracted a group of children, who cheered and picked up the ones that hadn't exploded; the adults in the courtyard also gathered around, wanting to see how the renovations were going. Wang Jun had no choice but to open the door and let everyone in.

Upon entering, everyone was immediately struck by the floor tiles. Each one was so smooth that it reflected one's image, like works of art. "These tiles are amazing!" "They're like mirrors, so high-end!" "I heard they were imported from the south, and each one cost one dollar and fifty cents?" "My goodness, what if we break them?" "How much would it cost to tile the whole house with these tiles?!" No one dared to step on them, afraid of damaging them.

Wang Jun laughed, "Come in, it's sturdy, you won't break it." Only then did everyone carefully move forward.

Upon entering the house, a huge chandelier cast a soft white light from the ceiling. The living room displayed the 24-inch Hitachi color TV Wang Jun had recently bought. The most eye-catching feature was a large brown leather sofa, luxurious and grand under the light; no one dared to sit on it. "This sofa is so beautiful!" "It's even more comfortable than my bed!" "There are English letters on the back; it's imported!" "Imported sofas must cost several hundred yuan, right?"

Wang Jun chuckled. This sofa was an export item bought from Jinghua Supermarket; it was domestically made, but the materials and workmanship were top-notch. It cost 1800 yuan, more expensive than a television. Several children crowded around to touch it, but the adults quickly pulled them away: "Don't touch it! Imported goods are precious; we can't afford to pay for it if you break it! Keep an eye on the children, don't let them jump!"

In the crowd, Huaihua stared at the set of genuine leather sofas, her heart pounding. The sofas were so soft that once you sank in, you wouldn't want to get up. They were a hundred times more comfortable than her hard wooden bed at home. She really wanted to lie down on them and take a nap.

Yu Li stood beside her, her eyes also fixed on the sofa, the same thought popping into her mind: "Let's try lying down on it." The allure of such a soft sofa to a woman is simply innate.

Just then, someone noticed a fireplace embedded in the wall, with firewood burning brightly inside, and warm steam wafting out, making the whole room feel like springtime.

"What is this thing?"

"Haha, a fireplace! Foreigners love this in winter; it keeps the house warm when you light a fire."

"No wonder it's so warm! It's minus three degrees outside, but we're not cold even wearing just a single layer of clothing."

"It's at least 20 degrees Celsius inside, so comfortable I don't want to leave."

"I want to install one too!"

"Forget it," someone poured cold water on the idea. "The fireplace burns all day long, it's expensive. Your husband only makes fifty-odd dollars a month, is that enough to cover this deficit?"

"Oh well, never mind."

After looking around the living room, everyone squeezed into the kitchen and bathroom. There was a faucet embedded in the kitchen countertop; with a gentle turn, tap water flowed out with a "whoosh".

"Tap water is now running directly into our home!"

"I'm so envious! I won't have to run to the public water pipes to shower or do laundry anymore. That's so convenient."

"If we're talking about the most practical thing, it has to be the toilet." Someone exclaimed, "With it, you no longer have to run out in the dark to get up in the middle of the night. In the dead of winter, going to the outhouse is not only freezing cold, but the smell is so strong that you don't even dare to get back into bed after using the toilet."

There was also a fully automatic washing machine in the bathroom, an imported one. This made everyone extremely envious. In those days, the price of a washing machine was comparable to that of a television, and ordinary families simply couldn't afford to buy one. In the entire courtyard, only Wang Jun's family had this "rare item".

"Television, radio, washing machine, all the appliances are here, life is so comfortable."

"Wang Jun is living the 'Four Modernizations' ahead of schedule!"

"It looks exactly like the homes of foreigners in TV dramas."

"How much did such a nice renovation cost?"

"I'd guess a few hundred yuan?"

"Several hundred dollars? No wonder it's so grand!"

Wang Jun listened silently. In fact, the labor and materials alone cost more than 600 yuan, and the appliances, sofa, and bed cost more than 3,000 yuan, totaling 3,600 yuan. This amount would shock anyone if they heard it.

After seeing his neighbors off, Wang Jun nestled into the sofa, turned on the TV, and felt a surge of joy. Moving into this warm and cozy house before the New Year was wonderful!

Wang Jun watched TV on the sofa for a while, then got up, walked to the small staircase, and went up to the second floor.

He deliberately included a small attic in the original design, placing the master bedroom there for both a bright and open view and greater privacy. The attic was a generous 60 square meters, considered quite spacious in the 1980s. It was converted into a large suite, with a bedroom and ensuite bathroom, making showering very convenient. Nowadays, even renovations to a traditional courtyard house require approval; you can't just do whatever you want.

……

Yu Li walked out of Tongluo Lane and returned to the entrance of her own shop. After several days of renovations, the restaurant was finally finished. A little tidying up, setting up tables and chairs, and it would be ready to open. Shops in the 1980s were like that—no fancy decorations, just white walls and a sign were enough to welcome customers.

As soon as she stepped into the store, she spotted Bang Geng standing there.

"Bang Geng, what's up?" Yu Li frowned.

Banggeng grinned and approached, "Something's up! I'm planning to open a '217 Restaurant' here. I've already rented the space and it's under renovation."

Yu Li's heart skipped a beat. She was opening a restaurant here, and Bang Geng was coming too. The two restaurants were right across from each other, and the competition was fierce! What worried her even more was that if Bang Geng opened a restaurant, Sha Zhu would definitely have to become the chef. With Sha Zhu's cooking skills, the aroma of his dishes would waft across half the street, and wouldn't all the customers go to Bang Geng's restaurant? Would her restaurant even survive?

"You're being a bit unfair! Of all the places we have, why did you have to come here?" Yu Li's tone turned cold. She wasn't one to back down easily. Yan Jiecheng was usually completely under her thumb, and he'd never been treated like this before. He immediately retorted.

Bang Geng, however, was nonchalant and nonchalant: "Sister Yu Li, do I like hearing that? If you can drive, why can't I? That's called fair competition, right?"

Yu Li was speechless for a moment. What he said made sense, but it was infuriating to hear.

Seeing her silence, Banggeng grew bolder and approached her with a grin: "Sister Yu Li, I really admire you. If you agree to one request, I'll get my dad's apprentice to be the head chef at your restaurant, and I guarantee your business will be booming! How about it?"

Without being explicitly stated, Yu Li instantly understood: this guy was lusting after her! She immediately flew into a rage: "Get out!"

Instead of leaving, Bang Geng raised his voice and threatened, "Sister Yu Li, think it over! If you don't agree, your shop will go bankrupt, and you'll lose everything!"

He was certain that this trick would get him under his thumb, but Yu Li wasn't buying it at all. Instead, she got even angrier: "Who do you think you are? Even if I lose everything, I will never let you bully me! Get out of here!" In her eyes, Bang Geng was a petty thief who had been stealing chickens and dogs since he was a child, and she felt disgusted just looking at him.

After being scolded repeatedly, Bang Geng finally snapped: "Fine! I'm leaving! Yu Li, just you wait, you'll fall into my hands sooner or later!" With that, he swaggered out of the store.

He knew perfectly well that Yu Li had poured all her money into opening the shop, so she must be short of cash. He was certain that she would eventually give in, and then he could have a "good time" with her. Thinking of this, a lewd smile appeared on his face, and he chuckled to himself.

Meanwhile, Yu Li returned to the shop and found Yan Jiecheng, urgently saying, "Bang Geng also runs a restaurant here, we have to find a way to teach him a lesson!"

"Wife, Bang Geng is richer than us, and he also has Sha Zhu helping him out. We can't compete with him." Yan Jiecheng said with a bitter face, racking his brains but still unable to come up with a solution.

Yu Li was even more furious. Yan Jiecheng was just like that—useless in bed, clueless in general, incompetent at everything, and utterly indecisive. She gritted her teeth: "Honey, how about we borrow some money from your dad? We can hire a top chef! There are plenty of chefs in Beijing; if we're willing to spend the money, we can hire a top-notch one. We won't have to worry about being ripped off!"

Upon hearing "borrow money," Yan Jiecheng immediately shook his head. His father, Yan Bugui, was a notorious miser; why would he lend him money? "Wife, let's think of another way. I dare not ask my dad for money; he'll beat me to death!"

Looking at Yan Jiecheng's cowardly appearance, Yu Li felt a tightness in her chest. She couldn't count on him, so she had to find a solution herself.

To open the restaurant, she poured all her savings into it and borrowed a lot of money from relatives and friends. This restaurant was her pride and joy, her only hope for a turnaround. If it failed, she would lose everything.

"That little bastard Bang Geng, he actually dared to threaten me with the restaurant!" Yu Li cursed through gritted teeth. "He's a real piece of work! I'm going to make this restaurant a huge success, and make him furious!"

She clenched her fists secretly, determined to salvage the situation! After thinking it over, she suddenly slapped her thigh: "That's right! How could I forget Wang Jun?" Wang Jun is educated and capable; he'll definitely come up with a solution!

Having made up her mind, Yu Li immediately got up and rushed to the courtyard house.

In the evening, the aroma of hot pot wafted through the courtyard. Wang Jun was sitting around the table, waiting to eat. On such a cold day, with temperatures below zero, hot pot was the perfect comfort food. The broth in the pot bubbled and gurgled. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, the two younger brothers, had prepared a generous amount of ingredients: duck blood, beef slices, sheep tripe, mutton slices, vermicelli, cabbage, pig intestines... more than a dozen kinds of ingredients piled up like a small mountain.

"Glug glug!" The aroma of boiling soup wafted into his nose. Just as Wang Jun was about to pick up his chopsticks, there was a knock on the door.

Upon opening the door, Yu Li was seen wrapped in a thick military green cotton-padded coat, rubbing her hands together from the cold, her nose even red: "Jun, I've finally found you!"

Wang Jun quickly ushered her in. The room was around 20 degrees Celsius, like springtime. As soon as Yu Li entered, she sighed with comfort, "It's so warm here, I don't want to leave!"

"If you don't want to leave, then stay," Wang Jun teased her. "I have a bed here; you can stay tonight."

Yu Li's face flushed red, but she wasn't angry. Wang Jun was handsome, capable, and rich. How could she bear to be angry with him?

"Jun, I'm calling you for help!" Yu Li sat up straight, her voice trembling with urgency. "I'm desperate, you have to help me!"

Wang Jun raised an eyebrow: "What's up?"

"My restaurant is all renovated, and I've bought all the tables and chairs. It's about to open, and that bastard Bang Geng opened one right next door!" Yu Li got angrier as she spoke. "He's clearly trying to steal my business and drive me out of business! What's worse, he even threatened me..."

Wang Jun frowned. It was fine for Bang Geng to open a restaurant, but using it to threaten people was really unethical.

After Yu Li finished speaking, she looked at him expectantly: "Jun, what should I do?"

Wang Jun laughed: "That's simple."

"Really?" Yu Li's eyes lit up, and she lunged forward to grab his arm. "If you can help me solve this, I'll agree to anything!"

"You'll agree to any request?" Wang Jun teased her.

"Of course!" Yu Li patted her chest. "I'll do anything as long as I can handle Bang Geng!"

Wang Jun deliberately dragged out his words: "Fine, then I want 5% of your restaurant's shares."

"Sure!" Yu Li agreed without hesitation. As long as she could keep the restaurant, what did a 5% stake matter?