Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Yu Li was really going all out for her restaurant and her business. Wang Jun wanted shares? Here you go! As long as it could solve the threat from Bang Geng, she would accept anything, even more than 5%.

At this moment, Wang Jun felt a surge of admiration for Yu Li: he had asked for 5% of the shares without batting an eye, and Yu Li had agreed without hesitation. This woman was indeed capable; she knew how to make choices and how to do business.

"Yu Li, are you really willing to give up 5% of the shares? You won't regret it?" Wang Jun specifically reminded her.

"No regrets!" Yu Li answered decisively.

Wang Jun didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "My solution is simple: turn the restaurant into a hot pot restaurant! It's the dead of winter now, freezing cold, who wouldn't want a steaming hot pot? Turn it into a hot pot restaurant, and business will definitely boom. It'll be hard for them to go out of business, and Bang Geng won't be a threat to you at all!"

Yu Li's eyes lit up instantly. Of course! In this freezing weather, hot pot is the most appealing thing; turning the business into a hot pot restaurant would definitely be a success! Her worry instantly turned to joy, and she patted Wang Jun's arm with a smile: "Great job, Wang Jun! You're so smart! You solved my big problem so easily. Tomorrow I'll draft the share transfer agreement and give you 5%!"

Wang Jun replied with a smile, "You're actually quite smart, you just haven't quite grasped it yet."

In the TV series, Yu Li later converted the restaurant into a hot pot restaurant, and the business was still booming. In other words, even if Wang Jun hadn't reminded her, she would have thought of this method sooner or later. However, since Wang Jun pointed it out, he took 5% of the shares, which made him feel a little guilty. He thought he would give Yu Li a hot pot base recipe after a while, as a way to exchange the recipe for shares.

"Now that I've given you shares, I'll treat you to hot pot!" Wang Jun waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, the hot pot's all ready, let's eat!"

The two entered the restaurant, and Yu Li almost drooled at the sight of the table full of ingredients: duck blood, beef slices, lamb tripe, and lamb slices—all her favorites! She felt hungry after just one glance and couldn't help but exclaim, "My goodness, Wang Jun, you're such a spendthrift! These ingredients must cost at least twenty or thirty yuan to buy, right? That's outrageous!" With that, she quickly sat down at the table, picked up her chopsticks, and started simmering the beef slices in the pot.

Wang Jun casually asked, "Should we invite your husband over to eat with us?"

Yu Li's face immediately showed disgust: "No need! It's freezing cold, let him sleep at home by himself." She was completely disappointed in Yan Jiecheng and didn't want to see him at all, or even live with him.

Wang Jun sighed inwardly: Yu Li has no feelings for Yan Jiecheng at all; the two of them will break up sooner or later. He also remembered that Yu Li and Yan Jiecheng had been married for more than ten years without having children. In the 1970s and 80s, couples without children were most prone to relationship problems and would eventually divorce.

However, Wang Jun didn't ask any further questions; it's not appropriate for outsiders to interfere in matters between husband and wife. Right now, eating hot pot is the important thing!

While enjoying a steaming hot pot, Wang Jun suddenly smacked his lips and realized there was no alcohol at home. It was freezing cold; he couldn't even have a drink to warm himself up.

"I need to buy some wine to stock up," he muttered to himself. "Something like Moutai would be good, it's not too expensive... It's a pity I might not be able to buy it."

He knew perfectly well that in 1981, the ex-factory price of Moutai was 84 yuan per bottle, while the market retail price was only 18 yuan; by 1986, the ex-factory price had risen to 954 yuan, but the market price was still only 26 yuan. It wasn't until 1988, after the price controls were lifted, that the ex-factory price broke through 100 yuan. However, in the early 1980s, ordinary people simply couldn't buy Moutai; there was no stock in department stores at all. The Friendship Department Store did sell it, but it required foreign exchange certificates, which were simply unavailable to ordinary people.

"Looks like we need to get the garment factory and cannery up and running as soon as possible to earn foreign exchange," Wang Jun thought to himself. "With US dollars, Hong Kong dollars, and Japanese yen in hand, you're the most welcome person in the country; you can buy whatever you want."

The country is currently in dire need of foreign exchange, and having foreign currency on hand means you can almost buy scarce goods. Although Moutai is out of reach, historically renowned liquors like Wuliangye, Luzhou Laojiao, and Xifengjiu have a similar heritage and are worth collecting. After liquor coupons were abolished in the late 1970s, you could buy any liquor as long as you had money, except for Moutai.

Speaking of wine, he recalled the famous Lafite wines of decades later, especially the 1982 and 1984 vintages, which were incredibly renowned and commanded astronomical prices: a bottle of 1982 Lafite cost over 100,000 yuan, and a bottle of 1984 cost 10,000 to 20,000 yuan. Many people would post pictures of Lafite on social media to "show off," but in recent years, production has been extremely limited, and even less has entered the domestic market. The vast majority of people are drinking counterfeit products.

"We could consider acquiring a batch of Lafite," he said, his interest piqued, but he quickly shook his head. "But let's focus on making money first. Thinking about it is pointless if we don't have any."

Putting the matter of alcohol aside for the moment, Wang Jun focused on enjoying the hot pot. Yu Li took a few bites and exclaimed in delight, "Jun, this hot pot is amazing! Even ordinary cabbage tastes delicious after being cooked in it. The broth and seasonings must be special; is it a secret recipe?"

The quality of hot pot depends entirely on the broth and seasoning—that's absolutely true. Wang Jun's recipe was popular decades later, so its flavor was naturally outstanding. He casually remarked, "It's not anything special, just something I got. If you want, I can give you the recipe."

Yu Li's face immediately lit up with joy: "Great! I want it tomorrow!"

The recipe will be readily available online decades later and will be worthless. Wang Jun had originally planned to give it to her anyway, so he readily agreed.

After finishing the hotpot, Yu Li helped Wang Jun clean up, then patted her round belly and went home, feeling stuffed. As soon as she entered, she saw Yan Jiecheng fast asleep, and she reached out and pushed him aside.

Yan Jiecheng was woken up by being nudged. Upon seeing Yu Li, he hurriedly asked, "Wife, did you ask Wang Jun? Is the matter resolved?"

Yu Li nodded: "It's resolved. We won't open a restaurant; we'll open a hot pot restaurant instead. This kind of weather is perfect for a hot pot restaurant."

Yan Jiecheng thought for a moment and said admiringly, "Wow! Wang Jun is really quick-witted; he solved the problem in no time."

Yu Li laughed and said, "Now you know how capable he is, right? Starting tomorrow, you should talk to Wang Jun more often and ask him for advice on how to do business."

Yu Li had long disliked Yan Jiecheng. With her husband's useless appearance, she had been hoping that he would go and learn how to do business from Wang Jun.

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiecheng immediately looked troubled. Wang Jun was more than ten years younger than him, and he felt uneasy and ashamed to learn business from someone so much younger, so naturally he didn't want to go.

Seeing his expression, Yu Li knew he wouldn't listen and sneered, "You're incompetent and unwilling to learn? That's all you'll ever be!" With that, she burrowed into bed and went to sleep. Yan Jiecheng also lay down, each with their own blanket, not touching each other. Marital life? Long gone.

Wang Jun went up to the attic, lay down on the sofa, and had a "free fishing" session, catching half a pound of lean pork. He suddenly remembered Bang Geng; that kid actually had designs on Yu Li, he was utterly despicable! Wang Jun felt a burning urge to teach him a lesson.

The simplest way to teach the stick-like dog a lesson is to use a "targeting charm" to fish for his wallet and let him experience the taste of losing money. But then he thought again, he had just fished for the stick-like dog a few days ago, and the kid was probably scared now and didn't dare to carry too much money lately. If he fished for it now, he would only lose a few dollars or ten dollars at most, and the stick-like dog wouldn't feel bad if he lost it.

"Forget it, let's wait a bit longer." Wang Jun made up his mind. "Isn't Bang Geng going to renovate his shop? Renovation costs money, and he'll definitely have to withdraw money from the bank. Once he withdraws the money, I'll make my move and fish out all the money he's taken out!" He planned to fish out Bang Geng as soon as he had money, and sooner or later he would drive the kid crazy.

In the morning, Wang Jun got up and listened to the radio, only to remember that the Lunar New Year's Eve was just two days away, and it was time to prepare for the holiday. At that moment, everyone in the courtyard was also up, preparing to assemble antennas. He called out loudly, "Neighbors, the New Year is almost here, it's time to buy New Year's goods! How about we take a day off today and go shopping?"

This statement immediately displeased everyone, who objected vehemently.

"No, no, no, making money is the most important thing!"

"Assembling the antenna is the priority; we can do the New Year's goods later!"

"We won't rest; we'll keep assembling antennas to make money!"

"Yes, making money is the most important thing; we can buy the New Year's goods later!"

"Jun, let us assemble the antennas instead. I heard it'll be cheaper if we buy them later!"

"Jun, send the materials over, I can't wait any longer!"

Everyone was of one mind: making money was the priority, let's get back to assembling the antenna!

"Uh..." Wang Jun hadn't expected everyone to be so enthusiastic, even neglecting their New Year's goods. Since that's the case, let's continue. "Alright, since everyone says so, let's keep going! I'll have someone bring over the materials later, let's get to work!"

"good!"

"That's for the best!"

"Assembling antennas will allow everyone to watch TV clearly; this is serving the people, and we can't stop!"

"Yes, continue providing service!"

"I've earned over two hundred yuan in the past few days. I want to earn three hundred yuan by Chinese New Year to buy a bicycle!"

"I'm only making 250 yuan; I need to work harder to increase production!"

"I have to thank Wang Jun this year. I earned over three hundred yuan, which is more than my husband's salary! I never dared to dream of such a life before!"

"Yes, yes, we should thank Wang Jun! I owe him over three hundred yuan; I wouldn't have made it through the year without him!"

As soon as the materials were delivered to the courtyard, it immediately became lively. The older women, aunties, and young wives rolled up their sleeves and got to work, transforming the once quiet courtyard into a bustling little factory. Wang Jun stood on the porch watching, secretly pleased: It's almost Chinese New Year, and these people are still earning extra money with me—truly excellent workers! I should reward them, buy them some New Year's goods, and give them out so they'll be even more motivated next year. Ideally, they'd even work for me during the New Year holidays!

After all, antennas are in high demand right now. Working one more day means earning an extra 60,000 yuan. It's free money if you don't make it.

He called over Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu: "Can you get a whole, live, fat pig?"

Liu Guangtian stroked his chin: "It's possible, but we have to go to the countryside to buy them, which will take most of the day. The price will be a bit cheaper than at the pigeon market."

Liu Guangfu quickly chimed in, "Boss, I know! We have relatives in Liujia Village who have pigs! We'll go and bring them back for you!"

"Okay, I'll buy three, the bigger the better." Wang Jun nodded. "Is that alright?"

"No problem!" The two brothers' eyes lit up. Working with Wang Jun was lucrative! A few days ago, he helped them negotiate prices for courtyard houses. After buying fifteen houses, they each made over four hundred yuan. They were raking in the money, it felt like a dream.

Liu Guangfu scratched his head: "Boss, are you buying a whole pig to make cured pork? How are you going to eat all of it yourself?"

Wang Jun laughed, "Everyone is too busy installing antennas to buy New Year's goods, so I bought three pigs to slaughter and share, just to show my appreciation." Actually, he wanted to reward these "working people" and also witness the pig slaughtering scene to add some festive atmosphere.

Liu Guangtian gave a thumbs up: "Boss, you're the best person in the world! Slaughtering a pig and giving it to the neighbor—I've never heard of that before!"

Liu Guangfu nodded vigorously, "That's right! The boss has a big vision! Bringing back the fat pig will make the whole hospital go crazy with joy!" After following Wang Jun for a few days, he had become quite fluent in his speech, constantly using the word "vision".

Wang Jun waved his hand: "Stop joking, hurry up and go. Here's a Changjiang 750 for you, one for each of you to haul pigs." He then tossed them eight hundred yuan, "For purchasing."

These days pork is cheap. A 200-pound fat pig can be sold to the supply and marketing cooperative for just over 160 yuan. You can easily buy three pigs for 800 yuan.

Clutching the money, the two brothers perked up immediately and drove their Changjiang 750 motorcycle to the countryside to collect pigs. In an era when everyone had a bicycle, this was practically "top-tier prestige"! People from all around would come to take notice, and young women would flock to them like moths to a flame!

"Boss, we're off! We promise to get it done perfectly!"

The two men grabbed the keys, plopped down on the motorcycle, twisted the throttle, and sped off. This trip was not only to collect pigs, but also a great opportunity to "show off" their wealth back in the village!

After the two Liu brothers set off,

Wang Jun was holding a stack of property ownership certificates.

A smile appeared on his face.

In the past few days,

Wang Jun acquired another 15 courtyard houses.

Including the previous 3,

He owns a total of 18 courtyard houses.

These courtyard houses cost a total of over 31 yuan, but Wang Jun felt it was worth it, as the prices were relatively low at this time of year.

Twenty or thirty years later,

These courtyard houses,

They're all going to become astronomically expensive.

You can easily earn billions.

even more.

Wang Jun still has more than 200,000 yuan, but he doesn't plan to make any more acquisitions for the time being. He plans to use the money to set up a garment factory and a cannery.

Moreover.

In an era when the average wage was only a few dozen yuan and meat was eaten only once a week, buying a courtyard house was like buying a cabbage—it would easily attract attention.

If someone reports it, that would be troublesome.

Although not afraid,

But during the Lunar New Year,

Wang Jun didn't want to cause trouble.

……

At 5 p.m.,

All 1,600 antennas were assembled.

Resell it

More than 60,000 yuan was in hand.

at this time,

Outside the courtyard house

A series of sputtering sounds came from behind.

The two Liu brothers drove in on a Changjiang 750 motorcycle. On the motorcycle, three fat men were tied up tightly and were making howling noises.

These three big, fat pigs

moment,

This attracted everyone's attention.

Adults and children,

They surrounded them immediately!

"What a huge, fat pig!"

"Good heavens, who bought this fat pig? Look at all that fat, it's gorgeous!"

"Whose fat pigs are these? Tsk tsk, each one must weigh two or three hundred pounds. Look at this truck, the tires are all flattened."

"This pig is really good! It must be a skilled pig farmer who has raised it for a whole year. The meat is so fragrant; even a simple stir-fry will make the kids' mouths water."

"Good heavens, this is the first time I've ever seen such a big fat pig."

"Whose pig is this?"

"It should belong to Wang Jun. In this yard, only Wang Jun can afford three big fat pigs."

"Yes, it must be Wang Jun's."

at this time,

Liu Guangtian jumped off the motorcycle and said in a low voice, "Boss, the fat pigs have been bought. Each one weighs over 280 jin (140 catties), and it cost a total of 776 yuan."

Wang Jun nodded and said, "Well done. The rest of the money is yours, brothers."