Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Liu Guangtian's face lit up instantly. Wang Jun had given them eight hundred yuan, spent seven hundred and sixty-six yuan on three big fat pigs, and then stuffed the remaining twenty-four yuan into their hands! This was incredibly generous! Following a guy like this, they were sure to be well-off in no time!

Wang Jun walked up to a fat pig, patted it, and wow, these three pigs were really robust, all painstakingly raised by the farmers. They were so fat they jiggled; a gentle pat made their fat tremble. He clapped his hands and shouted, "Neighbors, I have something to say! These three big, fat pigs I just bought are for everyone's New Year's goods. Everyone who installed antennas for me gets one!"

The courtyard house erupted in chaos!

"New Year's goods? For us? Did I hear that right? Old Wang, pinch me!"

"God! Is this for us?"

"Really?"

"That Jun guy is a real man!"

"Wang Jun is such a kind man, buying three pigs as New Year's gifts, he's so generous!"

Thank you, General Xie!

Everyone was talking about it, their faces beaming. Buying three pigs as New Year's gifts for the neighbors—who could resist that? At that moment, their gratitude towards Wang Jun was at least ninety percent.

Wang Jun shouted again, "Everyone come and lend a hand, put the pig down! Anyone who knows how to butcher a pig, come and help, and you'll get two extra pounds of meat!"

"I can! I can!"

"Me too!"

"Haha, I killed dozens of them when I was working in the countryside!"

"I've killed quite a few too!"

Who wouldn't be eager to get an extra two pounds of meat when slaughtering a pig? All the experienced butchers jumped out. They quickly surrounded the pig and began butchering it, while some even ran home to fetch their butchering tools.

Yan Bugui and Liu Zhonghai also came over. Liu Zhonghai shouted at the top of his lungs, "We need hot water to slaughter the pig! A few women, hurry home and boil some!" Yan Bugui circled the pigs, shaking his head and saying, "These three pigs have been raised for over a year, their fat is at least four fingers thick! Using this fat to make dumplings would be amazing!"

"Time to slaughter the pig!"

"They're slaughtering a pig!"

"I want to eat pig's head!"

"I want a pig's tail!"

"What do you know! Pig's ass smells better!"

The children were even more excited than during the New Year, circling the pig and shouting nonstop. The adults were also having a good time, pointing and arguing about which piece of meat was the most delicious.

A few moments later, several uncles carrying pig-slaughtering knives ran over, followed by aunties carrying large basins of pig's blood, which couldn't be wasted. Wang Jun found a good spot to wait, and the children squeezed in even more excitedly, wishing they could get right up to the pig's head.

Decades later, city kids would run away at the sight of a pig being slaughtered, and online videos of pig slaughtering would be censored because they were considered too gory. But kids these days aren't so delicate; they're not afraid of pig slaughtering, but rather jump around excitedly.

Several strong men held the pig down tightly, and an uncle picked up a pig-slaughtering knife and stabbed it in with a "plop." It was over in a few minutes. Next came scraping off the hair, gutting and cutting the meat.

As Banggeng stepped through the door after get off work, he saw the house bustling with activity. Some were butchering pigs, others were tidying up, and everyone had a smile on their face, constantly praising Wang Jun. He felt a thorn in his side and said sourly, "It's just a few pounds of pork, why are they praising Wang Jun like this?"

Several older women immediately objected, raising their voices: "Bang Geng, if you also buy three big, fat pigs, we'll praise you!" "That's right, Wang Jun bought three to share with everyone, why don't you buy three to share too!" "Don't you always say you're the most capable? Then buy a few fat pigs so we can have a taste!"

Bang Geng's face turned black instantly. Even if you have money, you shouldn't waste it like this!

Yan Bugui glared at him and scolded, "Bang Geng, it's almost New Year's, don't set off firecrackers and ruin the mood! If you have nothing to do, go cool off somewhere else."

"Yes, get out of the way!" "Why are you making trouble!" "Go away, go away!" Everyone was talking at once, trying to shoo him away. Bang Geng had no choice but to dejectedly slip away to the side.

Over here, several elderly women carried over two large pots of hot water, picked up ladles, and poured the hot water over the fat pigs. They were scalding the pigs thoroughly so they could scrape off the hair and scrub away the filth. Everyone worked together, and in no time they had cleaned the three fat pigs, cut them in half, and revealed the thick, white, marbled fat.

"This pig is really good!" "Look how white the fat is, so juicy! One bite and it'll sizzle with oil!" "Tsk tsk, mouthwatering!" "A hundred times better than the pigeon market. The good meat there is all gone, all that's left is lean meat, tasteless!" "Exactly! Gnawing on the lean meat is like chewing firewood, so dry!"

Amidst laughter and chatter, the three pigs were quickly prepared. Yan Bugui stroked his chin and smiled, "Jun, you bought these three pigs, so just tell me what you want to eat." He was always good at handling people, knowing that Wang Jun had paid for the meat, so naturally he had to let him choose first.

Uncle Zhou, the pig butcher, chimed in cheerfully, "Jun, just tell me what you want, and I'll chop it up for you!"

Wang Jun didn't refuse: "I want 20 jin of lean pork from the front leg, 10 jin of pork belly, 3 pig stomachs, 3 pig livers, and all the ribs from the three pigs."

Everyone was stunned upon hearing this, then they all started offering their advice: "Jun, lean meat isn't tasty, switch to fatty meat!" "Spare ribs are just bones, not satisfying to gnaw on! Listen to your uncle, cut off several dozen pounds of pork belly!" "Pig liver and stomach are offal, too fishy!" "Fat meat is so fragrant, it juicy and flavorful with every bite! Spare ribs are just hard bones!" Even the Liu brothers standing nearby chimed in: "Jun, cut off a hundred or two pounds of fatty meat, you can't go wrong!"

Wang Jun smiled and said, "Thank you all for your concern, but I really like lean meat and ribs. Uncle Zhou, cut it the way I say."

Wang Jun smiled and said, "Thank you all for your concern, but I really like lean meat and ribs. Uncle Zhou, cut it the way I say."

Seeing that he had made up his mind, the others didn't try to persuade him any further, but they were still worried in their hearts. They wondered if the child would not eat well. He didn't want fatty meat, which was good, and instead chose ribs, lean meat and offal, which were often left over at the butcher's stall and the owner would take home himself.

Wang Jun knew perfectly well: spare ribs were delicious no matter how they were cooked—hot pot, grilled, braised, steamed—and you'd never get tired of them! That was the real treasure! In ten years or so, when living standards improved, spare ribs might even be more expensive than lean meat. The lean meat from the foreleg was the most tender, perfect for porridge and stir-fries. Sliced ​​pork belly and liver were also great for hot pot, resulting in a tender and flavorful dish.

"Life is tough now, there's not much oil in the food, so everyone craves fatty meat; wait until ten or twenty years later, when life is better, I guarantee they'll be just like me now, finding fatty meat too greasy and only wanting to gnaw on ribs and lean meat." He secretly calculated to himself, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Wang Jun was calculating in his mind, but his hands didn't stop working. Several uncles were chopping ribs with knives. The ribs from three big fat pigs weighed a full 150 jin (75 kg), filling two large bamboo baskets. Adding other odds and ends, it took three baskets to fill them all.

The Liu brothers quickly ran over, each carrying a basket, and carried the meat back to the refrigerator. Although it was freezing cold in Beijing, meat only felt safe when it was in the refrigerator.

Next, the uncles brought out a large scale, weighed the pork, and then divided it equally among everyone. They cut it in one stroke – perfectly fair. Wang Jun, finding it uninteresting, said, "Everyone, take your time dividing it. I'm going to take this opportunity to stir-fry some pork belly while the meat is still fresh. Uncle Er, Uncle San, thank you both for overseeing this."

"Okay!" "Don't worry!" Liu Zhonghai and Yan Bugui readily agreed. Hosting the distribution of meat was a prestigious job, and they couldn't be happier.

Wang Jun went back inside to prepare the pork belly, rinsed it, sliced ​​it, stir-fried it over high heat, plated it, picked up a piece and popped it into his mouth. Wow, the fresh and fragrant aroma shot straight to the top of his head. After eating one piece, he wanted a second. The older generation said that pork tastes better after being aged, which is pure nonsense. Anyone who has eaten pork stew knows that freshly slaughtered pork is the best.

The three fat pigs spurred everyone on, and they worked for six days straight, only stopping on the 28th of the twelfth lunar month. Wang Jun calculated that they had earned over 420,000 yuan in those six days, and adding that to their previous earnings, their savings totaled exactly 630,000 yuan.

With the Lunar New Year approaching, he bought New Year's goods: food, clothes, shoes, socks, and even a large refrigerator. Then he went to a trust store to buy a camera.

The trust store was bustling with activity. A dual-cassette recorder was playing "Young Friends Come to Meet," its cheerful melody filling the room. Wang Jun had been there twice before and knew his way around, heading straight for the camera counter. The shelves were laden with a dazzling array of products, from Red Plum cameras costing tens of yuan to Seagull cameras costing a couple hundred yuan, as well as imported goods. He glanced around and his eyes landed on the Seagull DF1 SLR camera. This was the pinnacle of domestically produced cameras, with an all-metal body, weighing a hefty one kilogram, and it had won first place in the national SLR quality competition in 1982. Without hesitation, Wang Jun made his decision and bought it for 460 yuan. He also bought several boxes of Kodak gold film and black and white film, along with a film developing kit, so he could develop his own film from now on.

Back then, cameras used film. After taking the picture, you couldn't see the image; you had to go into the darkroom to develop it to know if it was good or bad. You needed some skill to do that, otherwise you'd be wasting the film. Wang Jun tallied up the money and went to pay the bill, which came to a total of over nine hundred.

The Liu brothers stared at the price tag, speechless. This little box cost over nine hundred? Liu Guangdao said, "Boss, this camera is too expensive. Is it worth it?" Liu Guangfu nodded, "Absolutely. It's better to buy a few pounds of meat."

Wang Jun smiled without saying a word: "You wouldn't understand. Alright, the camera's bought, let's go back and wait for the New Year."

On the way back to the courtyard house, as soon as I took out my camera, a group of people immediately surrounded me.

"What's this? A camera?" "Yes, my family bought a domestically made one back in '69 for 72 yuan!" "That must have cost a lot, right?" "It doesn't look cheap, at least two or three hundred!" "I recognize it! It's a Seagull DF1. The workshop foreman's one cost 460!" "My goodness, this little thing costs hundreds? How can ordinary people afford it! I heard only artists and journalists buy these high-end gadgets!"

The children crowded to the front, calling out in their clear voices, "Soldier brother, take a picture of me!" "Me too!"

Wang Jun waved his hand and said, "Don't rush, one at a time! Listen to my instructions, that'll make the photos look better." He taught the children a few poses and snapped more than a dozen pictures. The adults, seeing this, also gathered around to take their own photos.

"Jun, take a picture of me!" "Me too!" The men weren't very interested, but the women were like a riot. Aunts, young wives, and other women surrounded Wang Jun tightly. Even the young lady from the neighboring courtyard came over and grabbed his arm to take a picture.

Wang Jun chuckled and replied, "Everyone gets a share! Stand here, this angle is good. Adults' postures are different from children's, I'll teach you." As he spoke, he took the older girl's hand and adjusted her posture.

The Liu brothers were dumbfounded. They never imagined that this camera could captivate women like this. Liu Guangtian muttered, "I get it now. The boss bought the camera not just for taking pictures, but also to attract women!" Liu Guangfu nodded repeatedly, "Absolutely! Look at all these young women and wives, how enthusiastically they're gathered around. Why don't we chip in and buy one too? The boss will give us red envelopes for the New Year, and we'll each pay half!"

In the crowd, Xu Damao stared at Wang Jun, who was surrounded by women, a malicious smile creeping onto his lips: "Hey, Wang Jun's got some skills! He bought a camera and got all the girls and wives from next door to come over. Brilliant, really brilliant! I need to learn from him. How much effort do I usually have to put in to win over these women? He just uses a camera and it's all done. So clever!"

Wang Jun took four boxes of black and white film and two boxes of color film in one go, photographing every young woman and housewife in the courtyard before putting away his camera.

The next step is to develop the film, which involves two main steps: first, developing the film into negatives, and then using an enlarger to transfer the negatives onto photographic paper for fixing. There are more than a dozen small steps in between, and you have to be careful at every step, otherwise the negatives will be ruined.

Wang Jun went back to the bathroom and sealed all the gaps in the doors and windows with cotton cloth, creating a completely darkroom. Developing film can't be exposed to light; otherwise, it will be ruined. Photo studios in the 1980s and 90s all had such darkrooms, specifically for handling film. He moved the developing equipment inside and fiddled with it for a while, and finally, the photos were produced.

A crowd had already gathered in the courtyard. Wang Jun had barely stepped out of the bathroom when he was immediately surrounded: "The photos are ready?" "It's only been less than two hours! So fast!" "Wang Jun is amazing! He can take pictures and develop them, he can do everything!"

Wang Jun distributed the photos: "These are black and white; the color ones need to be sent to the photo studio to be developed, and we can pick them up tomorrow."

When everyone took the photos, they were stunned. The poses Wang Jun taught were the result of years of hard work and experience by older women. The photos were confident and relaxed, ten times better than the usual silly, awkward shots! Plus, he knew some photography skills, and his control of light and angles was far superior to that of the masters of this era. The photos had a natural spirit and energy.

"My goodness, these photos are so beautiful!"

"Turns out, this posture makes me look so energetic!"

"Like a star in Popular Cinema!"

"Comrade Jun, how much is this? I'll pay!"

"I'll give it to you too, I'm so satisfied!"

These days, taking photos is expensive, and nobody wants to take them for free, so everyone pulls out their wallets. Wang Jun, however, is now worth hundreds of thousands and owns eighteen courtyard houses, so this amount of money is nothing to him. He waved his hand and said, "No need. I just bought a camera and wanted to practice. Taking pictures of you guys is also practice for me. Consider it a free gift."

The group couldn't insist any longer and kept thanking them.

Just then, Huaihua hopped over, holding up a photo: "Brother Jun, do you know how to take artistic photos? They're so popular in the city now, can you take some for me?"

Several young women nearby immediately became interested: "This has been popular abroad for a long time!" "I want to film it too!" "Comrade Jun's skills are so amazing, he must know how!"

When Wang Jun heard "artistic photos," his first thought was of the kind with explicit content. But seeing the girls' serious expressions, he realized they meant genuine artistic photography. He smiled and agreed, "Sure, let's go to the countryside to shoot when the weather's nice. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Then it's settled!" "I'll come find you in a few days!" The girls laughed and dispersed, chatting animatedly around Wang Jun.

Watching this scene, Bang Geng from the Intermediate Court cursed inwardly, "Damn it! I have a hard time finding a partner, so why is Wang Jun so popular with women? This isn't fair!"

A while ago, he was dating Tang Yanling, but she ran off with Wang Jun. He became the laughingstock of his workplace, and his colleagues gossiped about it behind his back every day. To make matters worse, the women in his workplace all spoke ill of him, and now no one dares to introduce him to anyone. Even if someone does, the girl shakes her head as soon as she hears about it and doesn't want to date at all.

Banggeng, at his age, is very attracted to the opposite sex and feels stifled without a partner: "It's all Wang Jun's fault! I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!"

His eyes darted around, and another wicked idea popped into his head: "Can't find a boyfriend? Surely I can find a woman, right? Yu Li would be perfect. That good-for-nothing Yan Jiecheng, married for so many years and still no kids, why not let me have his wife!"

Thinking this, Bang Geng chuckled. The two girls nearby, hearing his lewd laughter, quickly moved away: "That guy's laugh is creepy, he's definitely not a good person!" "Hurry up, stay away from him!"

Bang Geng's face darkened, he glared fiercely, and turned to leave.