Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Just then, Sha Zhu came running up, panting, and shouted at Qin Jingru, "Jingru, stop! Stop fighting! I'll deal with Xu Damao later!"

Qin Huairu was also afraid that her cousin would really kill someone, so she quickly pulled her back: "Sister, stop hitting her, everyone is watching! We'll help you get revenge later."

Qin Jingru's fists were still clenched tightly, and the anger in her heart had not subsided, but she couldn't withstand so many people watching, so she could only reluctantly lower her hands.

Xu Damao finally caught his breath and pointed at Qin Jingru's nose, yelling, "You crazy woman! You poured a bucket of cold water on me in the dead of winter and then beat me to death! Qin Jingru, if you don't give me an explanation today, I won't let you get away with this!"

Upon hearing this, the neighbors all gasped – the thought of being doused with a bucket of cold water in the dead of winter was enough to make them shudder!

Qin Jingru sneered and pulled a stack of photos from her pocket: "An explanation? This is the explanation! What, do you want me to read the contents of the photos aloud to everyone?"

Xu Damao's face turned pale instantly, and he inwardly cursed—his affair with the young widow had been completely exposed! Qin Jingru had actually printed out the photos; the evidence was irrefutable, and he was utterly humiliated!

He immediately chickened out, forcing a smile as he leaned in: "No, no, no, let's talk this out! We're husband and wife, we can discuss things..."

If word got out about his affair with the young widow, he'd lose his job! Xu Damao quickly turned to the elderly men, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, along with a group of neighbors, forcing a smile: "Grandpas, neighbors, please disperse! Jingru and I just had a little misunderstanding; we can handle it ourselves. It's freezing cold outside, everyone should go home, watch TV, and go to sleep!"

Xu Damao chased people away, and the others felt embarrassed to continue watching. They could only say a few words like "calm down" and "don't be impulsive" before dispersing in twos and threes.

Qin Jingru saw him trying to drive him away but didn't stop him—how could she talk about such extortion in public? She had already planned to extort a hefty sum from him in private!

……

As soon as everyone stepped out of the backyard, a commotion erupted, with everyone discussing the matter.

"Hey, we hadn't had enough of the excitement yet, why is it over already?"

"Exactly! It's just getting to the exciting part!"

"Haha, you two are still young!" Aunt Wang slapped her thigh. "I could tell at a glance—that Xu Damao kid definitely had someone else on the side, and Qin Jingru caught him red-handed!"

"That's right, that's right!" someone nearby chimed in. "That must be it!"

"Xu Damao, too. Qin Jingru is quite pretty, why is she still going out and messing around?"

"Aunt Wang, you don't understand," someone winked, "Even the prettiest daughter-in-law gets tiresome if you look at her every day, doesn't she?"

"I'm just curious, what exactly is that photo about?"

"I want to see it too! It's going to be amazing!"

"It might just be Xu Damao's own 'masterpiece'!"

The more they talked, the more excited they became, making it even more lively than a denunciation meeting. Everyone craned their necks, their faces practically screaming "I want some gossip!" This kind of juicy gossip was more captivating than a theatrical performance, and no one wanted to miss a single detail.

Upstairs, Wang Jun leaned against the window, listening to the gossip in the courtyard below, a knowing smile playing on his lips. He had long expected Xu Damao to get into trouble sooner or later—he had personally witnessed Xu Damao and Yu Haitang arguing in the street, their arrogance was unbelievable! Now that Qin Jingru had caught them red-handed, this mess was completely out of control.

After turning off the lights and lying down, Wang Jun remembered how much money he had made that day, so he decided to spend 5,000 yuan to try his hand at beginner fishing. "System, I want to do fifty beginner fishing sessions!" he ordered smoothly.

[Order received.]

[Fifty beginner fishing sessions are about to begin.]

[5000 yuan has been deducted.]

Fishing begins.

A semi-transparent fishing line shot out with a "whoosh" and disappeared into the unknown void. The next second, a barrage of notification sounds rang out:

Congratulations! You have won four Changjiang 750 motorcycles.

Congratulations! You have received three Little Bad Luck Charms.

Congratulations! You have achieved fluency in English.

Fishing complete!

Hearing the notification tone, Wang Jun's smile deepened—this was a huge win! Four Changjiang 750 motorcycles, each worth tens of thousands of yuan, were perfectly allocated to the garment factory and the cannery, two each. In those days, telephones weren't common, so having a vehicle was incredibly convenient, and it allowed for quick dispatch in emergencies. The little unlucky charms were even more useful; throwing one at anyone you didn't like would guarantee them bad luck for the whole day. What surprised him most was the "fluent English" skill—a passport to future business expansion overseas!

……

The next morning, Wang Jun ran into Xu Damao as soon as he stepped out. Xu Damao's face was dark, his eyes sunken, and he looked completely drained of energy, like a wilted eggplant. Upon seeing Wang Jun, Xu Damao forced a smile that looked more like a grimace—Qin Jingru had extorted three thousand yuan from him the previous night, a large portion of his savings that had nearly broken his heart.

As soon as Xu Damao left, Qin Jingru hummed a little tune as she headed out to work, her face beaming. She greeted Wang Jun warmly, then hopped on her bicycle and sped away. Wang Jun sighed inwardly, "It seems Xu Damao paid a hefty price to settle this."

Just as they were pondering this, the materials arrived, and the courtyard instantly became lively as everyone gathered around the newly arrived parts to assemble the antenna. Wang Jun clapped his hands, and once everyone's attention was focused, he announced loudly, "Everyone, three or four manufacturers have started producing antennas now, and the antennas we assemble will soon be hard to sell. So starting tomorrow, we will no longer assemble antennas."

These words immediately caused an uproar in the courtyard. During this period, everyone could earn over ten yuan a day assembling antennas, and those who were quick could earn twenty or thirty yuan a day—much better than working a regular job. Now that it was suddenly stopping, how could they bear to give it up?

"Not assembling it tomorrow? That's such a shame!"

"Yeah, this job pays really well!"

"Junzi, can't we work a little longer? I've earned three or four hundred since the Lunar New Year, which is half a year's salary for my husband!"

Wang Jun smiled and reassured everyone, "Don't worry, we've known each other for so long, I have to find a new way for everyone. From now on, we'll sell roasted sunflower seeds—I'll provide the exclusive recipe, you just need to roast them according to the recipe and sell them on the street."

During this period, Wang Jun earned over a million yuan from the "labor force" in the courtyard house, bought a courtyard house, and opened a factory. Now it's time to point out a promising path for everyone. Selling roasted melon seeds? This novel business made everyone look at each other in bewilderment, but the thought of no longer having to worry about finding work gradually brightened their eyes.

"Is this business viable?"

"I don't know if it's easy to do."

"Yes, I'm not sure."

"Whatever, I'll do whatever the army tells me to do! I'm planning to sell roasted sunflower seeds from now on."

"Yes, yes, Jun is really capable. He said selling roasted melon seeds can make money, so it can't be wrong. Let's do it!"

"The military has already given out the recipe for roasted melon seeds. Just follow it, and you're guaranteed to make a profit. Don't overthink it."

The crowd discussed it animatedly, some thinking the business was promising, while others wondered – how much money could one make selling melon seeds? They didn't want to get involved.

Wang Jun sat to the side listening without saying a word. Anyway, they had already given him the way to make money; whether they did it or not was up to them, and he couldn't be bothered to worry about it.

Actually, sunflower seeds were a very popular snack in the 1980s. The founder of "Silly Sunflower Seeds" earned over a million yuan selling roasted sunflower seeds as early as 1976, and even married four wives. Keep in mind, this was 1976! Earning so much from selling sunflower seeds is unbelievable. Even more astonishingly, in the 1980s, "Silly Sunflower Seeds" set a record of selling over 7 million yuan worth in just 17 days—you can imagine how profitable selling sunflower seeds was.

Although Wang Jun's recipe was copied from the internet, the roasted sunflower seeds tasted quite authentic. As long as you follow the recipe and sell them on the street, you're guaranteed to make money. The recipe is practically handed to you; those who don't dare to try it deserve to be poor forever.

In the front yard, Yan Bugui and the Third Aunt immediately gathered together to discuss the news.

The three women frowned, looking worried: "The military isn't assembling antennas anymore, what are we going to do? We haven't saved enough for our retirement!"

I've made some money following Wang Jun these past few days, and life has become much easier, but it's clearly not enough to support me in my old age.

Yan Bugui remained calm: "What's the panic? Didn't Wang Jun give us a solution? Just do as he says! We'll start selling roasted melon seeds tomorrow."

Can you really make money selling roasted sunflower seeds?

"Of course it's true! Wang Jun is a capable man, would he lie to us? If he says he can make money, he definitely can."

"Okay, then let's sell roasted sunflower seeds! You buy a big iron pot later, specifically for roasting sunflower seeds. I'll ask Wang Jun for the recipe tonight."

In the backyard, Liu Haizhong and Aunt Er were also talking about this.

Aunt Er muttered, "Wang Jun asked me to sell roasted sunflower seeds. Can I really make money from that?"

Liu Haizhong nodded: "Definitely! You buy a big iron pot later, and we'll make money selling melon seeds from now on."

Aunt Er was surprised: "Old man, you're so old, why are you still selling melon seeds?"

Liu Haizhong glared at her: "What do you know? Everyone who works with Wang Jun has made a fortune! Just do whatever Wang Jun tells you to do, don't overthink it."

The events at the courtyard house during this period made Liu Haizhong realize that working for Wang Jun could make money, but offending Wang Jun would definitely lead to bad consequences. His two sons, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, used to struggle to make ends meet, earning only twenty or thirty yuan a month, which would be gone by mid-month; now, working for Wang Jun as security captains in two factories, they earn two hundred yuan a month, plus extra income.

Liu Haizhong made the decision: "We need to make good use of roasting and selling sunflower seeds; that's how we'll support ourselves in our retirement!"

In the Intermediate People's Court, Yi Zhonghai also heard what Wang Jun said and thought that this way of making money was quite reliable—he had an old colleague's grandson who sold melon seeds at the entrance of the movie theater and heard that he made a lot of money, selling out more than 300 kilograms of melon seeds every day, so there must be some profit in it.

However, he won't do it; he's too old and can't handle the hassle.

"I hope Banggeng will live up to expectations and open the restaurant to make money soon." Yi Zhonghai sighed. "It's quite easy to make money opening a restaurant these days."

"Yu Lina's hot pot restaurant is always bustling with activity, earning two to three hundred yuan a day. Bang Geng runs a high-end restaurant with even higher profits. If managed properly, earning ten to twenty thousand yuan a month is no problem at all."

Yi Zhonghai is now pinning all his hopes for retirement on Bang Geng, hoping that Bang Geng will open the restaurant as soon as possible and make a lot of money.

……

By 5 p.m., all 1,600 antennas had been assembled. Wang Jun distributed the wages to everyone, and the workers clutched their money, their faces showing reluctance to part with it.

"Thank you, Jun!"

"Sigh, assembling antennas was easy and lucrative. What will we do when this job is gone?"

"Yeah, it's much better than working! But manufacturers are starting to mass-produce antennas, so this business is going to be unsustainable."

"Brother Jun, I earned over three hundred yuan last month assembling antennas, which is more than half a year's salary for my husband! Things are finally a little easier at home."

"Brother Jun, I earned over three hundred yuan last month assembling antennas, which is more than half a year's salary for my husband! Things are finally a little easier at home."

"Me too! These three hundred-plus yuan have solved a lot of my difficulties. Thank you so much, Brother Jun!"

A group of neighbors surrounded Wang Jun, thanking him profusely. Some even tried to invite him to their homes for a couple of drinks, but Wang Jun politely declined them all.

At this moment, Huaihua came over and whispered, "Thank you, Brother Jun, for helping me make money."

She used to be so strapped for cash that she couldn't even afford a box of face cream, but after following Wang Jun, she had income almost every day—earning thirty or forty yuan a day assembling antennas. Now she's saved almost five hundred yuan. Five hundred yuan is a lot of money; a regular worker wouldn't save that much in a year.

Huaihua moved closer to Wang Jun, her voice even softer: "Brother Jun, you have to keep helping me make money from now on. As long as we can make money, I... I can be your man."

The surrounding noise was too loud for Wang Jun to hear clearly, so he casually replied, "Okay, don't worry, I'll help you make money in the future."

Huaihua was overjoyed. She clutched the money and went back into the house, locking it in a drawer. She shared this room with her younger sister, Xiaodang. They usually left their things lying around, but they couldn't be careless with money; if a thief broke in, everything would be lost.

Little did she know, Jia Zhangshi was eyeing her money!

Before the Lunar New Year, Jia Zhangshi had been planning to take the money from the locust flowers, deliberately waiting until she had saved up more before making her move. Now that Wang Jun wasn't assembling antennas and the locust flowers had stopped generating income, Jia Zhangshi acted immediately.

These past few days she had figured out how Huaihua hid her money. While Huaihua was in the toilet, she picked up a small hammer and smashed the lock with a "click," stuffing all the money in the drawer into her own pocket.

"Heh heh, four or five hundred yuan!" Jia Zhangshi counted the money, a smirk playing on her lips. "That brat, she's got a knack for making money. But... all this money is mine now!"

When Jia Zhangshi saw the large stack of money, her mouth stretched into a wide smile.

When Huaihua returned, she entered the house and found that the drawer lock had been opened. She panicked and quickly opened the drawer, only to find that four or five hundred yuan had disappeared!

The locust flower was stunned for a full three seconds.

Only then did he come to his senses.

then,

I only realized then that my money had been stolen!

These few hundred yuan,

It was money she earned through hard work.

Disappeared all at once

Huaihua felt like the sky was falling. She immediately shouted, "Thief! Thief! My money has been stolen!"

That shout,

Let the entire courtyard house,

They were all alarmed.

Everyone immediately ran over.

"What? There's a thief in this yard?"

"Huaihua, what happened?"

"Where is the thief?"

"Where's the thief?"

When did you discover the money was missing?

Everyone gathered around the locust tree, asking questions all at once. At that moment, Wang Jun walked to the gate and closed it. If there was a thief, closing the gate would trap them inside, and then they could be found later.

After closing the gate,

Wang Juncai walked over and said, "Huaihua, what exactly happened? Tell us."