Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Sha Zhu shooed all the neighbors who had come to watch the commotion out, slammed the door shut, and turned to glare at Bang Geng, his eyes practically spitting fire: "Bang Geng! You've really messed up this time, utterly messed up! You've ruined the whole family!"

His glare made Banggeng shrink back in fear, not daring to breathe—Shazhu was a hothead when he was young, and throwing punches and getting into fights was commonplace for him; even Xu Damao had been subdued by him. Now that he was middle-aged, his temper had mellowed considerably, but when he really lost his temper, his ferocity was still terrifying.

Yi Zhonghai sat to the side, sighing deeply: "Bang Geng, why didn't you just use the money your family gave you to open a restaurant? You could have set up a stall and made a steady two or three hundred a day, how reliable! But you had to get involved in this business, and now you've lost it all!"

Though he said it aloud, Yi Zhonghai's heart was bleeding—he had lost four thousand yuan in one go, his life savings accumulated over many years! As people get older, they feel more secure when they have money in their hands, and this blow from the begging had wiped out a significant portion of it, instantly eroding his sense of security. He even started considering whether he should follow Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui's example and start a small business to save more for retirement.

Qin Huairu squatted in the corner, tears streaming down her face—the family's savings of more than ten years had vanished in an instant. How would they live from now on? But she still had to rely on her husband for old age, so she couldn't scold or hit him; she could only cry silently in silence.

Banggeng's eyes darted around, and he suddenly spoke up: "Dad, Mom, Uncle Yi, so... what should we do next? How about you give me some more money so I can open the restaurant?"

His mind was racing with stories of successful people in the newspapers—they all stumbled and fell before getting back up and finally achieving great success. Banggeng felt he had that talent too; this time he might fall, but next time he'd definitely be a big boss! The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He patted his chest and promised, "Uncle Yi, Mom and Dad, I've learned my lesson! Give me another four thousand yuan, and I'll definitely make this restaurant a huge success!"

Yi Zhonghai shook his head after hearing this, his heart sinking: "Great idea! I don't think you're cut out for business. You should just stick to your job."

Sha Zhu, his face dark, chimed in, "Stop messing around. Just be a good driver; that's better than anything else."

Qin Huairu nodded repeatedly from the side—after this experience, she also understood that Bang Geng was not cut out for business at all; a stable job was the right path for him.

Seeing his whole family's opposition, Bang Geng's face turned bright red, but his determination only grew stronger: the newspapers all said that starting a business means not being afraid to lose, and becoming more courageous with each setback! He had only failed once, and they all looked down on him? They were so short-sighted!

"Fine, so you all look down on me, huh?" Bang shouted, sticking his neck out. "Then I'll do it secretly! When I make a fortune, I'll surprise you all!"

Sha Zhu, Qin Huairu, and Yi Zhonghai looked at each other, unsure of what to say. Yi Zhonghai glanced at Bang Geng, secretly thinking: This kid is probably not very bright; there's no hope of relying on him for my old age. I need to find a chance to get the bankbook back.

During this time, he handed over his salary savings book to Qin Huairu, hoping to rely on this family for his retirement. Now it seems—that's risky! It's safest to hold onto his money and rely on himself.

Qin Huairu stared at her son, a question creeping into her mind: Is there really something wrong with this child's mind? A thought slowly took shape in her mind…

At night, the room of Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu was lit with a dim yellow light.

The two sat facing each other, the atmosphere somewhat somber. Qin Huairu frowned, sighing with a worried expression, "Shazhu, Banggeng has been swindled out of over eight thousand yuan this time. Our savings are completely gone. How are we going to live from now on?"

Over the past ten years, my family has scrimped and saved, painstakingly scraping together a little over eight thousand yuan. We were originally planning to buy a bigger house to solve the problem of overcrowding, but now, this whole fortune has been wiped out.

Yesterday, Huaihua was still saying that her family was going to become the poorest household in the courtyard. At the time, Qin Huairu didn't believe it, thinking that no matter how poor they were, they couldn't be at the bottom. But now it seems that the girl was right.

Sha Zhu, however, was quite open-minded. He waved his hand and said, "So what if we're poor? We both have hands and feet. I have a job, and you have a job too. We both have a salary every month, so what's there to be afraid of? Besides, I'm thinking that instead of letting Bang Geng mess around, I should open a restaurant myself. With my cooking skills, once the restaurant opens, business will definitely be booming, and we'll earn the money back quickly."

Having learned his lesson, Sha Zhu has completely given up on Bang Geng and knows he has to rely on himself. He's a renowned chef in the Tongluo Lane area; everyone who eats his food gives him a thumbs up. As soon as his shop opens, it'll be packed with customers.

Upon hearing that Sha Zhu wanted to open the shop himself, Qin Huairu immediately perked up and nodded repeatedly, "That's a great idea! If you open the shop, the business will definitely be booming!"

After exchanging a few words about their hopes for the future, Qin Huairu changed the subject, looking at Sha Zhu and saying, "Sha Zhu, let's have another son. A smarter one, so he won't look like..."

The rest wasn't explicitly stated, but Sha Zhu understood perfectly. Qin Huairu was utterly disappointed with Bang Geng and wanted to have another son to care for her in her old age and continue the family line.

Sha Zhu was naturally overjoyed at this; who wouldn't want a biological son to carry on the family line? He immediately chuckled and patted his chest, saying, "Great! Great! Let's have one right now, it'll definitely be a big, healthy boy!"

……

After all that fuss, the two lay in bed. Once the excitement wore off, the practical problem was right in front of them—the cost of their money.

Opening a restaurant is not something you can just talk about. There are costs for rent, renovation, equipment, hiring, and inventory.

Qin Huairu did some mental calculations and said, "Shazhu, opening a shop will cost at least three or four thousand yuan. We're practically broke right now, where are we going to get that money?"

Sha Zhu frowned upon hearing this. This was indeed a major problem. Three or four thousand yuan was a huge sum of money in those days; what ordinary family could come up with that much?

He thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Yi should still have some savings. He's an eighth-grade fitter, earning a little over a hundred a month. He doesn't spend much, so he must have saved up at least twenty or thirty thousand over the years, right? How about... we borrow some from him?"

Qin Huairu was somewhat tempted, but after a moment's thought, she shook her head: "Let's forget about Uncle Yi right now. He was just swindled out of four thousand yuan by Bang Geng, and he's heartbroken. Going to borrow money now would be like walking into the line of fire."

Qin Huairu knew perfectly well that although Yi Zhonghai was wealthy, it was his life savings. Having just lost four thousand yuan, he was at his most sensitive about money, and borrowing now would be hopeless. She would have to wait until things had calmed down.

Sha Zhu scratched his head in frustration: "If we can't borrow from Uncle Yi, then this is going to be difficult. Besides him, who else in this courtyard can come up with a few thousand yuan?"

If it were three or five hundred, Sha Zhu could ask his apprentices or colleagues to lend him some money, but three or four thousand is an astronomical figure. Who would dare to lend it?

Qin Huairu's eyes darted around, and she said, "Shazhu, don't you know the factory leaders? Could you...?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu quickly shook his head: "No, no, no! We can't involve the leaders in this. If we trouble them with such a personal matter, how will we ever be able to work here again? No way!"

This won't work, that won't work. Qin Huairu racked her brains, then suddenly her eyes lit up and she thought of someone—Wang Jun.

Wang Jun is a big boss now, owning two factories and doing business overseas, so he's definitely rich. Moreover, Wang Jun has a good relationship with Huaihua, which is a ready-made opportunity for him.

Qin Huairu had a plan in mind and said, "Shazhu, what do you think of Wang Jun? He's a big boss now, and the last thing he lacks is money. He and Huaihua are such good friends, if we get Huaihua to lend him a few thousand yuan, it shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"Mom, what are you saying? Comrade Wang Jun and I have a completely innocent comradeship. What kind of relationship could there be?"

Upon hearing this, Huaihua's cheeks flushed red, and she glared at Qin Huairu with a mixture of embarrassment and annoyance.

"Besides, Comrade Wang Jun has high standards; how could he possibly be interested in me?"

Although she said that, a ripple stirred in Huaihua's heart. During this time with Wang Jun, even though it was just cooking and cleaning, his calm, knowledgeable demeanor had already stirred feelings of affection in the young woman. However, she felt inferior because of her family situation, especially with her troublesome older brother, Banggeng, and dared not even think about such things.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu immediately became anxious.

This silly girl, why can't she get it?

Innocent and clean? What's the value of being innocent?

If you're truly innocent, why would Wang Jun help your family? Why would he be so good to Huaihua?

In Qin Huairu's view, there's no such thing as pure friendship between men and women. Wang Jun helping Huaihua must be because he likes her and wants something in return. Since he has something in return, then there's a chance for this to happen.

"Huaihua, you silly girl, how can you not understand your mother's good intentions?"

Qin Huairu held Huaihua's hand and earnestly advised, "I've been through this before, and I can tell that Wang Jun is interested in you. He's so good-looking, rich and capable. You know our family's situation right now; Banggeng is a good-for-nothing, we're drowning in debt, and my health isn't good either..."

At this point, Qin Huairu wiped her eyes and squeezed out a few tears: "If you can marry Wang Jun, then our family will have someone to rely on in the future. I don't want anything else, I just want you to live a good life, and our whole family can benefit from it."

Looking at Qin Huairu's scheming expression, Huaihua felt a surge of disgust.

She might have listened before, but now...

She remembered what Wang Jun usually told her: people should be independent and self-reliant, and should not always think about relying on others, let alone treat their relatives as objects to be exploited.

"Mom, please stop talking."

Huaihua withdrew her hand, her face turning serious. "Comrade Wang Jun helped us out of neighborly affection and because of Uncle He. If you're thinking of scheming against him, then our family will lose all face. Besides, I'm doing well at the neighborhood office now. I have hands and feet and can support myself. I don't want to do any of that messy stuff."

Qin Huairu was getting anxious when she saw that Huaihua was unresponsive to her words. Was this easy money about to slip away?

"Why are you so stubborn? What do you mean by scheming? That's called planning for the future! Look at your brother, he's hiding outside, afraid to come back. The family is in so much debt, don't you want to help share the burden?"

Qin Huairu was somewhat embarrassed and angry, and her tone became harsher, "As long as you can settle things with Wang Jun, you can borrow two or three thousand yuan from him to cover your brother's debts, and our family's life will be much better, right? See, it's such a simple thing!"

Huaihua looked at Qin Huairu in disbelief.

It turns out that in her own mother's eyes, she was just a tool to fill the hole, a bargaining chip to be exchanged for money!

The chill in my heart was colder than the winter wind.

"Mom! That's twenty or thirty thousand yuan! Not just two or three yuan! No matter how rich Wang Jun is, it's still his hard-earned money. Why should he lend it to us? Just because I cooked him a few meals? Don't even dream about it!"

Huaihua suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Let me tell you, you should give up on this idea as soon as possible. I will absolutely not trade my marriage for money! I will not even ask Wang Jun for it!"

After saying that, Huaihua turned and walked out.

"Hey! You brat, stop right there! You're trying to drive me crazy!"

Qin Huairu jumped up and down behind, trying to pull Huaihua away, but Huaihua shook her hand off.

Huaihua quickly walked out of the house and stood in the cold wind, tears streaming down her face.

She knew her family was struggling and that her brother had gotten into trouble, but the feeling of pushing her daughter into a fire pit and selling her like a commodity was truly heartbreaking.

Although Wang Jun is a good person, and it would be a blessing to marry him, the way his own mother said it completely changed the tone.

"Huaihua? What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Wang Jun, who had just entered the courtyard carrying some fruit, happened to bump into Huaihua wiping away tears. He was stunned for a moment and quickly went over to her.

Huaihua looked up and saw Wang Jun, feeling even more aggrieved, but not wanting him to see her like this, she quickly wiped away her tears and forced a smile: "No...it's nothing, I just got some sand in my eye. Brother Wang Jun, what brings you here?"

Looking at Huaihua's swollen eyes and the tear stains at the corners of her eyes, Wang Jun couldn't believe that she had been poisoned by sand. He glanced in the direction of the Jia family's house and vaguely heard Qin Huairu's cursing, and he roughly guessed what had happened.

The Jia family members are all truly awful.

"Lost in sand? Where would sand come from in the dead of winter?"

Wang Jun smiled, not exposing her, but instead handed her an apple. "Just bought it, it's quite sweet. Wipe yourself and have an apple. If you're feeling down, consider me your confidante, you can talk to me about it."

Huaihua took the apple, and seeing Wang Jun's concerned look, a corner of her defenses crumbled instantly.

"Brother Wang Jun, thank you."

"No need to thank me, we're family." Wang Jun patted Huaihua on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "Don't force yourself too much. In this life, you have to live for yourself first, and then for others. If your family makes you feel tired, then stay away. This is not being unfilial, it's self-protection."

Huaihua shuddered and looked at Wang Jun in surprise.

He... really knew everything.

"Brother Wang Jun, I..."

"Alright, don't overthink it. By the way, the neighborhood office has a spot for you to go to the district for further training. I think it would be perfect for you, so I've signed you up. You'll be going to register in a couple of days, and the training will probably last for about a month."

Wang Jun interrupted Huaihua and changed the subject.

"Huh? Go to the district to study?" Huaihua was stunned.

"Yes, this is a rare opportunity. Study hard, and you might get a permanent position when you come back. You'll have a secure job, and no one can mess with you then."

Wang Jun encouraged them.

Looking at Wang Jun, Huaihua felt a surge of warmth in her heart. He wanted to transfer her away from this family, to give herself some independent space, and also to give herself a way to survive.

"Okay! Brother Wang Jun, I'll study hard!"

Huaihua nodded heavily, her eyes rekindling with hope.

Qin Huairu, inside the house, looked out the window at the two people talking in the courtyard and stomped her feet in anger.

"That brat! She's not even married yet, and her heart is already with someone else! What a waste of raising her!"

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