Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

"Siheyuan: A Thriving and Prosperous Life" is currently being serialized and is not to be missed!

Huaihua was unaware of Qin Huairu's intentions. After hearing her mother's words, she honestly replied, "Mom, Wang Jun and I are just ordinary friends. We have no relationship whatsoever."

Actually, Huaihua really wanted to become Jun Ge's woman, but Jun Ge didn't seem to be in a hurry and hadn't made any demands, so she could only wait. Since Jun Ge had already agreed, Huaihua wasn't in a rush either; she figured she would be Jun Ge's woman sooner or later anyway.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's face showed disappointment. It seemed there really hadn't been any real progress between Huaihua and Wang Jun. It was truly incomprehensible that Wang Jun wasn't moved by such a beautiful woman as Huaihua. Back in the day, Qin Huairu had used her looks to charm men with unparalleled skill; even Sha Zhu was completely under her thumb. Why was it that it didn't work on her daughter?

Although she was very dissatisfied with her daughter, Qin Huairu knew she couldn't say it aloud. After thinking for a moment, she decided to let her daughter give it a try, and said, "Huaihua, you've seen the situation at home. We urgently need some money. Mom wants you to ask Wang Jun to borrow some money, about four thousand yuan."

Upon hearing this, Huaihua was immediately startled. Four thousand yuan? That was a huge sum of money! She was too embarrassed to even ask.

Huaihua quickly shook her head and refused: "Mom, Jun-ge and I are just ordinary friends. I don't dare to ask for so much money. Even if I did ask, he wouldn't lend it to me. Our family doesn't have much of a relationship with Jun-ge. On the contrary, Grandma offended him before, so he definitely won't lend it to me."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu knew that there was no hope of getting Huaihua to borrow money, so she glared at Huaihua and turned to leave.

Outside the house, Sha Zhu was waiting. Seeing Qin Huairu come out, he quickly asked, "How did it go? Is Huaihua willing to borrow money?"

Qin Huairu sighed: "She refused, saying that she and Wang Jun were just ordinary friends, and even if she asked, Wang Jun would not agree to lend her money."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu couldn't hide his disappointment: "That girl Huaihua is really unreliable. It seems we'll have to think of another way."

Opening a restaurant is a must. These days, everyone in the courtyard is running small businesses and making a living. If they don't start something, they'll soon be the poorest family in the courtyard. Times have changed. Before, being poor was considered honorable; now, money is king. If everyone else is wealthy and they're still only earning a meager salary, they'll be embarrassed to even greet people when they go out. Besides, without money, they can't even afford decent clothes, which only invites contempt.

……

Inside the house, Huaihua watched her mother's departing figure and stuck out her tongue. She knew Qin Huairu was dissatisfied with her, but she didn't care. She now had an easy and high-paying job, and she had saved up some money. What was there to be afraid of? At worst, she could just move out of the courtyard house and live elsewhere.

In this family, she held the lowest status. Jia Zhangshi disliked her, and Bang Geng was always cursing and swearing at her. Huaihua had no attachment to this family; moving out would have suited her better.

Huaihua was thinking to herself that she would ask Jun Ge if he had a house outside. If he did, she would settle down there and try not to come back to this courtyard house.

……

In the front yard, Wang Jun was having breakfast when he suddenly saw You Fengxia running over with a happy expression.

You Fengxia ran up to Wang Jun, beaming, and said, "Boss, boss! I have some good news to tell you, can you guess?"

Wang Jun glared at her and said irritably, "What are you guessing for? Just tell me already."

You Fengxia leaned forward and said proudly, "Boss, the Textile Publishing House has agreed to publish your book! Soon, you'll be a great writer!"

Hearing that his book was going to be published, Wang Jun was in a good mood, a smile spreading across his face. Although he wasn't particularly interested in being a writer, publishing a book for fun felt pretty good.

Taking the opportunity, You Fengxia grabbed Wang Jun's arm and said with a smile, "Boss, to publish your book, I braved the cold wind and freezing temperatures, visiting five or six publishing houses. My nose was practically running from the cold. I've worked so hard, can you give me a little reward? Can you let me drive your Changjiang 750?"

Well, after going through all this trouble, You Fengxia only had one goal: to drive that Changjiang 750! She had been coveting that car for a long time and dreamed of driving it around in style.

Today, she got her driver's license and rushed over immediately to get the keys.

Wang Jun understood You Fengxia's thoughts perfectly. He glared at her and said, "Alright, alright, you can drive this Changjiang 750 now."

After saying that, Wang Jun tossed the key to You Fengxia.

You Fengxia is always running around, but she doesn't even own a bicycle. So, Wang Jun gave her the Changjiang 750 motorcycle to drive, which would be more convenient. Besides, You Fengxia has been diligently studying English these past few days, and Wang Jun is quite satisfied with her attitude. Giving her the Changjiang 750 is a reward in itself.

You Fengxia received the key, overjoyed and incredibly excited, saying, "Thank you, boss! Boss, you're truly the best boss in the world, the most handsome boss, the most generous boss..."

You Fengxia was extremely excited at this moment, and she flattered him wildly. After all, flattery didn't cost any money.

Wang Jun was speechless at You Fengxia's excited expression. Driving a Changjiang 750 in this cold weather must be a miserable experience. He really didn't know why this girl was so excited.

Wang Jun waved his hand, shooing You Fengxia out, and said, "Go on, go on, work hard and do your job well. If you perform to my satisfaction, I'll give you this car, no problem."

Upon hearing this, You Fengxia's eyes lit up immediately. Now, all she could think about was how to please her boss.

You Fengxia thought for a while, but still couldn't figure out how to perform at work to satisfy her boss. However, she did have some ideas about her personal life.

Over the past few days, she met many business owners from the south, each of whom brought along a beautiful female secretary. Out of curiosity, You Fengxia chatted with these secretaries and learned quite a bit. According to them, being a boss's secretary means first and foremost obeying the boss's orders; whatever the boss says goes, and whatever they ask you to do, you do. Also, you must make sure the boss is comfortable in their daily life; only then will you gain their favor.

You Fengxia said, "Boss, I know what to do! From now on, I'll come over every day to tidy up your things, do your laundry, and cook for you. What do you think?"

Wang Jun thought about it and decided that having someone help him clean the house and cook for him was a good idea, so he said, "That would be nice."

You Fengxia was smug and said, "Besides these, if you need any errands, just call me, boss, and I'll handle it perfectly! You can call me for anything except fighting. No, even if you need to beat up kids, you can call me. In short, I'll make sure you live like a king, and make sure you're comfortable..."

Wang Jun tapped the woman on the head and kicked her out.

After You Fengxia left, Wang Jun drove his Mercedes-Benz W126 to a courtyard house.

This courtyard house is a three-section courtyard house, covering an area of ​​2,400 square meters, which is quite large. The interior is very well-furnished and includes a small garden.

Courtyard houses with gardens are relatively rare. According to a scholar's survey, there are only one or two hundred courtyard houses with private gardens in the entire capital city.

The small garden inside this courtyard house covers more than 600 square meters and includes artificial hills, small ponds, small bridges, flowers, trees, pavilions, and covered walkways. It is connected to the main courtyard through an open pavilion and corridor gate on the west side.

Wang Jun is quite satisfied with this courtyard house. He plans to renovate it so he can stay here and enjoy the flowers in the garden.

However, this courtyard house is too big. Wang Jun estimates that a complete renovation would take at least three or four months, and possibly even half a year.

The main problem is that renovating a courtyard house requires various types of tiles, bricks, and stones. These materials are hard to find nowadays. If modern tiles and bricks are used for renovation, the renovated courtyard house will lose its antique charm.

Wang Jun looked around the courtyard and noticed a woman coming out of the opposite courtyard; it was Qin Jingru.

Wang Jun glanced at her and noticed that Qin Jingru had changed into a new outfit, with a bright red scarf around her neck, and she looked quite pretty.

Qin Jingru comes from a rural background. In the past, she wore only blue or gray clothes, which looked rather plain. Now, after changing her clothes, she looks much better.

Wang Jun said, "Sister Qin, you live here?"

Qin Jingru was in a very good mood and said with a smile, "Yes. Two days ago, Xu Damao and I got divorced, and I found a place to live on my own."

Wang Jun was shocked when he heard this. He never expected that Xu Damao and Qin Jingru had actually gotten divorced.

In the TV series, these two people stayed together until the very end.

To be honest, in the TV series "Love in the Courtyard," although Qin Jingru desperately wanted to escape rural life and marry into the city, her actions revealed her to be an absolutely good woman. Xu Damao did so many things to wrong her, ultimately ruining her life, but Qin Jingru didn't leave; she remained willing to stay with him.

Staying faithful to one's husband until death is rare. You can call her foolish, but for a man, she's the ideal wife.

Wang Jun really wanted to know why Qin Jingru and Xu Damao divorced, but this was a private matter, and he couldn't bring himself to ask.

The book "Siheyuan: Living a Prosperous Life" is full of classic quotes, so come and find resonance.

Wang Jun then asked, "Sister Qin, could there be some misunderstanding between you and Xu Damao?"

Qin Jingru said angrily, "Misunderstanding? There's absolutely no misunderstanding! He bought an expensive dress that cost several hundred yuan, went to that young widow's house, and even took a camera and took several rolls of film photos. These are all evidence! There's no misunderstanding at all!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jun's lips curled into a playful smile. He put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and said, "Open a restaurant? Sha Zhu wants to open a restaurant?"

This is something new.

In Wang Jun's memory, although Sha Zhu was a good cook and was the head chef in the steel mill canteen, running a restaurant and being a head chef were two different things. Running a restaurant required business acumen, accounting skills, and interpersonal skills, as well as working long hours to handle procurement, hygiene, and business and tax matters.

With Sha Zhu's straightforward nature and impulsive temper, if he were to open a restaurant, he'd probably be sold out and still have to help the seller count the money.

"Yes, I also think it's unreliable."

Huaihua sat opposite Wang Jun, resting her chin on her hands, and said with a worried expression, "My mom said that Dad doesn't want to work in the factory anymore, he feels mistreated. And now that the policies are better and individual businesses are allowed, he wants to go out on his own. But he doesn't have any capital. The little savings we have... you know, in the past few years, they've all gone into household expenses, where would we get any money?"

At this point, Huaihua sighed, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. Although she disliked Qin Huairu's calculating nature, she was, after all, her own mother, and seeing the family struggling to make ends meet made her feel bad.

Wang Jun nodded, his mind perfectly clear.

This money is probably Sha Zhu's savings for his funeral over the years, all of which Qin Huairu has misappropriated under various pretexts. Now Sha Zhu wants to do something worthwhile, but he's broke. Qin Huairu's plan is quite clever; she wants to use his money to open a shop for Sha Zhu. If it makes money, it's Sha Zhu's; if it loses... well, when that money will be repaid is another matter.

Four thousand yuan was a huge sum of money in those days; it could buy a small courtyard house in the city.

"So what did your mother say? Did she just tell you to come and borrow it?" Wang Jun asked.

Huaihua shook her head: "No, not at all. She was just hinting that Daddy's life has been tough, and he wants to make something of himself. She said that if someone could help him out, he would never forget their kindness. She also said... she also said..."

At this point, Huaihua blushed and her voice softened: "She also said that if I had a good relationship with you, Brother Jun, this amount of money would be nothing to you, and it would be only right for me to help out."

"Heh." Wang Jun chuckled lightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

Qin Huairu is really cunning. She's treating Huaihua like a cash cow, even trying to use it to manipulate me. She probably thinks that because she's close to Huaihua, the money will be hers for the taking as soon as Huaihua asks.

Unfortunately, she miscalculated two things.

First, although Huaihua is simple-minded, she is not stupid. Moreover, she has long seen through Qin Huairu's little schemes and even feels somewhat disgusted by them.

Secondly, Wang Jun is neither a fool nor a sucker.

"Huaihua, you did the right thing." Wang Jun looked at Huaihua and said seriously, "I can't lend you this money."

Huaihua's eyes lit up, as if she breathed a sigh of relief: "I knew you'd say that, Brother Jun. Actually, I didn't want to lend it either. It's easy to lend money, but hard to get it back. Besides, Dad's personality is really not suited for business. What if he loses money? Who will pay it back?"

"That's secondary," Wang Jun said slowly, taking a sip of his tea. "It's a good thing that Sha Zhu wants to open a shop; it shows he's ambitious. However, opening a shop by borrowing money is inherently risky. Doing business requires risk awareness; if you're borrowing capital, your mindset is unstable. Besides, your mother's personality..."

Wang Jun paused, not speaking too bluntly, but Huaihua clearly understood.

"You mean, my mom will get involved?" Huaihua asked.

"Your mother is a strong-willed person, but also a family-oriented one. If Sha Zhu really opens a shop, do you think she'll just stand by and watch? In that case, will the shop belong to Sha Zhu or your mother? Sha Zhu is easily swayed; if your mother persuades him, who knows what will become of the shop."

Huaihua was stunned when she heard this, but after thinking about it carefully, she realized that it was indeed true.

Qin Huairu is the undisputed head of the household, and although Sha Zhu looks fierce, he's completely obedient to her. If they really open a restaurant, Qin Huairu will definitely have to manage the accounts, and Sha Zhu will become nothing more than an employee.

"Then... what if Dad really wants to open a shop? What should we do?" Huaihua asked, somewhat worried.

Wang Jun smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about that. If Sha Zhu really has the intention, I can help him, but not by lending him money. It's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. I can point him in the right direction or let him invest in my company, but I won't lend him the money for nothing."

"Investment?" Huaihua blinked, seemingly unfamiliar with the term.

"Yes, I'll invest. I'll also put in some money and become a part of the business. We'll share the profits, and I'll accept any losses. That way, I'll be one of the owners of the business, and your mother will have to think twice before getting involved."

Wang Jun explained. He didn't really want to open a restaurant; he just felt that Sha Zhu wasn't a bad person at heart, and if he could help him get rid of Qin Huairu's exploitation, it would be a good thing. Besides, in this era, opening a restaurant, as long as it's managed properly, is definitely a sure-fire way to make money.

Huaihua nodded as if she understood, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Wang Jun: "Brother Jun, you're amazing, you've thought of everything so thoroughly."

"Alright, stop flattering me." Wang Jun waved his hand. "Let's eat, the food's getting cold. Just pretend you don't know anything about this. If your mother brings it up again, just say I'm a bit short on cash lately, all the money's invested in my business."

"Okay, I understand," Huaihua replied obediently, picking up her chopsticks and placing a piece of braised pork on Wang Jun's plate. "Brother Jun, try this. I made it myself."

Wang Jun picked up a piece of meat, put it in his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and nodded: "It tastes good, your cooking skills have improved. Whoever marries you in the future will be very lucky."

Huaihua blushed at the praise, lowered her head and ate her rice, but felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

……

Early the next morning.

As soon as Wang Jun arrived at the courtyard, he saw Sha Zhu pushing his bicycle out, looking worried.

Upon seeing Wang Jun, Sha Zhu's eyes lit up. After hesitating for a moment, he walked over and called out somewhat awkwardly, "Junzi... um, so early?"

Wang Jun stopped and looked at Sha Zhu's slightly weathered face, sighing inwardly. This Sha Zhu probably already knew Qin Huairu wanted to borrow money; was he hiding, or waiting for the outcome?

"Yeah, Brother Zhu, you're heading out so early?" Wang Jun asked with a smile.

"Ah... well, I'm going to the factory to take a look. Even though I don't want to work here anymore, I still have to work this shift," Sha Zhu stammered, his eyes darting around.

Wang Jun didn't expose him, and said directly, "Brother Zhu, I heard you want to open a restaurant?"

Sha Zhu was taken aback, then gave a bitter smile: "Sigh, I do have that idea. But this matter... is difficult. Without capital, it's impossible to move an inch."

"If it's a matter of capital, it's not a big deal," Wang Jun said casually.

Sha Zhu suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but it quickly dimmed again: "You mean... Huaihua told you? Sigh, that woman Qin Huairu, she's just making a mess of things. I know you're capable, but this money... I can't lend it to you."

"Why?" Wang Jun asked knowingly.

"If I lend you this money, I'll owe you a favor. Besides, business is about making and losing money. If I lose, how will I pay you back? I don't want to be drowning in debt." Although Sha Zhu sometimes acts recklessly, he still has some principles when it comes to matters of principle.

Wang Jun nodded, his opinion of Sha Zhu rising even higher.

"Brother Zhu, since you're so willing, let's try a different approach." Wang Jun looked at Sha Zhu and said earnestly, "I won't lend you money; let's cooperate."

"Cooperation?" Sha Zhu was stunned.

"Yes. I'll provide the capital, you provide the expertise. Let's open a restaurant together. If we make money, we'll split the profits proportionally; if we lose money, it's on me. How about it?"

Sha Zhu stared wide-eyed, unable to process what was happening for a long time. How could such a windfall have fallen into his lap?

"This...this won't do! How can you be the one to suffer a loss? No, no, this isn't fair." Sha Zhu waved his hands repeatedly.

"That's called venture capital." Wang Jun patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder. "Brother Zhu, your skills are worth the price. And I believe you can do it well. So, are you interested?"

Looking into Wang Jun's sincere eyes, Sha Zhu felt his blood begin to boil.

For so many years, he had worked in the steel rolling mill as a chef, but he was always just an employee, subject to others' control. Now, an opportunity presented itself—the chance to be a boss and put his skills to use—how could he not be tempted?

"Alright! Junzi, since you think so highly of me, Shazhu, then I'll do it! If I don't do it well, I, Shazhu, will offer my head!" Shazhu gritted his teeth and said loudly.

"Alright, stop bringing it up. Just cook the food well," Wang Jun said with a smile. "We can discuss the specific details another time. Today, go to the factory and get the paperwork done. You also need to put your resignation on the agenda."

"Alright! I'm off!" Sha Zhu excitedly pushed his bicycle and ran outside, his back view looking much lighter than usual.

Watching Sha Zhu's departing figure, Wang Jun smiled.

Author Xu Weibiao's latest work, "Siheyuan: Living a Prosperous Life," is exclusively released for the first time!