Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

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That evening, Sha Zhu ate dinner and then went to find Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai had just finished eating. A while ago, he had handed his paycheck to Qin Huairu, and her family was now responsible for his meals, preparing and delivering three meals a day. This way, Yi Zhonghai didn't have to cook for himself, and Qin Huairu received her paycheck—everyone was happy.

Upon seeing Sha Zhu's expression, Yi Zhonghai knew that Sha Zhu wanted to talk to him. He put the bowl aside and said, "Sha Zhu, what's the matter?"

Sha Zhu gave a thumbs up and said, "Uncle Yi, you have a good eye. You knew I needed something from you right away. So I'll get straight to the point. I want to borrow some money to open a restaurant."

Upon hearing about borrowing money, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened. He remembered his four thousand yuan, which was his hard-earned retirement savings. It was gone in an instant, and his heart was bleeding.

Yi Zhonghai asked, "How much do you want to borrow?"

Sha Zhu was the person he had chosen to take care of in his old age, so he trusted Sha Zhu quite a bit. If Sha Zhu didn't borrow too much money, he was willing to lend it to him.

Sha Zhu chuckled and said, "Uncle Yi, as you know, there are too many expenses when opening a restaurant, so I plan to borrow four thousand yuan."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately became unwilling. He had just lost four thousand yuan, and now this guy was coming to borrow another four thousand yuan. This was going to drain his savings. How could he accept that?

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and said, "Shazhu, I've already lost four thousand yuan of my retirement savings. I can't afford to mess around anymore. If you want to open a restaurant, you'd better borrow money from someone else."

After saying that, Yi Zhonghai shooed Sha Zhu out.

Sha Zhu quickly said, "Uncle Yi, please don't do this. Listen to me. Once my restaurant opens, I'll make my money back very quickly. I'll pay you back an extra thousand in interest then, what do you think? You can also invest, as long as you lend me the money, everything is negotiable."

Yi Zhonghai ignored him completely, kicked Sha Zhu out, and then closed the door.

Sha Zhu patted his head and sighed. Qin Huairu was right; after losing four thousand yuan, Yi Zhonghai was no longer willing to lend money.

However, Sha Zhu hasn't given up on his idea of ​​opening a restaurant. Today, Xu Damao drove his Changjiang 750 and showed off in front of him, which spurred Sha Zhu on. Now, all he can think about is making money.

"The restaurant absolutely must open!"

"Even Xu Damao's grandson can make money."

"I can do it too!"

Sha Zhu thought for a while and decided to go find Wang Jun. In the entire courtyard, only Wang Jun could easily come up with several thousand yuan.

However, borrowing money from Wang Jun is no small matter; it needs to be discussed with Qin Huairu.

Sha Zhu returned to the house, pulled Qin Huairu aside, and said, "I just asked Uncle Yi for money, but I was kicked out. I'm planning to ask Wang Jun for money instead."

Qin Huairu said, "Our relationship with Wang Jun is just so-so. If you go to him to borrow money, I doubt he'll agree. Let me tell you, Wang Jun is a very shrewd man."

Capable, wealthy, and shrewd—that was Qin Huairu's assessment of Wang Jun. Qin Huairu secretly hoped to give Wang Jun the locust flowers, hoping to establish a connection with him. The problem was, Wang Jun was too clever for his trade; he wouldn't fall for it.

Sha Zhu wasn't thinking about such things; all he wanted right now was to borrow money. He said, "Whether Wang Jun is willing or not, we'll have to ask him first. If he's willing to lend us money, we can discuss anything. Let's go, let's both go find Wang Jun."

……

Wang Jun was watching TV when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu.

Wang Jun was taken aback, then seeing Sha Zhu's conflicted expression, he immediately realized that Sha Zhu had probably come to borrow money from him.

Wang Jun invited the two to sit on the large sofa, and then brewed them some tea. It was a top-quality tea bought from Zhang Yiyuan Tea Shop, and as soon as the water was poured, the entire living room was filled with a rich aroma of tea.

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu, inhaling the fragrance of tea and sitting on the soft sofa, were utterly awestruck. Wang Jun's home was even more luxurious than a leader's! That enormous sofa alone must have cost several thousand yuan. The chandelier overhead emitted an elegant glow, clearly an expensive piece, easily costing at least a thousand yuan. Add to that a huge color TV, and the entire living room was like a palace, incomparably luxurious.

No wonder that brat Huaihua keeps running here every day.

Wang Jun sat down and said, "Uncle Zhu, Aunt Qin, what brings you here?"

Sha Zhu only came to his senses after hearing Wang Jun speak, and said, "Jun, I want to borrow some money from you to open a restaurant. As long as you agree to lend me the money, everything is negotiable."

Sha Zhu was being very open about it; whatever conditions Wang Jun proposed, they were all negotiable.

Wang Jun nodded slightly after hearing this. You could call Sha Zhu a fool, but he's a fairly straightforward person.

Wang Jun said with a smile, "Uncle Zhu is very generous! Tell me, how much money do you want to borrow?"

Sha Zhu was secretly pleased upon hearing this and said, "Opening a restaurant requires buying a lot of things, so the investment is quite large. Therefore, I would like to borrow four thousand yuan, to be repaid after one year. You can tell me the interest rate."

Wang Jun nodded and said, "Okay, I'll lend you four thousand yuan, and you can pay me back in a year. I won't ask for interest; I want 20% of your restaurant's shares. What do you think?"

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu were both shocked. Wang Jun asked for 20% of the shares as soon as he opened his mouth. That was going too far.

Qin Huairu whispered in Sha Zhu's ear, "Sha Zhu, let's give up. Let's think of another way. Wang Jun is too ruthless. He asked for 20% of the shares right off the bat. That's even more ruthless than capitalism."

Sha Zhu also felt that Wang Jun was too ruthless, but he had no choice now. If he missed this opportunity, he wouldn't know who to borrow money from, and the restaurant would never be able to open.

Wang Jun looked at the two men, completely calm. He had earned enough money now, so his interest in investing in the restaurant was only so-so. It was good that Sha Zhu agreed. If he didn't, he didn't care.

At this moment, Sha Zhu thought for a moment, hardened his heart, and finally agreed, saying, "Alright, I agree to this condition!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jun smiled. As expected, Sha Zhu agreed.

Wang Jun said, "Uncle Zhu has agreed, so let's sign a contract. I'll pay you immediately after we sign the contract."

Sha Zhu could only nod. He had no choice now; no one but Wang Jun would lend him so much money to start a business, not even a leader. Right now, Sha Zhu just wanted to borrow the money and get the restaurant up and running.

Next, Wang Jun took two sheets of white paper, placed a copy of the paper in the middle, and then handwrote a contract. The contract was very simple, only two or three hundred words long.

After signing the contract, Wang Jun took out four thousand yuan and handed it to Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu ran into Xu Damao as they came out of Wang Jun's house.

When Xu Damao saw Sha Zhu coming out of Wang Jun's house with the contract in his hand, he was immediately shocked and said, "Sha Zhu, you've joined Wang Jun's gang too?"

In Xu Damao's eyes, almost everyone in the courtyard followed Wang Jun and made money with him, including himself. The fact that Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu came to Wang Jun's house late at night meant they definitely needed something from him; they were clearly working for Wang Jun.

Sha Zhu was in a complicated mood and didn't want to talk. When he saw Xu Damao approaching, he glared at him and said, "You little brat, get out of here!"

After saying that, Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu walked away.

Xu Damao muttered to himself, "Hey, what kind of attitude is this? I've been hanging out with Wang Jun for a month now, and I've never been this arrogant."

At this moment, Xu Damao felt a little nervous. He knew that everyone who followed Wang Jun eventually became rich. This Sha Zhu had actually figured it out and was following Wang Jun too. This wasn't good news for him. What if Sha Zhu made more money than him? Then he wouldn't be able to brag to Sha Zhu anymore.

"It seems I need to find an opportunity to get closer to Wang Jun. It would be best to give him some gifts to strengthen our relationship."

Xu Damao was thinking of giving Wang Jun some gifts to strengthen their relationship. He valued these social niceties. (Latest plot update: Click to follow.)

However, a problem arises: what should he give as a gift? Wang Jun's business is so big, and he's made so much money; it seems like he lacks nothing.

Xu Damao thought for a while, and suddenly, he thought of something.

"Wang Jun is a young man. He seems to be just eighteen. At seventeen or eighteen, he's full of youthful vigor and must be very interested in young women and wives. Perhaps I could find an opportunity to introduce him to a few pretty young ladies."

Xu Damao chuckled as he thought about this. He thought it was a good idea and that Wang Jun would be satisfied.

Xu Damao has been wandering around with his camera lately, even venturing into universities, where he's met quite a few young women and wives. Introducing a few to Wang Jun wouldn't be a problem at all. Besides, his girlfriend, the young widow He Xiaoyun, has also met quite a few women; she could easily pick a few pretty ones to introduce to Wang Jun.

Xu Damao thought for a moment, then started the Yangtze 750 and sped away.

……

At this moment, Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu returned home with the contract in hand.

While Jia Zhangshi was sewing shoe soles, she saw Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu return and asked, "How did it go, you two? Did you manage to borrow the money?"

Jia Zhangshi was very supportive of opening a restaurant. These days, every household in the courtyard was doing business and making money. Her family needed to do business too, and make a lot of money; otherwise, she'd be too embarrassed to go out. If Sha Zhu opened a restaurant, there would be another benefit for Jia Zhangshi: whenever she craved something delicious, she could go to the restaurant for something tasty—it sounded wonderful!

Qin Huairu replied, "The money was borrowed. But Wang Jun is too ruthless; he demanded 20% of the restaurant's shares, which is outrageous."

Jia Zhangshi blinked her triangular eyes, having no idea what shares meant.

Qin Huairu had no choice but to explain, "In other words, if we make ten yuan from running the restaurant, we have to give two yuan to Wang Jun. That's roughly the idea."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi began to mutter curses.

"That damned Wang Jun."

"Borrow some money, and you also want 20% of the shares."

"His heart is even blacker than that of a capitalist."

"The rich are heartless!"

"They'll suffer a terrible fate!"

The more she spoke, the more vicious she became, until even Huaihua, who was standing to the side, couldn't bear to listen anymore.

Huaihua couldn't help but say, "Grandma, what you said is too harsh. You're so old, you should watch your words. Besides, if you think Wang Jun is heartless, you don't have to lend him the money."

It would have been fine if Huaihua hadn't made a sound, but as soon as she did, Jia Zhangshi glared at her and started cursing again.

"You brat, telling me to accumulate good karma? How dare you talk like that!"

"Do you even see me as your grandmother anymore?!"

"You're praising Wang Jun, aren't you on the side of outsiders?"

"Speak."

"Has Wang Jun stolen your heart?"

"How despicable!"

"You're a money-loser!"

Jia Zhangshi grew increasingly displeased with the locust flowers, and when she started cursing, it was a torrent of words.

The locust flower, scolded, shrank to the side and didn't dare to utter a sound.

At this moment, Huaihua felt an even stronger urge to move out.

In this family, Qin Huairu's attention was entirely focused on Banggeng, and she paid little attention to her. Jia Zhangshi was constantly finding fault with her and scolding her every day. Banggeng was similar; she would clench her fists at the slightest provocation, wanting to hit her.

Only Sha Zhu was somewhat kind to her, but she wasn't Sha Zhu's biological daughter, so how kind could she be?

I've had enough of this kind of life.

"I absolutely have to move out!"

"Even being a maidservant by Brother Jun's side would be better than staying here!"

"Fortunately, Brother Jun's courtyard house is now under renovation. Once it's finished, I'll move in there and never come back!"

At this point, Huaihua felt even less attached to this home.

In the Intermediate Court, after cursing Huaihua, Jia Zhangshi started cursing Wang Jun, her voice growing louder and louder.

Bang Geng was cheated out of eight thousand yuan, and Jia Zhangshi had been feeling uncomfortable for a long time. Now, she was taking this opportunity to give him a good scolding.

However, Jia Zhangshi's cursing was so loud that it quickly attracted everyone's attention!

Wang Jun was the most popular person in the courtyard. He even gave out recipes for roasting melon seeds, enabling every household to start a small business and make money every day. In that sense, Wang Jun was a god of wealth, everyone's benefactor. So, that old hag Jia Zhangshi actually dared to insult Wang Jun; no one could tolerate it!

"Mrs. Jia has gone too far."

"Yeah, Wang Jun hasn't offended her, so why is she cursing him like that?"

"This is so uncivilized! We have to do something about it!"

"Yes, we need to do something about it!"

"Let's go find Jia Zhangshi!"

Soon, twenty or thirty neighbors arrived at the central courtyard and entered Qin Huairu's home!

Madam Jia was sitting at home, happily cursing, when suddenly twenty or thirty people came in. She was so frightened that she could no longer curse.

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu were also taken aback; they couldn't handle so many people coming at once.

At this moment, everyone spoke up and criticized Jia Zhangshi!

"Mrs. Jia, you're so old, can't you watch your mouth? Wang Jun hasn't offended you, why are you cursing him here?"

"Mrs. Jia, we can ignore you when you insult others. But you can't insult Wang Jun! Wang Jun is our benefactor!"

"Yeah, you're cursing someone as good as Wang Jun. Are you out of your mind? You might as well send him to Qingshan Mental Hospital."

"Now everyone emphasizes the Five Stresses, Four Beauties, and Three Loves. Jia Zhangshi, you're always cursing people; there's something wrong with your thinking. We need to report this to the neighborhood committee."

"Yes, Jia Zhangshi, you have a problem with your thinking!"

A large group of people criticized her and even threatened to send her to a mental hospital. This scene completely terrified Jia Zhangshi, and sweat poured down her forehead.

Jia Zhangshi stammered, "What business is it of yours if I'm cursing at home?"

"You can't even swear at home!"

"It's wrong to swear at people! It's even more wrong to swear at Wang Jun!"

"Enough with the talk, call the three gentlemen over and take her to Qingshan Mental Hospital."

"Yes, he's always cursing people, he must have mental problems. Send him to Qingshan Hospital."

"Jia Zhangshi, I'm just asking you, do you know you're wrong?"

"Mrs. Jia, you still haven't realized your mistake. If you don't admit it, we'll have no choice but to send you to a mental hospital."

Jia Zhangshi couldn't withstand the pressure and had no choice but to admit her mistake.

"I was wrong, I was wrong this time. I shouldn't have cursed people, I shouldn't have cursed Wang Jun. Please forgive me. Please forgive me."

Tears streamed down Jia Zhang's face. Circumstances forced her to act against her will. If she didn't admit her mistake and was sent to a mental hospital, she would become a laughingstock. Besides, whether she could even get out of a mental hospital was another question; she didn't want to spend her whole life in that awful place.

At this moment, Yan Bugui, Yi Zhonghai, and Liu Haizhong all came over.

Although Yi Zhonghai was on Jia Zhangshi's side, it was clearly wrong of Jia Zhangshi to curse, so he was too embarrassed to speak up for her.

Yan Bugui sided with Wang Jun, shaking his head and saying, "Jia Zhangshi, your mouth is too foul. Next time I hear you cursing, I'll make you write a three-thousand-word self-criticism."

Liu Haizhong also sided with Wang Jun, saying, "Yes, not only do they have to write a self-criticism, but they also have to stand at the main gate and read it aloud. If they can't do that, then they'll be sent to Qingshan Mental Hospital. In the mental hospital, you can curse all you want and no one will pay attention to you."