Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

When Madam Jia heard that she had to write a three-thousand-word self-criticism, her face turned pale instantly.

She's an illiterate old woman, writing a self-criticism? That's practically killing her! Besides, even if she forced it out, she'd have to stand at the front door and read it aloud. Where would she put her face? How could she ever face anyone again?

"I won't do it again... I promise I'll never curse again!" Faced with the pressure, Jia Zhangshi had no choice but to shrink back and admit defeat.

"Remember this, don't start cursing all the time. You're ruining the reputation of our neighborhood."

"Yeah, I'll let it slide this time, but next time I hear it, it won't be so easy!"

"At your age, have some decency."

The crowd criticized them a few more times before gradually dispersing.

Watching Jia Zhangshi's pathetic state, Huaihua felt incredibly pleased. What she admired even more was Wang Jun—now he didn't even need to show his face; everyone in the courtyard was on his side. If Jia Zhangshi uttered a curse, everyone would pounce on her and pin her down.

After everyone left, Jia Zhangshi felt increasingly aggrieved. She was scolding people in her own house and still got a scolding. What kind of situation was this!

"How nosy they are! I'm just swearing in my own home, what business is it of theirs!" she muttered, her temper flaring up again.

Qin Huairu quickly pulled her aside: "Mom, keep your voice down! If someone hears you, they might force you to write a self-criticism, what will you do then?"

Sha Zhu sighed, "Now the whole hospital is on Wang Jun's side. You should just bear with it and not cause any trouble."

Jia Zhangshi choked up, but ultimately dared not utter another sound.

……

In the front yard, Wang Jun could also hear Jia Zhangshi cursing. However, before he could move, the neighbors had already rushed over to clean up the scene.

This feels quite comfortable.

But to let it go so easily? That won't do.

She needs to suffer a bit to learn her lesson.

With a thought, Wang Jun silently sent out a small talisman of bad luck.

Target—Jia Zhangshi.

quickly,

On the other side of the Intermediate Court,

Jia Zhangshi's cries,

It was passed over.

"Quick, quick, help me to the latrine, I'm going to have diarrhea... Ahhh!"

Jia Zhangshi let out a scream.

Obviously,

She soiled her pants.

Wang Jun was astonished. This little talisman was incredibly powerful; it worked immediately after use. Wang Jun estimated that Jia Zhangshi would be squatting in the latrine all night, unable to even sleep.

at this time,

Wang Jun remembered that he hadn't spent any money on in-game purchases for a while, and since he had nothing to do today, he decided to go fishing and see what he could catch.

"System, I want to do one hundred beginner fishing sessions!"

right now,

Wang Jun's economic strength has increased.

Start spending money!

They became more and more generous.

this time,

Let's go for a 100-fish streak!

[Order received.]

[One hundred beginner fishing sessions are about to begin.]

[10000 yuan has already been deducted.]

Fishing begins.

A semi-transparent fishing line,

It flew out.

I don't know where it flew to.

next moment,

The notification tone continued to sound.

Congratulations! You have received the skincare toner formula and five sample bottles.

then.

There is no more.

"That's all?"

"but."

"Obtaining a recipe is worthwhile."

Wang Jun thought,

Open the panel,

I glanced at the instructions.

[Skincare Toner Formula: A top-tier formula for skincare cosmetics. This product conditions the skin, moisturizes, provides antioxidant benefits, and whitens the skin. Its effects are more than twice as good as SK-II Facial Treatment Essence.]

After reading the instructions,

Wang Jun's eyes lit up.

This is definitely good stuff.

Other cosmetics,

Wang Jun didn't know.

But the famous SK-II Facial Treatment Essence,

He still knew.

This thing was launched ten years ago.

Once launched,

It was welcomed by countless women.

A small bottle,

They can be sold for hundreds or even thousands of yuan.

There's absolutely no worry about sales.

but.

The domestic cosmetics market is still underdeveloped, and there are very few cosmetics available. You can hardly find even lipsticks in small shopping malls.

If this kind of skincare product were produced, it could only be considered for export.

"Now that we have the formula..."

"Then let's open another factory."

"We can just export the products we produce."

Wang Jun took out five bottles of skincare lotion. He'd give these to You Fengxia and Huaihua to try tomorrow and see how effective they were. If they were truly effective, he'd immediately consider starting a factory.

Wang Jun watched TV for a while.

I took a shower.

I went straight to sleep.

the other side,

Yi Zhonghai listened to Jia Zhangshi's movements.

He shook his head.

The Jia family has so many problems.

Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng,

Neither of them are content with their lot.

Every few days,

That will cause some trouble.

You have no idea.

What will happen next?

Sha Zhu is alright, but his salary isn't much to rely on. Besides, Sha Zhu's paycheck is all in Qin Huairu's hands; Qin Huairu is the one in charge.

It seems that

We cannot place our hopes for old age on...

They're all kept at the Jia family's place.

Thinking about this...

Yi Zhonghai had a plan for his retirement. He planned to gather a few people in the courtyard house and start a mutual aid group for the elderly.

So,

Who should I invite to join the mutual aid group?

this,

Yi Zhonghai had already thought it through.

It's Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui.

Liu Haizhong has a strained relationship with his sons and they rarely speak to each other, so he is often worried about his retirement.

Yan Bugui was similar; he was stingy and even charged for watching television. Therefore, his relationship with his sons wasn't good either.

Yan Bugui was similar; he was stingy and even charged for watching television. Therefore, his relationship with his sons wasn't good either.

Therefore,

Add these two people to the mutual aid group.

What happened to everyone?

That way, we can have someone to look after us.

Thinking of this,

Yi Zhonghai couldn't sit still any longer.

He immediately took action.

Walk to the backyard,

Looking for Liu Haizhong.

backyard,

Liu Haizhong stood in front of a large pot.

I'm roasting sunflower seeds.

In the air,

You can smell the aroma of melon seeds.

Meanwhile, Aunt Er was squatting on the ground, tending a fire. The flames were burning brightly, and you could feel their heat even from several meters away.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at it and thought that roasting melon seeds was too hard work. Liu Haizhong was so old, and he was still doing this kind of work. It must be tiring.

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and said, "Old Liu, you're so old, why are you still doing this kind of hard work? You're just asking for trouble. You need to take care of your health."

at this time,

Liu Haizhong is in very good spirits.

Roasting sunflower seeds is a skill.

Although tired,

but,

It makes money.

He now sells over 200 jin of sunflower seeds a day. After deducting all costs, he makes over 100 yuan a day in profit. Just thinking about all that money makes his back stop aching and he stop feeling tired!

While roasting sunflower seeds, Liu Haizhong said, "Old Yi, is there something you need? If so, I'll talk to you when I'm done."

To be honest,

Liu Haizhong now,

Nobody wanted to pay any attention to Yi Zhonghai.

right now,

Making money by roasting sunflower seeds

That's the real business.

Seeing Liu Haizhong's appearance, Yi Zhonghai immediately stated his purpose, saying, "Old Liu, at our age, we need to think about retirement. Retirement depends on our children, but we also need to prepare ourselves. I'm planning to start a mutual aid group for the elderly, so that everyone can help each other out if anything happens. What do you think?"

Liu Haizhong heard this.

I'm not really interested.

This mutual aid group

It was just a group of old men getting together.

What's the point?

It would be better to earn more money and hire a nanny so that she can take care of all her needs, including meals, accommodation, and transportation.

Liu Haizhong said, "Old Yi, I don't think this mutual aid group of yours is very meaningful. I think we should earn more money and then hire someone to come back and take care of things."

beside,

Aunt Er heard this,

He nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, the issue of retirement depends either on your children or on earning money. If you can't rely on your children, then you have to earn more money to support yourself in retirement. I heard that with the further advancement of reform and opening up, ration coupons are no longer needed. As long as you have money, you can buy anything."

Yi Zhonghai was stunned.

did not expect,

Two in the bangs,

They actually want to rely on money for retirement.

His mutual aid group's plan

It's destined to fail from the very beginning.

Yi Zhonghai was a little unwilling. He wanted to know how much money Liu Haizhong could make from his melon seed business, since he actually wanted to use the money to support his retirement.

Yi Zhonghai then said, "Old Liu, let me ask you something. How much do you actually earn in a month selling melon seeds? Can you tell me?"

Liu Haizhong felt uneasy upon hearing this—why was Old Yi asking about how much money he was making? That's not something you can just casually tell anyone.

But since he had asked, he gave a vague answer: "It's only about ten yuan a day."

In fact, he underestimated the amount by several times. When business was good, earning tens or even hundreds of yuan a day wasn't uncommon. But even if he only mentioned a dozen or so yuan, Yi Zhonghai was still astonished.

"So many? Selling melon seeds is that profitable?!"

"This is much higher than my pension!"

Earning a dozen or so yuan a day adds up to three or four hundred a month, and four or five thousand a year—if you work for a few years, you can save up enough for retirement, right? No wonder Liu Haizhong wasn't interested in his plan.

Liu Haizhong chuckled: "It does make a little money. We have to thank Wang Jun for that; his recipe makes the sunflower seeds so fragrant that we can't keep up with demand every day."

Before he knew it, he had become a "fan" of Wang Jun, praising him every other sentence.

Yi Zhonghai felt even more frustrated. He had never thought much of Wang Jun before. But in just two months, Wang Jun had become the most popular person in the courtyard, even Liu Haizhong praised him highly. If they were to elect a new head of the household now, Wang Jun would probably be the top head immediately.

Unable to reach a consensus, Yi Zhonghai turned and walked towards the front yard to find Yan Bugui.

Upon entering the house, one could see Yan Bugui and Aunt San busily roasting sunflower seeds in a large iron wok. Well, Liu Haizhong was roasting them, and so was Yan Bugui; apparently, only he and Qin Huairu's family in the entire courtyard weren't doing this.

Yi Zhonghai was speechless.

Yan Bugui, seeing him come in, didn't stop what he was doing: "Old Yi, why aren't you at home watching TV? What brings you here?"

Yi Zhonghai didn't beat around the bush and directly explained his idea for the elderly mutual aid group, wanting to recruit Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui waved his hand immediately upon hearing this: "Old Yi, I'm not interested in your mutual aid group. You've already given your salary to Qin Huairu. She and Shazhu will take care of you in your old age. Isn't that enough for you to enjoy your retirement? Why bother with this?"

Yi Zhonghai felt depressed. He wanted to enjoy his retirement, but one trouble after another plagued the Jia family—Bang Geng was cheated out of four thousand yuan; now Sha Zhu was opening a restaurant, and if he lost money again, he would be drowning in debt. How could he possibly have the energy to take care of him?

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui smiled instead. Two months ago, he would have indeed been worried about his retirement. But now? He had already found a way.

"Old Yi, my way of retiring is summed up in one word: make money!" Yan Bugui shook his head. "Frying melon seeds is hard work now, but I see money every day. If I keep working for another three to five years, what will I have to worry about in my retirement?"

Yi Zhonghai was at his wits' end—well, Yan Bugui was also counting on roasting melon seeds to make a living. His plan to recruit people had fallen through again.

He picked up a few sunflower seeds and tasted them; they were surprisingly delicious. "Old Yan, could I try your sunflower seed roasting recipe?"

Yan Bugui quickly waved his hand: "That won't do! Only those who have worked for Wang Jun can have this recipe. Old Yi, although you are an elder, you haven't helped him, so I can't give you this recipe."

Yi Zhonghai had nothing to say, shook his head, and left.

As Aunt San watched his retreating figure, she muttered, "Quite a few people in the medicine clinic know about this formula. Why didn't you tell Old Yi?"

Yan Bugui chuckled: "Old Yi has offended Wang Jun. If I give him the formula, and Wang Jun gets upset, we'll be in big trouble. If he wants to learn it, he can ask someone else."

Aunt San thought it made sense and nodded.

Yan Bugui continued, "Our business is getting better and better. In a few days, we'll rent a shop. We'll hire two young men to roast melon seeds, and we'll take care of the sales. Selling three to five hundred catties a day shouldn't be a problem, and we might even earn two or three hundred yuan."

Aunt San's eyes lit up—opening a shop, hiring people, and sitting around collecting money? This is practically the life of a landlord!

"That's great, Lao Yan! You're so quick-witted!"

Yan Bugui smiled smugly: "Now that the country is calling on us to get rich, we have to respond to the call. Soon, we'll be the second richest in the compound. By the way, I'll ask Wang Jun tomorrow what suggestions he has."

Aunt San nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we must ask Wang Jun. He's our lucky star, we have to ask him first."

Liu Haizhong heard this.

I'm a little unhappy.

This old Yi,

They actually asked him how much money he makes.

this kind of thing,

Can you tell anyone?

but,

Since you've asked,

Liu Haizhong said, "I can earn about ten yuan a day."

Liu Haizhong wasn't telling the truth.

in fact,

When his business was good

You can earn tens of yuan a day.

Even hundreds of dollars.

Although he had underestimated the amount by several times, Yi Zhonghai was still quite surprised when he heard it. Earning a dozen yuan a day would amount to three or four hundred yuan a month!

"So many!"

"I never imagined selling sunflower seeds could be so profitable!"

"This is much more than our retirement pensions!"

Yi Zhonghai exclaimed in amazement.

Earning a dozen or so dollars a day, at this rate, you can earn four or five thousand a year. In just a few years, you can save up a large sum of money for retirement.

No wonder.

Liu Haizhong wasn't interested in his plan.

at this time,

Liu Haizhong chuckled and said, "Selling sunflower seeds can indeed make money. I have to thank Wang Jun for that; his recipe makes the sunflower seeds very popular, and we can't keep up with demand every day."

Before you know it,

Liu Haizhong became a fan of Wang Jun.

usually,

Everyone would praise Wang Jun.

Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of frustration as he listened. He had previously looked down on Wang Jun, but unexpectedly, in just two months, Wang Jun had become the most popular person in the courtyard, with even Liu Haizhong praising him.

If the courtyard house were to re-elect its head of household...

estimate,

Wang Jun will become an old man in no time.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong couldn't continue their conversation.

They turned around and headed towards the front yard.

Look for Yan Bugui.

Yi Zhonghai entered Yan Bugui's house and found Yan Bugui and Aunt San roasting melon seeds. The two were working enthusiastically, and a large iron wok was making a loud clattering sound as they roasted the seeds.

Liu Haizhong is roasting sunflower seeds.

Yan Bugui is also involved in the hype.

It seemed that only he and Qin Huairu's family in the entire courtyard hadn't roasted melon seeds.

Yi Zhonghai was speechless.

When Yan Bugui saw Yi Zhonghai coming over, he said, "Old Yi, why aren't you at home watching TV? What are you doing here? Is something wrong?"