Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

"It's my car, sit comfortably." Wang Jun smiled, opened the passenger door, and shoved Luo Yong inside.

Luo Yong sat frozen in his seat, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet. These days, people were very particular: sedans were better than jeeps, large buses were superior to small cars, and imported ones were considered the pinnacle of luxury. Normally, Luo Yong would only dare to glance at this gleaming imported sedan from a distance, but now, sitting inside, he didn't dare breathe too loudly, afraid that any misstep would damage the leather.

Wang Jun got into the driver's seat, stepped on the gas, and the car smoothly glided onto the road out of the city.

Qianjin Village is over 70 li (approximately 35 kilometers) from Beijing. Luo Yong carried dozens of kilograms of cornmeal all the way back; just thinking about it makes his legs cramp. 70 li translates to over 30 kilometers, which on a good road in later times would be a 20-minute drive. But right now, the slogan "To get rich, build roads first" was still a long way off. Infrastructure development was nonexistent, and the dirt roads were bumpy and uneven, like washboards, making it incredibly slow. After a bumpy one and a half hours, he finally arrived at this remote mountain village with over 2,000 inhabitants.

As soon as the car entered the village, a group of mud-covered monkeys excitedly howled and chased after the car wheels. The car stopped in front of Luo Yong's three old tile-roofed houses. The yard was quite spacious and bright, with a few jujube trees planted in it. The conditions were considered decent in the village.

As soon as the car came to a stop, adults and children swarmed around it.

"Wow, this car is really cool!"

"Absolutely! It's much better than that rickety Jeep in the county!"

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to sit in this big car?"

"I heard this is called a sedan. It's like a gust of wind when it runs, and it can get to the capital in two hours!"

A few mischievous kids, unable to resist, reached over and started touching the hood of the car. Luo Yong's heart leaped into his throat. He couldn't afford to pay for even the slightest damage to this imported sedan, even if he sold himself. He quickly jumped out of the car and yelled, "You little brats, get your hands off! This is an imported sedan! If you damage it, you won't be able to pay for it even if you sell yourselves!" The adults, terrified, quickly pulled their children back inside.

Wang Jun got out of the car, and everyone instinctively backed away at his attire. He didn't stand on ceremony, cheerfully pulling out two packs of Peony cigarettes and a bag of White Rabbit milk candy to distribute. These days, Peony cigarettes and White Rabbit candy were practically icebreakers. Once the cigarettes and candy were gone, the villagers' enthusiasm immediately returned, and they all crowded around him, chattering away:

"Young man, which village are you from?"

"He's so handsome! My daughter is fifteen, and she's gorgeous. Want me to set you up with him?"

"He's obviously a cultured person! My daughter just graduated high school and is taking the entrance exam for a university in Beijing. You two should meet; if you hit it off, you can get married right away!"

"I have five daughters! The oldest is twenty-three, the youngest is sixteen, you can choose whichever one you like!"

Wang Jun was sweating profusely. These aunties and grandmas in the village were too fierce; it seemed like they were going to snatch their son-in-law right there and then.

Seeing this, Luo Yong quickly squeezed through the crowd, glaring at them: "Aunt Zhou, Aunt Ge, Aunt Li, what are you doing? Your daughters aren't even grown up yet and you're already trying to arrange marriages for them? What nonsense! Get out of here and stop arguing!"

The older women, feeling slighted, chuckled and retreated to the side. Luo Yong turned to Luo Yong with a smile: "Jun, come inside and rest for a while. Have your aunt kill a chicken, eat it, and then you can leave."

"No rush," Wang Jun waved his hand and smiled, "I brought some things with me, they're all in the car, let's unload them first."

As he spoke, he yanked open the trunk and rear door. Good heavens, a huge box containing a color television was right there, causing the entire room to fall silent instantly, followed by an uproar:

"Good heavens, is this a television?"

"There are words on it: a color television!"

"A 20-inch! Golden Phoenix brand large-screen TV!"

"The team's monitor is only a 9-inch black and white one, how big must this 20-inch one be!"

"That's not all, there are three radios!"

"Half a basket of pork!"

"There's also a big bag of clothes and shoes; they're definitely not cheap stuff from street vendors!"

The villagers' eyes widened in disbelief, and several adults trembled as they reached for the box containing the large color TV. This was a huge color TV! Even city dwellers might not have one, and villagers had never even seen one before. Seeing it displayed was like a game-changer; everyone wanted nothing more than to tear open the packaging and feast their eyes.

Wang Jun patted the TV box: "Uncle Luo, this TV is for you. You can watch the news tonight."

Luo Yong's face turned a deep purplish-red, and he frantically waved his hands, saying, "You silly child, this big color TV is so expensive! You bought it without saying a word! I can't accept it, take it back and return it right away!"

"No returns or exchanges after you buy it." Wang Jun turned to everyone and called out, "Come on, folks, lend a hand and help Uncle Luo carry his things inside!"

Everyone was eagerly anticipating the purchase, and upon hearing this, they swarmed forward. Several strong laborers carefully lifted the large color TV, while the women nimbly carried the radio and smaller items, making their way to Luo Yong's house.

Following Luo Yong into the house, Wang Jun met his wife, Li Junxia, ​​and daughter, Luo Xiaoli. Xiaoli, a fresh-faced high school student, timidly called out "Brother Jun," blushed, and hid to the side, peeking out with half her head to secretly observe Wang Jun.

As Wang Jun sat down and glanced around, he noticed that more and more people were crowding outside the window to watch the commotion. He couldn't help but wonder, it was February, the peak season for spring plowing, so why were all these young men wandering around the village?

Luo Yong sighed and poured out his grievances: "To be honest, our Qianjin Village has little land and a large population. The men in the village are so idle that they can only wander around aimlessly." He also wanted to start a factory to provide a livelihood for everyone, but he had neither connections nor capital. The village collective was dirt poor. What could he do?

Li Junxia chimed in, shaking her head, "That's right! There's not enough land to cultivate, and people can't even fill their bellies. When girls from all around hear it's Qianjin Village, they shake their heads like rattles. Who would want to marry here and suffer like this?"

Listening to the couple's complaints, Wang Jun had a plan in mind—to build a feed mill.

There's a shortage of non-staple foods right now, and fish, eggs, meat, and milk are in high demand, with prices changing daily. He remembers clearly that in three years, the government will launch the "vegetable basket" project, encouraging large-scale pig and chicken farming. At that time, feed will definitely be in high demand. Wasn't the Hope Group, which was famous throughout the country in his previous life, made its fortune in the 1980s by selling feed and even became the richest man in the country? This business is a sure thing.

Now that he's been reborn into the 1980s and still has the system at his fingertips, Wang Jun has no intention of staying cooped up in a courtyard house watching those beasts scheme and plot. What he wants is to seize opportunities and build capital. Once his pockets are full, he'll move into core industries like chips, mobile phones, and automobiles, becoming a world-class giant that shakes up the industry.

Having made up his mind, he looked at Luo Yong and said, "Uncle Luo, there are so many strong laborers in the village who are just sitting around doing nothing. Why don't we open a feed mill together and specialize in making feed for livestock and poultry?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Yong's eyes lit up. If this could be done, Qianjin Village would be saved! But then he thought about it again and hung his head: "It's good, but the village really can't squeeze any money out of it."

Wang Jun chuckled and said, "I'll provide the money, the village will provide the land and manpower, we'll do it together as a joint venture, and I'll just take a share."

Luo Yong gasped. This was indeed a viable option, but the ambition was far too great: "Junzi, setting up a decent feed mill would cost at least tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. Can you afford that?"

Wang Jun leaned back, his tone nonchalant: "Uncle Luo, don't worry, I'm earning more than a hundred thousand a day now."

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this. Luo Yong and his wife stared at him as if he were an alien. Tens of thousands a day? Good heavens, at that rate of money making, even the capitalists in books would be awed!

Ignoring their shock, Wang Jun then revealed his trump card: "Since we're going to do this, let's go big. I'll invest one million, covering everything from building the factory and buying machinery to hiring workers. But let me make this clear from the start: my one million investment will give me 80% of the shares. Think it over."

Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. If it works out, great; if not, he can easily find another place.

Luo Yong's mind raced, calculating: exchanging one million for 80% of the shares might seem like a loss for the village, but once the factory was up and running, the revenue would be a hundred times better than toiling in the fields! Most importantly, the village's bachelors would have a job, earn wages, and have hope of getting married. Qianjin Village had been poor for so long; it was time for them to turn their lives around.

The two men were talking loudly when they discussed it, and ears were already pricked up outside the door. The news of building a feed mill for one million yuan spread like wildfire throughout the village, causing an uproar!

"My goodness! The big boss is going to build a factory in our village?!"

"Really? One million! For a feed mill!"

"This is fantastic news! The village next door is making a fortune from a run-down brick kiln, so our million-dollar factory is bound to take off!"

"We should have started a factory a long time ago! We're so idle, we can't even earn enough for a pack of cigarettes. This is unbearable!"

"Yes! We must build a factory! A feed mill worth a million yuan, who around here dares to compete? The young men from our village will be working there and earning wages; let's see who dares to look down on us then!"

"Let's go, let's go find the village chief and make our stance clear! We absolutely can't let this golden phoenix fly away!"

Whoosh—a group of villagers rushed into the house in a great hurry, surrounding it so much that not even a fly could get in.

"Boss, welcome to build your factory in our village! I can't guarantee anything else, but we definitely have enough people!"

"Boss, as long as you're willing to build a factory, anything is fine!"

"Village chief, we absolutely have to take over this factory! All the bachelors in our village are counting on it to find wives!"

"Village chief, all four of my sons are staying at home sponging off their parents. You really have to approve setting up this factory!"

Hearing the excited chatter of everyone in the room, Wang Jun was also taken aback. He hadn't expected that everyone's desire to start a factory would be so intense.

Everyone was eager to set up a factory, so things became much easier. After the meeting, it was decided immediately: Wang Jun and Qianjin Village would partner to build a feed mill. Wang Jun would invest one million yuan, holding 80% of the shares; the village would provide the land for construction and handle the paperwork, holding 20%. As soon as the news spread, the entire Qianjin Village was in an uproar, even more excited than during the Spring Festival.

"Our village finally has a factory!"

"We won't have to worry about not having work anymore!"

"That's right! With just a few acres of barren land in the village, farming isn't even enough to feed us. Having a factory at least provides an extra source of income; it's a fantastic thing!"

Once the contract was signed, Wang Jun said goodbye to Luo Yong and drove back to the city. He left the factory construction entirely to the village. Right now, the villagers of Qianjin Village were even more anxious than he was, wishing they could break ground overnight. He didn't need to worry about it at all; he just needed to receive payments according to the progress.

On his drive back to Beijing, Wang Jun passed a park and, out of the corner of his eye, saw a huge group of people standing in the open space, practicing qigong. He shook his head at the sight.

On his drive back to Beijing, Wang Jun passed a park and, out of the corner of his eye, saw a huge group of people standing in the open space, practicing qigong. He shook his head at the sight.

Right now, the qigong craze is at its peak. It's said that practicing it can cure all diseases, make the fat thin, and the ugly beautiful. If you reach a high level, you can even predict the future, emit a strange fragrance, and even cure terminal illnesses with your qigong. With such incredible claims, naturally more and more people are learning it. Some quick-thinking individuals have seized the opportunity to set up qigong training classes, divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Beginners pay twenty yuan, intermediate two hundred, and advanced dares to charge a thousand yuan! These so-called masters are really making a killing.

Wang Jun slowed down and looked around for a moment. The park was full of people striking all sorts of bizarre poses, even more frenzied than square dancing decades later.

Suddenly, he chuckled: "Hey? Isn't that a pheasant? Has this guy started practicing qigong too?"

There stood a man with an aluminum pot on his head, gesturing earnestly about its name. Wang Jun shook his head helplessly. This thing was clearly a scam, but everyone believed it these days. Newspapers touted it daily, and there were even dedicated qigong magazines. Even the Liu brothers, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, had fallen for it. It had become a social trend, and he wasn't about to risk getting involved. Bored, Wang Jun turned the steering wheel. Wouldn't it be better to go home and have hot pot?

……

As for Banggeng, he had been scammed out of eight thousand yuan and had been hiding in a hotel for the past two days to avoid reporters. Coincidentally, a qigong master was staying next door. This old man looked to be in his sixties, with a ruddy complexion, and claimed to be over a hundred years old, attributing his youthful appearance entirely to qigong practice. Seeing Banggeng's interest, the master immediately demonstrated his skills, instantly stunning Banggeng. Gritting his teeth, Banggeng borrowed twenty yuan from a colleague to pay his tuition, becoming a beginner apprentice.

At this moment, Banggeng is practicing with the master in the park, while a group of fellow disciples around him are chattering and exchanging their experiences.

"This qigong is amazing! I've been practicing for half a month, and my dantian feels warm and my whole body feels refreshed. If I keep practicing like this, I'll have superpowers in no time!"

"I feel incredibly energetic after practicing, and I don't even need to sleep at night. I use practicing instead of sleeping, which adds up to ten or more hours a day!"

"I've been practicing for a month, and now I hardly sweat or smell at all, so I don't even need to shower. I reckon if I keep practicing, I'll start to smell of sandalwood. Only those who have attained Buddhahood are like that!"

"Haha, I've been here for a month too. It's just so-so, except I've gained a little skill—I can heal! Yesterday my son fell and cried like a log, but I touched his head and he immediately stopped crying, even forgetting the pain!"

Banggeng listened with shining eyes, feeling incredibly envious: These senior brothers and sisters have all made a name for themselves, they're amazing!

He quickly approached the master: "Master, I'm new here, and I'd like to ask how long it takes to master this qigong?"

The master stroked his beard, smiling as he sized him up: "Comrade, you have an extraordinary physique and exceptional talent; you're a promising candidate for martial arts! Once you advance to the intermediate apprentice level, I'll personally guide you, and I guarantee you'll cultivate true qi within a week!"

Bang Geng's eyes widened upon hearing this. Martial arts novels were all the rage, and he dreamed of possessing true qi. If he could truly master it, wouldn't he be unstoppable? Flying over rooftops, admired by all, with money and women galore? Wang Jun was nothing compared to him—just a few stinking coins! Once he became a qigong master, he wouldn't even need to leave the house; people would line up to deliver money to his door! Learning qigong could absolutely defy fate!

Having made up his mind, Bang Geng slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Master, you wait! I'm going home right now to get the money for tuition. I'm determined to become a qigong master!"

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately deflated. The intermediate level required a payment of two hundred yuan, and he only had a dozen yuan left in his pocket—not even enough for a small change. Banggeng was so worried he was tearing his hair out; where was he going to get that money?