Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

The next morning, Wang Jun was stunned by what he saw as soon as he opened the door—a large group of people had gathered at the door, each holding a radio casing, creating a rather spectacular scene.

"Finally awake!"

"Jun, I've refurbished five shells, they're all here!"

"I have three, and they're brand new!"

"Soldier, take a look at these and see if they're up to standard? Six of them..."

"Take mine first!"

Wang Jun was stunned—he hadn't expected the women in the courtyard to act so quickly, renovating so many exteriors overnight.

"Everyone, don't rush, line up, one at a time." He raised his voice, "As long as the outer shell is fine, I'll take them all."

The line quickly formed, and Wang Jun began inspecting the items. First in line was Aunt Zhou, who had brought six shells. After checking them, Wang Jun paid her 9.6 yuan on the spot—6 yuan for the purchase and 3.6 yuan for refurbishment. Aunt Zhou beamed. She was unemployed, spending her days cooking and chatting at home, with no income whatsoever. This 3.6 yuan was more than her husband's daily wage! "Thank you, Jun, I'll come again tomorrow!" "Okay!" Wang Jun replied with a smile.

Next, he inspected each one, and finding all the shells to be合格 (qualified/up to standard), he paid them on the spot. The women were extremely excited: "I got 5, earned 3 yuan!" "I got 7, earned 4.2 yuan, I'll buy a pound of pork to try later!" "I got 8, earned 4.8 yuan, that's three days' wages for my husband!" "I earned 3 yuan, I'll call my brother to help later, he's unemployed." "What a coincidence, I'm planning to call my sister to come along, we can renovate more than ten a day!" Amidst their chatter, the women's goodwill towards Wang Jun soared, and several were already secretly considering introducing their relatives' daughters to him.

At the middle court, Huaihua watched from afar, her heart filled with excitement: "If they can refurbish, so can I! A shell costs 6 cents!" She decided to go to the scrap yard to find a shell later.

After the older women left, Guo Hongbing and his two companions arrived carrying 19 casings. Wang Jun calculated that they had collected a total of 82 casings that day—what others considered junk, he saw as money. 82 casings could be assembled into 82 radios, which could earn several thousand yuan when sold. In those days, several thousand yuan was a huge sum of money, enough to buy a three-courtyard house.

He walked to the door and waved: "We'll continue buying tomorrow, same price, bring as many as you want, let's all make money together!" "Great!" "I'll bring at least ten tomorrow!" "I'm going to the scrap yard to find some shells!" The women happily dispersed. Wang Jun smiled—all the women in the courtyard had come to "work" for him, it felt good.

Wang Jun took out his tools and assembled a radio. In those days, radios were simple in structure; you just needed to connect the wires, install the speaker, and attach the casing. He assembled them faster and faster, completing 15 in one morning. He estimated he could assemble 50 a day, and even more if he worked harder, but he didn't want to push himself too hard.

I cooked a pot of sausage noodles for lunch, ate, rested for a while, and then continued working.

At this moment, Yu Li came to the door, feeling nervous—she and Yan Jiecheng had borrowed from everyone around, but it still wasn't enough, so they had to ask Wang Jun for help.

"Knock knock knock!" she knocked on the door.

Wang Jun opened the door and, seeing it was Yu Li, smiled and said, "Sister Yu Li, come in."

The room was filled with radio casings, and 15 finished units were neatly arranged in a corner. Yu Li was stunned—assembling 15 units in one morning and selling them would earn her 750 yuan! The speed at which she was making money was terrifying. She admired her from the bottom of her heart: this was real skill, far superior to Yan Jiecheng.

Wang Jun brought her a chair to sit on while he continued assembling the machine. Yu Li watched his rapid movements and thought he was particularly handsome—Wang Jun was already good-looking, but now that he was well-fed and had a rosy complexion, his focused work made him even more attractive.

Soon, a radio was assembled. After checking it, Wang Jun installed the batteries, pressed the switch, and a loud voice came out. "Amazing! Wang Jun, you are the most capable young man in our courtyard," Yu Li couldn't help but exclaim.

"How amazing is he? More amazing than your husband?" Wang Jun teased her casually.

"Of course I'm better than you!" Yu Li said without hesitation.

Wang Jun chuckled inwardly—it seemed Yu Li had a good impression of him. He got to the point: "Sister Yu Li, just say what's on your mind."

Yu Li hesitated and said, "I'm planning to open a restaurant, but I don't have enough money. I'd like to borrow some."

"How many?"

"Two hundred." She was a little embarrassed—that was equivalent to four or five months' wages for a worker.

Wang Jun didn't mind; two hundred yuan was just for four more radios. He said, "Okay, but I have a condition..."

Yu Li's eyes lit up: "Great! I'll agree to any conditions as long as you lend it to me!"

Wang Jun smiled: "Okay, you said it yourself." He wrote an IOU, had Yu Li sign it, and handed her 200 yuan.

Yu Li took the money home and realized that there was something wrong with what she had just said, but now that she had the money, she decided to open the restaurant first.

After Yu Li left, Wang Jun continued to tinker in the small room—assembling radios. This was a skill only he knew, and he was unwilling to teach others easily; after all, it was his livelihood.

He was busy until evening. He straightened up, rubbed his sore shoulders, and counted the finished products: 52 units.

"There's too much; the house can't hold it all." He made the decision: "Sell some first."

They called over Yan Bugui (Uncle San), and as soon as Old Yan heard there were radios, he rushed over without even eating. Upon entering the room, he was stunned to see 52 radios neatly stacked up—this display was something even the supply and marketing cooperative couldn't match!

"Jun, did you assemble all of this by yourself?" Yan Bugui's voice changed.

"Otherwise what?" Wang Jun raised an eyebrow.

"52 units a day? Incredible!" Yan Bugui exclaimed in utter admiration. "Your speed is divine!"

"Uncle San, do you want this batch?"

"Yes! Of course I want it!" Yan Bugui nodded eagerly, but when he heard the price—50 yuan per unit, 2600 yuan for 52 units—his face fell instantly. He had been a teacher for decades, saving every penny to accumulate just over 1000 yuan. Where would he get that much money?

"Jun, I don't have that much money. Can I have half, 26 units?"

"Okay, 26 units for 1300 yuan." Wang Jun said decisively.

In the end, Yan Bugui gritted his teeth and scraped together 1300 yuan, and Wang Jun helped him move the radio back to his home.

At that moment, Huaihua from the middle courtyard was sitting at the entrance, polishing and refurbishing an old radio casing. Banggeng passed by, frowned, and asked, "Huaihua, what are you doing?"

"Brother, I'm refurbishing casings." Huaihua looked up and smiled. "Wang Jun buys them in bulk, making six cents a casing!"

"What? You're going to work for Wang Jun?" Bang Geng glared at him, annoyed. "No way!"

"Why wouldn't you do it if you can make money?" Huaihua asked without looking up. "Everyone in the yard is doing it! Aunt Zhou earns 3.6 yuan a day!"

"I won't allow it!" Bang retorted, his neck stiff.

"Brother, if you're not going to give me money, then don't bother me." Huaihua was unhappy.

"Why should I pay you?" Banggeng scoffed. "My monthly salary of forty or fifty yuan isn't even enough to live on!"

"You won't give me money, so you won't let me earn any?" Huaihua retorted. "Everyone in the yard is saying Wang Jun is capable, and you're saying he's a good-for-nothing?"

"What skills could he possibly have?" Bang Geng scoffed. "A poor kid who only graduated from junior high!"

"He can assemble radios!" Huaihua exclaimed anxiously. "Yesterday he made 600 yuan from 12 radios, and today he made 2600 yuan from 52! That's several thousand yuan a month, much more than your driver's salary! Everyone says he's better than you!"

Bang Geng was instantly stunned—Wang Jun could assemble a radio? He absolutely refused to believe it: "He only graduated from junior high school, how could he understand circuits?"

"That's what everyone says!" Huaihua counted on her fingers, "600 yesterday, at least 300 today. The Zhang and Li families in the courtyard are all praising him!"

Banggeng felt like he had a lump of cotton stuck in his throat—he had become a driver for a big shot and thought he was the most capable person in the compound, but he never expected that Wang Jun would steal all the limelight!

"Nonsense!" he retorted defiantly. "I'm number one! What is that poor kid Wang Jun compared to me?"

"They're not poor at all!" Huaihua rolled her eyes at him. "They eat roasted mutton every day and live a very comfortable life!"

Looking at the adoration in his younger sister's eyes, Banggeng couldn't help but wonder: Could this girl have fallen for Wang Jun?

In the evening, Wang Jun was too lazy to cook noodles, so he took out the remaining two and a half pounds of mutton, marinated it with salt and cumin, and put it on the stove to roast.

"Sizzle—" The oil dripped onto the charcoal fire, and the aroma instantly filled the courtyard. The children sniffed and gathered around, their mouths watering; even the adults couldn't sit still, and their food lost its flavor.

"Wang Jun is roasting lamb again!" "The aroma is so strong, you can smell it all the way to the backyard!" "Eating meat every day, this is what life is all about!" The neighbors were all talking about it, their eyes full of envy—Wang Jun earns over a hundred a day, what's a little meat to him?

In the backyard, Xu Damao and Qin Jingru were also drooling from the aroma.

"Look at Wang Jun, he was eating roasted mutton every day when he was just a teenager," Qin Jingru said sourly. "You're almost forty, and you're not even as good as a young punk!"

Xu Damao's face darkened, and he pointed at her, ready to curse. Qin Jingru, however, was unafraid: "What, you're not convinced? I heard that Wang Jun sold 26 radios to Uncle San today and made three hundred yuan! Your monthly salary is only fifty or sixty yuan, how can you compare?"

Xu Damao was speechless—three hundred yuan was equivalent to half a year's salary for him!

"Really?" He was skeptical.

"It's all over the courtyard!" Qin Jingru's eyes lit up, a thought forming in her mind. "I also want to buy a batch from Wang Jun, resell them, and make a profit, just like Uncle San!"

Upon hearing "find Wang Jun," Xu Damao's face instantly darkened—could this woman have taken a fancy to Wang Jun and want to cuckold him?

"Qin Jingru, if you dare to go looking for him, I'll beat you up!" He rolled up his sleeves.

"You dare?" Qin Jingru said, hands on her hips. "If you hit me, I'll tell Sha Zhu and he'll beat you up!"

Xu Damao immediately deflated—he had been terrified of Sha Zhu's fists since he was a child.

"I'm talking to Wang Jun to do business!" Qin Jingru scoffed. "Buy radios and resell them to make money! Understand?"

Xu Damao breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly, "Understood, understood!"

After finishing his roasted mutton, Wang Jun was listening to the radio program "The Generals of the Yang Family" when there was a knock at the door. He opened it to find Qin Jingru.

"Wang Jun, do you still have any radios? Sell them all to me!"

Wang Jun raised an eyebrow—another one copying Yan Bugui. He currently has 52 units in stock, while Yan Bugui only bought 26 and was worried about not being able to sell them all. Qin Jingru's arrival came at just the right time.

"There are 26 units left, 1300 yuan each."

"I'll take it!" Qin Jingru readily agreed and quickly scraped together the money.

At this point, all 52 radios Wang Jun assembled today were sold out, earning him 2600 yuan.

"Qin Jingru is quite rich. She just took out 1,300 yuan without hesitation."

Wang Jun pondered—this money was most likely paid by Qin Jingru and Xu Damao together. Both of them were formal workers, with a combined monthly income of eighty or ninety yuan, which amounted to more than a thousand yuan a year. After deducting food, clothing, housing, and transportation, saving three or four hundred yuan a year was not a problem. It was normal for them to have saved three or four thousand yuan over the years, so spending more than a thousand yuan to buy a radio was not difficult.

He put the money away and did the math: he had assembled 70 radios in three days, and after deducting costs, he had made a net profit of about 3300 yuan. In this day and age, this was considered a small fortune, but still a long way from being a "ten-thousand-yuan household"—there were already ten-thousand-yuan households who made their fortunes by raising pigs in 1979, and now, after a few years of opening up, some people with good foresight and luck probably have a net worth of hundreds of thousands or even millions.

"I still have to keep working hard!" Wang Jun sighed, deciding to stay up a little later that night to continue assembling.

Meanwhile, Xu Damao and Qin Jingru carried the radio home one trip after another, like bricklayers, and the neighbors all peeked out to see what was going on.

"Tsk tsk, Xu Damao and his wife also bought a batch of radios!"

"The third uncle sold radios and gave away pens, so the two of them followed suit and learned from him."

"That couple has jobs and salaries, they have money. I want to learn, but I don't have any money, so I can only miss out on opportunities to make money."

"That's right. With my meager salary, I can't possibly save any money for a family of five or six."

"I counted, they bought 26 units, and I estimate they can make two or three hundred yuan this time."

"Wow, I made two or three hundred in one go! The richer you are, the easier it is to make money!"

"That's how it is now that it's open; it makes it easier for the rich to make money."

At the Intermediate People's Court, Qin Huairu and her family were also watching the commotion. Sha Zhu, seeing the rows of radios, was shocked: "What's going on? Where did Xu Damao get so many radios?"

With the Lunar New Year approaching, Sha Zhu, who works for others every day, is unfamiliar with the current situation of the courtyard and doesn't know the origin of the radio.

Qin Huairu said, "I bought it from Wang Jun. He knows how to assemble radios."

Sha Zhu was stunned—assembling a radio? That sounded pretty sophisticated. He was somewhat skeptical: "Wang Jun from the front yard? That kid can assemble one? I don't believe it!"

"I don't believe it either, but people have seen it with their own eyes, it's true. Everyone in the courtyard has been talking about Wang Jun these past few days." Qin Huairu said doubtfully, but looking at the radios being moved out of Wang Jun's house, she had no choice but to believe it.

Huaihua chimed in, "Mom, it's true! Wang Jun started assembling them a few days ago, and I heard he can earn two or three hundred yuan a day."

"Earn two or three hundred a day? Impossible!" Sha Zhu stared wide-eyed.

"Silly Dad, that's what everyone in the yard says! Even Uncle San thinks Wang Jun earns two or three hundred a day!" Huaihua said.

Uncle Yan Bugui was the most cunning person in the courtyard, and Sha Zhu had no choice but to believe what he said.

"Earn two or three hundred a day? My salary for half a year is only a little over three hundred..." Sha Zhu was so shocked that he began to doubt his life.

Qin Huairu was also questioning her life after hearing this—her salary was even lower than Sha Zhu's, only a little over four hundred yuan a year, while Wang Jun's income in two days was equivalent to her annual salary. It was too heartbreaking.

Huaihua added, "Now everyone in the courtyard says that Wang Jun is the most capable person in the courtyard, even more capable than my brother."

These words dealt a heavy blow to Bang Geng. He angrily retorted, "Huaihua, what nonsense are you spouting! I'm a big shot's driver, I drive a sedan! In what way is Wang Jun better than me?"

Huaihua retorted, "So what if he drives a car? Wang Jun earns much more than you; his daily income is equivalent to half a year's salary for you! Besides, he can assemble radios, which means he's educated and knowledgeable, making him more capable than you."

Stick-shaped stem: "..."

Speechless, only feeling depressed—comparison is the thief of joy.