Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Yan Jiecheng squatted by the stove, his head pressed against the cold tiles, his forehead steaming with worry. Opening this hot pot restaurant had emptied his savings. If it failed too, wouldn't he become the "three-nothing youth" everyone in the courtyard would talk about behind his back? No savings, no business, not even a girlfriend. If he ever bumped into Aunt Zhang at the alley entrance while taking a walk, she'd surely hear her sneer, "Oh, has young Yan even lost his underwear?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He slapped his thigh: "That girl Yu Li has opened nine stores already, and she's doing incredibly well! And me, a grown man, I can't even keep up with this little shabby shop?" The thought of having to cower in front of Yu Li made his teeth itch: "No way, I have to find a way to boost our business!"

After circling around twice, he gritted his teeth and made a decision: 40% off! The few teenagers who had tried to buy it at 50% off before had turned around and left. This time, he was determined to sell it at a loss, and he didn't believe no one would come!

Without further ado, he pulled out a piece of red paper, quickly wrote "40% off," and pasted it onto the door frame with glue. The moment the paper was firmly on, the neighbors' eyes swarmed around like radar: "Hey? This hot pot restaurant is having a 40% off sale?" "Let's go, let's grab a bargain!" Groups of three or five poured into the shop, shouting as they entered, "Boss, is everything really 40% off?" "Are you kidding us?"

Yan Jiecheng was overjoyed and nodded eagerly, "Of course it's true! The broth and dipping sauce contain meat, so it'll all be charged at 40% off!"

Everyone chuckled as they looked at the menu: "40% off lamb slices? Okay, two pounds, please!" "It's freezing cold, let's have a whole fish for hot pot!" "Is there enough pork offal? Give me five plates first!"

A group of people sat down and started eating, the pots bubbling and steaming, shouts rising and falling. Yan Jiecheng busied himself serving dishes, taking a moment to pull out his calculator and fiddle with it for a bit. His fingers froze. Five or six yuan loss per table? So, if ten tables come, he'll lose almost sixty yuan?

"My goodness!" His hand trembled, nearly dropping the calculator. "Isn't a 40% discount supposed to attract customers? Why are we jumping into this trap?" The thought of losing even more money the more customers came made him want to duct tape the door shut: "God, please have mercy, stop sending customers to my door! Any more and I'll break my belt!"

Just then, a dozen or so teenagers rushed in, their eyes lighting up at the sight of the red paper: "Boss, we all saw it's 40% off! You have to give us a discount even if you tear it up, otherwise..." they said, rolling up their sleeves. The leader, Huang Laosan, slammed his fist on the table and shouted, "Today I'm going to eat meat until I'm stuffed!" The group burst into their seats, laughing and ordering food as if it were free.

Yan Jiecheng stood behind the cashier, wringing his hands as he watched the twenty tables nearly fill up. At this rate, he'd lose seven or eight yuan per table, which would amount to almost two hundred yuan for twenty tables? Two hundred and sixty yuan a day for nothing? What kind of business was this!

He crouched down and slipped to the door to tear off a piece of red paper. He had just torn off a corner when he bumped into a few young people loitering around: "Hey? This store is having a 40% discount? Come on, let's go in and have some!" Yan Jie's legs trembled, and he didn't dare to reach out.

As the sun began to set, the last group of customers left, burping contentedly. Yan Jiecheng slumped in his chair and sifted through the accounts: 36 tables brought in 565, but the cost of ingredients was 874, resulting in a net loss of 309!

"What sins have I committed?" He slammed the account book on the table, his back teeth grinding together. "I had no experience and messed things up, I lost so much money, I'm practically broke!" The thought of the gossipy people in the courtyard making fun of him tomorrow made him want to crawl into a hole in the ground.

But the shop was already up and running; he couldn't just pack up and leave. He sighed, rubbing his throbbing temples. Fine, he'd grit his teeth and bear it; he couldn't let Yu Li's friend laugh at him!

While Yan Jiecheng was frowning and looking worried, Yi Zhonghai was in high spirits, shopping with Widow Zheng.

Widow Zheng was only thirty-eight, with a pleasing appearance and broad hips, clearly a woman who could bear many children. Yi Zhonghai had his hair dyed jet black and styled in a neat buzz cut, wearing a black short trench coat, and he looked incredibly energetic as he walked down the street. These past few days, he had been accompanying Widow Zheng on shopping trips and to the park every day, and he seemed to have become more than ten years younger, walking with a brisk pace.

"Now this is what life is all about," Yi Zhonghai thought to himself. "Before, I just stayed home all day, eating and sleeping, what's the difference between that and waiting to die? Life was so dull. Now I have a young woman by my side, hey, life suddenly has flavor."

He secretly made up his mind to go back and consult the old almanac, pick an auspicious day to propose to Widow Zheng, and marry her in a grand and glorious manner. He thought that once they lived a comfortable life, he would be healthy enough to try and get Widow Zheng pregnant, thus ensuring he would have an heir for life.

During this time, Yi Zhonghai had been flipping through newspapers and magazines quite a bit. They all said that the elderly also have the right to pursue happiness, and everyone should support them. In the past, he would have felt embarrassed to marry another woman at his age. But since the newspapers were saying this, what was he afraid of? It was a legal and compliant matter, so he could boldly find a companion, and no one had the right to interfere.

The two arrived at the third floor of the mall, which was filled with clothing stores. The entire floor was covered with colorful new clothes, and many young women were picking them out.

"This shirt is nice, the color is so bright, it would look so stylish on a spring outing!"

"This shirt is nice, the color is so bright, it would look so stylish on a spring outing!"

"These pants are made of good quality fabric, they look high-end, but they only cost thirty-five yuan. I can admire them, but I can't afford to wear them."

"These pants are too thick. It's springtime, time to switch to spring clothes. Forget it."

"That's true, it's spring, time to switch to spring clothes."

Several women were chattering amongst themselves in the women's clothing section. Upon hearing the words "spring clothes," Widow Zheng's heart itched. She tugged at Yi Zhonghai's sleeve: "Old Yi, spring's here, I'd like to buy a few spring outfits. Can we go take a look?"

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand grandly: "Go! Pick out a few nice items, and let me know if you like anything, I'll pay!"

In his opinion, how much could clothes be worth? At most twenty or thirty yuan a piece, that's nothing. Besides, since Widow Zheng married into the family, isn't she dressing nicely to impress him? Spending a little money is no big deal.

Widow Zheng beamed with joy and grabbed Yi Zhonghai's arm: "Old Yi, you're such a good person! I'll go pick one then!"

After saying that, he ran over excitedly and looked through each item one by one, his eyes scanning like a scanner.

Suddenly, she noticed a row of clothes hanging prominently in the corner, twenty or thirty pieces lined up, each one fashionable and beautiful, surrounded by dozens of women looking at them. Widow Zheng's eyes lit up, and she quickly squeezed in.

"These clothes are so beautiful!"

Several women nearby heard this and chimed in with their own comments.

"These are the finest clothes in the country, how could they not be beautiful!"

"Exactly! It's from Huanyu Garment Factory, made specifically for export to earn foreign exchange. Foreigners are scrambling to buy it!"

"It's really beautiful, and the fabric is good too, but it's a bit pricey."

"This batch consists of Huanyu's new spring collection, I heard there are over seventy different styles, I really want to take them all home!"

"Dream on, I can't afford it, I'll just admire it from afar."

Widow Zheng leaned closer to examine them closely and found each piece incredibly fashionable. Under the light, they shimmered with a soft glow. Wearing these clothes would make one look ten years younger! She immediately decided that she had to buy two sets! Even city girls were praising these items, so she was sure to get them.

But when I saw the price tag, my mouth almost dropped open.

"Good heavens, a pink shirt costs 199? A dress costs 258? Even a scarf costs 108?"

This is outrageous! She's from the countryside, she's never seen anything like this before. Even the cheapest scarf, she couldn't afford it.

However, Widow Zheng quickly realized—she couldn't afford it, but Old Yi could. After spending some time with him, she had already figured out his situation: Yi Zhonghai was a retired level-eight fitter, earning a little over a hundred yuan a month, and he had a considerable sum saved up. Buying a few clothes was a piece of cake for him. He had just personally offered to pay the bill, so why hesitate?

Buy and buy!

With this thought, Widow Zheng became bolder. After browsing around, she picked out a white dress for 258 yuan, a khaki trench coat for 289 yuan, and a pink inner layer for 129 yuan.

Once you've made your choice, quickly drag Yi Zhonghai over here.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at the three items without even blinking, and waved his hand dismissively: "Just these three? They're quite nice, I'll buy them!"

Widow Zheng took his hand and said sweetly, "Old Yi, you're so good to me, you even bought me such expensive clothes."

Yi Zhonghai was so flattered by the compliment and the gesture that he was completely overwhelmed. He didn't even look at the price and directly told the saleswoman to pay.

The saleswoman quickly calculated the cost, then looked up and said, "Three items of clothing, totaling 676 yuan."

"What?! Three pieces of clothing for 676 yuan?"

Yi Zhonghai's mind went blank for a moment, and his first reaction was that he had miscalculated.

"Comrade, are you sure you're not mistaken?"

The saleswoman glanced at the clothes, her expression unchanged: "No mistake. The dress is 258, the trench coat is 289, and the inner layer is 129, totaling 676 yuan, not a penny more or less."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes widened in disbelief, his worldview collapsing on the spot—just three pieces of clothing for 676 yuan? This price wasn't just frightening, it was deadly!

He's a retired worker whose monthly pension is only seventy or eighty yuan. 676 yuan—that's nine months' worth of his pension!

In an instant, Yi Zhonghai couldn't bear to part with it and didn't want to buy it anymore.

He grabbed Widow Zheng's arm: "Little Zheng, these clothes are too expensive, they're obviously ripping people off, let's not buy them."

Before Widow Zheng could even speak, the sales clerk objected: "Comrade, the clothes have already been put away, and the receipt has been issued. You must buy them."

Yi Zhonghai was dumbfounded—the tickets were issued in the blink of an eye? That's incredibly fast!

The ticket was issued, but Yi Zhonghai still didn't want to pay. 676 yuan! How could he bear to part with it?

His mind raced with calculations—even if he married a woman now, it would only cost a few hundred yuan at most. Spending a few hundred yuan on a few pieces of clothing wasn't worth it.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai dawdling and refusing to pay, the saleswoman's face darkened. "Sir, the receipt has already been issued. If you don't pay, I'll call my supervisor. We'll go to your workplace and let everyone know you're not paying for your purchases."

Yi Zhonghai said with a bitter face, "It's not that I'm unwilling to pay, it's just that these clothes are too expensive! This is ripping people off!"

Hearing the commotion, the women browsing the clothes nearby all swarmed over. After finding out what had happened, they began to chatter amongst themselves—

"Comrade, clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory are just that expensive. They're export products that earn foreign exchange, of course they're pricey."

"This is the price for clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory; we're not ripping you off."

"The tickets are all ready, please buy them, otherwise it won't look good for anyone."

"This is the highest-end clothing in the country; foreigners are scrambling to buy it. It's a bit expensive, but it's worth the price."

"This is the price for clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory."

As Yi Zhonghai listened, the name "Huanyu Garment Factory" sounded familiar. After thinking for a while, he suddenly remembered—Huanyu Garment Factory, wasn't that the factory that Wang Jun ran?

"That Wang Jun! He sells clothes at such high prices, how much money is he making? He's so greedy! If I buy these clothes, isn't that just giving money away to Wang Jun? So, I absolutely cannot buy these clothes!"

Yi Zhonghai and Wang Jun didn't get along well to begin with, and when he learned that the clothes were produced by Wang Jun's factory, he was even less willing to pay for them. He grabbed Widow Zheng and turned to leave.

But as soon as he turned around, the saleswoman screamed—

"Security! Come quick! Someone bought something but didn't pay!"

Several security guards rushed over instantly, each one looking menacing!

Many of the security guards in the 1980s were veterans who had been on the battlefield, had carried guns and seen blood, and were very fierce.

Several security guards surrounded Yi Zhonghai, their electric batons almost touching his forehead, scaring Yi Zhonghai so much that he nearly wet his pants!

"No, no, no! Let's talk this out!" Yi Zhonghai quickly shouted.

A burly security guard glared at him with eyes as big as saucers: "Old man, you think you can just leave without paying? Believe me or not, I'll hand you over to the police!"

Widow Zheng, standing nearby, turned pale with fright: "Old Yi, let's just pay the money..."

Even now, Yi Zhonghai was still in pain, and he kept protesting, "It's not that I don't want to pay, it's just that these clothes are too expensive! Three pieces of clothing for 676 yuan, isn't that ripping people off?"

Those around shook their heads upon hearing this.

"The clothes are expensive, but they're all clearly priced."

"Comrade, didn't you check the price when you called the salesperson over?"

"Exactly, you dared to ask someone to pay without even checking the price?"

Yi Zhonghai looked distressed. At the time, Widow Zheng had picked out three pieces of clothing, which he figured would cost at most thirty or forty yuan. He hadn't even checked the price tags before calling the sales clerk over. Who would have thought these three pieces of clothing would be so outrageously expensive, costing a whopping 676 yuan!

At this point, the sales clerk became impatient: "Sir, are you going to pay or not? If not, I'll have security take you to the police station."

At this point, Yi Zhonghai had no way out. If he didn't pay, he would be sent to the police station, and if the matter escalated to the steel rolling mill, where would he put his old face? He might even have his pension cut in half.

Yi Zhonghai, his face dark, said in a muffled voice, "...No need to see me off, I'll pay."

After saying that, he took out his wallet, counted out 68 ten-yuan bills one by one, and handed them to the sales clerk.

Watching his wallet rapidly empty, Yi Zhonghai's heart bled. He couldn't even spend this much on living expenses throughout the year; it was gone in the blink of an eye!

As the two walked out of the mall, Yi Zhonghai was so overwhelmed by the thought of losing so much money that he could barely move his legs and walked with a dragging gait.

In contrast, Widow Zheng, holding three high-end garments, was so excited she felt like she could fly. These were the most luxurious clothes in the country! Foreigners were scrambling to get them! Before, she wouldn't even dare to take a closer look, but now she had three pieces in her hands all at once—she was ecstatic.

Widow Zheng was a very perceptive woman. Seeing Yi Zhonghai looking dejected, she reached out and took his arm, saying softly, "Old Yi, you're such a good person, buying me such expensive clothes. I understand your intentions, and I will treat you well."

Yi Zhonghai was initially very depressed, but when Widow Zheng took his hand and said a few soft words, most of the gloom in his heart dissipated.

He waved his hand dismissively and said with a smile, "Little Zheng, it's good that you understand my feelings! Tonight I'll consult the old almanac and pick an auspicious day to marry you. Do you agree?"

Having spent such a large sum of money, Yi Zhonghai didn't want to wait any longer. He wished he could marry Widow Zheng tomorrow and live a comfortable life.

Widow Zheng feigned shyness, lowered her head, and whispered, "Alright, then you can choose a date... I also want to be with you as soon as possible."

Widow Zheng, however, had other plans in mind.

That old man Yi Zhonghai is clearly a wealthy man—after working for thirty or forty years, he has at least twenty thousand yuan in savings. After marrying him, as long as you gain his trust, you can make a fortune and take it back to your own home, and you'll never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your life.

That's right, Widow Zheng wasn't a widow at all. Her husband was perfectly healthy and alive. They were both from the countryside, lazy and unwilling to work even after the land was distributed to individual households. Widow Zheng spread rumors that she was a widow just to use that identity to swindle money, planning to go home and enjoy her retirement once she had enough.

Yi Zhonghai, that old man, is rich and eager to get married; he's practically a fat sheep fallen from the sky. So, during this time, Widow Zheng has been trying every trick in the book to please him, with only one goal—to get Yi Zhonghai to marry her as soon as possible.

One was eager to marry, and the other was eager to be married; the two hit it off immediately.

Each had their own agenda, yet all believed they had achieved their desired outcome.