Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

Yi Zhonghai knew this shopping mall like the back of his hand. It specialized in selling cheap goods; clothes were only a few yuan a piece, and even the more expensive polyester jackets were only a dozen or so. He had already calculated in his mind: even if Widow Zheng picked out two sets, it would only cost her thirty or forty yuan at most—a drop in the bucket.

"Old Yi, you have to let me pick out two good ones!" Widow Zheng was overjoyed to hear that someone was going to pay the bill.

"Pick whatever you like!" Yi Zhonghai said with a smile and a generous wave.

Widow Zheng dashed into the pile of clothes, but after a few moments, her smile vanished. Having grown accustomed to the fine fabrics from Huanyu Garment Factory, she found these rough, low-quality cotton clothes too dirty to even touch.

"What's wrong? Didn't you find anyone you like?" Yi Zhonghai asked, leaning closer.

Widow Zheng casually grabbed the most expensive item and abruptly said, "This is fine, it's the only thing that's passable."

As he handed over the forty-three yuan, Yi Zhonghai still grinned from ear to ear, while Widow Zheng inwardly sneered. "That old geezer, he's really shrewd! Trying to fob me off with this cheap stuff?"

As she tucked the clothes into her coat, she gritted her teeth inwardly: No matter how clever you are, you can't escape my grasp. Your retirement money, principal and interest, will be mine sooner or later!

……

At six o'clock in the evening, as Yi Zhonghai rode his tricycle into the courtyard, the mountain of new quilts, televisions, and large red basins piled up in the carriage instantly stung the eyes of the aunties and grandmas.

"Wow, has Old Yi struck it rich?"

"They've even bought a TV! This is enough for a wedding!"

Upon hearing the word "marriage," a string in Yi Zhonghai's heart twitched. Although Widow Zheng had said she wanted to keep it low-key, he couldn't hold back! He slammed on the brakes and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Neighbors! Everyone come to the Intermediate Court! I have something important to announce! I'll repeat myself—"

This powerful sound instantly attracted everyone in the courtyard, young and old.

"Is Grandpa Yi going to call a hospital-wide meeting?"

"It's the 1980s, and they're still into this kind of thing?"

A large crowd gathered, and Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong squeezed to the front row, completely bewildered.

Liu Haizhong spoke first: "Old Yi, what's going on? Spit it out!"

Yan Bugui chimed in, "Yes, Lao Yi, everyone's listening."

Yi Zhonghai, beaming, deliberately cleared his throat: "As you all have seen, I've started dating someone, Xiao Zheng. I checked the old almanac, and tomorrow's an auspicious day—I'm marrying Xiao Zheng tomorrow!"

He paused, then added smugly, "Little Zheng is only thirty-eight this year, hardworking and gentle, please bear with him in the future!"

The courtyard was like boiling oil, instantly becoming a bubbling mess.

Thirty-eight?!

"Isn't Old Yi sixty-seven? Can this old ox really handle eating young grass?"

"Hey, Grandpa Yi, this is an old house on fire, there's no way to save it!"

The men joked, the women clicked their tongues. In the corner, Jia Zhangshi was trembling with anger, clutching her handkerchief tightly, unable to utter a word for a long time; Bang Geng's eyes were blazing with fury, his nails almost digging into his flesh—if Yi Zhonghai got married, his house and savings would all be gone!

"No...that's my money, my house!" Bang Geng gritted his teeth, secretly determined, "I have to ruin it!"

Wang Jun, standing on the periphery of the crowd, watched coldly, shaking his head inwardly. What would a woman in her thirties want from this old man? In the 1980s, with its inconvenient transportation and lack of surveillance, running away with her belongings would be incredibly easy. This woman was probably a con artist. He wasn't familiar with Yi Zhonghai, so he was happy to watch the show and turned to leave.

Yan Bugui leaned forward and whispered a reminder: "Old Yi, you're practically half-buried, and it doesn't seem very reliable for a 38-year-old young woman to jump in."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Yi Zhonghai interrupted impatiently.

"Xiao Zheng is from a good family, and I'm really looking forward to bringing her back tomorrow!"

The thought of his wedding night tomorrow filled him with boundless energy. He carried the enormous television set with a brisk pace, eliciting another round of snickers from the neighbors.

As night deepened, Banggeng found the old slingshot in the bedside drawer, a vicious grin spreading across his face. He'd been a master shot with it since childhood, and knew the layout of Yi Zhonghai's house intimately.

"I'll smash your face tonight, then let's see how you get married tomorrow!"

It was midnight, dark and windy. Banggeng, pressed against the wall, held his breath and slipped to Yi Zhonghai's window. The room was dark, but by the dim light, he could vaguely see Yi Zhonghai lying on his back on the headboard, chuckling foolishly.

"This Zheng looks like she'll be fertile... Once she has a baby, my retirement will be taken care of..." Yi Zhonghai muttered to himself smugly, when suddenly he caught sight of a dark shadow flashing past the window!

"A thief?!" Yi Zhonghai's heart tightened, but he was a man of experience. He didn't say a word, tiptoed out of bed, grabbed a wooden stick from under the bed, and stabbed it fiercely at the dark figure through the window!

"Well!"

A muffled groan came from outside the window, followed immediately by a sharp "whoosh"—

A pebble hit Yi Zhonghai squarely on the mouth!

"Ouch!" Two front teeth fell out with a thud, his mouth full of blood. Yi Zhonghai screamed in pain, clutching his mouth, "Thief! A thief is stealing a TV! Help!"

He staggered out of the door, but Bang Geng had already slipped away back into the house.

In the dead of night, this shout startled everyone in the courtyard.

"What's wrong? Has a thief broken in?"

"Uncle Yi, why is your mouth covered in blood?" The crowd gathered around, chattering amongst themselves.

Yi Zhonghai, clutching his bleeding lip, mumbled incoherently, "I was lying in bed... I saw a dark figure, poked him with a stick, and he knocked out two of my teeth! Tomorrow's supposed to be a good day, and this thief's trying to ruin me!"

He hissed in pain, his eyes bloodshot, and roared, "I think the thief is still in the yard! Everyone help me search! I'll give ten dollars to whoever catches him!"

For tomorrow's wedding, and for the sake of his knocked-out front tooth, Yi Zhonghai was going all out.

"Uncle Yi, is it really true?"

"Uncle Yi, you're so generous."

"Let's all work together to find the thief!"

"We must find them!"

"right!"

The people in the courtyard searched everywhere.

They didn't even spare the latrines.

but,

After searching for a while,

Got nothing.

Everyone assumed the thief had escaped, so they stopped looking and went home to sleep, knowing they had to go to work the next day.

Yi Zhonghai was somewhat disappointed.

but,

Tomorrow is a great day!

He didn't want to go through all that trouble anymore.

Take a good rest.

We'll marry Widow Zheng tomorrow.

This is the important thing.

The Jia family

The stick was hidden inside the blanket.

Hearing that everyone had left,

He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Get up and go to the toilet.

While walking, Bang Geng felt a dull pain in his lower back and walked with a limp. Clearly, he had been injured by Yi Zhonghai and would probably need medication.

"That old bastard Yi Zhonghai."

"They went too far."

"I already had health problems."

"After he hit me, my problem is probably even worse now."

"Damn it, 670!"

At this moment, Bang Geng hated Yi Zhonghai, and if given the chance, he would definitely take revenge.

That's how sticky pheasants are.

Although Yi Zhonghai treated him very well.

They even gave him four thousand yuan.

Let him open a restaurant.

but,

In a blink of an eye,

A good-natured person will forget kindness.

All they think about is revenge.

……

the next day,

Around 8 o'clock,

Yi Zhonghai was dressed neatly and tidy.

Get on your bicycle,

They pulled Widow Zheng back.

The people in the courtyard were all shocked when they saw Widow Zheng's appearance.

Although Widow Zheng was almost 40, she was lazy and never did any work, so she took exceptionally good care of herself. In addition, she had recently dragged Yi Zhonghai to buy a lot of cosmetics and took meticulous care of herself every day, making her look only in her 30s.

Yi Zhonghai stood with her.

The two looked like,

They were like father and daughter.

"Is this Uncle Yi's girlfriend? Tsk tsk, she's so young."

"Yes, he looks like he's in his thirties."

"Uncle Yi is amazing! A man in his sixties marrying someone in their thirties, that takes skill. By the way, how old is this woman exactly?"

"Last night, didn't Uncle Yi say that his girlfriend is 38 years old?"

"My goodness, Mr. Yi is 65 years old, and his partner is only 38. That's a full 27 years apart in age! That's too big a difference!"

"Yeah, I really don't know what this woman is after, that she actually married an old man who is 27 years older than her."

The women in the courtyard house

Everyone started talking at once.

They were discussing it.

And the men,

Looking at Widow Zheng,

They were also discussing it.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I really didn't expect that at his age, he would find such a young woman. Impressive."

"As expected of Master Yi, his skills are extraordinary."

"Grandpa Yi is old in years but young at heart. I just wonder if his back can handle it."

"Hehehe, I reckon that Uncle Yi's lifespan will be reduced by a few years."

"yes."

To be honest,

The men in the courtyard house

I saw that Uncle Yi had found a young woman.

In my heart,

I'm somewhat envious of them all.

only,

It's just that no one is comfortable saying it out loud.

forecourt,

Yan Bugui and Aunt San,

They were also watching.

Aunt San said in surprise, "This woman is too young, only in her thirties or forties. She doesn't seem to match Lao Yi at all."

Yan Bugui squinted his small eyes and said, "This woman looks like she's fertile and not that old. Old Yi brought this woman back, clearly because he wants a child."

Aunt San nodded; she had noticed it too.

There is an old saying,

Young couples become companions in old age.

In old age,

Even if you're looking for a partner,

You should also find a companion.

Yi Zhonghai brought a young woman back, clearly intending for her to bear him a child.

Aunt San said, "Old Yi is going crazy thinking about having children. Doesn't he think about himself? He's already sixty-seven years old, half his body is in the ground. Even if he has children, it will be very difficult to raise them. Besides, even if he does raise them, it's hard to say whether the children will be filial."

Aunt San felt that,

Yi Zhonghai's thoughts

This is very problematic.

Yan Bugui nodded in agreement.

He raised several children.

The results of it,

None of them are filial.

It's been a tough time.

in the end,

You still have to rely on yourself for old age.

the other side,

Liu Haizhong and Aunt Er,

They also came over to see what was going on.

Liu Haizhong glanced at her and said, "This woman isn't one to stay put. If Lao Yi marries her, trouble is bound to happen sooner or later."

Before, Liu Haizhong

He's just a power-hungry official.

He especially loves to flatter.

Observe facial expressions and expressions.

They have their own methods.

He glanced at her and immediately thought that Widow Zheng was unreliable, but he only talked about it with his wife and wouldn't say it in public.

At this moment,

The stick-shaped gimmick also came up.

I leaned over and took a look.

Because of severe back pain, Bang Geng didn't sleep well all night. Now, he was pale and walked with a limp.

but,

He is quite tall.

You can see it just by standing on tiptoe.

Bang Geng glanced at it and was surprised. He really didn't expect that an old man like Yi Zhonghai would find such a young partner.

This looks like,

At most thirty years old,

That's an exaggeration.

Bang Geng glanced at him twice, feeling a pang of envy. He couldn't even find a girlfriend, while Yi Zhonghai had already married two.

It's true what they say, comparisons are the thief of joy!

"Tsk tsk, this old man brought back such a young and beautiful woman, can he really keep her in check?"

"It's hard to say."

"At my age, it would be very difficult to keep a young and beautiful partner."

Banggeng listened to the surrounding discussions.

His eyes lit up immediately.

In his heart,

Suddenly, a bold idea came to me.

He planned to spend some time...

Go and seduce Widow Zheng.

If successful, not only could he get revenge on Yi Zhonghai, but he could also win the heart of a woman. This deal was worth doing.

Bang Geng thought about it more and more and felt that this was a good idea, so he couldn't help but chuckle. Several old ladies nearby were startled by his laughter and quickly moved away.

In the attic,

Wang Jun heard the noise

took a look,

He shook his head.

This Widow Zheng is suspicious at first glance. First of all, it's highly unusual that none of her relatives were present at her wedding, such an important event. Secondly, Widow Zheng is too young. At her age, it wouldn't be difficult for her to marry a middle-aged man, but she specifically chose Yi Zhonghai, which clearly indicates she has ulterior motives.

and also,

This widow Zheng,

Her face was covered in makeup.

He doesn't look like a decent person at all.

Sooner or later, trouble will arise if Yi Zhonghai marries this woman.

……

In a blink of an eye,

A week has passed,

At the cosmetics factory,

More than 100,000 bottles of skin care water have already been produced.

It went on sale yesterday.

Wang Jun drove to the cosmetics factory and looked at the warehouse. He saw boxes of skin care products neatly arranged inside, which was quite impressive.

The production line used in the cosmetics factory

Under normal circumstances,

More than 10,000 bottles can be produced per day.

However, under overtime conditions,

It can produce 15,000 bottles a day.

After a week,

In total,

They produced 100,000 bottles of skin care water.

Wang Jun said, "Director Li, does everyone have any objections to the factory requiring overtime work?"

Li Xiaoyu smiled and said, "No objection. We get overtime pay at our cosmetics factory, and everyone wants to work as much overtime as possible, so how could we possibly have an objection?"

Wang Jun listened.

He nodded.

Workers in the 1980s were really good!

Not only are they willing to work overtime,

They still complain that the overtime hours aren't long enough.

It can be said,

Workers in the 1980s

They are all the best workers.

Their enthusiasm is very high.

Manage it,

It's relatively easy.

Li Xiaoyu said, "Boss, I've already shipped out some of the skincare products. They can be found in major cities across the country."