Courtyard House: A Carefree Life Begins with a Lottery of Wish Power

Hearing Xu Damao's words, Jia Dongxu was very pleased. He took the cigarette, and although he spoke modestly, his tone was full of pride.

"The exam hasn't even started yet, don't talk nonsense."

Xu Damao lit cigarettes for Jia Dongxu and himself, and said:

"Hey, you're a top student of an old man, this is a piece of cake for you."

"Once you pass your exam, I'll treat you to a celebration. Come to my house for a few drinks, and your wife can come too."

"Who's treating? I'll come too." He Yuzhu, carrying a lunchbox, strolled into the yard.

Upon seeing that it was He Yuzhu, Xu Damao frowned.

Of all the people in this courtyard, Xu Damao's biggest annoyance is He Yuzhu.

The two disliked each other and fought since childhood.

He Yuzhu has a foul mouth and a strong body.

Xu Damao couldn't win an argument or a fight, and he got a headache just seeing him.

Xu Damao said with disdain:

"Go away, you're everywhere, this is none of your business."

He Yuzhu's skin was as thick as a city wall; how could he possibly be dismissed by Xu Damao's two sentences?

"Xu Damao, Dongxu and I have been friends since we were kids. Why do you only invite Dongxu and not me?"

"Oh, I see." He Yuzhu said with a mischievous grin, pointing at Xu Damao.

"Unless your goal isn't to invite Dongxu, but to invite Qin Huairu."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao immediately became agitated and pointed at He Yuzhu, cursing:

"Okay...okay, you silly Zhu."

"You're just a dog who can't say anything nice."

"How can your thoughts be so filthy?"

With Jia Dongxu marrying such a beautiful and capable wife, which young man in the courtyard didn't envy him?

Every time Xu Damao saw her, he couldn't help but take a few more glances and secretly swallow his saliva.

But in those days, the social atmosphere was still very conservative.

If you try to seduce a married woman, losing your job is the least of your worries; you could even end up in jail.

Xu Damao certainly wouldn't dare to actually seduce Qin Huairu, but he must have fantasized about it occasionally.

Xu Damao always felt a little guilty when He Yuzhu said it to his face.

After all, he had just happened to say that he would bring his sister-in-law along.

Jia Dongxu had finally managed to marry such a beautiful wife, but he was always on edge, fearing that Qin Huairu would run off with someone else.

He was better off than Lin Zhuo, but still not as good as He Yuzhu and Xu Damao.

It's normal for Xu Damao to invite me for drinks, but why did he also ask me to bring Qin Huairu along?

As he thought about it, Jia Dongxu's gaze toward Xu Damao became less friendly.

Xu Damao felt a chill run down his spine under Jia Dongxu's intense gaze, and gritted his teeth, saying:

"Dongxu, I swear to God, don't listen to Shazhu's nonsense."

"Here's what we'll do, just the three of us. Come to my place, Sha Zhu will cook, and the three of us brothers will have a good drink together."

Hearing this, Jia Dongxu finally felt relieved.

He Yuzhu patted Xu Damao on the shoulder with a cheerful smile and said:

"Da Mao, that's right."

"Remember to bring out your bottle of Fenjiu then, don't try to fool people with some diluted bulk liquor."

Xu Damao was so angry he wanted to grind his teeth. Heaven knows how Sha Zhu knew he had Fenjiu. He probably bragged about it to him when he was drunk sometime.

Xu Damao said angrily:

"I only have Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), drink it or don't, it's up to you."

Just then, Xu Damao suddenly heard a voice in his ear, "What are you all talking about? It's so lively."

Xu Damao was startled and turned around to see that it was Uncle San.

Xu Damao complained:

"Oh my goodness, how come you walk so quietly? You scared me to death!"

He Yuzhu quickly said:

"Uncle, Dongxu is about to be promoted to a third-level worker. Xu Damao is treating everyone. Why don't you come along?"

Upon hearing this, the Third Uncle was overjoyed and looked at Xu Damao with a smile, saying:

"That's great! That's wonderful. I'll bring some snacks to go with my drinks."

The third uncle heard Xu Damao and the others talking about eating and drinking from afar in the front yard, so he came over.

Sure enough, they ended up having a drink.

When you go to someone's house for drinks, you can't go empty-handed. Bringing a handful of peanuts or a plate of shredded pickled vegetables will suffice.

The old man squinted, his mind racing with calculations.

Xu Damao hated He Yuzhu to death.

Everyone knows that this third uncle is extremely calculating, and he'd love to take advantage of any opportunity to the fullest. But no one can refuse him, so they have no choice but to agree. They can't really complain.

With his meal ready, the old man stopped caring about anything else and strolled back to the front yard.

Seeing that the Third Uncle had left, Xu Damao started gossiping again and whispered:

"I heard from a friend that Lin Zhuo from the front yard also participated in this exam."

He Yuzhu asked in surprise:

"No way, he's only been at the factory for a few days, he hasn't even settled in yet, and he's already taking the Level 1 worker exam?"

"Xu Damao, you must have misheard me."

Jia Dongxu was also taken aback upon hearing this, and said:

"This isn't in accordance with regulations. How can an apprentice work for less than a month and then take the exam for a Level 1 worker?"

Xu Damao said firmly:

"How could I have misheard? They clearly said it was Lin Zhuo, who lives in our compound and just started working at the factory."

"They said this situation doesn't count as a violation, but I didn't ask for the specifics."

"They said that their workshop director had to plead with Factory Director Yang for a long time to get this spot."

He Yuzhu felt a little envious when he heard this, as his cooking skills were second to none in the steel rolling mill.

But even now, he's only a level 9 cook.

Cooks are divided into 1 to 10 levels, with level 1 being the highest and level 10 being the lowest.

Whenever there is an opportunity, I always give it to the older comrades first.

"What good is it if he gets a spot? The exam still depends on real ability. Let's just wait and see him make a fool of himself on the exam."

Xu Damao echoed:

"Yeah, let's just wait and see how ridiculous it is."

Xu Damao also couldn't stand Lin Zhuohao.

As a projectionist, Xu Damao was always served good cigarettes and alcohol wherever he went, and he even had to take some local specialties with him when he left.

In terms of living conditions, even the cook Sha Zhu couldn't compare to him.

In addition, Xu Damao felt that he was much more handsome than Sha Zhu, so he was sure that he would find a better partner than Sha Zhu.

Even though Xu Damao was unwilling, he had to admit that Lin Zhuo, who had just entered the courtyard, was much more handsome than him, and that he only had more succulents than Lin Zhuo.

If Lin Zhuo is promoted to a higher level and his salary increases, Xu Damao's sense of superiority will diminish.

Jia Dongxu nodded in agreement:

"He's just a peasant, I guess the factory is taking care of him and giving him a chance to take the exam."

"If you're not good enough, go take the exam and you'll just embarrass yourself."

At this point, Jia Dongxu couldn't help but show a smug smile.

At that time, Lin Zhuo will become a laughing stock in the factory and in the courtyard. He will be unable to hold his head up anywhere. Let's see how he can still be so smug.

Lin Zhuo sat at home, reading a book on forging that he had borrowed from the factory library.

This is another attempt by him.

Since hands-on practice can improve skill proficiency, learning theoretical knowledge is likely to be useful as well.

I was reading a book when I suddenly received a system notification.

"+5 from Jia Dongxu's wish power."

"+2 from Jia Zhang's wish power".

"+3 from Qin Huairu's wish power".

"+1 from He Yuzhu's wish power."

"+1 from Xu Damao's wish power."

"+3 from Jia Dongxu's wish power."

The Jia family is truly my treasure; they keep offering me tributes every day.

But what's the situation with He Yuzhu and Xu Damao?

Lin Zhuo only drifted off for a moment before stopping thinking about it.

As long as it contributes to my own aspirations, that's fine. If I were to investigate every single one of them thoroughly, I'd just exhaust myself.

Lin Zhuo read the book while paying attention to the changes in his proficiency.

I watched from 8 pm until almost midnight before my proficiency finally increased by 1%.

It seems my assumption was correct.

Learning theoretical knowledge can also effectively improve proficiency.

Lin Zhuo lay down on the bed and looked at her current willpower.

It's reached 100 again.

At this point, in addition to the lottery option, a new option has been added.