Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

"Look at you two old hags!"

He Daqing mercilessly tore off their hypocritical masks, spitting his saliva onto Yi Zhonghai's face.

"You spout empty platitudes about morality and righteousness, but your hearts are full of wicked schemes! Back then, you bullied Lin Fan because he was an orphan, and conspired to rob him of his house. Now that Lin Yang has returned as a high-ranking official, you're all terrified like cowards, not daring to utter a single word!"

"Sour grapes! You want to be Lin's lackeys? Do you think he'd want you? He thinks you're dirty!"

He Daqing got more and more into cursing. Although the neighbors watching the commotion didn't dare to make a sound, their eyes held an undisguised contempt as they looked at Yi Zhonghai and his companion.

"You...you cook! You're absolutely unreasonable!" Liu Haizhong was so angry that he jumped up and down, but he was at a loss for words and had no idea how to refute her.

Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of blood rushing to his chest, and his vision blurred. Clinging to his last shred of dignity, he gritted his teeth and said, "He Daqing, don't be so smug! Lin Yang has only just transferred to civilian life; the waters of Beijing run deep! If you follow him, you'll be in trouble sooner or later!"

"Pooh!"

He Daqing spat directly at Yi Zhonghai's feet.

"Yi Zhonghai, stop being so sour. Secretary Lin can even keep Lou Bancheng under his thumb, who do you think you are?"

He Daqing waved the spatula in his hand triumphantly and announced loudly, "Let me tell you, today is the big day that Brother Lin's future wife, Dr. Ding from the machine repair shop, is coming to meet us! She's a clean and upright highly educated intellectual!"

"You blind beasts! From now on, you'll just hide in your shabby houses and watch the Lin family rise to prominence! Get out of here! Don't get in my way and delay Chief Lin's important business, or I'll scald your skin raw with boiling water!"

He Daqing's barrage of insults was like a torrential downpour, tearing away the last shred of pretense that Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong had left.

Amidst the strange looks from everyone in the courtyard, the two slunk back to their respective rooms like two defeated roosters, slamming their doors shut.

"That feels great! That's fucking great!"

In the corner, Sha Zhu watched his father display his might and slapped his thigh in excitement.

Just then, a clear bicycle bell rang out from the alley entrance.

Lin Fan was wearing a crisp serge Zhongshan suit.

Pushing his gleaming Flying Pigeon bicycle, he walked into the courtyard with a beaming smile.

Beside him,

A young girl, dressed in a floral cotton-padded jacket and wearing a white scarf, walked by, looking as pure and elegant as a snow lotus.

At this moment, Ding Qiunan finally arrived at the door.

·············

In early winter in Beijing, the cold wind already carried a biting chill.

A brand-new Flying Pigeon bicycle came to a steady stop in front of the gate of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

Lin Fan, dressed in his crisp serge Zhongshan suit, parked his bicycle. He turned around, his movements almost cautious, and led Ding Qiunan over the high wooden threshold.

Today marks the first time Ding Qiunan has formally visited her family to formally acknowledge their relationship.

She took off her white lab coat, which always smelled of Lysol, and put on a light blue floral cotton-padded jacket. The clothes weren't fashionable, and were even a bit old, but on her, they seemed to be imbued with a unique vitality.

A white, chunky knit scarf was casually wrapped around her slender neck, highlighting her fair and jade-like face, which was free of makeup. Her clear, cool eyes were as pure as autumn water, and her slightly pursed lips held a perfectly polite smile.

The moment Ding Qiunan and Lin Fan walked side by side into the front yard, the entire courtyard seemed to be muted.

The neighbors who were washing clothes, picking vegetables, and chatting in the yard all stopped what they were doing and stared intently at Ding Qiunan.

beautiful!

In this courtyard, who has ever seen such an ethereal and otherworldly girl?

Qin Huairu was considered exceptionally beautiful in the courtyard, but her charm was tinged with worldly calculation and the allure of a girl from a modest family. Ding Qiunan, on the other hand, was like a piece of crystal-clear ice, possessing the intellectual and aloof air unique to scholars, making one feel inferior at first glance.

"My God..." The third aunt in the front yard, holding half a head of cabbage, her eyes practically popping out of her head, whispered to Yan Bugui beside her, "Old man, this... this is the girl Lin Fan found? She looks like an angel!"

Yan Bugui adjusted his worn-out glasses and gasped.

His calculating mind simply couldn't understand. Lin Fan, a penniless man who had been treated worse than a dog in the yard for the past ten years, a poor wretch trampled into the mud by everyone.

On what grounds?

Why is it that not only did he wear a high-class Zhongshan suit and ride a new bicycle, but he also brought back such a beautiful woman who looked like she stepped out of a painting?!

Yan Bugui felt a surge of intense bitterness, his jealousy almost tearing him apart.

Not only Yan Bugui, but also Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong in the middle courtyard were standing at their own door, watching Lin Fan and Ding Qiunan walk over chatting and laughing. The two of them looked increasingly grim.

Yi Zhonghai stared intently at Lin Fan's radiant face, feeling as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, making it difficult to even breathe.

There was a time when Lin Fan would lower his head even to look at him, and dared not speak loudly.

But now, Lin Fan not only has a respectable job, but also such a beautiful fiancée. All of this is a silent mockery of Yi Zhonghai's shortsightedness back then!

If he had treated Lin Fan better back then, wouldn't he, as an "old man," have also benefited from this glorious occasion?

Unfortunately, there's no medicine for regret.

Just as everyone was lost in their own thoughts, filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, a discordant voice suddenly came from a corner of the central courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi was carrying a basin of water for washing her feet as she walked to the door. Her face, swollen from being slapped by Monk Wei, hadn't fully healed, and there was still a bruise on the corner of her mouth.

When she saw Ding Qiunan's stunning beauty, and then looked at her son Jia Dongxu, who was still penniless despite marrying Qin Huairu, she couldn't suppress the rage in her heart.

She dared not curse loudly, but could only shrink under the eaves of her own house, muttering in that sour and extremely vicious tone.

"Pah! What celestial beauty? I think she's just a vixen! Dressed so gaudily, she's obviously not a respectable girl!"

Madam Jia rolled her eyes, pouring water while muttering curses under her breath: "I've heard that this woman is a capitalist's daughter, with a terrible family background! Lin Fan, that childless man, still treats her like a treasure. Bringing a woman like that into the Lin family will bring them bad luck sooner or later! A whole family of short-lived devils, they deserve to be childless!"

Although she kept her voice very low, she thought only Jia Dongxu beside her could hear her.