Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

Early Sunday morning, Gao Jianguo stayed home waiting for Lou Xiao'e.

Around ten o'clock, there was a knock on the door.

He opened the door and let her in. Lou Xiao'e pulled off her scarf and immediately threw her hands into Gao Jianguo's arms.

"Ouch, it's freezing! Let me warm up a bit."

Winter had already arrived, and it was a bit chilly outside, so Gao Jianguo took the opportunity to put his arm around her.

Lou Xiao'e stayed quietly for a while before moving to sit down by the stove, blinking at him.

"Jianguo, are you feeling any pressure? Hehe."

Gao Jianguo waved his hand dismissively.

"Pressure? What's so great about that? It's just going out for a meal. I work three or five meals a day."

Lou Xiao'e slapped him on the back.

"You're such a smooth talker!"

Gao Jianguo leaned closer and said mysteriously.

Guess what good thing happened to me this week?

Lou Xiao'e tried guessing several times in silence, but she couldn't guess a single one correctly.

It's not her fault. No one would have thought that a student could jump to the position of engineer after only one month in office.

Even if Lou Xiao'e had no concept of right and wrong, she wouldn't be this outrageous.

But Gao Jianguo just loves to break the rules.

After teasing her for a while, Gao Jianguo finally revealed his true colors.

"I, Gao Jianguo, am now Engineer Gao Jianguo. I earn 102 yuan a month, which is enough to support my family."

What you're saying is true. Back when you were earning 86.5 yuan, you never hesitated to support your family.

Lou Xiao'e was overjoyed, hugged him, and rubbed her face against his.

"You're amazing!!"

She didn't really care much about the amount of money, but she knew the weight of the title of a proper engineer.

Doesn't that just prove she has sharp eyes?

Nowadays, it's rare for her to talk back to her mother like this, and she felt incredibly proud of the outcome.

The two cuddled in the room for a while, and seeing that it was getting late, Gao Jianguo picked up the things he had prepared and went out with Lou Xiao'e.

-

In the Lou family's living room, Gao Jianguo smiled, neither fawning nor intimidated, and placed the things he had brought on the coffee table.

"Uncle, Aunt, hello, I'm Gao Jianguo. This is my first visit, and I was in a hurry, so I didn't have time to prepare anything properly. This is nothing special."

Two ginseng roots and two cakes of tea were top-quality items that Gao Jianguo had managed to extract from the system.

Luckily, there was a gift recycling shop next to the supermarket where he worked in his previous life. He had seen a lot of things and knew what kind of things were neither flashy nor undignified.

Lou's parents invited him to sit down, and their eyes were fixed on him.

In Lou's father's eyes, Gao Jianguo was tall, handsome, had a good posture, walked briskly, had a proper demeanor, knew how to speak with tact, and showed no fear. He was a little arrogant at heart, but the smile on his face covered it up.

This appearance is impeccable.

It was much simpler with Lou's mother. "Oh, this young man is really handsome! Xu Damao? Which Xu is that?"

To put it bluntly, aside from appearances, anyone who has gone through what Gao Jianguo went through will be in good spirits.

A strong sense of self-confidence can elevate a person's status significantly.

Once Gao Jianguo was settled, Lou Xiao'e sat down next to him. Lou's father sighed inwardly, "Well, this girl is hopeless."

Looking at the things Gao Jianguo brought, Lou's father knew his stuff.

It's not a matter of high or low status.

These items were all sourced from far and wide; they're not things you can just buy on the street.

It seems this young man has a wide circle of friends and can talk to people everywhere.

These days, to get something of this quality, you need someone to pick it out piece by piece locally to be considered top-notch.

Good looks and lively personality, that's it, Lou's father was a little uneasy, the defense line was about to fall.

Turning to look at Lou's mother, he thought, "Forget it, I'm not going to count on it. That old woman, she's already given up."

Lou's mother was having a lively conversation with Gao Jianguo, trying to get information out of him as she spoke.

The more she listened, the more engrossed the old lady became.

Gao Jianguo wasn't bothered at all by the old lady's subtle probing into his family's finances.

Whether a family is rich or poor, isn't this just human nature?

If they're too lazy to even ask you a single question, then things are really messed up.

It's nothing, just stroke the old lady's hair.

Lou's mother asked.

"Jianguo, I heard you're the factory's top technician?"

Before Gao Jianguo could even open his mouth, Lou Xiao'e became excited.

"Not only that, he's now a level nine engineer."

Upon hearing this, even Lou's father couldn't sit still.

As a former shareholder of the No. 3 Rolling Mill, he understood all too well the significance of these different levels.

This young man has only just graduated and hasn't even had a chance to catch his breath in the steel mill.

There are many people with poor foundations who will never even get close to becoming engineers.

Climbing from a level 14 intern to a level 9 engineer is not simply a matter of adding or subtracting five from the numbers.

Especially between level 10 and level 9, it's like two completely different worlds.

He sat up straight.

Is that really true?

Gao Jianguo nodded.

"Yes, Uncle, it was finalized just the day before yesterday."

Mr. Lou was at a loss for words. He mumbled "this, this" a couple of times and then fell silent.

From the old man's actions, Lou's mother also gleaned some meaning.

This young man must be exceptionally capable to have surprised him to the point of speechlessness.

Lou's mother didn't feel aggrieved at all by being humiliated by her daughter. They were mother and daughter, not enemies.

She's overjoyed that her child can have something better on their own, she's probably too happy to wait.

In the past, the sons-in-law of the girlfriends in the circle mostly had to bow and scrape, because the issue of social class was like a tight headband.

Looking at my current situation, I can openly show off my husband's job, family background, abilities, appearance, and temperament.

Lou's mother is a very pragmatic person; she invested.

-

The moment the thought of surrender crossed my mind, I felt instantly relieved.

As for that Xu family brat, she had long since forgotten about him.

The one surnamed Xu? Who knows you? Don't bother me.

The happier Lou's mother was, the more flustered Lou's father became.

His position in this family, coupled with decades of ups and downs, destined him to think more deeply, consider the family's future, and plan more for his daughter.

The more outstanding this young man is, the less he can tell what he's really thinking.

It all boils down to three words: By what right?

With these conditions, why would they even consider our family background?

Thankfully, they came today, so I can ask them in person.

Although he might not get the truth out of them, Mr. Lou believed that his old eyes were still sharp enough to glean some information from the gaps in their conversation.

Thinking of this, Lou's father put his mind at ease and listened to Lou's mother talking to Gao Jianguo and the others, occasionally chiming in to remind himself that he was still there.

As they talked, Lou's father felt more and more that if the doubts about her family background were removed, Lou Xiao'e, this silly girl, was truly blessed despite her foolishness.

Indeed, Mr. Lou always felt that his daughter was a bit slow on the uptake, so he was always worried about her.

This young man speaks with tact, has a clear mind, and is far more knowledgeable than others.

He strikes the right balance, letting people know he has something to offer without making them feel like he's showing off or being annoying.

What disgusted Lou's father most about the Xu family's son, who couldn't even remember his own name, was his petty and narrow-minded attitude.

The person in front of me doesn't have this problem at all.

Before long, lunch was served.

The group went to the dining room, where Lou's mother was very attentive to Gao Jianguo, constantly serving him food.

Aside from expressing his gratitude, Gao Jianguo didn't say much at the dinner table.

After dinner, Lou's father invited Gao Jianguo into the study.

Gao Jianguo knew exactly what was going on; now it was time to get to the point.

Once the two were seated, Lou's father didn't beat around the bush and began to speak.

"Jianguo, let's have a talk. What are your true feelings about our family's class background?"