Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

Yi Zhonghai frowned: "Zhu Zi, how dare you speak to Third Uncle like that? Quickly offer him a toast."

He then looked at Jia Dongxu and said, "Call your wife over too, let's eat some meat together."

Not long after, Qin Huairu came over with a bowl. She broke open a steamed bun made of two kinds of dough and put in a few slices of pork head meat. Banggeng also took a steamed bun and tried to stuff meat into it.

Jia Zhangshi sat on her doorstep, watching the people eating and drinking with longing eyes, her drool practically dripping down her cheeks. Her triangular eyes were filled with resentment as she stared intently at Yi Zhonghai's table.

In the courtyard, Li Weidong was drinking with three leaders. He briefly returned to the main room and grabbed a few salted duck eggs.

I happened to see Xiaoxi having dinner with Xiaodang and Huaihua.

The two little girls each held a large bowl filled with white rice and drizzled with roast chicken broth, their little mouths glistening with oil as they ate.

Lin Yurou walked over, frowned, and whispered, "Brother Dong, look how pitiful these two children are, yet we keep feeding and caring for them..."

"It's just a few meals, Xiaorou, don't worry."

Li Weidong waved his hand dismissively.

He came from the future, so he didn't care about this little bit of food.

Lin Yurou sighed, "Fortunately, only the Jia family in this courtyard is shameless; other families aren't as shameless."

"Don't worry, we'll never go hungry."

Li Weidong raised his hand and rubbed her head.

Lin Yurou's face flushed red, her heart filled with sweetness. When she looked up again, Li Weidong had already left the house.

Director Yang and his group were flushed from drinking and staggering. Two jeeps were parked at the entrance; the drivers shoved them into the cars before driving away.

Li Weidong saw the car off at the gate, and as the taillights disappeared, his stomach started to ache unbearably. He quickly ran to the outhouse next door.

The toilet was open-air, and in the sweltering summer heat, it smelled terrible. I held it in and went in to relieve myself; I felt much better when I came out.

As soon as I reached the courtyard gate, I saw Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong vomiting against the wall. They were muttering to themselves as they vomited.

Yan Bugui closed his eyes, his face full of regret: "What a waste of all those good dishes, all ruined. This wine is really strong."

My tongue is swollen, and I'm incredibly dizzy.

Liu Haizhong mumbled incoherently, "You stingy bastard, what did you say about being nothing... what was it again?"

"A flawless plan!"

Yan Bugui shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, that's the line. But why didn't I calculate it correctly this time?"

Liu Haizhong snorted, "According to your logic, my family should take one of Li Weidong's workstations, the Jia family should get the house and the money, Sha Zhu should marry Lin Yurou, and Lao Yi should adopt Xiao Xi..."

Yan Bugui's face darkened: "If that kid hadn't come back halfway, everything I arranged would have gone smoothly!"

Upon hearing this, Li Weidong's anger flared. He kicked them both, sending them sprawling into the pile of vomit they had just thrown.

He quickly slipped into the yard. Without evidence, he couldn't openly deal with them.

Li Weidong was seething with hatred: "These bastards, just you wait. We'll settle accounts slowly."

Upon reaching the central courtyard, I saw Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu still drinking. Sha Zhu, holding his cup, kept glancing at Qin Huairu, focusing particularly on her two bulging breasts.

Qin Huairu sat beside him, and when he stared at her, she smiled and lowered her head without saying a word. Sha Zhu was practically drooling.

"Silly Zhu, where are your eyes looking?"

Jia Dongxu has become famous.

He knew perfectly well what his wife was after when she was flirting with Sha Zhu—it was all for his lunchbox and money. He usually turned a blind eye, but now, in front of a table full of people, he couldn't bear it.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Jia Dongxu, his heart sinking.

The reason Yi Zhonghai didn't let Jia Zhangshi come over to eat meat was his final test of Jia Dongxu. He wanted to see how much sincerity this boy truly had for his own mother.

Yi Zhonghai is truly considering giving up on Jia Dongxu for his retirement. That kid is greedy, lazy, cunning, and slippery—he has it all.

That's another story, considering how many inhuman things Yi Zhonghai has done. But the person you choose to support in your old age can't be this kind of person—otherwise, what's the point of supporting him?

Now, Jia Dongxu is even abandoning his own mother for the sake of making a living. How can we expect him to be filial to his master in the future?

Sha Zhu's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "I think it's a stick."

With red eyes, Jia Dongxu stared in the direction of Sha Zhu, his voice low but carrying a fierce edge: "That's my son, what's so interesting about him?"

His mind was churning with the ambiguous relationship between his wife and Sha Zhu, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt cheated. As for the lunchbox he had taken from Sha Zhu and the money he had received, he had long forgotten about them.

Silly Zhu, at his wit's end, casually remarked, "Bang Geng's hair, it's curly like an old man's."

Yi Zhonghai's hair was shaved short, but upon closer inspection, it did indeed have a slight curl.

As soon as these words were spoken, Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu's expressions changed drastically, and they cursed inwardly at the same time: "Stupid Zhu, you really are a pig!"

Both of them knew that Sha Zhu had said it unintentionally and meant no harm. But if this thoughtless remark aroused Jia Dongxu's suspicion, it would be a huge problem.

Sure enough, Jia Dongxu's gaze swept back and forth between Bang Geng and Yi Zhonghai, his suspicion growing stronger.

Yi Zhonghai quickly changed the subject: "Alright, alright, you two stop drinking. If you keep going, you'll all collapse. Go check on Uncle and the others; why haven't they come back yet?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Liu Haizhong staggered over, filthy, yelling, "Damn it, who kicked me from behind? If I catch him, I'll skin him alive!"

Liu Haizhong hurried to the backyard to change his clothes. Yan Bugui had already gone home to get ready.

Sha Zhu opened his mouth, wanting to make a sarcastic remark: "Oh, Second Uncle, what's this...?"

Before he could finish speaking, he met Yi Zhonghai's gaze and swallowed his words, instead saying, "Jia Dongxu, let's keep drinking. Let's finish this bowl, dare you?"

"Come on then, who's afraid of you, you idiot!"

Jia Dongxu grabbed the wine bowl, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.

The knot in his heart grew bigger and bigger, and he was determined to get to the bottom of things. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became, so he decided to vent his anger by drinking.

Sitting at her doorstep, Jia Zhangshi muttered curses at Yi Zhonghai: "You old widow, you're so stingy with the meat, deliberately trying to sow discord between me and my son and grandson!"

"Damn it, you think my son will take care of you in your old age? Dream on!"

Yi Zhonghai wore a smile as he watched Jia Dongxu and Sha Zhu compete in drinking, but his eyes were filled with icy killing intent.

He thought to himself: Jia Dongxu can't be allowed to live. He'll definitely keep investigating and looking for clues. I need to find a way to get rid of him tomorrow, and I have to do it flawlessly.

In a place like a steel rolling mill, opportunities abound. He, an eighth-grade fitter, could easily outmaneuver his apprentice.

Jia Dongxu was so drunk that he had no idea that his most trusted master was plotting to kill him.

Li Weidong stepped into the house, where Lin Yurou and He Yushui were cleaning up the mess. Xiao Dang was helping out, her movements quite professional; Huaihua was sweeping the floor with a small broom, doing it meticulously; Xiao Xi was also holding a broom, mimicking her movements.

"Brother Dong, you should lie down and rest."

Lin Yurou quickly stepped forward to support him.

Li Weidong downed three bottles of baijiu (Chinese liquor), but his face showed no reaction. Martial arts practitioners have a solid foundation; this amount of alcohol is nothing to them.

Li Weidong could only feign drunkenness, swaying unsteadily like a wooden stake bent by the wind. After all, three bottles of strong liquor had left his face completely unrecognizable; anyone who saw him would wonder what kind of trouble he was hiding. At this critical juncture, being watched and unable to explain himself would be a huge problem.

Lin Yurou helped him into the bedroom, put him on the bed, turned the fan towards him, and then quietly withdrew.

"I have to take the engineer certification exam tomorrow, otherwise I'll feel guilty taking all this level eight benefits for nothing."

Li Weidong's mind raced with thoughts. Just now, Factory Director Yang had mentioned an exam opportunity at Tsinghua University; anyone with a university diploma or a letter of recommendation from the factory could give it a try.

As he was pondering this, he suddenly heard someone enter the house. Immediately afterwards, he heard the sound of running water, and then a hot towel was placed on his face and gently wiped.

Just by listening to her footsteps and breathing, Li Weidong knew it was Lin Yurou.

Lin Yurou moved very gently. After wiping his face, she tucked the towel under the hem of his sailor shirt and carefully wiped his chest. After wiping the front, she struggled to turn Li Weidong over and then wiped his back.

Li Weidong felt something soft and fragrant pressed against his face, almost making it hard to breathe. He, a seasoned veteran from a later era, knew exactly what it was.

Lin Yurou's face was flushed. After wiping his upper body, she let out a long breath. She changed the towel, wet it, and carefully wiped his feet. The soft touch of her little hands sent shivers down Li Weidong's spine.

Then came the sound of her tiptoeing out, and a moment later she returned with a large mug of water, placing it on the bedside table. The room still smelled of mosquito coils, ten boxes of which Li Weidong had pulled out in one go that afternoon.

"Something's not right with this girl."

Li Weidong thought to himself, "Only a young wife would do this to her husband. How could siblings do this?"

"Could it be that Xiaorou has taken a liking to me? She's a bit young, but she's really good-looking."

As he was lost in thought, Xiao Xi's voice came from the living room.

"Sister, I want some canned food, can you open one for me?"

That childish voice was full of joy.

"No, there aren't many left. We need to save some for your brother; he works very hard."

Lin Yurou said in a low voice.

Li Weidong's senses were extremely sharp; nothing in the living room escaped his ears, and he could even hear Xiao Xi's breathing clearly.

"Okay then... I'll go find my brother to play with."

Xiao Xi said again.

"Don't go, your brother has had too much to drink and needs to sleep. You can play with him tomorrow, okay?"

Lin Yurou coaxed softly, "Go take a shower quickly, your Rain Sister will be done soon."

Xiao Xi lowered her voice and said, "I'll just take a look at my brother, I promise I won't wake him up."

"Go on, but be careful."

Lin Yurou nodded.

Watching the little girl slip into Li Weidong's room, Lin Yurou's face flushed again. Just now, she had mustered up the courage to help Li Weidong wipe his body, and now, thinking back on it, her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

"How could someone like Dong Ge possibly marry me? He's educated, handsome, and incredibly capable."

Lin Yurou felt a bittersweet feeling in her heart. "Washing his feet once is like being married to him."

"This way, I can at least do right by my stepfather."

Li Weidong heard the sound of the door being gently pushed open.

A small, dark figure crept stealthily to the bedside, barely breathing.