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

11

Then turn your head to look in the direction of the Yan family—

Yan Jiecheng chased after him to the door, his eyes red and tears welling up but he couldn't stop crying.

The door slammed shut.

It slammed down with a loud thud, making the paper windows shake violently!

Hey!

Could it be... that he got dumped?

Wang Aiguo grinned and casually crushed a sunflower seed.

An engagement annuled? That's quite an exciting start!

Little did he know, the Yan family had already staked the blame on him, and several young men were sharpening their knives.

He hasn't had time for idle chatter these past few days.

Yi Hongmei had just finished get off work when she put the child in his arms and turned to run to the supply and marketing cooperative.

The woman behind the counter was happily munching on sunflower seeds, not even lifting her eyelids.

Wang Aiguo was already numb.

These days, customers aren't gods, they're fat old men waiting to be slaughtered!

State-run stores, supply and marketing cooperatives, canteens... their faces are as hard as cured meat!

In the 1980s, some restaurants even posted notices saying: "No swearing at customers!"

Wang Aiguo almost burst out laughing.

But now that I'm actually wearing it, I have to follow the rules.

Buying things? It feels like begging, I feel so uncomfortable.

He shook his head to clear his mind and slapped out a stack of bills.

Sunflower seed shells "poof"

It sprayed out and hit his nose!

He turned his head away, stunned.

The girl didn't even see how he flashed; her eyes were glued to the ticket.

Sewing tickets! Clock tickets! Radio tickets! Watch tickets!

Her hand trembled, and all the sunflower seed shells fell into the cracks of the counter.

Customers usually buy two pieces of candy and a piece of floral fabric.

Is this person treating the supply and marketing cooperative like their own warehouse?

She suddenly looked up, her eyes flashing with an alarming light.

Is this person married?

She had been eyeing that women's watch for three years, but only dared to touch the glass case.

"Comrade!"

Her voice trembled, "Can I... change partners?"

"Or... how about more?"

Wang Aiguo knocked on the counter: "Are all the goods complete?"

"All together! All together!"

The leader rushed over upon hearing the news, shaking his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

The tricycle rattled along, fully loaded with good goods, heading straight for the courtyard.

The courtyard was in an uproar.

Wow! Who suddenly became rich?

"A sewing machine! Two hundred yuan!"

"A radio? Even our village secretary doesn't have one!"

"A clock? Can't you just look at the sun?"

What to do on a cloudy day?

"It's cloudy? On cloudy days, air out your blankets a bit more!"

The whole alley was filled with people running out.

"Who is this?"

As Jia Zhangshi squinted in the sun, her eyes nearly popped out when she glanced at the items on the tricycle: "Whose is that? Oh my! That watch is so shiny! I've never even worn one! Give it to me... just that one, I don't want anything else!"

Before he could finish speaking, he looked up and saw Wang Aiguo following behind the car.

Oh, it belongs to his family?

Well... never mind.

She instinctively pressed her limping leg and shrank her neck.

The moment this guy showed his face, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Wang Aiguo! He's really good at causing trouble!

Several sounds of swallowing could be heard coming from inside the courtyard.

None of it was food, but everyone was so hungry they were licking their lips.

This is the first time I've ever seen people buy things like this!

He emptied the supply and marketing cooperative, didn't he?

Could that tiny, run-down house fit it all?

The tricycle alone made two trips!

Sewing machines, clocks, and radios were piled up like mountains, while scraps of cloth and candy rolled all over the floor.

There's also wooden furniture—an eight-immortal table, a carved bed, an old elmwood armchair…

The threshold of Wang Aiguo's house is almost collapsed by the weight of the goods.

"Hold!"

Enraged, Yan Jiefang kicked the wall. "Brother! Let's grab our weapons and smash it! That Wang Aiguo is too much of a nuisance!"

"Don't move! I'll go myself!"

Yan Jiecheng was furious after being jilted at the altar and grabbed a shovel, ready to charge.

"Stop! Put it down!"

Yan Bugui lunged forward and grabbed his arm, "This is our family's shovel! If you break it, we'll have to buy a new one! That'll cost money!"

Yan Jiecheng's hand froze.

It felt like I'd been punched in the chest.

Is this my dad?

Why would someone be stingy with the money for a shovel at a time like this?

Last time you stole that big fish from the girl next door, why didn't you feel sorry for her tears?

What business is it of ours how much Wang Aiguo buys?

There's no concrete evidence yet that Dad lost his job, even if he really did it—

Is it wrong to buy nice things for my daughter?

He suddenly felt deflated.

Breaking off an engagement is truly painful, but it's not right to take it out on the other person.

Or is it just envy of the mountains of good stuff that other people have at home?

My head is buzzing.

He loosened his grip on the shovel, turned around, and went into the kitchen, where he pulled out a wine bottle that Yan Bugui had kept for ten years.

"Hey! Are you crazy? Put it down right now!"

Yan Bugui's face turned green. This wine was ten times more valuable than a shovel!

Yan Jiecheng ignored him completely.

"Snap"

He twisted the cap open, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp, which made him choke from the spiciness.

That liquor was really strong, a pure grain spirit with an alcohol content of over 50 degrees!

Yan Jiecheng drank half a jin of liquor, and his legs immediately felt weak.

Before anyone could react, he had already stumbled out the door, unsteady on his feet.

Wang Aiguo carried his bags back home.

New clothes, new quilts, new pots and pans, filling half the room.

He didn't even glance at it, and turned to leave.

Behind me, there were gasps of astonishment, and some people were even swallowing hard.

He turned three corners and stopped in front of the small courtyard with blue bricks.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door three times, and it opened with a creak.

"Is patriotism here?"

Wu Huixiang stood under the eaves, her complexion much brighter than it had been a few days ago.

She greeted us with a smile, her apron still tied around her waist.

Oh, I almost forgot—

She's no longer called Aunt Yi; her real name is Wu Huixiang.

"Auntie, I'm leaving tomorrow."

Wang Aiguo plopped down on a small bamboo stool; he had come especially today to say goodbye.

"Go to... Hong Kong?"

Wu Huixiang paused, the rag in her hand still.

She had heard the name several times, but now that it was actually happening, her heart still tightened.

After her last public falling out with Yi Zhonghai and getting a divorce, she preferred to sleep under a bridge rather than step into a courtyard house again.

It's not that I'm ashamed, it's that I'm afraid to see the way that man and woman are exchanging glances.

Unexpectedly, Wang Aiguo bought the courtyard without saying a word.

The bricks are new, the tiles are whole, and even the stove is built perfectly.

She couldn't understand: This young man was well-connected and established in Beijing, so why would he suddenly want to run away?

"The whole family will go together."

Wang Aiguo didn't explain much, he just gently tapped his teacup on the table.

Some things are better left unsaid; saying them might only harm others.

The wind is about to rise this year, blowing fiercely and sharply.

In the future, some people will climb up by stepping on others, while others will beg for food on their knees.

He didn't want to get involved, and he didn't want to see familiar faces turn their backs on him.

"Bang!"

The courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open, and the wooden bolt flew out.

A dark figure lunged straight in and fell face-first into the mud.

"Sorry... I swallowed too much..."

The man tried to crawl while supporting himself on the ground, but his hands were still slipping.

He looked up and froze on the spot.

Wu Huixiang frowned, while Wang Aiguo raised his eyebrows.

They recognized each other at the same time—

Isn't this Yan Jiecheng, the eldest son of the Yan family?

"Wang...Wang Aiguo?"

His tongue was tied, his eyes were wide open, he was half sober, but his body was still swaying.

"Tsk, is it really that big of a deal to break up?"

Wang Aiguo rolled his eyes and reached out to pull him up.

Who is it for?

"You don't know anything!"

Just as Yan Jiecheng realized he shouldn't have lost his temper with Wang Aiguo, his anger flared up again upon hearing these words.

"Isn't it all for Yu Li?"

Wang Aiguo swirled his wine glass, his words hitting home: "Looking at you now, do you think she'd even look at you?"

Yan Jie froze, sobering up a bit.

I looked down and smelled the collar—it had a sour, rancid smell.

Touching my greasy hair again, I realized I really didn't look like a proper person.

Can……

She didn't drink, but she still broke off the engagement!

He suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, and instinctively pressed his left ribcage, his fingertips trembling.

Wang Aiguo chuckled, "Oh my, even a miser has his moments of regret?"

I used to think he was just like his father – stingy, stubborn, and unwilling to pour even half a spoonful of soy sauce.

Surprisingly, she's quite endearing.

"You're lucky you ran into him."

He gestured with his chin toward Wu Huixiang, then turned to Yan Jiecheng and said, "What does a girl want when she gets married? Isn't it just for a stable life?"

"You eat salted duck eggs as your staple food, and you break cornbread in half and eat it for three days straight... Would she dare to come in the door?"

"Yu Li isn't determined to leave you; she's just afraid of starving if she stays with you."

"Even if she really leaves, you'll never marry again?"

"Even if it's someone else, they'll still check if you have money in your pocket and if your bed is warm."

"After Grandpa San was kicked out of the factory, how did your family survive?"

"They'd save every penny, even sweeping coal ash three times—which girl wouldn't run away if she heard that?"

"Saving money is a skill, but if you only focus on saving, you'll starve to death sooner or later."

"We need to go out and find work to earn some real money!"

"Sweeping the streets, carrying cement, or pedaling a tricycle—I'll do any of those!"

Yan Jiecheng was stunned.

No one has ever told him that.

It seems... there's some trick to it?

Where can I find work?

Back then, where were there any job postings for men?

They couldn't get into the factory, and no one even wanted to be their helper.

Wang Aiguo suddenly reached out and tapped the old jade thumb ring on his thumb: "You still keep this thing?"

"I buy some occasionally."

Yan Jiecheng scratched the back of his neck, "I only buy things when they're cheap, I'm a bit short on cash right now..."

"The tighter it is, the more you need to tighten it."

Wang Aiguo lowered his voice, "But before the end of the year, bury them all under the pomegranate tree in the backyard."

"You're not allowed to mention it to anyone, not even your mother."

Yan Jiecheng stared wide-eyed, his eyes nearly falling into his wine glass.

Wang Aiguo didn't say anything more.

A night breeze blew, and Yan Jiecheng's effects of the alcohol completely wore off.

At that time, he had no idea that Wang Aiguo's casual words would completely change the course of his life.

He stared at the familiar figure at the door—Auntie Yi.

I haven't seen you for several months, and you've changed.

The people in the courtyard are gossipy; they say she'll suffer after she moves out, and might not even last a few days.

Yi Zhonghai's hypocritical face has long since crumbled.

But what about Aunt Yi? She has a clean record all these years, without a single stain.

When she was young, someone threw dirty water at her and said she couldn't have children, but she was too lazy to even argue.

Yan Jiecheng recognized her at a glance!

Wu Huixiang had a rosy complexion and walked with a brisk pace, looking completely different from before.

It was all thanks to Wang Aiguo's treatment!

Because of this, he said he believed everything Yan Jie said!

"Thanks, Uncle Aiguo!"

He was bent over very low, and his palms were slightly hot.

Sixteen years have passed in the blink of an eye...

"Uncle Aiguo? Is that really you?!"

Forty-year-old Yan Jiecheng rubbed his sore eyes, almost thinking he had drunk too much.

Wang Aiguo stood at the door, his gray cloth shirt faded from washing, and he carried an old cloth bag in his hand.

The courtyard house was in an uproar.

The mere mention of that name sends shivers down my spine.

Oh.

Looking at the upright middle-aged man in front of him, Wang Aiguo vaguely saw the drunken, bowing young man from years ago.

Wow, that's fast.

He stepped over the threshold, his gaze sweeping over the frozen faces.

There was surprise, panic, dodging, and endurance.

The wooden door creaked.

With a push, it was opened.

Dust fell in clumps.

Behind him, someone in the crowd swallowed hard and his palms sweated.