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

Li Weidong quickly said.

"It's alright, it's hot outside, but at least we can always find something to eat."

Meng Guangshan wiped away his tears. "Then let's go back. If we don't leave now, we'll miss the train."

"Staying here overnight is not an option; your aunt and cousin are still at home and worried about you."

Li Weidong suddenly asked, "Uncle, did you come because you heard my dad passed away?"

"That's right. Someone in the village works at the steel mill. He went back and told me you were back and that your dad had passed away. Otherwise, how would I have known?"

Meng Guangshan looked displeased.

Ever since Li Weidong's father remarried, Meng Guangshan has cut off all contact with his brother-in-law.

"Never mind, it's all in the past."

Li Weidong changed the subject, "What's my cousin doing now?"

"What can I do? I can only farm at home."

Meng Guangshan sighed, "Work points are hard to earn, and it's even harder to get a wife."

"Let my cousin go back and tidy up."

Li Weidong raised an eyebrow. "Come over on Monday, and I'll arrange for him to get a job at the steel rolling mill."

Meng Jianguo jumped up immediately: "You really think you can let me work in a steel rolling mill?"

Meng Guangshan chuckled, "It seems the people who say you've made something of yourself are right!"

"Okay, let Jianguo stay with me for now."

Li Weidong said.

He had barely finished speaking when he saw Lin Yurou anxiously glancing at him from the doorway. She had been busy in the kitchen, but hadn't missed a single word from inside.

Li Weidong's heart skipped a beat. He turned his head and saw Meng Jianguo staring blankly at Lin Yurou at the door. He instantly understood everything.

"The factory has employee dormitories. If you don't want to stay here, you can go over there."

Li Weidong said, "It's a problem that you can't read. You'll learn slowly. In the fitter trade, you can't stay long without real skills; you can only be an assistant."

Meng Jianguo quickly waved his hand: "Cousin, I'm fine staying here with you. The dorms aren't convenient. Your place is spacious!"

"Jianguo, I got you a job in the factory and taught you a skill, but that's only because we're relatives. As for the rest, you have to rely on yourself."

Li Weidong's expression darkened.

Lin Yurou breathed a sigh of relief. She realized that Li Weidong had caught the signal she gave him. But upon hearing Meng Guangshan's words, a surge of anger welled up inside her, making her feel both ashamed and furious.

Meng Guangshan knew what his son was planning, and said directly, "Nephew, you've made something of yourself now, while your cousin still doesn't have a girlfriend. But once he gets a job at the steel mill, he won't have trouble finding one."

"How about we let Lin Yurou and your cousin get to know each other?"

The air in the room seemed to freeze as soon as Meng Guangshan said those words.

"Impossible! She's mine!"

Li Weidong spoke without thinking.

Lin Yurou, who had been trembling with fear at the door, felt completely dizzy upon hearing this, as if she were drunk. A weight lifted from her heart, and an unprecedented sense of peace washed over her. She felt that even if the sky were to fall, there was nothing to fear.

Meng Guangshan was stunned, and Meng Jianguo's face immediately fell. He felt that his budding ideas had been completely nipped in the bud by Li Weidong.

Li Weidong had originally planned to have the father and son stay for a meal, but now he gave up on that idea. He tidied up and prepared to send them home.

"You can ride this bike back, but bring it back to me on Monday."

Li Weidong pointed to the bicycle next to him, "This bag contains fifty jin of cornmeal, and this bag contains fifty jin of wheat flour."

The white flour was a gift from Factory Director Yang; it was yellowish in color and particularly coarse, so Li Weidong didn't like it. The cornmeal was a reward for signing in, exactly one hundred jin (50 kg).

Each of the two bamboo baskets was stuffed with a bag of flour. Meng Jianguo sat on the back seat with his legs dangling inside the baskets.

Li Weidong explained to Meng Guangshan how to use the engine unit at the gate, and then let them leave.

Instead of going home, he went to the nearby supply and marketing cooperative and bought a 28-inch motorcycle.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw that Yan Bugui's eyes were as red as a rabbit's.

"Li Weidong, you gave away that car? Tsk tsk, money really makes a difference."

Yan Bugui's words were laced with sarcasm: "You bought another new one. You're so rich, why don't you think about us poor neighbors too!"

"Hey, you mean I have to give you my car?"

Li Weidong sneered.

"That's right, they're all neighbors..."

Yan Bugui was only halfway through his sentence when Li Weidong glared at him, and his voice trailed off.

Li Weidong sneered: "Even rats know they need skin. What's the point of living if a person has no shame?"

After saying that, he pushed his bicycle and left.

Yan Bugui was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time, and his chest felt tight.

"Dad, what did he mean?"

Yan Jiefang leaned over and asked.

"Get lost!"

The veins on Yan Bugui's forehead were throbbing.

Yan Jiefang is eighteen years old this year. After graduating from junior high school, he has been living off his parents at home. Sometimes he goes out to do odd jobs, but the money he earns is not enough to cover his expenses.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw his younger brother, Yan Jiekuang, smirking.

What are you laughing at?

Yan Jiefang asked irritably.

"Hehe, all that studying you did was for nothing."

Yan Jiekuang said smugly, "What they meant was, even rats have a sense of shame, but you don't even care about yours, you might as well be dead."

"Holy crap, no wonder Dad was furious."

Yan Jiefang looked on with admiration, "Li Weidong's mouth is really too sharp."

He glanced at the salted fish on the table again: "But Dad took two salted fish, so we can have a better meal tonight."

"What are you thinking about?"

Yan Jiekuang rolled his eyes. "That was meant for Li Weidong, so my older brother could work for him."

"Two stinky fish and you think you can change jobs?"

Yan Jiefang snorted, "Dad's really shrewd with his calculations. Why doesn't he think about me?"

Yan Jiefang was seething with anger. Although Yan Bugui wasn't as biased as Liu Haizhong, he always gave the best opportunities to his eldest brother, Yan Jiecheng.

"Why don't you go find Li Weidong yourself?"

Yan Jiekuang suggested, "Look, Liu Guangtian got some benefits from him."

"People who do bamboo weaving can earn quite a bit every day."

Yan Jiefang's eyes darted around, and he thought to himself, "Li Weidong used to collect stamps."

"I also have quite a few stamps. Why don't we take them and talk to him?"

"He wanted some stamps from me before, but I couldn't bear to give them to him. Now I'm seeing if I can find another job."

When Li Weidong pushed the new car past the Intermediate People's Court, Yi Zhonghai stared in disbelief.

Sha Zhu was drinking alone under the eaves, with a plate of peanuts.

"Old man, aren't you going to do anything about this? Where did he get the money and tickets from...?"

Sha Zhu stopped talking before he could finish.

Li Weidong received four hundred yuan in wages today.

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened: "Four hundred yuan. Zhu Zi, stop drinking. Let's have a couple of drinks after your aunt finishes cooking."

When Jia Zhangshi heard this at her own doorstep, she immediately exploded.

"How much? That brat's salary is four hundred?"

Jia Zhangshi yelled at the top of her lungs, "Didn't you say it was two hundred and sixty? Four hundred yuan! How can he possibly spend it all?"

Qin Huairu clutched the job posting until her knuckles turned white.

"That's the title of chief engineer, and he only makes four hundred yuan a month."

Sha Zhu scratched the back of his head, his eyes a little glazed over.

"This isn't fair! Why?!"

Madam Jia slammed her hand on the table. "My son's life is only worth three hundred? I'm going to confront them tomorrow—"

"Sister-in-law, please don't act rashly."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, "Tell Huai Ru to report for duty on Monday. She's still learning a trade from me, so I'll take care of her. No one in the factory can bully her. For Dong Xu's sake, you can rest assured."

Qin Huairu stood by the door of the inner room, listening to the conversation outside.

Her husband's life wasn't even worth a month's salary for Li Weidong.

No, I have to find a way to get in touch with Li Weidong.

She gritted her teeth, thinking to herself: A hundred a month would be enough. Then she wouldn't have to deal with that filthy idiot Zhu anymore.

The thought of Sha Zhu's greasy appearance and the stench of his sweat made Qin Huairu's stomach churn.

We can't let that old bastard Yi Zhonghai get away with it. We need to save up some money to help Banggeng get married.

She stood up and checked the rice jar—there wasn't much left. She'd have to buy more grain tomorrow.

Qin Huairu went to the outer room, her face feigning weakness: "Zhuzi, I'll be staying at Li Weidong's house after the rain. Could you lend me some food coupons first?"

Her family has five members, and none of them receive government-subsidized grain rations.

Once I start working, my household registration can be transferred here, and my three children can also transfer theirs. Only my mother-in-law will still have a rural household registration.

But now they have no food supplies. When Jia Dongxu was alive, they had to go to the pigeon market to buy expensive grain. If it weren't for Sha Zhu's help, they really wouldn't have been able to survive.

"Okay, I'll go get my ration book!"

Sha Zhu readily agreed.

He usually eats at the factory, so he doesn't use much of the rations. How much can a little girl like He Yushui eat?

Sha Zhu opened the ration book, and his expression changed.

"What happened? You've lost twenty-six pounds?"

Qin Huairu immediately realized, "That's the amount of rainwater supplied! She's not in school anymore? Even if she were, she wouldn't use that much. It must have been sent to Li Weidong's house!"

"Holy crap, isn't she—"

Sha Zhu suddenly stood up.

"Pillar, what do you want to do?"

Yi Zhonghai shouted, "Isn't it normal for Yu Shui to bring food coupons when she goes to Li Weidong's house for dinner?"

"If you go and cause trouble, aren't you just offering your face to Li Weidong for a slap?"

Sha Zhu plopped back down, his face flushed red, muttering to himself.

"Didn't you have everything planned out? Don't alert them."

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, "Think before you act."

"All right."

Sha Zhu said in a muffled voice, "Uncle, I'll listen to you."

"Okay, let's eat first. There's a hospital-wide meeting tonight. Find a moment to cause Li Weidong some trouble."

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice and said.

"Um...hey, where's Sister Qin?"

Sha Zhu turned his head and found that Qin Huairu was no longer in the yard.

Yi Zhonghai sneered inwardly: "You stupid fool, Qin Huairu has no money to be made from, why would she stay and watch you?" But he changed his tone aloud: "Stop drinking, Zhuzi, come and try my Fenjiu. Your aunt stir-fried eggplant and potatoes, go and invite the old lady over to eat together."

Sha Zhu verbally agreed, but inwardly he cursed: "Old man, do you still want to treat me like a fool? I'm not stupid. Who will take responsibility if someone dies?"

If you hit him with an iron rod, it could really cause a big problem. But if you use a wooden stick, that kid's skin is thick and tough, it might not be effective.

The image of Li Weidong breaking a plane tree as thick as a bowl with a single punch flashed through my mind.

Just as I was pondering this, a strong fragrance wafted into my nose.

"Ribbonfish! Fresh, unmarinated ribbonfish, probably frozen. Crabs are also available!"

Sha Zhu took a deep breath.