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

As Yan Jiefang walked through the courtyard with the banana in his hand, Banggeng and another kid's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, their eyes blazing with fury as they stared at the banana in his hand.

Yan Jiefang walked past quickly, not bothering to pay any attention to who Jia Zhangshi was arguing with at the Intermediate People's Court.

When they arrived at their front yard, Yan Jiedi was doing her homework, hunched over the table. Yan Jiekuang had disappeared somewhere.

Yan Bugui wasn't home; he was probably at the Intermediate People's Court with Yan Jiecheng.

"Little sister, here you go."

Yan Jiefang handed over the banana, "Eat it quickly, it's a banana, it's sweet."

Just as Yan Jiedi was about to peel it, Yang Yuhua came over.

"Jie Di, don't eat alone. Wait for your dad and your older brother to come back and we'll share it together."

Yang Yuhua said sternly, "Yan Jiefang, have you already eaten? Then there's no left for you."

Yang Yuhua was furious; Yan Jiefang was becoming increasingly disobedient.

"Little sister, this banana is mine, you can have it all by yourself."

Yan Jiefang snatched the banana, peeled it, and stuffed it directly into Yan Jiedi's mouth.

"Eat it, or I'll throw it out to feed the dogs."

Yan Jiefang's voice was vicious. He was still annoyed by the five yuan deducted from his pay every month.

Yang Yuhua's face turned pale with anger, but she could only watch helplessly as Yan Jiedi swallowed the whole banana.

Yan Jiedi is only eleven years old this year.

Li Weidong told He Yushui what dishes to cook for dinner and asked her to get the preparations done first.

"Rain, I'll stand beside you tonight and teach you step by step."

Li Weidong laughed and said, "You'll definitely become a great chef in the future. Sha Zhu's skills are nothing compared to that."

Li Weidong was thinking about the future. He was going to open a five-star hotel sooner or later, and he needed to use his own people. He Yushui was the executive chef he had his eye on.

By then, He Yushui will be in her early thirties, the prime of her career.

Just then, a loud shout, like a broken gong, suddenly rang out from the middle courtyard. Xiao Xi jumped up from the stool.

"Brother, the meeting's in session! Hurry up and go!"

Xiao Xi loves joining in on this kind of fun.

"Let's go!"

Li Weidong tucked the child under his arm.

A large crowd had gathered in the courtyard. Director Wang arrived with two officials. There wasn't even a table or bench set up around the area.

"Yi Zhonghai, were you involved in this matter?"

Director Wang spoke in a very aggressive tone, asking about Jia Zhangshi's involvement in feudal superstition.

"Director, do I look like someone who believes in crooked and evil ways?"

Yi Zhonghai's square face was filled with injustice.

"But Jia Zhangshi said it was you who took the money, and told her to—"

"Yes, yes! It's the eight pieces he gave me!"

Jia Zhangshi shouted eagerly. She knew in her mind that the more people she dragged into the mess, the less blame she would have to bear.

Yan Bugui's heart was pounding, afraid that Yi Zhonghai would implicate him. Of those eight yuan, three belonged to him.

"I did give her money, but that was for her to see a doctor about her legs."

Yi Zhonghai looked furious. "She's been injured for several days, but she just won't go to the hospital."

"This morning I discussed it with Lao Yan and we pooled together some money for her medical treatment. Jia Zhangshi was reluctant to spend it! Who knew she would use it for superstitious purposes and then turn around and accuse us of something else."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui understood everything.

"Yes, yes, I already agreed with Lao Yi a long time ago that I would put up three pieces!"

Yan Bugui also feigned anger, "Since that's the case, Jia Zhangshi, you should return the money to us!"

"You...you..."

Jia Zhangshi was dumbfounded; she never expected that these two could turn black into white.

Qin Huairu stood silently to the side. She had originally planned to come back and talk about her promotion to a permanent position, to show off a little. Who knew her mother-in-law would cause such a scene at home?

"Jia Zhangshi, don't you know you're wrong?"

Director Wang raised his voice, "After your leg heals, seven days of labor reform! And you'll be paraded through the streets—"

"Director, she's just an uneducated rural woman, very muddle-headed."

Yi Zhonghai looked at her with pity, "Let's just let her be paraded through the streets. She is guilty, but she has three children and a daughter-in-law who will still have to go out and face people in the future."

"Alright, since you, Lao Yi, have spoken up, I'll give you face."

Director Wang nodded. "Mrs. Jia, your daughter-in-law is so good, and you have so many grandchildren, why don't you just live a good life?"

Madam Jia was furious, but she knew she couldn't bite Yi Zhonghai any longer. Otherwise, if he kicked her a couple of times, it wouldn't just be a matter of seven days.

"Alright, everyone, go home. Hurry up and go home to cook; you've been busy all day."

Director Wang waved his hand.

"Yes, yes, let's disperse."

Liu Haizhong quickly jumped out and shouted a couple of times.

He felt quite disappointed. With Director Wang present, the meeting was far too short and lacked any real grandeur. His attempt to show off his power had failed once again.

When Foreman Wang saw Li Weidong, his face crinkled with smiles: "Chief Engineer Li, I've brought the person you asked for. This is Old Qian."

Old Qian was around fifty years old. He looked honest and was clearly a decent person.

"Hello, Chief Engineer Li."

Old Qian quickly bent over, speaking cautiously.

"Old Qian has real skills; his ancestors worked for the imperial palace for generations. Of course, now they are just ordinary working people like us."

Foreman Wang explained from the side, "Just tell him what you need to do."

"Thank you, Foreman Wang. Please come in and have some tea."

Li Weidong said something polite.

"No, no, my family is waiting for me to cook dinner."

Foreman Wang waved his hand, "We'll talk about it next time. You go ahead with your work."

Li Weidong, carrying Xiao Xi in his arms, took Lao Qian and headed towards the backyard. Foreman Wang didn't linger either, hurrying out of the yard.

Jia Zhangshi grabbed Yi Zhonghai's arm, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Yi Zhonghai, you've really screwed me over! You have to pay me back, you absolutely have to pay me back!"

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth: "What compensation? You brought this on yourself."

As he spoke, his eyes darted around. Only Yan Bugui came over to watch the commotion; few people in the courtyard paid any attention to them.

"How did I do something reckless? Explain yourself!"

Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes and, spitting foul breath, lunged at Yi Zhonghai's face.

Yi Zhonghai almost vomited from the smell: "You dare to do that in broad daylight? Couldn't you wait until dark, close the door tightly, and do it secretly?"

He abruptly shook off Jia Zhangshi, rushed to the pool, turned on the tap, and vigorously washed his face.

"I don't care! You still have to pay me eighty yuan!"

With her hands on her hips, Jia Zhangshi said, "If you don't give it to me, I'll—"

"So what are you going to do about it?"

Yi Zhonghai snorted and took the towel that Yu Mei handed him to wipe his face.

"If you don't give it to me, I'll come and make a scene every day!"

Jia Zhangshi's ability to throw tantrums and act shamelessly was innate.

"Okay, then I'll go to the street office and tell them. You don't even have a city household registration."

Yi Zhonghai spoke slowly and deliberately, "Your son is gone too. Logically speaking, you should have been sent to the countryside long ago."

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia immediately wilted.

"My leg hurts, I can't be bothered to argue with you."

After uttering those words, Jia Zhangshi slunk back to her own home.

Yan Bugui shook his head: "What a shrew."

You should be content.

Yi Zhonghai said irritably.

"Old Yi, shouldn't we make her give back those three yuan?"

Yan Bugui rubbed his fingers together.

"Oh, so you're trying to get money from me? Fine, I'll give you three dollars. Don't come looking for me if anything happens to your family in the future."

Yi Zhonghai sneered.

"This...this is not something I can let you pay for. If we can't get it back from Jia Zhangshi, then forget it."

Yan Bugui's face turned red with heartache.

That's three yuan; he'll have to work for three and a half days to earn it back.

It wasn't that he didn't want money from Yi Zhonghai, but Lao Yi had promised to help him get Yan Jiecheng into the factory, so he couldn't break off the relationship.

Just as Qin Huairu put the rice to a boil, Jia Zhangshi burst in, her face long and drawn.

"You still have the time to cook? I'm out here—"

"I just went into the kitchen after Director Wang left."

Qin Huairu's tone was neither warm nor cold.

In the past, seeing her mother-in-law like this would have terrified her, fearing she'd be sent back to her hometown. After all, that job was ultimately a quota assigned to the Jia family.

But after hearing Li Weidong's words in the workshop today, she suddenly realized: she has a skill, so she won't starve no matter where she goes.

Besides, if she were really forced to leave, how many days could Jia Zhangshi hold out?

"What? You've only been in the workshop for two days, and you're already getting cocky?"

Jia Zhangshi raised her voice, "That position belongs to Jia! I can get you promoted, and I can make you come back to farming!"

"Sure, go talk to the factory then."

Qin Huairu didn't even lift her eyelids.

When Jia Zhangshi saw that this trick hadn't worked, she panicked. Her eyes darted around, and she plopped down on the ground, slapping her thighs and starting to wail:

"Old Jia! Dongxu! Open your eyes and see! This heartless man is going to starve me to death!"

"Grandma, if you keep shouting like that, Director Wang will come back and my seven days of labor reform will probably turn into half a month."

Qin Huairu's voice was neither cold nor warm, "The ground is dirty, get up quickly."

"You...you!"

Jia Zhangshi was so angry that her teeth itched.

"I've taken the day off; I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow."

Qin Huairu continued, "Also, I'll be officially promoted soon. In three to five days, after passing the Level 1 worker assessment—"

"What?"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened in disbelief. "A permanent position? You've only been at the factory for a few days! Even someone as smart as Dongxu took three years to be officially promoted!"

"It normally takes six months for an apprentice to reach level one. Even if someone is slow, a year is enough."

Qin Huairu's tone was slightly contemptuous, "Dongxu has dragged this out for three years. Either they're not putting in the effort, or they've been tricked."

"I've done the work that only a top-level worker could do today."

Madam Jia frowned: "Scammed? Then Dongxu's work injury...was it also a scam? I remember now, it must be that little bastard—"

"What nonsense are you thinking? Chief Engineer Li has only been here a few days!"

Qin Huairu pressed her temples. "Besides, Chief Engineer Li is investigating the work injury case."

"Call the children back for dinner."

Madam Jia gritted her teeth: "Fine, we have to find that bastard! How dare he mess with our family! You got a raise, so your pension should be increased too—five yuan a month!"

Qin Huairu didn't budge an inch: "Three yuan, that's all. I have enough money to feed my whole family, I can't give it all to you."

She had her own plans. She had already saved up more than four hundred yuan by squeezing money out of Sha Zhu. If she managed to get a little bit from that idiot every month, it would add up to a considerable sum over time.

Finally, the mother and daughter reached an agreement: Qin Huairu would give Jia Zhangshi four yuan a month for her old age.

"Where's that bastard Sha Zhu? I haven't seen him all day! His lunchbox hasn't been delivered either!"

Madam Jia's face darkened. "He wants to be like that little beast?"