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

Liu Haizhong smiled sullenly: "Tomorrow, the eldest son of the Yan family is going on a blind date. Go and wait outside the door, and stage a scene of free love for him. Your father is a level seven blacksmith, and a team leader too."

"With your qualifications, you're miles ahead of Yan Jiecheng. Yan Bugui only earns 27.5 yuan a month, while I earn 87.5 yuan!"

Liu Guangqi was taken aback for a moment, then grinned and said, "That's right, how come I didn't think of that? I just wonder what Yan Jiecheng's girlfriend looks like; she can't be anything less than pretty."

After finishing dinner, Li Weidong started making furniture with a clanging sound. He was making wardrobes for Lin Yurou and the others, and also a dressing table.

Liu Guangtian squatted alone in the room chewing his food, and seeing Yan Jiefang with his girlfriend, he felt incredibly jealous.

"Brother Dong, can I borrow your car? I'll take Xiaojuan back."

Yan Jiefang ran over and called out.

"Alright, ride away."

Li Weidong waved his hand.

Ding Xiaojuan stared curiously as Li Weidong sawed wood, her cloth bag containing two cans of food.

Yan Jiefang just made fish and shredded potatoes, so these two cans of food are for her to take back. Xiao Juan's family is poor, otherwise they wouldn't be in such a hurry to marry her off. She doesn't have a job, and if she gets married, there will be fewer mouths to feed.

When Yan Jiefang was riding his bicycle with Xiao Juan past the Intermediate People's Court, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu were drinking.

Sha Zhu's eyes were practically red with envy. Even that greenhorn Yan Jiefang had found a girlfriend, while he was still a bachelor. Sha Zhu wanted to get married too!

Of course, it can't be Qin Huairu! A widow with a child, how could she be worthy of him, Sha Zhu? He wants to find a pure, innocent young woman. But he can't abandon taking care of Sister Qin either; he has to find a way to get her into bed as soon as possible.

"Damn, Yan Jiefang dares to act up now. It's all that little brat's fault for corrupting him."

Sha Zhu tilted his head back and gulped down a mouthful of wine.

Yi Zhonghai warned with a stern face, "Don't mess with him. Who knows how the factory will deal with you tomorrow at work. Nan Yi is holding the fort in the kitchen now, otherwise do you think you'd be able to keep quiet like this?"

"Hold!"

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and cursed, "That kid Nan Yi was hired by that bastard Li Weidong!"

The deaf old woman picked up a piece of fatty meat, chewed it slowly for a couple of bites, and mumbled, "That little brat, he can't stand not causing trouble all day."

Yi Zhonghai pondered for a while, then sighed, "We can't do anything about him. Let's try a different approach and try to ease things up with him."

"He hates us, isn't it because I schemed against him, and failed even once?"

A calculating glint flashed in Yi Zhonghai's eyes. "If I swallow my pride and apologize to him properly, there might still be a chance for things to turn around."

The deaf old woman paused for two seconds, then said, "That's not wrong. If he can reconcile with you, life will be much more comfortable. That little brat has no parents and no one to care for him. If you can earn his respect from the bottom of your heart... tsk, it's not impossible for him to lend you a hand."

"Don't think too far ahead, I'll take it slow."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up with eagerness, and a thought flashed through his mind—

"Yeah, why didn't I realize that before? Having Li Weidong take care of me in my old age is a million times better than taking care of that idiot!"

"Bang Geng is my own son, that's true, but I can't let him be a burden. If Li Weidong can take care of me in my old age, I can also help Bang Geng out in the future."

"It won't be easy to get this done; it will take time and effort."

Yi Zhonghai was having a great time, completely unaware that Li Weidong was already plotting how to get him thrown in jail.

Yan Jiefang pushed his bicycle out of the compound gate, preparing to get on the bike with Ding Xiaojuan and leave.

"Take a few steps first, I have something I want to ask you."

Ding Xiaojuan called out to him.

"Okay, okay."

Yan Jiefang couldn't wait to chat a little longer.

"Who exactly is this Brother Dong? Is he a carpenter?"

Ding Xiaojuan asked curiously.

"carpenter?!"

Yan Jiefang smiled, his face full of admiration. "Brother Dong is the chief engineer of the steel rolling mill! He's an eighth-level worker in everything—turning, fitting, and electric forging. He also has a seventh-level engineer title. But his main profession is a doctor; he has a proper master's degree in medicine."

He paused, then added, "His carpentry skills are also at an eighth-level."

Ding Xiaojuan's mouth dropped open: "Is this even human? It's clearly a god descended to earth!"

"They were born geniuses; they were the best students from a young age."

Yan Jiefang sighed.

"He helped me get the factory job. By the way, I'm sure I'll be promoted to a higher level next Monday, then I'll earn 27.5 yuan a month. I'll definitely be a level two worker before the New Year, then I'll earn 33 yuan!"

Yan Jiefang proudly showed off.

"Okay, let's get in the car and go."

Ding Xiaojuan urged him, "Hurry up and find a matchmaker to propose marriage to me."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

Yan Jiefang patted his chest and said, "When the opportunity is right, I'll ask Brother Dong to help you find a job."

"Can it really work?"

Ding Xiaojuan's eyes lit up.

"It's not a big problem."

Yan Jiefang said with a smile, "Let's wait and see, I estimate we'll hear from you soon."

Li Weidong was planing wood, and Liu Guangtian was helping him out.

"Take a day off tomorrow at noon and tidy up your room."

Li Weidong didn't stop working. "Go get some secondhand furniture to put on the table."

Liu Guangtian chuckled twice: "I don't need those for the time being."

"How could you not need it?"

Li Weidong smirked. "Yan Jiecheng is going on a blind date tomorrow. With your qualifications, snatching him away should be a piece of cake, right?"

Liu Guangtian's eyes lit up: "That's true!"

"Make sure you get things done properly tomorrow."

Li Weidong's tone was smug.

"The bamboo tables and chairs I made myself are quite good, I'm just missing a writing desk and a wardrobe."

Liu Guangtian perked up, "Buying a second-hand one only costs about ten yuan."

Are you short on cash? I have some here.

"No need, no need, I've saved up quite a bit from selling bamboo weaving."

Liu Guangtian quickly waved his hand, "Used furniture is cheap, it won't cost much."

"Okay, you decide for yourself. I'll approve half a day off for you tomorrow."

The next morning, Li Weidong got ready and headed to the factory.

The gun, tucked into his waistband, felt heavy, giving him a sense of security. He had made the holster himself from leather.

In the courtyard, Lin Yurou and He Yushui got up early and were busy applying varnish to the furniture.

Furniture made of red pine looks good even without paint. Nowadays, natural lacquer is used, so it has almost no smell.

After this coat of paint is applied, we can move in and use it tonight.

Last night, Li Weidong made two writing desks, two dressing desks, and a large wardrobe for He Yushui, Lin Yurou, and Xiaoxi.

If I make two more chests of drawers when I get back today, then we'll be all set.

Li Weidong pushed his bike away, thinking to himself, "System, check in."

A mechanical female voice announced: "Check-in successful. You have received one hundred donkeys."

Li Weidong was stunned.

That's it? He was hoping for some blueprints; that would be a real treasure.

The cows and donkeys provided by the system are already slaughtered; they're only for eating. If they were alive and sold off one by one, the price would be...

Even if they were alive, he wouldn't dare sell them. These things aren't like chickens or ducks; if a large animal makes any noise, it'll be watched.

But then again, dragon meat in the sky and donkey meat on the ground, let's try some tonight.

Li Weidong pushed his cart to the Intermediate People's Court and ran into Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, who were also on their way to work.

Yi Zhonghai forced a smile from afar: "Good morning, Chief Engineer Li."

Li Weidong was taken aback, not expecting that the old man could still smile at him.

He was a little embarrassed, nodded with a cold face, and pushed the cart away.

Sha Zhu stared at Li Weidong's retreating figure, gritting his teeth and muttering under his breath, "What kind of person is that! You're an old man, talking to him like that, and he dares to—"

"Alright, Pillar, don't stoop to his level."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, his expression serious. "As long as we act with a clear conscience, that's enough. Besides, didn't he agree? That's a good sign."

As the two were chatting, Liu Haizhong, with his pregnant belly sticking out and his head held high, swayed over.

"Old Yi, aren't you leaving yet? Are you going to be late?"

Liu Haizhong speaks with the tone of a leader.

Sha Zhu couldn't stand it anymore and yelled sarcastically, "Hey, Second Uncle, you're really acting like an official now. More like one than ever before! Oh wait, I can't call you Second Uncle anymore, I have to call you Old Man Liu!"

Yi Zhonghai quickly laughed and scolded, "Zhu Zi, how can you talk to your elders like that? Apologize to your second uncle right now! Even if they don't acknowledge his status, we have to!"

"I won't stoop to his level."

Liu Haizhong stroked his chin smugly, "But Sha Zhu, from now on you'll have to call me Team Leader Liu."

"Team Leader Liu?"

Sha Zhu was stunned, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Hey, that was a good call."

Liu Haimei responded with a smug smile. This "team leader"

The two words made him feel incredibly happy.

"Old Liu has been promoted to team leader in the workshop."

Yi Zhonghai explained something to Sha Zhu from the side.

Sha Zhu curled his lip: "It's just a group leader. I'm the cafeteria supervisor, what's so great about that?"

The three of them walked out of the courtyard gate while arguing.

"You, the class monitor?"

Liu Haizhong scoffed, "You'll be lucky if you don't get fired from the steel mill this time. You might get reassigned to the workshop."

No sooner had she finished speaking than Qin Huairu hurriedly caught up from behind.

"Yeah, Zhu Zi, you're not really going to go down to the workshop, are you?"

Qin Huairu frowned, looking worried.

Sha Zhu can't bring his own lunchbox right now, but that's only temporary. As long as he's still working in the kitchen, he'll have a chance to sneak some things back to Qin Huairu every day. If he's really transferred to the workshop, then there's absolutely no hope left.

"Fire me?"

Sha Zhu sneered, "I've been a farmer for three generations! It's not like I killed anyone or set fires; I just beat up a petty thug."

"At most, they'll let me work in the factory; it's not like I haven't been there before."

Liu Hai, a vocational school student, liked to poke at Sha Zhu's sore spots: "Sha Zhu, this time you're different. Before, if you went down to the workshop, you could be transferred back, but this time, you can forget about going back to the kitchen."

"I'll do the same thing whether you're in the kitchen or not."

Sha Zhu's lips twitched, and he was speechless for a moment. He knew that Old Liu was right.

But he quickly regained his composure: "I don't believe it! I have a skill, why would I be afraid of not making extra money? At worst, I'll book a big banquet after get off work and still eat and drink well!"

These words were meant for Qin Huairu's ears. Sha Zhu knew perfectly well—Sister Qin was counting on him, on him, Sha Zhu, to support her.

Every time Sha Zhu brought something for Qin Huairu, he felt like a real man, a pillar of strength.

"By the way, Pillar, I'm leaving tomorrow's business to you."

Before leaving, Yi Zhonghai added, "You have to go buy groceries first thing in the morning."