The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

As Yang Dalin left Qi Desheng's door, he thought to himself that this Xiao Li seemed to have secured his position as Brother Sheng's secretary, and that he should try to win him over more.

Don't offend people for no reason.

Fortunately, I had always treated the office staff in that building well.

There shouldn't be anyone foolish enough to report on me and my master behind my back.

Everyone working in this building knows they have a close relationship with Brother Tian and Brother Sheng.

Yang Dalin arrived at the door of the office next door, knocked, and politely called out, "Comrade Li, the station chief wants to see you."

Xiao Li's voice came from inside: "Okay, Da Linzi, I'll be right there."

When Yang Dalin came out, he grabbed him, stuffed two packs of cigarettes into his hand, and said, "Brother Li, the stationmaster asked you to help me out with this. Please lend a hand."

After saying that, Yang Dalin left.

Xiao Li still wanted to catch up with Yang Dalin and give him the cigarette.

In the blink of an eye, Yang Dalin disappeared.

Xiao Li had no choice but to put the two packs of cigarettes into his pocket.

Xiao Li knocked on Qi Desheng's office door, and a dignified voice came from inside: "Come in."

"Station manager, you wanted to see me."

"Yes, close the door and sit down."

Comrade Li had half his buttocks on the sofa, his back straight, sitting upright.

Qi Desheng immediately noticed that Xiao Li's pockets were bulging.

Judging from the shape, it's two packs of cigarettes.

He chuckled lightly; this Da Linzi really knows how to get things done.

It was just two packs of cigarettes, a small matter, and Qi Desheng didn't expose him.

I explained the situation to him carefully.

……

……

After leaving the office building, Yang Dalin went to find the motorcade.

Master Tian Xueyi's truck was already fully loaded with goods, waiting for him to set off.

This trip is still to the suburbs.

Once in the car, Tian Xueyi asked him what Lao Qi wanted to do with him.

Yang Dalin then told Brother Tian everything he could.

Upon hearing this, Brother Tian realized that his apprentice could suddenly claim several credits.

I'm still very happy for him.

Who told him to be his apprentice? He's benefiting from it too.

Tian Xueyi told him that he also had a third-class merit award to be earned.

Several drivers in the team had worked with Yang Dalin to arrest spies and thieves.

Several of them are also eligible for third-class merit this time.

We have to thank Yang Dalin for this.

They only found out on their first day back at work after the New Year holiday.

If they had known earlier, probably no one would have tried to force them to drink.

Yang Dalin thought to himself, "I knew it! Everyone's been so polite to me today."

These are all things that I can claim credit for, since I've done them myself.

Putting aside the material rewards, everyone really appreciates this honor.

Nowadays, organizations and individuals place more emphasis on honors and awards.

Promotions, raises, and housing allocations will all be advantages in the future.

Everyone who meets Yang Dalin has to be very polite to him.

Following him brings merit, no danger, and easy credit.

What a wonderful thing.

That's good now; I guess no one will envy or be jealous of Yang Dalin anymore.

As for Yang Dalin receiving a second-class merit, others can only envy that.

Who told him to be so capable?

I completed my first day of work as usual.

Yang Dalin went home after get off work.

I had dinner with my aunt's family.

In the evenings, I would play cards with Sha Zhu and the others.

After playing cards with Yang Dalin for the second time, Yan Jiecheng never played against Yang Dalin again.

Just like his father, this kid knew he was outmatched, so he immediately moved away.

He's not stupid, but Yan Jiecheng isn't stupid anymore; Yan Jiefang has risen to the top.

This kid is a bit more reckless than his brother.

You can see it in TV dramas.

I've been fooled by Xu Damao several times.

It can be said that they did not learn the essence of the Yan family's traditions and values.

Too foolish, too naive. Knowing full well that she couldn't beat Yang Dalin, she still sought out to be abused every day.

Moreover, Yang Dalin also noticed that Yan Jiefang had been pushed and instigated by Xu Damao to confront him head-on on several occasions.

It seems Xu Damao started deceiving Yan Jiefang a long time ago.

Yan Jiefang is also a brainless person.

They get easily swayed and go for it.

Yang Dalin felt sorry for Yan Bugui; it was a misfortune for his family.

How could a family so stingy and selfish raise such a fool?

Yan Jiekuang, the third son of the Yan family, is smarter than his second brother.

He also came to watch the card games a few times.

Seeing his second brother insist on challenging Brother Dalin, he stood behind his brother several times, shaking his head with a look of disappointment.

Yan Jiekuang is a clever kid. He's more down-to-earth than his eldest brother and smarter than his second brother. You could say he's a combination of his two older brothers' personalities.

And every time this kid sees me, he knows to call me Brother Da Lin.

Yang Dalin couldn't let his feud with Yan Bugui cause trouble for a child.

So they would often give this sweet-talking Yan Laosan a piece of candy or melon seeds.

During this period, Jia Dongxu also visited several times.

However, it seems he's not very good at playing cards.

It wasn't served at the table many times.

But seeing how well Yang Dalin was having with everyone, he still felt envious.

However, when he thought about his family's food and drink, his happy expression quickly faded after playing cards several times.

He always leaves the court early after playing for only a short time.

I guess it's because of the pressure at home.

When something's on your mind, you just can't be happy.

The Lantern Festival is fast approaching. People in the north don't really eat glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival, but in Beijing, because there are many people from other places, they are still sold, but they are hard to find.

Because most of those things are sweet, Yang Dalin just couldn't get used to them.

Aunt Qi didn't like the food either, but Yang Dalin specially prepared some for Sister Yan and Xiaoning.

Yang Dalin, Aunt Qi, and Ma San ate dumplings.

After finishing the dumplings, Yang Dalin also set off some small fireworks.

If conditions allowed, Yang Dalin would have bought more, but to keep a low profile, he decided against it.

Yang Dalin made two lanterns by hand for Xiaoning and Sister Yan.

They were supposed to play with it together. I was also thinking of making one for Ma San, but Ma San patted his chest and said, "Brother, I'm an adult, and a boy. I don't play with these. Those are for kids."

This year, things are still very difficult in Beijing, so not many people are going to see the lanterns.

In northern China, there is a custom of married daughters returning to their parents' home on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

So the company gave us a day off that day.

Yang Dalin, citing the customs of his ancestral home, lit a fire in the courtyard early on the sixteenth day of the first lunar month.

They would bake dumplings, steamed buns, or baozi and eat them for breakfast.

Some of the people in the yard, unaware of the situation, thought there was a fire. When they went outside, they saw that Yang Dalin had lit a large bonfire in the middle of the front yard.

Yan Bugui, still wearing his cotton-padded coat and shoes, went out and asked him, "Dalinzi, what are you doing in the yard starting a fire so early in the morning?"

Yang Dalin said, "According to the custom in my hometown, on the morning of the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the whole village, young and old, goes to the main street to warm themselves by a fire."

As for why, I don't know either.

In Yang Dalin's previous life, the entire village, young and old, would gather on the main street to warm themselves by the fire on this day.

The elderly dry their clothes, while the children bake steamed buns, dumplings, and mantou.

As for why, Yang Dalin really couldn't remember.

I only remember an elder saying, "Roast your waist, and all your illnesses will disappear; roast your buttocks, and you won't get sick."

It has a superstitious and blessing connotation.

But Yang Dalin certainly wouldn't say it.

Just say it's a local custom.

He did as instructed and that was it.