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

There were so many people that evening that the Qi family had to set up two large tables before everyone could sit down.

Fortunately, Yang Dalin had delivered the meat in advance; otherwise, even as a stationmaster, Lao Qi wouldn't have been able to afford to entertain this guest.

It's not that we don't have money, it's that the ration is too small, so even if we have money, we can't buy much meat.

That evening, Dou Xiaolong from the Public Security Bureau and Wu Tiejun, the newly appointed captain, also arrived.

The two of them brought good news.

The girl named Wang Li in their department is indeed still single.

He also has two older brothers, both of whom are police officers.

It's fine for the chubby boy to pursue her, but he should be careful in the future and not mess with this girl, Wang Li. Otherwise, with three police officers in her family, the chubby boy will have a hard time.

The chubby boy had a few drinks and was talking nonsense. He quickly made a promise to Dou Xiaolong and Wu Tiejun: "I promise I won't bully that girl, and I'll treat her well for the rest of my life."

Yang Dalin, annoyed, lightly patted the chubby boy: "What Brother Long and Brother Jun mean is that since he doesn't have a girlfriend, you can try pursuing him, or you can ask Brother Long and the others to introduce you to someone."

No, you've already married her.

What good is it if someone doesn't like you?

The chubby guy chuckled and said as if nothing had happened, "Don't worry, boss, that girl is definitely interested in me."

I've met her several times, and she always smiles and seems really happy whenever she sees me. She must be interested in me.

Yang Dalin really wanted to tell him that just because a girl smiles at you doesn't necessarily mean she's interested in you; it's possible that you just look funny.

The worst thing about people is having an inflated sense of self-worth. There are several common misconceptions in life, such as "I can do it too," or "You can't make money doing this, but I definitely can."

For example, if a girl keeps looking at me or smiling at me, she might be interested in me.

Yang Dalin simply couldn't bear to look.

So that the chubby boy wouldn't get beaten.

I still mentioned it to Dou Xiaolong.

I mean, I'll find some free time these next few days to introduce him to the little fat boy.

Follow the normal procedures.

Don't let some girl take advantage of you and get beaten up.

Otherwise it would look better.

Dou Xiaolong and Wu Tiejun needed Yang Dalin's help, and although there were more single men than women in their department, they had no choice but to reluctantly give up their love.

Dou Xiaolong and his group knew Qi Desheng and Tian Xueyi, and they had a pretty good relationship.

The group of people drank until after 9 p.m. before Yang Dalin and his companions left.

When Yang Dalin got home, he heard from Aunt Qi that Xu Damao had returned from the countryside that evening and had come to see him that night.

He told Yang Dalin to wait for him first thing tomorrow morning, as he needed to speak with Yang Dalin.

The next morning, Yang Dalin first dropped off Qi Xiaoning and Qi Yanhua, then returned home.

Xu Damao was already standing at their doorstep at this moment.

Aunt Qi has already gone to work.

Yang Dalin invited Xu Damao to his home.

He poured water for Xu Damao, who looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Yang Dalin asked, "Brother Da Mao, what's wrong?"

Is there something you want to say?

Yang Dalin thought that he knew that his ex-wife Wei Xiaona was arrested because of him.

But Xu Damao hesitated for a while, then glanced at his watch and said, "Brother, I'm off today. How about we go to my place for a drink, and I'll tell you while we drink?"

Upon seeing this, Yang Dalin realized that Xu Damao was talking about something else.

But he didn't say it directly yet; Yang Dalin was going to Minister Teng's house later.

So all I could say was, "Brother Da Mao, I have something to do today. I need to go to a leader's house as a guest."

This was arranged in advance, and I couldn't very well stand someone up, especially since he's a leader.

"Either you cut to the chase and tell me now, or wait until I get back this afternoon or evening, and we'll go to your place so you can talk slowly, okay?"

Xu Damao thought for a moment and said, "You must be really busy. I finally got a day off today."

This can't be explained in just a few words. Let's talk about it at my house tonight when you get back.

We can have a drink while we're at it. Come home early tonight, okay? Don't come home as late as you did yesterday.

We made a promise, okay? Don't stand me up.

"Okay, don't worry, Brother Mao, I promised you, I'll definitely do it."

After getting rid of Xu Damao, Yang Dalin rode his bicycle, carrying a few bottles of tiger bone wine and some southern fruits, to the Ministry of Railways' residential compound.

Minister Teng's rank is high enough; he lives in a small detached courtyard house with a two-story building inside.

When Yang Dalin arrived at Minister Teng's house, it was Minister Teng's wife who opened the door for him.

The minister has gone to his office again and will be back for lunch.

Yang Dalin said that he had been invited by the minister to be a guest. Madam Teng obviously already knew this, and she warmly invited Yang Dalin in.

They even complained that Yang Dalin had spent money to bring them things.

Just tell him to come empty-handed next time.

The lady wasn't a fan of the wine Yang Dalin brought, but she really liked the southwestern fruits he brought.

The lady poured tea for Yang Dalin, washed fruit for him, and chatted with him about everyday matters.

He is very approachable.

Minister Teng returned, exhausted, just as lunch was almost ready.

There were still mud spots on my feet from the melting snow.

It seems the minister has gone down to the grassroots level.

When Minister Teng returned home, he found that Yang Dalin had already arrived.

They also brought him tiger bone wine, which pleased the minister greatly.

First, summon him into the study, take out several blueprints, and tell him: "The leaders have studied and decided."

You will be given a large courtyard as a reward, in addition to the medal of merit.

Here are the blueprints; choose one yourself.

You can also go and see the actual place first before deciding which one to choose.

However, let me make things clear to you, and this is also what I will suggest at the meeting.

Please don't blame me.

First, you will be rewarded with the house, and your other house will not be taken back.

But you should tell others that you found a distant relative who left it to you.

He has passed away.

This is also to protect your safety and identity.

Otherwise, if everyone knew that you had made a great contribution and were rewarded with a large courtyard, countless people would be envious.

And they would also be targeted by spies with malicious intent.

Do you have any objections to this, Comrade Yang?

Upon hearing this, Yang Dalin realized that he was already being rewarded with a large courtyard, so why should he complain about anything else?

Yang Dalin shook his head directly: "No minister, thank you minister."

I understand; keeping a low profile is the best approach.

Minister Teng nodded and said with satisfaction, "Yes, it's good that you understand."

The second thing I want to tell you is that the large courtyard that was awarded to you is not in good condition now. Many of them are dilapidated. As you know, the country was in dire straits a couple of years ago. Many houses that wanted to be renovated simply did not have the money to be repaired. We even deliberately ordered the repair teams to work slower.

It will take three to five years to fix it for you.

You can tell outsiders that you used your own salary to gradually repair it over the past few years.

This is also for your safety.

Don't worry, you won't have to pay a single penny for the house repairs; the higher authorities will cover it all.

Furthermore, you can make some reasonable requests to the repair team.

They will help you complete it.

Aside from intentionally taking longer and slower to repair.

Do you have any objections to this?

Yang Dalin thought to himself, "Forget about a dilapidated courtyard, I'd even be happy with just a piece of empty land."

If all else fails, I can just build it myself slowly.

A vacant lot within the Second Ring Road could be worth a lot more money in the future.