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

Yi Zhonghai and Wen Xiumei, the elderly couple, tossed and turned in bed.

Wen Xiumei asked, "Old Yi, how much sincerity do you think Da Linzi had in what he said? Was he truly thinking of us?"

The fact that Wen Xiumei could ask this question shows that the couple actually had some deep thoughts; they probably didn't completely believe Yang Dalin's words.

The things I just said were only said in front of Yang Dalin.

Yi Zhonghai picked up the pillow, propped it upright against the wall, and leaned his body up against the pillow.

He reached for a pack of cigarettes next to the kang (heated brick bed), took one out, lit it, took a puff, and then said, "I don't think there's a big problem."

When Yang Dalin came to this courtyard, nothing unpleasant happened between us.

She even offered to lend him money.

Our family has never bullied Qi Yulan.

There's no reason why Yang Dalin would have any complaints about us and give us bad advice.

Wen Xiumei nodded and said, "That's true. My husband and I have tried our best to be kind to others for decades and have never bullied anyone. We help anyone with any small problems we can."

Yang Dalin treated him quite well.

He really had no reason to come up with any bad ideas.

Do you really think he came tonight just to thank us for lending him the money?

Yi Zhonghai took another deep drag of his cigarette, and after exhaling the smoke, he said, "Hehe, that's not entirely true."

I kind of understand what he meant.

He came for his aunt.

It means we should choose the child ourselves, instead of letting his aunt choose for us.

If something happens to one of the children his aunt helped us choose, or if he has any problems, then we'll blame his aunt.

That kid is really smart.

But now that I think about it, I can understand.

No one knows whether a child who seems fine now will have problems in the future.

It's understandable that people don't want to be associated with this cause and effect.

For example, if something happens to this child in the future, or if the child gets sick, or if the child grows up and doesn't take care of us in our old age, then his aunt can't just stand by and do nothing.

I understand that they want to distance themselves from this matter.

"So, you also think it's okay to adopt a few more?"

"At first, I also thought it would be best to adopt one, so you wouldn't have to work so hard and our house wouldn't be so crowded. But after what Yang Dalin said, I really felt that what he said made sense."

Look at how many families lost their children in the past few years.

No one can guarantee that every child will be able to grow up successfully.

"We should adopt more to reduce the risk. I think he's right on that point."

"But I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of several children at once."

"It's okay, we can do as Yang Dalin said and choose two older ones and two younger ones."

Let the older one help you take care of things and share the workload.

We'll support the older ones through a few years of schooling, and then I'll plead with the factory leaders to get them directly assigned to the steel rolling mill, where I'll personally mentor them.

If I teach him diligently, he will definitely be promoted quickly.

If they're not suited to be fitters, I'll have them switch to other trades. They'll definitely not be like Dongxu back then, who had no talent and wasted time all the time.

Don't worry, I still have some connections at the factory.

"You're already an eighth-grade worker, so I'm not worried about this."

I'm sure you can handle getting a few kids into the factory.

I'm worried that if we have four children at once, things like accommodation will become a problem in the future.

It's alright when they're young, but what about the future?

"When they grow up and reach marriageable age, it might be inconvenient."

"Haha, I thought of that a long time ago."

"Ah, you should really talk to Old Yi about this!"

"You forgot about the deaf old lady in the backyard? She has three rooms."

We have always taken care of her, and she had said before that she would leave the house to us after she passes away.

I didn't pay attention to this before we had children.

Thinking of winning over Sha Zhu, I figured the old lady could give him the house in the future, since we wouldn't need it anyway.

But now that Sha Zhu has a wife, he can't get close to me at all.

After we send the deaf old lady away, we can take back her house. With our two rooms and one side room, that should be enough.

If that doesn't work, I'll adopt four children. Surely the neighborhood committee and factory won't see that, and I'll use my old face to apply for a few more apartments. Surely the neighborhood committee and factory won't refuse?

Upon hearing this, Wen Xiumei's voice brightened: "Yes, if you handle this well, the neighborhood and the factory might even reward you. Just mention the house; there shouldn't be any problem."

"That's right, so don't worry."

Yang Dalin's words actually make a lot of sense.

There are four children, two slightly older and two younger.

The older one won't last more than a few years before it can go back to work, but we'll take better care of the younger one.

We'll only have to work hard for a few years. Once the two older ones start working, there will be three of us earning a salary.

This way, we'll have less pressure.

Before I retire, I'll arrange for my two younger children to work in the factory, pave roads for them, and assign them several dedicated mentors. Then we can retire in peace.

I have to say, Yang Dalin is a really smart kid.

Look at how their family is helping Ma San; isn't Ma San starting to make money again now?

The others in the courtyard probably don't know yet, but I guess Ma San and Yang Dalin have already started working at the freight station.

Wen Xiumei asked in surprise, "Really?"

Yi Zhonghai said confidently, "It's definitely true. Look at the tricycle that Ma San used to borrow from the gatekeeper, Lao Qi. He used to work as a mover and haul goods for people. Every day when he came back, he would clean and wipe it down."

Although I still ride Lao Qi's tricycle every day from early morning to late at night, when did I start cleaning that vehicle regularly?

Another time, I went to the train station to see off a fellow worker who was going to another city for a business trip. I asked the tricycle driver if Ma San was there.

They all say that Ma San has connections and has long since left their line of work, becoming a worker at the freight station of the train station.

I heard he still drives trucks and became a driver apprentice.

"Think about it, if it wasn't Yang Dalin who arranged it for him, then who else could it be?"

"Really? Yang Dalin hasn't been here for many years, but he's already got pretty good connections."

That's some serious connections.

By the way, Yanhua from their family has been described as a temporary worker, but is it possible that she's actually a permanent employee?

"I suspect it's possible. Saying it's a temporary worker is probably to avoid people getting jealous."

I'm sure I would have been a full-time employee long ago.

After all, graduating from high school is considered educated these days.

It's impossible to be a temporary worker forever. In our factory, high school graduates get promoted very quickly.

And once you become a full-time employee, the salary isn't low.

"Yes, yes, I think so too."

"Alright, we must maintain a good relationship with Yang Dalin from now on. He must know a lot of high-ranking officials. If things go wrong with the children we adopt, we might be able to ask Yang Dalin for some help."

It's getting late, go to bed early. Tomorrow morning, go and call Yang Dalin over for breakfast. After all, he's been running errands for us, so we need to take care of his meals.

"Okay, I got it."

"I'm going to sleep now."

PS: Brothers, why did the data stop rising yesterday? I'm being a bit silly, brothers and sisters, stand up!