Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

"Alright, come back here. How many times have I told you? There's nothing between me and her. It's just that Dongxu is caught in the middle and there's some connection between us. Why are you so stubborn?"

Jia Zhangshi, who was outside the door, overheard half of what was said, then turned around and spat.

I thought to myself, even if something really happened, I wouldn't respect you. I've lived half my life and can't even beat a young kid. I even lost my job. I wouldn't even look at someone like you if I were to team up with someone else...

Muttering curses under her breath, Jia Zhangshi went home, took out her savings for her coffin, counted them, and finally reluctantly pulled out a few bills totaling five yuan before heading to the grain store.

After arriving at the destination, I argued with the grain store clerk for a long time.

Unexpectedly, a mere waiter was even more eloquent than her, and she gained no advantage whatsoever.

Jia Zhangshi angrily picked up her cloth bag and left. Halfway there, she became more and more upset and turned around and headed straight for the police station.

It was perfectly reasonable for a mother to visit her son, and since Jia Dongxu hadn't committed any heinous crime, the police officers at the station wouldn't stop him, so they called Jia Dongxu out of the labor camp.

The mother and son started complaining to each other as soon as they met.

"Mom! Look how thin I've gotten these past few days..."

"My son! Your mother is not doing any better than you. You have no worries about food and drink inside, but I'm running out of food..."

……

Jia Dongxu was young and couldn't argue with Jia Zhangshi. Later, he heard that Yi Zhonghai had been fired from the steel rolling mill, and that he had been fired twice in a row!

Jia Dongxu felt as if he had been struck by lightning!

"Mother...is everything you said true? Then...will Master Yi be able to go back this time? Didn't you say that deaf old lady in the backyard is helping him?"

"Go back my ass! He's slandering Lin Weidong. Lin Weidong's workplace oversees the steel rolling mill; there's no way they'd let him go back. Besides, he's offended some people at Qianmen because of this, and you didn't see how badly they got beaten up... Tsk tsk! Anyway, let's just forget about Yi Zhonghai taking on apprentices!"

After Jia Zhangshi finished complaining, she got back to the main business of the trip.

"So Dongxu, you must reform yourself. Your mother can't even afford cornbread anymore. The only money we have at home has bought this little bit of flour, and we're just waiting for you to come out."

……

Yi Zhonghai lost his job. Where can he find a mentor?

And then there's Lin Weidong, he actually manages the steel rolling mill...

Jia Dongxu was completely demoralized by the series of news reports and returned to the labor camp looking utterly dejected.

Liu Haizhong found it strange and went closer to ask.

Although Jia Dongxu didn't have a good impression of him, the two lived in the same courtyard and had gone through thick and thin together these past few days, communicating quite a bit.

I then gave a brief explanation.

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong's mouth practically stretched to his ears in a wide grin, and he kept cheering.

"Oh my! Hahaha! Great! Excellent! Oh dear! Serves you right! Excellent!"

He kept praising, ignoring Jia Dongxu's increasingly unpleasant expression, and remained immersed in his own world.

Yi Zhonghai and He Daqing were both his enemies, and now they were both fired and beaten up.

How can one word describe how satisfying it is?

Since entering the labor camp, Liu Haizhong has never been as happy as he is now.

After secretly enjoying himself for a while, Liu Haizhong finally realized that Jia Dongxu wasn't cooperating with him.

He patted Jia Dongxu on the shoulder to comfort him.

"Let me tell you, Dongxu! That Yi Zhonghai is no good. He's two-faced. What good can you learn from him? If you ask me, this is actually a good thing; you should be happy!"

The more Liu Haizhong spoke, the uglier Jia Dongxu's expression became.

I thought to myself, "You're just talking nonsense. How am I supposed to learn a skill if no one teaches me? If Yi Zhonghai won't teach me, are you the one who's going to?"

Hmm! ? It doesn't seem like it's entirely impossible!

Suddenly, Jia Dongxu felt a thought and grasped something, his eyes growing brighter as he looked at Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong continued to express his opinions.

"Didn't we just learn that yesterday? We should learn from comrades who are progressive in thought, proactive in action, and hardworking. Yi Zhonghai is completely different from any of those people. Even if you follow him, you'll only be dragged down by him! Besides, don't you think about it? He's openly blaming Lin Weidong. What good can come of that?"

Before Liu Haizhong could finish speaking, Jia Dongxu, who had already made up his mind, immediately grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously, his tone excited.

"Master Liu is right! What you said is so true! I should learn from you from now on!"

Jia Dongxu's attempt to express his true feelings failed, and he appeared somewhat deranged, startling Liu Haizhong.

After a brief moment of confusion, Liu Haizhong gradually found his footing amidst Jia Dongxu's incessant praise.

He put one hand behind his back, tried to straighten his back, and his slightly protruding belly really looked like it.

"Ah? Haha! Really? Um... Dongxu, I'm so glad you realized that! You're a good comrade after all!"

"Oh, my dear Uncle Liu! You're allowed to learn and improve, but I, Jia Dongxu, can't follow suit? I was ignorant before, but from now on, let's get along well, father and son?"

"Sure, sure..."

……

Bangs are so beautiful!

Ever since hearing the good news brought by Jia Zhangshi that day, and being flattered by Jia Dongxu every day, I feel completely different.

He gradually realized that he was not there to suffer in prison, but to further his studies!

As a result, he worked exceptionally hard and received verbal praise from the police officers for several days in a row.

Liu Haizhong was secretly pleased, but at the same time tried his best to maintain a humble demeanor to set an example for Jia Dongxu.

In fact, he didn't need to go to such lengths. Since Jia Dongxu made new plans, he was determined to support him.

Even if Liu Haizhong points out that the outhouse smells good, he still has to agree against his will!

On the day his labor reform ended, Jia Dongxu was not in a hurry to leave. Instead, he held Liu Haizhong's hand and made a series of promises.

"Uncle Liu, I'm going home now that the renovations are finished. I'll be waiting for your good news then, and we'll have a nice meal together!"

"That's great, Dongxu. I've seen how hard you've worked these past few days, and I knew you'd change eventually. Now you can go home!"

Liu Haizhong still had a protruding belly, one hand behind his back, and the other hand holding hands with Jia Dongxu.

If it weren't for his tattered cotton-padded clothes and the faint stench of someone who had been cleaning out the latrine for a long time, you would have thought he was a high-ranking official visiting!

But Jia Dongxu didn't care about any of that; he maintained a look of admiration in his eyes.

"Don't worry, even when I go back, I won't forget to learn from you. By the way, is there anything you need to tell me? I'll pass it on to my aunt."

"Ah... well, it's nothing. Just tell them I'll be home soon."

"Okay, I'll pick you up another day!"

"Sigh! Let's go back!"

Jia Dongxu left, taking with him a promise and Liu Haizhong's heart.

Liu Haizhong felt extremely uncomfortable without Jia Dongxu's voice around him, and even his usual enthusiasm for work made him reluctant to go today.

……

The courtyard house, which had been peaceful for only a few days, became lively again with Jia Dongxu's return.

It happened to be a Sunday, and everyone in the courtyard, young and old, men and women alike, was keeping an eye on the Jia family's movements.