Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

Sha Zhu was dumbfounded. He muttered, "This isn't right, this isn't right. I won't agree! I'll give him food and water..."

"This doesn't require your consent. If you're not satisfied, go ahead and complain wherever you want!" Li Xiangdong said disdainfully, "You really live up to your name, huh? Look how thin your sister has become, look at how fat Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng are, and you, Sister Qin... tsk tsk!"

"But that's all for you. If you ever bring food home from the factory again, hehe, I'll take you inside. Just you wait and see!"

Sha Zhu panicked: "That was a complimentary dish! Director Yang promised me I could bring back the leftovers! It's none of your business!"

"Leftovers? Sha Zhu, straighten your tongue and say it again!" Li Xiangdong sneered. "These are all ingredients you skimped on! Leftovers!"

"Even leftovers are factory property. I'll go ask Director Yang the day after tomorrow and see what he promised you!"

"I...I...I..." Sha Zhu couldn't speak. Of course, Sha Zhu knew exactly what was going on.

"He Yushui, go back and get a small basin. I still have quite a bit of the big plate chicken I made. Take it over, otherwise you'll go hungry again tonight." Li Xiangdong said, "I'll take the five yuan back with me."

After thanking her, He Yushui hurriedly went home and brought back a small earthenware pot.

Seeing He Yushui leave, the people dispersed. Li Xiangdong shook his head with disdain and turned to leave. Qin Huairu was still glaring resentfully at Li Xiangdong's retreating figure.

Chapter 50 Guiding He Yushui (Seeking flowers, votes, and support from fellow fans!)

Qin Huairu felt that Li Xiangdong was meddling in her affairs; otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a fool of herself. Her public image was almost completely ruined.

When Qin Huairu returned home with a gloomy expression, she saw Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng eating meat like pigs, while Xiao Dang could only watch pitifully from the side.

Qin Huairu took a deep breath, picked up the box of mixed vegetables, and heated it up. By the time she and Xiao Dang ate, Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng had already finished their meal.

“What are you two going to do with that box? Keep it, Banggeng and I will eat it tomorrow morning…” Jia Zhangshi said, rolling her eyes like a female dog.

"Come and eat, Xiao Dang. Look, there's meat here too," Qin Huairu said softly to Xiao Dang.

Little Dang had been watching his grandmother and brother eat meat with a pitiful expression. Now, tears were welling up in his eyes, which made Qin Huairu feel very sorry for him.

Xiao Dang watched as Qin Huairu brought a piece of meat to her mouth before she opened her mouth and ate it.

Madam Jia said angrily, "Didn't you hear what I said? Who told you to eat that lunchbox? Put it all down..."

Before Jia Zhangshi could finish her sentence, she saw Qin Huairu's cold gaze sweep over her, piercing her heart like a knife.

"That's enough, Mother-in-law!" Qin Huairu said calmly. "Xiaodang is also your granddaughter, and I'm pregnant with another one. I won't say anything more! Besides, this family still depends on me to go out and earn money to support them!"

Madam Jia was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage and was about to explode. She felt her dignity had been violated!

But just as she opened her mouth to perform the ritual of summoning the soul, Qin Huairu calmly continued, "Mother-in-law, if you keep making a fuss, there's nothing I can do if you get sent to the cowshed."

Madam Jia gasped, swallowing the words she was about to use to summon the spirit. She slammed her hand on the table in anger and went back to sleep. Eating and then sleeping was very much in line with Madam Jia's character.

Qin Huairu sighed softly, hating Li Xiangdong to the core in her heart.

"Sha Zhu lost ten yuan of his salary. Otherwise, that ten yuan would have been mine!"

“Shazhu must have saved up a lot of money before, I have to take it from him. He’ll save it up for Banggeng to use when he gets married.”

Qin Huairu thought to herself, "If I can also get Li Xiangdong under my control, his salary will be so high. It wouldn't be a bad idea to remarry him."

"By the way, after I give birth to this one, I'll get an IUD. Even if I remarry Li Xiangdong, I can't have his children. Otherwise, my three children will suffer."

Qin Huairu considered herself a great beauty, and the kind who would be very fertile. Seducing Li Xiangdong wouldn't be a problem. Once she succeeded, Li Xiangdong would have no chance of getting rid of her!

Li Xiangdong had no idea what Qin Huairu was thinking; if he did, he'd laugh his head off. In the eyes of future generations' souls, someone like Qin Huairu was just an ordinary woman.

In Li Xiangdong's eyes, Yu Li's appearance was top-tier beauty. Even in later generations, Yu Li's looks would be considered top-notch without makeup.

Just as Li Xiangdong was getting water to wash up, there was a knock on the door. Li Xiangdong knew it was He Yushui. He opened the door to let her in.

"Section Chief Li..." He Yushui didn't know what to say, but she bowed deeply to Li Xiangdong: "Thank you!"

Li Xiangdong filled all the pot of braised chicken in the pot for He Yushui. He also gave her five yuan!

There was still quite a bit of that big plate chicken, and a lot of pulled noodles too. It would probably last He Yushui for two days. After all, Li Xiangdong had prepared a lot and planned to eat it several times.

"So much... I'll take less," He Yushui said gratefully.

"Take it back. It should be enough for tomorrow," Li Xiangdong said. "I have plenty of food here, so don't worry about it. Go back now!"

"By the way, you need to keep your food ration book and all the receipts in your hands. Otherwise, given your brother's situation, you'll have a lot of hardship ahead of you."

He Yushui bowed deeply to Li Xiangdong to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Section Chief Li. I know what to do. If he doesn't give it to me, I'll go to the neighborhood committee!"

“That’s right. Your brother… sigh!” Li Xiangdong shook his head.

Li Xiangdong finished tidying up at eight o'clock the next morning. The large carp, frozen solid after two days, was hung on the handlebars of the car.

These two large carp were originally intended as a housewarming gift for Yu Dajiang. However, plans changed unexpectedly. Since Yu Dajiang isn't moving for the time being, they'll have to use them as a marriage proposal gift.

Li Xiangdong had also prepared a large piece of pork weighing ten pounds, but he couldn't take it out now. Otherwise, the animals in the yard would be horrified.

A considerable amount of sugar was also prepared. Of course, not fruit candies or milk candies; Li Xiangdong didn't actually have those in his warehouse.

There are more than ten tons of white sugar and brown sugar.

Li Xiangdong prepared two jin of various kinds of food, because if he prepared too much, it would scare people away.

In those days, white sugar was a strategic resource, with very limited rations available to everyone. Serving a cup of sugar water to guests was the best hospitality one could offer.

The four pounds of sugar were in Li Xiangdong's canvas schoolbag. Later, he also needed to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some White Rabbit milk candy and fruit candy, and he couldn't forget cigarettes and alcohol either.

There are indeed Hua Zi's in Li Xiangdong's mysterious space, but he really can't take them out.

Fortunately, Li Xiangdong managed to obtain a considerable amount of receipts from the three men with the scarred face. He had cigarette and liquor coupons, but mostly grain and cloth coupons, which were the easiest to sell.

Li Xiangdong had just stepped out of the screen door when he saw Xu Damao returning with a small aluminum pot. Needless to say, this guy had gone out to buy breakfast.

"Hey! Section Chief Li, what are you doing so early in the morning? Looks like it's something to celebrate."

Xu Damao is such a smooth talker.

Sha Zhu walked by with a newspaper in his hand, clearly heading to the outhouse. Yan Bugui's family was out in the yard airing out their quilts and other laundry; the sun was shining brightly today.

Li Xiangdong was overjoyed. He had just been thinking about how to bring up the matter of proposing marriage to Yu Li's family when this perfect comedian appeared!

"I'm going to propose marriage, so I need to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some sugar and meat!"

Li Xiangdong said calmly.

"A marriage proposal?" Xu Damao's eyes widened. "This is truly a joyous occasion! I'll treat Section Chief Li to drinks tonight!"

"No need, no need, let's talk about it later," Li Xiangdong said, shaking his head.

Xu Damao is a despicable person; you shouldn't get too close to him. He might betray you at any time. Of course, dealing with a despicable person is much less troublesome than being with a hypocrite.

"Tsk tsk, the woman you've taken a liking to must be very outstanding."

Xu Damao fawned over him with a grin, perfectly fulfilling his role as the straight man.

"The one you met is Yu Li, who was assigned to the back annex," Li Xiangdong said, raising an eyebrow.

Chapter 51 A Fierce Battle Against Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui (Seeking Flowers and Votes!)

Li Xiangdong's words struck Yan Jiecheng like a bolt of lightning, and also affected Yan Bugui's entire family.

"What? That's my wife, how could you go there..." Yan Jiecheng shouted.

Before Yan Jiecheng could finish his sentence, he felt himself being grabbed by the collar and lifted up. Then, two slaps resounded across his thin face.

"Fuck you! Yan Jiecheng, you're asking for it! How dare you ruin my boyfriend's reputation!"

Li Xiangdong said sternly. As he spoke, he threw Yan Jiecheng to the ground, and the two slaps left Yan Jiecheng stunned.

Yan Jiecheng cried out in pain as he was thrown to the ground, then covered his face and cried out, "You dare hit me! You actually dared to hit me..."

"I'll fucking slap you and that'll be too lenient. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll kill you!"

Li Xiangdong said fiercely.

Sha Zhu, standing to the side, also looked astonished; he had been thinking of something good too. He never expected Li Xiangdong to jump out.

Sha Zhu also fell for Yu Li, thinking that if he married this virgin and took care of Sister Qin, what more could he ask for in life?

Sha Zhu had planned to pursue Yu Li as soon as she moved in, but who knew that Li Xiangdong would actually take a liking to her? What hope did Sha Zhu have left?

Sha Zhu understood perfectly well that he wasn't the only unmarried man in the courtyard eyeing Yu Li. There were also Liu Guangtian, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiecheng, and even Big Head Liu Guangqi, who probably had a girlfriend, was planning to switch partners as well.

But no one in the courtyard could beat Li Xiangdong in the competition.

Regardless of appearance, income, or status, they were all no match for Li Xiangdong. Not a single one of them could fight him!

Li Xiangdong looked at Yan Jiecheng with disdain and said, "Who do you think you are? It's not normal for me to slap you!"

Yan Bugui's family finally realized what had happened. They rushed over to help Yan Jiecheng up, and Yang Yuhua felt a pang of heartache seeing the large handprint on his face.

If this happened in later generations, those two slaps from Li Xiangdong would have cost at least 30,000 to 50,000 yuan. And he might even have spent seven or eight days in jail.

But right now, nothing's wrong. It's all because Yan Jiecheng had such a foul mouth. He said someone else's partner was his wife. If this gets out of hand, the police will have to reprimand Yan Jiecheng.

Moreover, once the Yu family finds out, they will definitely come after Yan Jiecheng for trouble.

"Alright, alright. Yan Jiecheng said something inappropriate in the heat of the moment. You've already reprimanded him." Yan Bugui stepped in to deflect Yan Jiecheng's criticism: "But what you did wasn't fair!"

"Knowing full well that Yan Jiecheng was pursuing Yu Li, you still interfered!"

Yi Zhonghai, who was also nearby, hurriedly jumped in: "That's right, that's right. We don't do this in our compound. Section Chief Li, what you're doing is unethical!"

"Yes, yes, if everyone does it this way, there will be too many unmarried young men in the compound. Who will dare to look for a partner? They'll be snatched away by others!" Yan Bugui's eyes were filled with excitement and greed.

"You can't propose marriage anymore. If anyone's going to propose, it'll be our family who will arrange it. You also have to apologize to our family. Hand over the fish and everything in your schoolbag."