Courtyard houses: Those who are capable are rewarded, and many children bring many blessings.

Seeing Niu Dazhuang's nonchalant attitude, Bai Hongyan was furious and left the office door ajar.

"You're really something. You didn't care about losing your job as soon as you came back, and you're just spending all your time in the kitchen. You could have found someone older, right? Look at the people you asked me to arrange, they're almost as old as your son. I think a couple more would be suitable as wives for your son!"

"Damn it! Bai Hongyan, don't you dare upset me. Zhao Xinmei is my last one, okay?!"

Niu Dazhuang was genuinely afraid of this. He couldn't possibly compete with his own son for a woman! He stopped calling her "Sister Yan" and started calling her by her full name.

Bai Hongyan snorted coldly: "So you're afraid of something too? Then you should calm down, perform well, and I'll put you back in your position next spring. I don't trust the security department to be managed by someone else."

The talk worked; Niu Dazhuang went to work and patrolled obediently. When he had nothing to do, he would call Qin Huairu to his office for a little fun.

Yu Li would occasionally come over to join in the fun...

I'll go see Bai Hongmin on Sunday.

"Da Niu, I've found a courtyard house I like. Do you still stand by what you promised us?" Bai Hongmin asked.

"Of course! What position?"

"It's over at Baiwanzhuang, a two-courtyard house, but..."

"Forced sales are unacceptable!"

"I know, it's not like I stole it."

"That won't do either. Rent it if you can. In a few years, I promise I'll buy each of you a courtyard house, okay?"

"That works too! You pay the rent!"

"No problem, money is just a number to me now!"

Bai Hongmin knew that he had done some things in Hong Kong. She had asked him about the specifics of how much he had earned, but she couldn't get the answer. All she knew was that he had made money.

After spending a week in Kyoto and thoroughly watering all his private plots, Niu Dazhuang came to ask for leave again.

"You've only been working diligently for less than half a month, why are you taking leave again?" Bai Hongyan was speechless at her husband's behavior; he hadn't focused on his work at all.

"Going back to my hometown!" This is a perfectly legitimate reason.

"Go on Saturday and come back on Monday. Remember, you have to come back to work on Monday, not that you don't have to come to work on Monday."

"No, two days off is too short. At least three days."

"Get out of here, I agree!"

In late September in the north, it's already late autumn, and you have to wear proper clothes in the early morning and evening.

On Saturday morning, Niu Dazhuang rode his bicycle back to his hometown.

Returning to his hometown full of anticipation, Niu Dazhuang was a bit dumbfounded. Apart from the Su sisters who weren't pregnant, all the other women had reported good news.

Then there are the Ye sisters. Ye Chunlan couldn't get pregnant, while Ye Chunmei had already given birth to two sons and a daughter and had an IUD inserted.

Not to be outdone, Chen Xia also became pregnant at the ripe old age of forty. She said she wanted to give birth to a sibling for her little chubby son.

Niu Dazhuang was speechless.

"Chen Xia, why bother?"

"You don't need to worry about it. I know my own body. Although I'm getting a bit older, I feel healthier than I was a few years ago. Now that I'm not starving, having a child won't be difficult."

"Hey, what's wrong with you?"

"I only had this child because I was open-minded. Look at your other women, they all had two or three children, and now they're all just chubby little ones. I'm afraid he'll be bullied in the future. And can any sibling be closer than a full-grown brother or sister? Isn't it good to have many children, right?"

"Sigh! There are definitely too many kids. I can barely recognize my own children anymore. Damn, what kind of situation is this? When we get old, we'll have a whole bunch of grandchildren..."

"That's you, not me. I won't be going over tonight. You and those two sisters have a good discussion about life!"

Whose fault is this? It's all because I had too much fun before I left, and I slept indiscriminately without any restraint. Now look what's happened, they're all pregnant.

Even so, Niu Dazhuang still slept in the old house on the first night.

No matter how much commotion there has been outside in recent years, Niujiazhuang has remained a peaceful haven, living a tranquil life.

They have no worries about food and drink, and they don't need to go to work or earn work points. What else can they do besides having children?

Before we knew it, it was December of the 70th year.

On Sundays, Niu Dazhuang, having nothing to do, would sit at Qin Huairu's place, enjoying a few drinks at the kang table.

Beautiful!

"How did Zhao Xinmei do?" Niu Dazhuang tossed a peanut into his mouth.

"Which aspect are you asking about?"

"Isn't she your apprentice?"

"What's wrong with my apprentice! You didn't ask me to do anything but keep an eye on her..." He was only halfway through his sentence when he noticed Niu Dazhuang's unpleasant expression.

She immediately changed her tune, her tone softening considerably: "Da Niu, I'm just a little heartbroken. Every time you go to the kitchen, you're only interested in chatting and laughing with Zhao Xinmei, and you barely acknowledge me. Is it because she's getting old and you're tired of her?"

Qin Huairu is Qin Huairu. Her looks are truly stunning. Even though she's in her mid-thirties, no man can resist her charm when she acts coquettishly, not even the lecherous Niu Dazhuang.

"Sister Huairu, no way! You're at the prime of your life as a woman. I never imagined that someone as virtuous as you would be jealous of that little brat Zhao Xinmei! Come here, sit over here with me..."

Qin Huairu smiled gently, "Da Niu, if it were before, I really wouldn't have paid her any attention. But now that I'm a bit older, I've become less confident!" She then sat down on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed)...

"It's cold!" Qin Huairu said, but she still didn't dodge. She let Niu Dazhuang do whatever he wanted.

"No, no, look, I come here more often than you." Niu Dazhuang's tone suddenly changed.

"I don't care about Zhao Xinmei's work-related matters. Just keep an eye on her for me, and don't let some greenhorn in our unit steal her away!"

"Don't worry, I don't think Zhao Xinmei cares about it. That girl is very competitive and wants to do everything perfectly."

She looks down on all those ugly guys in our workplace. Besides, she comes from a bad family, and most men wouldn't dare approach her for fear of getting involved. It's only because you're such a scoundrel that you treat her like a treasure!

"Hehe, what do they know? Just look at Zhao Xinmei's face and figure, it's worth the risk! Come on, let's warm up first."

"Ugh, let's eat first. After we eat, we can have a long night and you can do whatever you want..."

Bang! Bang! Someone is knocking on the door outside the courtyard.

Qin Huairu quickly straightened her clothes, calling out, "Who is it!" Her feet didn't stop moving as she walked behind the door.

"Aunt Qin, open the door! It's me, Qin Ling!"

Upon hearing that it was Qin Ling, Qin Huairu quickly opened the door: "Xiao Ling, why are you here at this hour?"

At this moment, Qinling, wearing a red scarf, said with her little face red from the cold: "Hey! Don't even mention it, the long-distance bus broke down halfway, and by the time we got to Beijing, it was already dark."

The two of them then entered the house one after the other.

When Niu Dazhuang saw that it was his beloved Qinling returning, he quickly and warmly invited him to sit on the kang (heated brick bed): "Come sit down quickly, it's warm here!"