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

"Sister-in-law, we haven't even gotten any flour yet, why are you thinking so much?" Niu Dazhuang teased her on purpose.

"You big-headed devil, you're so annoying, are you trying to disgust me on purpose?!" Benlai said quite seriously, but Niu Dazhuang completely ruined the mood.

Niu Dazhuang's words were clearly meant for Ye Chunlan to hear, but she didn't respond at all.

Even though she's my woman's second sister, there's still a distance between us. Sigh, to avoid starvation during the upcoming three years of natural disasters, it seems I'll have to use my looks a bit.

Thinking of this, he hugged Ye Chunmei. What a miserable life! She'd just finished tending to two small plots of land at home in the first half of the night, and now she had to tend to this enclave in the second half. It was harder than an actor rushing between performances.

When will you arrange for them all to live nearby, each with a small, private house, hehe...?

Ye Chunlan hesitated for a long time before saying, "If you have money, I can sell you two bags of flour every month." After saying that, she turned around and went into her bedroom with a red face.

"Dazhuang, don't blame my second sister. Now the factory has a general manager and an accountant. Although my sister is an investor, her words carry little weight, and she basically doesn't participate in the factory's operation and management."

"I understand, it's not my fault. Without your second sister, I wouldn't have been able to buy these two bags of flour from you. Next time I come, it will be around this time!"

"Hmm, that's fine, but you can't try to cheat..."

"Damn it, I'll show you the consequences of underestimating your man..."

The next morning, Niu Dazhuang was fully recovered. He thought to himself, "Luckily I have the Joyful Secret Technique, otherwise you guys would have worn out my old back."

I ate five of the six eggs Ye Chunlan had prepared this morning. I also drank two large bowls of rice porridge. I still felt hungry.

Before Niu Dazhuang could even feel embarrassed, Ye Chunlan apologized first: "It's my fault for not making enough breakfast. Please wait a moment, I'll go out and buy a pound of fried dough sticks." With that, Ye Chunlan got up.

Niu Dazhuang reached out and grabbed her hand: "No need, I can go by myself."

Ye Chunlan tried to pull her hand back, but failed twice. Her face immediately turned ashen: "You...you let go of my hand."

"Oh, I forgot," she said, then deliberately put the hand under her nose and smelled it.

This is blatant flirting.

Ye Chunlan blushed and glared at him fiercely. Niu Dazhuang, thick-skinned and unafraid of being stared at, calmly wiped his mouth and went out to buy fried dough sticks.

Once everyone had left, Ye Chunlan finally looked away and said to the woman in the west room with a hint of annoyance, "Chunmei, you can't do this. He comes once, and you take half a day off. If he comes all the time, how will you go to work?"

Ye Chunmei, still lying on the kang (heated brick bed), replied weakly, "Second sister, you know he came late last night, he didn't rest until the rooster crowed the first time."

Please let me sleep a little longer.

"I'm talking about your work, don't make trouble." Ye Chunmei's words made her cheeks not only red but also hot.

"Second sister, I'm not being unreasonable. You've heard it yourself these past few times; this guy is a freak."

You seem to never get tired. You've heard it the last few times, sis. Why don't you come and help me out?

That way I won't have to take the day off work the next day. I need to stay awake a little longer.

Ye Chunmei went further and further down the path of trying to drag her second sister into the mess. It seemed she wouldn't stop until she had dragged the other person down with her.

Niu Dazhuang returned with fried dough sticks and ate another half a jin of them. This time, he felt full.

"Dazhuang, Chunmei bought a new bicycle. It's in the east wing. You can ride it!"

"I'm just an ordinary worker who just started my job. Riding this bicycle to work is already conspicuous enough. If I get a new one, it will be too flashy. I'll leave it for now and wait a while."

"Oh, you're right. It'd be best if you let me know in advance when you're coming over, so I can stew a whole old hen for you," Ye Chunlan said softly, her head bowed.

Niu Dazhuang was a lecherous fellow; he had a thing for shy young women. He felt a surge of desire, but then he thought to himself that it was only his second day at work, and he couldn't be late.

Even though he couldn't accomplish anything, he still wanted to have a go. He reached out and lifted Ye Chunlan's chin, and the two looked at each other.

Ye Chunlan looked away. "Chunlan, have you figured it out?"

"Don't stare at me like that, it's annoying." With that, she twisted her body and escaped from Niu Dazhuang's clutches.

With his back to Niu Dazhuang, he whispered, "Don't overthink it. I'm doing this for my second sister's sake. Every time you come, she has to take a day off. It's the same for men and women; too much of that is bad for their health."

"Hahaha... No matter who you're thinking of, I'll still be here tonight." After saying that, he slapped Ye Chunlan's thigh.

When I arrived at work, I was just about to have a smoke when Director Bai called me to work in the warehouse.

Niu Dazhuang, with a cigarette ring dangling from his lips, walked behind Director Bai. This beautiful Director Bai had such a lovely back view, especially when she walked; her rounded hips swayed, making Dazhuang's heart itch.

I quickly looked away. Damn it! It turns out I wasn't the only one peeking; a whole row of people standing at the entrances to garages 1 through 5 were watching me.

Director Bai seemed to have long been accustomed to this environment and didn't seem to care at all.

"Little Niu'er, how's the chef we arranged for you? Are you getting used to the food in the cafeteria?"

Niu Dazhuang quickly took two steps to walk alongside Director Bai: "Everything is fine, Sister Bai. You're doing the work of several people all by yourself. Our unit is quite demanding."

"Oh! You noticed that? Only you have a conscience. All of us in the office wear many hats."

It's never a bad thing for new employees to be proactive; they should try to get closer to the organization...

I spent half the morning helping out, and in the afternoon the company started organizing training for new employees. That's how my busy day came to an end.

After riding home, he didn't eat first, but went to the backyard. He gave Big Bear fifty yuan: "Go to the black market these next few days and buy some food."

"Brother, we've wandered around enough. We can't just stay home and eat. Could you talk to the old man and find us some work?" Big Bear said, taking the money.

"No rush, I have my own plans. Go and explore the black market more often to figure out how it works."

"understood."

Dazhuang commutes to and from work by bicycle, while Niu Youliang walks. Although the steel mill is closer to home than the transportation company, Niu Dazhuang still gets home earlier.

As soon as Niu Youliang returned, Niu Dazhuang pulled him into the inner room: "Grandpa, give me one of the pistols you've been hiding."

"How did you manage to run into such a tough opponent?"

"I don't know if they're tough or not, but they have guns, so I can't exactly go after them with a brick!"

"You're not stupid, do you need help?"

"No need, I can handle it myself."

"Okay, lift up the straw mat on the kang (heated brick bed), there's a loose adobe brick in the northeast corner..."