Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

After riding bicycles for three and a half hours, Wang Feng and Qin Jingru finally returned to Beijing before dark.

Upon arriving at courtyard number 28, Lou Xiao'e took the dried mushrooms from Qin Jingru's hand and smiled, "Brother Feng, Sister Jingru, why are you so late? I've already cooked dinner, but I didn't dare to cook anything else before you came back."

"Son, come on, I'll go cook with you."

"Um."

Qin Jingru and Lou Xiao'e cooked very quickly. They prepared Kung Pao Chicken, stir-fried eggs with green peppers, and hot and sour shredded potatoes in less than half an hour.

At the dinner table, Qin Jingru put a piece of chicken on Wang Feng's plate and said to Lou Xiao'e, "Son, my period is here. You'll have to work a little harder during this time and spend more time with Brother Wang Feng."

"what?"

Lou Xiao'e blushed and said, "Sister Jingru, I... my period came today too."

Wang Feng was speechless. It was too much of a coincidence that the two of them were having their periods at the same time.

Qin Jingru sighed, "Then there's nothing we can do, Brother Wang Feng, just bear with it for now."

"Yeah, it's nothing." Wang Feng smiled awkwardly.

His physique is getting stronger and stronger, and his sexual desire is also becoming more and more intense. These next few days are probably going to be tough for him.

After dinner, Wang Feng and Qin Jingru returned to No. 95 Courtyard. Lou Xiao'e was not available, and there was no point in him staying. He might as well go back to No. 95 Courtyard to watch the Yan family's good show.

......

The front yard, the Yan family's house.

After the Yan family finished dinner, Yan Fugui sighed and said, "Jiecheng, I asked Lao Yi last night, and he didn't know why you were transferred to the foundry workshop either. I asked him to go to the factory to ask today. He just told me that the foundry workshop is rushing to finish a batch of goods and is indeed short-handed. Maybe you were just unlucky and happened to be there."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiecheng became anxious.

"Dad, what should I do? I've only worked in the foundry for two days, and my whole body feels like it's falling apart. I can't take it if I have to keep working in the foundry all the time."

"Yes, Lao Yan, let's think of something. Look at Jie Cheng these past few days, he's covered in dirt and he's even walking unsteadily. I'm really afraid he'll work himself to death in the foundry. Maybe we should give the workshop director a gift or something," the third aunt said hurriedly.

Yan Fugui sighed: "Jiecheng, your dad is just a primary school teacher. There's nothing I can do. Why don't you just hang in there? You'll get used to it and it won't be so tiring. But if you really can't stand it and want to try giving gifts, I won't stop you."

Yan Jiecheng nodded: "Dad, I'll give you a gift and see. Maybe if Director Zhang is happy, he'll transfer me back to the fitter's workshop. But, Dad, what kind of gift should we give you?"

After thinking for a moment, Yan Fugui said, "Jiecheng, tomorrow you buy a pack of cigarettes and take a few dried fish to your workshop director and see what he says."

"Dad, isn't this too shabby? After all, he's a leader," Yan Jiecheng said cautiously.

Yan Fugui waved his hand: "What do you know? If you give a carton of cigarettes and two bottles of Moutai, what if they accept the gift but don't do anything? Listen to me, first give a pack of cigarettes and a few dried fish to test the waters. If your workshop director agrees to do something and thinks we gave too little, then we can add more gifts later."

"Okay then."

"By the way, Dad, Mom, I felt like the people in the yard were looking at me strangely today. What's going on?" Yan Jiecheng asked.

Actually, it wasn't just the people in the yard who were looking at Yan Jiecheng strangely; even the people in the factory were looking at him strangely. It's just that he was so engrossed in his work in the foundry workshop that he didn't notice.

The three women frowned: "Jiecheng, I feel the same way, but I don't know why. They won't tell me either."

"Oh, right, I saw Yu Li come to No. 95 this afternoon. She came with a middle-aged woman. I saw her talking to Jia Zhangshi. She didn't come into the courtyard. I wanted to invite her to come in for a visit, but she walked too fast and I couldn't catch up."

Upon hearing this, Yan Fugui adjusted his glasses and frowned, saying, "What could she possibly have to talk about with Jia Zhangshi? The Jia family had a fight with our family a while ago. Could it be that Jia Zhangshi is badmouthing Jie Cheng to Yu Li and ruining their blind date?"

"I don't think so. Last time, Yu Li only came to our house for a short while. Jia Zhangshi shouldn't have seen Yu Li before. I asked Jia Zhangshi this afternoon, and she said that Yu Li came to ask her for directions," the third aunt said.

Yan Fugui said in a deep voice, "Foolish! How do you know Jia Zhangshi didn't see it? What if she did? Besides, what's there for Yu Li and Jia Zhangshi to talk about?"

"Asking for directions? Yu Li is a native of Beijing, she knows this area well, why would she need to ask Jia Zhangshi for directions? I bet she's here to inquire about Jie Cheng. What good things do you think Jia Zhangshi will say about Jie Cheng?"

"Oh dear, what should we do? Jiecheng is supposed to get his marriage certificate with Yuli this Sunday. If Jia Zhangshi ruins it, this will be a real problem. I'm going to find Jia Zhangshi right now and ask her what's going on. If she dares to ruin Jiecheng and Yuli's blind date, I'll never forgive her."

Yan Jiecheng's eyes turned red when he heard his father's analysis. If Jia Zhangshi really dared to ruin his marriage with Yu Li, he would never let the Jia family off the hook.

"Dad, what should we do now?" Yan Jiecheng asked anxiously.

"Why."

Yan Fugui sighed: "Jiecheng, how about this, you take an afternoon off tomorrow, take the betrothal gifts directly to Yu Li's house, and have her get the marriage certificate with you tomorrow, just in case something goes wrong."

"Ruihua, don't bother going to Jia Zhangshi anymore. Even if you go, Jia Zhangshi won't acknowledge it, so what can you do? Let Jiecheng go ask Yu Li tomorrow. If Yu Li doesn't want to register the marriage with Jiecheng, then there's definitely a problem."

"Well, that's all we can do," the third aunt sighed.

Yan Jiecheng nodded: "Okay, I'll ask for leave tomorrow and go to Yu Li's house this afternoon."

"Jiecheng, wait here, Mom will get you the money right away. Remember to bring two bottles of wine when you go to Yu Li's house tomorrow, you can't go empty-handed."

"Yes, thank you, Mom."

"what!"

The three women entered the room and rummaged through the cabinet for a while, but couldn't find the box where the money was hidden. They searched the cabinet carefully again and then let out a piercing scream.

The three women screamed so loudly that even Wang Feng and Qin Jingru from the Intermediate People's Court heard them.

Yan Fugui and his brothers thought that their aunt had fallen, so they quickly went into the room to check on her.

"Ruihua, what's wrong with you? I thought you fell down. Why are you yelling like that?" Yan Fugui said in a deep voice.

The three women seemed to have lost their souls; after a long while, they finally cried out:

"It's all gone, all gone! Old Yan, all our money is gone!"