Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

A summer morning in Beijing in 61. A courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

As smoke rises from the chimneys of every household, the entire courtyard gradually comes alive.

The sounds of children crying as they woke up, the lively noise of women washing themselves by the pool, the clamor of people coming and going in the courtyard, and the laughter of men and women of all ages...

However, in a room in the backyard stood a tall young man, about 1.83 meters tall. He was shirtless and wearing only patched boxer shorts. He was staring blankly at the small round mirror on the dresser.

That's right. This person named Zhuang Zhongchen transmigrated into the world of Qinman Courtyard, into the body of a young man with the same name.

Before transmigrating, Zhuang Zhongchen owned his own company and had amassed a considerable fortune of over a dozen small goals. He could be considered a self-made young talent.

Even though it's standard equipment for an orphanage, we didn't encounter any dump trucks.

He formally bid farewell to his prodigal life, preparing to marry an honest woman. At his final farewell party, he simply drank himself into oblivion.

How did I end up transmigrating out of nowhere the moment I opened my eyes? Isn't this a complete waste of a transmigration slot? I don't need it at all!

On another note, seeing his handsome face in the small round mirror, especially his charming peach blossom eyes and his captivating roguish smile, even he couldn't help but feel narcissistic. He almost turned himself gay, not to mention his mom fans and teenage fans. He could debut right away, right?

Perhaps there were also the perks of time travel; Zhuang Zhongchen also felt that his intelligence and physical condition had greatly improved.

His physique is top-notch. His entire body is covered in streamlined muscles, exuding immense power. A V-shaped waist, defined abs, eight-pack abs…

His mind is incredibly powerful. He can apply what he's learned to new situations, making his studies twice as effective with half the effort. His physical abilities are also at the pinnacle of human capabilities. There's even a faint feeling that, with proper care, his lifespan could reach around 150 years?

Of course, there is another system.

Name: Zhuang Zhongchen

Age: 19

[Level: First Tier (0/100)]

【技能：语言lv0；驾驶lv1；厨艺lv0；射击lv0；钓鱼lv0；野外生存lv0；狩猎lv0】

Skill Points: 0

[New player task: In this vibrant era, with its new society and new atmosphere, do any good deed you can.]

Note 1: Rewards for beginner quests are unknown. Payment will be based on completion progress.

Note 2: The rewards for beginner quests are five times those for regular quests;

Note 3: The system will be activated only after completing the beginner's tasks. The food stalls on the first level of the system will also be unlocked.

It should be said that this system is very simple, and can be considered... better than nothing! Moreover, it does not have things like a personal space, spiritual fields, or spiritual springs, which is somewhat of a pity.

But then I thought, something's better than nothing, and one shouldn't be greedy. Actually, these transmigration perks are pretty good... my foot!

At this moment, Zhuang Zhongchen recalled his original body and couldn't help but become speechless.

When Zhuang Zhongchen was 15 or 6 years old, his father died in the line of duty, and his mother was bedridden for several years. Just over a year ago, his mother also passed away from her serious illness, leaving behind only two east wing rooms in the courtyard house.

To be honest, the organization is quite concerned about Zhuang Zhongchen, the child of a martyr.

Shortly after his father's death, Zhuang Zhongchen was assigned to the Labor Bureau of the government. He was also arranged to attend university and participate in a training program for worker and peasant cadres.

After completing his studies two years later, Zhuang Zhongchen obtained "equivalent academic ability to undergraduate degree", which is practically equivalent to being a college student.

Upon returning to the Labor Bureau, as one of the most valuable college graduates of that era, possessing both political integrity and professional competence, he was first promoted to a cadre position, becoming a state cadre. He was then assessed as a Level 21 clerk (deputy section chief level). He also passed the professional title review and was assessed as a Level 9 engineer.

It should be said that everything that was supposed to be given was given to him. Zhuang Zhongchen had a perfect start, holding a full hand of good cards from the very beginning!

However, this is clearly forcing growth; this college student is quite incompetent.

Just imagine, someone entering university at 15 or 6? Their knowledge base would definitely be quite poor.

And it just so happened that those were the years. In a mere two years of university study, first half a year was spent on the Great Leap Forward's steel production campaign, then half a year on political study, followed by half a year on military, industrial, and agricultural training. How much real cultural knowledge could one actually acquire?

And this level nine engineer was a complete fraud. After returning to work, he was utterly hopeless.

The family's situation also deteriorated significantly. As a filial son, Zhuang Zhongchen spared no effort to treat his mother, seeking both traditional Chinese and Western medicine, and recklessly spending money on folk remedies and even shamanistic rituals, ultimately accumulating a mountain of debt.

After his mother passed away, Zhuang Zhongchen continued to borrow from Peter to pay Paul, causing the debt to snowball until the family's finances collapsed.

Therefore, by the end, Zhuang Zhongchen was completely desperate. So he bought two bottles of strong liquor, ordered 2.7 yuan worth of food at a state-run restaurant, and drank himself into oblivion at home, causing him to transmigrate to a courtyard house?

Just now, Zhuang Zhongchen had taken stock of all the family's assets, including the notebook that recorded the debts.

In this era, people still valued trust among themselves, and many loans didn't require IOUs, only verbal promises. Fortunately, the original owner of this body was very meticulous and recorded every single debt.

Currently, Zhuang Zhongchen has a little over 21 yuan in cash, over 6 jin of grain coupons, over 6 yuan worth of vegetable coupons from his work unit, and over 3 jin of meal coupons from his work unit. He has no other coupons; they have probably all been sold on the black market.

然而对外欠债：单位工会借款300元。已经还了80元，剩下220元。以后每月工资扣除20元，还需要还11个月。

个人借款1326.20元，粮票有141斤。债主共有三、四十人？另外借了单位菜票39元，单位饭票9斤6两。

Good heavens! Not even mentioning the debt from food stamps, the cash debt alone is over 1500 yuan? Even if you didn't eat or drink, it would take years to pay it off with your salary alone! And the creditors are everywhere. You've borrowed from almost everyone in your neighborhood and workplace!

At this moment, Zhuang Zhongchen finally understood the original owner of this body a little. Given this catastrophic economic situation, life was truly meaningless.

However, the transition from a perfect start to a complete disaster is equally baffling, isn't it?

Oh! There was a whole bottle of pesticide in the room. But hardly any food was eaten, yet both bottles of liquor were completely empty?

Zhuang Zhongchen chuckled. Could it be that before he even had a chance to take his medicine, the original owner of this body had already died of alcohol poisoning?

But just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "Chenzi, I'm coming in!"

Zhuang Zhongchen was taken aback, then frantically searched for his clothes: "Wait."

Why did a woman suddenly appear? And my brother is shirtless.

Unexpectedly, the woman went straight into the house. She wore a white flower in her hair, and her curvaceous figure stretched the white mourning clothes she wore. She looked so…like a widow. *cough cough*

Holy crap! Is this the legendary Qin Huairu? The white lotus in the courtyard full of birds? And the troublemaker is a pair of sleeping dragons and phoenix chicks?

That's the ultimate boss in period dramas. Those silly writers, on the one hand, absolutely cannot let Qin Huairu's whole family leech off them, otherwise they'll lose fans; on the other hand, they absolutely must get Qin Bailian right away, otherwise they'll also lose fans.

This direct conflict between the left and right hemispheres of the brain is driving this silly writer into a mental breakdown.

Before Zhuang Zhongchen could react, Qin Huairu quickly glanced at his perfect figure. She covered her mouth and chuckled, her large, alluring eyes curving into a seductive smile, and she scoffed softly, "Hmph, you're such a jerk, it's not like I haven't seen you before."

"???"