Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

Zhuang Zhongchen had maintained a detached, spectator's attitude towards today's conference. However, a glance out of the corner of his eye revealed Qin Huairu's tearful, pitiful appearance, and a thought struck him.

To be honest, the one who suffered the most today should be this innocent-looking woman, right? She inexplicably became the female protagonist in a sex scandal? And she can't even defend herself?

Damn it! What's even more infuriating is that the pretty widow is his woman, so why should He Yuzhu be allowed to have such wishful thinking?

Thinking of this, Zhuang Zhongchen immediately raised his hand and spoke: "Gentlemen, please wait a moment. I have a few words to say, but I'm not sure if it's appropriate."

"Chenzi, it's alright. Our courtyard upholds democracy, and anyone can speak freely if they have any ideas."

"Okay, I think we've overlooked something. We've been focusing on rumors and such, but no one has asked the crucial question—is this rumor even true?"

"Uh?" The three old men looked at each other, "Chenzi, what do you say?"

"It's very simple. Please forgive me, Pillar."

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

"In front of everyone in the ward, I'll ask you one question—do you have feelings for Sister Qin? If so, a real man acts with integrity. You're both single now, and there's nothing shameful about love between a man and a woman. Don't you care that Sister Qin is a widow? Are you going to propose to her right now?"

"boom--!"

The entire venue immediately became lively. Everyone was invigorated, never expecting to be exposed to such a huge piece of gossip.

The loudest of the strange laughs came from Xu Damao: "Yeah! Silly Zhu, I'm asking you a question! Hahaha!"

However, Madam Jia immediately flew into a rage. She abruptly stood up, pointed at Zhuang Zhongchen, and began to curse, "Chenzi, you damned bastard! You…"

"Aunt Jia, Sister Qin, please don't get agitated, please don't get agitated," Zhuang Zhongchen said with a smile. "Everyone is here, young and old, and there are three gentlemen to uphold justice. They will definitely not bully your family. Zhu Zi can propose, and you can certainly refuse. The new society values ​​freedom of marriage; it's impossible for a bully to abduct a bride, right? Besides, I can guarantee that Zhu Zi is definitely not that kind of person!"

"Yes, yes! Chenzi is right! Sister Qin, I'm definitely not that kind of person." He Yuzhu's eyes flickered; he was already a little uneasy. Being suddenly exposed in public had completely thrown him into a panic.

Although He Yuzhu was being vague, Zhuang Zhongchen, having finally seized the opportunity, was determined to press on relentlessly: "Zhuzi, let's be frank. You also need to consider Sister Qin's reputation, the reputation of our courtyard, and especially your own. Are you going to let this rumor continue to spread? Are you going to never go on blind dates again? Actually, not going on blind dates is fine too. If you like Sister Qin, just say so openly. Everyone here today can be a witness."

"No! Really, no." He Yuzhu's face was already flushed red. Under these circumstances, he would never admit it. Of course, Zhuang Zhongchen also knew that He Yuzhu would never admit it.

So Zhuang Zhongchen immediately pressed his advantage: "That's good. You and Sister Qin will never have anything to do with each other. Is that right?"

"Yes, yes! If I ever have any shameless thoughts, may I be cursed to be childless and without descendants!"

"Did you hear that? The three gentlemen are in charge, and we'll all be witnesses!" Zhuang Zhongchen immediately made it a done deal. "Zhuzi, we've all grown up together since we were kids, we know each other pretty well. So, can I say a few more offensive words?"

"It's okay, go ahead and tell me."

"Ever since Uncle Daqing left, everyone in the courtyard has taken good care of you and your siblings. This includes the old lady, Uncle Da, Uncle Er, Uncle San, and even Aunt Qin and other older women. So we all know Zhuzi's character; he's grateful and very kind to all of us. He's also been quite considerate of Aunt Qin's family. But that's just neighborly concern, not romantic love. Is that right?"

"Yes, yes!"

"But then a lot of rumors started circulating, which were actually slanders against you. Isn't that right?"

"Exactly. Those bastards are so damn wicked." He Yuzhu said indignantly. He had been completely swayed by Zhuang Zhongchen and felt like he had found a kindred spirit.

"But Zhu Zi, I'm not saying this behind Uncle Da Qing's back, but his passing has left you with a lot of psychological trauma."

"Psychological trauma?"

"That's it! Think about it yourself, aren't you always trying to prove yourself? Are you particularly concerned about saving face? You want the best of everything, to surpass your unreliable old man, so that he'll regret it when he sees you?"

He Yuzhu moved his lips, then stared in disbelief. Everyone else was speechless. It seemed that what he said was actually absolutely right!

"Zhu Zi, that's why you're so picky about your partner. You've gathered all the good qualities of every auntie and older woman in our courtyard and use that as your standard. That definitely includes Sister Qin, which leads to misunderstandings. Actually, what you want isn't Sister Qin at all, but rather the image of your perfect wife?"

"Uh...uh..." You know what, the more He Yuzhu thought about it, the more it made sense. Was he really that kind of person?

By this time, Zhuang Zhongchen's task was complete, and it was time to hand it over to the others. He smiled and spread his hands: "Gentlemen, do you understand? It's not enough that we care about Zhuzi; we need to find him a wife. This is the trouble caused by being a bachelor."

"Exactly. Let's all get together in the courtyard and see if anyone has a suitable daughter."

"If Shazhu doesn't get married soon, it will affect the reputation of our courtyard house. How will the younger ones go out to find partners in the future?"

"I'll ask someone at the factory for help. Sha Zhu's conditions aren't bad."

"Shazhu, we fucking dream of princesses, imperial concubines, and beauties like Xi Shi and Diao Chan. But we're just ordinary people. Anyone can dream, but when it comes to wives, we still need to find someone who knows how to manage a household."

"..."

The elderly man, Yi Zhonghai, observing the situation, finally made his final decision: "We really need to address both the symptoms and the root cause. If your son, Zhuzi, gets married, the rumors will disappear on their own. We'll give you six months to try and find you as many options as possible. If that doesn't work, I'll have to swallow my pride and go to the factory union. Zhuzi, you need to give me a guarantee that you'll settle down after you get married?"

People these days are still quite innocent. Hearing so many people in the courtyard showing concern for him, He Yuzhu was somewhat moved. On a whim, he exclaimed, "Okay!"

Just then, Zhuang Zhongchen continued with a laugh, "Da Mao, we've been childhood friends since we were little, and you're not exactly short of money. Give us some face and let Zhu Zi apologize; we can forget about the medical expenses, okay?"

Xu Damao chuckled, thoroughly enjoying the gossip: "Then I'll give Chenzi face and let's call it quits. Shazhu, apologize!"

"grass!"

"Hey, did you guys see that? It's still biting people randomly!"

"Heh. Pillar, apologize!"

"Then I'll excuse myself for the sake of this old man, sorry! Damn it!"

"Hahaha!"

At this moment, Zhuang Zhongchen suddenly felt that he really was a good person!