Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

It must be acknowledged that in any era, there will always be those who prioritize appearance, and they often gain an advantage in many situations.

So when it was time for voluntary labor, those rough men would dig ditches. They were dirty and tired, like mud pigs rolling in the mud.

Zhuang Zhongchen mingled among a group of women, helping to plant trees along the riverbanks. His stated purpose was: to better care for the women?

"Chenzi, why didn't you go to the social gathering with the government, hospital, and school last time?"

"Huh? I don't know? What's so fun about a social gathering?"

"Don't play dumb, kid. It's a group blind date. And let me tell you, there were lots of beautiful female doctors and teachers there that day."

"Really? There are pretty young ladies too? I'm so embarrassed, I'm still a kid."

"Hahaha!"

Interestingly, the girls here were laughing hysterically. This spurred the rough men in the ditch to act like they'd been given a shot of adrenaline, and they actually worked even more enthusiastically!

To be honest, the young women and wives working in government offices are much more mature. Because they know Zhuang Zhongchen's background, they know he isn't the best choice.

One was drowning in debt, the other was a mediocre engineer. Both came from relatively poor families and lacked ability and future prospects. People in government offices generally valued this.

Another factor was the death of both parents. Unlike later times, when the death of both parents was considered an advantage in matchmaking, in this era it has become a significant disadvantage.

Since there were no home appliances in those days and many children were born, it was best to have elders help with housework and childcare.

Let me explain: Without a refrigerator, washing machine, microwave, gas, air conditioner, robot vacuum cleaner... do you know how hard it is to do housework every day? This is something that the little fairy later could hardly imagine.

And it's mostly women who do the housework. Without the mother-in-law's help, it's like the house is missing a washing machine and a robot vacuum, right?

That's why, even if there's a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship, it's best to just put up with it. After all, there's always a day when things will turn around, and a daughter-in-law can eventually become a mother-in-law herself.

Of course, the last one is being handsome. According to the prevailing impression of that era, a handsome man was roughly equivalent to a weak and frail pretty boy. In real life, he would generally be bullied.

For example, Zhuang Zhongchen is now categorized as "frail and weak" and assigned to the girls' group. This could be seen as consideration, but isn't it also a form of discrimination?

Therefore, from a survival perspective, Zhuang Zhongchen is all show and no substance, all bark and no bite. If he were to choose this path, his entire family would be implicated.

Don't assume that ordinary people these days are any more naive or simple. The living conditions in rural areas are far harsher. People often bully the weak and fear the strong; reasoning is often achieved through force!

This includes much of the grassroots work. Township officials are all promoted through violence, and county officials are promoted through drinking. See? Even grassroots officials rely on their fists!

So, if there are many men in the family, and they're willing to fight in groups, they can bully your family to death. In this situation, someone like Zhuang Zhongchen, an "orphan gigolo," is at a complete disadvantage.

This also included the prevailing aesthetic standards of the time, which emphasized a broad-shouldered and muscular physique for men. Even family members used terms like "bear-like" or "brat" to insult each other!

To put it more bluntly: perhaps in the eyes of ordinary people, Zhuang Zhongchen is a well-rounded individual. But the women in government offices are too good, too picky, leaving him stuck in a limbo. Otherwise, he would have been chosen as a son-in-law by the leaders long ago.

However, reality may be different, deep down, girls still like younger, more masculine men. Putting aside the realities of marriage, girls do appreciate good looks!

Therefore, in their daily lives, these young girls and wives especially enjoyed teasing and joking with Zhuang Zhongchen. Of course, this was also because Zhuang Zhongchen had a very good sense of propriety. He was particularly good at playing dumb, pretending to be a naive little boy who didn't understand anything.

That being said, while I may pretend to be naive, I should still help when necessary.

In no time at all, Zhuang Zhongchen had dug the holes and planted all the saplings. Let the women happily water them! If this were to continue later, they'd definitely take selfies, livestream them, compile them into a nine-grid collage, and upload it to their WeChat Moments.

After finishing all the work, Zhuang Zhongchen rested and drank water, occasionally appearing shy as the girls teased him.

Although he feigned a submissive, teased demeanor, Zhuang Zhongchen inwardly sneered: Foolish women! You're playing with fire! It's only because I'm merciful. If you let your guard down, what's this talk of a hundred-man slayer or a thousand-man slayer? That would be an insult to me. With my looks and skills alone, I guarantee I'll slaughter you all...

Just then, under the shade of a tree in the distance, a girl of about 15 or 6 years old was curiously looking around. Her name was Wen Yumei, and she was still a middle school student.

Wen Yumei's older brother, Wen Anguo, also works for a municipal government agency and participated in this voluntary labor activity. Their parents, feeling sorry for their son, had Wen Yumei bring them snacks and drinks.

A moment later, a "black boar" came running over: "Xiaomei, what brings you here?"

"Oh, big brother. Mom and Dad asked me to bring this to you. And this hard-boiled egg, it's especially for you."

"I'll give you half."

"No need, no need. You're doing manual labor today."

"That works too. After you graduate, I'll ask around and find you a good job."

"Uh-huh."

Although Wen Yumei's family wasn't poor, they were still quite patriarchal. The two siblings were already used to Wen Anguo eating good food.

After hesitating for a moment, Wen Yumei finally couldn't help but ask, "Brother, who is that person?"

Glancing in Zhuang Zhongchen's direction, Wen Anguo scoffed, "Oh, that guy looks like he's from the Labor Bureau. He's all effeminate and useless. Don't let his respectable appearance fool you; everyone's laughing at him behind his back."

"Hmm... seems alright... right?" Wen Yumei's eyes darted left and right.

"Huh?" Wen Anguo's expression immediately changed. "Xiaomei, don't let that kind of person fool you. I heard his family situation is bad, and he's borrowing money everywhere."

Why?

"Is he going to treat his mother?"

"Isn't that just filial piety? He doesn't seem like a bad person at all, does he?"

"I didn't say he was a bad person. Everyone here is a Party member or Youth League member; there's no way he could be a bad person. I'm just reminding you to keep your eyes open and not be fooled by this kind of person."

"Brother! Where can I find it?"

"Fine! Anyway, since he dared to lie to my sister, I'll break his legs!"

"Big brother~! Humph, I'm ignoring you." Wen Yumei was both embarrassed and angry, and couldn't help but stomp her feet repeatedly.

"Okay! Then hurry home. Just don't let him find out."

"Big brother~~!"