Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

In the hospital, Zhuang Zhongchen was visiting a patient. After exchanging a few warm words and jokes, he smiled and shook hands with several soldiers and officers to say goodbye.

The patient was also a soldier who happened to be visiting relatives in Beijing. On the way, he encountered a warehouse wall that had collapsed, and the soldier kindly went to help.

It should be said that the accident wasn't very serious, and there wasn't much damage. It was during the rescue operation that this soldier accidentally injured his left arm.

However, in those days, people valued doing good deeds anonymously and staying on the front lines even with minor injuries. Therefore, after the disaster relief efforts were completed, this soldier quietly left.

At first, the soldier thought it was just a sprain and would be fine after a few days of rest. But after returning home, the pain intensified. His family rushed him to the hospital, where it was discovered that he had a fracture.

This caused the matter to escalate rapidly.

Due to strict military discipline, leave for family visits and other official duties must not be overdue. In case of injury, illness, or other unforeseen circumstances, it is necessary to report to the original unit and the local People's Armed Forces Department in a timely manner.

This report definitely needs to go through official procedures. As the department in charge of managing safety accidents, the Labor Bureau dispatched Zhuang Zhongchen to handle it.

To be honest, our soldiers are quite endearing. That soldier actually seemed embarrassed, not expecting to trouble so many people? He even wanted to refuse the medical expenses?

That being said, we couldn't let our soldiers bleed and weep. After some discussion, we decided to let the soldier focus on recovering from his injuries, the warehouse would cover his medical and nutritional expenses, and the People's Armed Forces Department would issue a certificate of bravery.

As for Zhuang Zhongchen, he decided to smooth things over. He told them to resolve the matter privately, and the safety incident wouldn't be recorded; he'd just give them a verbal reprimand. Since no damage had occurred, he figured it was best to let it go…

……

Although it was supposed to be a compromise, all the necessary procedures had to be completed, which caused a considerable delay.

As mentioned before, the pace of life in this era was very slow. But slowness has its advantages; when you're out and about, it's like herding sheep. As long as you can get your work done, you have plenty of time.

Since it was still early, Zhuang Zhongchen went to a store and bought a lot of commonly used household items. He then carried all the bottles and jars back to the courtyard house.

When they arrived at the courtyard, they found all the women there. They quickly exchanged glances with Qin Huairu and Lou Xiao'e. The three of them understood each other perfectly; they would be able to get together and eat and drink tonight.

After returning home, Zhuang Zhongchen rummaged through the kitchen for some ingredients and bought two packages of semi-finished dishes from the supermarket...

In the airtight room, Zhuang Zhongchen and the two women were enjoying a hearty meal, and in the center of the table was a clay pot of braised pork and bamboo shoots...

"Chenzi, it's so nice being an official like you, getting all this good stuff. Hehe." Lou Xiao'e stretched happily. Eating meat like this was really satisfying.

Although her parents often helped her out, even Lou Xiao'e couldn't eat meat freely after marrying Xu Damao.

Because of the lack of cold chain logistics and refrigeration, many people greatly underestimate the difficulty of finding food and drink during this period. Eating, drinking, gambling, and prostitution! At times, eating and drinking can be even more wasteful than gambling and prostitution. Want to eat unlimited amounts of chicken, duck, fish, and meat? That's not something ordinary people can afford.

Qin Huairu had already started eating non-stop; she just kept her head down and ate heartily. She even made happy "humming" sounds from time to time.

"Louzi, look at Sister Qin, she looks like a little pig."

"You're the little piggy." With a light laugh, Qin Huairu rolled her eyes. "Who told us there to be so much delicious food? Wouldn't it be a waste not to eat it?"

Lou Xiao'e, standing to the side, sighed deeply: "Alas! Once the new bride enters the family, Chenzi will forget about us!"

"How could that be? If we can't at night, can't we find an opportunity during the day? You two need to use your brains for that one bite to eat!"

"Come on! Aren't you always prioritizing your Meizi? Men become heartless once they have wives!"

"No, Louzi. Why does it sound more and more like a complaining woman? Aren't you afraid people will misunderstand?"

"Tch!" Lou Xiao'e scoffed. "With your skills, you might have the desire but not the guts."

"Fine! You guys win."

"Giggle giggle."

Seeing Qin Huairu and Lou Xiao'e laughing together, Zhuang Zhongchen found it amusing.

That's just how women are. They enjoy teasing, yet they can't handle the consequences. They love dancing on the edge of a knife.

But that's understandable. After transmigrating, he disguised himself even better, appearing so harmless that the women around him lowered their guard.

At this moment, Zhuang Zhongchen really wanted to confess honestly: I'm actually a scumbag dog!

However, Zhuang Zhongchen's sudden absent-mindedness seemed to trigger Lou Xiao'e's sixth sense. Her cheeks flushed instantly, her eyes darting left and right, and she raised her wine glass to cover her embarrassment, saying, "Let's not talk about that. Just yesterday, something happened in that courtyard at the alley entrance, they..."

"..."

More than an hour later, Qin Huairu had already hidden herself in Zhuang Zhongchen's house. The two of them went through a small gate in the backyard and walked hand in hand to the room in the back garden.

"Huai Ru, when we were renovating the new house, I had someone tidy up this place up too. Look, it has all the bedding and stuff."

"Pah! All you care about is the bed. I'll get you sooner or later... hmph." Actually, Qin Huairu was also quite happy; at least she wouldn't have to harass those locust trees anymore. "By the way, Chenzi, you and Louzi are alright, aren't you?"

"Huh? Why are you asking this? If there really is something, would I be dragging you along?"

Qin Huairu playfully punched him a few times, then chuckled and said, "With all your scheming ways, you're probably already dreaming of sleeping together in the same bed."

No, really no.

"Tch. I'm asking you, but I have a feeling Lou Zi has discovered something? Her expression is a bit off today?"

"Really? Are you feeling guilty?"

"You're the one with a guilty conscience. Everyone knows you're rotten to the core!"

"Hmm? My darling is such a good adjective!"

"Pah! What good things come out of your mouth... umm. You bad guy! You big bad guy!"

"..."

In the middle of the night, after seeing off the white lotus flowers that had just been watered, Zhuang Zhongchen lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) and thought about what had just been said.

It's quite possible that Lou Xiao'e discovered some clues. Although she disguised herself well, she's not a professional actor after all... wait?

Thinking of this, Zhuang Zhongchen immediately used the one-time upgrade card to upgrade the skill shop first.

接着花费30技能点，购买职业技能——表演lv0；花费1技能点，表演lv0→lv1；花费10技能点，表演lv1→lv2；花费100技能点，表演lv2→lv3。

My acting skills have finally reached the level of a professional actor. Although I'm not as good as those veteran actors, my skills are definitely far superior to those young idols. And they're quite practical in real life, allowing me to better disguise myself.

Life is like a play, it all depends on acting!