Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

Yi Zhonghai walked out of Sha Zhu's house with his hands behind his back and a strutting gait.

The night breeze felt wonderful on his face.

Once Sha Zhu enters the steel rolling mill, he'll be at our mercy, like meat on a chopping board, to be manipulated however we want.

At that time, Jia Dongxu will be the main course, and Sha Zhu will be the backup. With this double insurance, Yi Zhonghai's later years will be worry-free.

As for that little bastard Cheng Shuhai...

When Yi Zhonghai thought of Cheng Shuhai, the smile on his face faded slightly.

This kid has ruined my plans time and time again; he's truly despicable.

There's nothing I can do about him right now, but there's still plenty of time, and there will be opportunities in the future!

Yi Zhonghai hummed a little tune and went home in a cheerful mood.

Inside the house, Sha Zhu seemed to have a nail in his butt, and was restless.

The pie in the sky that Yi Zhonghai just painted was just too tempting.

A regular worker at the steel rolling mill!

iron rice bowl!

A monthly salary of over 100,000!

These words, like little drumsticks, struck his heart again and again, making his blood boil.

"Forget it, I'll go ask Brother Cheng first, and then make a decision!"

Sha Zhu made up his mind, no longer hesitated, turned around and went out the door, heading straight for Cheng Shuhai's house.

At this moment, Cheng Shuhai had just put his younger sister to sleep and was about to go into his space to check on how the chickens and ducks were growing.

"Knock knock knock".

A knock came at the door.

Cheng Shuhai was a little surprised. What time was it? Who would come?

He walked to the door, unlatched it, and saw that standing outside was none other than Sha Zhu.

"Shazhu? It's so late, is something wrong?" Cheng Shuhai asked.

Sha Zhu peeked into the room and whispered, "Brother Cheng, is this a convenient time? I have something I want to ask you."

"Come in." Cheng Shuhai let him in and closed the door behind him.

The two sat down at the table, and Cheng Shuhai poured him a glass of water: "So, what's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

Sha Zhu picked up his water glass, but didn't drink it. Instead, he recounted exactly what Yi Zhonghai had said to him earlier.

From the iron rice bowl of a steel rolling mill, to the lack of prospects for apprentices, to Yi Zhonghai patting his chest and guaranteeing that he could get him a permanent job in the canteen.

After saying that, he looked at Cheng Shuhai with a conflicted expression and asked, "Brother Cheng, what do you think I should do about this? Go, or not go?"

Cheng Shuhai listened quietly, his face calm, but inwardly he was sneering.

This Yi Zhonghai is truly a complete hypocrite!

Having failed to intercept He Daqing's remittance and seeing that he could no longer control Sha Zhu, he actually came up with this underhanded trick.

They tricked Sha Zhu out of Fengzeyuan, a place where he could learn real skills, and into the steel mill canteen, a cesspool of corruption.

He's really willing to do anything for his so-called "retirement plan," even ruining other people's futures.

That's disgusting!

Cheng Shuhai looked at Sha Zhu, who was looking bewildered and waiting for his advice, and sighed inwardly.

That silly Zhu is a good person, loyal and righteous, but his brain is too straight-minded and he can't think outside the box. No wonder he was schemed against by those beasts in the courtyard his whole life.

Of course, there were also reasons on Sha Zhu's part.

"Pillar, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

Cheng Shuhai looked at him and asked seriously.

"Brother Cheng, is there even a need to ask? I came to see you in the middle of the night because I wanted to hear the truth!" Sha Zhu said eagerly.

"Okay." Cheng Shuhai nodded. "Then I'll tell you something from the bottom of my heart."

"Yi Zhonghai, he's harming you!"

"Harm me?" Sha Zhu was stunned for a moment, his eyes wide open. "Brother Cheng, you...you're not wrong, are you? How could Uncle Yi harm me? He's the most respected person in our compound, and he even said it was all for my own good..."

"For your own good?"

"Zhu Zi, use your brain. What kind of place is Fengzeyuan? It's one of the top hotels in all of Beijing!"

"If you study diligently there for a few years and master the skills, not only in Beijing, but anywhere in the country, which big restaurant wouldn't be eager to hire you?"

Cheng Shuhai scoffed.

"When the time comes, whether you open your own restaurant and become the boss, or go to a big hotel as the head chef, it's all up to you. That's what you call a real secure job, a golden job!"

"What about the steel mill canteen? What kind of place is that? It's just a place that cooks communal meals! With all your skills, what can you do there? Every day it's either cabbage stew with tofu or potato stew with vermicelli. In time, all the skills you learned at Fengzeyuan will be wasted!"

"Besides, like he said, once you're in the steel rolling mill, you're right under his nose. He has connections there, so if he wanted to make things difficult for you or manipulate you, wouldn't it be a piece of cake?"

"He can get you arrested today, and tomorrow he can use all sorts of excuses to manipulate you, making you his slave. How will you live your own life then?"

Every word Cheng Shuhai said was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Sha Zhu's heart hard.

The confusion and struggle on Sha Zhu's face gradually turned into shock and anger.

He wasn't stupid, just straightforward and didn't think things through that deeply. Now, with Cheng Shuhai's explanation, he understood everything instantly.

Yes! Brother Cheng is right!

What skill did he learn at Fengzeyuan? It was a skill that would allow him to make a living in the future!

What kind of work can you do in a steel mill canteen? Besides making ends meet, what kind of future can you have?

Over time, his skills became rusty, and that's how his life will be.

Yi Zhonghai praised himself to the skies, saying he was doing it for his own good, but it turns out... that's what he was really up to!

He wanted to tie himself to him, to make himself obey him for the rest of his life, and to take care of him in his old age and see him off when he died!

That old bastard!

I used to respect him so much, treating him as the most upright elder in the courtyard!

I never imagined he was so heartless!

"That damn Yi Zhonghai! Screw him!"

Sha Zhu slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly. The water glass on the table bounced, spilling water all over the table.

His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth were clenched so tightly they were grinding, and he looked like an enraged bull.

He never expected that the respected Uncle Yi would dig such a big hole for him behind his back!

If he hadn't asked Brother Cheng today, he might have stupidly jumped in tomorrow!

At that point, his life will truly be over!

"Brother Cheng, thank you! If it weren't for you, I...I..." Sha Zhu was so excited that he couldn't even speak properly. He bowed deeply to Cheng Shuhai.

"Alright, why bring this up?" Cheng Shuhai helped him up. "It's good that you understand now."

"I understand! I understand everything!" Sha Zhu said through gritted teeth. "That old bastard tried to trick me! Not so easy! I'm going to settle the score with him right now!"

After saying that, Sha Zhu turned around and rushed out, looking as if he was going to fight someone to the death.

Sha Zhu's anger, like a volcano that had been suppressed for a long time, erupted the moment Cheng Shuhai revealed the truth.

His mind was buzzing, with only one thought in mind: to settle accounts with Yi Zhonghai!

That old bastard, that hypocrite!

He used to think that Grandpa Yi was a good person and a respectable elder.

The results of it?

It turned out that the other party had no good intentions at all. They were scheming against him from beginning to end, wanting to use him as a tool for retirement and ruin his future!

It’s tolerable, it’s unbearable!

Sha Zhu took three steps at a time, crossing the dark courtyard, the wind he stirred up carrying a murderous aura.

He rushed straight to Yi Zhonghai's door and, without thinking, swung his fist and smashed it down on the wooden door.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The dull, loud banging on the door sounded particularly jarring in the quiet night, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, instantly echoing throughout the entire courtyard.