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

"Following the rules and treating everyone the same is the fairest way to protect yourself. As for whether they'll say you've forgotten your roots, let them say what they will. In time, they'll realize that following the rules benefits everyone."

After hearing what Cheng Shuhai and Chen Xueru said, Qin Huairu's unease completely vanished.

She realized that true growth is not about being all things to all people, but about upholding one's principles and bottom line.

"Brother, sister-in-law, I understand." Qin Huairu nodded heavily, her eyes filled with an unprecedented clarity and determination.

She knew that her journey had only just begun.

### Chapter 449 A Notice, A Wooden Cart

With Qin Huairu's approach proving unsuccessful, the people in the courtyard lost interest.

But Cheng Shuhai felt that it was not enough for Qin Huairu to stand up alone; this unhealthy trend had to be nipped in the bud.

The next day, a joint notice stamped with a red seal was posted at the entrance of both the neighborhood committee and the North China Food Processing Plant.

The announcement was simple in content, but contained a great deal of information.

First, we must clearly inform everyone that as the implementing unit of the "Sino-Soviet Canned Food Cooperation Project," the North China Food Processing Plant currently employs technical personnel and management cadres uniformly allocated by the Ministry of Industry and the city. In the short term, there are absolutely no plans to recruit externally.

Secondly, we solemnly declare that if the factory needs to supplement its workforce due to future production expansion, it will strictly follow national regulations, formulate open recruitment conditions, conduct unified assessments in the public, and select the best candidates.

Third, and most importantly, a stern warning: No one may request special treatment or job arrangements based on kinship, neighborly, or friendly relationships with Director Cheng Shuhai or other factory managers. Any such requests will be invalidated, and both the requester and the recipient will be severely punished, with the case reported to the street office and the Ministry of Industry for record-keeping.

This announcement was like a bucket of cold water, drenching the restless hearts in the courtyard.

It was written in black and white, stamped with a red seal, and even involved the Ministry of Industry.

Now, who would dare to have any wicked thoughts?

Those who used to fawn over Qin Huairu and try to pull strings now avoid her, afraid of being labeled as "beggars" and stigmatized.

The courtyard suddenly became much quieter.

When their work-related paths failed, the people in the institute quickly found new ways to curry favor.

Since we can't be "colleagues," let's be even better "neighbors."

Especially for the two children of the Cheng family... Cheng Wangzhou and Jia Xingzhou.

The two little ones are now over a year old and have just learned to walk, a time when they are full of curiosity about the world. Every afternoon, Qin's mother and Chen Xueru would carry them to the yard and let them hold onto the wall as they toddled around.

This has become a scenic spot in the courtyard.

Whenever the two children appear, they immediately become the focus of the entire hospital.

"Wow, Wangzhou walks so steadily! He's definitely got the makings of a high-ranking official!"

"Xingzhou is such a handsome boy! Look at those big eyes, he's just like his uncle!"

Praise comes out like it's free.

Even more extreme, some people take direct action.

Yan Bugui's grandson was having a great time playing in the yard, pulling a small wooden cart made by his maternal grandparents.

Seeing Cheng Wangzhou stagger over, she stared curiously at his little car.

Yan Bugui's daughter-in-law immediately rushed out of the house, snatched the car from her son's hand, and shoved it into Cheng Wangzhou's hands.

"Wangzhou, you like this car, right? Here, you can play with it. Your brother gave it to you!"

Then, with a stern face, she scolded her son, who was already on the verge of tears, "How old are you? Still fighting with your brother for toys? Don't you know how to give way to your brother? Go stand over there!"

The child from the Yan family pouted, tears welling up in his eyes, but dared not cry out loud. He could only watch helplessly as Cheng Wangzhou dragged his toys away.

This scene was witnessed by Cheng Shuhai, who was on his way home from get off work.

Instead of going straight into the house as usual, he stopped and looked at the Yan family child standing in the corner, looking aggrieved, and then at his son Cheng Wangzhou, who was pulling a small cart with a look of curiosity.

The other neighbors who were watching the commotion in the courtyard all had expressions on their faces that said, "Look how good we are at handling things."

In their view, Director Cheng must be happy to see his child receiving such preferential treatment.

However, there was not a trace of a smile on Cheng Shuhai's face.

He walked up to his son, Cheng Wangzhou, and squatted down.

"Wangzhou, is this little car fun?"

"It's so much fun," Cheng Wangzhou replied in a childish voice.

"Is this yours?"

Cheng Wangzhou shook his head.

"It's not yours, it's my brother's, isn't it?"

Cheng Wangzhou nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"Then let's give the car back to your brother, okay?" Cheng Shuhai's voice was very gentle.

He took Cheng Wangzhou's hand, walked to the Yan family's child, and put the rope of the wooden cart back into his hand.

"If you want to play, you can talk to your brother and we can all play together. But you can't take other people's things just because the adults favor you. Got it?"

Cheng Shuhai's words were not only directed at his son, but also at all the adults in the compound.

Yan Bugui's daughter-in-law stood there awkwardly, her face turning red and white in turns.

She never expected that her carefully crafted act of "being sensible" would be rejected by Director Cheng in front of everyone.

This... isn't this a slap in the face for her?

Cheng Shuhai stood up and calmly swept his gaze over all the adults in the courtyard.

"Dear neighbors," he began, his voice not loud, but everyone could hear him clearly, "you have all been so kind to me and to my two children. I, Cheng Shuhai, will remember this kindness in my heart."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, feeling that Director Cheng was reasonable.

"However," Cheng Shuhai changed the subject, his tone becoming serious, "my remembrance doesn't mean I approve of you treating me this way."

"Kids are kids. It's perfectly normal for them to bump into each other, fight over toys, or snatch candy when they're playing together. As long as it's not excessive, let them resolve it themselves. Adults shouldn't interfere too much."

He looked at the Yan family's daughter-in-law, who was still standing there in a daze, and continued, "It's even more unacceptable. Just to please me, you force your own child to suffer. If you make him give up a toy today, will he have to give up a room tomorrow? If this continues, where is the fairness in our courtyard? My child will become the 'little master' who can do whatever he wants in the courtyard!"

"My child, Cheng Shuhai's child, cannot be raised like this! This kind of atmosphere cannot exist in our courtyard!"

"From now on, each family's child will be their own child. Everyone should continue to raise them as they would like to be. I hope they can grow up in a normal and healthy environment, rather than becoming spoiled and arrogant amidst a world of hypocritical flattery and humility."

These words resonated deeply.