Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

Because the Sichuan restaurant across the street closed down, the restaurant's business is 30% better than the same period last year. There are many more people coming to eat, and there are quite a few wealthy people in Xicheng District.

Fourth Brother went out to prepare the banquet. When he returned to the restaurant in the afternoon, he said, "Damn it, Fifth Brother and I are exhausted today. The host said they would prepare six tables of food."

By noon, more than twelve tables had arrived, and everyone was rushing to prepare and cook the dishes. These old-fashioned folks were quite united.

"Their lives are not easy either. Apart from a few families who run businesses, many people work as rickshaw pullers, run errands, or as shop assistants to earn money to support their families."

Many of them are related by marriage; if they don't unite, any slight disturbance will make their lives even more difficult. Master Ma understood their situation.

"Some of these people are still rich. They have many shops in the city for rent, or they own shops in their own homes."

"They're all children of the upper class or people with business acumen. The lower class is no good; they were already half-dead a long time ago," the master said with a smile.

"Their house has a big yard, at least it's better than ours. I'm still renting a place, I can't compare to them," the fourth senior brother said self-deprecatingly.

"There are many of them, so you can earn more money. If you earn more money in the future, you may have the opportunity to buy a detached house or a traditional courtyard house."

"Don't buy those communal courtyard houses, the people are too mixed!" He Yuzhu said with a smile.

"The pay is pretty good. Originally it was 50,000 per table, but now it's 800,000 for twelve tables. The income is quite high, and it's a 'big job' for us."

As for your courtyard house, there are too many talented people living there. I worked hard for two years to buy a house; a detached house is nice, quieter to live in, and the prices aren't too high right now.

"Houses in Yanjing were cheaper a few years ago. Some were sold for a small amount of money, and some were unclaimed houses. Once you moved in, they were yours. The original owners have all moved south."

"A few years ago, I was too young and not brave enough. Now that society is more stable, I can't find any unclaimed houses, so I have to buy a house with my own money." The fourth senior brother said with great regret.

"My house was given to us for free. The original owners moved to the south, and my mother washed their clothes for them. We moved in. It's a detached house, but it's quite large."

Back then, it was a time of war and chaos. Houses were cheap, but food was too expensive. It was better for the wealthy to flee.

"We are still poor, destined to suffer."

After getting off work and returning to the courtyard house, it was not yet eight o'clock. He Yuzhu suddenly thought of taking a walk around. He rarely went out after getting off work. At seven forty in the summer, it was not completely dark yet.

He Yushui wanted to go too. It was fine to go out for a stroll during summer vacation. They didn't go far because it wasn't safe after dark and there weren't many people out and about.

The brother and sister went to visit the Drum Tower, which is not far away and is also a historical site. They greeted people they knew and strolled slowly.

As darkness fell, there was a night market, similar to those in later times, near the Drum Tower. Some people were still selling goods under the lights, though there weren't many stalls.

He Yushui was very disappointed. There were no food stalls, only stalls selling grains, vegetables, and poultry.

"Brother, there are no snacks here, it's not fun at all, let's go back." He Yushui, are you just strolling around to enjoy the scenery, or do you want to buy some snacks?

"If you don't like it, let's go home. It's already dark."

"Brother, this is a main road, not a narrow alley. There shouldn't be any robberies here, right?" He Yushui asked.

"There shouldn't be any. There are patrolling soldiers and several militiamen on the road. Even if someone tries to rob you, there's no way to escape."

"If anyone dares to rob us, kill them!" He Yushui was always violent.

"No one dares to rob us on this street, that's why we came out for a stroll. There are also pedestrians on the street."

"Brother, after my summer vacation starts, can we go to the house near Zhengyangmen? There aren't too many people eating at your restaurant."

"When the restaurant isn't too crowded, we'll go there. It's better than staying in the courtyard house. Whatever you like."

"There are many children there. They are on holiday just like me. We play together, and my brother studies cooking."

"The courtyard house is no good. Just the other day, Sister Huairu said that Liu Haizhong still finds people to beat up Jia Dongxu at the factory. It's been months, and he still hasn't given up, nor has he tried any different methods."

"Liu Haizhong's actions are not good. The longer this goes on, the more people will dislike him. This is their business, and we should stay out of it."

"Aunt Tan said that Yi Zhonghai seems to have given up on causing trouble for Jia Zhangshi in the courtyard, and he might be looking for his wife."

The deaf old lady had tried to persuade Aunt Tan to get back together with Yi Zhonghai four or five times, but Aunt Tan refused, saying that she felt annoyed just seeing Yi Zhonghai. The deaf old lady stopped trying to persuade her these past few days.

"Your information network is quite good. Yi Zhonghai needs a wife. The deaf old lady is getting older and can't take care of Yi Zhonghai forever."

"Yi Zhonghai also needs a woman, hahaha, maybe he'll even have a son to adopt so she can take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days? It's possible his relationship with the Jia family has broken down." He Yuzhu muttered to himself.

"That scoundrel Yi Zhonghai, and someone actually married him! Wasn't he supposed to have a terrible reputation here?"

"There are many poor people now, and many who don't have enough to eat. By marrying Yi Zhonghai, they can survive. Compared to fame, survival is more important; they are all forced by life's circumstances."

"I don't understand. I heard my teacher say that we shouldn't do bad things when we're young, because it will affect our reputation. We should be obedient children."

"Your teacher wasn't wrong. The women who married Yi Zhonghai had no other choice. You'll understand when you grow up."

It's understandable that Yi Zhonghai wants to find a wife. If he's not satisfied, the Jia family mother and son might be the ones. It's not an easy thing to take advantage of someone who has no descendants.

When Jia Zhangshi and Yi Zhonghai started fighting, He Yuzhu welcomed it with open arms, enjoying the spectacle of these 'old folks' getting into a brawl.

"Yeah, you'll know when you grow up. Also, someone from the compound next door got arrested because they were in a fight a few days ago, and someone died."

"You're so well-informed! You go out to play every day after get off work, listening to all this gossip in the compound."

"Brother, this is not just hearsay; many people saw it with their own eyes. Even the soldiers from the military control commission who came to arrest him said it was a fight."

I just heard a little bit of news after I got home, and I came back to tell you. "He Yushui is quite the gossip."

"Any other news?"

"Also, the steel rolling mill is going to build two new workshops, or maybe three new workshops, depending on how much equipment it buys from outside."

The first workshop started recruiting in October, and a new canteen was also planned; it was scheduled to officially open before the Chinese New Year. This was information Sister Huairu obtained from the steel rolling mill; she was very interested in job opportunities.

Did they import the equipment from Russia? That's possible. If a factory has the equipment, building a factory and hiring workers isn't difficult; a few workshops are a minor issue.

"That old shrew Jia Zhangshi would never agree to let Qin Huairu go out to work and do the housework, would she?"

"Jia Zhangshi makes Huai Ru do the housework after get off work, and she even has to give her her wages. That old woman is no good."

"This is the real Jia Zhangshi."

He Yuzhu chuckled inwardly. Qin Huairu had a formal job and wasn't someone to be trifled with. This job was one she had found herself; it wasn't Jia Dongxu's original position.

Qin Huairu also likes money, so there'll be more fun to watch in the future.