Uncle Shazhu, a simple-minded man in a courtyard house, persuades people with reason.

Buddhism speaks of three poisons: greed, anger, and ignorance. Greed is desire, which is insatiable; anger is rage, which leads to violent actions; ignorance is attachment, which makes one stubbornly unrepentant.

Yan Bugui was greedy and loved money...

Trying to squeeze money out of a greedy person is worse than simply killing them. Yan Bugui has elevated a matter of a few words to the level of exploitation. In a way, he's a beast, even more shameless than them!

The eyes of the beasts in the courtyard changed; they looked at their own kind with disdain. A few who had hoped to get something for nothing, seeing they wouldn't get their way, grumbled and turned away, choosing to let the matter drop.

When money is involved, Yan Bugui's offensive power is at its peak. People can leave, but the money must remain. With these thoughts churning in his mind, Yan Bugui bowed obsequiously to the crowd.

"Don't rush off, everyone. Let me say a few words... Although the rules about writing fees cannot be broken, since we're all neighbors, a little bit is fine."

"Master Yi, you're a senior craftsman at the steel rolling mill, your salary is high, and you only have one person at home, so your expenses are low. Why don't you pay for these banners? Consider it our contribution to the yard!"

Yan Bugui smiled at Yi Zhonghai, then turned his gaze to the birds: "What do you all say, is it okay?"

"A fool wouldn't take advantage of a bargain; it doesn't matter whose bargain it is." These beasts, without prior agreement, changed their tune and, just as they had supported Yi Zhonghai earlier, voiced their support for Yan Bugui.

"Old Yi, I think it's a good idea... Anyway, you're the only one eating, so the rest of the family isn't hungry!"

"Yes, Lao Yi..."

A bunch of beasts, completely forgetting who Yi Zhonghai was standing up for. Although Yi Zhonghai's motives were pure, being sold out so openly still infuriated him.

Fortunately, the old man's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds after He Ping'an's baptism. Yi Zhonghai gave the smiling Yan Bugui a deep look and chuckled憨厚ly, "It seems cultured people are always the best talkers. Let's do as Teacher Yan says!"

Yi Zhonghai tossed down a few banknotes and left without looking back. Yan Bugui's attack just now was truly hurtful; what kind of person was that? It was no different from calling him childless!

Yi Zhonghai paid the bill, Yan Bugui wrote the banner, and the beasts left in twos and threes, each carrying a small banner. The minor disturbance was thus averted…

"My dear husband, you're the best!" After everyone left, Yan Bugui's wife, Yang Ruihua, happily went forward to tidy up the writing materials. Her admiration greatly satisfied her husband's vanity.

"Heh... I've seen plenty of people like this over the years, it's nothing!" Yan Bugui shook his head, pretending to be very natural.

"Honey, for such a paltry sum, is it really...?"

"Isn't this making a mountain out of a molehill!" Yan Bugui chimed in, giving him a stern lecture: "Such a woman's view! Is that a writing fee? That's our livelihood in this courtyard house..."

After a long and rambling speech, Yang Ruihua's eyes lit up with excitement. It was all about how the old residents bullied the new residents and how they would never be able to hold their heads up again if they backed down.

Yan Bugui whispered to Yang Ruihua, "Alright, go chat with the neighbors later, build some rapport. You're like this..."

"This..." Yang Ruihua hesitated, "Wouldn't this completely offend Yi Zhonghai? I heard he's a master craftsman at the steel rolling mill. Isn't this a bad idea?"

"Hmph..." Yan Bugui glanced at the courtyard, his expression unreadable. He sneered, "Yi Zhonghai wants to use me as a pawn to establish his authority; he'll have to bear my revenge! Besides..."

Yan Bugui gently stroked Yang Ruihua's protruding belly, scoffing and shaking his head. "He's childless, what's there to be afraid of!"

"Okay, I'll listen to you..."

In just half a day, the commotion in the front yard had spread throughout the entire courtyard. As soon as the protesters returned, the wives of each household eagerly went to their husbands.

In this way, Yan Bugui was able to establish a firm foothold in the courtyard house, and the residents in the front yard were more willing to associate with the Yan family.

The old beast in the courtyard didn't just bully Yan Bugui's family; which of the other new residents in the front yard hadn't been bullied by him? They just didn't dare to fight back!

With someone finally rising to prominence, it's natural for them to gravitate towards the Yan family. Yan Bugui, stepping on Yi Zhonghai, firmly secured his position as the head of the front yard!

After this incident, Yi Zhonghai's already meager reputation suffered another blow. However, the old man was no ordinary person. He held a deep grudge against Yan Bugui in his heart, and when they met, he still addressed him as "Teacher Yan" with great warmth.

Anyone who didn't know better would think he was incredibly generous!

In 51, Yi Zhonghai once again spent the Spring Festival with the Jia family. Ever since he learned that He Ping'an had entered the court, even though he had taken a minor fall on Yan Bugui, the old man was still delighted.

"Master, let me toast you!"

"good!"

Jia Zhangshi glanced at Yi Zhonghai, who was drinking heartily, a flash of disdain crossing her eyes. With a forced smile, she steered the conversation towards Jia Dongxu.

"Dongxu was born in 32, and he'll be 20 next year (by the traditional Chinese age reckoning), which is the age for marriage. I'm just a woman, not really capable of much help. Old Yi, you're Dongxu's mentor, so I'll need your help finding a matchmaker to arrange his marriage!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes were swirling with emotion, but his face still wore a simple, honest smile as he waved his hand.

"Master and apprentice, father and son, marriage is a major life event, and as the master, I naturally have to lend a hand! Sister-in-law, you first find a matchmaker to inquire if there are any suitable girls, and leave the rest to me..."

Yi Zhonghai's words implied that he would be fully responsible for Jia Dongxu's wedding expenses. Jia Zhangshi's eyes narrowed into slits with laughter; she had only intended to freeload, but unexpectedly received something unexpected.

"Dongxu, aren't you going to offer your master a toast...?"

After the New Year, Madam Jia stopped gossiping with the women in the courtyard and spent her days shamelessly visiting matchmakers, racking her brains to find a good match for her son. But given her family's circumstances, which well-off girl would be willing to marry into the Jia family?

There were other women willing to be considered by Jia Dongxu, but their conditions were not as good as the Jia family's, so Jia Zhangshi was naturally unhappy. Before long, spring arrived…

Qin Family Village, a rural area on the outskirts of Beijing...

A beautiful young woman, holding the hand of a girl with blond hair, peeked at the mutual aid group from the city from the roadside. The mutual aid group was a temporary group of workers sent to the countryside to help farmers with spring planting and autumn harvest! It was named after the idea of ​​mutual assistance between workers and farmers!

The pretty girl looked at the neatly dressed city people with envy in her eyes. Then she looked down at her patched clothes and lowered her head in self-consciousness.

"Qin family's eldest daughter, stop hiding and watching the show, come here..."

The village party secretary's clear and loud voice made the others chuckle, their laughter tinged with teasing.

Qin Family Village is more than 20 kilometers away from Beijing, yet matchmakers in Beijing know that a woman of unparalleled beauty has emerged from Qin Family Village. Who can't see through the ulterior motives...?

These are all personal pursuits, and as long as it doesn't affect their own families, no one would be so bored as to break the ice. Besides, you can't write two Qin characters in one stroke... If it really works out, they'll just have one more relative in the city!