Courtyard Houses: Longevity Since the War of Resistance

Li Feng walked out of Mu Hu's house and sensed someone following him. He randomly turned a street corner to escape their sight, but in the next moment, like a bubble in the sunlight, he burst at the slightest touch, just like the bewildered man who had been deceived. (From the skill---One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones)

The person chatting with Mu Hu these past two days has been Li Feng's clone, while the real Li Feng has been going to and from get off work at the steel rolling mill in an orderly fashion, posing as Li Shan.

After the ghost reappeared, people around him were monitoring his main body. The appearance of his clone immediately dispelled all doubts, and the people in charge of monitoring him also withdrew.

An event that was never truly formed was nipped in the bud, allowing many predecessors to escape misfortune and continue their unfinished work.

This is enough.

"After two or three days of hard work, I've finally solved a major problem. That's good," Li Feng said, pouring himself a glass of water in his house. His attention then returned to the courtyard house, where quite a few changes had taken place.

The first to be affected were Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e, who eventually divorced.

Lou Xiao'e returned to the Lou family home with her luggage, leaving decisively. Xu Damao, on the other hand, showed no sign of sadness after the divorce; instead, he seemed to have shed a burden and immediately set his sights on the newcomer, Qin Jingru.

Qin Huairu's younger sister, Qin Jingru, came to the city from the countryside to stay with her sister, bringing with her a simple and honest nature and a curiosity about the outside world.

The girl was pretty and young, and she immediately caught Xu Damao's eye.

Xu Damao, putting aside everything else, had quite a few ways to make money. Showing movies for the rural commune was never a free job; he always received some money in the form of eggs, mountain produce, and homespun cloth, which he then resold through various channels, accumulating some spare cash.

To win over Qin Jingru, he spared no expense, taking her out for a meal of Peking duck at Quanjude. For a girl who had just come to the city from the countryside, a meal of Peking duck, followed by Xu Damao's effusive boasting about the advantages of city life and his own abilities, inevitably made her mind wander, and her eyes even began to gleam with a hint of smirk when she looked at Xu Damao.

When Lou Xiao'e returned to her parents' home, her father was overjoyed. He had long wanted to leave Beijing. He used to worry about his daughter, but now that she was back, he had nothing more to say.

The whole family moved to Hong Kong. Before leaving, Lou's father handed over all the fixed assets. After all, Hong Kong had not yet returned to China. If Lou Bancheng wanted to leave now, he should at least hand over something.

The Lou family acted swiftly, thwarting the other person's plan.

A deaf old lady.

After Li Feng was admitted to the hospital, he didn't have much contact with the deaf old lady. Compared to the elderly woman who was on welfare, he was still a bit worse off. After the old lady learned that Lou Xiao'e had divorced, she thought about trying to match her with Sha Zhu and was planning how to make an effort. However, Sha Zhu was not willing, and Lou Xiao'e also ran away.

Why is Sha Zhu unhappy?

He also had his eye on Qin Jingru, partly because she was a virgin, and partly because he couldn't let Xu Damao surpass him.

The two grew up together. From fighting to working, Xu Damao was never as good as He Yuzhu. However, when it came to finding a partner, Sha Zhu lost again and again.

Hearing about Xu Damao and Qin Jingru made me even more upset. How could a divorced man be more popular than a single man like me? There's no justice in that!

"If Xu Damao can find someone, why can't I, Shazhu,?"

Sha Zhu found Qin Huairu washing vegetables by the sink, rubbing his hands together with an unnatural smile: "Sister Qin, busy?"

Qin Huairu glanced up at him, without stopping her work: "Get to the point."

"I heard Jingru is here?" Shazhu leaned closer. "Could you help introduce her? I'd like to treat her to a meal so we can get to know each other."

Qin Huairu stopped what she was doing and looked at him: "Zhuzi, why are you getting involved in this? Xu Damao is a scoundrel, why are you meddling in his affairs?"

"How could I be meddling!" Sha Zhu was displeased. "Xu Damao, a divorced man, can still pester Jingru. I'm a dignified cafeteria chef, a legitimate single man. What's wrong with treating a girl to a meal?" He straightened his back.

"Besides, Sister Qin, given our relationship, aren't you going to help me? Do you think I'd end up like that scoundrel Xu Damao?"

Qin Huairu looked at him and sighed inwardly.

She was indeed very worried about her sister's situation. She knew all too well what kind of person Da Mao was, and if her sister really married him, she would suffer endlessly in the future.

She had tried to persuade Jingru several times with earnest words, but the girl was easily swayed by a roast duck and a few kind words. Her love-struck mind was completely overwhelmed, and she wouldn't listen to reason. Instead, she felt that her older sister was jealous of her success and was blocking her path to wealth.

In comparison, although Sha Zhu is a bit muddle-headed and stubborn, he's not a bad person at heart, and he doesn't have many ulterior motives. We know him well. If my sister really marries Sha Zhu, at least she won't be taken advantage of too badly.

Thinking of this, Qin Huairu's tone softened a bit: "Alright, I'll ask Jingru for you. But Zhuzi, let me tell you, meeting is one thing, but you need to act properly and not scare my sister."

"Oh my! My dear sister!" Sha Zhu beamed with joy at the prospect of success. "Don't worry! I, He Yuzhu, know exactly what I'm doing! I promise I'll behave perfectly!"

The next day, Sha Zhu dressed himself up early in his best blue work clothes, slicked back his hair with water, and stood inside the courtyard gate, constantly looking out.

Before long, Qin Huairu arrived with Qin Jingru.

Sha Zhu's eyes widened the moment he saw Qin Jingru. The girl was wearing a new floral jacket, with two long, glossy black braids hanging down her chest. Her face was rosy, her eyes were watery, and she had a slender figure. Sha Zhu felt a surge of adrenaline.

In his eyes, she was even more beautiful than his sister Qin when she first came to the city. She was so beautiful that he was a little stunned. He could only grin foolishly, his eyes involuntarily lingering on the girl.

But in Qin Jingru's eyes, this appearance was completely different.

The strange man stared at me intently, grinning foolishly. His eyes were wide as he looked me up and down. He seemed shady and not a good person at all.

My heart skipped a beat. I remembered that my sister had always said bad things about Xu Damao and had stopped me from getting to know him. But now she was introducing him to me. My sister was really afraid that I would find a partner in the city and live a better life than her!

Still lost in amazement, Sha Zhu was completely oblivious to the awkward atmosphere. He rubbed his hands together and stepped forward: "Jingru, right? I'm He Yuzhu, you can just call me Sha Zhu! Um, I..."

Qin Jingru turned her face away, not wanting to pay any attention to him.

Seeing her younger sister turn her head away and remain silent, Qin Huairu quickly tried to smooth things over, gently nudging Qin Jingru and whispering, "Jingru, don't be so rude. Brother Zhu is a very honest man. He really wants to show you around the capital. Hurry up and call him over."

Qin Jingru couldn't refuse her sister, so she reluctantly turned her head and whispered, "Brother Zhuzi."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu felt his bones melt and quickly replied, "Hey! Jingru, come on, let me show you around! There are so many fun places in Beijing!" He was secretly delighted, feeling that he had taken the first step.

But the next part of the shopping trip was really about comparing prices.

Xu Damao took Qin Jingru out, heading straight for the department store, his words as sweet as honey.

"Jingru, look at this dress! The color suits you so well! You'll look like a figure from a painting in it! Buy it!"

"This face cream smells wonderful! It's perfect for a girl like you! I'll buy it!"

A few words were enough to make Qin Jingru overjoyed, but when it came to Sha Zhu, the whole atmosphere changed.

Qin Jingru stared at the sparkly hair clips in the shop window and couldn't move, exclaiming, "Brother Zhu, these are beautiful!"

Sha Zhu leaned over to take a look at the price, and his eyelids twitched: "Hey! This piece of junk isn't worth this much! Come on, come on, I know a stall at the end of the alley ahead, it's more than half the price!"

When she went to the stall, the hair clips were cheap, but the styles were outdated and the colors were tacky. Qin Jingru held them in her hand and was dissatisfied with them no matter how she looked at them.

When they reached the entrance of the department store, Qin Jingru wanted to go in and see what it was like, but Sha Zhu stopped her: "What's there to see in here? The stuff is ridiculously expensive, it's just a rip-off for tourists. I'll take you somewhere with real quality stuff."

Instead, he took Qin Jingru to a nearby, chaotic market, crowded with people. Qin Jingru wanted to touch the pretty silk fabric, but Sha Zhu muttered beside her, "This stuff is impractical; you can't eat it or wear it."

After shopping all morning, Qin Jingru's legs were aching, and her hands were still empty. The little bit of anticipation she had felt had long since vanished. She thought, "Shopping won't do, but I should at least have a decent meal, right?"

Xu Damao was the one who took her to Quanjude.

When it was time to eat, Sha Zhu patted his chest and said, "Hungry? I'll take you to eat. I know a place that's absolutely authentic."

A glimmer of hope finally rose in Qin Jingru's heart. Sha Zhu led her through a maze of twists and turns until they entered a small, old restaurant with greasy tables and chairs. Inside, it was noisy and filled with the cheap smell of cooking oil.

"Boss, a pork and cabbage stew with glass noodles, a cucumber salad, and two bowls of rice," Sha Zhu ordered familiarly, proudly showing off to Qin Jingru. "This place is affordable, the portions are big and filling, much better than those restaurants that just look nice but don't fill you up."

Looking at the stew on the table, and then thinking about Quanjude's roast duck, the exquisite pancakes and sweet bean sauce, Qin Jingru realized the difference was like heaven and earth.

She held her chopsticks, not moving them for a long time, her grievances and dissatisfaction almost overflowing.

Xu Damao is right. Her sister just didn't want her to have a good life, which is why she introduced her to such a stingy and clueless fool.

Qin Jingru found the meal utterly unappetizing, her heart completely tipped in favor of the eloquent and generous Xu Damao. After finishing, she made up an excuse and was in a hurry to go home, finding even a glance at Sha Zhu irritating.

Sha Zhu was completely oblivious, only noticing that the girl was a bit shy. He kept saying, "Jingru, next time I'll take you somewhere else to eat. I know a braised pork place that's pretty good..."

Qin Jingru sneered inwardly: "A next time? Dream on, you big, stupid, uncultured man."