Courtyard House: A Leisurely and Contented Life

Yi Zhonghai heard this, and Qin Huairu naturally perked up her ears as well—did Yang Jianye's being criticized in a circular mean that his relationship with the factory director was over?

Will the confidence he had before still be effective?

Work was of paramount importance to Qin Huairu; she wouldn't dare take even the slightest risk. Little did she know, someone else was fully aware of the situation…

"Uncle, did Yang Jianye make a mistake?" Qin Huairu seized the opportunity to approach Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at her, no longer as warm as before, but not deliberately distant either. Now that he no longer planned to have Sha Zhu marry Widow Qin to support him in his old age and to use Bang Geng as a backup plan, he naturally didn't need to be so attentive anymore.

But since they lived in the same courtyard, it wasn't easy for Widow Qin to raise her child alone, and it wouldn't be right for word to get out that she was being ostracized.

"Of course he's done it." Yi Zhonghai looked like he had planned this all along. "A person shouldn't be arrogant. If they're arrogant, even God won't stand for it and will have to take them down."

Qin Huairu nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, yes..."

"Then tell me, what's his relationship with the factory manager?" This was what she cared about most; the factory manager was the one who held her life in his hands.

She wouldn't dare offend Yang Jianye if he was still close to the factory director; but if he became a permanent employee... that would be a different story.

There is a world of difference between a formal employee and an apprentice. Once someone becomes a formal employee, even the factory manager cannot fire them at will. There must be a legitimate reason, otherwise it will give others cause for criticism, and they might get into trouble later.

The status of workers and peasants these days is truly remarkable!

Yi Zhonghai raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice, "Still mentioning the factory director? A factory-wide reprimand—who else could have done it if it wasn't the director's order?"

Yang Jianye had only been there for three months when he gained the factory director's attention. This matter was a thorn in Yi Zhonghai's side, ready to be ignited at any moment.

Seeing Qin Huairu nod in agreement and become compliant, his anger subsided considerably. He pondered for a moment and said, "But you shouldn't provoke him either. He's the leader and highly regarded at work. As long as you don't mess with him, if he tries to bully you, neither I, my second uncle, nor my third uncle will stand for it."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu understood perfectly well—all that talk was for nothing! Yang Jianye was still the same Yang Jianye, and he still couldn't afford to offend him. He'd better just stay away!

"Got it, thank you, sir." She thanked him and returned to her workstation, thinking to herself, "I'd rather improve my skills and get a permanent position as soon as possible; everything else is just fluff." Under Yang Jianye's shadow, she suddenly truly understood that "it's better to rely on yourself than on others"—if she could get a permanent position, would Yang Jianye still be able to easily control her? Definitely not!

In the forging workshop, Liu Haizhong heard the broadcast, grinned, and said with disdain, "Yang Jianye has finally met his match!" Second Uncle still remembered how Yang Jianye had embarrassed him at the meeting, and now he was going to see how arrogant Yang Jianye would be in the yard.

In the canteen, Sha Zhu had just brewed a cup of sweet rice wine and was taking a satisfying sip when his apprentice, Ma Hua, was preparing the vegetables for lunch. Seeing his master's expression, Ma Hua asked curiously, "Master, aren't you worried?" These past few days, he'd felt his master genuinely admired Yang Jianye, but now that the whole factory had heard the news, why wasn't his master worried at all? Could it be that his previous admiration was just for show, and the two actually didn't get along?

"Which eye of yours saw me not worried?" Silly Zhu sneered and scolded. "Does wearing your worries on your face help? Hurry up and chop your vegetables!" Seeing that Ma Hua was still unconvinced, he put down his teacup and said with a smile, "You just don't understand."

Ma Hua leaned closer: "Master, could you tell me about it?"

"Okay, then tell me, is this a big deal?"

Ma Hua said seriously, "How could it not be big? The deputy factory director has been labeled a hooligan; our factory has completely lost face!"

Sha Zhu nodded: "Okay, you're using your brain now."

"Of course, I learned it from you!" Ma Hua scratched his head and flattered.

"Stop flattering me." Sha Zhu grinned. "You understand how serious this is, do you think the leaders don't? If someone else had caused the factory to lose face this badly, becoming infamous throughout the system—and notorious at that—how do you think they should have handled it?"

Ma Hua muttered to himself, "Then I'll have to be publicly criticized, write a self-criticism... Demotion and pay cut would be the least of my worries."

"What's going on at Jianye?"

"A public reprimand and a deduction of half a month's salary, more than thirty dollars, which is more than our combined wages for two months." Ma Hua said, his heart aching as if a piece of his heart was being torn apart—thirty dollars, how much meat could that buy!

Seeing his pathetic state, Sha Zhu slapped him on the forehead: "You won't admit you're stupid, get lost!"

"Master, you haven't explained it clearly yet!" Ma Hua covered his head, looking aggrieved.

The most frustrating thing is when someone only says half of what they mean. You understand what they're saying, but you still don't understand what they're trying to say at all.

If Yang Jianye heard this, he would surely laugh and say, "No wonder he is a disciple taught by Master He."

But in Sha Zhu's eyes, this apprentice did not inherit his cleverness at all. He Yu Zhu is a shrewd person. Being a cook is just a side job, you know?

Eating brains is the real skill.

Looking back at Yang Jianye, his coworkers in the workshop were sympathizing with him: "Why? So many people drank, and no one acted like a hooligan. That apricot blossom wine was a waste!" "Feeding dogs is better than this; at least you wouldn't get any complaints!" "Jianye, no way! We'll go with you to find the factory manager!" "Exactly! A wedding banquet, good wine and food, and in the end, he gets a public reprimand. What kind of treatment is this?"

Looking at the group of indignant coworkers in front of him, and Director Ma who hadn't said a word but was standing to the side, Yang Jianye smiled and raised his hand to press them down: "Hey, hey, hey, don't get excited, take a breath, take a breath! Hua Zi, make tea for the masters!" The apprentice who had been complaining along with him turned around and ran to make tea.

"This matter is truly unjust, but it's also unfair to say we have no connection whatsoever," Yang Jianye said, his tone softening. "Such a big thing happened, and even Factory Director Yang got criticized. It's nothing for us to suffer a little injustice, don't you think?"

Seeing that everyone had calmed down a bit, Yang Jianye clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "I thank you all for thinking of me, Jianye. But let's leave it at that. Continuing to make a scene won't do anyone any good. If it drags you all into this, I'll really lose face."

With a sincere expression, he glanced at the craftsmen present and said, "I would like to thank you all in advance. I will remember your kindness and look forward to seeing you all again in the future."

This argument was well-reasoned and acknowledged the kindness shown to the masters, leaving no room for criticism and making everyone feel comfortable. Once the blueprints arrived, everyone focused entirely on their work, and the matter was never mentioned again.

As Li Ying walked towards the bike shed after get off work, she was greeted and asked about her bike by everyone she passed – that Forever women's bicycle had become the focus of the food factory the moment it arrived. A colorful women's bicycle, the only one of its kind in the entire factory!

"Yingzi, your car is so beautiful! When can I buy one like this?" her coworker complimented. Li Ying just smiled and didn't reply—when? You'll have to ask yourself that! You're asking me? How would I know?

"Hey, Yingzi, does your man have any brothers? Can you introduce me to one?" Li Ying shook her head: "Only one, you've missed your chance." "Oh, what a pity, he didn't find a matchmaker like Aunt Liu."

These words struck a chord with everyone—isn't it true that we're desperately missing a matchmaker like Aunt Liu? If I found Aunt Liu before Li Ying's family, wouldn't her husband be mine?

Li Ying laughed and scolded, "Pah, you wish! My man wouldn't even look at you!"

"You don't think I'm good enough?" The other person puffed out their chest, proudly patted themselves, and said, "Come on, tell me what I lack?"

Everyone burst into laughter, pointing at her: "It's missing a name, it's not Yingzi!" The man was stunned for a moment, then nodded dejectedly: "Fine, I'll change my name tomorrow, it'll be Hu Ying!" "Too late, hahaha..."

Amidst the teasing, Yingzi rode her bike out of the factory gate, full of energy as she hurried home, eager to see her husband. Reaching the gate, she pushed the bike into the yard, carefully pressed it against the wall, locked it, and even checked the distance to the wall, afraid of scraping or scratching it.

After finishing, she went to feed the chickens—the two old hens were really productive, laying four eggs the very first day. If she came every two days, wouldn't the family have eggs to eat every day? Knowing it was unlikely, Li Ying still held onto hope—who would complain about having too good a life?

Just as they were feeding the chickens, Uncle Erda strode back with his hands behind his back and his head held high: "Jianye's wife, feeding the chickens!" "Oh, Uncle Erda, you're back." "Yes."

Liu Haizhong nodded with a smile, took a few steps forward, then stopped and turned back as if he remembered something, looking at Li Ying with difficulty: "Um, Jianye's wife, there's something I want to tell you." "Second Uncle, please speak," Yingzi replied, tucking the winnowing basket around her waist for support.

"Your Jianye family received a public reprimand at the factory today. You probably don't know that yet, do you?"

Li Ying's hand gripping the winnowing basket turned pale, but a smile appeared on her face the next second: "Really? Everyone makes mistakes. It's a good thing to give them a reminder."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Er was stunned—he had hoped to see Jianye's wife make a fool of herself, but instead, he didn't get to see the joke.

Instead, he was stunned. A factory-wide announcement of criticism—was that a good thing?! Uncle Er suddenly felt that he couldn't understand the world anymore.

"You're busy, I'll go back inside and cook." Li Ying turned and went inside. As soon as she closed the door, her previous smile vanished completely, replaced by anxiety in her eyes. But there was no use in being anxious. She absentmindedly tidied up, eagerly hoping that Yang Jianye would return soon.

After everyone in the factory had left, he was still nowhere to be seen.

"Working overtime again, huh?" Li Ying peeked out the window and muttered to herself.

Yang Jianye had said before that his job was special and that he often worked overtime every day to meet deadlines, so he told her not to wait, to eat and rest first, and that he would just grab a bite when he got back.

Yingzi agreed verbally, but she felt uneasy inside—how could a couple live separately? She rested her chin on her hand and stayed up from dawn till dusk.

It was past eight o'clock at night when Yang Jianye finally stepped into the compound.

"Jianye, you're back!"

"Hey, you're back."

The gate to the courtyard opened before he could even get on his bike. Yingzi handed him a washbasin and towel, saying, "Go wash up, I'll lock it."

"Okay." Yang Jianye took it, and the cold water wiped his body. The night wind made him feel even more determined to install the water heater as soon as possible.

When they returned to the room, the food had already been heated up. Yingzi hadn't eaten yet, so the two of them ate and chatted together.

Yang Jianye talked about the general situation of the work. Yingzi said that her car had become a star in the food factory. Some people wanted to borrow it to pick up their new brides, but she refused them all. It would cost more than two hundred yuan including the ticket. Who would be willing to lend such a precious thing to outsiders?

Besides, Yang Jianye bought this for her specially, so how could she lend it out casually?

After dinner, with nothing to do, the two of them sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and talked.

Li Yingcai finally asked the question he'd been holding back for so long: "I heard from Second Uncle that you got a reprimand?"

"Um."

"It's okay, you can correct it. Everyone makes mistakes." She chuckled and looked down at Yingzi in her arms.

"Aren't you going to ask what mistake you made?"

"Whether you want to say it's something I can't stop, or you don't want to say it's pointless to ask," Li Ying smiled gently.

"Aren't you going to ask what mistake you made?"

"Whether you want to say it's something I can't stop, or you don't want to say it's pointless to ask," Li Ying smiled gently.

"Besides, I trust my man." Yang Jianye tightened his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace: "You are definitely a treasure sent from heaven to me."

The moon swayed and rocked, and the night passed by.

I got up early to wash up, and the courtyard was still warm. Everyone nodded and greeted each other when they met.

Yang Jianye, beaming with joy, got ready for work. Under the eaves, Jia Zhangshi squinted her triangular eyes and spat, "You're still smug after being notified? Let's see when you'll be in trouble. Then even the dogs in this yard will avoid you. You've got a black heart, serves you right!"

Hearing her mother-in-law scolding her early in the morning, Qin Huairu pretended to be deaf. She ate a few bites of the delicious food she had prepared, called Banggeng to go to school, and told Xiaodang to look after his younger sister.

Xiao Dang munched on his cornbread and responded with an "Mmm".

She said again, "Mom, I'm leaving."

"I'll buy two pounds of meat after get off work. We haven't had any oil or fat lately, and my grandson has gotten thin from hunger." Jia Zhangshi herself is incompetent, but she has high expectations of Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu felt aggrieved but didn't argue. She lifted the curtain and went out.

In the courtyard, Yang Jianye and Li Ying each pushed a cart out, chatting and laughing, their affection written all over their faces.

"Ugh."

Qin Huairu suppressed her envy and shuffled away.

Recently, Sha Zhu has been avoiding her, and the old man has also disappeared. The good things that used to happen, where several families supported each other, have suddenly changed.

She truly missed the days when she could have food every day; back then, she felt like she was living like a god. She also wanted to ask Sha Zhu for some help, but whenever she went to get food, Sha Zhu would see her and immediately switch places, running away as fast as he could. Back in the courtyard, she would either hide in her room or eat with an old man or a deaf old woman. She had no chance to get close to them. She also didn't dare to knock on their doors in the middle of the night. Her husband had only been gone for a short time, and they weren't close enough for her to collect his wages on his behalf yet; she had to maintain proper decorum.

Seeing others enjoying lively gatherings and delicious meals while her own home grew increasingly cold and desolate, Qin Huairu felt a tightness in her chest.

It's all the mother-in-law's fault. If a grandmother teaches her grandson to cheat on her, who would dare to be close to her family?

They even stole from someone they weren't close to! If they were closer, wouldn't they try to frame him? They stole and were caught, yet they still refuse to admit it and try to shift the blame onto Yang Jianye.

This whole thing has disgusted so many people. Who wants to get their hands on this "dog shit"? If you do, you'll either die or be disgusted to death.

What a kind old man he was! He helped our family so much. At the hospital assembly, when they were asked to apologize, he specifically instructed them to "put the matter behind us after the apology," all to save face for Bang Geng and protect the child's reputation—how considerate! And you, you just blurt out, "We don't need your fake kindness"...

Qin Huairu felt that now, probably no one in this courtyard didn't find her, this old woman, disgusting; even she herself disliked herself.

But what can she do? It's tough! Sometimes, strange thoughts would pop into her head, startling even herself.

"Why didn't he take her with him when he left!"

Though startled by the idea, she couldn't help but think about it more and more: if that were to happen, she'd at least have some peace and quiet, at least she wouldn't be a nuisance in the yard... and she'd even curse Yang Jianye to the point that even dogs would dislike him in the future? I think Yang Jianye is fine, but our family will be in trouble soon. Qin Huairu was exhausted; judging by this trend, it was exactly what she expected!

"Hey, you mother, you get impatient after just a couple of questions!" Inside the house, Granny Jia glared at her eldest grandson and scolded him.

"I don't think she's any good either; she'll be cheating on me sooner or later!"

"Grandma, what does 'cheating on someone' mean?" Banggeng held the bowl and gulped down the porridge—although it was hard to swallow and didn't taste good, he knew perfectly well which was worse than being hungry.

Granny Jia glared at her eldest grandson and said sternly, "Even if I find you a stepfather, he'll beat you every day! And if your mother has another child with some random man, you won't even get a scrap of food!"

"Clang!" Banggeng was stunned. The bowl slammed onto the table with a "thud," spilling the mushy batter in a swirling motion. "Waaah—I don't want a stepfather! I don't want my mother to find another man!" As soon as Banggeng started crying, Xiaodang also started wailing loudly, just opening his mouth without making a sound.

Madam Jia quickly hugged her eldest grandson and comforted him, telling him to "stay away from your mother." As for the poor little pawn, let him cry if he wants; he'll stop when he's had enough.

The factory was so busy that Yang Jianye ate lunch in the workshop. Hua Zi brought him his lunch, along with a dish of pickled radishes: "Master Yang, Master He asked me to bring these for you."

"Please thank Master He for me." Yang Jianye nodded, eating his rice with pickled radish, but his eyes were glued to the blueprints, and he didn't even look up.

Li Yaoye, rummaging through his lunchbox, asked, "Jianye, have you made any progress?"

"Almost there..." Yang Jianye frowned, but his eyes were bright. "Let's try again after the chefs have finished eating."

This boiler design was quite complex—it had to meet both quality and functionality requirements. The first two tests were unsatisfactory, and although the most recent one met the design specifications, the boiler body deformed after only half an hour.

The problem wasn't serious, but it exposed a technical flaw.

They dared not give up their task; if something went wrong when they actually used it, people would die!

Forget about punishment; the masters present will be tormented by guilt for the rest of their lives.

If we're going to build something, we'll build it well and make it excellent!

"Okay, I'll go urge everyone on." Li Yaoye ate his rice and was about to leave.

"Yaoye, let everyone catch their breath. I need to thoroughly understand the blueprints." Yang Jianye called out to him, knowing that haste makes waste, and besides, he hadn't accumulated enough experience with the blueprints yet! Didn't you see all the +16 and +20 markings? Oh, he couldn't see them either, never mind then…

The task assigned to the smelter this time was quite challenging. Yang Jianye, a level six riveter, failed three times in two days, but thanks to the experience gained from those failures, he was able to roughly understand the blueprints.

Fortunately, he received a "Job Enhancement Card" this morning after signing in, which gives him the confidence to say he has fully mastered the skills. Moreover, with his experience points increased, he feels he can make some minor improvements to the design.

Without thinking twice, he said, "Hua Zi, go and apply for a blank blueprint. Tell them I want to improve the technology."

At that time, blueprints were extremely valuable and required approval. The entire institute only had about ten blueprints, and it was difficult for ordinary people to apply for them. They had to produce something substantial to convince people before they would even let them try. If they made a mistake, they would be criticized.

If Yang Jianye wants it, there's no problem!

Hua Zi, who had just swallowed his food, was immediately surprised when he heard this. "You're here again?" It had only been a few days since the last technical improvement, and he already had a new idea? But he replied, "Okay, I'll go right now!" and ran to the office after wiping his mouth.

Upon arriving at the office, the director's face immediately darkened when he mentioned needing to request blueprints. But when Hua Zi added, "Master Yang sent me," the director's face instantly blossomed into a wide smile.