Courtyard House: A Leisurely and Contented Life

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As his experience points gradually filled up, Yang Jianye felt incredibly happy, and he worked with great passion and enthusiasm.

His enthusiasm inspired the entire group, and everyone worked hard, shouting with passion.

"We workers have power!"

A familiar childhood melody filled their ears, and everyone looked up, smiled at each other, and shouted in unison: "Hey, we workers are powerful, busy every day... building skyscrapers, constructing subways and coal mines, transforming the world so much!"

At first, only Yang Jianye and his team members sang, but gradually everyone in the workshop joined in.

The sound was deafening, a shout uttered with passion and strength. It had no melody or pitch, yet it was more moving than any other piece of music.

The resounding singing voices pierced through the workshop and spread throughout the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, sweeping across the land like a red ocean.

That resounding chorus made half of Beijing hear the workers' confidence, their joy at being masters of their own destiny, their love for their ancestral heritage, and their hope for building a better future with their own hands.

"The people of Longye have stood up!"

When Yang Jianye arrived at the factory director's office, still immersed in the collective enthusiasm, he saw that the director was facing the window with his back to the door, his back straight, his hands clenched tightly behind his back, trembling slightly.

"Factory Manager." He composed himself, smiled, and knocked on the door.

"Ah!" Factory Director Yang shuddered, loosened his fist, and as he turned around, the excitement on his face faded, replaced by a smile in his eyes: "Jianye, congratulations!"

"Factory Manager, what good news has made you so happy?" Yang Jianye pulled up a chair and sat down, as comfortable as if he were at home.

Director Yang, with a cigarette between his fingers, pointed at him, tilted his head, struck a match, and lit the cigarette. He then shook the match out and threw it into the ashtray.

"Want one?" "No, I have to work later." Yang Jianye waved his hand, and the factory manager put the cigarette back in his pocket.

After taking two puffs of his cigarette, Director Yang laughed and said, "It's not that I have good news, it's that you, Jianye, have good news. I heard you're getting married soon."

Yang Jianye was taken aback, then gave a wry smile: "Factory manager, I'm innocent! I just went on a blind date, and nothing's settled yet!"

"Not settled yet? I heard you've already prepared the bride price?"

"Are you worried I'll misbehave at the wedding banquet?" Yang Jianye waved his hands repeatedly. "Your presence is an honor for me; how could I dare to deceive you? Nothing's really settled yet!"

Seeing that he didn't seem to be faking it, Director Yang was certain that the rumors were wrong. After some thought, he decided to give him the things first. With his qualifications as a Level 4 Special Worker, this kid's wedding probably wouldn't be too far off.

"I've prepared some things for you on behalf of the factory. Take a look."

Two tickets, one for a radio, one for a sewing machine, exactly the same.

There was also a slip of paper: "With this slip, you may receive fifty catties of refined wheat flour. Special approval!"

The bottom is covered with the seals of various departments, including the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, the canteen and logistics department, the security department, and the labor union, almost collecting all the official seals in the factory.

"Zhang, you saw it too. These fifty catties of refined white flour were hard-earned. Be careful with them."

Factory Director Yang was filled with envy; fifty jin of refined white flour!

The soft, tender, and sweet taste of refined white flour steamed buns is more enjoyable than being in heaven.

Aside from entertaining high-ranking leaders, VIPs, or war heroes, he, as the factory director, would only be seen a few times a month.

Now Yang Jianye has received fifty jin in one go. Director Yang feels that he has given too little, and that no amount more would be enough.

"Your innovative improvements have been proven effective in cold treatment and tensile repair." Director Yang extinguished his cigarette, stood up, straightened his coat, and stood like a role model. "Comrade Yang Jianye, I hope you will continue your efforts, shine in your post, and contribute to the prosperity of our nation."

Yang Jianye, who was sitting upright with perfect posture, immediately stood up, head held high and chest out: "Yes, it is an honor for me as a worker! Thank you for the organization's care, I will certainly live up to expectations."

Seeing his high level of understanding, Director Yang smiled and gestured with his palm: "Alright, sit down and talk. Take the things back, and don't make a fuss about it."

Given the current difficult circumstances, if the 50 jin of refined white flour causes a great uproar and incites dissatisfaction among the workers, he, as the factory director, will be in serious trouble.

"Understood, I'll definitely eat it quietly." Yang Jianye deliberately hunched his shoulders and looked around furtively. Factory Director Yang laughed and scolded, "I told you not to make a fuss, it's not like you're a thief! Go away, go away, I'll get angry if I keep looking at you."

"As you command, thank you for your concern, I'm off!" He swept his hand across the table, stuffed his things into his pocket, and left with a smug look on his face. He patted his pockets, thinking, "I guess I'm rolling in money now?"

As long as you are willing to work, you can create wealth and improve your status.

"This is what life is all about!" He shrugged, strode confidently, and hummed a country tune as he walked toward the cafeteria.

The loudspeaker announced that it was lunchtime. Eating is both a skill and a task; if you go early, you'll have plenty of food and steamed buns, big and hot; if you go late, there will only be soup scraps left, and the steamed buns will be cold.

So everyone is very enthusiastic when it's mealtime.

Yang Jianye wasn't in a hurry because he was getting special treatment.

The food is the same as in a regular canteen, but the portions are large and plentiful, ensuring that the workers never go hungry.

In special workshops where precision machining is performed, one must be completely focused to achieve the perfect accuracy. How can one work on an empty stomach?

Those seemingly insignificant shafts, gears, pistons, and connecting rods might actually be parts for airplanes, cannons, or special vehicles.

They don't need to worry about their specific destinations; they just need to do their jobs according to the blueprints.

He assembles semi-finished products, and while he can roughly guess their origins, he's mostly clueless.

He defines himself simply as a senior worker, working diligently and living a down-to-earth life, striving for the honor of "model worker" or "advanced worker" to make his life stable.

When he entered the cafeteria, there was a long queue in front of the window.

When Sha Zhu saw him, he shouted, "Jianye!" Yang Jianye smiled and pointed to the small canteen, and Sha Zhu nodded in response.

"Jianye, why are you so late? I've already prepared your food." Li Yaoye beckoned him to the table, where the food was already served.

There were thirty or forty people sitting in the small canteen, all of them were workers from the special workshop.

Apprentices aren't allowed to come here; they have to eat outside and hurry up. They have to follow their master when he comes out, whether he's finished eating or not. Those who lack awareness and show off before work will only get a Level 1 worker certification.

"Jianye, how many tables are you planning to have later?" Li Yaoye asked casually during the meal.

"Two or three tables will do, just enough for relatives and leaders from both families," Yang Jianye mumbled, picking at the cabbage in his bowl. "We brothers can just have a couple of drinks at home, I'm saving you money."

He works hard but doesn't get much food, and he has a big appetite and a sweet tooth. If he sets out too much food, it will cost twenty or thirty yuan, enough for his family's food for three months. Besides, the higher-ups are advocating thrift, and it's inappropriate to hold lavish parties and compete with others.

Yang Jianye picked up some cabbage with his chopsticks, took a big bite of steamed bun, and mumbled, "Okay, I'll arrange it."

Without resting after the meal, I washed my lunchbox and headed to the workshop.

Two children darted out from the crowd; they were his apprentices, one a permanent employee and the other a temporary worker, diligently following Li Yaoye.

Upon entering the workshop, the two apprentices vied to pour boiling water and handed the large tea mug to Yang Jianye.

At first he wasn't used to it, but now he's gotten used to it: he lifts the lid to blow away the tea leaves, takes a couple of sips with a "slurp" sound, and then exhales comfortably.

The announcement came on, it was time to get to work.

"Old Li, make drawing number seven first, then study number five."

"Okay!" Li Yaoye shouted to the workshop, "Everyone, change it to number seven!"

Working until dark, Yang Jianye rode his bicycle out of the factory gate, having just finished his overtime shift.

These days, working overtime is a coveted job: meals are provided and there's even a subsidy, but you have to apply, compete for a spot, and get the workshop foreman's approval.

Yang Jianye was a veteran worker, always arriving early and leaving late. He would study blueprints and process parts at his workstation, learning from experienced masters. His reputation reached the factory manager's ears, and he became a "regular" worker for overtime.

Entering the special workshop is even busier, with heavy tasks and high requirements; even a minute's delay will result in failure.

Last month, we were rushing to meet the deadline for the production of discs and axles, with an error of ≤0.4mm. The workshop worked non-stop for 59 hours to finish the project on time. It was so stressful that I wanted to run to the toilet. But thinking about it now, it was quite exciting!

As we approached the compound, people were standing at the entrance.

"Oh, Jianye, we've been waiting for you!" It was Aunt Liu from the neighborhood office, beaming with joy. "I've discussed it with Yingzi's family, and it's all settled!"

"Really?" Yang Jianye asked excitedly. "When should I come over? Auntie, could you give me some instructions?"

"I'll go to your house with you tomorrow to meet Yingzi's parents," said Aunt Liu. "We'll bring some melon seeds and candy, make it look nice, we're not short of money. We'll talk things out in person, and then we can get our marriage certificate."

"Alright, Aunt Liu, shall we come inside and sit down?"

"No, it's getting dark, I have to go back, or I'll run into trouble with the police!" Aunt Liu waved her hand and left quickly.

Yang Jianye wanted to give two cans of food as a thank you gift, but shook his head helplessly, feeling quite warm inside.

In my past life, as an only child, who else besides my parents was so enthusiastic?

People are only doing this for the sake of wedding favors and banquets; why should they be busy running around if they don't want anything in return?

If someone is really eager to be nice to you, you need to be careful, lest one day you find yourself saying, "I'll borrow your head for a moment."

Pushing the cart into the courtyard, Yan Bugui lifted the curtain: "Jianye, working overtime again?"

"Ah, the task is arduous," Yang Jianye replied.

Yan Bugui wanted to ask, but seeing him dash into the central courtyard, he stomped his foot in anger, then suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back: "Ouch, my back!"

He sat down, supporting his back, and sighed: "I was blind back then to have chosen Yang Jianye. Now that I'm doing so well, I'd be losing hundreds of millions if I didn't get to eat meat!"

I should have given two pounds of cornmeal as a favor; I was too shrewish!

Around eight o'clock, the courtyard lights were still on, the kerosene lamps flickered, and the shadows cast on the windows looked like a shadow play.

Yang Jianye parked his car in the pool, but due to limited facilities, he could only wipe himself with a wet towel on weekdays and go to the public bathhouse on weekends.

He was thinking about the bathtub in the house. His wife would need it later. It was inconvenient to bathe only once a week. He planned to install a heater to heat the water, with pipes winding around the tubing, a metal tank in the middle to store the hot water, and a valve at the bottom connected to a flexible hose. He could then use the hot water whenever she wanted to bathe.

"Smack!" A wet towel lashed his shoulder. Yang Jianye, hands behind his back, tugged at the towel, grinning foolishly, "Hey, that's a brilliant idea, man! A real genius!"

"Jianye, Jianye!" The neighbor across the street, Shazhu, brought over a lunchbox. "What are you grinning about? Got your girlfriend?"

Everyone in the courtyard knew he was looking for a wife; even the aunt had spoken to her niece about it.

"That's about it. Is there anything else, Master He?" Yang Jianye wiped the water droplets from his hands, shivering in the cold wind.

Sha Zhu put the lunchbox on the table: "The factory is treating us today, so I brought some dishes. Shall we two brothers have a drink?"

"Master He, just say what's on your mind. I have something to do tomorrow morning."

"I know, I'll just have a couple of drinks, it won't interfere with anything!" Silly Zhu grinned and squeezed him in, half-pushing and half-pulling him into the house.

"Hey, my basin!" Yang Jianye saw that he wouldn't give up, so he agreed, "Okay, come to my room to drink, let me clean up the basin first." His vest was still draped over the sink pipe, it was inappropriate for a man to pull him into the room.

"Okay, let me get the wine."

"Don't take it, I have Xifeng, drink it!" Upon hearing Xifeng, Shazhu's eyes lit up.

The nation has selected eight famous liquors, four of which are baijiu (Chinese white liquor). Although Xifeng liquor belongs to the niche Fengxiang type, it "dominates the Northwest region".

He touched the Xifeng liquor he had just bought in his pocket. The bottle still had the supply and marketing cooperative's label on it. The smell of ink mixed with the aroma of liquor, as if he had put "the future of the liquor industry for the next sixty years" into his pocket.

"Jianye, you've made this room so much brighter!" Shazhu followed him into the room, carrying a lunchbox that smelled of stewed goose. "It's just that the floor tiles are peeling up, like they've grown teeth."

Yang Jianye kicked the raised floor tile with his toe, his brows furrowing deeply. This room was allocated to him, and the floor tiles had just been replaced a few days ago. They were damp, and the tiles had crumbled after only a few days.

"You can't get rich overnight," he sighed, slamming the Xifeng liquor down on the table. "It'll have to do. The system is bound to this point; I can't sign in outside the compound."

Sha Zhu leaned closer to examine the bottle, his eyes shining like light bulbs: "Xifeng liquor? Who in our compound has ever drunk this rare stuff?"

He opened the lunchbox, and the goose's rear end was soaking in the soup until it turned white.

"I leftovers from today's stewed goose, I saved some 'Phoenix Tail Fragrance' for you!"

"Phoenix Tail Fragrance?" Yang Jianye chuckled. This nickname was given to him by the owner of the restaurant at the entrance of the alley, specifically referring to chicken butts and goose butts. "Thanks, Sha Zhu." He poured half a cup of wine into his teacup. The wine was clear and yellow, as if the autumn sun had been crushed and soaked into it.

The two of them drank "one," the alcohol making their throats feel tight.

Sha Zhu smacked his lips, picked up a goose butt and gnawed on it with relish: "Sister Qin asked me to ask you, how did the blind date go?"

"Sister Qin?" Yang Jianye raised an eyebrow. Sha Zhu thought Qin Huairu's thoughts were "virtuous," but little did he know that she was "boiling a frog in lukewarm water."

"How did you know?" Sha Zhu was stunned, holding up the goose's butt and forgetting to chew.

"Do you think I can't see through your little schemes?" Yang Jianye picked up a piece of food. "Do you think I would agree to her cousin from the countryside?"

Sha Zhu scratched his head, the wine jar slamming against the table with a dull thud. If he liked it, he would have slammed the table and agreed long ago, why would he be stammering?

After a few rounds of drinks, the topic turned to "rules for leaving leftovers".

Yang Jianye casually asked, "Why wasn't the goose given to Qin Huairu?"

"Why should I give her the leftovers I brought?" Sha Zhu stuffed a goose butt into his mouth, his voice muffled. "Besides, her family isn't starving..."

Yang Jianye stared at him without saying a word.

Sha Zhu was chewing on his meat when he suddenly realized that Jianye was targeting him!

How could Qin Huairu be "not hungry"?

It's clearly taking advantage of his naive and honest nature of "protecting his food." Over the years, when he stewed meat or brought rice, wasn't it always "leftovers for the Jia family"?

He, being a simpleton, thought she was "virtuous" and happily carried her home.

"Jianye, do you think I should give all the lunchboxes to the Jia family?" Sha Zhu put down the wine jar, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Yang Jianye didn't answer directly, but tapped the Xifeng liquor on the table with his knuckles: "Do you remember Guanyin clay?"

Sha Zhu was taken aback.

"Back then, when people were starving, they'd even fight over clay. It was better to die of overeating than starving," Yang Jianye said, his voice deepening. "Now that we have meat to eat, you're complaining about goose butts. But have you ever considered that the 'meat' Qin Huairu gave you might have been 'clay clay'?"

Sha Zhu's face slowly turned red.

He recalled Qin Huairu's smile, Yi Zhonghai's "kindness," and the way Jia's child snatched his lunchbox. It turned out that all these years, he wasn't "protecting his food," but rather being "protected" into a trap.

"Jianye, I..." he

He opened his mouth, then swallowed his words, picked up the wine jar and took a big gulp, the wine dripping down his chin.

The sounds of children laughing and playing came from outside the courtyard, and the aroma of Xifeng liquor mingled with the smell of stewed goose, creating a swirling pattern inside the house.

Yang Jianye looked out the window at the coal smoke drifting in the air and sighed inwardly. In this world, there are few who are truly awake, and many who are pretending to be asleep.