Courtyard House: A Leisurely and Contented Life

"Huai Ru, you're back."

"The neighborhood committee held another meeting today, discussing the ideological liberation that has taken place since its establishment."

"However, Director Wang also said that some traditions and etiquette cannot be abandoned, so we..."

As Granny Jia was talking, she suddenly heard a thunderous snore behind her. Turning around, she saw Qin Huairu, still wrapped in her clothes and shoes, asleep with her head on the kang (heated brick bed). All her rambling had been overheard by the wall.

Granny Jia was a little discouraged. That Yang Jianye was really a scoundrel; look what he'd done to her.

At home, Yang Jianye lay on a buckwheat hull pillow, closed his eyes, and tried to clear his mind. By the end of the day, he felt like all his brain cells had been burned out.

I'm so tired!

"Jianye, apply a towel to his forehead." Yingzi took a damp, cool towel and applied it to his forehead, sitting beside him with eyes full of heartache.

"It's nothing, I'll be fine after a rest," Yang Jianye said weakly, his eyes closed.

"Was this mission difficult?" Yingzi asked, holding his hand with concern. This was the first time she had ever seen her man act this way.

"Um."

Reflecting on today's progress, Yang Jianye thought to himself: It's not just difficult, it's practically an impossible task. Did the higher-ups have too much faith in me? This is no problem a level six riveter could solve! The material properties involved are an insurmountable barrier. Trying to overcome this barrier almost made Yang Jianye's head burn.

Looking back at the experiments conducted with the discarded materials—the staining was uncontrollable and completely unpredictable. No matter how careful or meticulous the workmanship, there was always a chance of staining. And once staining occurred, the entire piece of material was ruined.

This is a gamble with your life.

If you're lucky, the blurring effect won't occur, and it works. If you're unlucky, it happens every time...

How can you guarantee that?!

His temples throbbed, and a pair of slightly cold hands pressed on them, gently massaging clockwise to calm Yang Jianye's pounding brain.

"Don't think about it anymore, take a break."

"Um."

Under Yingzi's massage, my tired brain sank into darkness.

When Yang Jianye opened his eyes again, he didn't know what time it was. Yingzi was sitting at the other end of the kang (a heated brick bed), sewing shoe soles. Now that the pregnancy was becoming more and more stable, there were more and more things to prepare—swaddling clothes, headscarves, tiger-head shoes, baby clothes, and changes of clothes. Yingzi had to prepare all of these herself; she didn't want to ask anyone else to do it.

"Still not asleep?" Yang Jianye propped himself up and sat up. His head felt much better after a nap. He was clearly overworking his brain.

Thinking about it, my cheat system is really useless. It doesn't even give me any stat boosts or anything. Even with job upgrade cards and cheat codes, I still have to put in a lot of hard work to gain experience. It's useless!

"You haven't eaten yet. Are you feeling better now?" Yingzi put down what she was doing and wanted to go forward to help him.

Yang Jianye chuckled, "No, it's not like I'm seriously ill, I'm really fine." He shook his arms deftly and laughed, "To be honest, I'm actually a little hungry."

Yingzi smiled and said, "The rice is warming up in the pot for you, just wait."

She went to the stove and opened the steamer lid. Inside were braised pork, stir-fried cabbage, and four steamed buns bigger than her fist. She put them on the table, and then opened the fire drawer under the stove. Inside were two roasted sweet potatoes, soft and steaming hot.

Yingzi put the food on the plate, sat down opposite him, pressed her arms against her knees, leaned forward, and just watched him eat.

Yang Jianye ate and laughed, "Want another bite?" He put the sweet potato to her mouth.

Yingzi smiled sweetly and took a bite: "Sweet."

"It's so sweet!" Yang Jianye took several bites, stuffing his mouth full, and chewed heartily.

Watching him eat made Yingzi feel content. He would feed her a bite every now and then, and the two of them would eat and laugh together.

Yang Jianye devoured the small bowl of braised pork, stir-fried cabbage, and four steamed buns all by himself. He didn't even leave a drop of the broth from the braised pork; he dipped the buns in it and ate them all up.

Seeing the empty plates and bowls on the table, Yingzi tidied up with satisfaction. The way her husband ate made her feel that her effort in preparing the meal hadn't been in vain.

After washing and rinsing him, they prepared hot water for him to soak his feet. Yingzi rubbed his feet and massaged them firmly for a few minutes. Yang Jianye felt completely comfortable, and when he lay down on the kang (heated brick bed), the fatigue seemed to have vanished.

Holding his wife close, the two turned off the lights and whispered sweet nothings to each other.

I could never get enough of such days in a lifetime.

In the Jia family, Qin Huairu was awakened by hunger.

I opened my eyes to find the lights were off, and my mother-in-law and the children were all asleep. I dragged my tired body out of bed and searched around the stove—besides two cold cornbread buns, I couldn't even find a single vegetable leaf.

Qin Huairu felt sad, so she found a bowl and poured hot water into it. Leaning against the stove, she broke the cornbread into pieces and soaked it in the hot water. She let the hot water soften the cornbread, then drank a bowl of it with plain water.

He then quietly returned to the kang (a heated brick bed).

Qin Huairu glanced at Xiao Dang, who was curled up, and pulled the blanket up for her. Then she looked at Huaihua, who was lying down asleep with her little mouth slightly open, and a genuine smile appeared on her face. Finally, there was Banggeng, who was sleeping soundly—this child, he never sleeps still, he's kicked all the blankets to the side all day.

She covered him up, and looking at his obedient sleeping face, Qin Huairu couldn't resist giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. Her three children were her only hope for the rest of her life.

As for Granny Jia, who was sleeping like a log inside, Qin Huairu sighed with a mixture of disgust and helplessness.

Holding Xiao Dang in her arms and covering herself with a blanket, Qin Huairu drifted off to sleep again.

In the dream, Granny Jia was banished to the countryside for committing a crime, where she suffered endless hardships. Upon her return, she reformed and, holding Huai Ru's hand, wept, saying, "Huai Ru, I promise I'll live a good life with you from now on."

From then on, the family's life got better and better. They bought a bicycle, a radio, and a black-and-white color TV, becoming the envy of everyone—a family with a thousand-yuan fortune. Everyone who mentioned Widow Qin would give her a thumbs-up and say, "Truly remarkable." Even Yang Jianye looked at her with satisfaction, nodding and smiling: "You've mastered it."

With a shudder, Qin Huairu opened her eyes.

Looking again, he saw himself lying on his own kang (heated brick bed), and it was almost dawn outside.

[Sign in for five consecutive days this week to receive 4 fresh eggs, 1 Insight Card, and a complete guide to basic materials science.]

While brushing his teeth, Yang Jianye noticed his sign-in reward and knew without asking that Yingzi would definitely bring back four eggs later.

Then look at the Insight Card X1—it can reveal material properties, identifying characteristics and weaknesses. Yang Jianye felt a surge of excitement; wasn't this exactly what he needed?

The final encyclopedia of basic materials science piqued his curiosity. Where would this thing come from?

After washing up, Yang Jianye leisurely returned to his room and took out some books from the wardrobe. Seeing his unhurried manner, Yingzi urged, "You're going to be late."

"No rush, I'm not going to the factory today," Yang Jianye replied, looking up.

"Not going?" Yingzi asked in surprise.

Yang Jianye had said that, apart from taking two days off for his wedding, he had never skipped work or taken leave since starting his job. Why was he suddenly not going today?

Yang Jianye pointed to his head and said with a chuckle, "I plan to stay home, read some books, look for solutions, and give my brain a rest."

Yingzi suddenly realized, "Oh, that's how it is!"

"Alright, you can feed the chicks today. I'll be going after you've eaten." Seeing his curiosity, Yingzi explained, "The factory is evaluating outstanding employees recently. Even if we don't win, we can't fall behind, can we?"

Nodding in agreement, Yang Jianye picked up his book and ate while reading, but quickened his pace. After Yingzi finished eating, Yang Jianye also swallowed the last bite of his steamed bun.

"Come on, I'll see you out." Yang Jianye got up, put down his book, and went to get his coat.

Yingzi declined, saying, "No, you should stay home and rest. Don't you still need to study?"

"No rush. Besides, going outside for some fresh air will help me think better."

Yingzi couldn't resist him, and after a few words, Yang Jianye took her arm and led her out the door. They rode off side by side on their old bicycles.

The weather has started to warm up recently, and the wind that blows on your face no longer feels like a knife.

They sped off, quickly arriving at the factory gate. Yang Jianye stopped there, not in a hurry to leave, and seeing her get out, pointed to his own face.

Yingzi's cheeks flushed slightly, but she still leaned over and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

Oh my god, it smells so good!

Watching Yingzi run into the factory, Yang Jianye covered his face with his hands, feeling incredibly happy.

"Unity is strength, unity is strength..." Humming the revolutionary song playing on the loudspeaker by the roadside, Yang Jianye leisurely returned to the compound.

Upon entering the gate, he saw the newlywed bride washing herself at the pool. Ran Qiuye also noticed him, blushed, and greeted him, "Good morning, Master Yang."

"Good morning." Yang Jianye nodded and smiled.

Seeing him park his bike at the doorway, Ran Qiuye asked curiously, "Master Yang, aren't you going to work?"

Yang Jianye replied with a smile, "I'm not going today; I'll stay home and study."

Watching Yang Jianye enter the house, exuding such carefree and leisurely air, Ran Qiuye felt a pang of envy—when would she be able to be as free and unrestrained as Yang Jianye? Like a poet.

Inside the room, Yang Jianye, engrossed in his book, was unaware that he had become a poet in Ran Qiuye's eyes. He was currently searching for solutions to his problems in his notes, reading one book after another, having spent the entire morning studying.

Yang Jianye only came to his senses when someone knocked on the door; the notebook in front of him was almost full. But the morning had been very fruitful.

"Who is it?" Yang Jianye opened the door and saw the person knocking.

Aunt Yi? What brings her here?

"Jianye, I knew you didn't go to work today. I was thinking that since Yingzi wasn't here, you wouldn't have anyone to cook for you." Aunt Yi picked up the lunchbox in her hand and said with a smile, "Here, I made noodles for lunch and brought you a bowl."

After hearing her say that, Yang Jianye realized he was indeed a little hungry. Seeing the pleading and conciliatory look in Aunt Yi's eyes, Yang Jianye smiled and said, "You are hungry, then I'll accept it."

"Take it, of course you have to take it, it's made for you!" Hearing this, Aunt Yi beamed with joy, handed him the lunchbox, and happily left.

He bumped into Granny Jia, who had just returned from her studies, and cheerfully called her "Old Sister-in-law," which made him incredibly happy.

Granny Jia was initially curious about what Yang Jianye was laughing about, but after glancing at the lunchbox in his hand, she understood.

Pooh!

They're just sucking up to some nobody, not even a leader. These people are really spineless; they only know how to bully the weak and fear the strong. They know Yang Jianye is all talk and no action, so they seize every opportunity to fawn over him.

She glared at her and headed home. In her heart, however, she was incredibly envious of Aunt Yi—she had reconciled with Yang Jianye and was about to climb the social ladder. Who couldn't see that he was the most promising man in the courtyard? Who knew what they'd need his help with in the future? If she could build a good relationship with him, given Yang Jianye's performance, he'd definitely step in to help if anything serious happened. And if anything happened to someone, having a man in the family versus not having one would be worlds apart.

Granny Jia regretted it. She should have married Qin Huairu to him in the first place. That way, half of Yang Jianye's possessions would have gone to her family, allowing her to indulge in their lust.

But it's too late to say anything now. She had already offended them badly long before Old Yang passed away. Take Yang Jianye, for example. He greeted everyone in this courtyard politely and with a smile, but he was utterly rude to Granny Jia and Yi Zhonghai.

It's more accurate to say that it's as if those two people don't even exist in the courtyard. Forget Granny Jia and Yi Zhonghai—you won't find them!

Sure enough, as soon as Yang Jianye saw her, he turned around and went inside.

Opening the lunchbox, I found cooked noodles topped with minced meat sauce, and three slices of beef on the side. Aunt Yi's noodles were quite a feast; just looking at them made my mouth water and whetted my appetite.

Yang Jianye poured the noodles into a bowl and carried it to the table. He hadn't finished reading yet when Aunt Yi brought over some noodles, so Yang Jianye decided to eat while he studied the book.