Courtyard House: A Carefree Life Begins with a Lottery of Wish Power

The family enjoyed a lively time together for quite a while before the banquet ended.

Lin Zhuo originally wanted to help tidy up, but his eldest and second eldest sisters absolutely refused to let him get involved.

Lin Zhuo secretly sighed to himself, realizing that his two older sisters were definitely "brother-supporting demons".

Luckily, I'm not the kind of brother-in-law who's a burden to others.

My second sister and brother-in-law lived not far away; they took the child and left.

My eldest sister's family and my grandmother's family live in the same compound.

The courtyard of Lin Zhuo's house originally belonged to her brother-in-law, Zhou Defu.

Before liberation, Zhou Defu's family was a wealthy peasant family. They owned some land and a two-courtyard house.

After liberation, all the land was taken away, and the houses were distributed.

The poor peasant Lin family was assigned to Zhou Defu's family.

The Lin family lived in the front yard, and the Zhou family lived in the back yard.

The eldest sister, Lin Yufang, and Zhou Defu had been close since childhood. When they reached marriageable age, the Zhou family proposed to the Lin family.

Although the Zhou family were wealthy farmers, they were actually honest and law-abiding people.

The two families have always gotten along well. The Lin family did not dwell on the Zhou family's social class and readily agreed to the marriage.

The Zhou family only had one son, Zhou Defu. After Zhou Defu's parents passed away, his eldest sister, Lin Yufang, and her family lived in the backyard.

Grandma Lin Zhuo lives in the front yard, so it's convenient for them to look after each other.

Lin Zhuo returned to his original room to rest. The room was clean and tidy, clearly indicating that it was regularly cleaned.

The bedding smelled of sunshine, so it must have just been aired out.

The heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) was warm and cozy, and lying on it felt incredibly comfortable.

Thinking about how people in courtyard houses still use beds instead of kang (heated brick beds), Lin Zhuo secretly decided that he should find someone to build a kang when the weather gets warmer.

This can significantly improve the comfort of life.

Lin Zhuo glanced at the system and realized that during this meal, his family's gratitude had also contributed some of their wish power.

However, it was still much less than what the people in the courtyard contributed.

Those negative emotions may be more intense.

Lying here, Lin Zhuo felt completely relaxed.

He quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, Lin Zhuo was woken up by his older sister, Lin Yufang, to have breakfast.

Grandma has already eaten and gone out, my brother-in-law has gone out to work, and my nephews and nieces have all gone out to play.

Lin Zhuo drank a bowl of sweet potato porridge, ate a boiled egg, and then ate a cornbread with dried radish.

Seeing Lin Yufang feeding chickens at her doorstep, Lin Zhuo went over to watch the commotion.

When Lin Yufen saw Lin Zhuo come out, she asked:

"Did you eat the egg I boiled for you?"

Lin Zhuo nodded and said:

"Hey sis, these chickens look pretty good, don't they?"

Lin Yufang frowned slightly and said:

"He looks quite energetic, and doesn't seem to be sick."

"However, we used to have only two chickens at home, which was manageable, but now that we have so many more, it's become quite difficult to feed them."

As she spoke, Lin Yufang pointed to several of the chickens and said:

"Look, these are roosters, and you bought them too."

"You should avoid the ghost market; it's full of rip-offs."

Roosters are cheaper, hens are more expensive.

Most families buy chickens because hens lay eggs. Roosters have a big appetite and can only be eaten for meat. At most, one or two are kept to improve the diet during the New Year.

Distinguishing between male and female chicks is a skill in itself.

I wanted to buy a hen, but I ended up buying a bunch of roosters and was devastated. I can only raise them until they're a little bigger and then kill them for meat.

Lin Zhuo smiled and comforted Lin Yufen:

"Big sister, I wasn't scammed."

"When I bought them, the seller already told me that these roosters were kept for breeding, so I mustn't eat them."

"Don't worry about the food. I'll send some food coupons home later."

"We should at least check the egg production of these chickens before making a decision."

Lin Yufang didn't really believe her younger brother's words, but she was somewhat doting on him, so she nodded helplessly and said:

"Alright, whatever you say."

The two were chatting when a woman's voice came from the courtyard gate:

Is Yufang home?

Lin looked up and saw a middle-aged woman, none other than the famous matchmaker Wang.

Lin Yufang was somewhat surprised to see that it was Matchmaker Wang, and said:

"Oh, Aunt Wang, what a rare guest!"

He said that, but his expression wasn't enthusiastic; in fact, it was somewhat perfunctory.

After thinking about it for a moment, Lin Zhuo roughly guessed the reason.

This matchmaker, Wang, was the one who introduced Qin Huairu to him.

Later, the Qin family caused such a mess by annulling the engagement, making the Lin family a laughing stock in the village, and the whole family felt ashamed.

Although the main reason lies with the Qin family, the matchmaker cannot be said to bear no responsibility at all.

Therefore, the Lin family did not have a good impression of this matchmaker.

Matchmaker Wang was well aware of the intricacies involved and didn't care about Lin Yufang's slight coldness.

His gaze shifted to Lin Zhuo, and he couldn't help but praise him:

"It's been a few days, and Xiao Lin is really starting to look like a young man."

Lin Zhuo didn't harbor any hatred towards Wang the matchmaker, but he was too lazy to socialize with her. He simply gave her a polite smile as a greeting.

Besides being eloquent, thick-skinned is also an essential skill for matchmaker Wang to make a living in this field.

Before, when Old Lin was still alive, Lin Zhuo was quite handsome and had a father who worked in a steel mill in the city. His family was well-off, and he was considered a good young man among the neighbors.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to persuade the Qin family to introduce him to the renowned beauty, Qin Huairu.

After Old Lin passed away, Wang the matchmaker kept a close eye on the Lin family's movements.

When she learned that Lin Zhuo had officially joined the steel rolling mill, she rushed over to act as matchmaker.

Working in a steel mill with a secure job and good looks, Lin Zhuo was a highly desirable single young man, even in the entire commune.

If you act too late, your competitors will definitely beat you to it.

Ignoring the Lin siblings' coldness, the matchmaker, Wang, moved closer to Lin Yufang and said:

"Yufang, I do bear some responsibility for what happened before, and I've always felt guilty about it."

"I'm here to atone for my sins. I'm introducing Xiao Zhuo to the best girl I know."

Neither Lin Zhuo nor Lin Yufang answered, but a woman's voice came from the courtyard gate:

"Oh, what a coincidence."

"Sister-in-law Wang is here too."

Lin Zhuo looked up at the doorway and saw a middle-aged woman leading her grandmother into the yard.

The middle-aged woman was none other than Matchmaker Li, who was as famous as Matchmaker Wang.

It's said that rivals are enemies, and these two matchmakers have been openly and secretly fighting for business.

At this moment, they met unexpectedly at the Lin family's residence. When the two matchmakers' eyes met, Lin Zhuo seemed to see a flash of lightning in the air.

When Wang the matchmaker saw Li the matchmaker returning with the old lady of the Lin family, her heart tightened.

I thought I was quick to act, but I never expected that Matchmaker Li would have such a keen sense of smell.

On the surface, however, he remained calm and warmly greeted the old lady of the Lin family, asking her about her well-being.

When Lin Yufang saw that her grandmother had returned, she knew it wouldn't do to just stand there in the yard any longer, so she beckoned the two matchmakers into the house.

Lin Zhuo wanted to slip away, but under the stern gazes of his grandmother and Lin Yufang, he had no choice but to obediently go inside.

Matchmaker Li came up and praised Lin Zhuo, which made the old lady of the Lin family smile from ear to ear.

As soon as Matchmaker Li finished speaking, Matchmaker Wang quickly said:

"Grandma, I came over just now, but you weren't home."

"I came here today because I have a few really great girls with me, and I was thinking of giving them to you. See if any of them appeal to you."

At this point, Matchmaker Wang hesitated, wondering whether she should take out the photos now and introduce the girls.

After all, Matchmaker Li was here, and these girls were among the best ones that Matchmaker Wang had.

The matchmaker profession works on the same principle as other intermediaries; it takes advantage of information asymmetry.

If the matchmaker Li overhears this and steals the girl away, I'll suffer a huge loss.

However, Wang was somewhat unwilling to let Li, the matchmaker, suppress her feelings in front of everyone.

After thinking for a moment, Wang, the matchmaker, took out a few photos she had prepared beforehand, and handed them to the old lady of the Lin family, avoiding Li, the matchmaker.