Courtyard House: The Thief System of All Realms

"Hey, ma'am, who's this young man?"

Matchmaker Zhang leaned close to the third aunt, lowered her voice, and asked in a low voice, her eyes full of curiosity. Her gaze swept over Sun Jingyuan, who was tending to the flowers and plants in the yard, before quickly looking away, afraid that he would notice her probing.

"Dr. Sun from the steel rolling mill, he's a truly outstanding young man!" The third auntie couldn't hide her envy as she mentioned Sun Jingyuan, her voice rising several decibels. "He enjoys the待遇 (treatment/benefits) of a level six worker in the factory, earning seventy-seven yuan and eighty-five cents a month! In our entire steel rolling mill, you can count the number of young people who can get that kind of treatment on your fingers!"

"If you ask me, Dr. Sun's conditions are truly impeccable." The second aunt beside her chimed in, her tone full of envy. "A college graduate from a proper medical school, top-notch factory pay, and both her parents are gone, so she has no ties. Any girl who marries him won't have to worry about food or clothing; she'll fall straight into a paradise and enjoy a life of ease. It's practically a match made in heaven!"

"His parents are gone?" Upon hearing this, Zhang the matchmaker was momentarily stunned, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes. She glanced at the brand-new, brass-clad gate at the entrance of the courtyard and secretly calculated that the cost of this gate alone was far beyond what an ordinary family could afford.

Otherwise, who would spend two hundred yuan to repair the gate for no reason? Either they have too much money to burn, or they are really wealthy.

But then I thought, this kid has only been working for two years, where would he get so much money? Even if he has savings, he wouldn't be able to come up with two hundred yuan to repair the door, there must be something fishy going on here.

"Don't let Dr. Sun's short time on the job fool you, he's got quite a background." An older woman chimed in, lowering her voice to add, "I heard from my husband, Lao Yi, that his parents used to be officials in the ministry, and his father was even a senior engineer! They're very wealthy; this little bit of money is nothing to him."

"hiss--"

Matchmaker Zhang went over what they had said in her mind and immediately gasped. She was a seasoned matchmaker who had traveled all over the country and met many people, but she never expected that such an inconspicuous courtyard house would actually hide such a truly wealthy and eligible bachelor.

If we could arrange a marriage for Dr. Sun, just based on his willingness to spend two hundred yuan to repair the gate, that referral fee alone would be enough for her to live a life of luxury for quite some time! This deal is a must.

"What's the point of praising that little bastard like that? Do you think you can get something out of him?"

Hearing the group praising Sun Jingyuan to the skies, Madam Jia Zhang, who was standing nearby, immediately sneered and interjected sarcastically. Leaning against the doorframe, hands on her hips, her face full of disdain and her eyes brimming with jealousy.

"We're just stating the facts, why are you being so sarcastic?" the third woman immediately retorted, her brows furrowing. "Dr. Sun is a good person and gets good treatment, what's wrong with praising him a little? Who gives you the right to make sarcastic remarks?"

"Who doesn't know what you're thinking?" Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes and started cursing, "Seeing that the little beast has some money, you're all trying to curry favor with him and squeeze some benefits out of him. A bunch of shameless bastards!"

"Jia Zhangshi, watch your mouth!" The three middle-aged women were no pushovers either. Enraged by her insult, they immediately surrounded Jia Zhangshi and started hurling insults at her. "Don't you know what kind of people your own family is? How dare you criticize others!"

"With Jia Dongxu's qualifications, he's dreaming of finding a girl with a job in the city! He even has the nerve to spend a fortune on a matchmaker; doesn't he even know if he's good enough for her?"

"Exactly! She throws tantrums all day long, and still has the nerve to accuse others of taking advantage of her. Has she any shame?"

In the west wing of the backyard, Sun Jingyuan listened to the cursing coming from outside the door, but merely curled his lips slightly, not taking it to heart. The people in the courtyard had always been like this, gossiping and spreading rumors, never doing anything of importance all day long; he was already used to it.

To be honest, the return gift from the Zhao family this time was indeed more substantial than expected.

Four bottles of Wuliangye liquor, six cartons of Zhonghua cigarettes, and a total of five hundred yuan in cash.

Sun Jingyuan was genuinely stunned when he saw the cash. This was the first time he had received such a large sum of cash since he came to this era; an ordinary family couldn't earn that much in a lifetime.

However, upon further reflection, considering Zhao Shouzhen's identity, I understood.

At Zhao Shouzhen's position, the money that ordinary people haggle over and worry about is nothing to him, let alone the fact that Sun Jingyuan did come up with an effective treatment plan. This reward is reasonable.

He lay on a recliner in the courtyard, holding a large palm-leaf fan in his hand, slowly fanning himself.

Fans are now available for sale, but the problem is, he doesn't have any fan vouchers.

Despite Yang Xugang's usual extravagant spending, giving away bicycle vouchers without hesitation, fan vouchers are strictly controlled, and even he has very few. Looking around the vast steel rolling mill, apart from the offices of the two factory directors, Yang Xugang and Li Huaide, none of the other leaders' offices have fans yet.

Sun Jingyuan's gaze fell on the flower bed space that Lei Aniu had specially reserved for him during the construction work in the yard, and he couldn't help but think of the small garden at Zhao Shouzhen's house. Although that garden looked luxurious, planting some flowers and plants could indeed make the yard more lively and pleasant to look at.

Thinking of this, he suddenly slapped his forehead.

Didn't he win a lot of flower seeds in the Thief's Space lottery a few days ago? How could he have forgotten about that!

Sun Jingyuan immediately got up, picked up the cantaloupe his friend had given him, and stepped out of the room.

In the front yard, Zhang, the matchmaker, had already readily agreed to Jia Dongxu's blind date. She was sitting on a stone bench, chatting enthusiastically with three middle-aged women, occasionally inquiring about Sun Jingyuan's situation. As for Jia Zhangshi, she had just been scolded by the three women after being rebuked by Sun Jingyuan, and had already angrily gone back to her room to lie down.

"Oh, Dr. Sun, you're out? What's that nice thing you're carrying?"

The three women had sharp eyes and spotted Sun Jingyuan walking over immediately. They greeted him with a smile and were very enthusiastic.

The others in the courtyard also stopped talking and looked curiously at the cantaloupe Sun Jingyuan was carrying. This kind of thing was extremely rare in the capital; ordinary people could never see it, let alone eat it.

"Auntie, a friend gave me a cantaloupe. I can't finish it all by myself, so I brought it over for you to try." Sun Jingyuan smiled and handed the cantaloupe to Auntie, his tone natural and without any airs.

"Huh? You're giving it to me?"

The three women jumped up from their stools, their faces filled with incredulous joy, their hands trembling slightly. "Dr. Sun, this is far too precious, how could I possibly accept it!"

The two older women standing nearby were also stunned, feeling quite surprised.

Sun Jingyuan is truly generous. He Yushui, the girl in the courtyard, always wanders around in tattered clothes, and no one has ever bought her a new outfit. So why is it that Sun Jingyuan takes such good care of her and helps her out so much on a daily basis?

People in the courtyard had discussed it privately many times, wondering if Sun Jingyuan had taken a liking to He Yushui. In the end, most people thought it was unlikely. After all, Sun Jingyuan's qualities were what they were, and although He Yushui was pretty, she was still a young girl who hadn't fully grown up, and she and Sun Jingyuan were really not a good match.

"What are you saying? Old Yan and I are good brothers. What's a little melon to you?" Sun Jingyuan joked with a smile, his tone relaxed.

"Go away, you little rascal, you're not much older than my Jiecheng, yet you call my old Yan your brother." The third aunt laughed and scolded, then reached out and took the cantaloupe, carefully holding it in her arms. "Come in and sit down, come in and sit down."

"I have something important to tell you. Can I borrow your husband Yan's flower hoe for a bit?" Sun Jingyuan finally brought up the important matter, pointing to the empty space in the flower bed in the yard.

"Dr. Sun is going to plant flowers?" Auntie Er immediately came over enthusiastically. "That's so tiring! Do you want us to lend a hand? We're all free, we can help out."

"I'm free too, I can help!" An older woman chimed in, her eyes full of expectation, afraid of being left behind.

After all, in this era, even for people like Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong who had some status in the factory and whose income wasn't low, fruit was still a real rarity.

The cantaloupe that Sun Jingyuan just gave to the Third Aunt looked to weigh at least seven or eight pounds. Even in the capital, it's extremely rare to see one for sale, and even when it is, the price is frighteningly high, making it unaffordable for ordinary families. The Third Aunt naturally wanted to repay him for such a valuable gift.

Without further ado, the third aunt went back into the house and gathered all the flower hoes and iron shovels that Yan Bugui usually used for planting flowers. Ignoring Sun Jingyuan's advice, she personally carried the things to the backyard for Sun Jingyuan, showing her warm hospitality.

When the eldest and second eldest aunties saw that the third eldest auntie had gone to Sun Jingyuan's house, they followed her without saying a word.

It's not anything else. Ever since Sun Jingyuan's west wing was renovated and completed, they haven't been inside to see it. They're taking this opportunity to go in and see what this gate, which cost two hundred yuan to repair, and the courtyard they live in are really like.

As for Zhang, the matchmaker who came along, she was even more eager to gather intelligence. She walked faster than anyone else, thinking that if she could find out about Sun Jingyuan's family background and arrange a marriage for him, the introduction fee would definitely be substantial.

Seeing that the others had followed, Sun Jingyuan didn't try to hide it and simply opened the courtyard gate completely, using the gate as a barrier. After all, in this era, it wasn't good to keep the courtyard gate closed all day long; if someone reported him for hiding things inside, that would be troublesome.

"These...these three large brick houses, are they all yours, Dr. Sun?" As soon as Zhang the matchmaker entered the courtyard, she was shocked by the neat courtyard and brand-new houses. She stammered and her eyes were full of disbelief.

"That's right." The second aunt looked at the yard, her tone full of sour envy. "My husband went to the factory to inquire, and they said that Dr. Sun is a 'specially recruited talent' at the factory, which is why he enjoys special treatment. Otherwise, who could get such a big yard and house?"

"Dr. Sun, can we go inside and take a look?" an older woman asked cautiously, her eyes full of curiosity, her feet almost hesitant to move.

"Sure, feel free to look around, don't be shy."

Sun Jingyuan waved his hand dismissively, not taking the matter to heart at all.

So the three middle-aged women escorted Zhang the matchmaker and carefully entered the house, where they began to look around.

"Oh my god, this furniture is so beautiful! Is it made of nanmu wood? It feels so different to the touch!"

"Look at this floor! It's cleaner than my face! Auntie, don't step on it carelessly. Didn't you see the slippers left at the door?"

"My goodness, there's even a separate shower room and toilet inside?"

……

A series of exclamations came from inside the house. The three middle-aged women and Zhang the matchmaker were so amazed by the decorations inside that they couldn't say a word.

Putting aside the spaciousness of the house, the interior decoration alone was luxurious enough, especially the complete set of nanmu furniture, which was truly captivating. What shocked them even more was that there was actually a separate bathhouse and toilet inside. No wonder they had never seen Sun Jingyuan come out to empty the chamber pot; it turned out he had one at home and didn't need to go out at all.

When the group returned to the courtyard after their tour, their hearts pounding with excitement, they saw a large basin of washed fruit laid out under the pergola. There were apples, pears, and several cantaloupes, clearly prepared by Sun Jingyuan to entertain them.

"Dr. Sun, you're too kind. We can't accept this free food." An older woman looked at the bowl full of fruit, both surprised and amazed, unsure of where to put her hands.

"It's alright, these were all gifts from friends. Please help yourselves and don't be shy. I'll go plant some flowers first, then I'll stay with you."

Sun Jingyuan smiled and said something, then rolled up his sleeves, picked up a hoe and started turning over the soil to loosen it. He moved quickly and soon the soil in the flower bed was loose and soft.

The three older women and Zhang the matchmaker felt embarrassed to eat Sun Jingyuan's food for free. After they had almost finished the bowl of fruit, without Sun Jingyuan's permission, they took the initiative to help him turn the soil, prepare the beds, and sow seeds. They worked very quickly and efficiently, without any awkwardness.

After half an hour.

The people who work in the compound are gradually coming home after get off work.

When the three old men returned home, they couldn't find their wives. After asking around, they learned that all three had gone to Sun Jingyuan's house. They immediately rushed to the backyard to see what had become of Sun Jingyuan's house that made their wives not even want to come home.

Yi Zhonghai ran in the lead, followed closely by Liu Haizhong. Even Yan Bugui, who was usually the laziest, came along with his short legs. All of them were full of curiosity, wanting to see for themselves what was so special about this courtyard that made the three middle-aged women linger.