Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

"Hey! You..."

Sha Zhu stood up from in front of Yan Jiedi and patted the dirt off his knees.

After hesitating for a moment, he still didn't say what was on the tip of his tongue, but just glared at Xu Damao.

"Are you crazy? What's it to you?"

Zhou Feng held him down and wouldn't let him get up, so he was definitely helpless, but Xu Damao... he wouldn't indulge him.

"Dude, I was just trying to help someone in need! You're forcing that old man's kid to kowtow to you, I couldn't stand it, so what?"

At this moment, Xu Damao was very tough.

Zhou Feng had already taken action before he went to help. He's really sitting on his lap!

By sticking close to Zhou Feng, even if we don't gain any benefits, we certainly won't make any mistakes.

"You son of a bitch..."

Before Sha Zhu could finish speaking, Zhou Feng spoke again: "Why so much nonsense? Either take out sixteen yuan of your New Year's money, or kowtow to Yan Jiedi forty-four times."

Regardless of the emotional value of the double-door arrangement, or the feeling of being disturbed by Sha Zhu's unreasonable nagging, Zhou Feng had no intention of letting the matter drop easily.

"Yeah, you silly Zhu! You can't expect all the good things to fall into your lap, can you? You just said it was three cents a head, everyone heard that!"

Xu Damao also started to stir things up. Although Yan Bugui was also a little anxious, his status as the third uncle made it difficult for him to speak directly. He simply gestured to Yan Jiecheng to speak.

Although the latter saw it and knew what his father meant, he remained unmoved.

That's a whopping sixteen yuan!

Why is he opening his mouth?

Even if he spoke up for Yan Jiedi, would he get even a penny of the sixteen dollars?

Since he won't get any money anyway, why doesn't he just watch the show from the sidelines?

At one point, Yan Jie even thought that it would be better if Sha Zhu refused to pay the money, letting Sha Zhu and Zhou Feng fight like dogs.

Anyway, neither of these two are good people. If they push Sha Zhu too far and he beats Zhou Feng up again, then he'll be able to eat an extra bowl of rice at dinner!

Unfortunately, ideals are often grand, but reality is often harsh.

Yan Jiecheng's expectations for Sha Zhu were bound to be dashed.

With the support of a high-ranking leader, Sha Zhu has just become arrogant, but he hasn't gone mad.

It's possible for him to talk back to Zhou Feng, but it's absolutely impossible for him to lay a hand on Zhou Feng!

But now, with all the neighbors watching him, Sha Zhu is in a bit of a predicament.

Normally, if he encountered this situation, he would act recklessly and simply leave.

But since Zhou Feng brought this up, it's a bit risky for him to back out now.

"Are you even capable, you idiot Zhu! So everyone else is willing to kowtow to you, but when it's your turn you try to act like a scoundrel, huh? Bullying my sister?"

Yan Jiefang glanced at his elder brother, and seeing that he didn't intend to speak, he simply stepped forward.

His personality is basically the same as Yan Jiekuang's; they both bully the weak and fear the strong, but they have Zhou Feng backing them up!

In the past, he definitely wouldn't have dared to stand up and confront Sha Zhu, but now...

We're not afraid at all!

Listening to the chatter of the neighbors around him, Sha Zhu, panting heavily, turned his gaze to Qin Huairu, who didn't even look at him.

Even Jia Zhangshi glared at him fiercely before turning her face away.

"Hey? Didn't you go around saying you were cooking for a high-ranking official? You're doing something so important, and you can't even come up with sixteen yuan?"

The contempt in Xu Damao's eyes became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Sha Zhu slapped his thigh and pointed at Xu Damao: "Who do you think you are? Don't even mention sixteen yuan, even if it were one hundred and sixty, I wouldn't blink an eye! Do you know what it means to treat money like dirt? You think everyone is like you? You married a capitalist's daughter and got dumped."

Actually, Sha Zhu doesn't have many tricks for insulting people, and he's not that eloquent; he's just prone to making up nonsense.

But whenever he encounters Xu Damao, he can accurately find the other party's sore spot and then stab it to death.

They used to say he didn't have children, now they're saying his wife ran away.

If it weren't something that hits right in the heart, this guy wouldn't say it!

Gritting his teeth, Sha Zhu pulled out a handful of loose change from his pocket and began counting it one bill at a time.

He did have some savings before, but those were all saved up for He Yushui's dowry. After being locked up for so long, he lost his job and hadn't even reported to the workshop yet. He needed money for food, drink, and other necessities every day.

Fortunately, he cooked a New Year's Eve dinner for a high-ranking official, and the official treated him well, giving him five yuan.

This was his only income during this period.

Before the money was even warmed up, another eleven yuan had to be lost.

This already uses up He Yushui's dowry!

However, under Zhou Feng's intense gaze, he still counted out sixteen yuan and reluctantly handed it to Yan Jiedi.

The little girl reached out and took the change, but couldn't budge it.

Sha Zhu's eyes were overflowing with reluctance; he held on tightly, unwilling to let go.

"Jie Di, Sha Zhu thinks sixteen yuan is too little, he's embarrassed to show it off. Give him another round, make it thirty yuan, and then..."

Before Zhou Feng could finish speaking, Sha Zhu had already grabbed Yan Jiedi's hand at lightning speed and stuffed the change into it.

"Happy New Year! Happy New Year! You guys keep chatting, I'm leaving!"

As he spoke, Sha Zhu walked towards his home without looking back. Although he didn't run, his legs moved with surprising speed.

This action immediately made everyone present burst into laughter, with Xu Damao being the first to laugh out loud.

Watching Sha Zhu get his comeuppance was more satisfying than if he had made the money himself.

Although the troublemaker was gone, no one was in the mood to continue the New Year's gathering, and they all dispersed and went home.

Yan Jiedi clutched the sixteen yuan in her hand and glanced timidly at her father.

According to their family tradition, this money must definitely be handed over.

Besides, sixteen yuan is a considerable sum for any household, so it's definitely not something a child should have.

Before Yan Bugui could speak, Zhou Feng stepped forward first.

"Uncle, this sixteen yuan is what Jie Di earned today. Of course, it's not appropriate for a child to carry so much money."

"How about this? You keep the ten dollars and remember to give it to Jie Di Hua little by little. As for the remaining six dollars, the three siblings can each have two dollars, so they can all have a good New Year."

Yan Bugui's original plan was to collect all the money. But now that Zhou Feng had spoken, he couldn't refuse.

After all, Zhou Feng had helped him pry the money out of Sha Zhu's hands. Looking at his three children, whose eyes were practically shining, he could only nod helplessly.

Immediately, Yan Jiefang, Yan Jiekuang, and Yan Jiedi cheered at the same time.

Although Yan Jiefang is already sixteen or seventeen years old, he has never had two yuan of pocket money before. This is the first time.

Watching the father and son dividing the money so affectionately, with happy smiles on everyone's faces, Yan Jiecheng was practically grinding his teeth to powder.

Fuck!

There are three siblings again. Am I not a human being?

He wanted to grab Zhou Feng by the collar and yell at him: Am I not human? Am I even human?

When we were distributing candy, they said "two older brothers." Now that we're distributing New Year's money, they still say "two older brothers." Am I not a human being?

He naturally wouldn't dare to challenge Zhou Feng. He was even afraid of Sha Zhu, let alone Zhou Feng.

But the resentment in his heart could not be suppressed, so he could only lower his head, clench his fists tightly, and grit his teeth.

Oh…

Yu Li, who was standing to the side, sighed softly.

They clearly wanted to benefit, but they couldn't even manage the most basic act of bowing their heads.

He has no ability but is arrogant. What's the point of keeping a man like that?

She carefully looked Zhou Feng up and down.

There are some things she should have planned for earlier.

Either accept your fate or seek change.

She's only 22 years old. If she accepts her fate now, she can see the end of her life in the blink of an eye.

She absolutely refuses!

After the meeting ended, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law from the Jia family went home one after the other.

"No way, is Sha Zhu crazy? Why is he going to see Xu Damao and Yan Laokou, and bringing our child along? What's going on?"

Before she could even sit down, Madam Jia, with a long face, said something resentfully.

"Hey, isn't this also letting our kids earn New Year's money? Look, Uncle San's three kids each got two yuan, and our three kids got money too, didn't they?"

Qin Huairu tidied up the house while making plans.

Banggeng took his two younger sisters out of the yard after receiving their New Year's money, and they must have spent quite a bit of it.

But she has to get the rest of the money back.

That adds up to six yuan. Even if we only get five yuan back, that's enough for a family to eat so many meals!

As the two were talking, the three children ran back from outside.

"Mom, we're back!"

Banggeng excitedly ran back with his two younger sisters, only to be taken aback when he saw Qin Huairu with a stern face.

The latter pointed to the side and said, "Don't move, stand in a row."

Seeing that Banggeng stood obediently, Qin Huairu tapped his forehead: "You're really something, embarrassing yourself isn't enough, you even drag your two younger sisters down with you!"

Without Qin Huairu needing to say anything more, Bang Geng immediately knew what she was referring to.

"Uncle Sha said it's not shameful for juniors to kowtow to their elders!"

"Hey! You still have the nerve to talk? Hand over the money!"

Upon hearing their mother's words, Huaihua and Xiaodang instinctively took a step back behind Banggeng. Banggeng stammered, "We didn't take any, we gave them all to Uncle Sha."

"You've even learned to lie? Show it to me!"

Qin Huairu's eyes widened.

Doesn't she know her own child's personality and temperament?

If it really came to six dollars, how could I possibly leave it with Sha Zhu?

"How boring!"

Banggeng reluctantly took out his New Year's money, and the two younger ones followed suit.

"Seriously, why are you all joining in on this idiot Zhu's antics so early in the morning?"

Seeing that Qin Huairu had collected all the money, Jia Zhangshi nodded in satisfaction, then glanced sideways at her three children.

"Uncle Sha said he'd help us make money, so we'll follow him! Oh, and he also told us to come back and give him a message."

Banggeng shrugged dismissively.

"What message should I convey?"

Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi both turned their gazes over. Banggeng thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Sha told us to speak well of him to Mom, to say how good he is to us and how capable he is."

"He's utterly useless!"

Jia Zhangshi scoffed, her lips curling downwards: "So capable, getting Old Man Yan's stingy little daughter to swindle sixteen yuan from you? Qin Huairu, you'd better keep your distance from him!"

"Sixteen yuan?"

The three children's eyes widened when they heard the number.

The three of them spent the whole morning working on it, and they only got a fraction of what others earned.

Listening to her mother-in-law's words, Qin Huairu replied in a low voice, "I've already been intentionally keeping my distance from him."

"Hmph, that Sha Zhu guy, he's got some brains, but he's just shameless. Zhou Feng clearly looked down on him, and he still wouldn't shut up, just kept acting silly. Now he's lost money!"

Madam Jia smiled gloatingly.

If a person lacks discernment, they deserve to be taught a lesson!

Banggeng, who was listening nearby, rolled his eyes and suddenly asked, "Mom, does Uncle Sha really know a big shot?"

Qin Huairu was taken aback: "Who told you that?"

"Uncle Sha himself said it; he said it several times during dinner yesterday!"

Qin Huairu remained silent, but Jia Zhangshi chimed in, "So what if he knows a big boss? Whether that big boss even acknowledges him is another matter entirely. Besides, even if he did know him, look at how he acted in front of Zhou Feng today—he still backed down!"

"To put it another way, which leader's decision can be influenced by the cook who prepares their meals?"

"Just listen to him and forget about it. Do you really think he's some kind of capable person?"

What Jia Zhangshi said was rough but reasonable. It wasn't the first or second time that Sha Zhu had boasted to them about knowing important leaders.

But judging from his attitude towards Zhou Feng today, he's just so-so!

Qin Huairu lowered her head, but her heart was churning violently.

Sha Zhu, that guy...

She didn't know what kind of relationship the two of them should have.

Logically speaking, if it weren't for Sha Zhu's help all these years, their lives as a widow and her child would have been incredibly difficult.

Normally, a widow like her would attract a lot of gossip, and those involved to this extent all have ulterior motives.

But Sha Zhu insisted on saying he liked her and kept asking her to help him find someone to go on a blind date with, saying he wanted to find a young woman.

To say I don't like her would be difficult, considering how much she's helped me over the years; even close relatives would find it hard to do that.

After hesitating for a long time, she decided to listen to her mother-in-law and keep her distance.

Sha Zhu is really unreliable.

It's not that he's a bad person, nor that he can't support his family, but rather that his temper makes him too prone to provoking others.

If it were the old courtyard, she wouldn't care. They were all ordinary people; she could just stop interacting with them.

But now that Zhou Feng and Bai Ling from the Municipal Bureau have moved in, Sha Zhu has really offended two people he couldn't afford to offend.

Just like what happened with the Special Operations Unit last time, what if the two families get too entangled and something else happens in the future? What will she do? What will Bang Geng and the others do?

And then there's Zhou Feng...

Qin Huairu sighed, bit her lip, and suppressed the thought.

She never got a kind word from Zhou Feng!

Why think about such unlucky things during the Lunar New Year!