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

Touching the lock on the door, Yan Jiecheng walked towards the front yard without hesitation.

He walked all the way home from the Special Operations Unit, and his legs were constantly aching, with the soles of both feet burning with pain.

In this state, who would care why Yu Li wasn't home?

Since the door to the back room is closed, let's go to my parents' house to rest for a while.

"Knock knock knock".

When he arrived at his parents' house, Yan Jiecheng knocked on the door less gently and knocked several times more forcefully.

Who is it?

The voices of three middle-aged women came from inside asking questions.

"Me! Open the door!"

The room fell silent for a moment, then was immediately filled with the sound of hurried footsteps.

The door creaked open, and the third aunt, wearing a coat, stood in the doorway. She paused for a moment when she saw Yan Jiecheng, and then her expression changed.

"Jiecheng! You're back?"

Hearing the sound at the door, Yan Bugui, who was still drinking tea inside, quickly stood up and came over.

The three women threw aside the shoe soles they were still sewing and grabbed Yan Jiecheng's arm: "Where have you been? Who kidnapped you? Do you know how worried we were? We've searched everywhere for you but couldn't find you!"

Yan Bugui also came over, adjusted his glasses, and looked Yan Jiecheng up and down: "You... what happened to you? In just a few days, how did you become so thin? There's no color in your face at all."

Yan Jiecheng opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it again.

This courtyard is like a giant sieve; any news that happens here will spread throughout the entire courtyard by the next day.

He dared not tell his parents about the Special Operations Unit. He didn't want to experience the feeling of being arrested again if they told others.

"Don't listen to people's nonsense. I wasn't arrested. I just had some business with friends and went out for a few days, wandering around the area."

"Where have you been wandering off to? The neighbors from next door came over specifically to tell me that you were arrested on the street, and so many people saw it! What do you mean by 'staying with friends for a few days' and 'going out for a few days'? Do you know how many people your dad has asked around?"

The three women were so anxious that they kept patting Yan Jiecheng's arm, raising their voices considerably, which sounded rather harsh.

Yan Jiecheng shook his head and replied in a muffled voice, "Mom, don't ask anymore, it's really nothing. I just... I just went out for a walk. Now that I'm back, isn't that all?"

He slumped into the chair.

It's been so many days since I've had a proper rest!

Even when he was leaning back in his chair, he felt an urge to just fall asleep.

What kind of place is the Special Operations Unit?

The three women wanted to ask more questions, but Yan Bugui stopped them.

The old man looked at his son, remained silent for a while, then sighed, "Alright, it's good that you're back. Are you hungry? Ask your mother to heat up some food for you."

"Okay, I'll sit here and rest for a while."

Yan Jiecheng nodded; he was indeed a little hungry after walking all this way.

The third aunt and Yan Bugui went to the kitchen. The latter grabbed the third aunt's arm and lowered his voice, "Didn't you see? He doesn't want to talk. You can't get anything out of him no matter how hard you ask."

Upon hearing this, the three women wrung their hands anxiously.

"What should we do? He won't say anything, and we have no idea what happened!"

"What else could it be? He'll tell you what he wants to say. If it doesn't work, ask him again tomorrow. Let's cook for him now."

Yan Bugui said irritably.

Isn't this obvious enough?

Those people who were arrested before, when they came back, were just like Yan Jiecheng now.

His gaze passed through the window and landed on Zhou Feng's room across the street, where the light was still on.

This matter might actually be related to him!

Inside the room, the three children, Yan Jiekuang, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiedi, squeezed onto one bed, listening intently to the sounds outside.

"Did you hear that? Big Brother is back," Yan Jiekuang said in a low voice.

"So what if he's back?" Yan Jiefang scoffed. "Look at him, he looks like a beggar. Something must have happened. Even Mom is cooking for him."

Yan Jiekuang said with certainty, "Let me tell you, he definitely offended Zhou Feng. He was always talking badly about Zhou Feng to my sister-in-law before, and later it seemed like he even tried to stalk him!"

Yan Jiedi whispered from the side, "Then do you think Zhou Feng will cause trouble for us too?"

"Why are you causing us trouble?" Yan Jiefang rolled his eyes. "It wasn't us who did it. Let me tell you, from now on, when you see Zhou Feng, smile when you should, greet him when you should, being sweet-talking won't hurt. Look at him, living the high life, we should be trying to get some of his benefits, why would we go and provoke him?"

Yan Jiekuang nodded: "Exactly. Our eldest brother just doesn't get it."

The three children thought they were keeping their voices down, but there was only one curtain between the two rooms, which didn't really help with soundproofing.

The three of them were chirping crickets inside the house, and the latter didn't even need to come into my room; he could hear most of it just by sitting on a chair outside.

At this moment, Yan Jiecheng was so angry that his teeth were itching, but he didn't say anything. He just sighed and leaned back in his chair.

I used to think that I wasn't doing as well as others because my luck hadn't come yet, but this experience taught me that some things can't be obtained just by luck.

You're already in your twenties; you should be able to see clearly how mediocre you are.

He can't cook as well as Sha Zhu, and he can't flatter Xu Damao as well. Now even his wife is a factory worker, and he's still a nobody!

As he pondered, Yan Jiecheng grew disheartened, resting his hands on his knees and staring down at the ground.

He sat inside for an unknown amount of time when he suddenly heard laughter coming from outside. The voice sounded very familiar.

Yan Jiecheng gritted his teeth, frowned, stood up, walked to the window, and peered out through the paper window.

Right across from their house, Yu Li and Qin Jingru walked out of Zhou Feng's house with smiles on their faces.

Qin Jingru was originally a simple-minded person, but after Yu Li deliberately befriended her, she began to treat her like her own older sister.

After returning to the courtyard house, the two did not go back to their own homes, but instead went to Zhou Feng's room.

They stayed until this time, when it was already pitch black, before Zhou Feng finally saw them out.

Having faced 'danger' together today, the two women became very close and could talk about anything. In addition, Zhou Feng was happy to chat with two decent-looking women, so he didn't remind them of the time.

Anyway, there are only a few neighbors in this courtyard. Even if someone is watching and dares to spread rumors, Zhou Feng can punish them and gain some emotional value.

When it comes to emotional value, Zhou Feng was also a little puzzled.

How come my emotional value has increased so quickly just from joking around with these two women?

But he soon discovered that the source wasn't there, because even after he had already escorted the two women to the door, his emotional value was still rising.

After seeing them off, Zhou Feng closed the door and went back to bed to rest.

Yu Li and Qin Jingru exchanged a few jokes and then headed towards the outer courtyard.

After staying at Zhou Feng's house a few times, she grew to dislike her own house more and more.

Not only is the area small, but it's also filthy and dark inside, worse than a cellar.

Just as she was walking out with a frown and a hint of disgust on her face, Yan Jiecheng suddenly pushed open the door, stood in the doorway, and stared intently at Yu Li.

???

This startled Yu Li.

She initially thought it was her in-laws who disapproved and wanted to say something, but unexpectedly, it was Yan Jiecheng standing at the door!

This guy is back!

How could he come back?

"You're back?"

Hearing Yu Li's question, Yan Jiecheng didn't say a word, just stared straight at her.

Yu Li felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, rolled her eyes at him, and walked towards the outer courtyard.

What good would it do to come back?

Even before he was arrested, Yu Li didn't think much of him.

Now, with an additional criminal record for being arrested and Zhou Feng standing beside her as a comparison, Yu Li looks down on him even less.

"Where did you come from?"

Yan Jiecheng glanced at Zhou Feng's room with some fear, then lowered his voice.

He was also afraid that if they argued here, it would disturb Zhou Feng, and then he would be arrested again.

Yu Li immediately noticed his movement, a hint of disdain on her face: "Where did I come back from? Didn't you see me? What are you pretending for? Didn't you see that I came out with Jingru? What could have happened?"

If Yu Li were to be alone with Zhou Feng and someone found out, she might feel a little guilty, since she wasn't exactly innocent.

But Qin Jingru is still there, so what does she have to feel guilty about?

He stood tall and retorted sharply!

"It's already dark. Do you think it's appropriate for a married woman like you to come out of Zhou Feng's room?"

Yan Jiecheng glared at Yu Li through gritted teeth, looking as if he wanted to devour her, but he still kept his voice low.

"If it's not suitable, then go talk to Zhou Feng! Anyway, while you were away, Jingru and I got along quite well with him. I helped him clean up sometimes, and I even got a free meal here. If you're not satisfied, then go and argue with Zhou Feng!"

Regardless of why Yan Jiecheng was arrested, Yu Li was certain that it was directly related to Zhou Feng.

Moreover, Yan Jiecheng's guilty conscience and his frequent glances at Zhou Feng's room confirmed this.

So Yu Li didn't argue with him at all, and directly pushed the matter onto Zhou Feng, figuring that Yan Jiecheng wouldn't dare to cause any trouble.

Sure enough, upon hearing Yu Li say this, Yan Jiecheng clenched his fists and stared at her with bloodshot eyes.

But after a few seconds, he calmed down, sighed, and walked towards his parents' house.

This experience was truly unforgettable for him.

The thought of it made him shudder, and he was completely afraid to have any conflict with Zhou Feng.

If we can't win an argument, we'll go back to my parents' house, have this meal, and then talk about it later.

Yu Li watched his retreating figure, her face revealing even more disdain.

"Yan Jiecheng, let me tell you, your little secrets can't be hidden from anyone. You know perfectly well who you're connected to in getting arrested. You'd better watch yourself from now on. Before you go back to your room, wash yourself off; you smell terrible."

Yan Jiecheng's face turned pale instantly.

He didn't care at all about Yu Li's comment about his body smelling bad; what he cared about was that Yu Li actually knew that his arrest was related to Zhou Feng!

"It's...it's you..."

Yan Jiecheng gritted his teeth, his cheeks bulging.

"What do you mean 'we'? You made a fool of yourself and now you're blaming me? I'm just reminding you to think clearly; there are some people you can't afford to offend."

Yu Li gave him a disgruntled look and turned to walk towards the outer courtyard.

Yan Jiecheng snorted and went back to his parents' house, where he also boiled a pot of water for himself.

Of course, this wasn't because he was accommodating Yu Li, but because he had been locked up for so long and he felt that he smelled too strongly.

What's there to be afraid of about Yu Li?

However, while washing his body, he thought of what Yu Li had said, and he almost bit his teeth to pieces, leaving marks on the soap with his fingers.

Unfortunately, despite all his preparations, when he returned to the back room, he found that Yu Li had already drawn a curtain between the beds.

"young married woman…"

After hesitating for a moment, Yan Jiecheng still sidled up to the edge of the curtain and stretched his hand out over there.

After being locked up for so long, he instinctively lacked a sense of security.

When you sleep alone, the quality of your sleep is definitely not good enough, and at that moment you want to hug something.

Unfortunately, just as his hand reached out, Yu Li slapped it back, the sound so loud it echoed throughout the room.

"Hiss—what are you doing!"

Yan Jiecheng gasped, clutching his arm, and glared fiercely at the curtain as if he could see right through it.

Yu Li, who had her back to him, also changed her expression and rubbed her five fingers together vigorously.

The force was mutual; the blow to his arm made Yu Li's entire palm go numb, but her tone remained unchanged.

"Don't touch me!"

Yan Jiecheng laughed angrily, "You're my wife, and I can't even touch you?"

Yu Li, speaking from behind the curtain, remained calm: "Sure, touch me if you want."

"But look at this shabby place you're living in. What if you have a child? Can you afford to give birth? Can you afford to raise it?"

"You don't even have a decent home, you don't even have a job, how are you going to support yourself? Are you going to live off your father's salary?"

"We still owe your dad money. If we have a baby, can we get him a job and pay him back together?"

When Yan Jiecheng first heard Yu Li's words, he was excited and reached out to touch the curtain.

But the series of questions that followed made him feel like he had a thorn in his side and a fishbone stuck in his throat.

The hand that was halfway out stopped, and the face was full of bitterness.

At this moment, while Yan Jiecheng was blaming Yu Li, he also cursed himself inwardly.

Knowing that Yu Li's attitude towards him was getting worse and worse, why did he still go out of his way to cause trouble?

Well, what a mess! He tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead, getting a good scolding. Serves him right.

After letting out a long sigh, Yan Jiecheng lay on the bed with his back to Yu Li and gradually drifted off to sleep.

On the other side of the curtain, Yu Li found it difficult to fall asleep.

It can only be said that wealth and power are the best cosmetic procedures for men.

Having witnessed Zhou Feng's wealth and his influence among those leaders, Yu Li felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it.