The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Sha Zhu took out a dollar and forced it on Yang Dalin.

If I can't refuse, then I'll just accept it.

"Brother Zhu, you've been both a father and a mother to Yushui all these years. It's quite impressive that you've raised Yushui this much at the age of sixteen."

"Sigh, brother, if it weren't for what you said today, I would have thought I was doing a pretty good job managing the household. But after hearing what Yu Shui said, I realized that a family really can't function without a woman. There are many things I haven't done well enough."

It seems that Silly Zhu isn't really silly after all.

"Brother Zhu, you're old enough to be considered, why haven't you thought about finding a wife?"

Sha Zhu ate a few peanuts: "Why haven't I looked for anyone? I've looked for a few, but either I didn't like their looks, or they didn't like me. And then there were those who went on dates, but nothing ever came of it."

I don't know what happened.

It seems that Sha Zhu is a bit of a looks-obsessed person, but you can't blame him for that; who wouldn't want to marry a beautiful wife?

Yang Dalin was also attracted to Qi Yanhua at first sight.

Don't underestimate Sha Zhu. His family has three main rooms, a side room, and an east wing.

I can get full just by tasting the food cooked in the cafeteria every day, and I can even save on my individual portion size.

Aside from the low salary, he's actually quite well-off.

With a big house and a small financial burden, if it weren't for this nickname and the trouble caused by unknown people, he really wouldn't be unable to find a wife.

Don't say that city girls look down on these conditions; the majority of people in the city are still poor.

Many families will have six brothers and eight sisters in the future. Many people will marry him based solely on the number of houses he owns, without even considering his salary or other qualifications.

In the future, there will be many families crammed into a 20-square-meter space with more than a dozen people.

Those who say Sha Zhu is slovenly are truly blind.

Sha Zhu wore sleeves and an apron while cooking, and his clothes were clean and unpatched.

Every time I go on a blind date, I wear leather shoes and comb my hair so badly that flies could slip on it.

Although their home wasn't that tidy, it wasn't messy either.

She doesn't look that old, so how could she be as unattractive as others say?

However, it's true that you smell a bit like scallions on your clothes.

It's late autumn, and it's impossible to change clothes that often.

There's nothing we can do about it.

Also, when Teacher He acted in this drama, he was almost fifty years old, so of course he looked old playing a twenty-nine-year-old.

He's a living, breathing person now; Sha Zhu isn't really that old.

However, Yang Dalin and Shazhu were not close friends, so they couldn't have a deep conversation.

However, considering how silli Zhu has been giving us face today...

Yang Dalin was about to add a comment, since he had already spoken to He Yushui about it that afternoon.

"Brother Zhu, since you're being so polite to me, I'll give you an idea too."

I'm not sure if it's right, but please listen to it first.

"Brother, tell me quickly. I'm not as quick-witted as you. If you can really help me, I may not have anything else, but I'll give you a big reward."

In the original drama, Sha Zhu was really stingy when it came to getting a wife.

But little did he know that so many people would try to ruin his marriage.

"Whether or not there's a thank-you gift isn't important, Brother Zhu. Tomorrow you need to tell everyone in the yard that no one can call you 'Silly Zhu' anymore. Otherwise, when a matchmaker introduces a girl, and the girl's parents ask around, they'll all think you're silly because of 'Silly Zhu.'"

What parent would want their daughter to marry a fool? Of course, you're not really a fool, but if you don't even care about being called that, how can others care?

People who come to inquire don't know you're not stupid, and they don't even live in this yard, right?

First, improve your personal reputation, then find a matchmaker.

That way, when someone introduces you to someone else, they'll ask around.

At the very least, it will greatly increase your success rate, right?

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, that's right. Thanks, brother. Let's have another one."

Yang Dalin drank another cup with Sha Zhu.

Even if Sha Zhu had a better reputation, Xu Damao, the love of his life, would still try to trip him up.

Those who say Xu Damao is real, please explain what it means to "rather tear down ten temples than break up one marriage".

The two of them drank a bottle, and Yang Dalin drank almost half a jin (250ml).

Sha Zhu wanted to get more wine, but Yang Dalin stopped him.

Yang Dalin didn't make many things clear. There's still time, let's wait and see.

Sha Zhu was just one of the pawns he had laid out.

If you do a favor without expecting anything in return, what's the point of doing it?

Let's take it slow. If Yi Zhonghai can find Sha Zhu to take care of him in his old age, Yang Dalin might just snatch him up first, and we can arrange for him to take care of us in our old age too.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to squeeze some more benefits out of Sha Zhu.

After the two went to the restroom together, they each went home to rest.

When they got home, Aunt Qi was still awake: "Dalin's back?"

"Yes, Auntie, you're back. We chatted for a while, but nothing's wrong. You can go to sleep now."

The aunt still cared about Yang Dalin and stayed up all night waiting.

Yang Dalin woke up early the next morning.

Then I noticed that next to the stove was another sweet potato that Aunt Qi had put out for him yesterday.

It baked slowly overnight and turned out very well.

The skin wasn't black; it was baked just right.

However, Yang Dalin didn't eat it; he saved it for the two sisters.

The wine was good last night, it didn't give me a headache. After washing up, Yang Dalin told Aunt Qi about it.

We followed Grandpa Qi to the train station.

Railways, electricity, tobacco factories, post and telecommunications, and petroleum—these are all areas that will become behemoths in the future. Yang Dalin thought he should stick with the railways for now.

I'll see if I can sneak into the railway crossing later.

The key issue is that in recent years, there has been a shortage of food, while the railway is both prosperous and convenient.

Other organizations aren't that powerful yet, and I don't have access to them for the time being.

I'll work as a temporary loader for now, and once the system is up and running, I'll see where I'm best suited to develop my career.

Most importantly, the wind hasn't picked up yet, so the railway crossing isn't too chaotic, and it's quite isolated.

Even if things get chaotic later, it won't cause any major problems.

Moreover, if some goods are stockpiled, I can take the opportunity to make some profit.

And then I can bring back things from here that aren't available in Beijing, or things that aren't in season in the north, and I'll have a reason to do so.

As for the steel rolling mill, Yang Dalin didn't want to go.

He didn't want to be a worker there.

Without freedom, Yang Dalin wouldn't be as comfortable as he is now.

Work if you want to, don't work if you don't want to.

The key is that they earn a lot.

There's no guarantee for the future.

Let's look back and see how to find a suitable job that pays well and has little work.

There's no rush. Before things get tough, it's good to have a stable, inconspicuous formal job. We can learn from those who can earn tens of thousands in retirement pension.

How happy they'll be in their future!

It's best to stockpile more supplies this year.

It is said that next year will also be difficult, and the first half of the year after next will be the most severe.

Things will only get much better after the autumn harvest in the second half of the year after next.

So in the past two years, if I had found a formal job and earned a salary of thirty or fifty yuan, plus a ration of twenty or thirty kilograms, it really wouldn't have been enough for me to eat.

Let's save more money and earn more food first.

There's no better place than this train station for now.

After a hearty breakfast, Yang Dalin got right to work.

After a day of rest, I earned a little more today.

But it's not too outrageous.

Everyone thought Yang Dalin had rested well and was full of energy again.

Now that we have a strongman, let's cooperate well and work together to earn more money.