Courtyard House: I'm an engineer, and a fairy godmother transferred me to a different position.

"Honey! Stop messing around with that jar of pickled vegetables! Guangqi's back, hurry up and make another plate of scrambled eggs!"

"Guangqi is back?"

Before she finished speaking, Aunt Er, wearing an apron around her waist and holding a spatula in her hand, poked her head out of the kitchen with a look of surprise on her face.

Seeing her eldest son, her smile widened even more: "Oh, Guangqi's back! You're back just in time. Sit down and rest for a bit, Mom will make you a couple of good dishes."

Liu Guangtian: ? ? ?

Liu Guangfu: ...

Just moments ago, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu had been hunched over like two quails caught in the rain, but now they exchanged a quick glance and saw a sudden sense of relief in each other's eyes.

And a barely concealed, secretly pleased feeling.

That's it.

They were already used to their parents' sudden, 180-degree change in attitude.

Do your parents favor your older brother?

That's natural.

But this favoritism, for the two of them, is sometimes not such a bad thing.

They all knew it very well...

The aroma of scrambled eggs wafted through the room, and the two boys' eyes practically popped out of their sockets. Liu Guangqi watched, a smile involuntarily curving his lips.

Mother emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of glistening, golden-brown scrambled eggs, the steaming aroma wafting straight into their nostrils. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu's gazes were immediately fixed on it, their throats bobbing slightly. In this day and age, who would dare to cook such a heavy, oily meal? The idea that a single dish's aroma could fill the entire yard is something from a play. Even if there were a hint of meat and egg fragrance, it wouldn't waft beyond one's own doorstep. So, those rumors of people coming knocking on doors begging for food just because of the smell seem rather contrived. Truly shrewd people wouldn't always be turned away. Ultimately, it's just a matter of picking on the weak.

In the back room of the Liu family, Liu Haizhong rubbed his hands together and handed chopsticks to his eldest son with a smile: "Guangqi, hurry up and start eating! You've been working so hard at the ministry, you should eat more to nourish your body."

Liu Guangqi took the chopsticks but didn't eat immediately, his gaze sweeping over his two younger brothers' expectant eyes at the table. "Dad, were you talking about them again?"

Liu Haizhong's smile faltered for a moment, and he cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly: "Ahem, those two rascals are a handful, as their father, I have to give them a few words of discipline."

"He's almost a grown man now, try to scold him less often." Liu Guangqi knew his father's temper, so he didn't try to persuade him further. He just smiled and pushed the plate of eggs onto the table. "Don't just stand there, start eating."

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu's eyes lit up instantly. They picked up their chopsticks but glanced at their father first. Liu Haizhong glared at them but didn't say anything more, focusing instead on putting food into his eldest son's bowl.

"Guangtian," Liu Guangqi asked between bites, "the high school entrance exam is coming up soon, right? Have you decided whether to go to high school or vocational school?"

Liu Guangtian hesitated for a moment, holding his chopsticks: "I think... I'll try vocational school. My teacher said that with my grades, getting into university is a bit risky, but if I try my best, maybe I can get into a vocational school."

There was a moment of silence at the dinner table.

Liu Guangqi smiled and said, "Then work hard. If you pass the exam, I can help with job placement."

Everyone understood the weight of those words. A light suddenly shone in Liu Guangtian's eyes, and a fire ignited within him. Since his elder brother had spoken, the opportunity was right in front of him—he had a backup plan anyway, and it would be a waste not to take the plunge.

The meal went fairly well.

After clearing away the dishes, Liu Haizhong paced around the room with his hands behind his back for a couple of steps, finally unable to hold back: "Guangqi, what brings you back today? Aren't you busy at the department or the factory?"

Liu Guangqi put down his teacup, his smile gentle: "Dad, Mom, I'm back because I have something to discuss with you. Tomorrow is the weekend, and Meng Yun's parents are coming over—the two families will meet to finalize the engagement between Meng Yun and me."

The room fell silent instantly.

Liu Haizhong's hands, which were behind his back, froze in mid-air. His eyes widened, and the little tune he was humming abruptly stopped: "E-Engagement?"

Auntie Er hurried out of the kitchen, forgetting to take off her apron, her face a mixture of joy and nervousness: "Really? Xiaoyun's parents are really coming?"

"Yes," Liu Guangqi nodded, "Meng Yun mentioned it to me last week, saying that her parents wanted to come and meet you."

He paused, recalling what Zhao Mengyun had said the night he took her home.

"Logically speaking, our family should have been the first to propose marriage."

After Liu Guangqi finished speaking, he paused for a moment.

"It's just that her parents are too busy with work and their schedules are full, so they can't find the time to meet."

He then changed his tone.

"So after discussing it with their family, they felt it would be better for them to come directly to us and arrange the marriage in advance."

Liu Haizhong didn't react for a moment.

The other party came to our door on their own initiative?

This means that the marriage proposal step is directly omitted, and instead the woman's family comes to discuss the marriage.

This……

If this gets out, how glorious will the Liu family's reputation be among the neighbors?

Although the specific details of Zhao Mengyun's family are not fully known, one can glean some insight into her background from her own character.

Work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Both parents came from military backgrounds.

With the woman's qualities, it seems like my family is marrying above our station.

But the result?

Before he could even pay a formal visit and propose marriage, the other party took the initiative to suggest that they come here to meet.

How dignified this is!

How satisfied must Xiaoyun's parents be with their son to make such a decision?

In fact, Liu Guangqi was somewhat surprised by Zhao Mengyun's parents' arrangement.

After all, skipping the formal marriage proposal and going straight to engagement discussions already implies that the other party has given their approval to the marriage.

Time constraints are certainly one reason.

But at a deeper level—

It's probably because of her parents' genuine recognition and high regard for her.

After a long while, Liu Haizhong came back to his senses from his daze.

"Great! That's wonderful!" He paced excitedly around the room. "This is the best thing ever! Honey, quickly go and get everything we have stored away!"

As he spoke, he pulled his second aunt toward the inner room.

Immediately afterwards, a rustling sound of something being rummaged through came from inside.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu exchanged a glance, both somewhat bewildered.

What kind of show is this?

One moment they were talking about my older brother's engagement, and the next they were rushing into the house and rummaging through everything as if they were about to do something big.

Before long, a series of faint collisions and rubbing sounds came from the inner room.

The two brothers craned their necks and pricked up their ears simultaneously, their minds filled with doubt.

When Liu Haizhong and Aunt Er came out again, the two of them were carrying a worn canvas bag, their movements as careful as if they were holding a fragile treasure.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu stared wide-eyed.

Liu Haizhong walked to the table, composed himself, and forcefully shook the cloth bag onto the table with the opening facing down.

With a crash--

Various banknotes were scattered and piled up into a small mountain on the table.

Ten-yuan notes, five-yuan notes, two-yuan notes... different denominations are mixed together, exuding an old paper and dusty smell.

Various types of tickets and certificates are not commonly seen.

But if you just add up all that cash, it's probably no less than two thousand yuan.

Keep in mind that this was all the money they could spare after they had spent a large sum on household supplies following Liu Guangqi's advice before the Lunar New Year.

It's unbelievable that such a number still exists!

This shows how frugal and hardworking Mr. and Mrs. Liu have been throughout their lives, saving every penny they could.

Now, they are putting all their assets in front of Liu Guangqi.

"Dad! Mom! What are you doing?"

Liu Guangtian was the first to shout it out, his voice even changing tone.

"Are you... going to empty our pockets? How are we supposed to survive after this?"

Liu Guangfu swallowed hard, feeling his throat dry and tight.

He cautiously approached, his gaze fixed intently on the pile of money.

"Dad," his voice was hoarse, "you really intend to use all of this for my eldest brother's wedding? Then... what about my second brother and me?"

Even the slowest-witted brothers understood.

Father is going to risk everything, betting his eldest brother's future!

"What do you know!"

Liu Haizhong's eyes widened, almost shooting sparks.

"Your eldest brother is getting married. What's Xiaoyun's family background? What's her family's social standing? Can we not prepare the bride price in advance?"

"Besides, won't your older brother and his wife need money for their future life?"

"We can't let people think our family is stingy and shabby!"

As Liu Haizhong spoke, he became more and more excited. With a wave of his arm, he pushed all the money on the table toward Liu Guangqi without the slightest hesitation.

"Guangqi, keep these!"

"We need the money for the bride price, the wedding banquet, and daily life! If it's not enough, Dad will swallow his pride and borrow from the neighbors in the courtyard!"

The second aunt, her eyes red, nodded vigorously.

"Guangqi, take this. From now on, live a good life with Xiaoyun and never mistreat that girl."

……

He took away more than two thousand yuan of his savings without hesitation.

In the entire alley, which family has such audacity? Which household dares to act in this way?

indeed.

Yi Zhonghai had worked his way up in the factory for years, and his savings might not be less than Liu Haizhong's, but asking him to part with everything without reservation was absolutely impossible. As for Yan Bugui, let alone two thousand yuan, even twenty yuan felt like being ripped from his pocket. Only Liu Haizhong was different—he was willing to part with everything, and not only that, he did so with a smile, willingly laying bare his entire fortune. The second aunt standing nearby not only didn't stop him, but nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of approval.

If someone were to ask: "You've given all the money to your eldest son, what will happen to your second and third children?" Liu Haizhong and his wife probably wouldn't even have considered it. Of course, they weren't foolish. The reason they gave so much was ultimately because Liu Guangqi was marrying Zhao Mengyun. If it were any other girl from an ordinary family, they would certainly have been devoted, but they might not have been willing to empty their savings. They would have given the usual dowry, perhaps a little more than others, and that would have been the end of it. But Zhao Mengyun was different—not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but her own background was also outstanding: she worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and both her parents came from military families. Liu Haizhong and his wife naturally wouldn't dare to neglect such a girl, nor did they want to be looked down upon. In other words, they felt the money was well spent. The elderly couple had long ago decided that their eldest son would be responsible for their care in their old age, and they had no hope for their two younger children.

Seeing this scene, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu felt their bodies stiffen and their hearts ache. They had known their parents were biased, but they never imagined it would be to this extent. The two stood there dumbfounded, staring at the thick stack of bills on the table, their mouths agape for a long time. That was over two thousand yuan—the family's savings of most of their lives—and their father had given it all to their eldest brother without batting an eye. Liu Guangtian secretly pinched his thigh, wincing in pain—it wasn't a dream; his father really was going to give his eldest brother the family's entire fortune.

Liu Guangqi stared at the money his parents were pushing towards him, speechless for a moment. He knew the old couple favored him, but seeing them so readily offer their life savings still sent a shiver down his spine. Liu Haizhong had always been incredibly good to his eldest son. He recalled the scoundrel of his predecessor in the original story, who had abandoned such parents to become a live-in son-in-law, ultimately meeting such a tragic end. Yet, even then, Liu Haizhong's greatest concern until his death was still him. In the original plot, the old couple had similarly emptied their savings when the predecessor got married—even though their son was marrying into the family. For an old-fashioned man like Liu Haizhong, who valued his reputation above all else, what deep-seated sentiment must have driven him to do this?

After a moment of silence, Liu Guangqi gently pushed the money back, his tone sincere: "Dad, Mom, please keep this money. There are some things I haven't explained in detail—I'm currently an administrative level 16, an eighth-level engineer. In the past year or so, with my salary, subsidies, and the R&D bonus from the department, I've saved no less than you have. Don't worry about it." He paused, his voice softening: "Meng Yun isn't the type to care about these things. If she were truly a girl who only cared about money, I wouldn't have married her. We both know this. I came back today to give you a heads-up, to put your minds at ease."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong suddenly looked up, his lips trembling slightly: "Level...Level 8 Engineer? Guangqi, you got promoted again?"

If my memory serves me right, Liu Guangqi was promoted from assistant engineer to level nine engineer last year, right? How long has it been, and he's been promoted another level?