Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

"Hey? Do you know how much money Yi Zhonghai can make a day riding a tricycle? I heard he rents his tricycles and dares to skip work every day to take that old deaf man around?"

"How would I know? But it definitely won't be as much as my husband's!"

Jia Zhangshi glanced at her speechlessly, thinking to herself, "Isn't this just nonsense? Liu Haizhong's treatment isn't good enough, so why would I let Dongxu become his apprentice?"

Among the onlookers, Yang Ruihua rolled her eyes silently as she heard the two whispering.

So what if the salary is high? Can it compare to the respect we have for Old Yan? He's a scholar! A teacher! The only one of his kind in this courtyard!

……

"Teacher Yan, why are you asking me how much I earn pulling a rickshaw? Are you trying to change careers? Have you taken a fancy to our line of work?"

At the entrance of Naoluoguxiang, Cai Quanwu sat on the crossbeam of a cart, teasing Yan Bugui.

Does Cai Quanwu think he's Yi Zhonghai? Does he think he's just a laborer?

Yan Bugui's face darkened slightly, and he pouted in annoyance.

"I just happened to run into you on my way home from work and was just asking. What do I need to change? I'm doing just fine as a teacher."

"Alright, don't be angry. Have a smoke, I still want to ask you about something!"

"Go ahead and ask me, what is it?"

"Teacher Yan, how come Yi Zhonghai from your department has switched to driving a tricycle? Wasn't he a factory worker before? And where did he go today? I haven't seen him. By the way, have you heard anything about He Daqing from your department lately?"

"Yi Zhonghai? Hey! Nobody wanted him, so he had to find a way to make a living. I heard him say that a kind person who was in a hurry to get rid of his tricycle rented it to him, and today he took an old lady out for a spring outing, acting like a dutiful son. As for He Daqing... he's back to his old trade of selling steamed buns for breakfast, and he also does freelance catering for people."

Smoking the free cigarettes, Yan Bugui spoke freely, and then, thinking that there were many wealthy merchants in the area around Qianmen, he reminded them.

"By the way, Xiao Cai, if you have any banquet organizers around here, tell me and I'll introduce you to He Daqing. We'll split the referral fee! You get two... you get three, I get seven. After all, I still have to go and discuss it with them!"

"Sure, sure, I'll tell you as soon as I find out. Teacher Yan, have you heard that he's planning to take revenge on our Qianmen?"

Cai Quanwu was too lazy to even argue.

Given He Daqing's relationship with Qianmen, why would they recommend work to him? That takes a lot of nerve! I don't know what Yan Bugui was thinking...

Yan Bugui probably sensed the perfunctory tone in his words, and clicked his tongue and his tone became indifferent.

"How am I supposed to know that?"

Cai Quanwu had long witnessed his ability to change his expression as easily as drinking water, so he was not surprised at all and offered him another cigarette.

Yan Bugui immediately beamed with joy, and after thinking for a moment, added something else.

"I really don't know about that, but they were fighting again in the yard a while ago. It was quite a scene, even the wives got involved! To be honest, we have a small fight every three to five days, and a big one every ten days or so, tsk tsk..."

What do you mean? Are you showing off here?

Cai Quanwu was taken aback, not expecting the people of the courtyard to be so fierce.

That makes sense.

Cai Quanwu bid farewell to Yan Bugui and headed towards the tavern while lost in thought.

Old Niu looked displeased; his attempt to find reinforcements had failed.

I never imagined that Fan Jinyou was so poor.

"You can't even afford two packs of cigarettes? How are you doing? How are you going to hire anyone?"

Fan Jinyou looked embarrassed and scratched his head.

I don't have a job, so I can't exactly ask my mom and sister for money to go fight, can I?

"Hey Boss Niu, you're so capable, why don't you think of a way? Hehe... how about we put a sack over his head?"

Fan Jinyou had just succeeded a few days ago and thought that putting a sack over someone's head was a good way to get revenge since it was a low-cost method.

"Go away! Is that something men should do?" Old Niu's face darkened completely as he glared at him.

He was truly unwilling to accept this. He had just boasted to Lin Weidong that day, and Lin Weidong had praised him as a highly respected and capable person.

Unfortunately, no matter how respected one is, it can't compare to practical benefits. When the group at the front gate heard that Master Niu was going to find the courtyard gang to fight Cai Quanwu and Fan Jinyou to seek justice, most of them made perfunctory excuses and declined.

You should know that last time, not only was there a banquet, but you also got to show your face and curry favor with Boss Chen of the silk shop.

But this time, Cai Quanwu was a nobody, and Fan Jinyou was a jobless hutong guy. What help could they possibly give them?

What if I get injured?

It was only because Master Niu intervened that this matter was handled properly. If it had been someone else, they would have been given a good scolding, let alone given a perfunctory response.

Remembering everything that had happened before, Uncle Niu made a tough decision.

……

Cai Quanwu went out for a trip, but he didn't expect to return as a road-breaking pioneer, which greatly surprised him.

"You mean just the few of us going?"

Niu Ye, Fan Jinyou, himself, plus Pian'er Ye, who Niu Ye mentioned was coming to join the fun.

Cai Quanwu counted them off one by one with a straight face and found that he was the only one who looked strong and capable of fighting; the others were either old or thin.

He couldn't hold back any longer.

"What are you afraid of with Master Niu around?" Fan Jinyou deliberately provoked him, then smiled obsequiously at Master Niu.

Even fewer people can be fewer than him going alone, right? He was quite satisfied.

Cai Quanwu sat down without saying a word, feeling extremely unwilling, but since Master Niu had helped him last time, he had to give Master Niu face even if he didn't care about Fan Jinyou.

Just as he was worrying, another person walked into the shop. He looked disheveled, wearing a blue cloth jacket over a tattered coat, the open front of which revealed spots of black grime.

He rubbed his chest and chuckled at Cai Quanwu.

Hey! I knew you'd be here!

"Qiangzi? Need a car? Come on, come on, I'm tied up outside, I'll go get it for you!"

"Hey hey..."

When Cai Quanwu saw him, he found an excuse and, without giving Qiangzi a chance to explain his purpose, pulled him away.

The two walked outside the shop, sat on the carriage beam, lit a cigarette, and Cai Quanwu, now with some free time, explained the situation in a complaining manner.

Upon hearing this, Qiangzi became interested.

"It's just a cook and a worker, what's there to be afraid of? Come on, I'll help you out! Besides, this is a gathering organized by Master Niu, what could possibly go wrong? Don't be fooled by the fact that he couldn't get anyone to come today, it's because that kid surnamed Fan doesn't have any influence. If this were Master Niu's own business, just watch how many people would help him!"

"Sigh!" Cai Quanwu sighed. Qiangzi didn't understand at all. His original intention was not to help Fan Jinyou.

"By the way, aren't you using your car today?"

"No need, hold on a bit. I called you today because I have something to discuss. You know that Lou's Steel Rolling Mill outside the city? They're expanding and hiring! What do you think, could we brothers give it a try? Being a spineless coward all the time isn't good!"

"A steel rolling mill? What are you thinking? They need skilled workers. What do you know about me?"

"Look, look! This is what happens when you're out of the loop! This time they've made it very clear that they're hiring a lot of apprentices! We can go in and learn for a year or two and we'll understand, right? Think about it... isn't being a worker better than being a nobody?"

Upon hearing this, Cai Quanwu pursed his lips, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and seemed somewhat tempted.

Indeed, regardless of how much a worker earns, at least their status sounds better than that of a lowly worker.

Seeing this, Qiangzi pressed his advantage and offered further advice.

"Getting in probably won't be easy, but this is a perfect opportunity, isn't it? Let's help Boss Niu out, and see if he knows anyone who can put in a good word for us..."

He had this plan in mind before he came.

Unexpectedly, the usually honest Cai Quanwu had a stroke of good luck. He was eager to make connections with influential people, but no one appreciated him. It was truly a case of God being blind.

Qiangzi secretly envied Cai Quan for being unable to know Master Niu.

……

Lin Weidong has been staying mostly in the backyard of the silk shop lately, and he's been visiting the tavern more often.

As soon as I entered, I saw Master Niu discussing weekend tactics with a few people.

Lin Weidong chuckled when he saw two pairs of clones on Qiangzi's profile and heard that he wanted to join in the fun.

Qiangzi is a good person to get along with; he'll really step up when something happens.

Not bad, not bad. If he's really capable, the steel mill's workshop might reserve a spot for him to tighten screws.