Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

Yi Zhonghai readily agreed, gave Gao Cuilan a smug look, and then helped the deaf old lady out the door.

The two went into the backyard house, and Yi Zhonghai's face stiffened when he saw that the deaf old lady had only handed him a gold bar.

"Grandma... what do you mean by that?"

"Zhonghai, don't take it personally. I'm just worried that our tinkering will attract other people's envy. We can't put all our eggs in one basket. We'll take more after you've spent it all! This old lady of mine rarely leaves the house, and I still rely on you two to take care of me. Don't worry, I've saved it all for us!"

The deaf old lady gave a serious explanation on the surface, but she was actually wary in her heart.

Now that she has a rift with Yi Zhonghai, she won't trust him wholeheartedly.

Although Yi Zhonghai was furious, he was also quite helpless at this moment.

Having one is better than having none. Let's warm up the one we got first!

No sooner had Yi Zhonghai left than news spread that he had taken over the safekeeping of the gold bars for the deaf old lady.

This time, it was the old lady herself who passed it on.

Yi Zhonghai was extremely frustrated. He had only taken one gold bar, but to the people in the courtyard, it looked like he had taken all three.

The key point is that he can't explain this matter. Explaining it openly won't work, and he'll lose the one he has. Passing it on secretly... well, others have to believe it!

Unexpectedly, after two days of scheming, he was still outmaneuvered, and Yi Zhonghai became wary.

When Jia Zhangshi heard about this incident from the people in the courtyard the next day, she was consumed by rage.

Is there no justice in this world?

How did Yi Zhonghai, who had been reduced to carrying sacks and doing manual labor, suddenly become rich again?

Could it be that I'm wrong?

Whether she was right or wrong, Lin Weidong certainly felt he was wrong.

Upon hearing that Yi Zhonghai had secured another round of start-up capital from the deaf old lady, Lin Weidong couldn't help but wonder, could this guy possibly have some kind of protagonist's halo?

During his workday, Lin Weidong pondered the cause and effect of the situation, and then relaxed, realizing he had been overthinking things.

This is just an ordinary world. If there's any protagonist's halo, it should be me!

I'm the one who's cheating, yet I can still make Yi Zhonghai feel smug?

What good is having money? A small yellow croaker might sell for a good price on the black market, but it'll only fetch forty or fifty yuan, enough to last until after the New Year at best.

Isn't Yi Zhonghai carrying sacks? Then he should go and do some hard labor!

In short, he can't be biased. Nobody wants He Da, and he's been trying to go back to selling steamed buns these past few days. How can you, Yi Zhonghai, expect to have a good life?

With only a few days left until the Chinese New Year, the focus of everyone's discussions during breaks gradually shifted to material benefits and holiday arrangements.

The basics are clear; all that's missing now is to post the announcement.

The annual leave is said to be three days, from the first to the third day of the Lunar New Year, with normal work resuming on the fourth day.

However, there is also the duty roster. Theoretically, there is no possibility of taking three consecutive days off. For Lin Weidong and the other 11 new employees in the department, it would be unreasonable not to rush to take duty at this time.

Lin Weidong didn't care about this; he would do whatever Chang Wan arranged, and his main goal was to be an active supporter.

After getting off work in the afternoon, Lin Weidong ran into two people at the entrance of his workplace: one was Xiao Wang, Lou Zhenhua's secretary, and the other was a clone he had arranged to go there.

"Comrade Lin, Mr. Lou would like to invite you to his home for a chat. He said... he has received a letter!"

Despite his doubts, Xiao Wang dutifully repeated Lou Zhenhua's words exactly as he had said, without adding or subtracting a single word.

Evening, at the Lou family's residence.

It was the same villa, the same study, and Lou Zhenhua, who had been depressed, became excited.

We discussed in detail the expansion of the steel rolling mill and the subsequent arrangements.

Lou Zhenhua recalled the blond, blue-eyed Westerners and the orders mentioned in the letter home, and realized that he had seen through Lin Weidong's purpose in doing all this.

They use their own assets to gain credit in the country, and then support themselves to make money abroad.

To put it bluntly, it's just being an agent! That's how the Lou family made their fortune back then. What difference does it make who you work for? Lou Zhenhua didn't object.

What he has always feared is the business environment, not normal business competition. He is confident that he can make a name for himself outside.

Furthermore, the entire transaction between the two was only a verbal agreement, and there was never even a written contract.

Whether you listen to advice or not is entirely up to you when things take off in the future.

He thought to himself that Lin Weidong was indeed a young man, but on the surface he changed his form of address and made a serious guarantee.

"Mr. Lin, please rest assured, regardless of whether I, Lou Zhenhua, achieve great things in the future, I will always remember your help! Just let me know if you ever need anything..."

Lin Weidong was unimpressed by Lou Zhenhua's earnest expression of gratitude.

He chuckled, finished his tea, and packed up to leave.

With the Eye of Truth present, how could he not see that Lou Zhenhua's words were merely a passing thought?

In fact, Lou Zhenhua has no need to worry about this.

Would you abandon a 100% loyal clone and invest in a fickle businessman instead?

Thinking too much is wishful thinking.

From beginning to end, it was nothing more than a one-off transaction.

On his way back from the Lou family, Lin Weidong pondered to himself.

The donation from the steel rolling mill in exchange for merit is basically appropriate.

If he weren't worried that waiting until August or September would bring greater rewards, he would have arranged the donation immediately so he could escape the misery of being a typist as soon as possible.

Chang Wan's high regard for him was something he could not bear for even a second.

Arriving at the Qianmen Silk Shop as usual, Lin Weidong knocked on the door, already carrying the prepared gifts in his hand.

"Hey Lin! We don't need you, why are you spending this money? You're treating your Uncle Chen and me like outsiders! Come in!"

Upon seeing Lin Weidong again, Chen's mother was overjoyed, greeting him with a smile as she chatted on and on.

Before the New Year was even over, news of the Hou family's escape overseas had already spread.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen Zhongjie never expected that Lin Weidong's intervention would solve the problem in this way.

The merchants in Qianmen are all talking about the Hou family now, and they are openly cursing them!

Correspondingly, there were quite a few pitiful members of the Chen family.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Chen Zhongjie severed ties with the Hou family whenever a suitable occasion presented itself.

His indignant attitude was mixed with a serious sense of national righteousness. In the past two days, the threshold of Chen's Silk Shop has almost been trampled down.

Her previous worries about her reputation had completely disappeared, and the heavy weight in her heart had been lifted. Naturally, she was extremely satisfied with Lin Weidong as her son-in-law.

After the meal, Chen's mother refused to let Lin Weidong leave.

"Weidong, listen to your aunt, stay here. It's not safe for you to be alone in this dark..."

What she was thinking was that it wasn't like they had nowhere to live at home, and besides, the two young people had already consummated their marriage, so why should she and Lao Chen be the bad guys?

"This... alright!" Lin Weidong hesitated, but when he met Chen Xueru's expectant eyes, his heart started racing.

This temptation was hard not to make him excited and thrilled.

This was the first time in his two lifetimes that he had been able to openly stay overnight at his father-in-law's house.