Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

Page 177

Chapter 228 Yan Bugui is ostracized

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's glasses were so shocked they were practically on his nose. He quickly got up and followed Yan Jiecheng to Li Xiangdong's window.

"This color TV is really great! You can even see what color clothes the people on it are wearing!"

"Yu Li is such a lucky girl. She eats and drinks well every day with Li Xiangdong, and she doesn't have to do any dirty or tiring work at work. Now she even has a color TV to watch when she gets home from get off work every day. I'm so envious!"

By this time, a large crowd had gathered in front of Li Xiangdong's house to watch the commotion, discussing among themselves. When they saw the Yan father and son approaching, they lowered their voices. After all, if it weren't for Li Xiangdong's appearance, Yu Li would probably already be Yan Jiecheng's wife.

"Uncle, aren't you quite familiar with Yu Li? Could you go in and talk to them about moving the TV out into the yard so everyone can watch it together?"

Some people joked about it.

"It's possible, but let me make this clear first: it's not that Yu Li doesn't want to be with our Jiecheng, it's that our Jiecheng doesn't like her type!"

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses and said in a pretentious manner.

"Dad... let's just forget about it, it's not appropriate to do this..."

Yan Jiecheng was still relatively sober and quickly tried to persuade his father, Yan Bugui.

"Hey Jiecheng, it's been so long since what happened between you and Yu Li, you're not still thinking about her and afraid to talk to her and Li Xiangdong, are you?"

"I...I didn't! What's there to be afraid of? I...I just went to deliver some pickled radishes to them!"

Yan Jiecheng scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

"Alright, son, I'll go talk to them and make sure you can all watch big color TVs!"

Seeing his son's predicament, Yan Bugui patted his chest with a confident air and walked into Li Xiangdong's house under everyone's gaze.

"Yan Bugui, if I say you're young, you have a face full of wrinkles; if I say you're old, you don't know any manners at all. Don't you know to knock before entering someone else's room?"

"Like father, like son! You're a teacher, and you're misleading students? You and your family should really think about how to improve your own character..."

Li Xiangdong and Yu Li were happily watching TV and eating when Yan Bugui suddenly barged in, ruining the mood.

Yan Bugui, who had been full of confidence, immediately lost his spirit after Li Xiangdong's words and stood there speechless for a moment.

"Speak your mind or shut up. If you have nothing to say, get out and close the door behind you."

Seeing Yan Bugui's pathetic state, Li Xiangdong said impatiently.

"Wow, this is a color TV! This is the first time I've ever seen one!"

If it weren't for the large crowd waiting to see him make a fool of himself, Yan Bugui wouldn't have wanted to continue making a fool of himself here.

"I heard that Old Wang's family in the alley ahead also bought a TV. Old Wang is a really nice guy; he just put the TV in his yard and watched it with the neighbors!"

"His old black-and-white TV is nowhere near as good as yours. With a whole yard full of people crammed together, you can't see anything clearly. If your big color TV were placed in the yard, people could see it perfectly well even standing next to the outhouse!"

Seeing that Li Xiangdong ignored him, Yan Bugui continued, practically telling Li Xiangdong that everyone in their compound wanted to watch the color TV for free.

"Yan Bugui, Yan Bugui, your scheme is so cunning that it could be heard right up to the front gate."

"Want to watch TV? Sure, take the money and go buy it. You know the way to the supply and marketing cooperative, so don't try to take advantage of me."

Li Xiangdong snorted coldly.

"Look at what you're saying! We're all neighbors in the same courtyard, shouldn't we share things together? If you ask me, you young people of this generation are just too selfish, only thinking about your own enjoyment!"

"Yan Bugui, how come you can't even speak a coherent sentence with that big grin? When you're at home eating meat with your wife and son, why don't you bring it out to share with everyone?"

"You...you're such a rude child..."

"If you think it's awful, then get out of my house right now! I have even worse stuff out there, do you want to hear it?"

Li Xiangdong's arrogant attitude and fierce expression frightened Yan Bugui so much that he had to back away and walk out of Li Xiangdong's house with a dejected look on his face.

"How's it going, Uncle? Did you manage to get a TV for the neighbors?"

"Yeah, why did you come out with such a long face? I don't think Li Xiangdong (Li Haozhao) and his wife paid much attention to you either!"

"Hey, if you ask me, if you don't have the ability, don't show off and make everyone happy for nothing!"

Yan Bugui's wish to watch a color TV was dashed, and the group of people in the courtyard gave him a dressing down. Yan Jiecheng felt he had lost face and went home to make a farewell.

"Look how good Yu Li is at finding men! She's not even married yet, and she's already living so comfortably every day. If she marries Li Xiangdong and gives him a son, won't Li Xiangdong spoil her like the Queen Mother of the West?"

"Look at you! You're useless. You have no skills whatsoever, all you do is flirt with Widow Qin. Be careful she doesn't kill you one of these days!"

Chapter 229 Zhang Feng Stakes Over the Factory

Lou Xiao'e, who had been watching the commotion in the courtyard, felt extremely bitter. When she opened the door to go home and saw Xu Damao's face, she became even angrier and gave him a good scolding.

"What are you saying? She is her and I am me. How could being her neighbor bring me bad luck?"

Xu Damao was still trying to prove his innocence. After all, he had been bedridden and needed Lou Xiao'e's care. If Lou Xiao'e could believe him, his life would be a little easier.

"Neighbors? Have you ever seen neighbors who crawl into the same bed?"

"Let me tell you, Xu Damao, you'd better stay away from jinxes like Qin Huairu. You're already bedridden because of her, and next time you'll probably just die!"

Lou Xiao'e didn't believe Xu Damao's nonsense. She rolled her eyes and went to lie down in the next room.

"Dad...you've saved up quite a bit of money over the years, haven't you? Why don't we buy a TV and put it in the yard so everyone can watch it together? Everyone'll be talking behind Li Xiangdong's back then!"

　537 Yan Jiecheng saw Yan Bugui sitting alone in a chair, looking sullen, so he went over to comfort him. His real purpose wasn't to reassure his father, but rather to have television to watch every day when he got home, so he could finally show off in front of the people in the courtyard.

"Buy a TV? I think you're dreaming!"

"The little money I save by scrimping and saving every day isn't even enough to get you a wife, let alone a TV! In your next life!"

“You and Li Xiangdong are about the same age. He stole your woman and is living a very comfortable life. Look at you, all you do is ask your family for money!”

Already in a bad mood, Yan Bugui unleashed a torrent of abuse on Yan Jiecheng. The only time he could reveal his true colors was in front of his two sons, even though he usually valued literary elegance.

"I can't afford a large color TV, so can't I have a small black and white TV? At least that old man can listen to the radio every day..."

Yan Jiecheng pursed his lips and said, but seeing Yan Bugui's sharp gaze, he turned around and slunk back to his room to sleep.

"Go wash all my dirty clothes before you go to sleep!"

Unable to teach Qin Huairu a lesson due to the obstruction of the stick, Jia Zhangshi could only continue to torment her daughter-in-law in other ways.

"Well... both kids are asleep, I'll wash them tomorrow morning..."

Qin Huairu frowned as she looked at the two large basins of filthy, smelly clothes in front of her.

"No way! These were worn in prison, they can't stay overnight at home. Our Jia family is already in enough trouble with you, this jinx, what other bad luck do you want to bring me?"

Jia Zhangshi's face was contorted with rage, appearing particularly terrifying in the dim light of the night. Seeing this, Qin Huairu dared not say anything more, and carried two large basins of dirty clothes straight to the water pipe, lest Jia Zhangshi cause any more trouble late at night.

"Zhang Feng, what's up with you? Why are you here so early again?"

"Yeah, you're always the one who's late the most. You're here to compete for the title of model worker these days, aren't you!"

The next day, before it was time to start work, Zhang Feng was already waiting at the workshop entrance, all smiles, holding a big steamed bun and munching on it.

It should be noted that Zhang Feng, relying on Yi Zhonghai's protection, had a history of being late, leaving early, and getting into fights. His appearance at the factory early for two consecutive days was truly unusual.

"Go away, what do you know? There's going to be a good show today!"

Zhang Feng, his mouth stuffed full of steamed buns, staggered into the workshop. But instead of heading to his own workstation, he stopped in front of Yu Bin's.

"You...you really want to go against Section Chief Li's brother-in-law?"

"What's there to be afraid of? This is a state-owned enterprise, not Li Xiangdong's personal fiefdom! If you don't have real skills, I won't even recognize the mayor's own son!"

"Yu Bin got the top score in this assessment, I think he's really got some skills. If you go head-to-head with him, you'll definitely be the one who suffers..."

"First place? How can a greenhorn like him compare to the level of us old workers? If you ask me, his first place is highly questionable. His brother-in-law must have secretly given him a high score!"

Despite his coworkers' attempts to persuade him, Zhang Feng remained unconvinced and deliberately raised his voice, as if afraid that people within a few miles wouldn't hear his disdain for Li Xiangdong and Yu Bin.

"Hey, it's almost eight o'clock, looks like our Section Chief Li's brother-in-law is going to be late!"

All the workers were busy at their workstations, but Zhang Feng was staring at the bezel of the clock, trying to find something to use against Yu Bin.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Engineer Zhang. I, Yu Bin, am never late."

With the second hand just half a revolution away, Yu Bin walked over with a smile, instantly freezing the smug smile on Zhang Feng's face.

"What kind of skill is it to arrive at the factory on time? Young people should have a more proactive attitude towards work! When I was an apprentice, my master told me that I must arrive at the factory early, even if it's just to prepare for the day's work!"

Zhang Feng wasn't much older than Yu Bin, but his teaching style was exactly the same as his master Yi Zhonghai's.

Chapter 230 Yu Bin Perfectly Completes the Mission

"Hey Zhang, you're here really early today! This is the first time I've seen you before eight o'clock since I started working here, isn't it?"

Just then, Li Xiangdong, who was sitting in his office, heard the commotion outside the door and got up to come out.

"I……"

Zhang Feng realized that Li Xiangdong was mocking his habit of being late, and his face instantly turned bright red.

"I didn't hear that Director Yang transferred you to our factory's security department. How come you're now in charge of what time the workshop workers start work?"

"Could it be... I heard that your master, Yi Zhonghai, was just released from prison yesterday, and he knew that your work skills weren't good enough, so he came to help you with connections?"

Li Xiangdong didn't give Zhang Feng a chance to respond, continuing his mockery. His words implied that Zhang Feng lacked ability and only got where he was today because of Yi Zhonghai's connections.

"Yes! It was indeed my master who helped me! You guys aren't much better off than me, are you? At least I got into the steel rolling mill through my own abilities, and that's how I met my master. Unlike some people... who rely on their future brother-in-laws when they don't have jobs..."

Zhang Feng clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, clearly indicating a "what's the use" attitude.

“Yu Bin became a formal worker after passing the steel rolling mill’s assessment. Even if I don’t marry his sister, he will still be capable.”