“Huai Ru, there are too many eyes and ears in the courtyard where I live. You already had a blind date with Jia Dong Xu before. If I bring you back, it will definitely cause a stir and affect our performance.
I think we should just stay here tonight. You can rest tomorrow, and then I'll take you back to the courtyard after I get off work.”
Li Wu Wei had considered moving to this small courtyard, but he decided against it. He would make a decision after a couple of years, seeing the situation with joint public-private ventures.
If he just moved in and then was subjected to a public-private partnership, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Besides, he was living a good life. He should be envied by others. Wouldn't that be like wearing fine clothes in the dark? It's better to stay in the courtyard, not leave the masses, and lie flat.
“Hmm!”
Qin Huai Ru nodded, her face flushed with shyness.
Seeing this, Li Wu Wei had nothing else to say. Isn't Qin Huai Ru in his hands fragrant enough?
That night, you did not reject me!
That night, I hurt you.
The four great joys in life are the moment when your name is inscribed on the gold list, the night of your wedding, and so on.
At this moment, Qin Huai Ru was like a delicate little grass, swaying gracefully in the moonlight.
Later, Li Wu Wei fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up again, he estimated that it was time to go to work.
“Huh, where is she?”
He was stunned. There was no one in bed with him. Was it a dream? It couldn't be!
“Brother Li, you're awake.”
Suddenly, Qin Huai Ru came in from outside, carrying something in her hands. She said, “I went out and bought breakfast for you. I hope it won't delay your work.”
“Huh, Huai Ru, why are you up so early?”
Li Wu Wei was a little confused. He was supposed to be a tough guy, pushing the limits of human physical endurance. He was still lying in bed, but Qin Huai Ru was already moving freely. It was unscientific.
“I always get up this early.”
Qin Huai Ru said, then came over to help him dress. After that, she brought him a washbasin of water for him to wash up.
As for breakfast, it was bought outside: big buns and soybean juice. She was really generous.
After eating, Li Wu Wei said, “Okay, I'll go to work. You buy something to eat for lunch. I'll take you back to the courtyard after work. We'll have a good life together from now on.”
“Hmm!”
Qin Huai Ru was beaming with happiness. After Li Wu Wei left for work, she finally couldn't take it anymore and went back to the room to catch up on some sleep.
…
Li Wu Wei rode his bicycle, feeling refreshed, to the steel mill. He decided to implement his plan to feign illness.
After clocking in at the workshop as usual, he went to the infirmary. Workers could see a doctor for free, and family members only had to pay half price.
“Master Li, what's wrong with you?”
The doctor saw that he was rosy-cheeked. He didn't look sick at all.
“My stomach isn't good. I feel like I have no appetite for anything.”
Li Wu Wei was just here to get a medical record. With the current conditions, it was difficult to find out anything about a stomach ailment.
The doctor couldn't figure anything out either. He prescribed some medicine and that was that.
At noon, in the steel mill's cafeteria, Li Wu Wei wasn't able to snag anything this time. He just bought a steamed bun and a dish of vegetables.
When he chatted with people, he said that his stomach was bad and that he was always having stomach pains.
So in the afternoon, he took leave and went to a big hospital outside for an examination. He got another medical record, but there was no result.
Li Wu Wei was testing the doctors to see if he could bribe them. Then he could get a fake certificate, allowing Qin Huai Ru to take his place.
From the hospital, he went directly to his grandfather's courtyard. He saw that Qin Huai Ru had already packed her bags and was waiting for him.
He decided to have a moment of intimacy. Young people don't know about worries!
“Huai Ru, you're still a little thin. You have to eat more and gain some weight.”
Li Wu Wei said some sweet words. Qin Huai Ru was indeed young and beautiful, but because she had been a vegetarian for a long time in the village, she was a little thin due to malnutrition.
“Hmm!”
Qin Huai Ru nodded. She had already undergone a transformation and was now a married woman.
Taking advantage of the remaining time, Li Wu Wei explained: “Huai Ru, you've been to the courtyard where I live. The situation there is a bit complicated. Let me give you a brief rundown.
The courtyard is divided into three smaller courtyards: front, middle, and back. There are three people in charge, and there are over twenty households and a hundred people living there.
The person in charge of the front courtyard is Third Uncle Yan Bu Gui, an elementary school teacher. He's a cheapskate, and he'll haggle over every penny. Don't fall for his tricks.
The middle courtyard houses the Jia family, as you know. Next door to the Jia family is the He family. The father, He Da Qing, is the head chef in the steel mill's cafeteria. His son is called Sha Zhu, and he has a daughter called He Yu Shui…
Across the street from the Jia family lives Yi Zhong Hai. He is a senior fitter at the steel mill, and he has no children. He is the First Uncle of the courtyard. How to say it, he is a hypocrite.
Then I live in the back courtyard. The situation is even more complicated. There is a deaf old lady, the oldest, who is on welfare. She is the same as the five guaranteed households in your village. She gets five yuan a month from the street for her pension.
There is also Second Uncle Liu Hai Zhong, next door to my house. He likes to save face, that's all.
The most important thing is to be careful of the old Xu family. Old Xu is a shameless person. He has a son, Xu Da Mao, who is also a sneaky, nasty person…”
Qin Huai Ru was a little stunned after hearing this. The interpersonal relationships were more complicated than in her village.
Li Wu Wei continued, “I was just a regular resident in the courtyard before, a low-key kind of guy. I have two rooms and a small kitchen, enough for us to live in.
The people in the courtyard don't know about me inheriting my grandfather's fortune.
My idea is not to tell anyone. Keep it a secret for now, to avoid jealousy in the courtyard. So we won't hold a wedding banquet outside.
But we'll have a big celebration at your house, then invite your family to have another celebration at our courtyard.
We won't invite anyone from the courtyard. That's safe.
So I just gave five yuan in dowry to the outside world, and I got you, erm, I married you. Do you understand?”
“Yes, I understand. Don't show your wealth.”
Qin Huai Ru was not a generous person. She wouldn't let others enjoy the benefits of all this money and good conditions.
“That's the way to do it. Let's go, I'll take you to a restaurant. I'll tell you, the mutton hot pot in Beijing is especially delicious. Once we're full, I'll take you back to the courtyard.”
Li Wu Wei was relieved. He was going to be seen as a gigolo, at worst people would be jealous. If they wanted to report him, they wouldn't be able to find any reason. Let them envy and hate him.