“Is this it, where Qin Huai Ru lives in this courtyard?”
“Should be right, the largest courtyard here has this entrance.”
A group of female workers gathered outside the courtyard gate, led by Aunt Chen and Sister Hua, who had both received wedding invitations from Qin Huai Ru.
“Let’s go in and ask. We'll arrive at Qin Huai Ru’s place early, check the situation, and avoid any embarrassment if our fellow workers from the workshop come to offer gifts only to find there’s no food.”
“Exactly, Li Wu Wei is a scoundrel. Qin Huai Ru is a good person, kind and innocent. We can’t let Aunt Chen’s apprentice get bullied.”
“If Li Wu Wei is really scamming for money, we’ll show him what’s what.”
“Right, show him what’s what. Does Li Wu Wei actually have any real money?”
The female workers chatted and entered the courtyard gate.
“Oh my, where did you all come from?”
Grandma Third was waiting at the entrance, along with another worker from the factory who lived in the courtyard. They were worried that fellow workers might arrive early.
“Grandma Third, it’s Sister Hua and the others from the factory.”
The worker hastily called out, thinking Li Wu Wei was truly capable, even inviting this group of people.
Sister Hua said, “Qin Huai Ru lives here, right?”
“Yes, I am Grandma Third of this courtyard. I am here to help receive guests for her family. She lives in the back yard. I’ll take you there. Li Wu Wei went to pick up Qin Huai Ru. He’s not in the courtyard yet. The event is scheduled for 9 am, he should be here soon.”
Grandma Third, with a happy smile, led the women towards the middle courtyard. It was great that the workers were here.
Once they received the gifts, the feast could be arranged. It would be a full spread at noon, even the children would have their own seats. They would eat like kings.
Sister Hua, with her round face, couldn’t help but ask, “Is Li Wu Wei really hosting a banquet today? Will there be food?”
“Of course! The food was bought early this morning. The back yard is busy right now.”
Grandma Third greeted them with a smile, just in time to see Liu’s eldest son rushing towards the back yard, clearly acting as a scout to inform them.
The female workers, hearing this, muttered to themselves, surprised.
“Aunt Chen, you wouldn’t believe it, Li Wu Wei actually has such good relationships in the courtyard.”
“I can’t believe it. Could he actually be a good person?”
“A good person would steal Jia Dong Xu’s fiancee and send out fake invitations for us to bring gifts?”
“Let’s see what happens. Maybe this is all part of Li Wu Wei’s plan.”
Aunt Chen was more composed and didn't jump to conclusions. Many of the female workers were married, but today, fearing that Li Wu Wei might be deceiving them, they didn’t bring their husbands.
They soon arrived at the middle courtyard. One of the workers shouted, “Master Yi, are you helping Li Wu Wei register today? What about Jia Dong Xu? Does he also live in this backyard?”
The worker was mistaken, thinking it was a double-courtyard, not knowing that there was another middle courtyard between the front and back yards.
Yi Zhong Hai’s old face instantly became awkward. Jia Zhang Shi was not present, and he sat at the table, thinking about where things went wrong.
How could Li Wu Wei invite everyone in the courtyard and even have the money to buy meat, vegetables, and host a feast?
He didn’t expect the female workers from the factory to arrive so early, and then misunderstood.
Fortunately, Grandma Third quickly said, “You’re mistaken, this is the middle courtyard. Jia Dong Xu lives in that room over there. The Master Yi you’re asking about is helping Jia Dong Xu register.”
“Oh, I see. This courtyard is really large, it’s so nice.”
The worker lived in a small, crowded, mixed-family courtyard. She had never been to such a beautiful large courtyard.
The so-called mixed-family courtyard was such that after opening the door, the next door was just two meters away, with no shared space at all.
“Of course, our courtyard used to be part of a Prince’s mansion. It’s different from ordinary courtyards. It’s spacious.”
Grandma Third boasted, feeling proud.
“Master Yi, you go ahead and keep busy. We’ll go to Li Wu Wei’s place in the back yard.”
“See you later, Master Yi!”
Some workers greeted Yi Zhong Hai, many people knew him as a senior fitter at the factory.
“Good, good!”
Yi Zhong Hai felt incredibly embarrassed. He was too ashamed to continue sitting there, fearing that he wouldn’t receive a single gift and would become a laughingstock as the accountant.
Before leaving, he crossed out his name from the registration book. After some thought, he took the book and the pen and ink with him, after all, he paid for them himself.
Jia’s banquet could not proceed. If he were to eat alone, how could he gain a foothold in the courtyard? He wouldn’t even be standing with the people.
When he returned home, Yi Zhong Hai looked at his wife with a stern face and asked, “Cui Yun, did you know about this beforehand?”
Grandma Yi sighed, “I’m not sure about the specifics. I just overheard a bit while passing by. All the residents in the courtyard, except for our family and the old woman, went to Li Wu Wei’s banquet.”
Even though Yi Zhong Hai had already made a guess, he couldn't help but gasp and exclaimed, “Where did he get the money to host a banquet? There are so many households in our courtyard, how could he afford to invite them all? Didn’t he spend all his money buying a bicycle?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask Mrs. Chen next door, she told me to ask Old Yan. Old Yan is helping with the preparations.”
Grandma Yi didn’t like to talk about gossip in the courtyard. She usually didn’t chat with the other women. She couldn't have children, and she was afraid of hearing gossip.
…
The female workers had just reached the covered walkway when they saw a group of people coming towards them.
“Welcome, welcome. The tables are all set. The newlyweds will arrive at the courtyard in a while.”
The group of people welcomed the confused female workers into the back yard.
Yan Bu Gui stood up and shouted, “Register here first. I am the Third Uncle of this courtyard. Li Wu Wei hired me as the accountant. This is his house.”
Sister Hua and her group of female workers saw the lively scene in the back yard. There were dozens, maybe even hundreds of people gathered, with more than a dozen tables set up.
There was a door panel set up, and a group of aunties wearing aprons were chopping vegetables. There were six or seven stoves with pots on top, and the meat and vegetables were visible.
They were completely dumbfounded. It was nothing like what they had imagined.
Aunt Chen reacted first, leading her sisters to offer their gifts.
Yan Bu Gui happily collected the money and registered their names. The residents gathered around, watching, relieved that Li Wu Wei wasn’t deceiving them, they actually received the money.
He Da Qing also stretched his neck to look. Seeing the female workers actually paying and giving gifts, he was relieved. The money he had lent wouldn't be lost.
“They’re here, the groom and bride are here!”
Liu Guang Qi shouted from the back yard entrance, followed by Yan Jie Cheng, Xu Feng Ling, He Yu Shui, and others.
There were quite a few children in the courtyard nowadays, making it quite lively.
“Oh, this really won’t do. My Dong Xu is hosting a banquet today, what will happen when he comes back?”
Jia Zhang Shi was still at the back yard entrance. She no longer cared about the gifts. She just wanted to get a few more people to come, otherwise there wouldn’t be enough guests, how could they call it a banquet?