Era: A college student came to the courtyard house

I came out of the courtyard.

Fang Yuan walked along the main street for more than ten minutes and came to the opposite side of the supply and marketing cooperative where he had just stopped. It was a small but proper state-run restaurant.

The restaurant doors were wide open. As Fang Yuan stepped inside, a wave of air even hotter than the air on the street hit him.

I glanced at the restaurant layout.

Although it's a day off today, there were only two tables of customers. It seems that in this day and age, there aren't many people who are willing to eat out.

Fang Yuan went straight to the window with the menu and quickly ordered a stir-fried pork slice, a serving of spicy and sour green beans, and a large bowl of rice.

The waitress pursed her lips and announced the prices: "Eighty cents, two ounces of grain coupons, three ounces of meat coupons."

Fang Yuan handed over the money and tickets together, and before leaving, he specifically instructed, "Please make sure the stir-fried pork slices have plenty of sauce, and the meat should be a bit fatty."

"Eat whatever they cook."

The waitress slammed the bill on the table, speaking as if Fang Yuan owed her money.

Fang Yuan glanced around but couldn't find the sign that read "No hitting or scolding customers without cause."

have to.

You're awesome.

I then found a seat by the window and sat down.

A short while later, a number was called from the window, and Fang Yuan went over and brought the food he had ordered to the table.

It was pretty good; the stir-fried pork slices were plentiful, with half lean and half fat.

Don't underestimate these fatty pieces of meat. In those days, most people lacked meat and oil in their bellies, so they would go out early in the morning to pick out the fatty parts of the meat, which was very different from later generations.

In addition, some people buy fatty meat but don't eat it; they use it to render lard, and then every few days they have lard-mixed rice. The taste is absolutely amazing.

Fang Yuan poured the juices from the stir-fried pork slices directly onto the steaming white rice and began to eat heartily.

The chef's skills were pretty good; I roughly knew it was meant to be eaten with rice, but the flavor was a tiny bit too salty.

In no time, Fang Yuan finished the meal, let out a satisfied burp, and then took out an empty lunchbox he had prepared beforehand from his bag and packed up the remaining dishes.

He's planning to have some wide-sauce noodles tonight.

That tastes much better than when mixed with rice.

After packing his things, he didn't rush to leave. Instead, he took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes and started smoking while pondering what his second uncle had just told him.

Guo Feng, deputy director of the steel rolling mill.

He had seen this person's name once on the meeting attendance sheet, but he had only been at Hongxing for a few days and hadn't visited any of the branch factories, so the two had never met before.

They actually want him to marry into their family? Is it because they value his status as a college graduate?

Are they bullying him because he has no parents and no one to back him up?

Anyway, let's talk about it when we meet.

As for Uncle Liu Haizhong, something's definitely not right; he's probably involved for some ulterior motive.

......

at this time.

The middle courtyard of the large tenement, the home of Qin Huairu.

"Hey Huai Ru, can't you even have a quiet meal? What are you doing running in and out like that?"

Seeing Qin Huairu coming and going, Jia Zhangshi, who had just finished clearing the dishes, couldn't help but ask.

Qin Huairu peeked into the yard and replied, "I'll go see if Xiao Fang has come back from the backyard. I just saw him, but when I got there, he wasn't home."

"Fang Yuan? He's a clueless bookworm, what could you possibly want with him?"

Jia Zhangshi's tone carried a slight hint of dissatisfaction.

Ever since her son Jia Xudong passed away, she, as the mother-in-law, has become wary of Qin Huairu. Whenever a man gets close to Qin Huairu, she can't help but jump out and nag.

Qin Huairu moved a chair and sat in front of her house, where she could see the hanging flower gate of the central courtyard.

"I forgot to tell you yesterday, but Xiao Fang is already working at our Hongxing Steel Plant, and he's even been assigned to the factory office."

Faced with Qin Huairu's explanation, Jia Zhangshi asked curiously, "What factory-run? Is it in the steel rolling mill?"

Qin Huairu patiently explained, "That's the office next to the leaders of our main factory."

Jia Zhangshi asked疑惑地, "If he's not at the steel rolling mill, then why are you looking for him?"

Qin Huairu then revealed her thoughts: "I thought that now that he has a job, the next step is to find a partner, and I'd like to introduce my cousin to him."

These days, it's a dream for rural girls to marry into cities, but it's extremely rare for someone with an urban household registration to marry a girl with a rural household registration. The fact that a child's birth registration must follow the mother's immediately puts an end to most people's hopes.

Madam Jia, being a shrewd and experienced woman, immediately saw through Qin Huairu's little scheme and asked, "Will this work? Didn't you say you wanted to introduce Jingru to Shazhu?"

Without a second thought, Qin Huairu replied, "Xiao Fang's conditions are much better than Sha Zhu's. This is a big deal, so we should choose the better one first."

"It's not impossible," Jia Zhangshi said after a moment of hesitation. Xiao Luobo slapped her thigh and said, "Fang Yuan doesn't have any elders at home. Besides, he's a grown man. How many girls has he seen? He might actually take a liking to Jingru."

The more Jia Zhangshi thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and she couldn't help but let her imagination run wild: "No matter what, it's always good to give it a try. Our Jingru is quite good-looking. When the two of them meet, it would be best if they could make it a done deal."

"If it really works out, our two families can be considered family from now on, and he will definitely help us out."

Qin Huairu glanced at Jia Zhangshi, who was even more excited than her, and interrupted, "Mom, this is still far from being settled."

Jia Zhangshi went back into the house and took out the shoe soles that were not yet finished. She also moved a stool and sat down next to Qin Huairu: "Let me tell you, when I went to clean up our chicken coop just now, I heard Second Uncle talking to Fang Yuan. It seemed like he was going to introduce him to some potential partner."

......

Not long after, Fang Yuan returned from the state-run restaurant after finishing his lunch.

Just as they crossed the central courtyard and entered the covered walkway, Qin Huairu followed behind them.

"Xiao Fang, wait a minute."

"Did your second uncle introduce you to someone?" Before Fang Yuan could speak, Qin Huairu took a few breaths and hurriedly said, "Little Fang, you're different from the others in our courtyard. Your future is sure to be bright."

Even if your second uncle introduces you to a leader's family, it doesn't mean you have to be eager to become a live-in son-in-law.

Qin Huairu finished speaking in one breath.

Fang Yuan hadn't said anything, and Liu Haizhong had just been keeping it a secret, but unexpectedly, everyone in the courtyard already knew.

"Sister Qin, this is all still up in the air." Fang Yuan, who had no interest in the marriage in the first place, naturally didn't need to keep it a secret and immediately said, "Besides, a live-in son-in-law definitely can't do it. I've heard that he won't even get to sit at the table for meals; he'll have to wait until everyone else has finished eating before he can wipe the dishes and eat some leftovers. He won't have a single penny to his name, and he'll have to pick up cigarette butts to smoke!"

"It's a good thing you still have the mood to joke." Qin Huairu bent over and chuckled upon hearing this. Summer was already dressed lightly, and her chest immediately rippled with white waves. She covered her mouth and said:

"I'm not trying to be nosy, but I think Second Uncle is up to no good. He definitely has his own agenda. Don't believe him too easily."

In response to Qin Huairu's reminder, Fang Yuan replied, "Okay, thank you for your concern, Sister Qin."

Seeing Fang Yuan repeatedly calling her "Sister Qin," Qin Huairu was overjoyed.

Don't underestimate the meaning of calling someone "Sister Qin"; it's subtly different from calling someone "sister-in-law."

Calling her "sister-in-law" was out of respect for the Jia family, while calling her "Sister Qin" indicated a more respectful relationship between Fang Yuan and her personally.