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

Page 185

"Since I'll have to spend money to marry any girl anyway, why don't I just marry the one I like?"

"I've already told Mom and Dad, and I'm telling you again today: if you don't pay for my marriage to Xiaoyue, I'll never get married in this lifetime, and the three of you will have to support me!"

Lou sat down angrily in the courtyard. When the soft approach didn't work, he resorted to threats, knowing that this tactic would definitely work on his sister, Lou Xiao'e.

"Okay, okay, you really are my little darling!"

"This is the money I found in Xu Damao's cabinet the day before yesterday. You can take it first to get Xiaoyue her wedding jewelry. I'll figure out how to get the rest of the dowry from him... 600..."

"But you absolutely cannot let that old devil Xu Damao know about this. This is all his secret stash of money hidden in the cupboard. He's a real greedy old fox; if he finds out, he'll cause a huge uproar!"

Lou Xiao'e took out a small wad of money from the inside pocket of her coat and handed it to Lou Sheng, whispering her instructions.

Xu Damao, who was standing by the window at that moment, was completely dumbfounded when he saw this scene.

He usually hid some money from Lou Xiao'e for emergencies. Lou Xiao'e rarely went into the next room, so he chose the wardrobe in the next room as the best place to hide his money.

Recently, partly due to poor health and partly because of some guilt towards Lou Xiao'e, I temporarily forgot about my secret stash of money. Little did I expect that Lou Xiao'e, after living in the next room for less than a week, would find all my money.

"That's far too little. It's barely enough for a silver ring (CGCB) and earrings. You need to hurry up with the dowry, sis. Xiaoyue's family is pressuring you!"

"Alright, alright, I know. I just took this out as pocket money anyway. Xu Damao has plenty of money in his cabinet!"

"Take more, take more! That old scoundrel Xu Damao has been so stingy all these years, it's time to make him bleed a little for his brother-in-law's wedding!"

"You'd better leave quickly, or if someone sees you and it gets back to him, you won't get a single penny!"

Lou Xiao'e was sweating profusely with anxiety. She hurriedly shooed her younger brother, Lou Sheng, out of the house. Lou Sheng reluctantly went home, clutching the few thin bills in his hand.

When Xu Damao saw Lou Xiao'e turn and walk into the house, he casually pulled up a stool and sat down, pretending that he knew nothing.

Based on the conversation between the siblings, Lou Xiao'e is about to make some big moves against his secret stash of money, and he plans to deal with her properly then.

"You...how did you get up by yourself, Da Mao?"

Lou Xiao'e nervously pushed open the door and asked in surprise. Although she had said she was taking care of Xu Damao recently, she actually knew nothing about his health condition and had been carelessly preparing his meals, which had resulted in Xu Damao developing many bedsores.

"I've been lying in bed for several days, it's time to get up and move around."

Xu Damao said through gritted teeth that the things he cared about most in his life were money and his son. Not only could Lou Xiao'e not give birth to a son, but now she was also trying to take his money.

"Given your condition, you need to rest more. It would be better to go back to bed and lie down after sitting for a while."

Perhaps because she felt guilty, Lou Xiao'e was much gentler towards Xu Damao today, but she still didn't offer any help.

Xu Damao nodded stiffly, and Lou Xiao'e turned and went back to the next room, seemingly ready to take action now.

Xu Damao slowly got up again, and vaguely heard the sound of hinges clattering in the cabinet door in the next room. He could no longer hold back and rushed towards the next room with the fastest and greatest speed within his current ability.

"Lou Xiao'e! What are you doing, you spendthrift old woman!"

Xu Damao slammed the door shut and questioned loudly.

"I... It's really cold today, I'm looking for the cotton-padded coat I bought last year..."

Lou Xiao'e's hands trembled uncontrollably as she stammered her reply.

"Looking for a cotton-padded coat? Is that a cotton-padded coat in your hand?"

Xu Damao was furious when he saw the iron box where he hid his secret stash of money was placed in front of Lou Xiao'e. He immediately berated Lou Xiao'e.

"Xu Damao, why are you being so fierce! I'd like to ask you the same thing: how did I end up with a box full of money while I was looking for my cotton-padded coat? I've been wholeheartedly devoted to you, and you've been hiding money from me behind my back, haven't you!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Lou Xiao'e had a flash of inspiration and shifted all the blame to Xu Damao.

"So what if I'm hiding some money? This money is all hard-earned. If I don't hide it, am I supposed to leave it all on the table for your good-for-nothing brother to spend?"

"Wh...what...I have no idea what you're talking about..."

Upon hearing Xu Damao's words, Lou Xiao'e completely panicked and stammered, pretending to know nothing.

Chapter 245 Li Xiangdong's Clever Response

“I heard everything you said to Lou Sheng just now. Not only did I hear it, but I also saw you hand him my money! Lou Xiao'e, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Xu Damao's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; this was the first time Lou Xiao'e had seen him like this in all the years they had been married.

"Stop playing the victim. You think you can be so tough for a few days and then act like you're in charge in front of me? Let me tell you, get your brother back to me right now, or I'll report your whole family to the supervisory team as thieves!"

"Then you won't be able to live like this anymore. You can pack your bags and get out of here. And your good-for-nothing brother can forget about getting married!"

Seeing Lou Xiao'e take two steps back in fright, Xu Damao became even more imposing. In his world, his wife taking his money without permission was even more unforgivable than cheating on him.

"I...I understand...I'll go right away..."

Terrified, Lou Xiao'e hurriedly ran out of the house and headed straight for her parents' home.

Under the influence of alcohol, Lin Fang could barely walk in a straight line, but he still managed to make his way to the workshop through a winding path.

"Lin Fang, you practically walked here on a cat's gait! Where did you go for a delicious lunch all by yourself? Did you have a little to drink?"

A fellow worker came over and teased him.

"No...no...I just went to a friend's house for a meal, I didn't drink any alcohol..."

Lin Fang stammered in response, not daring to open his mouth wide enough to let others smell the alcohol on his breath.

According to the current factory system, the more you work, the more money you earn. Since his family is relatively poor, he certainly doesn't want to miss any work opportunities.

Lin Fang staggered to his workstation, struggled to turn on the machine, and prepared to start working. Li Xiangdong witnessed all of this; he had been keeping an eye on Lin Fang ever since Zhang Feng came to see him.

"Master Lin, did you have drinks at noon?"

Li Xiangdong walked over with a smile and asked.

"Section Chief Li...I...didn't drink..."

Lin Fang kept his head down, feeling very guilty, and dared not look Li Xiangdong in the eye.

"I remember that our factory has a clear rule that prohibits working under the influence of alcohol."

"The main problem is that once alcohol numbs your nerves, it's hard to control your thoughts and hands. Affecting the construction schedule is a minor issue; if you injure yourself, it will be a lifelong pain."

"I heard that you have elderly parents and young children to support. If you make a serious mistake because you work under the influence of alcohol, it won't be enough to make up for it with just this afternoon's wages."

As Li Xiangdong spoke, his eyes glanced at Zhang Feng, who was eavesdropping in a corner not far away.

After lunch, Zhang Feng couldn't sleep and tossed and turned at home, so he came to the workshop early to wait and see if Lin Fang would get into trouble.

"I'm sorry, Section Chief Li... I did drink at noon... and quite a lot of it..."

"I really didn't mean to work while intoxicated... I hope you can give me another chance..."

After hearing Li Xiangdong's words, Lin Fang confessed with remorse.

"It's okay. It doesn't count as working under the influence of alcohol until you start work. Go home and rest for the afternoon. You'll be more energetic when you start working tomorrow."

Li Xiangdong smiled and reached out to turn off the circuit on Lin Fang's workstation.

"Thank you, Section Chief Li! I'll definitely work harder and do double the work when I come tomorrow!"

Moved by Li Xiangdong once again, Lin Fang was very emotional and bowed to Li Xiangdong twice before leaving.

Hiding in the corner, Zhang Feng was so angry at what he saw that he gritted his teeth. He and his apprentice had put so much effort into preparing for so long, but Li Xiangdong had ruined it all.

·· ·····Requesting flowers·· ·

"Section Chief Li, you've really worked hard, having to work alongside the workers every day!"

Factory Director Yang walked towards Li Xiangdong with a cup of tea in his hand, and said with a smile.

"The factory's work has been going well lately, but we need to address the security issue. Otherwise, all sorts of shady people keep sneaking in, which I think is detrimental to our work."

Li Xiangdong looked at Zhang Feng's furious departing figure and said.

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"Understood, I'll go reinforce our security department right away!"

Factory Director Yang responded immediately after hearing this.

"Here's what we'll do: collect photos and information from each worker and make a work permit for each of them. We'll also add two more security guards at the entrance, and only those with work permits will be allowed in and out during their shifts."

"Okay, I'll get started right away!"

After saying that, Director Yang put down the tea and left the workshop.

Today, He Yuzhu had no interest in cleaning properly. After finishing work, he went straight to the factory's bathhouse, took out clean clothes he had prepared in advance, took a good shower, and went on his blind date.

At 7 p.m., He Yuzhu arrived at the park as promised.

At seven o'clock in winter, the sky was already mostly dark. Accompanied by gusts of cold wind, ripples spread across the small lake, where a slender girl with fair skin stood.

"Is it... Feng Ting?"

He Yuzhu walked over quietly and asked in a deliberately high-pitched voice.

"I'm Feng Ting, and you must be He Yuzhu, hello."

The girl turned around and answered crisply. She smiled slightly, politely extended her hand to shake his, and He Yuzhu immediately felt his arms and legs go weak.

Chapter 246 He Yuzhu's Blind Date

It must be said that although Feng Ting's appearance is not as beautiful as Qin Huairu's, her elegant and refined temperament makes He Yuzhu unable to take his eyes off her.

"The air by the lake is so fresh, let's take a walk together!"

"Oh, right, I haven't asked you yet, what do you do for a living?"