Chapter 25: A Double Celebration at Courtyard 95

Today was the most triumphant and glorious day for Jia Dongxu; he was finally getting married, and to a great beauty at that.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!"
"Mrs. Jia, one look at your new daughter-in-law and you know she’ll be able to bear children."

Mrs. Jia listened to the compliments from the neighbors, a smile never leaving her plump, round face.

"Hahaha, thank you, thank you! Everyone, please sit down and eat. Make sure to eat and drink your fill!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the courtyard began to grumble inwardly. "Eat and drink our fill? You should have prepared more food in the first place!" To be fair, Mrs. Jia was pathologically stingy. Each table featured only two vegetable dishes—vermicelli stewed with cabbage stalks and shredded potatoes in a spicy-sour sauce—and the last was a plate of pickles she had brined herself.

Lou Zhenhua walked into the middle courtyard of the compound with his daughter, Lou Xiao'e. Noticing a wedding underway, he gave it a cursory glance before looking away. He knew exactly what kind of place this courtyard was; there was hardly a decent person living in it. Even before the Red Star Rolling Mill transitioned to a public-private partnership, it had been flooded with anonymous letters of complaint originating from this very address, No. 95. Though he couldn't pin them on specific individuals, the chaos of the place was evident.

"Let’s go." Lou Zhenhua pulled Lou Xiao'e, who still wanted to gawk at the festivities, further inside. He wanted to see what Wang Lin was like and, while he was at it, sound him out. However, upon reaching Wang Lin’s home, they found him out.

"Sigh, let’s come back tomorrow." Knowing he had been too impatient, Lou Zhenhua decided to take his daughter home. But Lou Xiao'e, reluctant to leave, dug in her heels.

"Dad, let’s wait a little longer! Brother Lin should be back soon."

Seeing the longing and anxiety in his daughter's eyes, Lou Zhenhua pondered for a moment before nodding. Lou Xiao'e let out a sigh of relief.

*Brother Lin, please come back quickly,* she prayed silently. She was terrified that everything happening today was merely a dream, and she feared her father might change his mind about letting her marry Wang Lin by tomorrow. That was why she didn't want to go home; she wanted to register their marriage today.

Heaven rewards the persistent. Around 1:00 PM, Wang Lin returned from Qin Village, accompanied by Qin Huairu. Seeing the large red "Double Happiness" characters pasted on the Jia family's door, Wang Lin made no effort to hide his disdain. As he stepped into the back courtyard, he immediately spotted Lou Zhenhua and Lou Xiao'e.

Lou Xiao'e had been keeping her eyes fixed on the entrance. As soon as Wang Lin and Qin Huairu appeared, she dashed over, throwing herself into Wang Lin’s arms without a second thought.

"Brother Lin, you’re finally back."
"Xiao'e? What are you doing at my place?" Wang Lin asked, surprised, especially to see Lou Zhenhua there as well.
"That... that..." Lou Xiao'e lowered her head shyly, glancing at her father every so often, though she had no intention of moving out of Wang Lin's embrace. Qin Huairu stood by, unbothered; as Wang Lin’s wife, she was already aware of the situation—Wang Lin had never kept it from her.

Seeing his daughter signaling him to speak, Lou Zhenhua knew she was too bashful to broach the subject herself. He stepped forward. "Hello, you must be Wang Lin."

Wang Lin nodded with a smile. "Yes, and you are Xiao'e's father, I presume?"
"That’s right."
"Shall I call you Uncle Lou, then?" Wang Lin asked.
Lou Zhenhua smiled. "That would be fine, certainly."

Seeing her father still dancing around the topic, Lou Xiao'e grew anxious. "Dad," she prompted with a nudge.

Lou Zhenhua coughed lightly and got straight to the point. "Well, Vice Director Li Huaide came to my house today and spoke to me about you. Xiao'e and I have discussed it, and we feel she is a good match for you. How about we go and get the registration done today?"

Wang Lin hadn't expected Lou Zhenhua to be so direct, but considering the current predicament of the Lou family, he understood perfectly. "Very well, let’s go register now."

This exchange was overheard by Xu Damao, who had just arrived from the middle courtyard. Upon seeing Lou Xiao'e, his eyes became glued to her. He had a feeling that she was meant to be his woman, and his alone. As for the "registration" Wang Lin mentioned, Xu Damao didn't for a moment think it meant a marriage certificate. The whole courtyard knew Wang Lin was already married to Qin Huairu; he didn't believe Wang Lin would dare commit bigamy.

"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Xu Damao. I’m unmarried, I work at the Red Star Rolling Mill as a projectionist, and I earn thirty-six yuan and fifty cents a month."

Before anyone else could speak, Wang Lin turned around, his face devoid of expression. He grabbed Xu Damao by the collar and flung him aside.

"You piece of trash, how dare you harass my woman."

Wang Lin didn't bother hiding his intentions; there was no point, as the three of them would be living together eventually. In fact, he was hoping someone would report him so he could have an excuse to deal with the "animals" in this courtyard.

When he had watched this show in his previous life, he had loathed the vermin in this compound. Xu Damao, the serial predator who spent his days deceiving girls; He Yuzhu, the "God of War" of the courtyard who resorted to violence and dirty tricks at every turn—it was highly likely that Xu Damao’s infertility was a result of He Yuzhu’s beatings. Then there was Jia Dongxu, the spineless, mama's-boy parasite who died at the mill attempting work beyond his capabilities; and the "Necromancer" Mrs. Jia, the selfish, greedy old crone who oppressed everyone who married into her family. If not for her, Qin Huairu would never have had to trade bread for bread as she did in the original story.

There wasn't a single good person in this courtyard. As a guardian of the Great Xia, he felt obligated to teach these malignancies a lesson.

"You just wait!" Xu Damao roared in fury. He never expected Wang Lin to lay a hand on him, nor did he believe he had done anything to provoke him. But as he watched them walk away, he finally processed Wang Lin’s words. *That pretty girl is also one of Wang Lin's women?*

A wicked smile spread across Xu Damao's face. "Wang Lin, let's see how you die this time." He muttered to himself and followed them out of the compound. Passing through the middle courtyard, he glanced at Qin Huairu. He licked his lips greedily. "Heh heh, little lady, one day I'll show you what my 'big treasure' can do."

Qin Huairu, sensing Xu Damao’s lecherous gaze, looked directly at him. Instead of showing disgust, she gave him a coy, seductive wink. Seeing this, Xu Damao grinned even wider, smoothing his hair back with his right hand. "Sigh, I really am too handsome."