In the sixties, Four Nine City.
"Jingle bell!"
The whistle for the end of the workday rang out soon after, and the workers of the Rolling Mill poured out, eager to return home after a long day of labor.
Li Jianjun was no exception.
However, he was not originally from this world; he had transmigrated here, and along the way, he had been bound to a check-in system—though this system was somewhat of a scam.
For reasons unknown, after arranging the identity of a revolutionary martyr for him, along with a Spatial Ring, the system provided absolutely nothing else.
That left him quite speechless.
Fortunately, having arrived here and struggled through several years of hard work, he had finally relied on his own strength to become a level-six fitter.
That was considered quite a decent achievement.
By now, his monthly salary was at least seventy-odd yuan, which was genuinely enough for him to live on.
After all, he was the only one in his household.
As the old saying went, "Once one person is full, the whole family is not hungry"—that was precisely Li Jianjun's current situation.
At this moment, he left the Rolling Mill with a relaxed expression.
Today, after all, he had finally passed the examination to become a level-six fitter.
He returned to the Courtyard. That was right—he had transmigrated into the television drama *The Love Courtyard*.
This was a compound structured around three successive courtyards, with over a dozen households living in each, and each courtyard presided over by an elder.
The front courtyard's elder was Third Uncle, Yan Bugui. He was extremely stingy and loved taking small advantages, though he was not truly a bad person.
The middle courtyard's elder was First Uncle, Yi Zhonghai. He was remarkably hypocritical and knew only how to use moral blackmail.
The rear courtyard's elder was Second Uncle, Liu Haizhong. His greatest ambition was to become an official, but since rising through the ranks was hardly easy, he had remained a mere metalworker for decades.
Aside from these three, none of the members of the Jia family were decent people. Mrs. Jia, Jia Dongxu, Banggen, and later Qin Huairu—they were all terrifying characters.
Then there were Shazhu, Xu Damao, and the rest—none of them were any good.
At that moment in the Courtyard, many people were discussing the day's examinations, as such assessments naturally commanded a great deal of attention.
Passing an examination meant a wage increase.
Therefore, no one knew how many people would succeed.
"You guys have no idea, that Li Jianjun passed his exam again! He's already a level-six fitter now."
"What?! That impressive? In just a few short years?"
"I'd love to say it isn't true, but plenty of people heard it, and the factory's loudspeaker broadcasted it as well."
"Impressive, truly impressive. I always said he wasn't an ordinary person."
"Hmph! Always so quick with hindsight."
"Still, Jia Dongxu, who took the exam alongside Li Jianjun, wasn't nearly so lucky. Who knows if he's just stupid? With such an impressive master teaching him, he's still stuck at a level-one fitter after all these years."
"Ha, ha! Who's to say otherwise?"
"..."
With many people discussing the matter, the expression on Jia Dongxu's face—as he walked closely behind Yi Zhonghai—grew even uglier.
After all, he had indeed failed the examination today.
What angered him even more was that Li Jianjun had passed once again, becoming a level-six fitter, while he himself remained at a complete standstill.
Naturally, his heart felt heavy and bitter.
"Sigh!"
Yi Zhonghai sighed inwardly. Originally, Jia Dongxu had seemed much more promising than Li Jianjun; back then, Jia Dongxu was already a level-one fitter while Li Jianjun was merely a temporary worker.
Never had he imagined that in the blink of a few short years, Li Jianjun would leave Jia Dongxu far behind in the dust.
This gave him a faint sense of failure.
He had originally placed high hopes on Jia Dongxu, but look at him now? Compared to Li Jianjun, who had no master to guide him, Jia Dongxu fell short by who knew how much.
"Dongxu, let's head back first!" Yi Zhonghai said, feeling somewhat fatigued, and abruptly turned away.
"..."
Hearing this, Jia Dongxu felt even more miserable. He could naturally sense Yi Zhonghai's disappointment in him, yet at the moment, he was entirely powerless to change it.
Just then, Li Jianjun returned as well.
Many people in the courtyard crowded around, showering Li Jianjun with praise and compliments, but Li Jianjun merely offered a faint response.
He had not the slightest inclination to humor these people.
Thinking back to when he had first transmigrated here, he remembered all too clearly what kind of faces these people had worn.
Therefore, after perfunctorily dismissing them, Li Jianjun headed straight back to the rear courtyard. He needed a good rest.
Having toiled so hard for so long, he was rather tired.
However, he noticed that Qin Huairu was secretly watching him, though he paid her no mind whatsoever. There had been a time when he had thought about pursuing Qin Huairu.
In truth, he hadn't particularly liked her; he had simply wanted to find someone capable of doing physical labor.
After all, Qin Huairu was indeed nimble with her hands.
Yet in the end, she had chosen Jia Dongxu, resulting in the hard life she led now—which she richly deserved.
"What are you staring at?"
As soon as Jia Dongxu stepped into the house and saw Qin Huairu gazing fixedly at Li Jianjun's retreating back, he could not help cursing under his breath.
"I... I wasn't looking."
Qin Huairu lowered her head, feeling a guilty pang of conscience.
She, too, had overheard the discussions among the neighbors, and her heart was filled with bitter disappointment toward Jia Dongxu. How many years had passed, and he still hadn't managed to pass the exam?
Meanwhile, Li Jianjun had actually become a level-six fitter.
For a moment, her mood soured completely. Back then, she had actually had the chance to marry Li Jianjun, only to be duped by Mrs. Jia in the end.
Now, she regretted it with every fiber of her being.
"Hmph!"
"You can banish that thought from your mind right now! You're already a mother of two, and you've got a third one baking in your belly—do you really think someone like him would ever look at you? You're daydreaming."
Jia Dongxu spat out harshly.
"I wasn't..."
Qin Huairu lowered her head once more, scrubbing the laundry furiously as regret gnawed deeper at her heart. Had she known Jia Dongxu was such a man, she would rather have died than marry him.
"You'd better not be."
With that, Jia Dongxu strode back inside the main room, where Mrs. Jia hurried over eagerly.
"Dongxu? Well? Did you pass the exam?" Mrs. Jia asked with a smile.
"No, failed again," Jia Dongxu replied, looking utterly depressed.
"What? Failed again? What about that Li Jianjun?" Mrs. Jia asked urgently.
"He passed. The bastard just got lucky dog's luck," Jia Dongxu said with intense displeasure.
"How could they let that damned Li Jianjun pass?! There must have been a mistake!" Mrs. Jia roared angrily.
Her entire family harbored a deep resentment toward Li Jianjun; they had been at loggerheads for as long as anyone could remember. Jia Dongxu had occasionally tried to plot against Li Jianjun, only to end up getting severely beaten down by him every single time.
"Enough, I want a drink."
With that, Jia Dongxu pulled out a flask of liquor and began drinking heavily on the spot. He felt far too depressed today to bother dealing with Mrs. Jia any longer.
"..."
On the other side!
Li Jianjun had just finished cooking a lavish dinner, intending to treat himself properly.
Suddenly, a mechanical voice rang out in his mind.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the system's main quest and becoming a level-six fitter. The check-in system is now officially activated.]
[Ding! Does the host wish to perform the first check-in?]