Yi Zhonghai looked at the Jia Family members, who were gazing at him with eager faces, and Widow Zhang, who was all prepped and ready to pounce. He opened his mouth, but even a refusal wouldn't come out.
Widow Zhang didn't care whose house it was; as long as it was a house, she wouldn't turn her nose up at it.
"First Uncle, you and First Aunt are getting older. How wonderful it would be for Qin Huairu to move in nearby so she can look after you both," Zhou Junfeng said immediately upon seeing Yi Zhonghai still hesitating.
Shazhu chimed in to stir the pot as well: "First Uncle, you always say neighbors need to help each other out. You and First Aunt really can't use all that space anyway. If Huairu moves over, she can take care of you, and Banggeng, Xiao Dang, and Huaihua can keep First Aunt company."
Yi Zhonghai: "……"
Qin Huairu joined in with eager agreement: "First Uncle, Banggeng and Xiao Dang talk about First Uncle and First Aunt every single day! This is just wonderful—we'll be living so close, the two children are going to be beside themselves with joy."
Watching her daughter-in-law sucking up to Yi Zhonghai, Widow Zhang wore a dark expression and was deeply displeased, but for the sake of Yi Zhonghai's house, she endured and endured.
Besides, her grandsons were all hers anyway; nobody could take them away.
Yi Zhonghai's greatest regret in life was having no children. Hearing Qin Huairu speak this way, a warmth spread through his chest, and he readily agreed.
As the saying goes: it's easy to invite a god in, but hard to send them away. He was going to suffer for this down the line.
Zhou Junfeng thought with gleeful schadenfreude.
"Our Courtyard Compound is an advanced community, and most people here work at the Rolling Mill. We must help one another, respect the elderly, and cherish the young. My side room will be lent to the Jia Family," Yi Zhonghai thought that since the house was practically promised already, even though he wasn't entirely thrilled, he still had to phrase it nicely to save face.
Liu Haizhong was thoroughly displeased to see Yi Zhonghai command such prestige in front of everyone else, but he had no intention of sticking his neck out. Lending a house to the Jia Family was an absolute no-go, so if Yi Zhonghai was willing to wade into muddy waters of his own accord, he could go right ahead.
The Jia Family had hit the jackpot this time; no matter how you looked at it, they were getting a room. Consequently, Widow Zhang remained relatively quiet throughout the entire meeting.
The next day, while everyone was resting at home over the weekend, Zhou Junfeng and Qin Jingru went door-to-door handing out peanuts and melon seeds. His new house was about to undergo renovations, which might cause some inconvenience for everyone.
You never hit a smiling face, let alone one bearing gifts. Remodeling a house was a joyous occasion, and a few days of putting up with it would pass in the blink of an eye.
Soon, the renovation master and his construction crew arrived, digging pipes, building custom furniture, and laying floor tiles. Actually, the house was already move-in ready, but the ceilings in the Courtyard were remarkably high, leaving the single-story layout feeling a bit wasteful. Recalling the duplex designs of future generations, inspiration struck him instantly—he would add a second level! Fifty square meters would transform into one hundred square meters. What a luxurious mansion!
Watching the grand production put on by the Zhou Family, Widow Zhang muttered curses under her breath: "That damned Zhou Junfeng! Does he even know how to live in a house that big? Building two stories—aren't they afraid of falling to their deaths? They live more comfortably than landlords! The factory is truly unfair; our family has so many people and they only allotted us one single room, while Zhou Junfeng gets a house right upon joining the company—a house big enough for ten people to live in!"
"Eating good food every single day, and he doesn't even think to bring any to us Jias. Qin Huairu, you are utterly useless! Look at the kind of life your cousin leads, and look at what our Jia Family has been reduced to."
Qin Huairu: "……"
Even though the First Uncle had lent the side room to their family, Widow Zhang was still unsatisfied, always looking for a higher mountain to climb. She nagged day in and day out; other people's housing and meals were a reflection of their own capability, so what use was it to gossip behind their backs? If she had the guts, she should go say it to their faces.
Qin Huairu was left utterly speechless as she looked at the peanuts and melon seeds still in Widow Zhang's hands. Eating gifts from someone while cursing them out in the same breath—it was truly something else.
"Xiaojun, since we'll be working at the same factory from now on, your big brother has got your back when it comes to getting food at the cafeteria at noon."
He Yuzhu patted Zhou Junfeng on the shoulder as he spoke.
Zhou Junfeng thought to himself that he didn't need anyone to have his back; Shazhu should just watch out for his own little sister instead. He skimped on Qin Huairu's lunchboxes so often that his own sister had been whittled down to skin and bones.
Still, that was their own family business, and as an outsider, there was no need for him to meddle.
"Zhuzi, thanks. Let's grab a drink together sometime," Zhou Junfeng said with a smile.