Chen Jianye finished preparing the vegetables and went home to cook.
Thump thump!
A knock came from the open door.
“Jianye.”
Xu Damao stood at the doorway, greeting him.
“Oh, Brother Da Mao, what’s up?”
Chen Jianye smiled.
“Don’t cook, come to my house for dinner tonight.”
Xu Damao eagerly invited him.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? I’ve already prepared the vegetables. If I don’t cook them and save them for tomorrow, they won’t be fresh.”
Chen Jianye thought for a moment and found an excuse to politely decline.
Actually, the freshness of the vegetables was not an issue for him.
As long as the vegetables were put into the Lingquan Space, the vegetables and meat inside remained in a very stable state.
There was no problem of them sprouting or going bad after being stored for a long time.
Chen Jianye had already collected two baskets of sweet potatoes and potatoes, and they were very fresh in the Lingquan Space, with no signs of spoilage.
“Hey, I just thought of it now.”
“Then next time, I’ll tell you in advance.”
Xu Damao went along with it.
“Alright, if you tell me in advance, I’ll definitely come.”
Chen Jianye nodded in agreement.
“I heard you beat Sha Zhu until he pooped last night, is that true?”
Xu Damao asked with a smile, lowering his voice.
“Sha Zhu and I got into a fight, he ended up on the ground, and I didn't look closely when I left.”
Chen Jianye said vaguely.
“Haha, you’re really amazing, you made Sha Zhu submit.”
Even without a definite affirmation, Xu Damao was very happy about what Chen Jianye had done.
“What do you mean submit? If he wanted to hit me, I definitely had to fight back.”
“It was just a small friction.”
Chen Jianye waved his hand.
“In the future, let’s be closer, us two brothers. You don’t need me to say what kind of person I am; you’ll know once we spend more time together.”
Xu Damao’s attitude was friendly.
Not many people could make Sha Zhu submit, and Chen Jianye was one of them.
Xu Damao had to get close to him.
“Easy to say, we can drink together sometime if you’re free.”
Chen Jianye replied perfunctorily.
The two spoke a few more words, and Xu Damao returned to the Backyard with a smile on his face.
Chen Jianye put the vegetables into the pot.
Yi Zhonghai returned from work, visited the Deaf Old Lady, and then sat for a while at the Liu Family.
After that, he went to the Yan Family in the Front Courtyard and sat for a while.
They discussed some matters about building a harmonious Courtyard.
The main focus was on finding a partner for Chen Jianye.
They wanted this child to get married quickly.
Once he got married and had a wife and children, Yi Zhonghai could rest assured.
Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui both expressed their agreement and said they would mobilize their wives to find a partner for Chen Jianye.
...
Sitting at the dining table, Chen Jianye opened his panel to check his personal skill status.
Name: Chen Jianye
Skills: Yang Style Tai Chi (Mastered)
Cooking LV2 Experience 133/500
Carpentry LV2 Experience 657/1000
‘In another week, my Carpentry Skill will be able to upgrade to LV3. I wonder how big of a surprise the lottery will give me.’
Chen Jianye thought to himself, then closed the panel.
A person’s energy is limited.
The Cooking experience was upgrading slowly, and Chen Jianye couldn’t concern himself with it for now.
He would prioritize accumulating Carpentry Skill experience.
After reaching LV3, he would try the lottery panel.
After finishing his meal, Chen Jianye carried his enamel basin to the Front Courtyard to wash dishes.
Several men were chatting in the Front Courtyard.
They all had wives at home, so they could eat hot meals as soon as they got home. After eating, they naturally had time to gather and brag.
Unlike Chen Jianye, who had to do housework, cook, and occasionally wash, hang, and fold clothes, and tidy bed sheets after returning home.
Daily housework took Chen Jianye half an hour.
“Did you all see it yesterday? The Old Lady was almost chopped alive by Chen Jianye, it was really scary.”
“There’s such a thing? Why would Chen Jianye chop the Old Lady?”
“The Old Lady cursed Chen Jianye’s parents, making him lose his temper.”
“Why would the Old Lady curse people for no reason?”
“It seems Chen Jianye broke the Old Lady’s window and kicked down her main door.”
“Oh my goodness, Chen Jianye has such a temper, how much hatred was there?”
“Young people are all like that, without parents to control them, they just follow their own nature.”
“What about Sha Zhu? Didn’t he always stick with the Old Lady? Didn’t he make a move?”
“He did, why wouldn’t he?”
Several men were talking, and one of them, at this point, lowered his voice: “I heard Sha Zhu was beaten by Chen Jianye until he pooped.”
As his words fell, everyone covered their mouths and chuckled.
“Cough cough, Jianye, coming to wash dishes?”
One of the men saw Chen Jianye approaching with the basin and greeted him with a smile.
He was also telling the others that the main person was here, so they shouldn't gossip carelessly.
“Yes, coming to wash dishes.”
Chen Jianye replied with a smile and went to the well.
Actually, he had already heard what these people were discussing.
He pretended not to hear.
As long as they didn’t curse his parents, Chen Jianye actually had a pretty good temper in the Courtyard.
“Jianye, washing dishes, you’re a big man, doing housework every day, like a little daughter-in-law.”
Today, the person from the Yan Family who came to wash dishes was Third Aunt.
“No choice, I don’t want to do these chores either, but I’m the only one at home, what can I do?”
Chen Jianye said helplessly.
“How about I arrange something and find you a wife?”
Third Aunt asked.
“Then I thank you very much. If you can find me a wife, I understand all the proper courtesies.”
“Certainly not like the Jia.”
Chen Jianye said with a smile.
“Alright, with your words, I’ll help you look around.”
“Your conditions are quite good, you’re a handsome talent. Just wait for my good news.”
Third Aunt patted her chest, guaranteeing.
After Chen Jianye left, Third Aunt returned home and told Yan Fugui about it.
“It seems this kid still wants to get his life in order. As elders, we should guide him more, so he doesn’t go astray.”
Yan Fugui’s face showed a slight smile.
As long as Chen Jianye had the idea of starting a family and career, the problem wasn’t big.
Yan Fugui then encouraged Third Aunt a few more words and went out to the Middle Courtyard to find Lao Yi.
When Yi Zhonghai heard this, a huge stone fell from his heart.
He was most afraid of Chen Jianye giving up on himself.
Now that he heard Chen Jianye wanted to find a wife, it wasn’t too bad.
After a storm of broken windows and kicked doors, the Siheyuan (Courtyard) returned to a state of calm.
Around two in the morning.
Chen Jianye put on his gloves and hood, opened the door, and walked out of the house.
He wasn't going to cause trouble, but to do business in the Black Market.
The first batch of crops in the center of the Lingquan Space had matured. Chen Jianye harvested nearly two hundred catties of sweet potatoes and potatoes.
He was the only one at home, so he only needed to keep a small portion of sweet potatoes and potatoes.
The surplus grain could be traded out.
Additionally, he was preparing to purchase a batch of seeds and meat.
He wanted to slightly expand the planting area of the Lingquan Space.
Then buy some poultry as meat reserves and so on.
In a word, he wanted to build a sustainably developing Lingquan Space.
Climbing over the wall to leave, Chen Jianye headed towards the Black Market at the Imperial City Root.
After walking two or three li on foot, Chen Jianye took out three bamboo baskets.
He carried one on his shoulder and one in each hand.
Upon reaching the Black Market, he put down the bamboo baskets, took out an old-fashioned scale with a tray, hook, and steelyard weight, and placed it on the bamboo basket.
Then he took out a wooden board, wrote in large characters 'Sweet potatoes 0.25 yuan per catty, potatoes 0.22 yuan per catty,' specifically noting that they could be tasted, and then placed it on another bamboo basket.
After completing the preparations, Chen Jianye pulled out a small stool, sat in front of the bamboo baskets, and waited for customers to arrive.