Fusion System: Rebirth in a Courtyard - Bird Fighting Chronicles

Chapter 76: The Account Book Scandal Resurfaces Old Grudges, A Warm Lamp Illuminates a Cold Night an

The warm April breeze swept across the gray bricks and tiles of the Hongxing Courtyard. On the windowsill of Yan Bugui's house in the front yard, several illegally planted cacti sprouted tender yellow thorns, but they trembled slightly, startled by the arguing coming from inside. Lin Chen had just returned from the workshop, clutching the technical training manual he had printed for Liu Guangtian, when he stopped at the gate of the Yan family's courtyard—this was the third time in three days that the Yan family had erupted in a dispute.

"Why can Yan Jiecheng use his family's money just because he got a permanent position? I had to pay a five-yuan deposit to get into the street factory, and you said you didn't have a single cent!" Yan Jiekuang's roar, filled with youthful stubbornness, echoed against the window paper. Lin Chen glanced at the window and saw Yan Bugui behind it, clutching the yellowed ledger, his fingers jabbing heavily on the pages, his face as red as a freshly cooked braised pork knuckle.

"You know nothing!" Yan Bugui's voice was sharp as a whistle. "Jiecheng is the eldest son, he'll be the one to take care of me in my old age and see me off when I die! You're the third son, who knows how much it will cost you to get married in the future, so what's wrong with saving money now?" As he spoke, he slammed the account book on the octagonal table. The six words "Yan Family Income and Expenditure Details" on the cover were worn white, but they still exuded an undeniable authority.

"Retirement? With your accounting methods, who would want to support you in your old age!" Yan Jiekuang abruptly overturned a stool, its wooden legs slamming against the brick floor with a sharp crack. "When my sister got married, you demanded fifty yuan for her upbringing; when my second brother worked as a temporary worker, you charged him one percent interest per month; now that my eldest brother has been promoted, you're even paying him twenty yuan out of your own pocket. This ledger is a record of your favoritism!"

Just as Lin Chen was about to knock on the door to mediate, he heard Liu Guangtian's footsteps behind him. The young man, carrying an oil paper package, greeted Lin Chen and lowered his voice, saying, "Master Lin, my dad asked me to bring you some freshly braised pig ears. He said you mentioned last time that you like them with the cartilage. I just got to the door when I heard them arguing inside. Is the Yan family arguing about Xie Cheng's promotion?"

The words had barely left his mouth when the door to the Yan family's house was flung open with a bang. Yan Jiekuang, his eyes red-rimmed, rushed out and bumped right into Liu Guangtian. The oil-paper package fell to the ground, and the aroma of braised food mixed with the smell of dust wafted out. Yan Jiekuang froze for a moment, then bent down to pick it up, but Yan Bugui, who had chased after him, grabbed him by the back of his collar: "You dare to run? You're not leaving here until you've explained yourself!"

"Dad! Let him go!" Yan Jiedi ran out of the house, still clutching the shoe sole she had just finished sewing. Seeing the oil paper package on the ground, she quickly squatted down to pick it up, brushed off the dust, and said, "Brother Guangtian, I'm sorry, let me wipe it clean for you, you can still eat it." There was cotton thread stuck to her temples, and her eyes were red—she had tried to persuade her brother countless times in the past few days because of him.

Lin Chen stepped forward and pulled Yan Bugui's hand away, smiling as he smoothed things over: "Teacher Yan, Jie Kuang is young, let's talk things out. Guangtian's pig ears were just braised, it's fine, I'm actually hungry." He took the oil paper package from Yan Jiedi's hand, deliberately brought it to his nose and smelled it, "It smells so good, Chef Liu's cooking skills are getting better and better."

Yan Bugui's expression softened slightly upon seeing Lin Chen step in, but he still stubbornly insisted, "Master Lin, you don't know how insensible this kid is! I've worked so hard to raise them, and keeping accounts is wrong?" He pointed to the account book on the octagonal table, "This book records that it cost 50 cents for Jie Cheng's birth, 2 jin of brown sugar for Jie Di's one-month celebration, and even that Jie Kuang stole half a cornbread. They'll have to pay all of this back when they grow up and start their own families!"

Lin Chen entered the room, picked up the account book, and flipped through it. The pages were yellowed and brittle, but the handwriting was neat and beautiful. Every income and expenditure was marked with the date and purpose, and even entries like "March 12, 1958, Jie Cheng stole three cents to buy candy, to be repaid" were clearly visible. He turned to the last page, where the latest record was "April 5, 1963, gave Jie Cheng a gift of twenty yuan for his promotion, Jie Cheng owes twenty yuan."

"Teacher Yan," Lin Chen placed the account book on the table, his tone calm, "the gifts for Jie Cheng's promotion were family expenses, how can you say it's his debt? Jie Kuang wanted the deposit to find a job so he could earn money to support his family in the future, you've got the accounts backwards." He looked at Yan Jie Kuang standing at the door, "Jie Kuang, I'll pay your deposit for the street factory, but you have to promise me you'll work hard and pay me back one yuan from your salary every month, in one year, without interest."

Yan Jiekuang's eyes lit up, and he was about to agree when Yan Bugui interrupted him, "Master Lin, that won't do! How can I let you pay? I... I have some here." As he spoke, he pulled out a cloth bag from under the mat, unfolded it layer by layer, and inside were several crumpled bills and a silver dollar. "This is what I've saved up. Five dollars should be enough, right?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, surprised that this "sharp-tongued" man would willingly hand over his money. Yan Jiedi scoffed, "Father, weren't these silver dollars you were saving to buy my eldest brother a bicycle? Why are you taking them out?" Yan Bugui's face flushed instantly, and he slammed the cloth bag on the table: "I want to!"

Just then, the sound of a bicycle bell came from the courtyard gate. Yan Jiecheng pushed in a brand-new Forever brand bicycle, with a net bag hanging from the handlebars containing two pounds of apples. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, he was stunned: "Dad, Sister, Jiekuang, what's going on? I just got paid and bought some apples."

Yan Bugui's eyes immediately glued to the bicycle, his earlier anger vanishing. He strode over and touched the seat: "Nice bike! Jiecheng, you've got guts, buying a bicycle right after getting promoted." He turned and glared at Yan Jiekuang, "Look at your older brother, and then look at you!"

"I bought this bicycle with money borrowed from my colleague." Yan Jiecheng's voice sounded a little unnatural. He put the apple on the table, saw the account book spread out, and his expression changed slightly. "Dad, I'm sorry to have troubled you with my promotion. I'll pay you back the twenty yuan as soon as I get my salary."

"No need to pay it back!" Yan Bugui patted his chest. "It's money your father gave you, you don't need to pay it back!" He picked up an apple and stuffed it into Lin Chen's hand. "Master Lin, have a taste, I just bought it from the supply and marketing cooperative, it's sweet."

Lin Chen took the apple but didn't eat it. Instead, he looked at Yan Jiecheng and said, "Jiecheng, you just got a permanent position, and your salary is only thirty-seven yuan and fifty cents. It's not worth borrowing money from your colleagues to buy a bicycle. I know Old Wang at the scrap yard. He has a second-hand one that can be repaired and is still usable. It'll only cost fifteen yuan." He paused, "If you trust me, I'll take you to see it tomorrow."

Yan Jiecheng's eyes lit up: "Really? Master Lin, thank you so much! I was just worried about paying back my colleague next month." Yan Bugui tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Buying secondhand is embarrassing, new is better."

"Can face feed you?" Lin Chen retorted with a smile. "Jie Cheng just got promoted; it's the perfect time to build a good reputation. Riding a secondhand bicycle isn't shameful. The money saved can be used to buy his parents two pounds of brown sugar—that's better than anything else." He looked at Yan Bugui. "Teacher Yan, don't you agree?"

Yan Bugui opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Yan Jiedi looking at him with a half-smile, he could only mutter, "Master Lin is right." Yan Jiekuang leaned closer and said, "Master Lin, what about my deposit..."

"Let's do it together tomorrow." Lin Chen patted him on the shoulder and handed the technical training manual to Liu Guangtian. "Guangtian, these are the training materials for next month. Take a look first, and come find me tonight if you don't understand anything." He turned to the Yan family and said, "I'm going back now. Thank you, Teacher Yan. I'll come find Jie Cheng and Jie Kuang again tomorrow."

As they left the Yan family home, Liu Guangtian couldn't help but ask, "Master Lin, why did you help Yan Jiekuang? Teacher Yan always schemed against you before." Lin Chen smiled and said, "Scheming is his business; the child is innocent. Jiekuang is quick-witted. If he works hard at the street factory, he'll be a promising future." He looked towards the courtyard, where Qin Huairu's sewing stall was still lit, and Jia Dang was helping to hem clothes. "The children in our compound should all have a good future."

Back home, Lin Chen had just placed the braised pig's ears on the table when he heard a knock at the door. Opening it, he saw Qin Huairu standing there with a bowl of steamed egg custard and two freshly steamed white buns beside it. "Master Lin, thank you so much for mediating with the Yan family today. This is some steamed egg custard I just made; please have a taste." She wore a gentle smile, and the chilblains on her hands had healed considerably, leaving only faint scars.

Lin Chen took the bowl; the aroma was enticing. "Sister Huairu, you're too kind. We're neighbors." He noticed Jia Dang behind Qin Huairu, holding an arithmetic notebook. "Jia Dang, is there a problem you can't solve?"

Jia Dang lowered her head shyly, "Uncle Lin, there's a word problem I don't understand." Lin Chen ushered them into the house and pointed to the arithmetic problem to explain it to Jia Dang. Qin Huairu sat to the side, watching Lin Chen patiently explain, and said softly, "Chef Lin, I heard from Sha Zhu that you signed him up for the chef skills competition?"

"Hmm, Sha Zhu's cooking skills are pretty good, winning an award won't be a problem," Lin Chen said without looking up. "Winning the competition brings prize money and a promotion, which is good for him." After explaining the problem, he looked at Jia Dang, "Did you understand? Do it again so I can see."

Qin Huairu looked at her daughter, who was diligently doing her homework, and her eyes welled up with tears. "Master Lin, I used to always scheme to get Sha Zhu's lunchbox. Thinking about it now, it's really embarrassing. If you hadn't reminded me, I'd still be pretending to be pitiful to cheat for food coupons." She paused, "Jia Dang and I have discussed it. Once we've saved enough money, we'll rent a storefront and open a sewing shop. We won't be occupying the public space in the courtyard anymore."

Lin Chen looked up, somewhat surprised. Qin Huairu's eyes were firm, no longer carrying the calculation and timidity of before. "This is a good thing, I support you," Lin Chen said with a smile. "I know Director Li at the neighborhood office, I'll help you apply for your business license, and we can even waive six months' management fees."

"Really?" Qin Huairu's voice trembled with excitement. "Master Lin, you're truly a great benefactor to our family!" Jia Dang also looked up, smiling, and said, "Uncle Lin, when we open our shop, we'll make you a new suit, no charge!"

"Okay, I'll wait." Lin Chen ruffled Jia Dang's hair. "Hurry up and do your homework. Go back and rest early after you're done." After seeing Qin Huairu and her daughter off, Lin Chen was about to eat when he heard a knock on the door again. This time it was Sha Zhu, carrying a wine jug and looking excited.

"Brother Lin, I heard you signed me up for the competition!" Sha Zhu shouted as soon as he walked in. "Let me tell you, I won first place in a competition in the cafeteria before, so this time it'll definitely be no problem!" He put the wine jug on the table. "This is some good wine that I asked someone to buy. Let's have a couple of drinks."

Lin Chen poured Sha Zhu a glass of wine: "Don't be careless, there are many experts in this competition. I found a book on cooking techniques for you, I'll bring it to you tomorrow, take a good look." He picked up a piece of pig's ear for Sha Zhu, "Try Chef Liu's cooking, he's quit drinking now and is focusing on taking care of Guang Tian and Guang Fu."

Sha Zhu chewed on a pig's ear and mumbled, "That old bastard Liu Haizhong used to always go against me, but I didn't expect him to change for the better now." He took a sip of wine. "Brother Lin, I heard from Yu Shui that you want to help the kids in the compound find a way out? I know the head chef at the military guesthouse. If Jia Geng wants to be a chef in the future, I can introduce him to an apprenticeship."

Lin Chen's eyes lit up: "That's great! Jia Geng is much more sensible than before, but his grades are just average. Learning a trade would be perfect." He and Sha Zhu chatted over drinks, talking about everything from the competition to trivial matters in the courtyard, and before they knew it, it was late at night.

The next morning, Lin Chen took Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiekuang to the scrap yard. Old Wang saw Lin Chen and greeted him warmly: "Master Lin, you've finally come! I saved you a bicycle, it was just repaired." He pointed to a black bicycle in the corner, "Look, the frame is sturdy, the paint is a little chipped, but it doesn't affect riding it."

Yan Jiecheng went over to take a look, tried pushing it, and found it worked smoothly. "Master Lin, this bicycle is really good, fifteen yuan is a great deal!" He took out the money and handed it to Old Wang, his face full of joy. Yan Jiekuang also successfully received his deposit and went with Lin Chen to the street factory to register.

Back in the courtyard, Yan Bugui was waiting at the gate. Seeing Yan Jiecheng pushing his bicycle back, his expression was complicated. "Dad, this bicycle is quite good. I used the money I saved to buy you two jin of brown sugar." Yan Jiecheng handed over the brown sugar, which Yan Bugui took, his hands trembling slightly. He looked at Lin Chen, wanting to say something, but ultimately only managed to say, "Master Lin, thank you."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "Of course, we're neighbors." Just as he was about to go home, he saw Yi Zhonghai returning from outside, carrying a package and looking rather unwell. Upon seeing Lin Chen, Yi Zhonghai paused for a moment, nodded, and hurried home.

During lunch, Liu Guangtian ran over and said, "Master Lin, something seems to have happened at Grandpa Yi's house. I saw Grandma Yi crying inside." Lin Chen put down his chopsticks and went to the courtyard. The door to the Yi family's house was ajar, and Yi Zhonghai's voice came from inside: "How was I supposed to know that batch of parts would have a problem? Now the factory wants me in charge and has docked half a month's salary!"

"What can we do? Our family doesn't have much savings to begin with." Aunt Yi's sobs were filled with despair. "It's all your fault. You always helped Qin Huairu change her attendance records and helped Sha Zhu get away with things. Now the factory leaders don't trust you anymore, and they've even canceled your technical subsidies."

Lin Chen knocked on the door. Yi Zhonghai opened it and, seeing Lin Chen, his expression darkened further. "Master Lin, is there something you need?" Lin Chen entered the room and saw a pile of parts on the table, bearing obvious forging marks. "Master Yi, these are parts from the precision forging group, right? Let me take a look." He picked up a part and used the system to analyze it. "This is because the quenching temperature wasn't controlled properly, resulting in insufficient hardness."

Yi Zhonghai looked at him in surprise: "How did you know? The technicians at the factory said the same thing." Lin Chen smiled and said, "I've studied quenching processes before. Master Yi, if you trust me, I'll try to think of a way to salvage the losses."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up: "Really? Master Lin, as long as we can salvage the losses, I'll give you anything you want!" Lin Chen shook his head: "I don't want anything, I just don't want to see you punished by the factory." He picked up the parts, "These parts can be re-quenched. I have a way to increase their hardness, but it will take some effort."

For the next few days, Lin Chen went to the Yi family home after get off work to guide Yi Zhonghai in re-quenching the parts. Watching Lin Chen's skillful operation, Yi Zhonghai felt both surprised and guilty. He remembered how he had always schemed against Lin Chen, hoping he would support him in his old age, but now he had to rely on Lin Chen's help, and his face burned with shame.

On the day the parts passed the re-inspection, Yi Zhonghai specially bought a pound of pig's head meat and a bottle of wine and went to Lin Chen's house. "Master Lin, thank you." He poured Lin Chen a glass of wine. "I was confused before, always thinking about scheming against others. Now I understand that treating others with kindness is the only true way." He took out a cloth bag from his pocket. "This is some money I've saved. Take it as my thank you gift."

Lin Chen pushed aside the cloth bag: "Master Yi, I'm not helping you for the money. People in our compound should help each other, not scheme against each other." He raised his glass, "Let's get along well from now on and make life better for the compound."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes reddened, he nodded, and clinked glasses with Lin Chen. Outside the window, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled into the courtyard. Yan Jiecheng was teaching Yan Jiekuang to ride a bicycle, Jia Dang was helping Qin Huairu at the sewing stall, and Sha Zhu returned from outside humming a tune, carrying groceries he had just bought. Lin Chen looked at this harmonious scene and felt a warmth in his heart. He knew that this courtyard, once filled with scheming and quarrels, was becoming better and better because of everyone's changes, and all of this was just the beginning.

That evening, Lin Chen sat at his desk when a system notification suddenly popped up: "Host has practiced 'Neighborly Assistance and Kindness Inheritance' and has earned 500 points. System level has been upgraded to level 6, unlocking the 'Skill Transfer' function." Lin Chen smiled, closed the panel, and looked out the window.