Siheyuan: Selling antiques? Only making 28,000 RMB from 30,000 RMB

He felt that this gathering not only allowed him to showcase his cooking skills, but more importantly, it helped him enhance his relationships with his neighbors.

As the night deepened, the yard gradually became quiet. Zhou Dong sat at the door of his house, thinking about the details of the day. Although living in a courtyard house, the conditions are limited, but the warmth between people is irreplaceable. Zhou Dong was preparing to go to work in the factory as usual. When he was leaving, Qin Huairu happened to be hanging clothes in the yard. Seeing Zhou Dong, she smiled and greeted him: "Zhou Dong, yesterday's party was great, everyone was very happy. I am also very happy to be together with you all." Zhou Dong responded with a smile.

"We can do it again if we have the chance in the future. I can help you prepare the ingredients." Qin Huairu suggested. "Okay, I'm happy to do that too. This way, the people in our courtyard can be more united."

In the factory, he often thinks of yesterday's party, and feels fulfilled and satisfied. Although the work is hard, he believes that the beauty of life is accumulated in these small happiness.

Soon after, Zhou Dong was promoted to team leader in the factory because of his outstanding performance. His efforts and abilities were recognized by the leaders, which strengthened his confidence.

At noon that day, the workers gathered together for lunch. Lao Li smiled and said to Zhou Dong: "Zhou Dong, you are our team leader now. Do you have any ideas to share with us?"

Zhou Dong put down his bowl and chopsticks and said seriously: "Actually, there is nothing special. I think as long as everyone works together, we can definitely get the job done."

"Yes, Zhou Dong is right, unity is strength." Another worker echoed.

"When I get my salary this month, I'll treat everyone to a meal, and then I'll show off my skills," Zhou Dong joked.

"Then we'll just wait." Old Li said with a smile, and everyone nodded.

This promotion not only made Zhou Dong happy, but also filled him with hope for the future. He knew that life would not always be as he wished, but as long as he maintained a positive attitude, he would be able to overcome the difficulties.

When Zhou Dong returned to the courtyard in the afternoon, he saw Banggeng sitting in the yard, seemingly thinking about something.

"Bang Geng, why don't you go out to play? Don't you have school today?" he asked. He said a little frustratedly, "School is closed today, but I don't really want to go out to play." He asked with concern, "What happened?"

"It's nothing actually, I just feel a little bored." Banggeng lowered his head and said in a low voice.

"It's boring, how about we do something fun?

"For example?" Banggeng raised his head with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"For example, we can go to a nearby park, take in the scenery, or go to the movies." Zhou Dong thought for a moment and continued.

Bang Geng thought about it and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I don't have anything to do."

The two decided to go out, Zhou Dong took Banggeng for a walk in a nearby park, enjoying this rare leisure time. The park was full of greenery, and the sunlight shone through the leaves on the ground, casting mottled light and shadows.

"Brother Zhou Dong, thank you for hanging out with me." Bang Geng suddenly said.

"You're welcome. I also like this kind of relaxation." Zhou Dong smiled slightly and felt warm in his heart.

They walked around the park and talked about the trivialities of life, and Banggeng gradually regained his former vitality. Zhou Dong realized that sometimes simple companionship can bring a lot of happiness.

When they returned to the courtyard in the evening, Zhou Dong and Bang Geng both seemed to be in a good mood. Qin Huairu saw them and said with a smile, "Where did you go to play? Why are you so happy?"

"We went to the park and relaxed for a while," Zhou Dong replied.

"Yeah, Brother Zhou Dong is right. If you're in a bad mood, you should go out for a walk." Bang Geng agreed.

Qin Huairu nodded with satisfaction: "That's good. You young people should go out more often."

As night falls, the aroma of dinner wafts from the yard.

Yan Bugui is jealous of Zhou Dong's popularity and often stirs up discord and creates conflicts in the courtyard, but Zhou Dong resolves them with humor and wit.

Life in the courtyard is always full of twists and turns and fun. Zhou Dong won unanimous praise from his neighbors for his outstanding performance at the last party, especially his cooking skills. However, another neighbor in the courtyard, Yan Bugui, was a little dissatisfied with this. He always felt that Zhou Dong was too popular and he was ignored. So Yan Bugui began to sow discord in the courtyard and tried to create some conflicts.

This morning, Zhou Dong was sitting at the door of his house repairing an old stool. The sun shone in the yard, making it look particularly warm. Yan Bugui deliberately passed by and said casually, "Zhou Dong, your craftsmanship is good, but I don't know if you can live up to so many compliments."

Zhou Dong raised his head and said with a smile: "Uncle Yan, my cooking skills are just okay. I hope everyone likes it."

Yan Bugui curled his lips and said mysteriously, "Humph, there are many people who like me, but there are also many people who gossip about me behind my back."

Zhou Dong was startled, but his smile remained unchanged: "Oh? I wonder what they said?"

Yan Bugui deliberately lowered his voice: "I heard that you are a good cook, but you should pay more attention to other things. Didn't Qin Huairu's clothes fall to the ground last time because of you?"

Zhou Dong knew that Yan Bugui was deliberately provoking trouble. But he didn't want to destroy the harmony in the courtyard, so he said humorously: "Yes, I am a careless person. Next time if there is anything, you have to help me keep an eye on it."

Yan Bugui was caught off guard when he heard this. He didn't expect Zhou Dong to be so smart. He could only smile and find an excuse to leave.

After a while, Qin Huairu came back with a basket of vegetables. Seeing Zhou Dong repairing a stool, she stopped to chat with him.

"Zhou Dong, what did Yan Bugui say to you just now?" Qin Huairu asked curiously.

Zhou Dong put down the tools in his hand and said with a smile: "Nothing, he just wanted me to pay attention to some other little things."

Qin Huairu frowned: "This Yan Bugui always likes to sow discord, just ignore him." "I know, if he says anything else, I will use humor to resolve it."

Qin Huairu smiled: "It's good that you think so. It's better for us to live in harmony in this courtyard."

As the two were talking, Bang Geng ran over from the side, his face full of excitement: "Brother Zhou Dong, Brother Zhou Dong, I saw a new candied haws stall on the street, let's go check it out together!"

Zhou Dong smiled and said, "Okay, I haven't eaten candied haws for a long time. Sister Huairu, do you want to go with us?"

Qin Huairu nodded: "Okay, I just want to go to the street to buy some things."

The three of them walked towards the street, chatting and laughing. The air was filled with the smell of early summer. Small vendors on both sides of the street set up their stalls one after another, shouting one after another, making this old city look particularly lively.

"Banggeng, where is the candied haws stall?" Zhou Dong asked, looking around.

"It's not far ahead, I remember it very clearly." Bang Geng pointed ahead and said excitedly.

Sure enough, not long after walking, the three of them saw the candied haws stall. The owner was a kind old man, concentrating on coating the candied haws with syrup. Many children had gathered in front of the stall, staring at the strings of bright red candied haws, drooling.

"Wow, it smells so good!" Banggeng couldn't help but exclaim.

Zhou Dong smiled and patted Bang Geng's head: "If you want to eat, just tell me. Brother Zhou Dong will treat you."

Qin Huairu joked: "Zhou Dong, you are such a generous brother."

Zhou Dong smiled and said, "It's okay for a kid to eat some candied haws."

Zhou Dong bought a few strings of candied haws and shared them with Bang Geng and Qin Huairu. The candied haws were sweet and sour and melted in the mouth. The three of them continued shopping while eating.

When Yan Bugui saw them after returning to the courtyard, he pretended to be casual and said, "Oh, you look so happy today, are you eating candied haws?"

Zhou Dong smiled and replied, "Yes, I was in a good mood today, so I went for a walk on the street with Huairu and Banggeng."

Yan Bugui snorted, seemingly dissatisfied with Zhou Dong's answer. He turned and walked away, thinking about his next plan.

At night, thinking about what Yan Bugui said and did today, he understood that Yan Bugui was a little jealous, but he didn't want to fall out with his neighbor because of this. After all, living in this courtyard, harmony is the most important thing.

The next morning, Zhou Dong was awakened by a loud noise. He rubbed his eyes and walked into the yard, where he found that everyone was gathered together, seemingly discussing something.

"What's wrong?" Zhou Dong asked.

Qin Huairu came over and whispered, "It was Yan Bugui. He said he lost something."

Zhou Dong frowned: "What's missing?"

"He said it was a valuable pipe. It was still there last night, but now it can't be found," Qin Huairu explained.

Yan Bugui was standing in the middle of the yard, looking anxious: "If anyone sees my pipe, please tell me, it was left to me by my father."

"Uncle Yan, please look carefully again. Maybe it was placed somewhere else." Yi Zhonghai advised.

"I've looked everywhere, but there's no trace of him." Yan Bugui's face was gloomy, as if he suspected that someone had stolen his things.

Zhou Dong watched everyone discussing this and felt something was amiss. He walked over and said to Yan Bugui, "Uncle Yan, let's look for it again. Maybe it has fallen into a corner somewhere."

Yan Bugui looked at Zhou Dong and said unkindly, "Zhou Dong, this thing of mine is very important. It will be troublesome if it is lost."

Zhou Dong smiled slightly: "It's okay, I'll help you look for it, let's search the yard carefully."

Zhou Dong and other neighbors helped to search. Soon, Bang Geng ran out from a corner with a pipe in his hand: "Uncle Yan, is this it?"

When Yan Bugui saw it, he quickly took it, his face full of joy: "Yes, yes, that's it! Oh, I finally found it!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and expressed their relief. Yan Bugui looked at Zhou Dong with a slightly embarrassed look on his face: "Zhou Dong, thanks to you just now, otherwise I really would not be able to find my pipe."

Zhou Dong smiled and said, "It's okay, neighbors should help each other."