My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 148: Liu Guangqi's Wedding

The next morning, Zhang Lei got out of bed feeling refreshed. After washing up, he had just stepped into the yard when he heard a commotion coming from the backyard.

Zhang Lei, always eager for a good show, rushed over to investigate. He saw Liu Haizhong chasing his son, Liu Guangtian, with a stick. Liu Guangtian, while dodging, kept explaining, "Dad, I really drank too much yesterday, I don't remember anything."

Liu Haizhong ignored him completely, brandishing his stick and cursing, "You little bastard, you even dared to hit your own brother! I'll break your legs so you'll never dare to act recklessly again after a little alcohol!"

The neighbors around shook their heads, and one couldn't help but advise, "Second Uncle, you can't blame Guangtian entirely for what happened yesterday. Weren't you all drunk too?"

Liu Haizhong, however, dismissed it, saying, "I'm his father, so it's understandable that I get drunk. He's the son, and when he's drunk, he doesn't know his place and even dared to lay a hand on his older brother. How can he not be taught a lesson?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than someone nearby chimed in, "Second Uncle, you can't insult him like that! If he's a little bastard, then what are you?"

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, and the courtyard was filled with laughter.

The door to Xu Damao's house in the backyard was tightly shut. Inside, Xu Damao lay on the bed, on the verge of tears, his face swollen like a pig's head. He recalled the scene from yesterday, unable to understand how he had ended up fighting with Sha Zhu and getting a good beating from him.

He still had things to do in the afternoon, so he struggled to get up, took out the money from the cabinet, counted it carefully, and thought to himself that he had to get things done as soon as possible and couldn't put it off any longer.

On the other side, an elderly man named Yi Zhonghai sat at the table, listening to an elderly woman recount the farce that had unfolded in the courtyard the previous night. He felt his face flush with embarrassment and sighed repeatedly, "Drinking leads to trouble, drinking leads to trouble!"

Seeing that he was in low spirits, an older woman said, "Alright, let's go see Zhu Zi later, he's still in the hospital."

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked, "Who hit him?"

The older woman shook her head: "I don't know. When I opened the door, I saw Zhu Zi straddling Xu Damao and beating him. You were all drunk last night, who knows who started it."

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai became even more agitated. He muttered "drinking leads to trouble" a few more times before saying, "Then go and make some food, we'll take it to Zhuzi." The old woman nodded in agreement and turned to go to the kitchen to busy herself.

In the front yard, when Yan Fugui woke up, he was startled to find himself completely naked. The old woman, seeing him awake, launched into a tirade, recounting in detail the embarrassing things he had done the previous night. Yan Fugui's face turned bright red; he wished he could disappear into the ground, quickly wrapping himself in the blankets and refusing to come out.

The three older women were still outside cursing: "You old bastard, you stuffed all the food into your pants! How are people supposed to eat this? Who would dare to eat it!"

In another room, Yan Jiecheng was being mocked by Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang. Yan Jiefang laughed and said, "Brother, you were so embarrassing last night. Everyone in the hospital saw you with your bare bottom and your little penis showing!" The two laughed more and more, bending over with laughter.

Yan Jiecheng was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged. He roared, "Get out! Get out of here! All of you, get out!"

Suddenly, the entire courtyard seemed to enter a "peaceful period." Apart from Jia Zhangshi from the Jia family occasionally making a fuss, there were almost no other arguments in the courtyard, and the quiet was somewhat abnormal.

The Yan family father and son in the front yard, apart from going to work during the day, would keep their doors tightly shut when they got home, never venturing out of the house. They were like wronged little wives, afraid of being laughed at if they went out.

Although Uncle Yi Zhonghai hadn't done anything too shameful, he still felt embarrassed. He didn't go anywhere except to the deaf old lady's house in the backyard and his own. He even left the task of taking care of Sha Zhu at the hospital to an older woman.

Xu Damao, on the other hand, was acting suspiciously, always busy with something outside, never home, and rarely showing his face in the yard.

As for the second uncle, Liu Haizhong, it was a case of "beating the children on a rainy day—since he had nothing better to do." He would take his anger out on the two brothers, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, and the sounds of beatings and scoldings could be heard from the house from time to time. However, as Liu Guangqi's wedding date drew closer, Liu Haizhong gradually reduced the frequency of beatings in order to prepare for the wedding.

He Yuzhu wasn't actually seriously injured; he just had a cut on his head, which looked scary. But He Yushui was worried that his brother's fever would damage his brain and make him even more mentally impaired, so she insisted that he stay in the hospital for a couple more days for observation. That's why he hadn't returned to the courtyard house.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was Liu Guangqi's wedding day.

In the courtyard, Zhang Lei's family contributed four bicycles, Sha Zhu contributed one, and Liu Haizhong's family contributed another one, making a total of six bicycles.

Under Liu Haizhong's direction, the six bicycles lined up neatly and set off in style to pick up the bride.

The job of head chef naturally fell to He Yuzhu, who had already been discharged from the hospital and returned home.

The entire courtyard was decorated with a festive atmosphere, with red lanterns and red "double happiness" characters everywhere. Adults and children were coming and going, busy with various tasks, making the courtyard lively and bustling.

Zhang Lei stood by the gift table, smoking a cigarette, chatting and bragging with Yan Fugui, who was taking down the gift list.

Looking at Yan Fugui's calligraphy, Zhang Lei smiled and said, "Third Uncle, your calligraphy has quite the style of Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan."

Yan Fugui, thinking it was a compliment, chuckled and said, "You've got a good eye, kid! I've been practicing my calligraphy for over ten years."

After saying that, Yan Fugui looked up at Zhang Lei and asked, "Zhang Lei, why aren't you offering a gift?"

Zhang Lei looked at him and said unhurriedly, "Third Uncle, I already gave it to him. I gave Liu Haizhong a pretty good discount on that bicycle before, and we agreed at the time that it would be considered my gift money, so there's no need to include it in the gift list."

Seeing Yan Fugui's obvious disbelief, Zhang Lei didn't waste any words and said directly, "Third Uncle, if you don't believe me, I'll call Second Uncle over right now, and you can ask him in person if I'm lying."

Upon hearing Zhang Lei's words, Yan Fugui quickly waved his hand and said with a forced smile, "No need, no need. We're all old neighbors living in the same courtyard. How could I not trust you? I was just asking casually."

Zhang Lei smiled, then pointed to the other names on the gift list and said, "That's right! Look at them, each of them only gave a few cents, the most being a dollar. The bicycle I gave my second uncle was a discount of more than ten dollars! If you ask me, just for this favor, he should have prepared a separate table for me."

Yan Fugui didn't take Zhang Lei's words to heart, just chuckled. His eyes darted around, and he leaned closer to Zhang Lei, saying somewhat sheepishly, "Zhang Lei, look at this courtyard, there are three old men in charge, and I'm the only one who hasn't gotten a bicycle yet. You have connections, could you help the third old man out too?"

Seeing Yan Fugui's anxious look, Zhang Lei thought for a moment, then held up a finger and waved it, saying, "A pot of flowers."

Yan Fugui was taken aback for a moment, then understood what Zhang Lei meant. He gritted his teeth, nodded, and said, "Okay! As long as you can get me a cheap bicycle, I'll give you a potted plant that I've carefully cultivated!"