Siheyuan: Start with a Truck Driver

Liu Guangqi took the drawing, turned around and walked to the table nearby and sat down. He couldn't wait to open the drawing and looked at it carefully.

He looked at the dense lines and markings on the drawing and felt confused. Those complicated mechanical structures and professional symbols were like incomprehensible to him. He couldn't understand them at all!

However, Liu Guangqi was not too worried. He thought that he just had to hand over the drawings to Zheng Damao according to the agreement he had made before. As for what the contents were and whether Zheng Damao could use them, that was not his concern.

In this way, Liu Guangqi carefully put away the drawings and did not sleep well all night. He was hoping to solve the matter quickly, but he was also vaguely afraid that something might go wrong.

The next morning, Liu Guangqi asked for a day off from the factory early, and then, carrying the blueprint, he hurried towards the familiar yet frightening grove.

When he arrived at the grove, he heard a noisy sound coming from far away. When he got closer, he saw Zheng Damao and a group of thugs sitting together playing cards. They were smoking a cigarette and shouting. The scene looked very smoky and foul.

Liu Guangqi stood at the edge of the grove, hesitated for a moment, and then walked over, cleared his throat, and shouted, "Brother Damao, I'm here."

Zheng Damao was having fun when he heard the voice. He turned around and saw that it was Liu Guangqi. He showed a smug smile on his face, threw the cards in his hand on the table, stood up and said, "Hey, Liu Guangqi, I thought you didn't dare to come. How is it? Did you bring the things?"

Liu Guangqi quickly took out the blueprint from his arms, handed it to Zheng Damao with both hands, and said with a smile: "Brother Damao, I brought it. I did everything you said. Please take a look."

Zheng Damao took the blueprint and unfolded it to have a look. Although he didn't quite understand the details of the blueprint, he still pretended to examine it carefully, then nodded with satisfaction and said, "Okay, Liu Guangqi, you are smart and you actually got the thing."

Liu Guangqi heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, and hurriedly said, "Brother Damao, don't forget what you promised me before. The debt will be written off, and the 500 yuan..."

Zheng Damao folded the blueprint casually and put it in his pocket. He interrupted Liu Guangqi and said, "I won't forget it. I, Zheng Damao, always keep my word. But, I don't have the money with me now. You have to wait for a few days. When I finish processing the blueprint, I will give you the money."

Liu Guangqi's heart skipped a beat, and he said with difficulty: "Brother Damao, you have to hurry up, I'm counting on this money for an emergency, and you can't go back on your promise to me."

When Zheng Damao heard this, his face suddenly darkened. He glared at Liu Guangqi and said, "Liu Guangqi, you don't trust me. I said I would give it to you, and I will definitely give it to you. If you keep nagging me, I will be rude to you!"

When Liu Guangqi saw Zheng Damao's attitude of refusing to pay his debt, he immediately became angry.

He had never trusted Zheng Damao in the first place. He had gone through so much trouble to get this blueprint, coaxing his wife, and being frightened. It took a lot of effort to get it. When he heard Zheng Damao's nonchalant but slightly threatening words, his anger suddenly came out.

Liu Guangqi's face flushed, and he raised his voice and said, "Zheng Damao, don't try to cheat me! I went through so much trouble to get this blueprint, begged my wife, and took such a big risk. Now you ask me to wait, who knows if you will keep your promise?

If you don't give me money today, I will never let you go. I will make a big noise here and alarm everyone outside. Then everyone will know what you have done here, and then we will see what you will do!"

Liu Guangqi had fully realized by now that Zheng Damao definitely had bad intentions in wanting the printer's drawings.

After all, normally, who would be willing to spend 500 yuan for a piece of paper? There must be some ulterior motive behind it. He was afraid that Zheng Damao had plotted against him and got him into some trouble. But now that things had come to this, he could no longer care about so much. He just wanted to get the money first, so that at least all his efforts would not be in vain.

When Zheng Damao heard what Liu Guangqi said, his face became even uglier. He didn't expect Liu Guangqi to dare to challenge him. He snorted coldly and said, "Liu Guangqi, you are so bold. You dare to threaten me, right? Don't you think about what will happen to you if this matter gets out of hand? Your wife secretly gave you the factory's drawings. If the factory knows about this, both of you will be in trouble. How dare you make such a fuss here!"

Liu Guangqi's heart skipped a beat after hearing what Zheng Damao said. Indeed, if this matter really got out of hand, he and his wife would be finished. But he was unwilling to be controlled by Zheng Damao, so he gritted his teeth and said, "Zheng Damao, I don't care about that. Anyway, if you don't give me money today, I will fight you. At worst, we will die together. I can't let you cheat me like this!"

Seeing this, the hooligans around also gathered around, staring at Liu Guangqi with eager eyes.

Zheng Damao looked at Liu Guangqi's desperate look and thought quickly in his mind. He knew that if he and Liu Guangqi really had a falling out here, and Liu Guangqi made a big fuss and brought people from outside in, it would be troublesome. Not only would the blueprint be exposed, but his reputation in this area would also be ruined, which would be a loss.

Thinking of this, Zheng Damao's expression immediately changed. His originally gloomy face was instantly filled with a smile. He smiled and said to Liu Guangqi: "Hey, Guangqi, look at you, why are you so anxious? Am I Zheng Damao the kind of person who doesn't keep my word? I was just joking with you, and you took it seriously."

Liu Guangqi looked at him warily, snorted and said, "Brother Damao, don't fool me again. I must get the money today, otherwise I won't let it go."

Zheng Damao nodded quickly and said sincerely, "Yes, yes, I understand what you are thinking. How about this? I don't have that much money with me today, but I will give you a hundred yuan first. You can use it as an emergency fund. As for the remaining four hundred yuan, I promise to give it to you in a week without losing a cent. What do you think?"

Although Liu Guangqi was still somewhat reluctant, after all, this was different from what was originally agreed upon, he was also afraid that Zheng Damao would be pushed too far and things would get out of hand, which would not be good for him. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, Brother Damao, I'll trust you this time, but you have to keep your word. I'll come to get the rest of the money in a week. If you cheat again, don't blame me for being rude."

Zheng Damao patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, Guangqi. I, Zheng Damao, always keep my word. Come over in a week, and I will definitely have the 400 yuan ready for you to take. There will be absolutely no problem."

As he spoke, Zheng Damao took out a hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to Liu Guangqi. Liu Guangqi took the money and counted it carefully. After confirming that it was correct, he felt a little relieved and said, "Brother Damao, I'll leave first. I'll come to see you in a week."

Zheng Damao nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, go ahead. Remember, you have to keep this a secret. If the news leaks out, it will be bad for both you and me."

Liu Guangqi responded, then turned around and hurriedly left the grove.

When the gangsters saw that Zheng Damao actually gave Liu Guangqi a hundred yuan, they were all furious, with puzzled and dissatisfied expressions on their faces, and they started to talk among themselves. "Brother Damao, we usually do business without paying anything, so there is no reason for us to pay anything. What happened today?"

"That's right. For such a crappy blueprint, I actually gave this guy money. I've never suffered such a loss before. What on earth are you planning, Brother Da Mao?"

Zheng Damao listened to their mutterings, his face darkened, and he shouted, "Shut up! I have my own ideas, and it's not your turn to yell here. You know nothing!"

After being yelled at by Zheng Damao, the thugs suddenly didn't dare to say a word. They were so frightened that they just stood there obediently.

Afterwards, Zheng Damao did not stay any longer and left the grove. He rode his old bicycle and turned along the street, looking back from time to time, looking very cautious, afraid that someone was following him. When he was sure that no one was following him, he rode his bicycle towards an alley near Xizhimen with confidence.

Arriving in the alley, Zheng Damao stopped in front of a courtyard door of a single-family house. He went forward and knocked on the door. After a while, the door creaked open and a beautiful woman appeared at the door.

The woman had a pretty face and a unique charm between her eyebrows. When she saw Zheng Damao, she immediately showed a warm smile on her face and called him affectionately: "Brother Zheng, you are here, come in quickly."

Zheng Damao changed his usual arrogant attitude in front of those hooligans and became respectful. He bent slightly and greeted them with a smile on his face: "Comrade Zheng, hello. I rushed to deliver the things to you as soon as I got them."

The woman nodded slightly, stepped aside to let Zheng Damao enter the yard, and said as she walked in, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Zheng. Did you bring the things?"

Zheng Damao quickly took out the printer blueprint Liu Guangqi had given him from his pocket, handed it to the woman with both hands, and said flatteringly, "I brought it here. I spent a lot of effort to get it. Take a look at it. Is it suitable for use?"

The woman took the blueprint, glanced at it casually, and a meaningful smile appeared on her lips. She said, "Well, it looks OK. We need to find someone to take a closer look. Brother Zheng, you have made a great contribution this time. When it's done, you will definitely get some benefits."

When Zheng Damao heard this, he was overjoyed and smiled even brighter. He quickly said, "Oh, Comrade Zheng, you are so polite. It is my honor to be able to help you. I hope everything goes well for you."

The two men walked into the house while talking. Comrade Zheng poured Zheng Damao a cup of steaming hot tea with a smile and said, "Brother Zheng, sit down and rest for a while, drink some tea to moisten your throat. I'll take the drawings and go out to find someone to check the situation." After that, he took the drawings and went out, leaving Zheng Damao alone in the house.

Zheng Damao picked up the teacup, took a sip, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Recalling the past when he met Comrade Zheng, it was half a year ago.

At that time, he was wandering the streets with a gang of thugs and met this woman by chance.

This woman, from the moment she showed up, exuded a unique aura, and her every move seemed to indicate she was of noble origin.

At first, Zheng Damao didn't take her too seriously, but unexpectedly, when he encountered difficult problems several times later, this woman helped him several times. The way she solved the problems and the connections behind her made Zheng Damao feel that she was no ordinary person, and he had more respect for her in his heart.

This time, Zheng somehow learned about the blueprint of the Lanhua Automobile Factory printer, and found Zheng Damao, promising him two thousand yuan if he could get the blueprint of the printer. This was a huge sum of money for Zheng Damao, because he could not earn so much money even if he worked hard and cheated people everywhere.

Faced with this huge temptation of benefits, Zheng Damao's mind began to become active. After thinking about it, he felt that Liu Guangqi was an object that could be used. After all, Liu Guangqi was a gambler and in urgent need of money. As long as he set up a little trap, he could control him and make him go and get the blueprint. So Zheng Damao set a trap for Liu Guangqi by all means, using both coercion and inducement, which led to a series of events that happened later.

Zheng Damao sat in the room, thinking about how he would spend the two thousand yuan, while at the same time he was vaguely worried that something might go wrong.

After all, this drawing involves the factory's technology. If it is discovered, the consequences will be serious.

He didn't want to be caught in the fence.

Two hours later, there was a sound of footsteps outside. Zheng Damao immediately pricked up his ears, nervous and expectant, staring at the door. Not long after, the door was pushed open and Comrade Zheng walked in. She looked gloomy and frowned, and she looked unhappy.

Seeing this, Zheng Damao stood up quickly, walked forward eagerly, and asked anxiously, "Comrade Zheng, how is it? What's the result?"

When Comrade Zheng heard this, he immediately flew into a rage. He slammed the blueprint in his hand onto the table and shouted angrily, "Humph, this blueprint is useless! I wasted so much time and effort on it, and I was still hoping to accomplish something big with it. It's just a piece of waste paper!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere suddenly became serious.

Several young men immediately gathered around, holding wire locks in their hands, with the corners of their mouths curled up like the Crooked Mouth Dragon King, and they looked like someone who could cause trouble.

(End of this chapter)