Siheyuan: I eat melons while doing scientific research

Chapter 1339 The Bard and the Necromancer (4k)

Around 7 a.m., Xu Damao, who had been silent in the yard for a long time, walked out with a dejected look on his face. As a handyman, he didn't have a lot of work to do, but he couldn't avoid going.

In recent years, he has had a tough time. As the most spirited young generation in the courtyard, he feels that he has not had a single good day since he got married.

Putting everything else aside, even his cheap wife, whom he married, is now completely different from how she was when she first came in; she dares to raise her voice at him now.

"It's all Sha Zhu's fault!" Xu Damao spat angrily.

Although his life only changed after Gao Zhendong came to the courtyard house, Xu Damao subconsciously dared not think in that direction.

A man like him always wields his knife against those weaker than himself. Although Sha Zhu doesn't seem to be weaker than him, he's still much easier to handle than Gao Zhendong. At least he dares to think about it, but he wouldn't even dare to think about Gao Zhendong.

Moreover, in Xu Damao's mind, he felt that he was better than Sha Zhu in one aspect: his wife did not bring any children with her, while Sha Zhu's wife brought three children with her!

For Xu Damao, the wife he had reluctantly married had become the only reason he could find solace in Sha Zhu.

As for his inability to have children, he temporarily put it out of his mind. He always felt that it was Pang Shuixian's fault. He thought that modern medicine was all nonsense and that being unable to have children was a woman's problem. If it weren't for his reputation among the neighbors, he would have already ruined it. He even thought about replacing this woman.

As for the incriminating evidence from back then, so much time has passed, how could we possibly hold him accountable anymore?

He just didn't have the opportunity. Pang Shuixian didn't really care about him, but given his situation, it seemed quite difficult for him to deceive another wife.

As Xu Damao walked out angrily, his eyes widened as he passed the Intermediate People's Court.

A beautiful young woman, whom Qin Huairu didn't recognize, was sweeping the floor in front of Qin Huairu's house.

With pigtails and a fair face, her figure was still quite striking under her summer clothes, even though the clothes were old-fashioned.

I've never seen this girl before!

For Xu Damao, this was a novel and exciting experience, since he hadn't been able to indulge in foreign pleasures for a long time after losing his lucrative job as a film projectionist.

Although he might not dare to do anything, the very concept of "change" is a kind of stimulation for Xu Damao. Apart from the "change" in his bangs, that kind of change was perhaps a bit too stimulating for Xu Damao.

Perhaps, an opportunity has arrived? Xu Damao didn't even consider whether the idea in his head was reasonable or realistic; he only knew that he wanted to do something.

As for whether his neighbors in the intermediate court will expose his past, who cares? Maybe he'll get lucky. Haven't you seen how in traditional novels, all sorts of coincidences lead to unexpected results?

That's why he hasn't seen the various TV dramas from decades later. If he had, he would be even more confident. He would make coincidences happen even if there were none, and create misunderstandings even if there were none. He would do whatever nonsense he could think of.

Xu Damao turned his head and looked at his reflection in the large water vat in front of his house. The morning sunlight shone on his somewhat gloomy face, making him feel pretty good about himself.

After smoothing his hair a couple of times, Xu Damao presented what he considered to be his best self before turning back to walk towards the Central Court.

"Hey, girl, so early in the morning, working so hard!" Xu Damao's voice startled Qin Jinru, who was happily working.

For Qin Jinru, today is a brand new day. Although it took a lot of effort to stay at her cousin's house temporarily, running around to various departments, big and small, such as the street office and police station, it was all worth it for Jinru, who came from the rural outskirts of Beijing to the city.

If it were too easy to move into the city, wouldn't moving there seem too effortless? For Jin Ru, everything was wonderful as long as she could move in temporarily.

Xu Damao's slightly hoarse voice startled her. She looked up and saw a long-faced man standing in front of her, who looked rather decent-looking.

For Qin Jinru, it was just like many young people who had just started working. She was in the peak of her people-pleasing personality when she first entered the city. As long as the city people were willing to talk to her, she would try her best to respond with 120% enthusiasm.

As for the first lesson young people learn when entering society—rejection—she has absolutely no concept of it now.

"Ah, right, I'm just sitting around doing chores in the morning anyway, I can't stand being idle." Qin Jinru was very enthusiastic, she must be a neighbor.

For Qin Jinru, having "neighbors" in Beijing was something she was very proud of in her subconscious.

"Your family is really something..." Although Xu Damao hadn't had the same upbringing as the characters in the TV series in recent years, the foundation he had built up in speaking was still there. Just as he was about to put it to use, a sharp shout came from the house behind Qin Jinru.

"Jinru! Come in!" It was Jia Zhangshi's voice.

"Hey~~~ Coming!!!" Qin Jinru gave Xu Damao an embarrassed look, turned around and went into the house. No matter how important a neighbor is, they are not as important as the homeowner. Qin Jinru understood this difference perfectly.

Qin Huairu temporarily arranged for her to stay at the Jia family's place. The Jia and He families combined had several rooms, so they could still make room for Qin Jinru. The younger children stayed with Qin Huairu at Sha Zhu's place, while the older children and Jia Zhangshi stayed here. It was quite spacious after some adjustments.

Madam Jia had no objections; staying there temporarily wasn't a big deal. In the TV series, even the house belonging to Sha Zhu wasn't shared, so she had no objection to Qin Jinru staying at the Jia family's house temporarily.

As the saying goes, old people are shrewd and old ghosts are clever. Jia Zhangshi is so old, no matter what Xu Damao and Qin Jinru's purpose was in chatting, Jia Zhangshi had only one thought - Xu Damao, that bastard, must have no good intentions!
For an elderly person of this age, the distinction between inside and outside is very clear. Although Qin Jinru had just arrived and they couldn't yet be said to have a relationship or affection for each other, in Jia Zhangshi's heart, Qin Jinru was Huairu's sister, and she couldn't let her suffer any losses.

So when Jia Zhangshi saw Xu Damao chatting with Qin Jinru, she immediately told Qin Jinru to go back inside, without even bothering to come up with a reason. As for Xu Damao, there was no need to give him face.

Upon hearing Jia Zhangshi's voice, Xu Damao didn't dare to say anything more. He knew very well that this old woman was not someone to be trifled with.

Let alone him, even Yi Zhonghai, who held the power in the courtyard in the TV series, couldn't do anything to Jia Zhangshi, so Xu Damao, whose development is severely restricted, is naturally no match for him either.

Xu Damao clicked his tongue, gave Qin Jinru, who was turning around, what he thought was a very gentlemanly smile, and then turned and left.

New changes may bring new opportunities, and Xu Damao's womanizing ways from back then seem to have returned. "That man is no good, stay away from him," Jia Zhangshi said to Qin Jinru as she entered the room. As for exactly why he's no good, Jia Zhangshi didn't elaborate; she couldn't explain it either. If it were Sha Zhu, he could talk for three hours straight without repeating himself.

"Okay, Auntie." Qin Jinru readily complied. She would listen to whatever Qin Jinru said. She was the homeowner and therefore the most important person, but her cousin was even more important now that she was home.

As for what exactly happened with Xu Damao, I'll ask my cousin or brother-in-law when I have time.

Gao Zhendong, who was practicing boxing in the yard and waiting for breakfast, had seen everything that had just happened. He ignored Xu Damao, who was sneaking past the front yard and greeting him with a somewhat timid expression, but in his heart he was laughing his head off.

To be honest, although the necromancer Jia Zhangshi hasn't been able to show his full potential due to the various changes in the courtyard over the past few years, he still has the foundation. He easily managed to restrain Xu Damao, who was ganked and destroyed at the start of the game.

With this pleasant feeling, Gao Zhendong did not go to work. Today was Sunday, and Lou Shouxing had already brought He Wu home.

Back at the Lou family home with Lou Xiao'e, Gao Zhendong heard his mother-in-law's laughter as soon as he entered.

Compared to her old acquaintances, Lou's mother has been in the best condition in recent years, with almost no worries, especially after Lou Shouxing got married.

"Zhendong, Xiao'e, come in quickly!" Lou's mother called out to the two of them, but her hands reached behind them to Yan Zhibuyu, and she took one of them by the hand and led them inside.

The two children are growing up very fast, and Lou's mother is already finding it difficult to carry them; it's unlikely she can have one on each side.

"Uncle, Aunt." The two children greeted Lou Shouxing sweetly, which made He Wu envious. He glanced at Lou Shouxing and knew he had to step up his game.

Upon seeing Gao Zhendong, Lou Shouxing grabbed him and ran towards the study, even more eager than Gao Zhendong himself.

"Brother, I'm not in a hurry, why are you?" Gao Zhendong laughed. He had called his brother-in-law back himself, but he didn't expect the other party to be even more anxious than him. Did he guess that there was something good?
It's not hard to guess, but it's not easy to guess exactly how good it is.

"I have good news!" Lou Shouxing exclaimed excitedly.

Hmm? Gao Zhendong couldn't help but feel a sense of reversal of the natural order. This feeling was actually present in Lou Shouxing's subconscious as well, which was why he was even more anxious than Gao Zhendong.

"What is it? Tell me more?"

Lou Shouxing didn't speak until he entered the study and closed the door, then he said to Gao Zhendong, "Zhendong, let me ask you something first. Can you make the decision to sell that fiber optic cable you're working on? Without violating any rules. Let me make it clear first, ostensibly it's going to Gaul or John, but actually it's going to Citibank."

Lou Shouxing knew very well that some rules absolutely could not be broken, so he laid out the biggest problem from the very beginning.

Gao Zhendong laughed. So that's what happened. It seems someone over there is in a hurry to get their hands on fiber optic cables for research. He knew Citibank's situation very well; someone was bound to be impatient. In this era where IT technology was beginning to emerge and explode, the fast fish eating the slow fish was even more important than the big fish eating the small fish.

"It's not that it's impossible, but it depends on the situation." Gao Zhendong didn't hide anything. This thing was indeed not something that was heavily regulated, otherwise it wouldn't have been published publicly.

Lou Shouxing felt relieved upon hearing this, and the matter was half settled.

"That's right, someone found me through John's people..."

He briefly explained the situation, and concluded, "My idea isn't to make money from fiber optics. I'm thinking of buying control of this small research institute if the opportunity arises! I'll buy it under the name of Zhenxing Electronics Technology, provide them with some funding, and let them research that... that... laser communication equipment!"

This was Lou Shouxing's goal. The profits from reselling optical fibers were nothing to him; he didn't care about them at all. Even the favors from the middlemen meant nothing to him. He wanted to directly take over the communications research institute, control the technology with Zhenxing Electric Technology, and authorize Zhenxing Electric Products to produce and sell the products.

However, all of this is contingent on Gao Zhendong's agreement. While the golden egg is desirable, it is absolutely essential not to jeopardize his brother-in-law's ability to lay golden eggs.

Therefore, before making any real contact with the research institute at Citibank, he needed to get Gao Zhendong's opinion first.

After listening, Gao Zhendong thought for a moment and asked, "Are you sure their technology can meet your requirements? Can their research results meet your expectations?"

This is not a bad thing. It's like using a chicken to lay eggs, especially by using fiber optics, a technology that the West was originally expected to achieve a theoretical breakthrough in two years, as bait to catch fish.

"I will ask relevant consulting firms to conduct background checks and assess their capabilities as much as possible. At the same time, during the contact process, I will ask them to provide as much relevant information as possible for my family to evaluate." Lou Shouxing's idea is to take a two-pronged approach.

As for the word "home," it was used very cleverly; they all knew what it meant.

As Gao Zhendong thought about it, he nodded. In terms of technology and environment, the other side was still better, at least for the time being.

"But how can you be sure they'll sell you control?" Gao Zhendong asked. Even tech people wouldn't be so oblivious as to relinquish control so easily.

Of course, being unwilling is one thing, but being able to keep it is another. There are countless cases of founders being ousted, such as a certain fruit company.

Lou Shouxing laughed: "Leave this kind of thing to me. I'm good at this. Besides, I want this matter to have the effect of 'spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones.' Even if we can't control this one, we can find a way to deal with the others. The main reason is that Zhenxing Electric Technology has a special status. When we take the initiative to find people, we are subject to tangible and intangible restrictions. But when others take the initiative to find us, we have much more room to maneuver."

Lou Shouxing's words carried a strong implication that "I'll do this kind of thing, so you don't need to worry about it, lest you offend your ears."

Gao Zhendong laughed; his brother-in-law had thought of everything.

"If that's the case, you can go ahead and do it."

Let alone fiber optics being largely unregulated, even if it were, the National Defense Commission has reportedly been able to obtain their communication technology through this basic material, while this side doesn't have to give up any technological secrets. I believe they would also give it the green light.

(End of this chapter)