Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

The next morning, Wang Feng woke up naturally, probably around 8 a.m.

The first thing he does upon waking up is go to the toilet; this has been his habit for decades.

Lifting the covers and seeing the impressive endowment, Wang Feng smiled with satisfaction. He tried to suppress his anger, but he couldn't; the fire in his heart seemed to want to tear a hole in the sky.

Is this water of life really that strong? How can anyone withstand this?

Knowing that only one pound of the Water of Life could be condensed each day, he quickly took out the Water of Life and drank it.

Feeling his strength surge again, Wang Feng was overjoyed. He should have the strength of two pillars now, right? In another eight days, he would be able to reach the strength of a thousand jin.

After getting dressed, taking the chamber pot, a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes, and some matches, Wang Feng went out.

As soon as I stepped outside, I ran into Qin Huairu doing laundry. It seems that today is Sunday and everyone is taking a break.

"Wang Feng, did you just wake up?"

Qin Huairu rubbed her clothes while looking at Wang Feng with a smile.

Wang Feng looked directly at Qin Huairu and had to admit that it was no wonder that Sha Zhu was torn apart by wild dogs.

Qin Huairu was dressed simply, but her every smile and frown exuded charm, especially her peach blossom eyes, alluring little mouth, and bulging grain sack, which made him feel a little thirsty.

However, he knew very well that Qin Huairu was someone he absolutely could not touch. Unless she was a first-hand woman, as long as she was alive, she would stick to him and he would never be able to shake her off.

Thinking of this, Wang Feng simply gave Qin Huairu a soft "hmm" and then ignored her, heading towards the public restroom on his own.

Qin Huairu saw that Wang Feng, who usually secretly stared at her, seemed much stronger and more handsome than usual. However, Wang Feng was so indifferent to her today, which made her feel a little confused.

However, she didn't think much of it and continued to rub the clothes.

Along the way, he encountered an older woman, as well as Liu Guangqi and Yan Jiecheng, but he greeted them with a smile without engaging in much conversation.

When he arrived at the public restroom and saw the latrine that was so disgusting, he almost threw up his dinner from the night before.

He quickly took out a match, lit a cigarette, and dared not inhale the smoke. He just put the smoke in his mouth and then exhaled, hoping that this would block out some of the stench.

Wang Feng quickly relieved himself and escaped the public restroom after squatting for less than two minutes.

When he arrived at the Intermediate People's Court, Qin Huairu was no longer there. He washed his hands, went home to get his toiletries, quickly washed up, and then pushed his bicycle out the door.

Arriving at Nanluoguxiang Street, Wang Feng walked towards a breakfast shop and asked, "How much is a meat bun?"

"No meat buns, only cabbage filling, 6 points."

Wang Feng sighed inwardly. It was autumn of 58, and the three-year famine was already beginning to show signs. Even meat buns were no longer available for sale.

Give me six.

"Okay, that'll be 36 cents in total, plus two ounces of grain coupons."

Wang Feng took out the money and handed it over, then took six steamed buns and ate them as he walked towards the street office.

Arriving at the entrance of the neighborhood office, he had already finished all six steamed buns. Seeing the gatekeeper, he quickly took out a Daqianmen cigarette and handed it to him.

"Sir, is Director Wang here?"

The gatekeeper took the cigarette and said with a smile, "Hey, Daqianmen, you're not bad, kid. Director Wang is in his office, you can just go straight there."

"Okay, thank you, sir."

Wang Feng thanked him and went to the director's office, knocking on the door.

"Please come in."

Wang Feng went inside and saw the so-called "ever-changing courtyard house, but the ever-present Director Wang".

Director Wang is about forty years old, with short hair that reaches his ears, and looks extremely capable.

However, he didn't have a good impression of this Director Wang, who was known as the "King of Lids." Whether it was the evaluation of her when reading the novel or his original memories of her, Wang Feng didn't have any good feelings towards her.

"Who are you?"

"Hello Director Wang, I am Wang Feng from Courtyard No. 95. I've just turned 20, which is the age to get married. I just wanted to renovate the house so that I can get married."

Director Wang smiled and nodded upon hearing this: "No problem. I remember your father is Wang Defa, right? By the way, how would you like to decorate your two rooms?"

"Yes, Director Wang, it's like this: I'd like to divide my two rooms into four. One will be used as a living room, one as a bedroom, one as a bathroom and toilet, and the other as a kitchen. Then I'll connect a separate electricity meter and water tap. Is that alright?"

"No problem, but you'll have to pay for the materials like the water pipes and electricity meter yourself. I'll write you a receipt now, and you can find Master Li at No. 62 Mao'er Hutong later."

"Okay, thank you, Director Wang."

Wang Feng readily agreed. He had thought he would meet Yang Shilei, but he didn't expect to. He didn't even know if Yang Shilei existed in this world.

Director Wang said with a smile, "Wang Feng, now you're all alone in your family. If you ever need anything, just come to your Aunt Wang. Get married and have children soon, so you can have a good family line and give your father some peace of mind. Do you have a girlfriend yet? Would you like Aunt Wang to introduce you to someone?"

"Thank you, Aunt Wang, but I already have a boyfriend."

"Okay, take the note and go find Master Li. You can ask him anything you don't understand."

"Oh, thank you, Aunt Wang."

Wang Feng took the note, walked out of the office, went to the door, handed a Daqianmen cigarette to the gatekeeper, and then rode his bicycle to No. 62 Mao'er Hutong and knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

"Is Master Li here?"

Not long after, the door opened.

"Comrade, who are you looking for?"

The man who arrived was a middle-aged man, holding a hammer in his hand; he was probably working at the moment.

Wang Feng handed over a Daqianmen cigarette and said with a smile, "Comrade, it's like this, I live at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, and I have two rooms that I'd like to ask Master Li to help with the renovation."

Mr. Li took the cigarette, smiled, and said, "I am Mr. Li. Do you have a note from the neighborhood committee?"

"Yes, yes, look."

Wang Feng quickly took out the note written by Director Wang and handed it over.

Master Li took the note, glanced at it, and nodded, saying, "Young master, please wait a moment. I'll grab my tools and go take a look with you right away."

"no problem."

Soon, Mr. Li grabbed his tools, pushed his bicycle, and headed out the door.

Mao'er Hutong is not far from Nanluoguxiang. The two of them arrived at No. 95 Courtyard in less than ten minutes by bicycle.

Upon entering the compound, they didn't see the gatekeeper Yan Fugui, but instead saw Aunt Yang Ruihua guarding the gate. Wang Feng and Master Li were stopped by Aunt Yang as soon as they entered.

"Wang Feng, who is this?"

"Oh, this is Master Li. My two rooms are leaking, so I asked Master Li to help me renovate them," Wang Feng explained.

"Oh, then you can go in."

Wang Feng nodded expressionlessly and led Master Li towards the central courtyard.

He opened the door, handed a Daqianmen cigarette to Master Li, and said:

"Mr. Li, I'd like to divide two rooms into four: one as a living room, one as a bedroom, one as a bathroom and toilet, and the other as a kitchen. I'd also like to install a separate electricity meter and water tap in each room, and then paint all four rooms white. Do you have any objections?"

Master Li took the cigarette, went into the room to begin taking measurements, and came out a moment later to say to Wang Feng:

"No problem, young boss. Do you want the entire process, including labor and materials, or do you want to buy the materials yourself?"

"Let's do a turnkey project, including materials and labor. You can calculate the total cost. As for lunch, I'll pay you accordingly. Is that alright?"

After a moment of silence, Mr. Li said, "Young master, you've ordered quite a few materials, plus water pipes and an electricity meter. It'll cost 180 yuan in total. Is that acceptable?"

Wang Feng nodded, took out 100 yuan and handed it to Master Li, saying, "Master Li, here is 100 yuan. Please take it, and I will pay you the balance after the work is completed."

Mr. Li took the money, counted it, and said, "No problem. I'll go back and call a few more people. It should be finished by tomorrow afternoon."

After seeing Master Li off, Wang Feng was just about to go to the pigeon market to buy some seeds when he saw Yi Zhonghai, the Moral Celestial Venerable, and Liu Haizhong arrive, followed by the sycophantic War God He Yuzhu.