Courtyard House: Starting as a mediocre engineer

Inside the room, Mi Cuicui was selecting several large bags of items, and she happily carried some seafood into the kitchen.

These New Year's goods were all delivered specially by the water pipe factory. Although their factory unfortunately had a criminal case, it wasn't a safety accident. At least the factory leaders didn't have to bear any responsibility. Therefore, deep down, these factory leaders were quite grateful for Zhuang Zhongchen's keen observation.

Just like later on, cadres in this era also paid great attention to interpersonal relationships.

If one could be completely incorruptible and spotless, that would be ideal. But that's a saintly role model, someone most people can admire, but few can actually achieve.

While some privileges are indeed granted, that's only natural.

But once you cross that line, you've crossed a red line. The relevant authorities will then want to have a chat with you.

Furthermore, in those days, cadres had high incomes, but simply nowhere to spend the money. Shops only had a limited selection of goods, and entertainment options were scarce; they couldn't possibly spend it even if they wanted to!

As for buying a house and a car, if you don't reach a certain level, forget about buying a house or a car; you can't even afford the brand of cigarettes you smoke. Even if you could afford them, you wouldn't be entitled to them. But once you reach a certain level, your workplace will provide you with housing and a car, and even appliances, furniture, and bedding will be provided. At even higher levels, you can even have special meals prepared for you.

For example, even low-level cadres like Zhuang Zhongchen receive monthly bath and haircut vouchers. They also receive a clothing allowance for important occasions. If they travel abroad, they even have custom-made suits. Where would they need to spend their own money?

In fact, that's exactly what Li Huaide did in the original story.

Previously, Li Huaide wasn't greedy for money; he mostly indulged in eating, drinking, and having fun, maintaining a good moral compass. As for women? If you can't catch them in the act, what are you talking about?

On the contrary, Xu Damao and Liu Haizhong, after confiscating the Lou family's property, have been scheming against each other for the Lou family's assets.

This shows that ordinary people are short-sighted, and even officials like Li Huaide wouldn't bother to give them a second glance.

But later, Li Huaide transformed into a business elite, thriving just as well. He simply understood the importance of money.

To be fair, from this perspective, despite Li Huaide's questionable personal morality, his adaptability and abilities are quite strong.

That said, perhaps Zhuang Zhongchen didn't care about these local specialties. But after giving them to Mi Cuicui, this commoner girl, she was already overjoyed.

Before long, Mi Cuicui had finished preparing several dishes. When she placed a bowl of mackerel dumplings on the table, she saw Zhuang Zhongchen picking out pieces of cuttlefish from the bowl of braised cuttlefish and piecing them together.

Mi Cuicui's eyes widened with curiosity as she discovered that Zhuang Zhongchen had already pieced together a complete squid. Raising an eyebrow, Zhuang Zhongchen smiled and showed off, "Cuicui, watch closely! I'll give you a little performance!"

Picking up his rice bowl, Zhuang Zhongchen shoved the squid into his mouth in one gulp, stuffing his mouth bulging.

(⊙_⊙)

Mi Cuicui was completely bewildered. What was this man doing now?

After swallowing the squid in a few bites, Zhuang Zhongchen laughed heartily, "See that? I can eat a whole squid in one bite!"

Mi Cuicui was speechless. She didn't know what expression to make. Amidst her silly giggles, a sudden inspiration struck her: "Wow! Brother is so awesome!"

Zhuang Zhongchen laughed even more smugly, pulling Mi Cuicui into his arms: "Little darling, if you like it, I'll perform other shows for you later. Hahaha!"

Suppressing a laugh, Mi Cuicui rolled her eyes: "Tch! Stupid man! Hmph!"

"..."

In the quiet night, Mi Cuicui, looking content, clung to Zhuang Zhongchen like an octopus.

"Chenzi, my colleague Dachan has paid off all his debts. I can finally relax a bit! Hehe."

"We need to keep working hard and try to pay back all the money owed to our parents and relatives by the first half of next year."

"No need to rush. Otherwise they'll get suspicious. I can only scrape together 20 yuan a month at most."

Zhuang Zhongchen nodded; he understood the logic, of course. It hadn't been a problem before, as the creditors were relatively scattered. But now, paying off all the money to Da Chan's relatives? They would definitely suspect Mi Cuicui's financial situation. How could she suddenly have so much money?

Especially since Mi Cuicui is a single woman, she's bound to get into trouble. Strange rumors like "cheating on someone else" will spread.

What's even more troublesome is that the affair is actually true? It could very well expose their relationship.

However, there are alternative solutions. Zhuang Zhongchen smiled and said, "Then I'll give you the money. You can decide what to do with it later."

"Mmm. You're so nice. I like you so much. Hehe."

At this moment, Zhuang Zhongchen also felt relaxed all over, as the debts in Dachan had been basically resolved.

Furthermore, he will be able to pay off all his foreign debts within the next year.

Finally, I can travel light and happily marry my new wife.

And the system's reward also arrived:

Good deeds...

Reward: 2 experience points.

[Lin Ada's Gift]

Because of your significant role in the murder case, which helped Lin Ada find the real culprit, Lin Ada is deeply grateful to you.

Reward: One full shopping card. A gift of Lin Ada's specialty, straw weaving.

There's not much to say about good deeds; it's just a normal reward.

The other one is a new type of reward. Is it... fulfilling the deceased's wish? Or avenging the dead?

Let's not worry about that for now. I'm not some schoolboy who encounters murders every day. This type of reward is probably quite rare.

However, in addition to the one-time upgrade card that was awarded last time, this time another shopping card was awarded.

A one-time upgrade card provides a temporary upgrade, allowing you to upgrade to any type of skill, but it can only be used once. Zhuang Zhongchen plans to upgrade the skill shop later.

Once you level up, you'll have one chance to purchase a profession skill.

To be honest, professional skills are the most valuable asset. Regardless of the skill, once you upgrade it to level 4 or 5, your income will be substantial. As for which skill to choose? We'll see!

A shopping card can only be used at general merchandise supermarkets. It can be used to purchase items not only at general merchandise supermarkets but also at department stores. Only one item can be purchased at a time.

It should be said that this is also highly practical. For example, medicines can be urgently needed sometimes. Like... those little blue pills? Pshaw! I can strike six times a second, I have no need for such things!

Another one is Lin Ada's "straw weaving"? That doesn't even qualify as a skill; it's more like a hobby, right? And it seems like I don't need this skill at all?

Never mind. It's Lin Ada's good intention. It's better than nothing!