The Beginning of a Courtyard House: Sixty Years of Internal Strength

That evening, Li Damao came over again, saying he wanted to have a drink. Li Jianguo didn't refuse, took out the peanuts, and fried all five eggs.

"Da Mao, you've come at the right time! These are the eggs that Liu Hai just gave me."

"By the way, Damao, why didn't your dad run for office? He's a projectionist, he's definitely qualified."

"Hey, Jianguo, don't even mention it. I also wanted my dad to be the liaison officer, but he wasn't willing."

He said choosing this option was pointless; it was just a matter of relaying information up and down the chain of command, and helping to convey policies in the future—a thankless task for him.

He said he'd let me study for another two years, until I was proficient enough, then he'd let me take over the job. He'd then look for another one.

You have no idea how scarce projectionists are these days. They're needed everywhere, they're in such high demand.

"Da Mao, being a projectionist is definitely a lucrative job, and you can even get local specialties."

If we let that old guy Yi Zhonghai become the liaison officer, I'm afraid he'll turn the whole courtyard into a retirement home.

"After all, he's focused entirely on his retirement now." Li Jianguo began to sow discord.

He hoped that Xu Damao's father would step forward and fight for it, after all, he was also a cunning old fox.

"That's impossible. He can't possibly force the people in the compound to support him in his old age."

Xu Damao looked at Li Jianguo with disbelief.

"Think about it, he's level seven now, and he might be promoted to level eight in the future. He'll be respected in the factory, and he's also the liaison officer in the compound. Doesn't that mean he can control everything?"

"Brother Guo, what you said makes sense. I'll think about it for the next couple of days and talk to my dad about it, so he can also compete and kick out that old bastard Yi Zhonghai."

Seeing that he had successfully fooled Xu Damao, Li Jianguo quickly started drinking with him again.

They drank for half an hour today, and when they saw that Xu Damao was slurring his words again, they quickly stopped him from drinking any more.

After all, he still wanted him to go home and fool his father. After seeing Xu Damao off, Li Jianguo tidied up and went to sleep.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Yi Zhonghai quickly ran to the old lady's house to discuss the matter.

"Grandma, I've given out all the gifts, but I'm still a little nervous. Do you think I'll be chosen as the liaison officer?"

After all, everyone in the nursing home knew about his selection of caregivers and how he had taken advantage of the He family; they were just afraid that people wouldn't choose him.

"Xiao Yi, don't worry, you have the highest technical level in the institute."

If you count the number of people in the courtyard, just the few households in the middle courtyard and the old lady will definitely support you.

Aside from the He family's affairs, you are generally a fairly upright person.

However, everyone has witnessed Liu Haizhong's habit of beating his child every few days.

Aside from taking care of the Jia family on a regular basis, you haven't had any conflicts with anyone else.

The gifts you're giving now are about the same as those for Liu Haizhong; you need to increase your investment.

It's late now. Go give some money to those who are wavering. Including the Intermediate People's Court, the total number of people supporting you should be at least half.

For example, you should give extra money to the two houses in the main hall and the one opposite Yan Bugui.

"Okay, ma'am, I understand."

After hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt relieved and went straight home.

"Old woman, give me some more money. The election is probably coming up in the next couple of days. I'll sneak over and give you some more money tonight."

"I'll definitely outshine Liu Haizhong when the time comes; I'm the perfect liaison."

"Okay, Lao Yi, I'll go get it right away."

After everyone had gone to sleep that night, Yi Zhonghai carefully knocked on the door and delivered all the money. This time, he really went all out, paying 5000 yuan to one of the rental companies, which was equivalent to 5 cents in the end.

For the last two days, Li Jianguo did not return to his hometown, waiting for the grand show to begin.

I didn't expect it to happen so quickly; the election started the very next evening.

I don't know what Xu Damao said, but in the end his father didn't run for office.

The same three people took the stage again; it's no use trying to change things now.

It seems that the selection of the three of them as liaison officers is somewhat due to the inertia of the storyline.

As expected, with each vote count, Yi Zhonghai received the most votes, followed by Liu Haizhong, while Yan Bugui only received four votes.

Maybe his family was shameless enough to vote for him.

"Now that the results are out, Yi Zhonghai will be the liaison officer for the Intermediate Court, Liu Haichong will be the liaison officer for the Back Court, and Yan Bugui will be the liaison officer for the Front Court."

Going forward, we hope the three liaison officers will relay information accurately and effectively, promote national policies, and pay close attention to their interactions with strangers.

Yi Donghai was immediately displeased and heartbroken. He had put in so much effort, and yet he was only given three liaison officers.

And it was only from the Intermediate Court. If he had known this would happen, why would he have bothered? These people from the Intermediate Court originally supported him, but thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened even more.

"Does anyone have any questions?" the officer asked the group.

No one spoke at this point, and Li Jianguo was too lazy to ask anymore, because the clerk had already explained it very clearly.

The liaison officers are only responsible for explaining national policies and monitoring unfamiliar individuals.

It's likely that these three old guys will cause trouble later on, which is why the conflict needs to be mediated.

It's also possible that the local street office tacitly approved it, since the country had just been established and there weren't enough staff.

The next day, Li Jianguo returned to his hometown, intending to collect some items and put on a show.

After a leisurely journey, I arrived at my hometown and took out another 10 liang (5 kg) of wheat flour.

"Grandpa and Grandma, I'm here!" Li Jianguo called out as soon as he arrived at the gate of the courtyard.

"Oh, Jianguo is here. Come in quickly. I was just about to tell you that I've found a perfect girl. She's incredibly beautiful."

She's the prettiest woman in the surrounding area. But his family has some demands, which I feel are quite excessive. I'm telling you this first to see what you think.

Once inside, Grandma couldn't wait to start talking.

"What are your requirements?"

Li Jianguo wondered to himself, "Could it be some kind of Voldemort?"

"These days, mutual aid groups have been set up in rural areas, and everyone works together."

In some places, members received work points and land dividends. She also had an older brother and two younger brothers, so there were quite a few people in her family.

Her family was relatively poor, and if she married into the city, her household registration would have to be transferred. Her father's intention was to leave her land to her family.

Moreover, you have to give her family 5 yuan, without any dowry or anything else, which is equivalent to selling your daughter.

You can take the person away directly and they'll never bother you again.

Grandma Li's expression grew increasingly grim as she spoke; she was clearly dissatisfied with the terms.

Upon hearing this, Jian Guo thought it was nothing, just 5 yuan, equivalent to 5 yuan. To him, it was a small amount of money.

"Is Grandma a pretty girl? Is she really as outstanding as you say?"

"Of course, let me tell you, her doorstep was practically worn down by people as soon as she turned 18."

In the past, there were even proposals to arrange marriages between children, but her family never agreed.

If it weren't for the conditions set by her father, she would have been married off long ago. I just heard about this myself.

I went to take a look, and she really looked like she had stepped out of a flower garden; she was exceptionally beautiful, and her fair skin made her look unlike someone from the countryside.