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

After returning home, Li Jianguo lay down for a short while before feeling a stomachache. Oh no, he had eaten too much oily food and was getting diarrhea.

Li Jianguo grabbed a newspaper and rushed to the public toilet outside the courtyard.

Upon entering, a stench so foul it stung the eyes hit you.

Holy crap, does it smell this bad even in winter? I can't even imagine how bad it must be in summer.

My stomach couldn't hold it in any longer, so I picked a hole and squatted down. The poop was overflowing; it had been so long since I'd emptied the toilet.

Li Jianguo quickly lit a cigarette to mask the stench. After a few puffs, he felt much better, and before he even finished a cigarette, he was done.

It smelled awful. I crumpled up the newspaper, wiped my bottom clean, and went home.

After returning home and locking the door, Li Jianguo quickly entered the space. In a corner of the space, he began tinkering with the toilet; controlling it with his mind was quite convenient.

They simply dug a hole and covered it with a large rock. Then they cut out a squat toilet stall in the rock.

It has to be said that within this space, his willpower is omnipotent. He even created a water trap inside the rock to prevent backflow of odors, so that after dealing with the problem, he could simply flush it with his willpower.

I will never go to the public toilet outside the compound again, no matter what.

If the neighbors ask, just say you took care of it outside. If it's really not possible at home, just get a urinal and empty it whenever you have a spare moment.

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu strolled off work together, bumped into Yan Fugui, greeted him, and then went home.

As soon as he got home, Li Cuilan had already prepared dinner. "Old Yi, come and eat."

A few steamed buns made from a mixture of wheat and water, a plate of stir-fried cabbage, and two bowls of cornmeal porridge.

Yi Zhonghai actually has a high income, but he hasn't had children all these years. Unable to have children, he has to save more for retirement, so he lives quite frugally.

"Old Yi, how's the arrangement for Li Jianguo going? I noticed that Sha Zhu didn't even go out today; he's been staying at home the whole time."

"Now that the kid has food, he's stopped scavenging for garbage. Does he expect us and Li Jianguo to give him food? If that's the case, we can't sustain ourselves." Li Cuilan complained, frowning.

"This is that idiot Zhu. He's dreaming. He thinks I'll support him? Don't worry, Li Jianguo has already made arrangements."

"I've already given the money to my other apprentice, and he's going to the black market to find someone to break the kid's leg. It'll take him a hundred days to recover from that injury. While he's recovering at home, we'll give him a good beating in the yard. I'll also find a way to get rid of him at the steel mill." Yi Zhonghai happily took a big bite of his cornbread.

"Old Yi, this won't do. If we just break his leg, what if he takes leave from the factory? His job was bought by his father, and he might just take advantage of that." Li Cuilan looked at Yi Zhonghai with concern.

"Don't worry, he's our workshop director's nephew. He's looking for a job. He's very familiar with the director of the Lou family's logistics department."

We can just have him slip some money to him and get him out of his job; after all, he broke his leg.

"At most, we'll give Li Jianguo some money as compensation. If he dares to cause trouble again, we'll beat him up again. After a while, he'll behave himself," Yi Zhonghai said, revealing his plan.

"Old Yi, things are different now than before. You can't do this kind of thing recklessly. When the Red Army first entered Beijing, how many gang leaders and thugs did they kill? If you get caught like this, it won't be a small matter."

"We're not afraid to spend money. We'll pay more to put pressure on the factory and get rid of him. If they keep sending people to beat him up, and he calls the police, it'll be a real problem if they find out," Li Cuilan said, expressing her thoughts.

"Yes, old woman, you're right. It's safer to pay him some money and kick him out of the factory."

As for things in the hospital, I'll arrange for someone to mess with him then, and there won't be anyone to help him. Let's see if he can still stay there." Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth in hatred.

"By the way, you should remind Zhuzi about his matter tomorrow."

"Now that we have food, just staying at home won't solve the problem, right? Let's find a way to get him to keep collecting garbage. That way, it'll be easier for us to give him some steamed buns later." Yi Zhonghai remembered He Yuzhu's situation and quickly instructed Li Cuilan.

"Okay, Lao Yi, I understand. I'll go tomorrow. Do you think we should have Jia Zhangshi go to the He family again when they're discharged from the hospital and steal all the grain? That would be faster." Li Cuilan's eyes lit up and she came up with an idea.

"No, Li Jianguo hasn't been driven away yet. We shouldn't do anything rash. I'm afraid that if Li Jianguo finds out that the grain has been stolen, and he makes a scene and reports it to the police, it will be difficult to resolve."

"If it's Sha Zhu who's pursuing this, we can suppress it, but this grain was given to the He family by Li Jianguo, and that kid isn't easy to talk to." Yi Zhonghai thought for a moment and still refused.

"Okay, Lao Yi, I understand. I'll keep an eye on Jia Zhangshi and make sure he doesn't go." Li Cuilan thought about it and realized that was indeed the case. If it got stolen, Li Jianguo would definitely cause trouble if he found out.

Li Jianguo left the space and fell asleep shortly afterward.

The next day, Li Jianguo strolled around Beijing again. He went to the Temple of Heaven Park for a visit.

I also went to Shichahai Lake and saw quite a few old men fishing there.

Most fishing rods are now homemade. If you want to buy one, the supply and marketing cooperatives don't have them yet; you can only go to the market.

Li Jianguo didn't linger. He wandered around for a bit, found a secluded corner, and returned to his spatial dimension.

He continued practicing the White Rainbow Palm technique. After all, Li Jianguo quite liked this attack method that could change direction.

In Baocheng, after receiving the request for assistance from Sijiucheng, the police immediately began their investigation. He Daqing was relatively easy to find.

After all, he was a chef, and the neighborhood committee quickly found out his workplace.

The two police officers then went together to the restaurant where He Daqing worked.

"Master He, Master He, there are two policemen outside looking for you." He Daqing was busy cooking when he suddenly heard the waiter calling his name. It was the police looking for him.

His hand trembled uncontrollably. Could it be? Were they coming to arrest him because of the time he cooked for the Japanese?

In fact, He Daqing ran away with the White Widow not only because he had been set up by her, but also because he was a veteran who had lived in Beijing for most of his life. He was not so easily swayed by a honey trap.

However, someone sent him an anonymous letter. His cooking for the Japanese had been featured in the newspaper, and someone with ulterior motives had kept it to threaten him.

If they didn't leave Beijing, they would be reported and exposed. Most of the former traitors were taken out for target practice, so He Daqing went with the White Widow.

Another point is that this white widow is beautiful enough, still charming, and very good at serving people.

Otherwise, He Daqing would not have been willing to abandon his children to follow her to Baocheng.