The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

Li Kaixin carried her work protective equipment and walked towards home.

I just stepped into the front yard of the courtyard house.

Aunt Sun, who was collecting clothes in the front yard, immediately spotted what Li Kaixin was carrying.

Aunt Sun put down the clothes hanger, curiously leaned over, and took a look.

"I'm so happy! You guys are getting your work benefits already?"

"I remember you haven't been an apprentice for long, have you? Is the pay for a driver's apprentice really that good?"

Li Kaixin knew he couldn't hide this for long, so he told the truth: "Aunt Sun, I got promoted today. I'm a full-fledged driver now."

"My goodness!"

Aunt Sun's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Other driver apprentices need at least one or two years to pass the exam, but you became a full-fledged driver in less than a month. That's truly remarkable!"

Li Kaixin smiled sheepishly and said, "You flatter me, I just learn quickly."

Aunt Sun wanted to ask more, but Li Kaixin quickly made an excuse: "I have some things to do at home, so I'll go back first." With that, she walked towards the backyard.

Aunt Sun watched Li Kaixin's retreating figure and murmured, "This child is truly promising."

Pushing open the door to the main room, I saw that my parents hadn't come home from get off work yet, but Li Kai and Li Xiaoxiao ran out from the inner room upon hearing the noise.

Li Kaixin was a little surprised: "Xiao Kai, you didn't go out to play today?"

"Today is a big day for my older brother's official promotion! I have to stay home and celebrate with him!"

Li Kai puffed out his chest, looking quite arrogant.

Li Xiaoxiao, the younger sister, nodded in agreement.

Not long after, my parents came home from get off work.

Because of Aunt Sun's constant blabbing from the front yard, everyone in the yard knew about it.

As soon as the parents entered the courtyard, the neighbors came up to congratulate them.

Father Li Mingde and mother Qin Xiuli smiled and agreed all the way.

When I opened the door, I saw the pile of brand-new work safety supplies on the table, and my mother couldn't hide her smile.

When it was time for dinner, the family of five sat around the table.

Looking at his son, father Li Mingde couldn't help but ask, "Did you finish the paperwork today?"

Li Kaixin swallowed her food and replied:

"The grain ration book has been changed to a work grain ration book, and the monthly ration can be several kilograms more."

"The salary is set at forty-two yuan, and I've also applied for housing; all I need to do is go to the housing management office to complete the formalities."

Upon hearing this, Qin Xiuli, the mother, was overjoyed.

Although the father, Li Mingde, was smiling, he still reminded him, "We need to go to the housing management office early; the housing allocation can't be delayed."

"I'll go as soon as possible. Director Xie said he's already put in a good word for me, so it shouldn't be too much trouble," Li Kaixin replied.

Upon hearing this, Father Li Mingde nodded, his expression relaxing somewhat.

After dinner, the family was clearing away the dishes when a soft knock came at the door.

Li Kai, the younger brother, quickly ran to open the door. Upon seeing the person who came in, he immediately stood up properly and greeted them.

Standing outside the door was none other than Uncle Wang Xiong, the person in charge of the courtyard.

Uncle Wang smiled and patted his younger brother Li Kai's head before turning to Li Mingde and his wife inside the house.

"Mingde, Xiuli, did I disturb you?"

Qin Xiuli, the mother, quickly put down the rag she was holding and warmly greeted him, "Brother Wang, please come in. What can I do for you?"

Uncle Wang stood at the door, not entering the house, and said in a gentle tone:

"That's right, the neighbors in the courtyard were all happy for Kaixin when they heard he got a permanent position."

"We've all decided to have a big celebration tomorrow to cheer everyone up."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Everyone is willing to contribute ingredients; we just came to ask your opinion."

The father and mother exchanged a glance, their faces showing reluctance.

Mother Qin Xiuli politely declined, saying, "How could I trouble everyone like this?"

Uncle Wang waved his hand and said sincerely:

"It's all thanks to the neighbors."

"Last time, Kaixin treated the whole hospital to a meal and gave us all those local specialties, and everyone remembers it. This time, let's just consider it a friendly neighborhood visit, so please don't refuse."

Seeing that Uncle Wang was sincere, Father Li Mingde did not want to refuse him, so he finally nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble everyone."

Uncle Wang then left satisfied.

After seeing Uncle Wang off, the family discussed things inside the house.

Father Li Mingde said to the family, "Although everyone is contributing, we should also prepare something for ourselves."

Li Kaixin chimed in, "Dad, Mom, don't worry about that. I'll take care of it."

Father Li Mingde looked at his son, saw that he looked calm, nodded, and said no more.

She simply nodded slightly: "Alright, you decide what to do."

In the early morning, Li Kaixin changed into the same clothes he had worn to the black market and arrived at the entrance of the black market with practiced ease.

Li Kaixin didn't reveal himself to the two gatekeepers; this time, he wanted to go in and take a look around by himself.

They paid the two people a dime and went straight into the black market.

Li Kaixin strolled leisurely among the stalls.

Several stalls, belonging to people who seemed to be old-fashioned, displayed calligraphy, paintings, and porcelain.

Li Kaixin squatted down, picked up a blue and white porcelain plate, and examined it closely.

"Young comrade, you have a good eye. This is an official kiln piece from the Qianlong era."

The stall owner was an old gentleman with a goatee.

Li Kaixin asked the price, and the old man held up five fingers to indicate the price, then whispered, "Two hundred yuan."

Li Kaixin gently put down the plate and looked at a few more paintings and calligraphy works; the cheapest one cost fifty yuan.

Sure enough, these days only those who know their stuff can afford to sell; finding a bargain isn't so easy.

The famine has only just begun, and we haven't reached the point of utter despair like next year, so the prices of antiques are still very high.

After all, people aren't stupid; they understand the principles of appreciating antiques in a prosperous era.

After looking around, I found that either the prices were too high or the products were impractical.

Li Kaixin lost interest in strolling around and headed straight for Hu Laoliu.

Upon arriving at Hu Laoliu's stall, before Li Kaixin could even speak...

Hu Laoliu's shrewd eyes lit up, clearly recognizing the familiar attire.

So he went up to her warmly, his face beaming with smiles.

"Brother Zhou! We've been waiting for you! I hadn't seen you for days and thought you weren't coming."

Li Kai lowered her head slightly, her voice tinged with laughter.

"Brother Hu is joking. How could I not keep my promise?"

Then, glancing around, he lowered his voice and asked, "How many poultry and livestock did you collect?"

Hu Laoliu looked troubled.

"Brother Zhou, to be honest, these things are hard to come by these days. As for the price..."

Li Kaixin nodded knowingly: "Don't worry, Brother Hu Liu, you definitely won't be cheated on the price. Same as before, we'll trade at the same place as last time."

"become!"

Hu Laoliu immediately beamed with joy.

"I'll go prepare right away, Brother Zhou, you go ahead first."

The two tacitly agreed to go their separate ways.

Li Kaixin walked along the familiar alley towards the abandoned courtyard where the last transaction took place.

Thinking back, he realized that after selling the tiger meat last time, he had asked Hu Laoliu to keep an eye on the poultry and livestock. The money he had deliberately left untouched was specifically for purchasing these items. The grains in the secret realm had also matured on a large scale, so they could start raising livestock there.

Thinking of this, Li Kaixin's steps became lighter.

Hu Laoliu then turned and went to a large courtyard, preparing to transport the collected poultry and livestock to the agreed location.