Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Zhang Dabiao rolled his eyes: "I haven't even had a chance to clean up my own backyard yet, how could I possibly handle this?"

"My dad's a fake Taoist priest, my girlfriend's foster mother's from the Eight Great Hutongs, and you send over another capitalist's daughter—good heavens, you might as well just drag me out and shoot me."

"My small frame can't handle it."

Lou Bancheng was naturally very unhappy that his daughter, a lady from a respectable family, was being treated so disliked by Zhang Dabiao.

"Is it really that serious?"

"What do you think? Why couldn't Lou Xiao'e take the college entrance exam before? Why couldn't she work? And why did you want to find her a factory worker to marry?"

"..." Having been seen through, Lou Bancheng fell silent.

"How about we, the Lou family, handle your registration for you, and we'll cover all the expenses?"

Zhang Dabiao thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Not enough. Yes, registration is expensive, but for my information, this price isn't enough."

This made Lou Bancheng's heart itch: "How about I give you a courtyard house? A three-courtyard one? Or I can give you money, just name your price!"

The Lou family is now so poor that all they have left is money.

Zhang Dabiao rolled his eyes at him: "I don't even dare to build a house now that I have money. In these years of starvation, you're giving me a courtyard house... do you want me to die even sooner?"

Indulging in feasting and drinking?

Many of the eight officials have professions that ensure they have no worries about food and drink. There is no shortage of capitalists, and the old guard and their descendants rely on selling their ancestors' treasures, antiques, and gold bars every day to exchange for fine rice and flour. They also have no shortage of entertainment for the leaders.

So food and drink aren't a big problem, as long as you have proof of their legitimate origin.

But if the fact that Zhang Dabiao was given a courtyard house out of the blue gets investigated, it will be hard to explain.

What exactly is your relationship with Lou Bancheng? Why did he give you a courtyard house?

Lou Bancheng didn't know what to do either. This was his predicament. Even if he wanted to get closer to leaders and officials, no one would dare to accept money or houses from him.

Otherwise, why did the Lou family fail to escape in 65 and were arrested in the original drama?

Most people wouldn't dare accept bribes from capitalists.

Even Zhang Dabiao, a young boy, understands this principle.

So the two of them froze for a moment.

Simply put, you need to give a reason for borrowing money from Lou Bancheng, otherwise why would a big capitalist be willing to lend it to you?

Lou Bancheng needs an explanation for giving money and gifts. Why did he give Zhang Dabiao such a huge sum of money? Did he do something dirty for you?

"or……"

"Shall I get you a property in Hong Kong?"

"It's not big, and it's not in a bustling area, but it's a small detached house with a title deed, not a lease deed for building a house. It's a red title deed, the kind of land owned by local residents based on Qing Dynasty land deeds, which are recognized by the British government."

"It's a small two-story old house that my eldest son acquired over there. The house itself has a floor area of ​​900 square feet, which is about 83 square meters. The yard is also 80 square meters. It's a standard 1,000-square-foot mansion! According to the current market price, it would be worth 20,000 Hong Kong dollars."

Those well-located villas were too expensive, so Lou Bancheng was naturally unwilling to give them up. As for the Tang-style houses, they were like pigeon coops, and the Lou family had never accepted such houses before. Giving them away would be even less classy.

So Lou Bancheng came up with this house.

Moreover, this small courtyard house was acquired a few years ago, when it was only worth about 15,000 yuan. The price has increased in recent years, so it's not stingy to give it away as a gift.

Zhang Dabiao's eyes lit up. A house in Hong Kong? A detached house?

That's a good idea!

If things go wrong and I can't make a living, I'll have a place to stay in Hong Kong.

This is actually pretty good.

"No property rights disputes?" Zhang Dabiao didn't understand anything about red deeds or house deeds, but a detached house in Hong Kong...

He was definitely tempted.

"Absolutely, how could the Lou family be so unprofessional?"

"Well...that's possible..."

"But I'm not going to live there, and no one takes care of the yard, so what use is it to me?"

"Our Lou family has hired someone to manage it. If the price goes up later, you can sell it. You won't even have to pay your initial investment; it'll be pure profit. You won't lose money anyway, so what are you afraid of?"

"What you said... seems to make sense."

"Come on, let's take a picture and sign a power of attorney." Lou Bancheng took out a camera and prepared to take a picture of Zhang Dabiao.

"What's the point of getting this thing?"

"Without photos or a power of attorney, how can I transfer the property title to you in Hong Kong?"

"Oh, that's true. How do you write a power of attorney?"

"Then, I'll write a template for you to check yourself. Don't worry, with Uncle Lou's huge fortune, what use would it be to lie to you, especially since it's property in Hong Kong?"

"The power of attorney is fine, but it should be in duplicate, and a clause should be added stating that this power of attorney is only for this property transfer... Uncle Lou, as the witness and the person in charge, you should also sign and put your fingerprint on it, so that there won't be any problems later."

"You're pretty cunning, aren't you?"

"Absolutely."

Without really understanding what was going on, Zhang Dabiao had his picture taken, signed a power of attorney, and pressed his fingerprint at Lou's mansion.

He didn't realize it until it was all done, but the power of attorney was made with the same care as when banks in later times asked for a copy of an ID card.

but--

Zhang Dabiao felt that something was wrong.

But why can't I remember?

I think I haven't been scammed, have I?

Finally, Lou Bancheng asked, "So, now that I've shown the Lou family's sincerity, how about you tell me how you plan to protect my entire family?"

"..."

"If we don't run before the summer of '65, it will be too late," Zhang Dabiao said seriously, but Lou Bancheng was dumbfounded.

"..."

"this one?"

"That's it." Zhang Dabiao nodded seriously.

"Just that one sentence? You're giving me a detached house in Hong Kong for free, and I still have to pay you out of my own pocket to get some kind of patent, losing tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars?" Lou Bancheng was practically going crazy!

Zhang Dabiao helplessly spread his hands and said, "I didn't force you. I just wanted to borrow money."

Lou Bancheng pointed at Zhang Dabiao with his finger and waved it up and down, so angry that he couldn't utter a word for a long time.

Finally, he gave a helpless thumbs-up: "Zhang Dabiao, you're the one!"

"I, Lou Bancheng, have been in business my whole life. You're the first and only one to have managed to swindle so much from me with just a few words!"

"I give up, I'm truly convinced!"

Zhang Dabiao arrogantly remarked, "So-so, third in the world."

"You're a capitalist, aren't you? If I don't fleece you, who else am I supposed to fleece?"

Besides, knowing this timeframe really puts you at a disadvantage.

"Go away, go away, it hurts my heart to see you now..." Lou Bancheng urged him to leave, he was really afraid that he would not be able to help but change his mind.

Zhang Dabiao didn't care. He took a sip of tea and walked out, but when he reached the door, Lou Bancheng called him back.

"Can I stay here?"

Lou Bancheng wanted to make one last attempt.

He truly couldn't bear to part with such a large business empire as the Lou family.