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

"Your Lou family can breach even a written contract so easily, what's the point of me swearing an oath to you?"

"If you trust me, leave your things here."

"If you don't trust me, take it all, anyway—"

"If your Lou family really breaches the contract, I'm just an ordinary citizen. How can I possibly win against a behemoth like you?"

Zhang Dabiao watched the furious Lou Xiao'e with great interest, but in the end, Lou Xiao'e gave in.

She left her things behind and then left.

It concerned the life and death of the entire Lou family, and she dared not gamble.

Xu Damao could only offer Zhang Dabiao a forced smile before hurrying off to catch up with his wife.

Looking at all this stuff, Zhang Dabiao wondered if he had lost out.

He couldn't quite explain it, but he preferred to receive cash rather than these things that he couldn't use right now.

But Lou Xiao'e's sincerity has indeed been shown, so we should at least give her a few days' worth of face.

In addition, he still plans to visit Lou Yufan when he has time. We can't guarantee that we won't cause trouble for that guy, can we?

If there's no guarantee, then it can be done!

They misappropriated my money; they deserve an explanation, don't they?

Suddenly, Zhang Dabiao slapped his forehead.

How do I transfer ownership of this yard?

If there are more houses and the area is larger, they will be rented out!

------------

That evening, Zhang Dabiao left the sharpened watermelon knife aside and did not go to find Lou Yufan.

We should at least give Lou Xiao'e some face and wait a few days to see how Lou Bancheng and Lou Yufan react.

You can't eat too messily, right?

The next morning, Zhang Dabiao and Qin Mancang went to the teahouse in Lishuiqiao Village. The old man who guarded the door there was named Qin Youcheng, and everyone called him Uncle Youcheng.

He was an elderly man living alone in the village. He had no children and was lame in one leg. He had participated in the Liberation War, fighting against both the Japanese and the Kuomintang. He was a veteran.

He had several medals hanging on his body, which showed that he had military merits. This was considered a high level of military service, and most people wouldn't dare to mess with him.

The county had offered him a job as a gatekeeper, but he felt guilty about receiving a government salary without working, so he returned to his village to farm.

The state could certainly guarantee his basic living, but he didn't expect to encounter a natural disaster.

So his life wasn't easy either, but the people in the village took care of him.

When Qin Mancang returned to the village and mentioned the teahouse, he volunteered to come and guard the door.

It doesn't matter where you are guarding the gate, especially when you're guarding the gate for Zhang Dabiao, and he's the one who's watching over the grain transfer station that sustains our village. He has to come!

He doesn't trust anyone else to come.

To put it bluntly, if someone really causes trouble, he'll just lie down on the ground and die there, and see who dares to move.

Upon seeing Zhang Dabiao arrive, he held Zhang Dabiao's hand and kept saying, "Good boy, it's Qinjiatun that has let Zhang Dabiao down. He will risk his old life to protect this transit station so that Zhang Dabiao can rest assured."

This put Zhang Dabiao in an awkward position—[Can I admit that I was actually after those six boxes of jewelry?]

Don't praise me, the more you praise me, the more guilty I feel. I'm really not some great philanthropist!

The old man just loved to ramble on, and Zhang Dabiao kept rambling along with him for a long time. A little dog kept wagging its tail and circling around them. It was very intelligent and knew that Zhang Dabiao was one of their own.

Then Zhang Dabiao went to see the cabin. According to Qin Mancang, after returning, he saw the note left by Zhang Dabiao and called the commune. Within two hours, four or five people arrived and spent most of the day helping Zhang Dabiao assemble the cabin.

After checking around, Zhang Dabiao told Qin Mancang and Uncle Youcheng not to go to the backyard that night, as he would arrange for someone to deliver grain.

After Qin Mancang arrives during the day, he can go into the small wooden house, move the grain to other houses in the backyard, and register it by category.

From now on, when transporting grain from Qinjiatun and Zhangjiatun, we will register with Uncle Youcheng. When Maoshan and Maosheng come, Qin Mancang will have to help them get acquainted with each other.

In addition, all kinds of antiques and similar items sent from Qinjiatun and Zhangjiatun are placed in the small wooden house, and are also classified and registered. I have arranged for the people delivering the grain to take them away on their own when they see them.

If there's anything you need to exchange specially or urgently, leave a note, or have Qin Mancang pass on a message when he goes back. We'll do what we can, and there's nothing we can do about what we can't.

As for the supplies that Qin Mancang purchased from Qinjiatun and the two surrounding brigades, they were stored in the front yard for easy delivery to the factory. Zhang Dabiao and Qin Mancang still needed these supplies to complete their tasks.

From 9 p.m. to 3 a.m., no one is allowed in the backyard, and all supplies must be registered when they enter or leave.

Although Qin Mancang and Uncle Youcheng didn't know why this was necessary, they both nodded and agreed to whatever Zhang Dabiao said.

Zhang Dabiao tried his best not to show up here. Transporting grain from the city to here was done by "finding someone else". Transporting it to Qinjiatun and Zhangjiatun was Qin Mancang and Maoshan Maosheng's business.

When something went wrong, they pinned all the blame on Qin Mancang, saying he was speculating and that he was the one who got all the grain.

Uncle Cheng patrols the area with his dog to guard against snakes, insects, rats, and other pests, as well as to prevent dampness and fire. There is enough food and drink to support this old man.

After making the arrangements, Zhang Dabiao prepared to return to Hong Kong. There were only 700 jin of grain left, which was not enough.

Qin Mancang carried a bag of grain onto the vehicle. Before leaving, he reminded Zhang Dabiao, "Uncle Dabiao, don't go back to Qinjiatun alone if you don't have anything to do lately."

"Huang Daya was executed, and several others were sentenced. Because of this, Qinjiatun is now at odds with Xiagezhuang and the commune."

"They know a little bit about you; you're our temporary purchasing agent in Qinjiatun, and you're the one who got all this grain."

"I'm afraid they'll resort to desperate measures and do something drastic to you."

"After all, one was executed, five were sentenced, and 300 jin of grain were ordered to be returned. The two brigades were now sworn enemies."

Zhang Dabiao nodded solemnly: "Okay, I know. I don't usually go to the villages or come here, so safety shouldn't be a problem."

Be careful.

Zhang Dabiao felt that Qin Mancang was exaggerating. Surely it wasn't the people from Xia Gezhuang who were coming to Beijing to arrest him?

I'm just dealing in grain. If you want revenge, you should go find the people from Qinjiatun. Go find my master and see if he beats you to death.

What does it have to do with me?

------------

Finding a secluded spot, Zhang Dabiao quickly returned to Hong Kong, where he had important business to attend to.

Yesterday I accepted your precious bracelet, Lou Xiao'e, and at the latest I let your elder brother, Lou Yufan, go. Am I being righteous?

But today, I should at least find out what's going on first.