Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

The dramatic interrogation in the interrogation room didn't last long.

In just one night, He Yuzhu's tough exterior was shattered by the sub-zero wind. When he was brought out early the next morning, the former cafeteria king's lips were purple from the cold, and he didn't even have the strength to curse. He obediently pressed his fingerprint on the confession.

When the news reached Deputy Factory Director Li's ears, he was enjoying tea in his office.

"You mean, Jiang Chen locked Sha Zhu up overnight and forced Yi Zhonghai to sign a document, taking over the supervision of the canteen's supplies?" Deputy Factory Director Li put down his teacup, his face showing no anger, but rather a meaningful smile.

The secretary standing opposite him nodded and lowered her voice, saying, "Yes, I heard Yi Zhonghai's face turned green. But factory director, isn't this a bit too ruthless? After all, Sha Zhu was specifically chosen by the big boss to cook for him..."

"Ruthless?" Deputy Factory Director Li scoffed, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Ruthless is good. The sharper this knife is, the easier it is for us to use. That fool Zhu, relying on his skill, even dares to talk back to me. It's time someone properly trimmed his thorns."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Enter."

Jiang Chen pushed open the door and entered, dressed in a crisp uniform, looking energetic and showing no signs of fatigue from staying up all night. He held a document in his hand, walked to the desk, and handed it to him with both hands.

"Factory Director, this is the preliminary rectification plan for the supervision of canteen supplies, as well as the proposed handling of Comrade He Yuzhu." Jiang Chen's voice was steady and powerful, neither humble nor arrogant.

Deputy Factory Director Li took the document, glanced at it briefly, and his smile deepened. The plan was flawless, not only eliminating loopholes in the canteen's waste management but also cleverly reserving some control over the allocation of "resources"—what this meant, the two understood without uttering a word.

"Well done, Xiao Jiang." Deputy Factory Director Li closed the file, leaned back in his chair, and shifted to a more comfortable position. "As for the reception duties with the higher-ups, as long as you don't delay things, how you handle the arrangements is your business. Young people should be bold and daring."

At this point, Deputy Factory Director Li suddenly lowered his voice, leaned forward slightly, and exuded a sense of heartfelt intimacy: "Also, I'll let you in on something. The higher-ups intend to expand the security department, and there are quite a few people eyeing the position of head of the public security section. But I've always been a person who appoints people based on merit. As long as this canteen rectification is successful, I have high hopes for you."

This is a blatant political insinuation.

Jiang Chen's expression remained unchanged; he simply snapped to attention and saluted, saying, "Please rest assured, leader, the security department will not let us down."

……

As I left the office building, it was nearly dusk.

When Jiang Chen rode his bicycle back to the courtyard, the atmosphere was unusually eerie. The third uncle in the front yard was watering the flowers, and when he saw Jiang Chen, he quickly lowered his head and pretended not to see him; the middle yard was even quieter, the gate of Yi Zhonghai's house was tightly closed, and even Qin Huairu, who usually loved to wash clothes by the sink, was nowhere to be seen.

Clearly, the swift and decisive action taken by the security department last night completely intimidated these beasts.

Jiang Chen ignored all of this and pushed the cart straight back to the backyard. After closing the door and drawing the curtains, he let out a long sigh of relief. The tense and authoritative aura he always projected in front of others instantly dissipated, replaced by the excitement of a hunter counting his spoils.

"System, process the transaction."

As he gave the command in his mind, a pale blue light screen instantly unfolded on his retina.

[Ding! Phase task settlement in progress...]

[The host has successfully suppressed He Yuzhu, gaining 500 "Resentment Points"!]

[The host has successfully forced Yi Zhonghai to retreat, gaining 800 "Frustration Points"!]

[The host has gained 2000 "Worship Points" from the steel mill workers!]

[The system has detected a significant emotional fluctuation in the host, and a new feature module has been activated: the Emotion Collection Module!]

Jiang Chen looked at the string of fluctuating numbers and couldn't help but smile.

So this is the right way to do it. Before, we relied on reselling goods to make a profit, which was very lucrative, but it was limited by space and supply. Now, things are much better. As long as we do something in this courtyard, whether we make people hate us, fear us, or admire us, it can all be turned into real trading opportunities.

"Emotions are also a form of productivity," Jiang Chen remarked.

The current trading points balance has exceeded 5000. This is a huge sum of money, enough to exchange for something truly life-changing in the system shop.

Jiang Chen sat under the dim light, his fingers gliding lightly across the virtual world, browsing the dazzling array of products in the online store. His gaze swept past the tempting futuristic weapons and gene serums, finally settling on the [Agriculture/Wasteland Technology] section.

Although he is doing very well at the factory now, he knows very well that the real crisis is yet to come.

The next few years will be the most difficult "three years of hardship" on this land. Natural disasters and man-made calamities will follow one after another, and food will become a currency more valuable than gold and power. In this era of widespread famine, whoever has food in their hands is king; whoever can solve the problem of feeding even a portion of the population will gain immense political capital.

This is the strongest ladder he climbed to the top.

Jiang Chen's eyes quickly scanned the list, finally locking onto the item he had been eyeing for a long time.

[Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland - Radiation-Resistant Type III Mutant Sweet Potato]

The product description was only a few lines long, but it made Jiang Chen's heart race:

"Produced in a wasteland laboratory in 2150, and genetically edited three times. Characteristics: Extremely cold and drought resistant, not picky about soil, it can take root and grow even in radiation-filled rocky slopes and concrete cracks. Extremely short growth cycle, maturing in just 7 days with a special ripening solution. Soft, sweet and fragrant taste, rich in high-calorie starch. Yield per mu: starting from 15000 jin."

The yield is 15,000 jin per mu!

In an era when the average yield per mu was only a few hundred jin, this data was simply a myth, a nuclear-level shock.

"This is it."

Jiang Chen didn't hesitate at all and clicked to buy.

[Ding! Purchased 500 Trade Points successfully for [Apocalyptic Wasteland - Radiation-Resistant Type III Mutant Sweet Potato Seeds] (10kg pack)! Also includes 1 bottle of [Basic Plant Growth Accelerator].]

With a flash of light, an unremarkable burlap sack appeared on the table.

Jiang Chen untied the rope at the top of the bag and reached in to grab a handful. These seeds looked unremarkable, shriveled and grayish, with a rough outer skin like sandpaper. But under the dim light, if you looked closely, you could see a faint, eerie purple glow flowing beneath the skin.

This is the culmination of wasteland technology, a monster-level crop born to sustain human civilization in dire circumstances.

Jiang Chen gripped the handful of seeds, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. He seemed to already see the near future, when the people of this land were driven to despair by hunger, how this seemingly insignificant sweet potato would unleash a storm that would propel him to the pinnacle of power.

"This isn't a sweet potato," Jiang Chen said, looking at the bag of shriveled seeds emitting a faint purple glow in his hand. A smirk played on his lips, and a glint of ambition flashed in his eyes. "This is a ladder to heaven, a path to soaring success."