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

Xu Damao's pledge of allegiance was like a pebble thrown into a deep well; it didn't even make a sound before the surface returned to calm.

The courtyard was unusually quiet for the next few days.

Lou Xiao'e and her family vanished overnight. Xu Damao claimed that they had divorced due to incompatibility, and Lou Xiao'e had gone back to her parents' home. At this turbulent time, everyone was busy protecting themselves, and no one really bothered to investigate the truth. As for Xu Damao, ever since he knelt down that night, he acted like a mouse before a cat whenever he saw Jiang Chen, bowing and scraping from afar. His obsequiousness was so creepy it gave people goosebumps.

Jiang Chen was living a very comfortable life.

At work, I'd drink tea in the security office, sign a few papers, and occasionally wander into the workshop, basking in the workers' awe-inspiring gazes. After get off work, I'd go home, practice my boxing, and snag some good wine and food from the system's virtual space. This calm before the storm felt especially luxurious in this extraordinary era.

But this peaceful period was eventually shattered.

That afternoon, Jiang Chen got off work a little later than usual. He had just parked his Jeep at the factory (to keep a low profile, he usually walked back to his courtyard house), and wearing his woolen overcoat, he walked back in the afterglow of the setting sun.

He stopped in his tracks as soon as he reached the entrance of Nanluoguxiang alley.

Not far away, a young woman pushing a 28-inch bicycle was looking blankly at the intricate alleyway intersection.

The woman wore a faded blue Lenin suit, a beige scarf around her neck, and her hair was styled into two neat braids that hung down her chest. Although her clothes were simple, the scholarly air that emanated from her very being was undeniable. She was very pretty, and the glasses on her nose added to her intellectual and gentle charm, making her stand out in the lively, even somewhat vulgar, alleyway.

Jiang Chen's gaze lingered on her for two seconds, and memories flooded his mind.

Ran Qiuye.

A teacher at Hongxing Elementary School, and Banggeng's homeroom teacher.

In the original, chaotic script, she was also a tragic figure. Born into a scholarly family, with parents who were both returned overseas Chinese, she was destined to be a lone boat adrift in the storms to come. Despite her intelligence and reasonableness, she was implicated by the fool He Yuzhu because of her class background, and ultimately met a bad end.

"He's a promising talent."

Jiang Chen narrowed his eyes, and the puzzle of "family background" in his mind was instantly completed.

In this era, to thrive in this complex and corrupt world, power and money alone are not enough; one also needs a capable mistress to keep the household in check. Lou Xiao'e is a good woman, but her sensitive status means she is destined to remain either a secret confidante or a business agent overseas.

But Ran Qiuye is different.

She is a genuine intellectual, gentle yet resilient, and most importantly, she is innocent. If Jiang Chen can protect her during the upcoming political movement, she will be the perfect wife. Moreover, women from scholarly families like her, once they commit to someone, possess an unwavering loyalty and dependence ingrained in their very being.

Thinking of this, Jiang Chen straightened his collar and walked over.

"Comrade, are you lost?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it had a unique magnetism that made it stand out clearly in the noisy alleyway.

Ran Qiuye was sweating profusely with anxiety when she heard the voice and looked up sharply. She saw a tall, handsome young cadre standing in front of her. The setting sun shone on his shoulders, gilding his uniform. His deep eyes were calmly watching her, without any aggression, only just the right amount of concern.

Ran Qiuye's heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

"Ah...yes, yes." She adjusted her glasses somewhat awkwardly. "I'd like to ask how to get to Hongxing Courtyard? I'm a teacher from Hongxing Elementary School, here for a home visit."

"Red Star Courtyard?" Jiang Chen's lips curled into a faint smile. "What a coincidence, I live there. It's on my way, let me take you there."

"This...it's too much trouble for you." Ran Qiuye was a little embarrassed, but seeing the upright person in front of her, who didn't seem like a bad person, she nodded gratefully.

The two walked side by side in the narrow alley.

Jiang Chen didn't deliberately try to start a conversation, only occasionally reminding her of "there's a pothole" or "avoid the vehicles," displaying gentlemanly manners in every gesture. This silence wasn't awkward; instead, it gave Ran Qiuye a long-lost sense of security.

"You're going to see Jia Geng's parents, right?" Jiang Chen suddenly asked as they approached the door.

Ran Qiuye turned her head in surprise: "How did you know?"

"Among the kids in this area, besides that troublemaker, I can't think of anyone else who could make a teacher personally come to complain." Jiang Chen's tone was calm, yet it revealed a sharp insight into the world. "Stealing chalk to sell? Or bullying female classmates?"

Ran Qiuye sighed, her brows furrowing slightly: "Both. Today at school, he cut off the braids of the girl in front of him and stole chalk from the teacher's desk to exchange for candy at the school store. This kid... has serious educational problems."

"That's a matter of upbringing," Jiang Chen said incisively. "If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too."

Ran Qiuye was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this seemingly gentle and refined man to speak so bluntly.

The two had just reached the gate of the courtyard house and hadn't even had time to cross the threshold when a sharp, piercing howl, like a demonic sound, came from inside.

"Which heartless teacher dares to ask us for money! Bullying an orphan and widow! Old Jia, Dongxu, open your eyes and see! Someone's trying to drive us to our deaths!"

The voice was harsh and shrewish, carrying an unreasonable and domineering air, instantly shattering the tranquility under the setting sun.

Ran Qiuye's face turned deathly pale instantly, and her hand, which was pushing the bicycle, froze. She was a scholar; she had never seen anything like this—a tantrum started before they even met.

Jiang Chen stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

"Looks like we need to clean up the atmosphere in the department."

He turned his head to look at Ran Qiuye, who seemed somewhat at a loss, and said in a steady and powerful voice, "Don't be afraid, come inside with me. In this courtyard, no one has ever dared to act wildly in front of me."