Courtyard House: My Hidden Wheat Seeds Caused a National Sensation

Chapter 8

After this confrontation, he finally felt relieved and gained a brand-new set of furniture, plus two hundred yuan in cash, which, when all accounts were calculated, amounted to nearly three hundred yuan.

Not only that, it also made Director Wang owe a favor, which actually brought them even closer.

Upon closer examination, the gains were truly substantial.

However, there are always some foolish people in the world who cannot see the bigger picture.

"Why should I?!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi could no longer contain herself and started shouting at the top of her lungs.

That furniture was bought with her own money, costing a full fifty-three yuan!

"mom!"

Seeing that his mother was about to make a scene, Jia Dongxu hurriedly stepped forward, covered her mouth, and then turned to the crowd, forcing an apologetic smile.

"Just now, my wife was talking to my mom inside the house. She might have accidentally bumped into her, but it's nothing serious! Everyone, please continue."

"I'm sorry..."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu immediately lowered her eyes, her eyes slightly reddening, and whispered a reply.

Li Jianye's gaze lingered thoughtfully on Jia Dongxu's face for a moment, then he nodded knowingly, turned to Yi Zhonghai, and a smile returned to his face.

"Sir, then I'll trouble you to have someone move my furniture back into the house."

Please also help me find a skilled craftsman to repair the door.

I'll see Director Wang off and then go for a walk.

"Don't worry, I've got your back."

Yi Zhonghai put on his usual amiable smile, "Our courtyard has always valued neighborly assistance."

You all go ahead and get busy.

Li Jianye smiled at him and then accompanied Director Wang outside.

"Comrade Jianye, thank you for your understanding this time."

Walking to a secluded spot outside the courtyard, Director Wang, with a hint of embarrassment on his face, lowered his voice and said, "I really didn't expect that this courtyard would be in such a state."

I suspect that it was most likely that Yi Zhonghai's close associate who sabotaged things.

But that person has some connections, and without concrete evidence, I can't touch him right now.

"Director Wang, you're too kind. It's nothing, you don't need to worry about it."

"Jianye, may I presume to call you by your first name from now on?"

"Of course, please feel free to do as you please."

"Let's go, it's almost lunchtime."

Your house has just been renovated, so you probably can't cook there yet.

"Perfect timing, brother. Let's go to a restaurant and have a bite to eat; it'll help calm your nerves."

"Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."

The two talked as they walked side by side toward the restaurant at the entrance of the alley.

……

Inside the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai directed several people to rearrange Li Jianye's room, then beckoned Liu Haizhong to come over.

"Old Liu,"

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, "You understand what's going on today, don't you?"

"Sigh, I'm starting to see some signs..."

Liu Haizhong shook his head helplessly, his chubby face filled with frustration. "Who would have thought that Director Wang would happen to be there? All our previous plans have fallen through."

What they had originally planned was that room.

But with the current situation, all plans have fallen through.

In order to protect themselves and, more importantly, to safeguard Deputy Director Ma's connections, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and abandon the newly purchased furniture.

"Since you understand the pros and cons, I will not pay additional compensation for the furniture."

"it is good."

Liu Haizhong sighed heavily.

Deputy Director Ma was ultimately a connection to Yi Zhonghai, and he dared not ask Yi Zhonghai to bear this loss, otherwise he would no longer be able to rely on the other party's help in the future.

Thinking of the fifty-odd yuan he had lost for no reason, he couldn't help but turn his head and glare at Li Jianye's room, his eyes dark and gloomy.

We'll settle this score with him sooner or later.

Yi Zhonghai nodded silently, then called the Jia family members into his room.

The two families got together for a simple meal.

"Old Yi, why did you just give away our furniture to that little beast for nothing?"

Jia Zhangshi still couldn't figure out the crux of the matter and was filled with resentment.

"Mom, that was the only way."

Jia Dongxu sighed, raised his glass and gently clinked it against Yi Zhonghai's, "Master, thank you so much this time."

Jia Dongxu was quick-witted and had already seen through the situation.

"You are my apprentice, so it is only right that I help you."

Yi Zhonghai smiled with a hint of relief.

Although Jia Dongxu has many flaws, he has two most valuable strengths: he is clever and filial.

It was precisely because of this deep filial piety that Yi Zhonghai chose him as his support in his old age.

"Sister-in-law, this money is to help with your furniture. We can't let you suffer a loss for nothing."

As Yi Zhonghai spoke, he took out sixty yuan and handed it over.

Upon seeing the banknotes, Jia Zhangshi immediately forgot about the furniture, her old face beaming with smiles as she hurriedly put the money away.

As she stuffed the money into her pocket, she said bitterly, "Old Yi, when are we finally going to get rid of that little bastard? That house should have belonged to the Jia family!"

"No rush, take your time."

Yi Zhonghai took a sip of his drink, his tone calm, "He's already entered the steel rolling mill and has been promoted to a level 13 technician."

Hmph, what does a country bumpkin who hasn't had much schooling know about machinery? He probably can't even read properly.

He'll be hosting tomorrow's new product conference; he'll be embarrassed then.

Once his technician and researcher status is removed, and that protective shield is gone, let's see how he can still cause trouble.

……

"We've got a formidable newcomer in our department."

Yan Bugui sat at his family's dining table, picking at his food as he reminisced with his family.

"I originally thought that Lao Yi was already a first-rate person, but I didn't expect that the newcomer is even more extraordinary."

Earning a monthly salary of four hundred yuan at such a young age, he's definitely not an ordinary person.

"Old Yan, I still don't understand."

The three women put down their chopsticks in confusion. "Why did Yi Zhonghai insist on giving the furniture to the newcomer? And he even paid him two hundred yuan in compensation? Including the furniture, it's over three hundred yuan in total!"

"Hey, that was quite a spectacle just now, like gods battling it out, each displaying their unique abilities."

Yan Bugui shook his head and smiled, then slowly began to explain.

"Old Yi has a close relationship with Deputy Director Ma of the subdistrict office."

After the Zhao family lost all its members, Lao Yi got in touch with Deputy Director Ma and made connections.

At the general meeting, the Zhao family's property was divided, with one house going to the Jia family and the other to the Liu family—because the Liu family and Lao Yi had both paid bribes to maintain good relations.

As you later learned, both companies ordered new furniture to expedite the process and initiated the application process.

Logically speaking, this matter should be a done deal.

Who would have thought that Li Jianye would suddenly appear out of nowhere?

I've inquired about it. As soon as this person arrived, Deputy Director Ma's application was immediately stopped, and the house was forcibly transferred to Li Jianye's name.

When Director Wang was reviewing the materials submitted by Deputy Director Ma, he noticed the explanation that Old Zhao's house did not need to be furnished.

He might have inferred from this that there was already existing furniture in Lao Zhao's old residence.

Without hesitation, he led Li Jianye to the destination in a hurry.

This happened very suddenly.

Based on my speculation, Deputy Director Ma should be unaware of this, otherwise he would never have let it go unchecked.

After Director Wang arrived, he saw that there was indeed furniture in the room, and thus the matter was settled.

If they had been willing to grit their teeth and accept the loss, and compensate for the furniture at its original price, the trouble could have been resolved.

Unfortunately, the Jia family was too greedy and unwilling to let go, so they even smashed down the other family's door.

At this point, as long as the furniture is returned, an apology is made to Li Jianye, and some money is compensated, it is still possible to salvage the situation.

But Lao Yi was unwilling to do that.

Not only did he not want to pay, he also wanted to leave the furniture behind and try to fool Li Jianye, giving this young man from the countryside a hard time.

And so the entire college assembly took place.

Old Yi is indeed capable; he spoke tactfully and comprehensively.

But no one expected that Director Wang would be there and hear every word.

In this way, Director Wang naturally understood the intricacies of the situation and guessed that Deputy Director Ma must have received bribes and done something behind the scenes.

However, we don't have concrete evidence yet.

Director Wang and Lao Ma have always been at odds. Once the evidence is conclusive, even if Lao Ma has powerful backers, he will not escape punishment.

Given this, how could Lao Yi dare to admit that the furniture belonged to the Jia and Liu families? Wouldn't that be tantamount to handing a knife to Director Wang to deal with Deputy Director Ma? In order to appease Director Wang's anger and protect Deputy Director Ma, Lao Yi had no choice but to take all the responsibility upon himself.

"Why didn't Li Jianye call the police and accuse them of trespassing?"

Someone asked.

Yan Bugui chuckled and shook his head.

"It's too easy for Lao Yi to get away with this! They bought the furniture, and they have invoices and witnesses, so it doesn't count as forced possession."

You can easily make up an excuse to get away with it.

Calling the police is simply a way to get more compensation.

This newcomer is quite a character!

"They really know how to scheme."

The three women exclaimed, "So much money in one go!"

……

Other residents in the courtyard were also talking about this new neighbor.

Some were amazed by his income, some were surprised that he could make Yi Zhonghai suffer a loss, and others were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

However, Li Jianye did not hear these discussions.

After having dinner with Director Wang, he set off for Pigeon City.

The so-called "pigeon market" is actually a spontaneously formed underground trading place.

During the planned economy era, all materials were supplied according to quotas.

Some people didn't have enough to eat, while others wanted to make some money, so the pigeon market came into being.

People trade here discreetly, and the authorities usually turn a blind eye, generally not interfering as long as there is no major disturbance.

Li Jianye put on a homemade mask, took out a 50-pound bag of 90-pound powder from the farm warehouse, and walked towards the pigeon market.

In 1959, flour was classified into three grades.

The best is called "70 flour," also known as "rich flour." It yields 70 jin of flour from every 100 jin of wheat. It is expensive and only available in limited quantities during festivals. It is used exclusively for making dumplings, hence the name "dumpling flour."

The next grade is 85 powder, also known as standard powder or construction powder.

In earlier years, the standard flour was August 1st flour, but recently, due to food shortages, it has become August 5th flour.

This is a relatively good quality flour on the market, priced at two cents per pound.

The next level up is the 90s powder, also known as production powder.

Flour was the most valuable hard currency in those days, even more precious than meat.

At 13 cents a pound, Li Jianye carried a whole bag of No. 90 white flour into the city this time.

As soon as he stepped into the alley, he was stunned—there were far more people than he had expected, and most of them were buyers holding money and waiting for grain, while there were very few sellers.

As soon as he appeared carrying a sack of flour, the crowd immediately surrounded him.

"Comrade, what's in your bag...?"

"Ninety percent of the powder."

Li Jianye lowered his voice.

Since it was his first time selling here, he wasn't sure about the market price, so he asked, "What price can you offer?"

"One yuan fifty per pound, I want them all!"

"I'll offer two!"

"Three pieces!"

"Four pieces! Brother, please share some with me... My mother at home can't hold on much longer!"

Upon hearing that it was 90% pink, the surrounding area immediately stirred.

Around 1959, grain coupons were being sold for two yuan each on the black market, but even if you had a coupon, you couldn't necessarily buy grain—grain stations were often empty.

In rural areas, people have long been eating tree bark and chewing grass roots; while things are better in the city, they're not much better.

The appearance of this bag of flour at this moment was like water dripping into boiling oil.

If Li Jianye hadn't been tall and sturdy, and if the people around him hadn't been so hungry that their limbs were weak, someone probably would have already tried to rob him.

Looking at the sallow faces before him, Li Jianye sighed inwardly.

"How about this?"

He said, "I didn't bring a scale, I only brought a ladle."

A scoop of flour weighs about one pound, and each person is limited to two scoops, with each scoop costing two yuan.

"If you're willing, grab your bags and money and line up here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd quickly quieted down and stepped forward one by one.

A low murmur of thanks rang out, and money and flour were exchanged in silence.

In no time, the whole bag of flour was gone.

I made a net profit of one hundred yuan.

Li Jianye picked up the empty bag and turned to leave.

He still had grain, but he couldn't continue selling it—if he did, it would attract attention.

"Brother, wait a minute."