Courtyard House: A System Connecting Two Worlds, Resources for the Nation

"Zhou Feng, you're here!"

Chen Tao was the first to spot Zhou Feng entering. He quickly stood up to greet him, and after taking the canvas bag from Zhou Feng's hand, he introduced him to the man in the main seat.

"Young Master Zhou, this is the brother I mentioned to you, Zhou Feng! He has a sharp eye, good luck, and wide connections! Zhou Feng, this is Young Master Zhou, who happens to be from the same clan as you. Please treat him well; he's from Beiping..."

Chen Tao spoke the last sentence to Zhou Feng in a low voice, offering a reminder.

Zhou Ming, who was rinsing the teaware, looked up at Zhou Feng, smiled gently, and showed no airs.

"Mr. Zhou, please have a seat. I've often heard Mr. Chen mention you before; you're young and accomplished, nothing too remarkable. My name is Zhou Ming, please just call me by my first name."

"Ming-ge, hello, sorry to bother you."

Zhou Feng nodded politely and sat down in the empty seat next to Chen Tao. Chen Tao then gently placed a few canvas bags at his feet.

Zhou Ming is the buyer, which is a different kind of client. There aren't many clients with the financial strength to buy large quantities of antiques, so it's normal for him to call him "brother".

"We're brothers, no need to be so polite."

Zhou Ming pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of Zhou Feng. The tea was clear and fragrant. "Try it. It's a pre-Qingming Longjing tea that a friend gave me."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Feng nodded his thanks and then picked up his teacup and took a sip.

He didn't know much about tea, but he could still tell that this tea was indeed fragrant and mellow.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhou Ming put down his teacup, turned his gaze to the bag at Zhou Feng's feet, and said with a smile, "Mr. Chen said that Brother Zhou Feng has acquired some good stuff again? Would you mind taking a look?"

"certainly."

Zhou Feng bent down and carefully opened the canvas bags one by one, taking out the tightly wrapped items inside and arranging them on the tea table.

Landscape paintings, Western clocks, jade stationery, famille rose vases, agarwood bracelets... all are on display.

Zhou Ming's gaze followed his movements casually until all the items were placed on the table, at which point he reached out and beckoned to the side.

A middle-aged man wearing glasses walked slowly forward. He was wearing white gloves. He first picked up the pair of vases and carefully examined the base, glaze, and painting under the light. He then gently tapped them to listen to the sound.

Next came the jade stationery, where I examined each piece closely to assess its jade quality, carving, and patina.

He examined even the painting and the clock carefully for a long time.

Throughout the entire process, Zhou Ming remained silent, his face relaxed. He casually poured Zhou Feng another cup of tea, which the latter drank.

Chen Tao, on the other hand, watched nervously from the side.

After a good ten minutes, the middle-aged man gently put down the sandalwood bracelet he was looking at last, took off his gloves, and nodded to Zhou Ming.

The latter's face softened into a gentle smile again: "Brother Zhou Feng, these things are all quite good. They include several old, exquisite, and rare items. Would you like to buy them all at once, or discuss them separately?"

Zhou Feng glanced at Chen Tao, who nodded slightly.

"Ming-ge is the expert, you can give me a price. I trust Tao-ge, and I trust Ming-ge too. As for the method... whatever is convenient for you."

"Brother Zhou Feng is straightforward, so I won't mince words."

Zhou Ming tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice: "500 million, I'll take it all with me."

This price is already considered a premium for these items, which are all worth hundreds of thousands. Only the price of the painting might fluctuate slightly.

After all, the painting was unsigned. If it were by a famous artist, it might be worth some money, but if not... the total price would definitely not reach this amount.

Zhou Feng was secretly delighted, but his face remained impassive: "Brother Ming is straightforward. We'll go with the price you asked for."

"Okay." Zhou Ming nodded. "How will you pay? Cash or bank transfer?"

"Transfer the money, it's more convenient."

After the two finalized the deal, the atmosphere became much more harmonious.

Zhou Ming brewed another pot of tea and casually asked, "I heard from Mr. Chen that besides antiques, Brother Zhou Feng seems to be interested in some special purchasing channels?"

Zhou Feng immediately perked up and said seriously, "To be honest, Brother Ming, I do have some connections. I need a large quantity of basic supplies, such as high-quality grain and vegetable seeds—all kinds—and the quantities might be considerable. Moreover, I need them urgently, and the channels must be reliable. I wonder if Brother Ming has any ideas?"

Zhou Ming picked up his teacup, blew away the foam, and said slowly, "Seeds... that's quite a coincidence. I do know friends at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences and a few large seed companies. I have some internal channels and can get some excellent varieties, even a small number of varieties in the experimental stage. As for the quantity, as long as it's not exaggerated to the point of tens of thousands of tons, it shouldn't be a problem. The key is the intended use and the funding."

He looked at Zhou Feng with a calm gaze, but the latter felt uncomfortable, as if he had been seen through.

"Brother Zhou Feng wants so many seeds, he's not going to start his own farm, is he?"

"Of course not!"

Zhou Feng stated frankly, "Brother Ming, I can't go into the specifics of its use. But I can guarantee that it will be absolutely legal and compliant, and will be used for legitimate agricultural production and promotion, and will not flow into illegal channels."

"As for funding, as you just saw, it's not a problem. Moreover, if we can establish a stable supply relationship, I may have other needs, such as some basic industrial raw materials, hardware tools, or even some... less common mechanical equipment. Of course, everything is based on legality."

Zhou Ming did not interrupt him, but listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the smooth rim of the teacup.

After a long silence, he nodded with a faint smile: "Since Brother Zhou Feng has said so, I believe you. I can help you make connections regarding the seeds."

"Give me a rough list of types and quantities first, and I'll go ask around. We'll discuss the price and delivery method later."

"However, in business, I value mutual benefit and long-term cooperation. I hope that Brother Zhou Feng will think of me first if he has any good stuff or other 'needs' in the future!"

"Of course!" Zhou Feng immediately replied, "I'll be troubling Brother Ming a lot in the future."

"No problem." Zhou Ming smiled, raised his teacup, and said, "Let's toast with tea instead of wine, and wish each other a pleasant cooperation."

"It's a pleasure working with you!"

It was already noon when I came out of the tea room.

Chen Tao patted Zhou Feng on the shoulder, his face beaming with excitement: "Great job, Fengzi! This young master Zhou offered a really good price. Looks like your items really caught his eye! If we have connections like this, we brothers are going to be rich!"

Zhou Feng smiled and made a few perfunctory remarks, but in his heart he was calculating the money and the seed channels that were about to be acquired.

With this connection, he could send more supplies to that world, and even more machinery would be no problem.

All he has to give up are these 'antiques', and it's unclear what good things Sun Yue has prepared for him.

The two had a quick and simple lunch nearby before parting ways.

Chen Tao had to go back to the company to handle the payment, while Zhou Feng needed to continue organizing the appliances he had bought for his home.

He was also planning that once the seed issue was settled, he could begin the next step of transporting the seeds.

As for that Ming, although he seems quite mysterious and has a strong presence, he is decisive in transactions and seems to have the ability to secure the special channels he needs.

Isn't that enough?

I can find the antiques he needs, and he can provide me with the resources; it's a win-win situation!

However, Zhou Ming did not linger after they left. He had the middle-aged man who accompanied him carefully repack the antiques, then got into the black car waiting outside and headed straight for the airport.

Two hours later, the plane landed at Beiping International Airport.

A black Audi A8 with a special pass was already parked outside the VIP lane.

Zhou Ming got out of the car and handed the briefcase containing the antiques to two young men in dark jackets who came up to him. They looked capable.

"Send it directly to 'Warehouse No. 3' for warehousing registration and preliminary testing. Once the report is ready, send it to me immediately."

Zhou Ming gave the order, his tone lacking the gentleness he had shown when speaking with Zhou Feng, replaced by a businesslike efficiency.

"Yes, Zhou Chu."

One of them took the box, the other two saluted him, turned around, got into another car, and drove away quickly.

Zhou Ming then got into the back seat of the Audi A8 and said to the driver, "Back to the department."

The car smoothly drove out of the airport, merged into the traffic, and headed towards the city center.

About forty minutes later, the car drove into a seemingly ordinary government compound on Fuxing Road.

Armed police were stationed at the entrance and checked Zhou Ming's identification and vehicle pass before allowing him to pass.

The courtyard is shaded by green trees, and the buildings are mostly old Soviet-style small buildings with simple exteriors, but the security measures are extremely strict.

Zhou Ming's car stopped in front of one of the inconspicuous four-story buildings.

He strode into the building, swiped his access card and fingerprint at the elevator entrance, and went straight to the top floor.

The elevator doors opened again, revealing a quiet corridor with a dark carpet and closed doors on both sides.

Zhou Ming walked to the innermost heavy solid wood door without any markings, verified his fingerprint and iris scan again, and the door slid open silently.

Inside was a spacious conference room with soft lighting.

Five or six people, men and women, mostly between forty and sixty years old, were already seated around the long conference table, all dressed formally.

At the front of the conference room is a wall of LCD screens, which are currently divided into three sections displaying different content.

Upon seeing Zhou Ming enter, the middle-aged man in the main seat, dressed in a dark gray Zhongshan suit, nodded to him: "Comrade Zhou Ming is back. You've had a long day. Did you deliver the goods?"

"Yes, Director Lin. It has been sent to Warehouse No. 3."

Zhou Ming walked to his empty seat at the conference table and sat down. Immediately, a staff member brought him a cup of hot tea.

"it is good."

The smaller split screen on the left side of the large screen showed that the combination lock box that had just been handed over had been opened, and the antiques had been taken out by professionals and placed on a velvet-covered testing table for multi-angle photography and high-definition scanning.

The image is so clear that even the fibers of the paper and the tiny scratches on the jade are clearly visible.

"A landscape painting by a literati from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, unsigned but exquisitely crafted and well-preserved; a gilded clock from the Western world, presented as tribute during the Qianlong era, the mechanical parts require further testing; a set of four scholar's objects carved from Hetian jade with dragon motifs, of superior quality; a pair of Daoguang imperial porcelain famille rose vases with butterflies; a string of eighteen agarwood beads from the mid-Qing dynasty..."

A technician wearing a headset provided simultaneous explanations of the initial assessment.

"These are all old items, in good condition, and have certain historical and artistic value."

Director Lin nodded slightly and looked at Zhou Ming, "Comrade Zhou Ming, what are your impressions of this 'Zhou Feng'?"

All eyes were on Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming sat up straight and pondered for a moment: "The target, Zhou Feng, has an ordinary appearance, a rather easygoing personality, and could even be described as somewhat easygoing. He is not very guarded and not very shrewd."

"He proactively raised the demand for large quantities of high-quality seeds, presumably for their benefit. Judging from the transaction process and his personal behavior, no obvious malicious or harmful intent has been found so far. He seems more like an ordinary person with some special skills, with a touch of petty bourgeois shrewdness and pragmatism."

"A petty bourgeois mentality, lacking vigilance, not shrewd... just an ordinary person?"

Director Lin repeated these keywords, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "This assessment roughly matches the previous behavioral analysis report. A young man with incredible abilities, yet seemingly only interested in using them to improve his life and run a small business?"

"Judging from his traded items and needs, there is indeed a steady flow of goods in that direction."

A middle-aged woman wearing gold-rimmed glasses spoke up: "The antiques we bought from Chen Tao, and the ones we brought back this time, are almost certainly historical artifacts."

"The fact that he can acquire such large quantities and in such a targeted manner deserves our close attention and protective measures."

"I agree with Professor Zhao's opinion."

Another elderly man with gray hair said, "As long as his actions do not endanger national security and social stability, this kind of 'exchange of goods' is beneficial to the country. At least for now, we can use him to recover a large number of precious cultural relics."

"Who can guarantee that what he brings back from there next time won't be the lost parts of the Yongle Encyclopedia, or the Imperial Seal of the State?"

This slightly joking assumption eased the tense atmosphere in the meeting room a little.

Director Lin also showed a very faint smile: "Yes, what if one day they bring back a first-class national treasure? That would be a pleasant surprise. Comrade Zhou Ming, what's your assessment? Is it safe to continue safe contact and limited cooperation with him?"

"Yes, Director Lin."

Zhou Ming nodded affirmatively, "I think it's possible. By maintaining the current transaction model, gradually building trust, and strengthening external monitoring and analysis of demand, we should be able to maximize the use of this special 'channel' within a controllable range."

"We can meet his needs for basic supplies such as seeds, which in itself is a form of support and guidance for his 'abilities' and may give him more... a sense of belonging or willingness to cooperate."

Director Lin pondered for a moment and made a decision, "Then let's proceed with this approach. You'll be responsible for coordinating the seed issue, ensuring the source is clear and the quality is reliable, while also having contingency plans for tracking the distribution. You'll be in charge of the scope of contact, with the principles of 'friendly, mutually beneficial, and controllable'."

"yes!"