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

"What are you all yelling about? Wait a minute!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Zhou Feng sat down in his own chair and gestured towards Bai Ling with his lip: "Make me a cup of tea."

"Hey? Zhou Feng, what do you mean by that?"

"You want us to just watch here while you make tea?"

...

Ignoring the noisy neighbors, Zhou Feng directly upgraded the double-penetration door that was already at full capacity.

Sure enough, just like the previous two times, it was as smooth as a needle popping a bubble, and the progress bar instantly returned to zero, the upgrade was successful!

It wasn't easy for him to be so frugal!

Otherwise, the progress bar for the double-door is already full. If we don't upgrade it, all the emotional value we gain will be wasted!

A flood of information rushed into Zhou Feng's mind, directly imprinting the upgraded features into his mind.

The most basic function, the double-door carrying space has been increased by ten... um?

Zhou Feng's eyes widened as he sensed the number again. Something was wrong!

It should be changed from 1,000 cubic meters to 10,000 cubic meters!

How did it become 100,000 cubic meters?

And what about the new features you get with each level up?

Did this system somehow swallow up my new features?

Or is it necessary to go back to the modern era for an upgrade?

Suddenly, a message came from the dual portals within Zhou Feng's body: when these dual portals reached level five, there would be a tremendous change!

hiss--

This left Zhou Feng somewhat unsure of what to do.

Before he could even make up his mind, the group of people waiting inside couldn't hold back any longer.

Zhou Feng was so distracted by the information from the double door that he didn't hear what they were saying at all. But this behavior was seen as him being guilty.

Liu Haizhong, with his pregnant belly sticking out, banged hard on the table.

"Zhou Feng! This is a very serious matter, do you know that? You must explain in front of everyone where these machines and this food came from! Is there no law anymore?"

He pointed to the unfamiliar appliances on the table, and the mountain of rice and flour sacks piled up in the kitchen, his voice trembling with excitement.

"Look! Everyone, look! How much grain is this? How much money is this? And these... these capitalist gadgets! Zhou Feng, don't think you can get away with this by not saying anything! This matter must be made clear today!"

Sha Zhu was so happy that his back teeth were almost showing. He had finally caught Zhou Feng red-handed!

With his stubborn and obsessive nature, he had been thoroughly tormented by Zhou Feng, and now that he had a chance to retaliate, his excitement was palpable.

He pushed his way to the front as fast as he could, his raised hand practically shoving Zhou Feng in the face: "Zhou Feng! What else do you have to say? Huh? Where did you get all this stuff? Stole it? Robbed it? Or... did you get it in cahoots with some bad guys? I told you long ago you're no good! Now you've been caught red-handed, let's see how you try to deny it!"

Bai Ling stared wide-eyed, about to say something, but Zhou Feng gently grasped her hand.

Emotional value is like climbing a building. The higher Sha Zhu and his friends climb, the harder they'll fall when they drop.

It's all about earning emotional value; making him happy by five or ten points isn't a big deal.

Sha Zhu, over there, got more and more excited as he talked, feeling like he was some kind of youth leader described in the newspaper, waving his arms at the group of neighbors.

"Have you all seen this clearly, neighbors? This is Zhou Feng's true colors! He's hiding so many things of unknown origin in his house! Who knows what shady methods he used?"

"Our compound is a model of civilized conduct; we can't let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch! We must make him give us an explanation today! Otherwise, we'll jointly report him to the neighborhood committee and the police station! We'll resolutely get rid of this black sheep!"

Yi Zhonghai was initially a little apprehensive. Zhou Feng's calm demeanor in inviting them into the house was unusual, especially since he hadn't even criticized him during the recent meeting.

But now that Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong have brought them here, and with all these supplies and "foreign gadgets" still on display, it's like they've caught them red-handed. So what's there to be afraid of?

Yi Zhonghai loves this kind of winning situation the most!

However, he is different from people like Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu. Even if he wants to speak, he must do so fairly and impartially!

He cleared his throat and put on a pained expression.

"Zhou Feng, Zhou Feng, you've really disappointed me. Our compound has always been united and helpful, and we believe in being honest and upright and living a down-to-earth life."

"Look at you! You've brought all this dubious stuff here. What kind of mess is this? You're ruining the atmosphere in our compound!"

"Take my advice, and explain yourself honestly now. Where did you get these things?"

Yi Zhonghai paused deliberately, his gaze sweeping over the pile of grain and the table in the kitchen, his expression meaningful: "If it's of dubious origin, then the situation is serious! For the collective honor of our compound, and to save you, we must take action!"

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

Zhou Feng's gaze swept over the group of people. The three of them were talking at once, and the accusations they were putting on the group were getting progressively more and more outrageous.

The charges have escalated from "occupying public resources" and "damaging collective interests" to "of unknown origin," "colluding with bad people," and "corrupting social morals," and are now threatening to drag the matter into accusations of "enemy agents" and "stealing state property."

In fact, most of the other neighbors in the courtyard were just there to watch the show.

However, when they saw the machines and mountains of grain in Zhou Feng's house, the huge visual impact and stark contrast stirred up feelings of envy in many people, akin to the saying "it's not scarcity that's worrisome, but inequality."

"Yeah, Zhou Feng, you have way too much stuff! Where did you get it all?"

"Could it really be... you know?"

"I think Sha Zhu and Second Uncle are right; this matter must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Yes! Find out the truth! Give us an explanation!"

"If it was stolen or robbed, we can't let it go easily!"

The crowd began to stir, and the murmurs grew louder. Many people's eyes changed from curiosity to suspicion, with a hint of greed in them.

Driven by this herd mentality, they automatically ignored Zhou Feng's possible connections and were more inclined to believe that these things were of dubious origin.

Only in this way can their inner imbalance find an outlet, and some are even hoping to get a fair share of the pie!

Qin Huairu looked at the scene before her, her lips moved as if she wanted to stand up and say something.

After all, everyone is kicking her while she's down. If she steps forward, she won't stand out much, and she might as well try to get a share of the pie.

Before she could even speak, a sharp pain shot through her arm. If she hadn't covered her mouth in time, she probably would have screamed out.

Jia Zhangshi pinched her hard, then pulled her close, lowering her voice to ask, "What do you want to do?"

"Mom, look what they're all saying, I..."

"Are you crazy? What are you doing here! Didn't you see that Zhou Feng has been acting all high and mighty since the beginning? If he really had something to do with it, would he dare let so many people in to watch? And even offer to introduce them?"

Growing increasingly angry, Jia Zhangshi pinched Qin Huairu again, glaring at Zhou Feng through gritted teeth: "That kid's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve! He's clearly setting a trap for those three fools! Let's just watch the show and not get ourselves involved! Have you forgotten how Xu Damao died?"

Qin Huairu gasped in pain, swallowed the words she was about to say, and lowered her head, remaining silent.

She was blinded by greed. After her mother-in-law reminded her, she looked at Zhou Feng again and found him to be too calm, which was even unsettling.

Old Yan's family huddled on the periphery of the crowd, craning their necks to look inside, as if it were a denunciation meeting.

Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his small eyes darting around, his mind perfectly clear.

He had warned his children long ago not to get involved, and now he was even more determined to just watch the show.

Zhou Feng dared to do this, so he must have a backup plan.

Faced with increasingly intense accusations and the three old men's interrogation, Zhou Feng seemed to finally recover from his daze.

He slowly picked up the tea that Bai Ling had just brewed for him, blew away the foam, took a small sip, and then looked up at the indignant Liu Haizhong, Yi Zhonghai, and Sha Zhu, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"Are you done talking?"

Zhou Feng's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly drowned out the surrounding noise.

His nonchalant attitude only added fuel to the fire.

Sha Zhu glared at himself: "Zhou Feng! What kind of attitude is that! These two gentlemen are having a serious discussion with you! And you're still grinning like that?"

"manner?"

Zhou Feng put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and looked at Sha Zhu. "Sha Zhu, you, running around naked in the factory, tossing food in the kitchen, stealing things from the yard, and now you're even working with that guy who cleans the toilets—what right do you have to talk to me about attitude? You reported me for stealing electricity, where's the evidence? Did you see the meter turn? Or did the power company issue you a notice? You just spout nonsense; that's called slander, understand?"

"You f***ing..."

Sha Zhu's face turned bright red. They say you shouldn't insult someone by pointing out their weaknesses, but Zhou Feng always manages to hit the nail on the head when he speaks!

Too lazy to wait for his rebuttal, Zhou Feng turned his gaze to Liu Haizhong: "Second Uncle, you're putting on quite the show of official authority. You keep talking about the law and collective interests."

Before he could retort, Zhou Feng turned his gaze to Liu Haizhong: "Then let me ask you, are you Director Zhang of the neighborhood committee or Director Wang of the subdistrict office? I don't think there's anyone in charge with the surname Liu! Did Chief Zhao of the police station authorize you to interrogate me? What level of organization appointed you as the investigator? And you say 'you must explain clearly'? With your tone, anyone who didn't know better would think you were the chief of the police station."

These words were truly piercing, making Liu Haizhong's fingers tremble with anger: "Zhou Feng! You...you're being insolent! I'm here as the second-in-command of the compound, upholding justice!"

"Come on, you're calling yourself 'Second Master'? What's with this 'Master' status? You know it yourself, but do you really think you're some kind of official? You're so busy, does Beiping pay you a salary? How much?"

"You...you're talking complete nonsense! You're being unreasonable!"

Liu Haizhong was so speechless that he couldn't say anything.

To put it bluntly, the system implemented by these three old men is really just helping the neighborhood committee handle some trivial matters.

If you ask what rights they have, it's things like mediating neighborhood disputes, arranging cleaning of public areas, and coordinating the repair of courtyard gates.

However, they do have one function that can be linked to Zhou Feng: managing shared water and electricity.

However, Zhou Feng had already said that they no longer needed the compound's electricity, so this point could only be considered dispensable.

Seeing that Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu had been rebuffed, Zhou Feng's gaze shifted to Yi Zhonghai, whose heart skipped a beat and an ominous premonition arose.

"Old man, stop putting on this act of heartbreak. Your 'for your own good' and 'to save you' rhetoric might fool Sha Zhu, but it won't work on me. How I live, what I own, is my own business. I don't steal or rob; it's all legal and perfectly legitimate. What, you think I'm young and easy to bully, and you want to fabricate a charge against me, confiscate my things, and then you and your friends can divide them up privately?"

Sure enough, Zhou Feng's combination of punches landed directly on him, making Yi Zhonghai tremble with anger.

He was quite bold to say that he wasn't after Zhou Feng's things, since Zhou Feng only earned a little over ninety yuan a month, and his family didn't lack rice or noodles.

But he was indeed a little guilty. He wasn't after the things; he came directly for the people!

Seeing the situation was turning sour, Sha Zhu quickly shouted, "Don't listen to his nonsense! The biggest problem is that these things are of dubious origin! Who knows if they're stolen goods? We have to report this! We need to get the neighborhood committee and the police station to investigate!"

Liu Haizhong, having caught his breath, glared fiercely at Zhou Feng: "That's right! Since you refuse to confess and your attitude is appalling, we have no choice but to ask our superiors to settle this matter! Old Yi, what do you think?"

Yi Zhonghai was feeling uneasy, but now he was in a difficult position.

The other two were watching him from the side. They knew they couldn't control Zhou Feng today. They just didn't know if his things could withstand scrutiny!

"This matter is of great importance, and we should indeed ask the comrades from the street office and the police station to investigate it thoroughly, give everyone a clear understanding, and also give Comrade Zhou Feng a chance to prove his innocence."

After hesitating for a few seconds, Yi Zhonghai reluctantly agreed, but he still wanted to leave himself some room for maneuver, so he tried to smooth things over.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Feng was not afraid at all; instead, he chuckled as if he had heard something funny.

He crossed his legs and looked at the three of them with a leisurely air: "Alright, go and invite them. Hurry up, don't waste everyone's time. Oh, by the way, Sha Zhu, you were just shouting about 'jointly submitting a report'? Come on, who wants to sign? Step forward now, I'll write it down, and we'll talk to Director Wang of the neighborhood committee and Chief Zhao of the police station together later."

This counterattack immediately made those neighbors who were originally eager to join in shrink back.

A collaboration? Are you kidding me!

Watching the spectacle is fine, but if you actually go and testify, you'll offend Zhou Feng and have to face questioning from the neighborhood committee and the police station.

Who knows if Zhou Feng has some kind of backing they don't know about?