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

By the time Yi Zhonghai finished rambling and the entire college meeting ended, it was already six or seven o'clock in the evening.

People dispersed in twos and threes, many with strange expressions on their faces.

The people who were originally most likely to target Zhou Feng have now all become his sycophants!

Although the neighbors may not know the term "lickspittle," it is the only term that can most accurately describe the current behavior of Yi Zhonghai and his group.

Many people were initially looking forward to a great show, but after the entire college meeting, it felt like they had been force-fed something disgusting.

"Thank you for your hard work, sir!"

"Grandpa, get some rest!"

The neighbors, who were not young, greeted Yi Zhonghai perfunctorily out of politeness, but their steps were faster than the last.

Who knows if this old man will stop them and then continue to shower Zhou Feng with compliments?

Although they can't afford to mess with Zhou Feng, they can at least avoid him, right?

It's not right to fawn over someone in public, like a eunuch in the old society.

Sha Zhu and Xu Damao didn't get a chance to speak up for Zhou Feng earlier, and now they don't want to associate with Yi Zhonghai either.

The two mingled in the crowd, and Sha Zhu simply lowered his head and slipped back to his room.

Xu Damao did the same, not even glancing at Yi Zhonghai, and quickly walked past him.

Upon seeing this, Yi Zhonghai's smile froze for a moment before returning to normal.

After all, given their age and experience, they wouldn't be so easily swayed by the actions of these people.

Zhou Feng and Bai Ling were the last to leave. As they passed Yi Zhonghai, Zhou Feng paused and nodded to him.

"Uncle, thank you for your trouble. It seems I misunderstood you before. You're still a good comrade."

Putting everything else aside, the emotional value that this college-wide meeting brought to Zhou Feng was enough to make him give Yi Zhonghai a good look.

Feed your cattle and horses plenty of high-quality fodder, and give them a little encouragement; they will work harder to contribute to your cause.

After receiving Zhou Feng's affirmation, Yi Zhonghai immediately put on a big smile, and his back unconsciously bent a little.

"Not at all! Comrade Zhou Feng, this is all I should do! You've made such a great contribution to our institute and to the whole city. If I, as an old man, don't stand up and speak up for justice, would I even be human?"

He spoke with such sincerity that his eyes seemed to be a little red.

Zhou Feng smiled, didn't reply, and pulled Bai Ling towards the backyard.

Yi Zhonghai stood there, watching the two figures disappear before the smile on his face slowly faded.

Instead, a complex expression of relief, loss, and relaxation mingled with his expression.

Back in Zhou Feng's room, the heater was on the whole time, making the room warm and cozy.

As soon as Bai Ling entered the room, she took off her coat, casually draped it over the back of a chair, and then plopped down on the edge of the bed, staring intently at Zhou Feng, who was pouring water.

"What are you looking at?" Zhou Feng handed her an enamel mug containing jasmine tea, which smelled wonderful.

Bai Ling took the jar, but didn't drink from it. She just held it, a half-smile slowly curving her lips: "Comrade Zhou Feng, don't you think the world is changing fast?"

Zhou Feng sat down next to her, crossed his legs, and asked, "How fast?"

"A few months ago," Bai Ling said, warming her hands with a jar, her tone slightly teasing, "everyone in this courtyard hated you. Yi Zhonghai would hold a courtyard-wide meeting every few days to criticize you, Sha Zhu was always challenging you, and Xu Damao was so eager to report you as an enemy spy."

She paused, took a sip of water, and her eyes curved into crescents: "Look at tonight, it was still Yi Zhonghai, still that hospital-wide meeting, and what happened? It turned into your commendation meeting. That old man led the way, and everyone in the hospital, young and old, praised you. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought you were elected a national model worker."

Zhou Feng listened without much emotion, only a slight smile playing on his lips: "So? What is Comrade Bai Ling trying to say?"

"What I want to say is," Bai Ling put the jar aside and looked at Zhou Feng seriously, "you know why Yi Zhonghai has changed so much, don't you?"

"It must be because of the Special Operations Division. Last time they arrested more than a dozen people, and their attitude changed after they came back. Sha Zhu, Yi Zhonghai, and Xu Damao have been detained for so long. If they still don't change their attitude, then they really are just Sha Zhu, Sha Hai, and Sha Mao."

"At first it was definitely because of the operations department, but later it was because of those millions of chickens."

Bai Ling shook her head, her eyes filled with admiration as she looked at Zhou Feng: "Supplying an entire city—with this one move, in the hearts of most of the people of Beiping, you're like a living Buddha. You've truly achieved that status. Yi Zhonghai isn't deaf or blind; would he dare to oppose you at a time like this? Wouldn't that be courting death?"

The more Bai Ling disliked his previous indifferent attitude, the more intense her gaze became when she looked at him.

She must have had a very strong liking for Zhou Feng before, otherwise the two of them wouldn't have been that close.

However, Zhou Feng's donation of over a million chickens still greatly shocked her, and her attitude towards Zhou Feng changed even more.

While this may sound somewhat utilitarian, Bai Ling's actions were not for herself, but for the entire Dragon Kingdom.

This is also the mindset that comrades of this era have.

There is a purer kind of admiration for those who can make outstanding contributions to the Dragon Kingdom.

Their ideas are truly admirable, but unfortunately, given Zhou Feng's upbringing, he is not yet capable of doing so.

The chicken donated to Beiping was mostly a return gift in return for the antiques acquired earlier.

There's really nothing worth mentioning.

Looking at the calm expression on this guy's face, Bai Ling suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

Although this guy is not old, he is really good at keeping his composure, no less so than those old hands who have been in officialdom for decades.

Despite accomplishing such a significant task, he was still able to maintain composure.

In reality, it was Zhou Feng's inherent cowardly mentality at play; he didn't want to be too flashy or put himself under everyone's scrutiny.

Otherwise, given the contributions he has made, he could be giving speeches and presentations everywhere.

Her expression suddenly became somewhat complicated, but Bai Ling changed her tone and moved closer to Zhou Feng.

"You say you have money, fame, and connections now, and everyone in the neighborhood still treats you this way, so you don't have any worries, right?"

"Hey, you can't imagine the pressure I was under! Before..."

"My parents are pressuring me to get married, what are you going to do?"

Before Zhou Feng could continue, Bai Ling interrupted him and asked the question directly.

Zhou Feng, who was still taking off his clothes, didn't react for a moment, but reflexively replied, "Then just let me know. My parents had already made arrangements..."

He suddenly realized he had said the wrong thing halfway through his sentence and quickly shut his mouth.

After a few seconds of silence, Bai Ling picked up the enamel mug, took a sip, and forced a smile.

"It's normal for your parents to be concerned about this kind of thing. What are your thoughts? Are your parents in the US too?"

"Yes...yes, I...I've already told my mom that when the time is right, it will happen, there's no rush, right...right!"

Bai Ling keenly noticed the unnaturalness on Zhou Feng's face, but she didn't react at all. Instead, she covered it up for him and nodded with a smile.

"At this age, it's only natural for parents to urge their children to get married. It's the same for me. We'll just meet up sometime."

"Okay...okay!"

Zhou Feng nodded reluctantly. He could go see Bai Ling's parents, but how could Bai Ling meet his own parents?

Using a video call, Bai Ling couldn't explain it to him, especially since there was also Tao Muyao in modern society!

You can't exactly tell your parents that they have two daughters-in-law, one 60 years later and one 60 years ago.

The two chatted for a while longer, and with Bai Ling's deliberate cooperation, the atmosphere became harmonious again.

Bai Ling didn't get up and leave until around 9:30.

Zhou Feng saw her to the door, waved to her, and then closed the door, a cold sweat seeping down his back.

Damn, I almost let it slip!

If he told Bai Ling that his parents had arranged blind dates for him and he had gone, wouldn't she seduce him?

I shook my head. Luckily, I managed to deflect the question. I'll go to the King's Canyon for a good fight to calm myself down!

The smile on Bai Ling's face had completely disappeared as she left the courtyard. She went straight out of the alley and got into a jeep.

"Back to the office."

The car started and silently drove into the night.

Twenty minutes later, Bai Ling appeared directly in Sun Yue's office.

The latter took a deep breath as he watched Bai Ling knock on the door and enter.

Her appearance here at this time clearly indicated something was amiss, so I quickly put down the documents in my hand: "What happened?"

Bai Ling sat down opposite him: "Director Sun, there's something I feel I must report immediately."

"explain."

"Zhou Feng encountered a problem today..."

"Wasn't Yi Zhonghai's hospital-wide meeting to commend Comrade Zhou Feng?"

Sun Yue's eyes held a hint of doubt. News of what happened in the courtyard house would be sent to him as soon as possible.

"No, it was when I was talking to Comrade Zhou Feng about urging him to get married that he mentioned his parents were arranging something for him. He didn't say the rest, but it was probably something like a blind date."

Sun Yue frowned immediately, and after a few seconds of silence, asked, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Bai Ling nodded. "Although he immediately changed the subject, I could tell from his reaction in that instant."

The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long pause, Sun Yue finally spoke, his voice low and deep: "Comrade Bai Ling, what do you think?"

Bai Ling pursed her lips: "If it's Zhou Feng's family's arrangement, that's fine. After all, it's normal for parents to urge him to get married and introduce him to potential partners."

"The problem is that this arrangement wasn't made by Zhou Feng's parents, but rather..."

Bai Ling didn't say what she was going to say next, but Sun Yue clearly understood what she meant.

Sun Yue sighed and remained silent for the time being.

Bai Ling bit her lip and looked up at the other person: "Director Sun, if they really have discovered us, what do you think their attitude will be? Or what will their attitude be towards Zhou Feng? Will they protect him like we have, or will they try to use him?"

Sun Yue did not answer immediately, but stood up, looked out the window, and fell into thought.

After a long silence, he finally spoke.

"Comrade Bai Ling, I also want to know the answer to this question."

"My emotions tell me that even after 60 years, our comrades will still have unwavering faith and the people will remain united. But my reason tells me that in this matter, we should not trust anyone, not even us 60 years from now."

Bai Ling's heart tightened: "You mean..."

"Have you ever thought about this," Sun Yue interrupted her, "where does Zhou Feng's sense of belonging to our world come from? After all, he comes from the future!"

"His family is there, everything he knows is there; it's his way out. But here, this is the world he needs to cultivate and invest in."

"If someone uses marriage or relationships to tie him even more tightly to that world, won't his emotional focus shift directly?"

"Will he still help us as wholeheartedly as he does now?"

Bai Ling also fell silent, a strange feeling welling up inside her.

There was naturally worry and uncertainty about Zhou Feng, but more than anything, there was a sense of loss.

"Of course." Sun Yue changed the subject. "That's just the worst-case scenario. It's also possible that she's just an ordinary girl introduced by her family, with no special background. Zhou Feng's nervousness might just be because he hasn't figured out how to tell you yet."

Bai Ling was taken aback: "Tell me? Why are you telling me?"

Sun Yue glanced at her, his eyes carrying a meaningful look: "Comrade Bai Ling, don't you know your own limitations?"

Her face flushed red instantly.

"Alright, alright," Sun Yue waved his hand, stopping teasing her. "I'll report this to my superiors immediately. Until we get clear instructions, continue to observe Zhou Feng's condition. We must do everything we can to make him feel our sincerity."

"Yes."

Bai Ling stood up, preparing to leave.

As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped and turned to look at Sun Yue: "Director Sun, if... I mean, if it really is that organization over there making these arrangements, what should we do?"

Sun Yue was silent for a few seconds, then slowly spoke: "Comrade Bai Ling, the technological level of our world is at least sixty years behind that of the other world. If the two worlds really intersect, if the other world really wants to do something... to put it bluntly, the most likely outcome is that we won't even have the slightest ability to resist."

"So, in my personal opinion, all our chances of turning things around depend on Comrade Zhou Feng. His every move, his every thought, could affect the course of the two worlds."

"We must do our best in front of Comrade Zhou Feng. In this matter, whatever we do is not unfounded worry, but rather a precautionary measure!"