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

"The latest product?"

Wang Aiguo looked at Zhou Feng with some curiosity, and the latter was once again certain that the so-called background of these people, the leaders who had been corrupted by them, were really just ordinary in status.

The entire Siheyuan world is currently focused on earning foreign exchange through exports, yet they are unaware that new products are about to appear.

In fact, Zhou Feng had misunderstood this group of people.

It was already quite remarkable that Wang Aiguo and his associates, who were still lurking around Beiping City at this time, were not caught.

After so many years of relentless efforts to eliminate enemy agents, if they hadn't been people who had entered Beiping City so early, they would have been dragged out and eaten like enemy agents from other countries long ago.

Night fell heavily, shrouding the entire city of Beiping in silence.

For the sake of that ten thousand yuan, Zhou Feng spent the entire afternoon playing on his phone in the courtyard, waiting until it got dark.

Several trucks covered with tarpaulins silently stopped at the entrance of the small courtyard. The headlights were all off, and only the moonlight shone through. Several dark figures jumped out of the trucks and, with footsteps as light as cats, quickly slipped into the courtyard.

Wang Aiguo stood at the gate of the courtyard, his palms sweaty, his eyes fixed on both ends of the alley.

His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat.

Having worked in this line of work for over a decade, I've handled countless goods, but never before have I felt this nervous.

It wasn't because I was afraid of getting arrested, but because... there was just too much stuff in the house!

What does it mean to have all the operating funds of the outposts around Beiping City completely drained?

"Hurry up! Get your hands dirty and move quickly! Get it done and get going!" he urged in a low voice.

The group of dark figures entered the main house, and the one leading them shone his flashlight inside, only to be immediately stunned.

The room was filled with pork, eggs, and cloth, all neatly stacked, gleaming enticingly in the pale light of the flashlight.

"This...this is fucking..." The man gasped and looked back at Wang Aiguo.

"Stop talking nonsense! Move it now!"

The group then realized what was happening and quickly took action.

The pork was tied with hemp rope and carried out one piece at a time; two people carried one basket of eggs, carefully avoiding bumping or damaging them; the cloth was rolled up and carried out on their shoulders.

In the quiet night, only light footsteps and heavy breathing could be heard. Once a truck was full, it would immediately drive away, and the next one would be loaded.

It took more than three hours to unload all the supplies.

Wang Aiguo stood in the empty courtyard, watching the last truck disappear at the end of the alley, before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

He turned around and saw Zhou Feng leaning against the door frame, holding a satchel full of cash and receipts, smiling at him.

"Comrade Patriot, you've worked hard."

Wang Aiguo quickly walked up to him and lowered his voice, saying, "Comrade Zhou Feng, don't worry, I will definitely deliver this batch of goods safely. How...how shall we contact each other afterward?"

Zhou Feng slung the bag over his shoulder and casually said, "Same place, same rules. If you need anything, just send someone a day in advance. I'll decide the time and place."

Wang Aiguo nodded, hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and asked, "Comrade Zhou Feng, actually, with your abilities, if..."

"Hey—" Zhou Feng raised his hand to interrupt him, his smile unchanged, "No ifs, Comrade Patriot, we're only talking about business, nothing else. Please go back, and be careful on your way."

Wang Aiguo gave him a deep look, said nothing more, cupped his hands in greeting, and turned to disappear into the night.

Zhou Feng watched his figure disappear, stretched, picked up his bag, and left the yard.

After walking a short distance, we turned into another alley, where an inconspicuous jeep was parked.

The car window rolled down, revealing a familiar face. Sun Yue was looking at him with a strange expression.

It's worth noting that this time Zhou Feng earned over ten thousand yuan in cash, along with a large number of receipts.

In those days, such a large amount of cash was one of the most impressive in the entire city of Beiping!

"Comrade Zhou Feng, get in the car."

Zhou Feng opened the car door, got in, tossed the heavy satchel onto the seat, and let out a long sigh: "Finally done. Dealing with these people was more tiring than dealing with those old men in the courtyard."

The driver started the car, and Sun Yue whispered, "Comrade Zhou Feng, you did a very good job on this mission. The tracking personnel have been sent out, and those trucks won't be able to get away."

"That's your problem, it has nothing to do with me." Zhou Feng leaned back in the back seat, closed his eyes to rest, "I'm just a middleman. I deliver the goods, I collect the money, and I don't get involved in the rest."

Sun Yue smiled and said nothing more.

The car drove silently toward Nanluoguxiang.

Meanwhile, several trucks loaded with supplies were driving around the city of Beiping.

Wang Aiguo sat in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed on the rearview mirror.

The driver was very skilled, sometimes accelerating and sometimes decelerating, weaving through the alleys and occasionally making a U-turn.

No matter how I tried to get around it, the feeling of being watched wouldn't go away.

"Brother Aiguo, it seems like it really does have a tail," the driver said in a low voice.

Wang Aiguo gritted his teeth: "Let's circle around a couple more times. If we still can't shake them off, we'll head back to the base first. This shipment absolutely cannot be lost!"

The driver nodded, then sharply turned the steering wheel and veered into a narrower alley.

Not far behind, a Jeep, also without its lights on, kept its distance and followed at a leisurely pace.

But none of this has anything to do with Zhou Feng anymore.

When he returned to the courtyard house, Bai Ling was waiting for him in the room.

In this situation involving contact with enemy agents, if Sun Yue hadn't intervened, Bai Ling would have even wanted to go directly with Zhou Feng.

"Is it all done over there?"

When Zhou Feng came in, Bai Ling took the bag from his hand and threw it on the table with a thud. She then helped him take off his coat and hung it up separately.

"It has to be finished! Don't you even know who made the move!"

Zhou Feng puffed out his chest, raised an eyebrow at Bai Ling, and then gestured with his chin for her to open the handbag on the table.

"I'm not bragging, but look how much stuff is in there!"

Bai Ling opened her handbag with some curiosity and froze on the spot.

Even with her extensive experience, she was momentarily stunned by the full bag of cash and banknotes.

After taking a deep breath and swallowing, Bai Ling finally closed her handbag again.

"That's good. Do I need to report this money to Director Sun?"

"What are you reporting?"

Zhou Feng's eyes widened immediately.

"This was agreed upon beforehand; it was to test their channels, and the money was exchanged for supplies I brought back from the US!"

He doesn't have such lofty ideals and awareness.

The money from selling things you brought back from the modern world is naturally yours.

That statement makes sense no matter where you look.

Bai Ling pursed her lips and didn't say anything more, but simply helped him make the bed.

"Let me tell you, that Wang Aiguo tried to pull me to the other side, but I refused outright. My wife is still here!"

Zhou Feng spoke with a smile, and Bai Ling understood the meaning behind his words.

It simply means that he's now a hot commodity, and people from all sides want to win him over.

With a sigh, Bai Ling added some hot water to the basin for Zhou Feng to wash up before leaving the room.

After his excitement over making such a large sum of money subsided, Zhou Feng drifted off to sleep.

He sleeps soundly, but others may not have the same quality of sleep.

The next morning, at the Third Steel Rolling Mill.

When Li Huaide strode into the factory area, the smile on his face was impossible to hide.

Last night, his father-in-law explained everything to him.

Although Zhou Feng spearheaded the donation of broiler chickens, his involvement will ultimately bring him considerable political achievements.

With this achievement, as long as he doesn't make any mistakes later, it wouldn't be difficult for him to get promoted.

It's just that Zhou Feng hasn't come to the factory these past few days, otherwise Li Huaide wouldn't know how to thank him properly.

What Brother Li... younger brother...

With our relationship, you can call me godfather!

To put it bluntly, Zhou Feng's casual mention of putting him in charge of scheduling is equivalent to several years of experience in the factory!

There were even leaders who specifically praised Li Huaide at the debriefing meeting on this matter.

Given that leader's position, even his father-in-law felt honored, let alone others.

The envious looks were almost igniting a fire in Li Huaide's father-in-law's heart!

Since their marriage, Li Huaide has made a rare public appearance at his wife's family home.

Good morning, Director Li!

"Director Li looks great today!"

As I walked along, I noticed that there were significantly more people greeting me than usual, and their tone was much more respectful.

Li Huaide was secretly delighted, but he had to maintain a facade, only nodding slightly and responding with "uh-huh" and "yeah."

Upon entering the office building and reaching his office door, his secretary greeted him with a letter in her hand, her face beaming with excitement: "Factory Manager, there's a letter for you."

"What letter?" Li Huaide took it and saw that the envelope was addressed to a certain department in the city!

His heart skipped a beat. He quickly went inside, closed the door, and opened the envelope.

The letter was short, but its contents made Li Huaide's hands tremble.

The gist is: Comrade Li Huaide has demonstrated outstanding performance in assisting important tasks and ensuring the flow of special materials, and is hereby commended. It is hoped that he will continue his efforts and make new contributions to socialist construction.

Below it was stamped with a large, bright red seal.

Li Huaide read the letter over and over again three times, wishing he could engrave every word into his mind.

This time, I've really made a name for myself!

Even with all his influence, his father-in-law couldn't possibly get him that kind of document; it was Zhou Feng who had to pull some strings!

"Great, great, that's wonderful!" He plopped down in the chair, his smile practically overflowing.

That damn Hao Pingchuan, who knows which border region he's building up the motherland for now? It's still up to me.

As long as you cling to Zhou Feng's coattails, you won't necessarily have a meteoric rise to success, but you'll generally be free from major obstacles.

He was feeling quite pleased with himself when his secretary knocked on the door and came in: "Factory Manager, Factory Manager Yang called and wants you to come over."

Li Huaide raised an eyebrow, and the smile on his face faded.

Factory Director Yang?

Although the two were nominally one in charge and one in charge, Li Huaide, who had been parachuted in, had never been well-liked by Director Yang.

After all, Director Yang knew that Li Huaide would definitely covet his position, so how could he possibly be friendly to someone who was vying for power?

However, today, Li Huaide felt no dissatisfaction whatsoever. On the contrary, he was eager to try and strode towards the factory director's office.

He didn't put away the letter of commendation; instead, he tucked it into his pocket.

When Li Huaide arrived at the factory director's office, Director Yang was standing by the window with his back to him, smoking a cigarette.

"Director Yang, you wanted to see me?"

Director Yang turned around expressionlessly, but Li Huaide immediately caught the impotent rage and annoyance in his eyes.

"Comrade Huai De is here, please have a seat." Factory Director Yang gestured to a chair, then returned to his desk and sat down. "I heard you recently went on a business trip? You must have had a tiring trip."

Li Huaide sneered inwardly, but humbly replied, "It's not hard work at all. As long as the organization needs me, I'm ready to go at any time and do my best."

"The organization needs you?" Factory Director Yang flicked his cigarette ash, his tone still calm. "This matter isn't classified, is it? How come I, the factory director, know absolutely nothing about it?"

Looking at his forced composure, Li Huaide felt incredibly relieved.

The letter of commendation had already been issued; how could he, as the factory manager, not know about it?

Moreover, when Li Huaide left the factory, he had his secretary submit a report to the factory.

Old Yang must be feeling jealous, that's why he's gossiping.

Still acting all nonchalant, like you're sitting on a leash? You're getting impatient, aren't you?

Thinking of this, Li Huaide deliberately sighed, his tone full of difficulty: "Director Yang, it's not that I don't want to report to you, it's just that... this matter started as just a private friendship. Comrade Zhou Feng asked me for a favor, and I never expected it to cause such a commotion. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late."

But even as he said that, he could barely suppress the smile on his face.

He spread his hands, his face full of peace of mind.

Director Yang's eyes twitched as he watched, and he gritted his teeth until his cheeks bulged out.

He naturally knew Zhou Feng and that he was a staff member in the factory's purchasing department.

Previously, the factory had obtained a large amount of unplanned materials from this guy. However, he had a mysterious background and was very close to Li Huaide, so Director Yang did not take the initiative to contact him.

Who knew this guy had such great abilities!

If he had known that Zhou Feng was capable of such earth-shattering things, why would he have cared whether Li Huaide was in charge of logistics or not?

They would definitely welcome Zhou Feng warmly and try to win him over to their side!

Now that this guy has given Li Huaide such a big credit, if something goes wrong in the factory someday, he will be replaced by Li Huaide as the factory manager immediately.

But it's too late to say anything now.

Li Huaide handled Zhou Feng's onboarding procedures, allocated supplies, and even when Zhou Feng occasionally came to the factory to report on his work, he went directly to Li Huaide.

He was just a figurehead factory manager; he had absolutely no real connection with anyone!