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

Zhou Feng ignored the ulterior motives of the people in the courtyard, smugly glanced at the emotional value he had gained, and went straight home.

On a whim, he even sent Ms. Li a WeChat message: [Mom, I'm coming to see you. I miss you both.]

A few seconds later, a message came back: [You're bankrupt? Your mom's meager savings definitely won't be enough to pay for your funeral!]

[? ? ? ]

[Are you crazy? Didn't you just introduce yourself and Mu Yao's family? It hasn't been that long! Why are you missing us? It's not like you've been staying in Beiping year after year without coming home!]

[...]

Well, running back and forth between these two worlds made him feel like time was passing by incredibly fast, and he had even forgotten about this.

Old Yan's house was even more lively tonight than on New Year's Eve. With a profit of sixteen yuan, even if each of the three children only got two yuan, Yan Bugui was still beaming with joy.

In his excitement, he waved his hand and said, "Tomorrow I'll stew that chicken." The three little ones cheered at the same time.

Of the entire Yan family, only Yan Jiecheng sat motionless on the chair, his face turned towards the wall, and the atmosphere around him seemed much more subdued.

Yu Li sat far away from him, on the other side of the room, looking outside, seemingly lost in thought.

The three women looked left and right, and could only sigh silently.

The eldest son is a disappointment, and she has nothing to say to her eldest daughter-in-law when she tries to persuade her.

The next day, Yu Li got up very early and left the Yan family home.

Although Yan Jiecheng sensed it, he thought that his wife hadn't been in a good mood lately and was probably rushing to go back to her parents' home for the New Year, so he ignored her.

After all, if he goes back with us, he'll definitely have to bring some gifts!

My own family is dirt poor, how could I afford to buy her a gift to take back to her parents' home?

Around noon, Zhou Feng opened the door to his room, and he strolled out wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket.

Although the outer layer of this jacket is no different from the ones worn by Sha Zhu and the others, the filling inside is completely different.

Suffering when you have no money is out of necessity, but suffering when you have money is just pretense.

If you've made so much money, why not enjoy it? Wouldn't that golden opportunity have been for nothing?

Outside, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, the two brothers, were walking back, carrying New Year's goods in their hands and smiling, clearly in good spirits.

They looked up and bumped into Zhou Feng, their smiles instantly freezing on their faces.

Although Zhou Feng didn't interact much with the two brothers on a regular basis, his reputation was well-known throughout the compound.

"Comrade Zhou... Happy New Year!"

Liu Guangtian was the first to react and stammered a greeting.

He did want to mention Leader Zhou, but since he didn't know what level of leader Zhou Feng was, he didn't say it.

Happy Chinese New Year.

One shouldn't hit a smiling face, so Zhou Feng nodded politely and walked straight outside without stopping.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu stood there until Zhou Feng had walked away before they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh my god, that scared me to death."

Liu Guangfu breathed a sigh of relief and glanced in the direction Zhou Feng had left, still feeling a lingering fear.

Not to mention them, Zhou Feng has dealt with all the older generation in this courtyard. How could these two kids not be afraid of him?

"Didn't you see I didn't even dare to look him in the eye? Alright, alright, let's hurry up and go, and then we'll avoid him a bit."

Liu Guangtian patted him on the shoulder, and the two of them ran back to the backyard in a flash.

Yan Bugui, who was still at home watching over the yard, sighed softly.

This place was originally a large, crowded courtyard, and now that a real dragon has come in, I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing.

In less than a year, he experienced more than he had in all those years before!

Of course, this so-called "Third Uncle" couldn't control such matters; he just needed to cling to Zhou Feng's coattails.

If you can't beat them, join them; if you can't afford to offend them, grovel before them. There's nothing shameful about that.

At this time, the festive atmosphere on the streets is particularly strong, with children everywhere wearing new clothes and running around with small firecrackers in their hands.

At that time, firecrackers did not explode in the thousands or tens of thousands of shots that are common in later generations.

A group of children, most of them had only one or two firecrackers in their hands, and they would hear one bang at a time.

There were also vendors selling candied hawthorns on the street, carrying wooden sticks wrapped in burlap and straw with bright red hawthorn berries stuck in them, their shouts audible from afar.

Zhou Feng walked among the crowd, looking no different from ordinary people, and no one paid any attention to him.

His destination was the supply and marketing cooperative.

Although the family had plenty of things, the goods in the supply and marketing cooperative were all unique items from that era.

Later, nostalgic streets or shops opened in Nanluoguxiang and Wangfujing, but can they be renovated to capture the original flavor of the supply and marketing cooperatives of this era?

Since we're already here, wouldn't it be a waste not to take a look around and buy something?

"Comrade Zhou Feng?"

As Zhou Feng walked out of the supply and marketing cooperative carrying his things, he suddenly heard someone call his name from behind.

Looking back, I saw a young man in a Zhongshan suit. He looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn't quite place him.

In the world of courtyard houses, there are really not many people who know him well.

Besides the residents of the compound, only Li Huaide and the members of the Special Operations Unit remained.

However, this person doesn't seem like it, since people from the Special Operations Unit wouldn't come looking for him so easily.

The young man strode over, a smile on his face: "Comrade Zhou Feng, don't you remember me? I'm Gu Feng from the factory, from the south. We met last time when we were installing equipment!"

Don't let Gu Feng's young age fool you; he's a truly capable person.

This time, he was urgently transferred from the south because of the need to build a factory around Beiping. He did talk to Zhou Feng a few times.

He had seen so many people during the construction and installation of these factories that he hadn't thought of them at the moment.

Now that he remembered, Zhou Feng smiled and nodded, "Comrade Gu Feng, Happy New Year."

"Happy Chinese New Year! Are you here to buy New Year's goods?"

Gu Feng's gaze swept over Zhou Feng's hands, which were carrying the items.

"Well, it's not really about buying New Year's goods, just taking a stroll and wandering around."

"That's perfect, I'm free right now, let me lend you a hand!"

Gu Feng was quite attentive; although he had only been in Beiping for a short time, he was very talkative.

The two walked forward together, and Gu Feng kept talking as he walked, his mouth never stopping.

However, despite wearing glasses and looking like a bookworm, he was surprisingly good at flattering people when chatting, which made Zhou Feng feel no discomfort.

As they walked, Gu Feng suddenly lowered his voice: "Comrade Zhou Feng, after the New Year, you'll be becoming the deputy factory director?"

Zhou Feng was taken aback by these words: "Who told you that?"

"It's all over the factory."

Gu Feng scratched his head somewhat awkwardly: "Everyone says that you'll be the leader of our factory from now on, and we can come to you for any problems with the equipment or machines."

Hearing his words, Zhou Feng pursed his lips and did not reply.

This whole thing is making a mess of things. He hasn't even received his official appointment document yet, but the news has already spread throughout the factory.

Seeing that his expression was a little off, Gu Feng quickly explained, "Comrade Zhou Feng, I didn't mean anything by it. I just wanted to say that we'll have more opportunities to deal with each other in the future. I'm in charge of the machinery at the factory, which happens to be within your jurisdiction. I hope you'll take good care of me in the future."

With this explanation, Zhou Feng nodded silently.

Regardless of Gu Feng's motives in approaching him now, the fact that he was transferred from the south to Beiping by the organization proves that he is definitely a capable person.

As for the other minor details, they are completely unimportant.

The two chatted as they walked toward the courtyard house.

Gu Feng was working at a fertilizer plant that was about to start production after the New Year. Zhou Feng was definitely clueless about these things, but he had a super think tank following him.

If you have any questions, you can contact us directly via WeChat.

The two people in front were having a great conversation, but they didn't notice a figure following behind them.

The Special Operations Unit discovered her as early as when she was still following orders.

However, the Special Operations Unit kept a record of all the residents in the courtyard, including their portraits and backgrounds.

Therefore, unless the other party shows any aggressive tendencies or poses a threat to the target, Zhou Feng's protectors will not take action.

As Zhou Feng and Gu Feng's conversation deepened, the person behind him stared wide-eyed, almost dropping the lunchbox in his hand.

Zhou Feng?

Deputy factory director?

Or is he the deputy director of more than one factory?

Are these two just flattering each other during the Chinese New Year?

This sounds so outrageous, it's like a fairy tale!

If it's true, then Zhou Feng must have an incredibly powerful background to achieve such a high position at such a young age!

After walking for a while longer, and seeing that they were almost at the alley entrance, Zhou Feng casually asked, "Want to come in and have some water?"

Gu Feng glanced at Zhou Feng's expression and immediately understood what the other was thinking, so he quickly waved his hand.

"You go ahead with your work, I still have luggage to pack, I'll have to move it all to the factory dormitory later."

Watching Gu Feng leave, Zhou Feng nodded in satisfaction.

Although we had a good chat, I was definitely not welcome to come inside for a drink of water. I'm not a young girl, why would I want to drink water?

Fortunately, this person is perceptive enough. In the future, we can give him more responsibilities and communicate with him more.

People in this era are all very straightforward, and such sensible people are rare. The last one was Ma Yingjie from the purchasing department of the steel rolling mill.

If I have the chance later, I can ask him if he would be willing to go to another factory with me.

Before Zhou Feng arrived, he was able to perform exceptionally well in the purchasing department, so he must have some connections at home. As for his abilities...

What abilities are required for Zhou Feng's job?

I'll bring him on as an assistant and have him handle miscellaneous tasks.

After all, in this day and age, no matter how important he is to the organization, it's impossible for a female secretary in professional attire and black stockings to appear. It's better to find someone who knows how to handle things.

Zhou Feng walked to his front door, took out his key, opened the door, went inside, and then closed the door again.

A figure entered the courtyard through the main gate, went back to his own home, and found that Yan Jiecheng was still in his father-in-law's room, so he hurriedly returned to his own room.

A few minutes later, she peeked around and found no one in the front yard, so she quickly ran to Zhou Feng's door and knocked.

This surprised Zhou Feng, who was inside the house. He walked to the door and opened it, only to find that it was Yu Li who had knocked.

"Comrade Zhou... Comrade Zhou Feng, since it's the Lunar New Year, I made some dumplings for good luck. Would you like to try some?"

Zhou Feng glanced at her, then looked down at the dumplings on the plate, and nodded: "Come in."

Yu Li followed him into the house, then breathed a sigh of relief, placed the plate on the table, and stood there awkwardly.

Where would they find a pot in their house?

These dumplings were boiled in a kettle. Fortunately, she was quite skilled at making them, and only two or three broke, which she carefully scooped out.

"Please sit down."

Zhou Feng pointed to a chair next to him, and Yu Li quickly and obediently sat down, secretly looking around the room.

Putting aside the temperature in the room, the row of household appliances made her a little confused.

When Sha Zhu and Uncle Yi came to Zhou Feng's house to make trouble before, she didn't squeeze in, she just glanced around.

Now that it's just the two of them, after looking around carefully, she realized that she didn't recognize almost anything in the room!

Zhou Feng didn't stand on ceremony; he simply took a pair of chopsticks, picked up a dumpling, and ate it.

After wandering around for most of the day, he was indeed a bit hungry.

After taking a bite, his eyes lit up: "Pork and cabbage filling?"

Although this filling is readily available in later generations, in this era, it is still quite difficult to be willing to make pork and cabbage filling.

"Mmm-hmm!"

Yu Li nodded vigorously; this piece of pork was the only one her family had left!

She had to beg until her lips were sore to get the piece of meat to make dumplings.

She even hid the two broken dumplings in the kettle, as well as the remaining dumpling soup.

We'll take it out to eat when Yan Jiecheng isn't around. It's all good stuff with meat and oil!

"How's the filling I made?"

Seeing the smile on her face, Zhou Feng nodded and ate two more.

These dumplings are considered unconventional for this era. The proportion of meat filling inside is almost the same as the dumplings Ms. Li makes for him at home, and there's plenty of seasoning too!

Yu Li really went all out!

If she was a little apprehensive when she made these dumplings at home in preparation for easing tensions with Zhou Feng, then she was still feeling quite nervous.

After overhearing Zhou Feng and the others talking on the way, she had only one thought in her mind: These dumplings were made correctly!

Yan Jiecheng is a complete waste of space; relying on him would ruin your life.

I can't rely on my in-laws either; they're always arguing with the family about trivial matters.

Women hold up half the sky; they must create a good life for themselves!

"Comrade Yu Li, you didn't come here just to offer New Year's greetings, did you?"

Swallowing the dumpling in his mouth, Zhou Feng turned to look at Yu Li.

The latter bit his lip, took a deep breath, and mustered the courage to say, "Comrade Zhou Feng, I... I just wanted to come and wish you a Happy New Year. Please don't think I'm being presumptuous."

"Really? Does Yan Jiecheng know you're here?"

Zhou Feng put down his chopsticks, leaned back in his chair, and just looked at her.