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

"This…"

Yan Bugui was dumbfounded.

He had dealt with Zhou Feng before, but the other party hadn't spoken to him this aggressively back then!

"Well... well..." Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses and chuckled dryly. "Comrade Zhou Feng, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to ask, do you know why Jie Cheng was arrested? I heard from your third aunt that you overheard the messenger telling you in the courtyard?"

Zhou Feng leaned against the door frame, showing no intention of letting Yan Bugui into the house.

"Uncle, I was in the courtyard at the time, but the messenger didn't say why he was arresting me. He just said the plainclothes officers had identification and took him away. How was I supposed to know?"

Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes, I was just thinking that you... know a lot of people and have many connections, could you help me inquire about it?"

"Inquire?" Zhou Feng raised an eyebrow. "Who am I supposed to ask? I don't know a single person at the police station. Besides, plainclothes officers arresting people is no small matter. I advise you not to ask around. Just do what you need to do and wait for someone to tell you."

These words made Yan Bugui even more uncertain.

Waiting for a notification? Waiting for what notification? Is it a release notice or a sentencing notice?

He rubbed his hands together, took a half step forward, and lowered his voice: "Comrade Zhou Feng, let me speak frankly with you. Jie Cheng is a bit unreliable, but he's timid and won't do anything too serious. I'm just afraid... I'm afraid he's offended someone and they've taken care of him."

After he finished speaking, his small eyes behind his glasses kept glancing at Zhou Feng's face.

Although Zhou Feng wasn't a particularly shrewd person, he could tell from Yan Bugui's expression that the old man suspected him!

He couldn't help but laugh: "Third Uncle, you're implying something. Just say it, do you think Yan Jiecheng's arrest has anything to do with me?"

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant!"

Yan Bugui waved his hand repeatedly, but judging from his expression, that was clearly what he thought.

Who can blame them when there are precedents in this courtyard?

Zhou Feng wasn't annoyed. Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, he said slowly, "Third Uncle, if you're talking about Yan Jiecheng offending people, then he certainly has. He's been talking badly about me behind my back a lot lately, hasn't he?"

This courtyard house is such a tiny place, how could Zhou Feng not know what anyone was saying? Besides, the Yan family has a few undercover agents among them.

However, he and Tao Muyao had just confirmed their relationship not long ago, and the two were in the throes of a passionate romance, so he couldn't be bothered with Yan Jiecheng, that clown.

Yan Bugui's expression changed upon hearing this.

He had indeed witnessed Yan Jiecheng speaking ill of Zhou Feng a few times.

He had reprimanded Yan Jiecheng back then, but the other party didn't listen to him. Now, he's been dealt with by the person in charge!

"This...this kid just has a sharp tongue, he doesn't mean any harm..."

"I know he didn't mean any harm."

Zhou Feng interrupted Yan Bugui with a half-smile: "Isn't it just a matter of being cheeky? I'll just pretend I didn't hear it. So this has nothing to do with me. Maybe your Yan Jiecheng broke some rule again? It's not like he hasn't done it before."

One sentence left Yan Bugui speechless, his mouth agape.

So what if he has a criminal record?

Seeing that Yan Bugui was about to speak, Zhou Feng preemptively said, "Third Uncle, let me be frank with you, if I wanted to deal with Yan Jiecheng, I wouldn't need plainclothes officers to arrest him. So don't bother with me, go ask Uncle in the hat."

Zhou Feng wasn't exaggerating at all. With his current status, he was well-known in the upper echelons of the entire Dragon Kingdom.

If he wanted to deal with Yan Jiecheng, why would he need to go through all this trouble? He even has a weapon to equalize all beings tucked into his waistband!

"Yes, yes, I was just being paranoid..." Yan Bugui chuckled and took a step back. "Well, Comrade Zhou Feng, you're busy. I'll go ask around elsewhere."

Zhou Feng nodded, didn't try to stop him, and simply waved his hand to close the door.

That was quite a force; the door panel almost slapped Yan Bugui in the face.

The latter stood at the door, staring blankly at it for a long time, feeling a mix of emotions.

When Zhou Feng first arrived, although he had some wealth, people treated him quite well.

Later, I helped him with his antique business, and our relationship became even closer.

When did it start to become like this?

Human nature is indeed fickle!

Yan Bugui shook his head and walked towards the outer courtyard.

He had no idea how much his family had benefited from Zhou Feng.

But how ambiguous was his attitude when Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu stormed into Zhou Feng's house?

There's no such thing as a free lunch. You get all the benefits, and you expect others to get anything in return?

Nowadays, Zhou Feng has powerful backers and good connections; he has received meat from people all over Beiping.

And why should I be polite to you, the self-proclaimed Third Master of this humble tenement?

When he reached the door of the outer courtyard's rear building, Yan Bugui took a deep breath before knocking.

After he came back, the third aunt kept whispering to him that Zhou Feng and Yu Li came back from outside together, and their expressions were all strange.

At the time, he thought it was impossible, but now, that idea is sprouting up like weeds after the rain.

That's why he came to the door, intending to ask Yu Li what was going on.

Who is it?

Yu Li's voice came from inside, sounding a bit lazy.

"I am your father."

The room was quiet for a moment, then footsteps approached.

The door opened a crack, and Yu Li's face peeked out. Seeing it was him, she didn't open the door wider, but just asked through the crack, "Dad, it's so late, is something wrong?"

Yan Bugui glanced inside; the room was pitch black, with only a kerosene lamp lit.

"You've heard about Jie Cheng's situation, haven't you?"

"I've heard about it." Yu Li nodded, her expression showing no sign of anxiety. "I was there when they came to the hospital to inform us today."

"Then...then aren't you worried?" Yan Bugui asked anxiously. "He's your man!"

Yu Li leaned against the door frame, not saying a word, just staring at him.

Yan Bugui felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze and coughed, "Well, I just wanted to ask, what happened between you and Zhou Feng today..."

"Dad," Yu Li interrupted him, her voice neither warm nor cold, "Are you interrogating me?"

"I'm not interrogating you, I just..."

"And who are you? Zhou Feng arranged this job for me, I bumped into him on the street, we chatted and came back together, is there a problem? Or do you think I have something going on with Zhou Feng, which is why you got Jie Cheng into trouble?"

Yan Bugui now feels that everything is going wrong.

Previously, he had excellent speaking skills, but now he keeps getting stuck.

However, while he was choked, Yu Like continued to spout off!

"Dad, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. You know perfectly well how Jie Cheng, as a man, has treated me. He's lazy, doesn't bring a single penny home, and what haven't I said about him?"

"He always gives me the cold shoulder when there's something wrong with him, finding fault with this and that about me."

"I walked back with Zhou Feng today! What's wrong with that? Did I break the law? There were so many people watching on the street, and I'm being suspected just because I was walking with someone? You, as her husband, are you really asking your daughter-in-law these questions in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Good heavens, this barrage of words left Yan Bugui's face bruised and white, his teeth grinding together, yet he couldn't refute it.

"I...I didn't mean that..."

"You know perfectly well whether that's what you meant or not."

Yu Li took a step back. "Dad, it's getting late. You should go back to your room and rest. I'm naturally anxious about Jie Cheng's matter. But if you keep asking about these unfounded things, don't blame me for being rude."

After saying that, the door slammed shut.

Yan Bugui looked at the door of the back room, then glanced in the direction of Zhou Feng's house.

Is he having a bad day today?

He got a cold shoulder from Zhou Feng, and then he got a cold shoulder from his daughter-in-law.

I've completely lost face.

He shook his head, sighed, and walked back.

Just as I reached the hanging flower gate, I ran into He Yushui coming out from inside.

Seeing Yan Bugui's ashen face, He Yushui asked with some concern, "Third Uncle, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Yan Bugui waved his hand, then suddenly remembered something, "Yushui, is your brother home?"

"He's at home. He just ate dinner, had some drinks, and seems to be asleep. Is there something you need to see him about?"

"No, no, just asking."

Yan Bugui and He Yushui passed each other as they entered the courtyard.

Previously, there were rumors circulating in the courtyard that Sha Zhu had gotten involved with a high-ranking leader, the kind that even the factory director had to curry favor with.

If that's the case, it's better to ask Sha Zhu than Zhou Feng.

Although things didn't go well during the New Year, Zhou Feng was the one who made Sha Zhu pay, and Sha Zhu was just a simpleton; a few words of coaxing would make him fine.

At worst, I'll just pay him back all the money Sha Zhu took out during the Chinese New Year.

The ten-odd yuan will be recorded in the account, and Yan Jiecheng can pay it back after he gets a job.

However, this matter cannot be known by too many people. If the neighbors all know that Yan Jiecheng has been arrested, it will be difficult for him to find a job in the future.

We'll have to wait until daytime to talk about it.

Yan Bugui sighed deeply, while Sun Yue, sitting behind his desk in the Special Operations Division, was also scratching his head.

Because factories around Beiping City have been built and completed in recent times, he has been so busy that he is almost running around like crazy.

Let alone rest, even things like eating and sleeping can only be taken up after the tasks at hand are completed.

The stack of files on the desktop were all security plans for the new factories outside the city.

Some of these factories are crucial to China's future development, while others are key products for earning foreign trade revenue.

Just the security work to prevent infiltration by people from abroad and the Bald guy's side is enough to keep them busy.

90% of the Special Operations Unit's personnel have now been deployed outside Beiping City for defense.

With superiors keeping a close eye on things, those below dare not let their guard down!

Even with such a busy schedule, he still had to set aside a fixed amount of time each day to check all the intelligence about Zhou Feng.

After all, while the factory is important, Zhou Feng is the most crucial figure, serving as the hub for the future development of the entire Dragon Kingdom!

However, today's information about Zhou Feng seems to contain some unpleasant details.

Before Sun Yue could call the comrade in charge of Zhou Feng's safety today to report, there was a knock on the door.

After hearing Sun Yue's reply, Bai Ling opened the door and came in.

Upon seeing her, Sun Yue gently rubbed his temples: "You're back. How's the situation with Zhou Feng?"

Bai Ling sat opposite him expressionlessly, remaining silent for a long while before replying, "It's alright."

fine?

According to the intelligence reported by his subordinates, things weren't exactly going well for Zhou Feng today.

Whether it was Bai Ling's expression when she left the house or Zhou Feng's subsequent outburst of cursing in the room, it all indicated that the other party was in a very bad mood today.

Of course, Sun Yue definitely misunderstood this point.

Zhou Feng wasn't cursing Bai Ling, but rather A Ke, Li Bai, and the monkey.

However, the people in this world couldn't understand it, and simply assumed that Zhou Feng was venting his emotions after Bai Ling left.

However, Sun Yue didn't rush to refute or ask questions. Instead, he stood up, changed his own cup of hot water, poured one for Bai Ling, and pushed it in front of her.

"Comrade Bai Ling, please speak. We are all comrades-in-arms responsible for Comrade Zhou Feng. What can't we say? Besides, there are regulations from above that all information about Comrade Zhou Feng must be reported immediately."

Hearing Sun Yue's words, Bai Ling looked up: "Director Sun, I suspect Zhou Feng will have a girlfriend in the future."

???

Sun Yue was drinking hot water when he almost spat it out.

Immediately afterwards, his expression toward Bai Ling became somewhat strange.

So, the intelligence report said that Bai Ling's unusual expression when she left Zhou Feng's house today was because of this?

This…

As the head of the Special Operations Division, he was confident that he could step in and resolve any issues that might affect Zhou Feng.

But when it comes to relationship problems between two young people, he's at a loss.

He was a rough and unrefined person, and at this moment he could only hide his embarrassment by bowing his head and silently drinking water.

"I thought he was a pretty good person, but I didn't expect his feelings for me to be so fickle."

"He thought I hadn't noticed, and his attitude was even better than before. Is this the guilt that comes after being unfaithful?"

Well, he'll have to step in and solve this troublesome problem.

As Bai Ling's emotions grew increasingly erratic, Sun Yue quickly coughed twice to interrupt her: "Comrade Bai Ling, let me ask you a question."

Bai Ling silently raised her head.

"When you went home for Chinese New Year, did your mother pressure you to get married?"

"They've been urging me. They say I'm already this age, and if I don't find someone soon, it'll be too late."

Although she didn't know what Sun Yue meant by asking this question, Bai Ling still answered seriously.

Sun Yue immediately laughed: "Right? I knew it. Then think about it, does Zhou Feng have parents?"

Bai Ling blinked, not understanding what he meant.

Does this mean they share a common hatred towards her?

But surely it doesn't warrant resorting to insults?

Seeing that Bai Ling didn't understand what he meant, Sun Yue lowered his voice and leaned forward: "You know, your parents are pressuring you to get married. In the future world, will Zhou Feng's parents also pressure him?"

"He can date you here, but what will you say when his parents ask after he goes back to his hometown? Will you say he found a partner decades ago?"