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

Liu Haizhong gave a somewhat awkward smile.

Who would have thought that coming home from outside would lead to running into the factory's leaders?

Li Huaide paused, glanced at him, and frowned slightly.

He didn't usually interact much with the workers in the factory or workshop. He seemed to recognize Liu Haizhong's face, but couldn't quite place where he had seen him before.

However, judging from his tone and attitude, he's definitely the kind of guy who's always trying to climb the ladder but doesn't have any real skills.

"Who are you…"

Li Huaide's tone was somewhat indifferent, even nonchalant.

"Director Li, I'm Liu Haizhong! I'm from the forging workshop of our steel rolling mill. I'm considered a veteran worker, a level seven forging worker."

Noticing that Li Huaide slightly raised his eyebrows because of his rank, Liu Haizhong immediately took a step forward, his face full of ingratiating smiles.

"Director Li, it's perfectly normal that you don't remember me, given how busy you are. Let me tell you, I'm the second oldest man in this compound. I've worked here for over ten years, and I've been recognized as an outstanding worker every year..."

"oh."

Li Huaide nodded. Although Liu Haizhong was also a senior worker, compared to him, he was no different from an ordinary worker.

He turned slightly to the side, intending to walk out of the courtyard.

But who is Liu Haizhong?

They've been playing the role of leaders in this courtyard house for half their lives, and now that a real leader has finally appeared here, they have to try and establish a connection.

He quickly followed behind Li Huaide, then leaned forward and lowered his voice: "Director Li, who are you looking for in our compound? I know all the residents here very well. Just tell me a name, and I can call them for you right away."

Liu Haizhong followed behind, unaware that Li Huaide, who was walking in front, was frowning more and more deeply.

He hates people who have absolutely no connection to him but insist on trying to climb the social ladder.

If you're polite to him, he'll take advantage of you and try to get all over you.

If I ignore them, I'll seem like I lack manners.

"Master Liu, I've finished my business, so I'll be leaving now. You can continue with your work."

Li Huaide's voice wasn't loud, but his aloofness was very obvious.

Before the words were even finished, the person had already left the courtyard and disappeared into the alley.

Liu Haizhong stood there blankly, his mouth half-open, the words he was about to say stuck in his throat, unable to come out.

"This, this..."

Liu Haizhong rubbed his hands awkwardly, his smile freezing on his face.

He was still wondering if he had said something wrong that displeased his boss.

Fortunately, there weren't many onlookers around, otherwise, where would he put his old face?

Even so, this incident is enough to make him feel bad for several days.

Just as Liu Haizhong was in a daze, Zhongyuan'er Shazhu strolled out.

Looking up, I saw Liu Haizhong standing at the gate of the courtyard, like a wooden stake.

"Hey, Second Uncle, are you on guard duty?" Sha Zhu grinned, a hint of malice in his eyes.

Hai Zhong finally came to his senses. He was already a little embarrassed, so he glared at Sha Zhu and said irritably, "It's none of your business whether I'm on guard duty or not."

Sha Zhu wasn't annoyed. He slowly walked to the courtyard gate, peeked out, and saw Li Huaide's back at the alley entrance.

"Hey, who was that guy just now? He looks kind of familiar."

He asked out of curiosity, but he knew perfectly well that Liu Haizhong's dazed expression was definitely because of that person.

"Oh... Do you know who that is? Deputy Director Li from our Third Steel Rolling Mill, he came to our compound on business."

"Oh, I forgot, you're not an employee of our steel rolling mill anymore."

Since Sha Zhu didn't say anything nice, Liu Haizhong didn't give him any face either, and went straight for the sore spot.

Sha Zhu was taken aback by what he said, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"Second Uncle, I have to say something to you. When that deputy factory director came to our compound, shouldn't you have treated him well? Invite him inside, have a cup of tea, and chat? What's wrong? Does he look down on you?"

If we're really going to get to the heart of this, Sha Zhu is much more ruthless than Liu Haizhong.

These two rhetorical questions were enough to make Liu Haizhong's face turn ashen with anger. His lips trembled, and he wanted to curse but didn't know what to say.

In the end, he could only snort coldly and turn to walk towards the backyard.

Sha Zhu watched his retreating figure, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"You can pretend to be a leader in our compound, but don't actually think of yourself as one. Nobody outside will cooperate with you!"

Liu Haizhong, who was walking briskly, almost stumbled when Sha Zhu added those words.

But he couldn't be bothered with this guy and didn't even turn his head.

"Tch, what a disgrace."

Sha Zhu muttered something and continued walking outside.

Anyway, now that he knows such a high-ranking leader, he doesn't care about your second uncle or any other uncle.

After the New Year, I asked my supervisor to help me get a job in the cafeteria.

I'll show you all when you're done looking down on me!

After walking a few steps towards the alley entrance, Sha Zhu ran into Li Huaide.

Li Huaide was taking out a cigarette from his pocket, but his breath still smelled of the beef he had just eaten, and he was reluctant to let the smell of smoke cover it up.

While he hesitated, Sha Zhu walked up from behind him.

"Oh my, isn't this Deputy Director Li from the steel mill? You're such a busy man, what brings you to our yard?"

Although the two had no prior conflicts, in the original story, Li Huaide was not involved in the incident of harassing Qin Huairu because Sha Zhu was imprisoned.

But Li Huaide was, after all, the leader in charge of logistics. Sha Zhu, relying on his skills, was arrogant and unruly, and he never paid any attention to whether he was the canteen director or the deputy factory director.

Xiaozhao's cooking skills are good, but he speaks very bluntly.

Furthermore, the fact that Li Huaide hired a chef from outside to replace him made Sha Zhu dislike him even more.

Since they're no longer at the steel mill, why bother indulging Li Huaide?

What kind of shrewd person is Li Huaide?

Having worked within the system for so many years, he immediately understood the implication behind Sha Zhu's words.

However, he was too lazy to argue with this simpleton, so he just smiled faintly and didn't respond: "Just taking a walk."

"Just taking a stroll?" Sha Zhu chuckled, leaning against the wall. "You've walked quite a bit, haven't you? Everyone in our compound is honest and law-abiding; we have nothing to say to you."

If the preceding sentences were somewhat acceptable, these few sentences are a bit too explicit.

Li Huaide's eyes narrowed as he squinted at Sha Zhu.

This kid thinks he can't be dealt with just because he doesn't work at the steel mill, right?

As long as he is still looking for work in Beiping, Li Huaide will find a way to make it impossible for him to move an inch!

Li Huaide was also aware that Director Yang had taken Sha Zhu to see the big leader.

But you're just a cook. Even if the top leader values ​​you highly, what can he do? You're already getting all high and mighty!

"He Yuzhu, you're an unemployed bum, mind your own business. You can't even make ends meet, so don't worry about so many other things. Stop fretting over useless things."

After saying that, he didn't even look at Sha Zhu, and turned to walk outside.

Sha Zhu watched his retreating figure with disdain and snorted, "What's with the attitude? You don't even know what level the leaders I've met are. A deputy factory director, a nobody, and you really think you're something special?"

Despite saying that, Shazhu was still somewhat uneasy inside.

Although the working class is now in charge, it wouldn't be difficult for Li Huaide, the deputy factory director, to cause him trouble if he really wanted to.

After standing there for a while, he sighed softly and walked dejectedly toward the public restroom.

Inside Zhou Feng's room, Qin Jingru was tidying up the table.

She put all the plates and bowls in the kitchen, and carefully wiped the tabletop three times with a rag, not even missing the area under the table legs.

After wiping it, I stepped back to take a look, then wiped it again with a dry cloth before I was satisfied.

Zhou Feng leaned against the headboard, playing on his phone. Watching her bustling around, he couldn't help but smile and said, "That's enough. It's not like we're opening a restaurant."

Qin Jingru pursed her lips shyly: "This table must be expensive, I have to clean it thoroughly, right?"

"What's with the expensive part? It's just a table." Zhou Feng waved his hand. "Alright, stop fussing around and sit down for a bit."

"No, I'm not going to rest anymore." Qin Jingru shook her head, folded the rag and draped it over the edge of the basin. "I'll go back as soon as I'm done cleaning up. It's already dark."

Zhou Feng nodded and didn't try to stop her.

Qin Jingru walked to the door, hesitated for a moment, then turned back and whispered, "Brother Zhou Feng, that...that beef and fish...can I really learn how to cook it?"

"Sure, why not? I'll bring some more back in a couple of days, you can try it out."

"I...I'm afraid I won't do a good job..."

Qin Jingru bit her lip, her voice even softer, "Such expensive things, what if they get ruined..."

"If you ruin it, so be it. It's not a big deal. Go ahead and do it. If you mess it up, it's on me."

Hearing his words, Qin Jingru's eyes reddened, she nodded vigorously, and then turned and left.

Zhou Feng had little experience with her and was unaware of the extent to which his words would damage the young girl in front of him.

When Qin Jingru turned back as she left the room, her eyes were practically glazed over.

Unfortunately, someone engrossed in Timi didn't notice at all.

After leaving Zhou Feng's house, Qin Jingru didn't rush back to the Jia family. Instead, she stood in the courtyard for a while to calm herself down.

After a long while, she took a deep breath, clenched her fists, and started walking towards the Jia family's house.

The door to the Jia family's house was ajar, and Jia Zhangshi's voice came from inside: "...Jingru ate at Zhou Feng's place, but didn't bring back any leftovers or anything..."

Well, they're discussing me inside, so Qin Jingru pushed the door open and went in.

Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu were sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) talking, Banggeng'er was doing his homework in the corner of the kang, and Xiaodang and Huaihua were already asleep.

"You're back?" Qin Huairu looked up at her. "Why are you so late? What did Zhou Feng ask you to do this time?"

"No...nothing." Qin Jingru closed the door, walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), sat down, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, as if she wanted to say something but couldn't.

Seeing her expression, Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted around: "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

Qin Jingru shook her head, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke up, "It's just... tonight, someone came to Brother Zhou Feng's house to invite him to dinner."

"Invite him to dinner?" Jia Zhangshi perked up. "Who is it? What did you eat?"

"The deputy director of the steel rolling mill is surnamed Li."

Qin Jingru's voice trailed off: "It's...it's beef."

"Beef?" Jia Zhangshi curled her lip. "What's so special about beef? Every family eats dumpling filling during holidays."

"It's not...it's not ordinary beef."

Qin Jingru blushed and her voice was barely audible, "That beef... costs more than 350 yuan per pound."

The room fell silent.

Banggeng's pencil fell "thud" onto the workbook, and his eyes widened.

Jia Zhangshi's mouth was open, and she couldn't close it for a long time.

Qin Huairu stopped her needlework and stared blankly at Qin Jingru.

"How much...how much did you say?"

Madam Jia was the first to react, her voice trembling, "Three hundred and fifty? Per jin?"

"Um."

Qin Jingru nodded, her palms sweating again as she recalled the price of the beef. "That Deputy Factory Director Li said it was one dollar, two dollars and forty-six cents. That piece of beef cost one hundred and forty-four dollars, which is more than three hundred and fifty yuan. It was just... just that one piece, not much bigger than the palm of my hand."

"My goodness! Three hundred and fifty yuan for a piece of beef? That...that's enough for our family to eat for a year! Is Zhou Feng crazy or what?"

Jia Zhangshi slapped her thigh, her eyes widening like saucers; this price had exceeded her expectations.

"It's not over yet. Brother Zhou Feng took out a piece of fish from the refrigerator, saying it was some kind of blue marlin, from the sea, and cost more than seven thousand yuan a pound."

Looking at the expressions of Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu, Qin Jingru felt a strange sense of satisfaction and repeated what Zhou Feng had just said.

Unfortunately, I didn't remember the name of the fish clearly, but at least I remembered the price perfectly.

"Seven thousand?"

Even Qin Huairu couldn't hold back this time, her voice shrill and almost cracking, "What kind of fish meat can be worth seven thousand yuan a pound? Is it made of gold?"

"It's not made of gold... Brother Zhou Feng said it's something from abroad, and it's very valuable. Just that small piece is enough for an ordinary family to earn for a lifetime."

Hearing Qin Jingru's words, Jia Zhangshi swallowed hard, her eyes widening: "Seven thousand yuan, that's a lifetime's worth of savings..."

She had lived most of her life, and the most expensive meat she had ever seen was pork during the Chinese New Year, which cost a little over one yuan per kilogram.

Beef costing 350 yuan? Fish costing 7,000 yuan? Is that something a human could even imagine?

"Jingru, you...you didn't hear wrong, did you? Are they just teasing you?"

Qin Huairu still couldn't believe it; this thing didn't sound like something a human could come up with!

"Of course not!" Qin Jingru waved her hands anxiously. "That Deputy Factory Director Li said it himself, he doesn't even dare to eat that fish. He said if he did, his father-in-law would drag him out to shoot targets! Brother Zhou Feng even said to tell Deputy Factory Director Li in advance next time he comes, so he can take the fish out to thaw in advance. It takes more than ten hours to thaw!"

Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

This isn't eating, it's eating gold!

"Then... Zhou Feng works in the purchasing department, right? How can he afford such expensive food?"

Jia Zhangshi's voice trembled. Although the chicken that Zhou Feng had collected earlier was worth much more than these things.

But chicken is something they see every day, so they didn't really notice it.

The fact that fish meat costs 7,000 yuan per kilogram has truly exceeded their expectations!

Qin Jingru hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice: "I...I heard that Deputy Factory Director Li say that Brother Zhou Feng is the deputy factory director of the three newly opened factories..."