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

As for that old hag Jia Zhangshi, her mind and temper are so bad that even the two sisters Qin Jingru and Qin Huairu combined can't match half of her.

I've lived most of my life, what haven't I seen?

You can tell at a glance what this girl did last night.

If it were anyone else, she would have said something, grumbling a bit, but now, seeing Qin Jingru carrying a bag and walking out happily, how could she not know who this girl had given herself to?

Looking at Qin Jingru's face, it was a genuine smile, and you could tell that she was happy from the bottom of her heart.

After clicking her tongue inwardly, Jia Zhangshi swallowed hard. "Jingru, are you... going back to the countryside?"

"Okay! I'm going home to see my parents. I'll be back in the next day or two."

Well, this girl has finally made it through; her good days are ahead.

It's obvious that Zhou Feng and she weren't just having a one-time relationship; they had plans for the future.

"That's great news! Be careful on the road and come back early. Your auntie will cook you something delicious!"

A rare, kind smile appeared on Jia Zhangshi's face, even with a hint of ingratiation. Her gaze swept over the canvas bag several times before she waved to her.

"Mmm! Thank you, Auntie!"

Qin Jingru turned and walked away, her steps light and quick, the bag on her back bouncing with each step.

Madam Jia stood there watching her walk away, then sighed softly. She glanced at the few wilted greens in her own basket, hesitated for a long time, and then walked into the courtyard.

After passing through the hanging flower gate, Jia Zhangshi turned her gaze to Zhou Feng's house on her right and gently knocked on the door twice.

Who is it?

Zhou Feng's voice came from inside the house, with a lazy tone at the end.

He wanted to take another nap, but he couldn't fall asleep no matter what he did, so he could only play on his phone.

Now that the volume of trade between the two worlds has increased, he has become more relaxed.

After all, with a space of 100,000 cubic meters, the supplies can be accumulated and traded once every few days.

Otherwise, if he does it once a day, wouldn't he become like a beast of burden?

They're still the kind of workhorses that work year-round without a break!

"Comrade Zhou Feng, I am Qin Jingru's aunt!"

Madam Jia responded cheerfully from outside the door, her flabby face trembling slightly, giving her a somewhat festive appearance.

What's up?

Zhou Feng opened the door and glanced sideways at Jia Zhangshi.

Although the old woman and he didn't get along well after she moved in, she never showed him the abilities of a sorcerer.

It felt like Zhou Feng hadn't even put in any effort before she and her daughter-in-law surrendered!

"Comrade Zhou Feng, I'm here to discuss Qin Jingru's matter with you..."

Jia Zhangshi lowered her voice, her face fawning, and bowed deeply.

"What happened to Jingru? Didn't she go home? What do we have to discuss?"

Zhou Feng didn't give Jia Zhangshi a kind look at all, but the latter still wore a fawning smile.

"You can't say that. Snakes have their ways, and rats have theirs, don't you think? You can definitely arrange a good job for Jingru, but it's easier for us women to talk to each other in the neighborhood, isn't it?"

Her words piqued Zhou Feng's interest, and he took a few steps back, clearing the doorway for him.

Although he didn't care whether others would find out about his relationship with Qin Jingru, he was confident that no one would dare to gossip about him.

However, he couldn't silence everyone; there would always be some gossip circulating.

If this old hag has the ability to resolve this matter, it wouldn't hurt to listen to her.

Jia Zhangshi followed Zhou Feng with bows and scrapes, entering his room. As soon as she entered, she took a deep breath.

In the morning, Zhou Feng fried eggs and bacon, and the room was filled with the aroma of fried meat.

This caused Jia Zhangshi, who had always only been able to eat cornmeal porridge for breakfast, to show a look of utter delight.

After Sha Zhu was arrested, the Jia family's life plummeted. Even after he returned, there was no job for a cook, let alone leftovers.

Even though he keeps bragging about cooking for high-ranking officials, it's still far from being a done deal!

In order to show Zhou Feng that their family had no relation to Sha Zhu, the Jia family had been living off Qin Huairu's meager salary for some time now.

"Tell me, what does it mean that snakes have their own paths and rats have their own paths?"

Zhou Feng leaned back in his chair, glancing sideways at Jia Zhangshi, who grinned and said, "Comrade Zhou Feng, I ran into Jingru this morning. She didn't come to our house yesterday."

"So? What are you trying to say? That she's with me? Or that you want something?"

Hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, Zhou Feng's expression did not change at all.

Since he didn't let Qin Jingru go back last night, he was already prepared for the Jia family to find out about this.

Whether it's Jia Zhangshi or Qin Huairu, if they dare to use this matter to approach him, he is not without means of retaliation.

"How could that be! Comrade Zhou Feng, you've misunderstood this old woman! I was just giving you advice!"

Madam Jia hurriedly waved her hands frantically to clarify her thoughts.

If Zhou Feng misunderstands her, wouldn't that backfire?

Having gotten this far, Madam Jia Zhang didn't dare keep them in suspense any longer and spoke her mind directly.

"Comrade Zhou Feng, I'm not going to mince words with you. Although Qin Jingru calls me 'Auntie,' we both know that with your status, for her to want to marry you is just wishful thinking!"

"The woman who can marry you must be exceptional in terms of status, position, and appearance. She must be one in a million. Our Jingru is not qualified, but our Jingru will definitely not compete or fight for her."

Even when giving Zhou Feng advice, Jia Zhangshi didn't forget to flatter him.

Noticing Zhou Feng raise an eyebrow at her words, Jia Zhangshi breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "No matter what you do with Jingru in the future, she definitely can't live with you, and it wouldn't be convenient to arrange for her to live elsewhere. Why not arrange for her to stay with us? We'll take care of her for you, and we certainly won't let her suffer any mistreatment or affect you!"

"Just let us know whenever you need Jingru, and we'll take care of her for you!"

Jia Zhangshi finished speaking in one breath, which surprised Zhou Feng for a moment.

Is this old hag his mother, Jia Zhangshi?

You don't catch adulterers, you don't perform rituals to summon spirits, you don't cause trouble, but instead come here to be a brothel madam, is that it?

Listening to what she said, she sounded like a castrated person in the ancient imperial harem.

Sensing Zhou Feng staring at her, Jia Zhangshi once again flashed a fawning smile and lowered her waist even further.

Zhou Feng remained silent, pondering for a while.

Just as Jia Zhangshi said, he definitely cannot marry Qin Jingru.

Even if it's just to put the organization here and the higher-ups at ease, Bai Ling is the best choice.

If Bai Ling could change her mind, he would definitely agree without hesitation.

After all, the world of this courtyard house is different from the modern world. Here, he has an outsider identity, just a patriotic overseas Chinese from the United States.

Now that the two sides have such a deep cooperation, the positions of the people around him are extremely important.

Choosing a comrade whom he can trust within this organization is also a way for him to give an account to this organization.

Moreover, even if we find Qin Jingru a house outside, it would be quite troublesome to go back and forth.

As someone who's not interested in dating, it would be perfect if Qin Jingru could stay in this courtyard, so we could meet whenever we wanted.

The suggestion that Jia Zhangshi just made is quite good.

"Do you know what you're saying? If my relationship with Qin Jingru is exposed, I'll be paraded through the streets."

Zhou Feng looked at Jia Zhangshi with great interest, but his words made her break out in a cold sweat. She then smiled apologetically and said, "You're being too polite."

"Given your status, what's wrong with keeping a concubine? Go back a few decades, having a dozen or so concubines wouldn't be considered a small number."

Hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, Zhou Feng suddenly realized what she meant.

Monogamy was officially introduced in 1950, by which time the old lady was already 42 years old.

Strictly speaking, she was indeed more accepting of the idea of ​​men having multiple wives and concubines.

The idea that women can hold up half the sky came about a generation later than her.

"In that case, I'll leave Jingru in your care."

Zhou Feng didn't hesitate and nodded to her. Jia Zhangshi breathed a sigh of relief, slowly straightened her back, and a look of pain appeared on her face.

At her age and in her physical condition, being hunched over for so long must have taken a toll on her.

"Comrade Zhou Feng, there's one more thing... Could you give us some supplies? We certainly have enough to eat, but we can't let your concubine eat cornmeal porridge with us, can we?"

With a smirk on her face, Jia Zhangshi deliberately avoided mentioning Qin Jingru's name and instead referred to her as Zhou Feng's concubine.

"With so many people in your family, including children, if I give you all the food, do you think Qin Jingru would even get a chance?"

"Sure, absolutely! I promise you, your concubine will finish eating first before the rest of the family starts eating!"

Hearing Zhou Feng's doubts, Jia Zhangshi blushed and patted her chest to assure him.

At worst, we can just cook more food every day. How much can a little girl like Qin Jingru eat?

The rest will be eaten by their family, won't it?

Zhou Feng was naturally aware that Jia Zhangshi must have some ulterior motives, but that didn't matter.

Even if their family eats two jin of rice and two jin of meat every day, it would only cost about thirty yuan in modern society.

The monthly income is less than 1000 yuan. For a billionaire, using this amount of money to support a mistress is just a drop in the ocean.

He casually rummaged through the freezer and pulled out a large piece of meat, then went to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of rice, placing it on the table.

Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up as she looked at the rice and meat, constantly swallowing her saliva.

"This rice and meat are for your Jia family as payment for taking care of Jingru. When Jingru returns, other supplies will naturally be sent to you."

"But let me make this clear from the start: if Jingru suffers even the slightest grievance in your family..."

"You can take this old woman's life if you want!"

Jia Zhangshi interrupted Zhou Feng directly, a resolute expression appearing on her face.

She knew very well that what she got from Zhou Feng was not like the leftovers that Sha Zhu brought back, which came and went.

Qin Jingru was like a long-term meal ticket in their family. As long as they served this darling well, they wouldn't have to worry about anything in the future.

They wouldn't let Qin Jingru suffer any injustice; they'd treat her like royalty.

She had even planned to use her free time to teach this young girl, along with Qin Huairu, how to serve Zhou Feng well.

What if they get tired of it? That would be terrible.

This old woman still knows a few old friends in Beiping. She'll look around and see if there are any nannies in her family who used to work in the Forbidden City, and give Qin Jingru a good lesson.

"Alright, go ahead."

Zhou Feng waved his hand somewhat listlessly.

As a transmigrator with a cheat-like ability and official backing, it feels like something's missing if Jia Zhangshi doesn't actively provoke a conflict and make him lose face.

"Oh, you should get some rest."

Jia Zhangshi left Zhou Feng's room carrying pork and rice.

As soon as she stepped into the yard, she couldn't keep her expression in check and burst into a wide smile.

It's worth noting that the average annual pork consumption per person was only about 7 kilograms.

What she was holding must have weighed at least five or six pounds!

They had leftovers that Sha Zhu had brought back before, and although they ate a lot of meat, they had never seen such a large piece of pork before!

Now, Jia Zhangshi is afraid of running into neighbors in the yard and being discovered, so she runs home as fast as she can with the pork and rice.

Even though the pork was so cold it chilled my chest, I couldn't relax at all.

In the afternoon, the person Zhou Feng had been waiting for finally arrived at the door.

Bai Ling walked in from outside the door with a blank expression.

As a truly independent woman in the 60s, Bai Ling was initially very sad, but unlike ordinary women, she did not wallow in self-pity because of Zhou Feng's behavior. Instead, she chose to communicate with him directly.

"Oh! Comrade Bai Ling is back!"

Zhou Feng, who was still lying in bed, smiled and greeted Bai Ling as she walked in from outside.

"Shall we talk?"

Bai Ling, however, remained expressionless, sat down in the chair, and stared intently at Zhou Feng.

"Okay!"

Zhou Feng also noticed her serious attitude, got up from the bed, and the two sat facing each other.

"You want to marry that Qin Jingru, right?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Ling asked the question she most wanted to know, which surprised Zhou Feng.

"No...no! Even if I were to get married, it would be to you."

On this point, Zhou Feng remained unchanged, his sincere tone almost making Bai Ling laugh: "You...married me, and then let Qin Jingru stay here overnight yesterday?"

"Yes, don't worry, she's just a mistress, she won't affect us. You know I came back from America, where we live, as long as you have money, you can only have one wife, but you can have many mistresses."

Bai Ling looked at Zhou Feng, who was making a solemn vow, with a dark expression.

Does this guy really think he's some kind of overseas Chinese who came back from America?

Doesn't he know his true identity?

The most outrageous thing is that Bai Ling really didn't realize that Zhou Feng was lying to her!

What the hell is this?

What will it look like in 60 years?