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

"Bai Ling, I'm back!"

Zhou Feng, now back in the world of the courtyard house, arranged for Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang to have free time, while he went straight to his own home.

Unfortunately, the door was locked, and Bai Ling wasn't in the room at all.

Before he could go out to ask, Qin Jingru had already poked her head out from the corridor of the central courtyard: "Brother Zhou Feng!"

She's been living a very comfortable life these days.

There was hardly any work for her to do. In the Jia family, everyone put her likes and dislikes first, and even the servants had to give way to her.

She ate all sorts of good food every day, dishes like beef and prawns. Not to mention a country girl like her, even Qin Huairu and Aunt Jia, who had lived in the city for several years, had rarely seen such things.

Although she always ate with Bai Ling in Zhou Feng's room, the leftovers she brought back to the Jia family were always snatched up.

Even the sauce inside was thoroughly soaked up by Jia Zhangshi with steamed buns, leaving not a single drop.

So even though she gave herself to Zhou Feng without any official status, and even though Zhou Feng never took the initiative to look for her at the Jia family, Qin Jingru was still very satisfied with her current life.

"Jingru? Come quick!"

Zhou Feng reached out and opened his own door. He beckoned to Qin Jingru, who rushed towards him like a swallow returning to its nest. He then embraced her and carried her into the house.

During this period, Zhou Feng's relationships with Zhao Pan'er, Tao Muyao, and Bai Ling all progressed significantly, but the one he could truly get into was his precious Qin Jingru.

Qin Jingru originally thought that Zhou Feng had called her in to have a heart-to-heart talk, but in less than a minute, a hint of panic appeared on her face.

Something's not right!

Why is Zhou Feng not saying a word but keeping moving?

After Zhou Feng carefully placed a little white lamb on the bed, turned around and closed the door, Qin Jingru suddenly realized what was happening and blushed as she hid under the covers.

But she had no intention of resisting it.

It is common sense that the husband is the head of the household and the wife is the master. Since she had already decided to become Zhou Feng's concubine, she was naturally mentally prepared for this.

Besides, it's not the first time.

It's just that it's broad daylight, which is really a bit embarrassing.

Zhou Feng had no such concerns. Taking advantage of Bai Ling's absence, why not gallop away on horseback?

"Hmm..."

Qin Jingru wanted to say something more, but Zhou Feng cut her off.

More than an hour later, she finally managed to get up, wiping the sweat from her brow, and then, still managing to get dressed, took a basin outside to fetch some cool water.

Then, they added hot water from the thermos in the room, wrung out a towel, and helped Zhou Feng wipe the sweat off his body.

Tsk tsk tsk…

Like an old man from the old society, Zhou Feng leaned against the headboard, his gaze fixed on Qin Jingru, who was serving him, his face full of satisfaction.

Such treatment is probably only available in ancient societies.

"Where's your sister Bai Ling? Did she say what she went out to do?"

"Sister Bai Ling said she was going to look for a courtyard outside. You...you're getting married, right? She said living in this big tenement isn't very convenient, so she's going to find another courtyard outside. If you want to live here, you can stay here too, it won't cause any problems."

After a moment's thought, Zhou Feng understood the meaning behind Bai Ling's actions.

Although the organization has changed its opinion of Zhou Feng and its attitude towards him has changed significantly due to the impact of his departure a few days ago, this large courtyard is, after all, a steel rolling mill, and it is difficult to control the constant flow of people coming and going. If something unexpected happens, no one can say for sure.

Moreover, Zhou Feng's ability to travel between two eras is ultimately a top secret, and given the environment of this large courtyard, the chances of it being exposed are too high.

Most importantly, she sensed Zhou Feng's intentions from Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang, the two people he brought back.

Since that's the case, it would be better to have a separate courtyard, with Zhou Feng personally handling everything from interior decoration to security measures, so that he could feel more at ease.

"What if we go to another courtyard?"

Zhou Feng reached out and rubbed Qin Jingru's head. The latter squinted her eyes like a kitten and even tilted her head to the side to make it easier for him to apply pressure.

"Sister Bai Ling said she'll find a big courtyard, and I'll live with you then."

Oh ho?

There were unexpected gains?

Zhou Feng never expected that Qin Jingru had such skills; she actually managed to persuade Bai Ling!

Bai Ling had mentioned this when they made their three-point agreement before, but unexpectedly, Qin Jingru had already dealt with the other party herself while he was conquering the world of Dream of Splendor.

"Actually, Sister Bai Ling is quite easy to get along with, and she's been very considerate of me."

A blush crept across Qin Jingru's face as she pursed her lips and whispered something.

She considered herself young, so she treated Bai Ling with even more respect than she would her own parents.

Bai Ling was the type of person who responded better to gentleness than force. How could she possibly make things difficult for a woman who always put her mind to him and humbled herself to the level of a maid in the old society?

With Zhou Feng not home, Qin Jingru automatically took over the task of keeping Bai Ling company.

The two women spent their days chatting, doing housework, and eating together. With Qin Jingru's deliberate cooperation, their relationship progressed very quickly.

Just as Zhou Feng and Qin Jingru were talking on the bed, a figure cautiously walked out from Old Yan's house across the street and headed straight for the window of Zhou Feng's room.

With a hint of hatred on his face, Yan Jiecheng tiptoed toward the crack in the window.

Everyone said he couldn't afford to offend Zhou Feng. Even if he said something bad about Zhou Feng late at night in his own room, Yu Li would retort angrily.

What the hell gives them the right to do this?

Was that woman his wife or Zhou Feng's wife?

Of course, Yan Jiecheng only dared to roar silently in his heart when he heard such questions. After all, Yu Li was the one who could earn money in the family, and the money he paid to his parents was also earned by her. He had no say at all.

He had previously noticed that the relationship between Zhou Feng and Qin Jingru was unusual, and just now he noticed again through the crack in his door that Zhou Feng's hand was around Qin Jingru's waist!

The two of them went into the house so intimately!

Isn't this bastard going to marry Bai Ling?

I'll catch you in the act of messing around with women, and see how you'll get married then!

Unfortunately, just as he was tiptoeing forward, he suddenly found himself shrouded in a shadow.

Looking up, he saw a burly man standing in front of him, blocking his way.

"No, who are you? What are you doing in our yard?"

Yan Jiecheng lowered his voice and glared angrily at Tie Jianguo, who was blocking his way.

He was also afraid that the noise would be too loud and be noticed by Zhou Feng and Qin Jingru in the room.

Tie Jianguo grinned, but instead of answering his question, he casually lifted his shirt.

After Yan Jiecheng noticed the black pistol tucked into Tie Jianguo's waist, the expression on his face changed as smoothly as Dove chocolate.

His slight anger vanished in an instant, replaced by flattery and fawning.

"Sir, please go ahead with your work. I'm fine, I just heard some noises coming from my neighbor's house across the street. He hasn't been back for several days, and I was thinking of going to check if he'd been robbed. Why don't you come over?"

As he spoke, Yan Jiecheng quickly retreated to his own doorway and went straight inside.

He turned around, closed the door, and collapsed—all in one fluid motion.

After catching his breath, Yan Jiecheng calmed down and peered through the crack in his door.

He had his own ulterior motives when he said that.

If this person were Uncle Hat, and he went to check Zhou Feng's room, he would naturally discover that Zhou Feng was having illicit relationships with women.

If this person is a spy carrying a gun, then what good will happen to that adulterous couple once they enter Zhou Feng's room?

Either outcome is something he would be happy to see.

But when he looked out through the crack in the door, it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything.

Frowning and confused, Yan Jiecheng took a step back, only to find that the burly man outside had already stood at his door, blocking the crack in the door.

"Comrade, is there something you need?"

This wooden door offered Yan Jiecheng absolutely no sense of security.

Not to mention the gun that guy outside has on his waist, with his size, he could probably kick this door to pieces with one kick!

"You didn't see anything just now, so don't mess with Comrade Zhou Feng, understand?"

Tie Jianguo's deep voice came from outside the door, startling Yan Jiecheng so much that he stiffened and nodded unconsciously.

"I...I understand..."

Given the current situation, how could he possibly dare to provoke Zhou Feng?

Despite his resentment, he still retained a basic level of rationality.

He could accept being criticized and detained before.

But that one glance he made when he met Tie Jianguo's eyes made the hairs on his body stand on end, as if he had encountered some kind of natural enemy and felt like he was going to die in the next second!

Yan Jiecheng never wants to experience that feeling again!

Let him do whatever he wants!

He can be arrogant whenever he wants, and he can mess around with women whenever he wants. Don't even mention Qin Jingru, even Yu Li…

Forget about Yu Li, she's already married, Zhou Feng definitely wouldn't be interested in her, definitely... right?

"I'm really useless!"

Yan Jiecheng gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He wanted to punch himself hard, but after hesitating for a long time, he put his fists down.

It hurts too much. I hurt myself and then have to explain it to my parents. It's too much trouble!

"Hey bro, Lao Bai, let's go for a walk!"

Zhou Feng opened the door with a refreshed expression and happened to see Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang sitting in the courtyard. He waved to them and walked out of the courtyard.

Zhou Feng had already found out the address Bai Ling was looking for. Since she wanted to have a courtyard of her own, why not start from scratch and design and build it properly?

The design style of the entire courtyard can be found by a modern design company that can create simple drawings based on the style of Beiping City, and then handed over to the craftsmen here to do the work themselves.

Although this era lacked the advanced tools and equipment of later generations, making renovations inevitably slower, it also possessed its own unique advantages.

For example, the furniture and decorations made by hand in this era are mostly coated with oils derived from natural plants, without many chemical additives, making them extremely environmentally friendly.

Building materials are mostly natural materials, such as solid wood, bricks, cement, and lime.

Moreover, the adhesives used by the craftsmen are mostly fish glue, which is completely different from the formaldehyde-free glue used in modern decoration. The entire house and furniture decoration will not produce formaldehyde or the content will be extremely low after completion.

Without hesitation, Zhou Feng led the two to Bai Ling. Bai Ling had been strolling around the courtyard with great interest, but Zhou Feng's first words upon arriving there rejected the idea of ​​visiting the courtyard.

"No, it's too small. We'll be having kids in the future, who's going to live in this yard?"

Hearing Zhou Feng's words, Bai Ling took a serious look at the two-courtyard house in front of her. It didn't seem small at all.

Actually, what he was looking at was a standard two-courtyard siheyuan in Beiping, which would occupy approximately 400 square meters.

But this was still too small for Zhou Feng.

Putting aside everything else, the old bungalow in the village where he grew up, excluding the South Garden, just the building area of ​​the house plus the courtyard, is at least 500 square meters.

Although this is Beiping, he is no longer the poor boy who used to be, who had to split every penny in half!

Since he's going to buy a yard, he should buy a big one. Otherwise, if others see it, they'll think that Zhou Feng doesn't have the means to afford it!

Bai Ling glanced at Zhou Feng with a hint of helplessness: "This kind of two-courtyard siheyuan is already considered to be of a relatively large scale. Currently, all siheyuan with three or more courtyards in Beiping have been taken over by the public and are prepared to be used as office space for government agencies. We can't get any of them."

"Can't I get it either?"

Zhou Feng asked a seemingly random question, and Bai Ling instantly understood what he meant. She then looked at him and nodded seriously.

Even though Zhou Feng's identity is special and he is quite important in the organization, most government agencies are unaware of his existence because of his high level of secrecy.

If we want to coordinate a three-courtyard house for Zhou Feng, we need to go through many procedures and require more leaders to get involved, which is very troublesome.

Especially now that we are in a special phase, almost no leader will take the initiative to do this thankless task.

It's important to understand that in this turmoil, no one is guaranteed to remain unscathed.

"Okay then, I'll have someone make the renovation plans. Could you help me find someone to do it?"

Seeing Zhou Feng's unwilling look, Bai Ling was almost amused by his annoyance.

Since the beginning of this year, all private properties have been forcibly and gratuitously confiscated and turned over to the public. She was able to negotiate and get this courtyard by going through countless connections and even using Zhou Feng's influence.

This guy is still so unwilling!

"Don't bother me with the renovations. I'm not very familiar with Beijing. Don't you have a really good friend? Just ask him."

Best buddy?

Zhou Fengguang looked at Bai Ling's angry expression and didn't realize who she was talking about until the next second.

Absolutely!

He also has a great older brother!

Now he should have gone even further and become the head of the steel rolling mill, right?