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

Not only is Li Huaide adept at social maneuvering and has a wide circle of friends, but his father-in-law's family is also extremely powerful. If you want someone to help you find a renovation contractor, there really isn't anyone more suitable than him!

"Honey, you really reminded me! We should ask Brother Li for help; it'll definitely work!"

"Are you crazy! We're still outside!"

Zhou Feng chuckled and kissed Bai Ling on the cheek, making her blush bright red. She instinctively punched Zhou Feng.

Enraged and ashamed, Bai Ling didn't hold back this time, hitting Zhou Feng's arm and making him wince in pain.

He had just come from Qin Jingru's place and was a little too excited, forgetting that Bai Ling was in front of him.

Even if Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang kissed Bai Ling's cheek in front of them, she still couldn't accept it!

This is because she had experienced so much with Zhou Feng before, and even Qin Jingru had been subconsciously influenced by it, so she had developed resistance to Zhou Feng's behavior.

In the past, Bai Ling would have been giving Zhou Feng face by not directly turning on him and taking action.

"Let's go home first. I have some business to attend to in the suburbs this afternoon. Tomorrow I'll prepare a special gift for Brother Li. When you go to ask someone for a favor, you can't go without bringing something."

Bai Ling rolled her eyes at Zhou Feng but didn't say anything.

Among their cronies, they can give gifts whenever they want and do whatever they want!

She could also see that Zhou Feng didn't need Li Huaide to lead him astray; when he got into trouble, he was just as bad as Li Huaide!

Early the next morning, Zhou Feng rode his bicycle to the steel rolling mill, with Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang jogging behind him.

At this time, the security department was still managed by Liu Haizhong, the second uncle of the family in the courtyard. When Zhou Feng and his two companions arrived at the gate of the steel rolling mill, he was still giving a speech to a group of security guards.

Upon seeing Zhou Feng, Liu Haizhong's expression instantly changed, and he greeted him with a beaming smile: "Comrade Zhou Feng, what brings you back to our steel rolling mill?"

"I need to speak with Brother Li about something."

"You've come at the perfect time! Director Li is in his office. Let me take you there!"

He didn't check Zhou Feng and the others' identification documents, and personally led them into the factory.

"Who is this person? Why didn't they check their ID?"

A young security guard stared at the backs of Zhou Feng and his two companions, a hint of resentment flashing across his face.

"What are you investigating? Didn't you hear they're here to see Director Li? Our Section Chief Liu even personally led them there; they're obviously a big shot with connections. Don't make things difficult for yourself."

This is the difference between veterans and newcomers.

Everyone starts out full of enthusiasm, but after offending their superiors a few times, they automatically learn how to handle such situations.

He's not completely muddle-headed; someone who's truly serious and principled would have already been assigned to the most tiring and difficult job.

Seeing this clueless and naive young man, it's an act of kindness to casually remind him.

"Director Li, we have guests!"

Upon arriving at Li Huaide's office, Liu Haizhong first pretended to knock lightly twice on the door.

Li Huaide, who was still in the room, immediately turned grim.

Old Liu is quite proactive and obedient at work, but he likes to bully others and always tries to get close to them.

Even if they are his guests, his secretary will naturally receive them. Why would you, the head of the security department, need to escort them from the main gate to the office door every time?

But the moment Li Huaide opened the office door, his angry expression instantly turned into a smile.

"Brother Zhou, you're back! Why didn't you tell me beforehand? I could have sent a car to pick you up!"

Now that Li Huaide is the head of the steel rolling mill, he speaks with much more authority.

The factory's jeeps can be used however they want, and no one can say anything about it.

Liu Haizhong, who was standing behind Zhou Feng, wanted to say something, but when he noticed Li Huaide's gaze, he awkwardly opened his mouth and then wisely withdrew.

Li Huaide patted Zhou Feng on the shoulder, his gaze sweeping over Tie Jianguo and Bai Lang standing behind him. The latter two consciously stood on either side of the office doorway.

"Brother Li, it's alright. Things have been a bit unsettled lately, so I arranged for two bodyguards to protect me. Don't worry about them."

Listening to Zhou Feng's words, Li Huaide secretly clicked his tongue.

He's not someone who hasn't seen much of the world; given his father-in-law's rank, he's certainly entitled to have a bodyguard.

But those guards just seemed like ordinary soldiers to him, unlike the two men following Zhou Feng behind him, whose mere glances made his hair stand on end.

Putting aside everything else, these two have certainly been on the battlefield countless times, and they've probably taken many lives with them.

What exactly is this guy's identity that allows him to serve as his bodyguards?

Because Zhou Feng had accomplished so many great things in just a few months, Li Huaide, whether out of curiosity or for other reasons, had investigated his identity both openly and secretly.

He didn't dare ask the leader directly, but he did ask his father-in-law to investigate. As a result, his father-in-law was also warned.

Tsk tsk tsk…

"Brother Li, we're practically family, so I'm here today to ask you for a favor, and I've also brought you a gift."

Zhou Feng sat down on the sofa as if they were old friends, without standing on ceremony with Li Huaide.

But this attitude actually made Li Huaide very happy.

"Hey! If there's anything your older brother needs you to do, just ask! Why bring a gift?"

Li Huaide poured Zhou Feng a cup of tea and sat down on the sofa to his left.

"Brother Li, let me tell you, this is a good thing. It's different from the previous watch. You can even give it as a gift."

As he spoke, Li Huaide saw Zhou Feng take out several palm-sized red cube-shaped machines from his pocket and place them on the table.

Having learned his lesson from giving away a mechanical watch before, Zhou Feng didn't prepare anything too advanced this time. Instead, he had Zhou Ming go to a department store and buy a few palm-sized audio players for elderly people to listen to dramas.

These players are equipped with memory cards of the highest capacity, containing a wide variety of different TV series downloaded to them.

Anyway, radios and record players already existed in this era. Although this kind of player was still ahead of its time, it doesn't seem so unacceptable... right?

"Brother, tell me, what's this machine for?"

Li Huaide picked up a media player with some curiosity and looked at it intently.

Zhou Feng randomly selected one, pressed play, and the following voice immediately came through: "The Han army has seized the land, and the songs of Chu echo from all sides. The king's spirit is broken, what reason does this lowly concubine have to live..."

The sound startled Li Huaide so much that he almost dropped the player in his hand. After catching it in a flurry, a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Is this Peking Opera?"

"Yes, Brother Li, look, these are all labeled. They include Peking Opera, Yue Opera, Henan Opera, Huangmei Opera, Pingju Opera, and Kunqu Opera. That way, you can send them to the leaders based on their place of origin, right?"

Zhou Feng raised an eyebrow at Li Huaide, who silently sighed in his heart.

Although he knew this wasn't a good thing, Li Huaide couldn't bring himself to refuse.

The phrase "to cater to someone's preferences" has always been the best way to build relationships, regardless of the era.

This week, my brother was too blunt. Even if he had such thoughts, he shouldn't have said them so openly!

Perhaps it's because their family background is so illustrious that they don't need to understand the subtext of their everyday conversations?

"Brother Zhou, this gift is too valuable. Tell me what you need me to do for you, otherwise I won't feel at ease."

Li Huaide glanced at the several media players in front of him and asked a question with a hint of trepidation.

He was certain that these rare items didn't exist in China. For Zhou Feng to send such a generous gift, the matter he was asked to handle had to be incredibly significant.

"It's nothing major. Bai Ling and I are getting married soon, right? We've been thinking about renovating a two-courtyard house. I have the blueprints, but I don't know which renovation contractors are reliable, so I was hoping you could help me contact some."

"this one?"

Li Huaide's eyes widened, and he asked again, somewhat uncertainly.

"That's it, but the handiwork needs to be quite meticulous, especially the furniture, doors, and windows inside."

Zhou Feng nodded seriously. Isn't renovating the entire courtyard a big deal?

These media players cost less than 1000 yuan in total. If it weren't for the fact that they're from a certain era, he wouldn't have dared to take them out.

Li Huaide silently estimated the price in his mind, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Knew it!

This advanced stuff that Brother Zhou brought over isn't so easy to take.

However, seeing Zhou Feng's calm and collected demeanor, Li Huaide forced himself to calm down. After thinking for a long time, he gritted his teeth and made a final, forceful gesture.

"Okay, I'll leave this to you, brother!"

Although he's definitely going to suffer a huge loss this time, it's also a good thing for him to be able to form a deeper bond with Zhou Feng through this incident.

Moreover, judging from the number of chickens Zhou Feng donated during the Chinese New Year, this guy is not short of money.

Perhaps this number that could drain him dry is nothing more than a grain of sand slipping through Zhou Feng's fingers.

With a hint of ruthlessness on his face, Li Huaide made up his mind. Since he was going to take on this matter, he had to let the other party know how much he had paid for it.

"Brother Zhou, I'll be frank with you. Leave this to me, I'll definitely handle it, but it will still be quite challenging."

"Bricks, tiles, timber, and cement are materials subject to state-controlled purchase and distribution. I have some connections that allow me to obtain them, but the prices will definitely not be cheap."

"We must hire the best bricklayers and carpenters, so each person's monthly wage will be about 50 yuan."

"As you said, the furniture, doors, and windows all need to be rebuilt, and they have to be made of solid wood. In addition, the walls also need to be renovated. This entire two-courtyard house will probably cost at least ten thousand yuan."

"Although I've saved some money over the years, it's definitely not enough. But fortunately, I can make payments step by step according to the construction schedule. I'm sure I can get this done for you!"

At this point, Li Huaide no longer found the media players in front of him appealing.

More than ten thousand yuan!

What does this mean?

A worker of the eighth grade like Yi Zhonghai would have to work for nine years without eating or drinking!

If it were Qin Huairu, she would probably dry up without eating or drinking until she dies of old age!

If it weren't for Zhou Feng's mysterious background, Li Huaide wouldn't have stepped forward and taken out so much money, even if it meant falling out with him.

Taking on this task not only meant he would have to empty his savings, but he would also have to resort to some shady income to barely make up for it!

"Huh? Brother Li, what did you say?"

Zhou Feng, who was drinking tea, was taken aback and rolled his eyes at Li Huaide, speechless.

"I just asked you to find me some renovation workers and those controlled materials you mentioned. Of course, I'll pay for them myself, not you!"

Even if Zhou Feng was slow to realize, he knew what 1 yuan meant to people in this era.

How could we possibly let Li Huaide pay for this?

Besides, for him, money is the least valuable thing.

Where couldn't he get a mere ten thousand yuan?

Tell me, are the mineral distribution map and the handheld spectrometer that you brought back before worth 10,000 yuan?

It's just money, isn't it?

At worst, we can just bring back some equipment from this world and sell it for ten or twenty thousand dollars. Isn't that easy and pleasant?

Upon hearing Zhou Feng's words, Li Huaide, who had been gritting his teeth and making a silent vow, instantly perked up. His eyes gleamed as he looked at Zhou Feng, and he even felt an urge to cheer.

Does he not need to spend money anymore?

The mountains and rivers seemed to block the way, but then a village appeared amidst the willows and flowers!

找！

I'll go contact Zhou Feng and his brothers about materials and workers after I get off work!

The materials must be the best, and the workers must be the best, even if it means he has to put in some extra money himself!

Instead, Zhou Feng noticed Li Huaide's current state and inexplicably felt like laughing.

It's just renovating a yard, right?

How did it suddenly catch fire?

Anyone who didn't know better would think that Brother Li was going to do it himself!

"Leave this to your brother. Since you're here, don't rush off. Let's have a meal at the cafeteria!"

With a huge weight lifted from his heart, Li Huaide felt incredibly relaxed and immediately pulled Zhou Feng toward the cafeteria, only to be quickly pulled away and refused.

"Brother Li, it's not that I'm not giving you face, but I have to go home to be with my wife! I have some very important things to do, but I can't reveal the details. So, regarding the issues at the courtyard, you'll have to go to our courtyard and talk to Bai Ling."

Uh…

The steel rolling mill was one of the classified units, and Li Huaide knew he shouldn't ask questions, so he didn't press Zhou Feng about the details of his mission. He just sighed with slight regret: "Brother Zhou, to be honest, the source of these supplies isn't very safe. As for Comrade Bai Ling..."

Li Huaide didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear.

What is Bai Ling's identity?

Before Zhou Feng's wife, she was a member of the Special Operations Unit!

The channels through which Li Huaide obtained control over supplies weren't exactly aboveboard. If he were to connect with Bai Ling, and that old lady suddenly decided to investigate his channels, things would get really interesting.

It's not just Li Huaide who's involved, but the entire internet!

At that point, even if his father-in-law intervenes, he won't be able to protect him!