Courtyard House: I Rely on Time-Space Trade to Build a Nation

"Peaceful? You wanted to see me? Is everything settled?" Zhao Baoguo rubbed his hands together as he entered the room, his breath steaming in the air, his face asking questions.

His gaze swept over the soldiers surrounding Zhao Ping'an; although they were still dressed in thin clothes...

But his expression seemed less apprehensive than when he came out, and more confident than he appeared.

"Second Brother, let's talk in private." Zhao Ping'an pulled Zhao Baoguo to a corner, turned his back to the others, took out a gleaming gold bar from his pocket, and quickly stuffed it into Zhao Baoguo's hand.

The weight and icy touch made Zhao Baoguo's pupils shrink. He almost cried out in surprise, forcing himself to lower his voice: "This... Ping An, this is...?"

"Lou Bancheng gave it to me," Zhao Ping'an said succinctly, his voice extremely low.

"It's a small token of my appreciation, and it's also a way to keep quiet. Today, I, your brother, stormed into your residence, and it was thanks to Brother Baoguo's men that the situation was brought under control."

Zhao Baoguo held the gold bar, feeling his palms getting hot.

A large yellow croaker, worth ten taels of pure gold (at the time, one catty was sixteen taels), was enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for a lifetime.

For him, the acting commander who guarded the city gates and whose supplies were intermittent, this was a considerable sum of money that could not be ignored.

After all, the monthly rations and pay of his three hundred-plus brothers might not even be more than this big yellow croaker.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and the way he looked at Zhao Ping'an completely changed.

This younger brother, in less than two hours, not only escaped unscathed, but also actually managed to extract real money from Lou Bancheng! Such methods…

"This... is too precious, Ping An. This is your connection, I..." Zhao Baoguo subconsciously wanted to refuse, but his fingers tightened honestly.

"We're brothers, let's not talk about these things." Zhao Ping'an pressed his hand down.

"Second brother, this is just the beginning. I'm now doing business with Lou Bancheng, but I won't tell you the details yet."

"Lou Bancheng's side will probably receive some more ordinary supplies like food and clothing later. You'll definitely get your share, Second Brother."

Zhao Baoguo felt a surge of warmth in his heart and nodded emphatically: "Good brother! With you saying that, I... have nothing more to say!"

"However, there's something I need to trouble Brother Baoguo with," Zhao Ping'an said, changing the subject.

"My post is outside the city, so it's inconvenient for me to come and go. If the Lou family needs me urgently, or if there's any disturbance..."

I'll have to trouble Brother Baoguo to keep an eye on things for me in the city and keep in touch.

"Leave it to me!" Zhao Baoguo patted his chest. "I'll have someone keep an eye on the Lou family. If anything happens, I'll send someone out of the city to inform you immediately!"

In this area around the West Gate, your second brother still has some influence!

After finishing their business, Zhao Baoguo noticed a bulging backpack that Liu Dazhu had placed beside him. Zhao Ping'an gestured for him to open it.

Inside were fifty square tin cans, printed with incomprehensible foreign words and tempting pictures—large chunks of meat.

"This is... a can?" Zhao Baoguo picked up one; it was heavy.

"It's American luncheon meat, you can just open it and eat it, it's filling," Zhao Ping'an explained.

"Brother Baoguo, take it back first and let your closest brothers try it to fill their stomachs. More to come later."

Zhao Baoguo's eyes welled up with tears. In chaotic times, food is life, and so is the will of the people.

Zhao Ping'an's younger brother is truly meticulous in his work. He not only makes friends with generous sums of money and provides practical benefits, but also gives people continuous hope.

He clasped his hands in a deep fist salute: "Ping An, brother, I'm truly grateful for your kindness! If you ever need anything, just let me know!"

After seeing off Zhao Baoguo, who was full of gratitude and left in a hurry with his personal guards and canned goods, Zhao Ping'an felt a little more at ease. No matter what, he decided to plant a seed of distrust in the other party's heart first.

Then Zhao Ping'an led his dozen or so soldiers into the market.

Instead of going to the large, potentially eye-catching grain stores, they found a seemingly honest-looking rice shop in the bustling marketplace.

He bought two bags of brown rice weighing a total of 100 jin (50 kg) with a small yellow croaker, and asked the seller for several tens of silver dollars in change before letting the soldier carry it away.

This is both a cover and a necessary formality—we can't go back empty-handed.

Once outside the city, the wind and snow seemed to have lessened, but the cold was even more intense.

The group walked silently along the dirt road back to Wayaocun, their heavy footsteps and panting the only sounds.

The soldiers carried their rice sacks, but felt much more at ease than when they arrived. Their platoon leader said there was even more food, and they believed him.

Back at the low, dilapidated courtyard of the camp, Zhao Ping'an had rice moved inside.

Then they found Dazhu and asked, "Dazhu, have all the brothers taken their medicine?"

"Platoon leader, we've given them all the medicine, but two of our brothers aren't doing well right now. They can't eat anything, so I had to force-feed them the medicine."

"Well, I'll figure something out. Dazhu, have someone boil some water for these candies, dissolve some in it, and force-feed them to those two brothers. The rest is up to God." Zhao Ping'an said, exchanging a few more kilograms of milk candy and handing them to Dazhu.

"Okay, Platoon Leader, I'll go right away." Da Zhu happily accepted the medicine, and before leaving, he didn't forget to report the good news: "Platoon Leader, your medicine is really effective. Some of the brothers took the medicine and their fevers have subsided in less than two hours."

"Okay, I got it. Oh, and that bag of brown rice, have someone bring out fifty catties to cook some porridge. Then leave the people on guard duty here, the rest of you come with me in a bit."

"Yes, platoon leader."

Although Liu Dazhu was puzzled, he carried out the order without hesitation. Soon, a dozen soldiers assembled, looking expectantly at Zhao Ping'an.

"Bring all the sacks and baskets you can find, and follow me." Zhao Ping'an led the way, heading towards the back of the camp in the direction of the mountain.

The soldiers looked at each other, but silently followed.

The platoon leader's return from the city today was different; there was a vague sense of anticipation in their hearts.

The mountain path was difficult to traverse, and the snow was up to our ankles. After walking for about two or three miles, we came to a sheltered mountain hollow.

The place is indeed secluded, with piles of rocks and withered weeds.

In Zhao Ping'an's memory, the original owner had come here to hunt wild game and knew that there was a small cave deep inside.

"You, spread out and guard this pass," Zhao Ping'an said, pointing to the soldiers who had followed him.

"Keep your eyes peeled. Don't let anyone come near, and don't look inside. That's an order!"

"Yes, sir!" Although the soldiers were full of curiosity, military orders were paramount, so they immediately dispersed, turned their backs to the inside of the valley, and watched the direction from which they had come warily.

Zhao Ping'an walked alone, stumbling along the path to the cave entrance he remembered.

The entrance to the cave was half-hidden by withered vines and snow, but he pushed them aside and crawled inside. It wasn't large, maybe twenty square meters, dark and damp, but secluded enough.

Without further hesitation, he focused his mind, summoned the system interface, and began to operate it.