Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

The old lady sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her withered fingers gently tapping the table. Her cloudy eyes stared unblinkingly at Xu Fugui, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkling together as she waited for him to finish speaking, her eyes full of doubt.

Xu Fugui rubbed his hands together, a shrewd smile plastered on his face, his eyes narrowed into slits, and his tone carried a hint of cunning.

"Grandma, you can't rent it to our boss for the same price you rented it to us! He's a genuinely wealthy man, and besides, he practically begged to rent this house to us. We should at least give him a small token of our appreciation, shouldn't we?"

The old lady was amused by his cunning appearance, reached out and tapped his forehead, then shook her head helplessly.

"You slippery fellow, I really don't know what to say to you. As long as you can get reimbursed and don't cause any delays, that's fine. So tell me, what price do you want?"

"Double it! What do you think?"

Xu Fugui straightened his back slightly, his tone confident, as if he was certain the old lady would agree.

The old lady knew perfectly well that there was something fishy going on. Xu Fugui was trying to profit from this, but since the other party had offered a higher price, she would lose money if she rented it at the original price. So she simply waved her hand and said, "Alright, it's your way."

"Alright! Then I'll have to trouble you, Madam, to provide a written document and a written agreement to avoid any future disputes." Xu Fugui was overjoyed and quickly seized the opportunity.

The old lady glanced at him and asked slowly, "So, what should be written on the document?"

Xu Fugui's eyes darted around, and he lowered his voice, holding up five fingers: "Add another 50%!"

The old lady frowned slightly, leaned forward, and stared intently at Xu Fugui, her voice filled with worry.

"Are you sure this is okay? Don't let anything go wrong and then come looking for trouble with this old woman. I can't afford to mess with someone as important as your boss."

"Don't worry! Everything will be fine. As long as you keep your mouth shut, this matter will remain a secret between you and me."

Xu Fugui patted his chest and assured him, his smile growing increasingly smug.

Standing to the side, He Daqing watched all this and couldn't help but feel envious. Xu Fugui was openly taking kickbacks from the boss, and he was really good at it. He himself would not have the guts to do that.

Seeing his confidence, the old lady stopped asking questions and turned to He Daqing: "Daqing, do you have any paper and pen at home? Bring them over."

He Daqing scratched his head awkwardly and quickly shook his head: "Grandma, we're poor, we can't afford these things."

Before he finished speaking, Xu Fugui deftly pulled a neat stack of hemp paper from his inner pocket and a gleaming fountain pen from his breast pocket, handing them to the old lady: "Grandma, I have some here! Would you like to write it yourself, or should I write it for you?"

The old lady glanced at the exquisite fountain pen, then waved her hand, saying, "You write with it. This old woman doesn't know how to use such a foreign gadget."

"Alright!"

Xu Fugui responded and was about to lower his head to write when he suddenly remembered something and looked up to add something.

"Oh, ma'am, there's something else I need to make clear to you. These people who rent the rooms aren't single; they're all mostly with families. If they were single, they would have been put up in the factory's dormitories long ago, and wouldn't need to bother you."

Upon hearing this, the old lady's face darkened slightly, and her tone became serious.

"Anyway, it's all about renting it out. Whether it's rented to an individual or a family, there's not much difference. But let me make this clear: if anyone causes trouble or makes a mess in the yard, this old woman won't be polite. She'll kick them out. Don't try to stop her then."

"I know, I know!"

Xu Fugui nodded repeatedly, with a forced smile on his face.

"I'll explain the rules to them later, and I guarantee no one will dare to cause trouble in your yard."

"That's good." The old lady finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Fugui lay on the table, writing the agreement stroke by stroke. The pen tip made a scratching sound on the hemp paper, and he finished writing in no time.

He picked up the note, blew on the ink, and handed it to the old lady.

The old lady took the document, glanced at it, and casually asked, "Do these renters need to come over and sign it, to keep a record?"

"No, no need."

Xu Fugui quickly waved his hand.

"If our boss decides he doesn't want to rent it out anymore, I'll let you know in advance. If they still want to live there, they can come and talk to you separately; that's none of our business."

"Alright, then take them to the front yard. I've met them all, and there are no problems." The old lady put away the receipt and waved for Xu Fugui to leave with his men.

Xu Fugui happily agreed and turned to leave the He family's house. Just as he reached the courtyard gate, he saw Yi Zhonghai chatting warmly with the group of technicians and workers who were renting the house.

They all worked at the same steel rolling mill, and they saw each other all the time. They had already met before. Yi Zhonghai was subtly trying to find out the purpose of this group of people's sudden visit to the courtyard.

Before long, Yi Zhonghai found out that the group of people were there to rent a house, so he wasn't surprised.

But when he heard that he didn't have to pay the rent himself, and that the factory owner had covered it all, he felt a pang of jealousy and a bad taste in his mouth.

He had worked in the steel rolling mill for most of his life and was now considered a senior technician. He was also a veteran in the factory, and in terms of seniority and skills, he was not bad at all. However, he had never enjoyed such a good treatment as not having to pay rent himself.

However, upon further reflection, he realized that the factory boss had always valued engineers and technicians, treating them like precious treasures. His mind started to wander again, thinking that he could take this opportunity to get closer to these people and build relationships, so that he might be able to learn some new technologies from them and benefit from their connections.

Yi Zhonghai sidled up to Zhao Fengnian, all smiles as he struck up a conversation. At first, Zhao Fengnian patiently responded with a few words, but as he listened, he realized that the man was full of ulterior motives, trying to build a relationship and gain benefits. He immediately lost patience, his face turned cold, and he simply turned his head away, ignoring him completely.

At this moment, He Yuzhu, who was inside the house, was secretly observing the group of people in the courtyard through the crack in the door.

As his gaze swept across the crowd, his eyes suddenly sharpened and fixed on a pale-faced middle-aged man—it was Old Zhao, the one who had been shot!

That old guy is really tough. He was shot just over a month ago and he's already walking again. Apart from his face being as white as paper, he doesn't seem to be seriously injured.

He Yuzhu muttered to himself, wondering how Old Zhao had managed to sneak into the steel rolling mill. He knew that steel rolling mills were now under the strict control of the military, and the checks were very rigorous; ordinary people simply couldn't get in.

The front yard quickly became noisy, with people moving things and cleaning the house, working up a flurry of activity that lasted all night.

To curry favor with the newcomers, Yi Zhonghai volunteered to help carry luggage and clean windows, and even dragged Jia Laonian, who was watching the commotion, to work with him, afraid of being outdone.

During a break from work, a new technician curiously pointed to the main building in the central courtyard and casually asked, "This main building in the central courtyard looks impressive. Who lives there?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately showed a disdainful expression, curled his lip, and lowered his voice, saying, "Who else could it be? Just a lucky cook, nothing special."

Some curious people, noticing the good location and ample natural light of Yi Zhonghai's east wing room, couldn't help but ask, "Master Yi, how did you manage to rent such a prime location in the east wing room?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately changed his tune, making no mention of luck, and proudly puffed out his chest, saying, "How else could I have rented it? It's because our boss has a lot of influence; he specially arranged it for me!"

Those who heard this assumed that Yi Zhonghai was just benefiting from his boss's influence and didn't take it to heart.

But Zhao Fengnian, who was standing to the side, saw all of this clearly and understood perfectly – Yi Zhonghai was obviously envious and jealous of He Yuzhu's family who lived in the main house, and he was just being a sour grapes.

The commotion in the courtyard naturally alerted Jia Zhangshi.

She has always been lazy and unwilling to do anything. She would never lift a finger to move things or clean the yard. Instead, she moved a small stool to the doorway and craned her neck to ask around.

When she learned that the newcomers didn't have to pay a single penny of rent themselves, as the boss would cover it all, she immediately launched into a tirade. Hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke, cursing and swearing at everyone she could find. She accused them of being incredibly lucky and accused them of being arrogant because the boss was backing them up.

The neighbors who had originally wanted to talk to her all changed their expressions after hearing her sharp and sarcastic words. They all backed away and kept their distance from her, silently labeling her as "not someone to associate with".

Ever since these technicians and workers moved into the front yard, He Yuzhu and Xu Damao have rarely gone there.

The front yard was crowded and inconvenient for talking and doing things, so the two of them moved their daily practice and sparring to the quiet back yard.

Chen Lanxiang and Li Gui, the two female relatives, rarely wandered around the Central Courtyard to avoid unnecessary interactions with idle people.

Yi Zhonghai, however, was always running to the front, and whenever he had free time, he would go to the front yard to chat with the newcomers. Every now and then, he would bring some peanuts and bulk liquor, have a few drinks with people, and try his best to integrate into the circle.

During this period, the already scarce food in the courtyard houses was even more severely affected by the famine. Every household's rice jars were empty, and adults and children alike were emaciated from hunger.

He Yuzhu watched as the food reserves at home dwindled. He considered using the food stored in his spatial storage for an emergency, but he worried that the food might be of dubious origin and arouse suspicion.

Just when he was at his wit's end, Xu Fugui somehow managed to get a batch of high-priced grain, which solved his immediate problem and made He Yuzhu completely give up the idea of ​​using the space resources.

When the expensive grain was delivered to the courtyard, and each household pooled their money to buy it, Jia Zhangshi started causing trouble again.

She complained that the grain price was too high, so she sat in the yard and threw a tantrum, slapping her thighs and crying and wailing, cursing Xu Fugui for being heartless and God for being unfair.

Annoyed by her nagging, Xu Fugui's face darkened, and he coldly retorted, "If you think it's too expensive, then don't buy it. It'll save us some grain, and each family can get a little more."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately shut her mouth, too frightened to make a fuss any longer. Her family had long been out of food, and the adults and children had gone hungry for several meals. If they really didn't buy more food, the whole family would starve.

This scene also allowed the new residents of the front yard to fully witness Jia Zhangshi's shamelessness and scoundrel nature.

From then on, no one wanted her to visit other people's homes, no one wanted to talk to her, and her petty theft habit had nowhere to go.

Unable to do it herself, she instigated her son, Jia Dongxu, to trick the new kids in the front yard, hoping to steal some food or other things.

The new residents had already heard about the character of Jia Zhangshi and her son, and they were very wary of them. How could they possibly let their children play with Jia Dongxu?

With so many people and eyes in the front yard, it became very inconvenient for He Yuzhu to go out at night; the slightest movement could be noticed. To make things easier, he took advantage of the absence of people to thoroughly explore both the east and west courtyards, carefully surveying the terrain.

After checking, he found that only one side of the east courtyard's outer wall faced the street. The wall was not very high, and it was much more convenient and discreet to climb over it than to go through the front gate.

He tried flipping through it once, easily and neatly, and then memorized it, temporarily putting aside other matters.

Since the system hasn't been issuing any new tasks for a while, He Yuzhu plans to take a break and lay low for a bit.

The commotion we caused before was too great. If we make any rash moves, it could easily attract the attention of others and cause unnecessary trouble.

He Yuzhu intended to behave himself, but some people just couldn't stay still for a moment.

Zhao Fengnian, who lived in the front yard, moved into the courtyard house alone. After get off work, he would often not return to the yard. Every time he came back, he would be carrying some packages or bags, acting suspiciously.

This unusual behavior quickly caught the attention of one person—Yi Zhonghai, who was always eyeing others and trying to gain personal benefits.

Yi Zhonghai wasn't doubting Zhao Fengnian's identity; he was simply envious of what Zhao Fengnian had and wanted to know where he got these valuable items so he could also get a share.

After finishing work that day, Yi Zhonghai deliberately didn't go home. Instead, he hid at the corner of the steel rolling mill gate, hunching his shoulders and keeping a close eye on the gate, waiting for Zhao Fengnian to come out.

The factory workers gradually left, the crowd thinned out, and dusk fell, enveloping the entire street. Only then did Zhao Fengnian slowly walk out of the factory gate.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up, and he immediately crouched down and quietly followed. At first, the streets were crowded, and Zhao Fengnian was only focused on getting on his way, so he didn't notice anyone following him at all.

But once he reached a secluded alley and was away from the crowd, Zhao Fengnian keenly sensed a furtive gaze following him.

He was supposed to attend a secret meeting today, but in order to avoid being discovered by the people in the compound, he worked overtime at the factory and delayed his departure time.

Unexpectedly, they were still targeted.

Realizing he was being followed, Zhao Fengnian slowed his pace abruptly, becoming secretly on guard.

He walked forward without making a sound, and as he turned a corner of a narrow alley, he quickly glanced at something in the dim moonlight.

Upon seeing this, his brows furrowed instantly—the person following behind him was none other than Yi Zhonghai, who lived in the same courtyard house!

Before moving into the courtyard house, Zhao Fengnian had already sent people to secretly investigate the identities of all the residents. They found that they were all ordinary workers and civilians with no special backgrounds, so he felt at ease moving in.

Being followed by Yi Zhonghai made Zhao Fengnian feel a little irritated. He considered whether to go up and persuade Yi Zhonghai to go back and stop meddling in other people's business, while also thinking that he should just quicken his pace and shake him off.

Just as he was hesitating, a young man with a panicked expression suddenly ran from the alleyway in the distance.

The young man was panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat. When he saw Zhao Fengnian, he immediately stopped. He neither ran forward nor shouted, but just kept waving at Zhao Fengnian. While waving, he nervously looked back, as if someone was chasing him and signaling Zhao Fengnian to leave quickly.

If He Yuzhu were here, he would recognize at a glance that this young man was the same guy who lost his rickshaw before!

Seeing the young man's gesture and noticing his panicked expression, Zhao Fengnian's heart tightened. He instinctively reached for his gun at his waist, ready to respond to any unexpected situation. But his hand found nothing. He suddenly realized—the factory required strict body searches for entry and exit; metal items were not allowed inside. He hadn't brought a gun with him today!

The atmosphere instantly became tense. Yi Zhonghai followed leisurely behind, his eyes fixed on the benefits Zhao Fengnian had in his hands; the young man in front waved anxiously, as if pursuers were closing in; Zhao Fengnian stood unarmed in the alley, caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. An invisible storm was quietly brewing in the twilight-shrouded alley...

Zhao Fengnian took a deep breath, suppressing his panic, and his eyes sharpened.

He knew that he absolutely could not let Yi Zhonghai interfere with this matter today, and he certainly could not expose his secret.

He subtly adjusted his breathing, shifted his feet slightly, and deliberately moved closer to the shadows of the alley, trying to avoid Yi Zhonghai's gaze, while giving the young man opposite him a reassuring look.

When Yi Zhonghai saw Zhao Fengnian suddenly stop and hide in the shadows, he thought Zhao was looking for a place to hide something. His eyes lit up and he moved forward more quietly, eager to rush up and see what good things Zhao Fengnian had hidden.

The young man at the alley entrance, seeing that Zhao Fengnian hadn't left yet, stamped his feet anxiously, waved his hand forcefully again, and silently uttered two words: "Go quickly!"

Zhao Fengnian nodded, no longer hesitating. Before Yi Zhonghai could get close, he suddenly turned around, and using the houses on both sides of the alley as cover, he quickly darted in another direction and disappeared into the twilight in a few moments.

Yi Zhonghai chased after Zhao Fengnian to the shadows, but there was no sign of him. The alley was empty, with only the evening wind howling past.

He stood there, stamping his feet in anger, feeling both regret and resentment. He regretted not following closely enough, and resented that the benefits he was about to receive had slipped away.

He wandered around the alley several times, searching everywhere, but he couldn't find even a single hair of Zhao Fengnian's. In the end, he could only mutter a few curses in frustration and return to the courtyard house dejectedly.

Having successfully escaped, Zhao Fengnian wandered through several streets and alleys to make sure he had completely shaken off Yi Zhonghai and gotten rid of any potential danger before finally letting out a sigh of relief and heading towards the agreed-upon secret location.

Back in the courtyard house, Yi Zhonghai's resentment grew deeper and deeper.

The more he thought about it, the more suspicious Zhao Fengnian seemed. He was always appearing and disappearing mysteriously, and he was always carrying something in his hand. He must be hiding some kind of secret, maybe some way to make a lot of money.

He secretly resolved that he would keep a close eye on Zhao Fengnian next time, and no matter what, he would dig out his secrets and not let the benefits slip away for nothing.

The night grew darker in the courtyard, and the new residents in the front yard had already turned off their lights and gone to bed.

In the middle courtyard, Jia Zhangshi was still muttering complaints in her room, while He Yuzhu in the backyard continued to practice his skills silently.

Yi Zhonghai lay on the bed, tossing and turning, plotting how to keep an eye on Zhao Fengnian.