Courtyard Houses: Starting as a Purchasing Agent

So when the bicycle bell rang, Liu Aiguo didn't pay much attention. He was still squinting, enjoying the shade under the grapevines.

"You look so comfortable!"

came a familiar voice.

Liu Aiguo finally opened his eyes.

The man in front of me was a man in his forties with a straight posture. He used to be the secretary of a high-ranking leader, known as Secretary Wang. Now he was in the cabinet, still assisting the high-ranking leader with some work.

The current top leader is now a cabinet leader, and is known as Old Liu.

"Secretary Wang... what brings you here? Please have a seat, have some tea to cool off in the heat..."

Although Secretary Wang is no longer a secretary, Liu Aiguo still can't get used to calling him that.

They still referred to him as Secretary Wang, and Secretary Wang didn't seem to mind.

The two sat down.

Liu Aiguo said, "It's the weekend, why aren't you at home spending time with your wife and kids? What are you doing here? You didn't come all this way just for a cup of tea, did you?"

"No way, you're not a beauty!" Secretary Wang said with a look of disdain. "The big boss sent me to see you. He said he's a bit free today and wants you to go fishing with him!"

"..." Liu Aiguo smiled bitterly: "The Yongding River?"

"You're overthinking it!" Secretary Wang said. "It's right next to the Forbidden City, in the lake!"

Haizi refers to an artificial lake built during the Ming Dynasty, which is divided into Beihai, Zhonghai and Nanhai.

Beihai Park is open to the public as People's Park, while Zhonghai and Nanhai... well... you can go fishing with the big leaders.

"Alright... let's go!"

Liu Aiguo rode his old bicycle and followed Secretary Wang out of the backyard.

Upon reaching the Intermediate Courtyard, I saw Jia Zhangshi making sarcastic remarks by the water feature: "Oh... Aiguo, how many years has your bicycle been around? It's time to replace it... It's too old... You can't possibly not even afford a bicycle, can you?"

"That's true... Things are different now than before. Your meager salary at the factory probably isn't enough anymore!"

After all these years, Jia Zhangshi is still the same.

Their family has completely moved on.

Qin Huairu earned a good salary at the steel rolling mill. After He Yuzhu was fired from the steel rolling mill, he went out on his own and worked as a chef for a big restaurant. His monthly salary was not low, more than 600 yuan.

Keep in mind that at this time, the wages of ordinary workers had increased, and Qin Huairu's salary was only a little over one hundred.

Liu Aiguo, the deputy director of the steel rolling mill, only earned three or four hundred yuan.

He Yuzhu's salary could easily surpass that of everyone else in the entire compound.

But Liu Aiguo didn't bother arguing with Old Lady Jia. He just chuckled and rode away on his bicycle.

Top leaders are becoming increasingly low-key.

Before he entered an important leadership position in the cabinet, he had his own car. Now that he has become a top leader among top leaders, he has become more cautious and has lost both of his jeeps.

As a result, Secretary Wang had to ride a bicycle to find Liu Aiguo.

Drop drop drop...

ding ding ding...

The streets are much more bustling than before.

After thirteen years of development and five years of reform and opening up, the market is becoming increasingly vibrant, and ordinary people are gradually having more money in their hands.

At least, people in this era no longer have to worry about food.

If you want to eat meat, you can buy it anytime you have the money.

Receipts are no longer needed.

On the streets, cars surged forward like a torrent.

Besides bicycles, you can also occasionally see various trucks, even cars, and many street urchins riding motorcycles, making loud noises as they flash by.

He left Liu Aiguo and Secretary Wang with a dashing silhouette.

Even in remote rural areas, bicycles are no longer unfamiliar.

Ordinary young men and women can afford one; they can't afford a new car, but a used one is a good option.

Anyway, a second-hand bicycle works just as well.

Liu Aiguo and Secretary Wang merged into the torrent, disappearing like a speck of dust.

It's as ordinary as it gets.

I no longer feel that cool feeling of riding a bicycle.

Chapter 117 The Big Boss Asks for Money First

It took me ages to get to where the big boss works by bike.

The top leader is too busy with work during the week and can only have some free time on weekends.

It was only at this time that I was able to talk to Liu Aiguo.

This wasn't Liu Aiguo's first visit; he had been here many times before.

It's true that high-ranking leaders are lucky, but their lives can also be tragic.

His only daughter is dead!

That's right!

After learning the truth, Liu Aiguo felt quite sorry for a while. He had only met that woman once, but he never expected that it would be the last time he saw her.

It's like a line from a game in later times: Winter is coming, and all the ghosts are coming.

Her frail body could not withstand the storms, and the following year, she and her husband ended their lives together.

She is Lingling's biological mother.

Lingling, whom Liu Aiguo raised in Hong Kong, has become the only bloodline descendant of the high-ranking leader.

A few years ago, the top leader had already emerged from the storm and become a very important figure. At that time, Liu Aiguo had reported the situation to the top leader.

They even said they would return Lingling to her.

However, the top leader shook his head and refused.

The senior leader said: "Lingling is already studying in Hong Kong, and she won't adapt if she comes back. Let her stay in Hong Kong 330. Besides, she lost her parents at a young age, and she finally gained new parents and their love. He couldn't bear to hurt Lingling again."

Of course, Liu Aiguo guessed that there was another reason that the top leader hadn't mentioned: Lingling had left Beijing for Hong Kong. This was something no one knew about before, but once she was recognized as a member of the family, it would be impossible to keep it a secret.

It would only cause more trouble if it were exposed!

So the top leader had no plans.

Fortunately, the top leader resolved Liu Aiguo's long-standing confusion: her surname was He.

He Zhizhang's "He"!

The two parked their bicycles outside and then walked into the park, taking more than ten minutes to reach the office of the top leader by following the winding path.

The top leader's desk was piled high with documents and files, and he was working on them, his thick glasses gleaming.

"Uncle..." Liu Aiguo said, "It's already the weekend, you should take care of your health, how can you work so hard?"

"Patriotism has arrived..."

"Wait a minute... wait until I finish reviewing this document!"

After approving the documents, the top leader took a set of fishing gear from behind his office and led Liu Aiguo to the lakeside to start fishing for mandarin fish.

There are dedicated fishing platforms and spots here.

A gentle breeze blows, and the water surface is steaming hot in the summer heat, but once the heat dissipates, it feels incredibly refreshing.

On the quiet lakeside, only two people were fishing.

To be precise, only one person was fishing.

The high-ranking leader was diligently catching fish, while Liu Aiguo sat beside him eating sunflower seeds.

Putting down his fishing rod, the high-ranking leader adjusted his thick glasses, leaned back slightly in his armchair, and said calmly, "Aiguo...you're doing quite well, keeping a low profile..."

Liu Aiguo chuckled: "Not at all, I'm just a minor deputy director at the steel rolling mill... It's only because the leaders are giving me face!"

"Humph……"

The high-ranking leader glanced at him sideways and said, "Don't try to fool me. I'm talking about your Hong Kong... I've heard you're quite wealthy..."

Liu Aiguo was slightly startled.

isn't it...

I hid it pretty well, how did the big boss find out?

"Don't be surprised, we people in Hong Kong aren't pushovers either... That bank, the largest private bank in Hong Kong, it's yours, isn't it?"

"You little brat, how the hell do you manage to stay in Beijing all the time?"

Liu Aiguo chuckled sheepishly.