Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

"Understood, understood. I'll go pay the money for you right away." Li Huaide walked away with a smile.

There are also various machines in the preparation workshop, but they are older and fewer in number.

Li Xiangdong quickly cut a doorway out of the gas cylinder. The cut-off iron plate was used to make two door panels, which were then connected by a simple ring.

Three legs were welded to the top of the gas cylinder, with the bottom facing upwards. A round hole was made at the bottom, and a 50-centimeter steel pipe was welded on it.

And just like that, the furnace was finished, with many thin steel bars welded inside the furnace chamber. Coal was then placed on top to burn. The burned coal turned to ash and settled at the bottom.

The top of the stove is the bottom of the gas cylinder. There's no opening at all. However, you can still cook and boil water by placing a pot on the bottom.

Connect an exhaust pipe to the chimney to prevent smoke from accumulating inside the house.

Just as Li Xiangdong was using the sheet metal to break out the air pump, a man around forty years old walked over. He seemed to have mustered up his courage.

"Hello, Section Chief Li!"

Li Xiangdong looked up and felt that the man looked somewhat familiar, but he was absolutely certain he had never seen him before. Li Xiangdong's memory was now superb; he could practically recall everything that happened while he was in his mother's womb.

"Who are you?" Li Xiangdong asked, raising an eyebrow.

"My name is Yu Dajiang! Yu Li is my daughter." Yu Dajiang seemed a little embarrassed as he said, "I work in the preparation workshop, I'm a level four fitter."

"Um, Uncle Yu!"

Li Xiangdong stood up, feeling quite embarrassed.

"Section Chief Li, let me help you," Yu Dajiang said with an awkward smile.

“Okay, I’ll still call you Master Yu at the factory,” Li Xiangdong said in a low voice.

The two of them were speaking very softly to begin with.

“Okay, okay. That’s perfect.” Yu Dajiang said hurriedly.

After they finished speaking, they didn't say anything more. They both kept working, but Li Xiangdong noticed that Yu Dajiang was wearing cotton-padded clothes, the kind he had taken from the labor protection warehouse.

Seeing Li Xiangdong sizing him up, he blushed and said, "This outfit, including the overcoat, was sent over by my wife. Yu Li..."

"Yes, no need to say more. Just wear warm clothes," Li Xiangdong said.

“Then I’ll wait for you to come over on Sunday,” Yu Dajiang said with a joyful expression.

When Li Xiangdong returned, Li Huaide had a young man from the kitchen deliver Li Xiangdong's belongings to the Hongxing Courtyard in a tricycle.

Yan Bugui wasn't robbing people at the gate today; he was hurrying towards the backyard.

Li Xiangdong moved the coal stove into the main room and two large sacks of coal into the kitchen. These two sacks of coal weighed about 500 jin (250 kg). They were a gift from Li Huaide!

After installing the gas vent, Li Xiangdong lit the coal stove and placed a can of beef hot pot on it.

At the home of Yi Zhonghai, a member of the Intermediate People's Court, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui were also present.

"Let's donate to the Jia family tonight. Old Liu, you give ten yuan, and Old Yan, you give five yuan," Yi Zhonghai said in a low voice. "The Jia family is really in a difficult situation right now. The end of the year is just around the corner."

"Old Yi, you know it's almost the end of the year? Which family isn't short of money?" Yan Bugui said irritably, "Donating five yuan is impossible, I'll be generous with fifty cents."

"Yeah, Lao Yi, what were you thinking, asking me to pay ten yuan!" Liu Haizhong shook his head.

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Another Confrontation with Yi Zhonghai (Seeking flowers and votes! Please give me some, my friends!)

"I'll give you this money." Yi Zhonghai picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui both understood. They were digging holes for the residents of the courtyard at this time.

"But what benefits do we get from doing this?" Yan Bugui wanted something in return.

"Of course there are benefits, that's why we've prepared some food and drinks. Let's have a couple of drinks together later," Yi Zhonghai said with a smile. "Old woman, bring the food and drinks up."

Yi Zhonghai's wife, Jin Yumei, came out of the kitchen and quickly brought the wine and dishes to the octagonal table.

The meal consisted of four dishes: a dish of braised tofu with pork cracklings, a dish of peanuts, a dish of salted duck eggs, and finally, braised cured pork with Chinese cabbage.

Finally, they picked up a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

The three of them started eating and drinking, and soon half a bottle of wine was gone. Yan Bugui then shook his head and said, "Tsk tsk, the Jia family's banquet at noon today...it was truly embarrassing!"

"Forget it, when women are in charge, they can't tell what's important," Yi Zhonghai interrupted. "Old Yan, let's have a drink!"

Li Xiangdong sat by the coal stove, closed the bottom door, and started eating hot pot with chopsticks. He also held a bottle of unlabeled beer in his hand!

I had just finished eating and drinking when I heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!" Li Xiangdong threw the canned food box into the mysterious space.

Xu Damao pushed open the door and walked in.

"Xu Damao, is there something you need?" Li Xiangdong raised an eyebrow and said, "Sit down and let's talk."

Xu Damao took a stool and sat down by the coal stove. With an admiring expression, he said, "Tsk tsk, Section Chief Li, you've made a great stove."

"It's alright, is there going to be a big meeting?" Li Xiangdong said casually.

"Yes, the meeting tonight is still about the Jia family. I wonder what they're trying to achieve!" Xu Damao said.

"What else can we do but donate money to the Jia family?" Li Xiangdong said with a disdainful smile. "This is quite a scene. I never thought I would be involved."

Xu Damao was somewhat bewildered. He only half-understood Li Xiangdong's last words. But that didn't stop him from exclaiming in surprise, "Donate? Why should I?!"

"Who would have a good time thinking like that? It's fucking ridiculous..."

"Don't worry, it won't be possible to donate," Li Xiangdong said calmly.

"That's good, that's good. Actually, Jia Zhangshi deserves to be struck by lightning." Xu Damao said indignantly, "She's not even human! Why didn't that lightning kill her last time!"

"That banquet at noon today was absolutely disgusting."

"There were only four dishes on the table, plus a cornbread bun for each person. Not to mention the alcohol."

"There wasn't a single meat dish. It was braised cabbage with tofu, braised cabbage with glass noodles, braised radish with tofu, and finally, stir-fried shredded potatoes!"

Li Xiangdong just shook his head. What's this? There will be plenty more outrageous things Jia Zhangshi does in the future.

Soon there was another knock on the door, and Xu Damao hurriedly went to open it. Standing in the doorway was Liu Guangqi.

"Section Chief Li is in a meeting, Mao-ge, let's go together."

Liu Guangqi had a fawning smile on his face.

Li Xiangdong nodded, stood up, and went out to lock the door without even taking a stool. He and Xu Damao went to the central courtyard, where Xu Damao immediately sat down with Lou Xiao'e.

Jia Zhangshi sat on a stool like an old sow standing upright, making the stool creak and groan under her weight.

Qin Huairu sat next to Jia Zhangshi, holding a small child's hand in one hand, and was wearing mourning clothes. This attracted the attention of most of the men.

The family sat at the very front, only two meters away from the octagonal table. Sha Zhu stood not far from them, staring intently at Qin Huairu.

"Everyone, please be quiet. It's very cold now. After I finish talking about a few things, you can all go back." Yi Zhonghai stood up and slammed his hand on the table a few times.

"The first thing is the Jia family's problem. They're having a really tough time right now. With the New Year approaching, let's all help each other out. Let's donate some money to the Jia family," Yi Zhonghai said. "Everyone should donate whatever they have; it's all out of goodwill!"

“I donated twenty yuan, which I gave to my sister-in-law last night.”

When the topic of money came up, Yi Zhonghai felt an urge to drag Jia Zhangshi over and give her a good beating.

He was given twenty yuan, but the lunch banquet turned out like a dog had chewed up a swill. Needless to say, most of the money ended up in Jia Zhangshi's pocket.

"I'll contribute ten yuan; as your second uncle, I can't fail to set an example."

As Liu Haizhong spoke, he took out ten yuan and dropped it into a cardboard box. This shoe box was something Yi Zhonghai had prepared beforehand.

"I'll give you five yuan," Yan Bugui said, taking out five yuan and tossing it into the box as if he were very distressed.

Sitting below, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but laugh. The fifteen yuan was supposed to be returned, as Yi Zhonghai had agreed with her beforehand. But Jia Zhangshi decided against it; why give back money that was already in her hands?

When Sha Zhu saw that it was his turn, he jumped up and said, "I, Sha Zhu, will contribute thirty yuan. Sister Qin's family is really having a hard time right now."

Sha Zhu said this as he threw three big black tens into the shoebox.

After throwing Sha Zhu in, he looked around the room triumphantly, his gaze lingering on Qin Huairu for a moment before turning to Xu Damao and asking, "Xu Damao, how much money are you going to offer this time?"

"Me? We'll talk about it later, there's no rush now," Xu Damao said evasively.

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pay up."

As Sha Zhu spoke, he reached out his hand, ready to snatch it by force.

Seeing that this commotion was going to continue indefinitely, Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "Zhu Zi, what are you doing? You're ruining the place, don't you know that?"

"Sit down right now."

Sha Zhu glared at Xu Damao before angrily returning to his seat. He craned his neck and said to Qin Huairu, "Sister Qin, you wait! If Xu Damao doesn't give me thirty yuan later, I'll beat him to death!"

Qin Huairu looked embarrassed, and in her heart she wished she could slap a few big slaps on Sha Zhu's old face.

"This bastard usually seems so shrewd, how come he becomes so muddle-headed when things get serious!" Qin Huairu cursed inwardly.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai said to Li Xiangdong, "Section Chief Li, how much did you donate? You get 150 yuan a month..."

"Me? Why should I donate money?" Li Xiangdong sneered.

“Well, you’re a cadre, so it’s only right that you help out the poor workers,” Yi Zhonghai said with a righteous expression.

Yi Zhonghai secretly gloated. Once there was a first time, there would be countless more. Qin Huairu would exploit Li Xiangdong.

If I ruin Li Xiangdong's reputation again, he won't have an easy time finding a wife. I should plan carefully and have Li Xiangdong take care of me in my old age; then life will be like flying high.