Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

After finishing a pot of tea, Lou Xiao'e also boiled the bath water and took Tan Yali to take a bath.

Wang Feng brewed another pot of tea, poured a cup for Lou Bancheng, and said, "Dad, you can have some tea at home for a while. I'll go and call Uncle Lou and the others over."

Lou Bancheng nodded: "Okay, go ahead."

Wang Feng returned to his room, changed back into his usual Zhongshan suit, and went out with his bicycle.

Lou San and his group are currently staying in a secluded courtyard near Dongzhimen. It took Wang Feng about twenty minutes to ride his bicycle to reach the courtyard where Lou San and the others were staying.

After parking his bicycle, Wang Feng arrived at the gate and knocked on the door.

"Knock knock knock".

Before long, Lou San's wary voice came from inside the courtyard:

Who is it?

"Uncle Lou, it's me, Wang Feng."

Upon hearing Wang Feng's voice, Lou San quickly opened the courtyard gate and welcomed Wang Feng in.

"Young master, you came to see us so early in the morning, is something wrong?" Lou San asked somewhat nervously.

Wang Feng smiled and waved his hand: "Don't be nervous, it's good news. I've rescued my parents-in-law from the farm, and they're in the yard where Goose lives now. You should quickly call Uncle Lou Yi and Uncle Lou Er to go see my parents-in-law."

"So fast?"

Lou San stared at Wang Feng in shock. Yesterday, Chairman Lou and his wife had just been sent to the farm. He thought Wang Feng hadn't even left yet and had come to discuss the rescue details with him. He didn't expect that they had already been rescued.

Wang Feng laughed and said nonchalantly, "It's not that fast. My parents-in-law have been working on the farm all afternoon, and I was prepared. It's only natural to rescue them now. It's no big deal."

Upon hearing this, Lou San's attitude towards Wang Feng became even more respectful. This mysterious son-in-law was truly amazing; he could easily rescue people from a farm guarded by armed forces. Lou San admired Wang Feng immensely.

When Wang Feng told him that he could rescue Chairman Lou and his wife as soon as they arrived at the farm, he was somewhat skeptical, as it seemed too incredible. Now, however, he realized that it was indeed a bit unbelievable, and he was truly impressed by his son-in-law's strength.

"Uncle Lou, what are you daydreaming about? Go and call someone!"

Seeing Lou San in a daze, Wang Feng reminded him again, saying that he didn't have that much time to waste here.

"Oh, oh, please wait a moment, sir, I'll go and get someone right away."

Lou San snapped out of his daze and hurriedly ran back to the house.

Before long, Lou Yi and Lou Er rushed out of the house.

"Hello, son-in-law."

"Hello, son-in-law."

The two were very polite to Wang Feng, greeting him as soon as they met.

Wang Feng nodded slightly and said with a smile, "Uncle Lou Yi, Uncle Lou Er, Uncle Lou San should have already told you about it, right? If you don't have anything important to do right now, come with me to meet my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

"Yes, son-in-law."

The two nodded excitedly in agreement, and each pushed a bicycle out the door.

The three of them rode two bicycles; Lou Er carried Lou Yi on the back, while Lou San rode alone on another bicycle.

Wang Feng rode in front, with the three following closely behind. However, Wang Feng was riding his bicycle too fast. Lou San could keep up by himself, but Lou Er was struggling. He was carrying Lou Yi and it was difficult for him to keep up with Wang Feng and Lou San ahead.

It took the four of them another twenty minutes or so to get back to No. 28 Nanluoguxiang.

Wang Feng welcomed the three into the courtyard, closed the courtyard gate, and led them to the living room.

When they saw Lou Bancheng and Tan Yali unharmed, sitting in the living room drinking tea, the three of them had tears in their eyes and hurriedly stepped forward, bowing deeply to Lou Bancheng and Tan Yali.

"Chairman Lou, Madam."

Lou Bancheng and Tan Yali had already finished showering and changed into normal clothes. After eating, showering, and changing clothes, both of them were full of energy again.

Lou Bancheng was wearing a Zhongshan suit that Wang Feng had bought before, but it was brand new and he had never worn it even once.

Tan Yali was wearing the same clothes that Lou Xiao'e had worn, a Lenin suit. She looked younger and prettier than before, but she seemed a little awkward wearing it.

Lou Bancheng looked at Lou San and the other two. The three of them had not heard the order and kept their backs bent, not daring to straighten up.

Lou Bancheng walked up to the three of them, patted them on the shoulders, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, very good, very good! Lou Yi, Lou Er, Lou San, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. I was caught when I failed recently, and you all had all my wealth, yet not one of you betrayed me. I'm very gratified."

"Get up. I've told you so many times, I consider you my close friends, there's no need for so many formalities."

The three straightened up, and Lou Yi said, "Chairman Lou, propriety cannot be disregarded. We grew up in the Lou family since childhood, and our lives were given to us by the Lou family. How could we dare to betray Chairman Lou?"

"Alright, alright, sit down and have a cup of tea. Let's discuss our next steps."

Lou Bancheng waved his hand, gesturing for the three to sit down. Lou Xiao'e poured a cup of tea for each of them, and then Lou Bancheng let out a long sigh.

"We've taken such a big tumble this time. Chairman Chen has taught me a lesson. We've gotten a bit too cocky lately."

"Lou San, tell me, what businesses do we still have that haven't been monetized?"

"Yes, Chairman Lou."

Lou San pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Some time ago, we converted all the assets that could be liquidated into small and large yellow croakers. Now, all that's left are the shares in the steel rolling mill, some shares in other factories, and some courtyards and shops that can't be liquidated."

Lou Bancheng nodded, feeling very reluctant to part with it, especially the steel rolling mill. It was the culmination of his years of hard work and gradual development to reach its current scale. It was truly heartbreaking to see it gone.

With a sigh, Lou Bancheng said in a deep voice, "Let's forget about these. Lou San, what happened to the servants we disbanded from the Lou family?"

"Chairman Lou, ever since you and your wife were arrested, your son-in-law told us that he would rescue you and then we would go to Hong Kong together. After that, I told the Lou family's former servants to find their own way and that they no longer had to live in the courtyard under your name to prevent them from being implicated. However, I have already given them a lot of resettlement allowance, so there is no need to worry."

"Okay, that's good. After we've liquidated all the assets that can be converted into cash, how much gold do we still have?" Lou Bancheng asked again.

After thinking for a moment, Lou San said, "Chairman Lou, we currently have a total of 1990 large yellow croakers and 900 small yellow croakers, totaling 1243 jin."