Courtyard House: Passing through the Silly Pillar, Activating the Blessed Cave Heaven

34

He put the money back into the suitcase, carried it back to the Wuji Hall, and poured the dollars into the special money box.

After tidying up, He Yuzhu picked up the broken broom and shovel from the cave and returned to the real world.

He first opened the door and carefully cleaned the living room.

If the dust on the ground isn't cleaned up, it's easy to leave footprints when placing the medicine later, which could arouse suspicion.

After cleaning, he immediately returned to the cave to move the goods—two hundred boxes of penicillin had been packed onto five wooden pallets, and with just five transfers, all the medicines were neatly stacked in the room in the real world.

After settling the two hundred boxes of penicillin, He Yuzhu left the room and locked the door with the newly bought brass lock.

He buried the key in the soil under the jujube tree in the yard and placed a blue brick on top as a marker.

He walked through the alley, turned into a phone booth on the street corner, and exchanged some phone coins with passersby.

When inserting the coin, He Yuzhu took out the crumpled piece of paper and dialed Cui Zhongshi's number on it.

"Feed?" A female voice suddenly came through the receiver.

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment before he remembered that a manual transfer was required.

"Please transfer me to the office of Director Cui Zhongshi of the Beiping Branch of the Central Bank."

After a moment of silence, a familiar voice rang out: "I am Cui Zhongshi."

"Mr. Cui, someone asked me to pass on a message to you," He Yuzhu said in a low voice. "The item is in the courtyard at No. 27 Shaojiu Hutong. The key is buried under the jujube tree." He hung up the phone before the other party could respond.

After leaving the phone booth, He Yuzhu headed straight for the vegetable market.

The staff at the management office looked him up and down a few times before leading him through the noisy stalls.

"Mr. Huang, someone is looking for you."

In the smoke-filled inner room, a lean man lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), puffing away, his head resting on the maid's lap.

"What is it?"

"My master is seriously ill and needs fresh bamboo roots for medicine," He Yuzhu said, bowing respectfully. "I've heard that you, Master Huang, have many connections..."

"The thing in the south—" Old Huang exhaled a smoke ring and waved his hand, "A-Biao, take him to see Da Shan."

A burly man in a blue cloth shirt led He Yuzhu into the adjacent room.

Da Shan asked He Yuzhu what items he needed to buy, and He Yuzhu said he wanted to buy some fresh bamboo roots.

After Da Shan recorded his needs in detail and confirmed the quantity, He Yuzhu explained that he wanted twenty one-foot-long sticks.

After calculation, Dashan quoted a total price: three silver dollars.

He Yuzhu immediately took out three silver dollars from his pocket and handed them to Dashan.

After receiving payment, Dashan issued a delivery receipt to He Yuzhu, instructing him to keep it safe and to pick up the goods seven days later with this receipt.

After checking the note on the receipt which stated "twenty fresh bamboo roots, one foot long", He Yuzhu folded the receipt and put it away.

"Uncle Shan, I wonder if we can buy some wild game here?"

"Tell me, what kind of creatures do you want? Flying in the sky, running on the ground, swimming in the water—as long as the price is right, Master Huang can get you anything."

"I'm thinking of buying a hive of bees soon. I'd also like to ask if it's possible to get roe deer, sika deer, gazelles, and bamboo rats this season."

"We can arrange the honey for you anytime. Although the supply of the other items is a bit tight, it's not impossible to solve. We can discuss the specifics when you need them."