The sky collapsed, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself transported to Nanluoguxiang.

A crisp "snap" sound and a scream came from outside the courtyard.

Zhao Zhengping, Zhao Zhengliang, Zhao Zhengqiang, and Zhao Yu all shuddered.

Seeing their expressions, Hu Laoliu grinned and said, "Brothers, you guys are too timid! If you're in this line of work, you have to be ruthless, otherwise, anyone can bully you."

"Sixth Brother is right!" Zhao Zhengping forced a smile.

The other three didn't dare to breathe and could only nod frantically.

"Alright, Brother Hu Liu, stop scaring them."

Li Kaixin tried to smooth things over, turning to Zhao Zhengping, "Brother, is there anything else? If not, I'll be going now."

"This..." Zhao Zhengping glanced at Hu Laoliu cautiously.

"Don't worry!" Li Kaixin reassured him, "Brother Hu Liu is only ruthless to outsiders; you're one of us now!"

"Brother Zhou is right, just say what you want." Old Hu immediately chimed in.

Seeing that the two had already said so, Zhao Zhengping didn't hesitate any longer: "Brother Zhou, next time I'd like to add another hundred, preferably all one hundred chickens. What do you think of your place?"

"Okay!" Li Kaixin nodded slightly.

Seeing this, Zhao Zhengping finally smiled and said, "Then you go ahead with your work, I'm all done here."

Hu Laoliu watched with a smile, and only spoke after the two finished talking: "Brother Zhou, is everything finished here? What do you think?"

Li Kaixin nodded slightly and gestured for them to continue walking: "Brother Hu Liu, let's talk as we walk!"

The two walked out of the courtyard side by side. Tie Dan, whom Hu Laoliu had just dealt with, and one of his henchmen were already waiting outside.

Tie Dan, still holding a blood-stained wooden stick, grinned and reported, "Boss, that kid's leg is broken, and he's been dumped in the alley."

"Alright, you guys go ahead. Brother Zhou and I have some serious business to discuss." Old Hu waved his hand.

The henchmen responded and disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.

Old Hu stopped laughing and his tone became serious: "Brother Zhou, are you really planning to cooperate with those guys in the courtyard long-term?"

"What's wrong, Brother Hu Liu? Do you have any advice for me?" Li Kaixin asked, turning her head to look at him without stopping.

"I wouldn't presume to offer guidance," Old Hu said after a moment's thought.

"Those who do business in the courtyard are the most likely to get into trouble. And look at their audacity, if they get caught by the higher-ups, they might just implicate you."

Li Kaixin's smile behind the mask froze, and a chill suddenly ran down her spine.

If the transaction were to take place in the courtyard, and something were to happen to Zhao Zhengping one day, he wouldn't even have anywhere to run away when he came to deliver the goods. Things had been going too well lately, and he hadn't even thought about this problem.

"Thank you, Brother Hu Liu." Li Kaixin said solemnly, already having decided how to trade with Zhao Zhengping and the others next time.

"You're too kind, Brother Zhou."

Hu Laoliu chuckled, then continued in a joking tone, "However, Brother Zhou! It's a bit unethical of you to let them open their business on our turf."

As soon as he said those words, Hu Laoliu regretted it.

Why did he blurt out his innermost thoughts so quickly? He nervously watched Li Kaixin's reaction, afraid that the person in front of him would get angry.

Li Kaixin paused, glancing sideways at Hu Laoliu. Upon reflection, he realized he had indeed broken the rules; after all, he understood the saying "rivals in the same trade are enemies."

When Hu Laoliu saw him stop, his heart skipped a beat, and he was about to explain.

Li Kaixin spoke first, his tone frank: "Brother Hu Liu, you're right, I did indeed overthink it."

"Well, since you're bringing a large quantity this time, I'll give you a discount, how about that?"

"Really? How much?" Old Hu's eyes lit up.

Li Kaixin gestured forward, "Brother Hu Liu, let's walk and talk slowly!"

The two then walked and talked, their figures quickly disappearing at the alley entrance.

After Li Kaixin and Hu Laoliu left with their group in the courtyard, Zhao Zhengliang, Zhao Zhengqiang, and Zhao Yu collapsed to the ground.

Only Zhao Zhengping managed to stand, his face pale but still able to stand.

After a while, Zhao Yu, still shaken, said, "Uncle Zhengping, this was too dangerous. Why don't we just sell these and stop?"

Although he likes money, he has to be alive to spend it, and his family is not short of money now.

Zhao Zhengqiang and Zhao Zhengliang nodded in agreement, their faces showing lingering fear.

"Too late!" Zhao Zhengping sighed. "If you can endure being like Zhao Wu, or even worse, then you might as well quit."

"Really? We just don't want to do it anymore, what else can we do?" Zhao Yu was somewhat skeptical.

"That's right, I think Brother Zhou and that Sixth Brother are quite familiar with each other, what can they do to us?" Zhao Zhengqiang chimed in.

Zhao Zhengping shook his head and gave a wry smile:

"If we stop cooperating with Brother Zhou, why should he protect us? Besides, we've been robbing those black market people; do you think they'll let us off the hook?"

Upon hearing this, the three of them turned even paler.

"Then, so we can only continue like this?" Zhao Yu swallowed.

"That's right!" Zhao Zhengping nodded, then added reassuringly, "But it's not all bad. At least we have someone to rely on now."

He paused, looked around at the three of them, and said, "Let's not stay here any longer, let's get to work!"

Zhao Yu and the other two exchanged glances and stood up resignedly.

......

The next morning, Li Kaixin got up early, carrying two hundred catties of fine grains he had taken from the secret space, and headed towards the courtyard house at No. 93.

Around midnight, after trading the remaining chickens, ducks, rabbits, and chicken and duck eggs with Hu Laoliu, he came straight back.

In the 93rd courtyard, Li Kaixin's parents also got up.

The father, Li Mingde, was squatting by the sink washing up when he saw his eldest son approaching carrying a large bag.

He wiped the water from his face and couldn't help but ask, "Kaixin, what are you carrying? Such a big bag!"

"Dad, it's fine grain!" Li Kaixin put the bag down next to the bicycle. "I forgot to tell you two yesterday that there will probably be a banquet in the village when we go back this time."

Father Li Mingde was taken aback: "When did this happen? How come I didn't know about it?"

Li Kaixin then recounted in detail his encounter with Uncle Li Cheng at the Red Star Commune.

Just as she finished speaking, their mother, Qin Xiuli, came out of the main room and greeted the two of them, "Mingde, Kaixin, come in and eat quickly, we still need to get going!"

"Coming!" Li Kaixin responded and walked towards the main house.

At this moment, Li Mingde, the father, did not hear his wife's words at all, and was still thinking about what had just happened.

His mother, Qin Xiuli, walked over and waved her hand in front of him: "Mingde, what's wrong with you? Why are you spacing out?"

When the father, Li Mingde, came to his senses, his face still showing disbelief, he looked at his wife and repeated what his eldest son had just said.

After breakfast, Li Mingde, the father, tied two large baskets to the sides of the bicycle.

Li Kaixin helped put the prepared refined grains, dried meat, and dairy products into the basket.

After the family of five finished packing, Li Kaixin, with his younger brother and sister on his back and his father carrying his mother and two large baskets of things, left the courtyard and rode towards the village.