Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Liu Guangqi's wife (fiancée) is named You Hongjuan, and part of the matter has already been handled.

Zhang Dabiao also admired Liu Guangqi's courage, trusting me so much.

What if I change my mind?

First, You Hongjuan sold her workstation. It was originally difficult to get a cadre position, but the factory director had a relative who wanted to get into the factory. It should be said that there are always people who want to get into the factory, even if it's just an ordinary position.

The procedures were completed this morning.

Zhang Dabiao needed to go to the factory to transfer the warehouse manager's position to You Hongjuan, since she was currently pregnant and the position was easy and suitable.

After having the baby, I'll try to pull some strings and get back into a cadre position. That would be best, but if not, I can work in the factory's women's federation for a few years.

These are not things Zhang Dabiao needs to worry about. Cats have their ways and mice have theirs. You Hongjuan's vocational school diploma is the best stepping stone. As for the rest, it depends on Liu Guangqi's connections and the gifts he brings when he visits.

Back at the courtyard house, they picked out some "gifts" from Zhang Dabiao's house: two jin of meat and half a jin of tea. The meat was priced at 1.2 yuan per jin, and the tea was Xinyang Maojian. Liu Guangqi thought it was too extravagant to bring Tieguanyin, so the tea was priced at 5 yuan per liang. In total, they gave Zhang Dabiao 27.4 yuan. Even close brothers should keep their accounts clear.

Liu Guangqi also prepared two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes and two bottles of Tai liquor.

Then I met up with You Hongjuan, and we went to the steel rolling mill together. The matter was settled in half an hour.

Tea leaves—that's about status and face; two pounds of meat—that's hard currency. What more needs to be said?

As for the fact that only family members could fill in for him, Zhang Dabiao said that You Hongjuan was his god-sister!

As long as there was a statement, the personnel department quickly processed his application for a substitute position.

As for transferring her to a management position within the factory, that would require finding a higher-level leader, and it would have to wait until You Hongjuan entered the steel rolling mill. A one-step approach could easily cause problems.

It has to be said that Liu Guangqi is very efficient; he knows who to contact and what to give and how much. If Zhang Dabiao were to come looking for someone to do something, he'd be completely lost, unable to distinguish between valuable and worthless items.

Second, Liu Guangqi then took You Hongjuan home, and then went with Zhang Dabiao to the steel rolling mill's affiliated comprehensive utilization plant, where he met his friend Tian Baocheng and got Zhang Dabiao a job introduction letter.

It's a formal position for a purchasing agent. As long as Zhang Dabiao purchases unplanned materials for the comprehensive utilization plant every month, this letter of introduction can be kept indefinitely. The work is being done; he just hasn't graduated and started working yet. Moreover, temporary purchasing agents don't have a basic salary, so it's not considered receiving a salary without working. Even if an investigation is conducted, the factory won't suffer any losses, so minor violations don't matter much.

As the saying goes, these days, whoever can get their hands on supplies is the boss.

Zhang Dabiao had no idea how much money Liu Guangqi spent to get a permanent position.

However, both were satisfied with exchanging their warehouse management positions for purchasing positions.

Third, the final step was for the neighborhood committee to contact Gai Ziwang.

Once the purpose of their visit was explained, Gai Zi Wang found himself in a bit of a predicament.

"Da Biao, you can exchange your two side rooms for two side rooms, plus that small courtyard. It shouldn't be a problem."

"The area is roughly the same, but the light in the side room is blocked by the covered corridor, the main house and the side rooms of the He family. The lighting in the side room is really poor, so no one has had any interest in that house for so many years."

"Unless part of the covered walkway is demolished, the side room will be pitch black even during the day."

"You'd better think it over carefully. If you want to change, the renovation team under the neighborhood office can do basic repairs for you, and you won't have to pay for it."

Zhang Dabiao nodded quickly: "Change! We have to change. I don't want to be neighbors with the Jia family!"

Director Wang still wanted to persuade him: "Do you really want to buy that yard? The neighborhood committee doesn't have the money to repair abandoned yards, not even enough to repair houses. That's precisely why abandoned yards can be bought and sold. But you'll have to spend a lot of money to build a house later, which isn't worth it."

Without hesitation, Zhang Dabiao asked, "Buy it. If the courtyard can be sold, then we must buy it. Director Wang, just tell me how much that east wing costs?"

Director Wang took out the special housing registration form for Nanluoguxiang and checked it.

"400 square meters, no house, just a stable, it will cost 1200 yuan."

Director Wang was silently calculating in his mind: the yard would cost 1200 yuan, and building two rooms would cost at least 600 yuan, so it would cost 1800 yuan in total just to make it barely habitable...

Wouldn't it be better to use that money to buy a private house elsewhere? A house like He Yuzhu's only costs a little over a thousand yuan.

There are still some properties available if you look around.

Liu Guangqi was just about to ask Zhang Dabiao if he had enough money and if he could help out with some.

Without saying a word, Zhang Dabiao started taking out his money, which he had prepared beforehand.

Twenty large black ten bills were bundled together with rubber bands, making a total of six bundles!

It's only 1200 yuan, that's 3 yuan per square meter! Where else can you find something this cheap?!

1200 yuan bought a 400-square-meter plot of land within the inner ring of Beijing!

If I don't buy it, that would be absolutely outrageous!

Thinking back to the "little nest" I bought at a high price in my later life, it cost nearly 2 yuan per square meter! And it was located in the Third Ring Road of Wuhan.

Zhang Dabiao's heart bled whenever he thought of this.

"Da Biao, where did you get this money?"

Director Wang found it somewhat unbelievable that a little kid would suddenly pull out so much money.

"It was Yi Zhonghai, Yan Bugui, the school, Captain Chen of the security department... these people paid the compensation."

Actually, after paying 1200, he still had more than 400 left. Recently, the compensation money has been flowing in like water. This is called spending other people's money to buy your own yard. He doesn't feel any pain at all.

Director Wang hesitated for a moment, but still patiently explained to Zhang Dabiao.

"Da Biao, I know you and Guang Qi are close, and you want to give him some space, but—"

"Shouldn't there be a first-come, first-served principle when it comes to renting out rooms in our neighborhood office?"

"Guangqi is renting now, but there are many people ahead of him in the queue. Everyone is short of housing right now."

"And only married couples are eligible to rent two rooms; otherwise, they only rent one."

She really wanted to take care of Zhang Dabiao and Liu Guangqi, but rules are rules.

Even if Zhang Dabiao were to move out and free up a house, Liu Guangqi would still have to wait in line.

Liu Guangqi's face fell immediately. His wife's job transfer had already been arranged!

This is ridiculous! You have to wait in line to rent a place now?!

When do I have to go?

"Director Wang, my wife and I are getting married soon. Could you please make an exception?" He really wanted to tell him that his wife was pregnant, but he didn't dare to say it.

Director Wang shook his head helplessly: "Don't even mention getting married right away, even if your child is born today, you'll still have to wait in line."

"Putting everything else aside, the Jia family in your courtyard has been applying for a house for four or five years, and they still don't have one. No matter how much they can't afford to live there, they still have to wait in line."

Liu Guangqi was completely dumbfounded. Marriage wasn't a problem; his wife was on his side. Now that his job was settled, the problem was that without a house, they would have to live with the Liu family.

When the child is born, seven people will be crammed into three side rooms, plus Guangtian and Guangfu are only half-grown boys, and Liu Pangpang has a habit of hitting people...

Liu Guangqi simply couldn't imagine the scene; it felt like the sky was falling!

He looked helplessly at Zhang Dabiao: "Dabiao, what... what should we do?"

Zhang Dabiao frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly had an idea.

"That's no big deal!"

"Guangqi, sign a rental agreement with me first."

"What?"

"You rent two rooms in my house, together for 5 yuan a month, for a 5-year lease."

"That adds up to 300 yuan."

"My house is privately owned, so I can rent it out myself, right?"

"Then, after we sign the rental contract, I will exchange the house and buy the yard with the neighborhood office, preferably a day later."

"Only when the neighborhood office has renovated the side room and I move into it will my original two side rooms be considered as the neighborhood office's houses."

"Because you paid the rent a long time ago, and the rental was done before you moved, the rent and the tenant were transferred to the neighborhood office together. At that time, I can just pay the rent back to the neighborhood office, so the neighborhood office won't lose anything."

"That means you've bypassed the rule of queuing with the neighborhood committee to rent a place. It's legal and reasonable, and nobody can find fault with that!"

"Perfect!"