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

"We have no choice but to leave."

"But how can I transfer so many of my properties? The higher-ups are keeping a close eye on us, and we can't leave at all!" To be honest, even if they sell a shop now, someone from above will come and ask why they're selling it. The subtext is, are you planning to transfer your assets and run away?

Apart from selling it to the government at an extremely low price, no one dared to take it over.

"That's your problem, it has nothing to do with me, and there's nothing I can do to help."

"Uncle Lou, you can't gain something without giving something up, can you?" Zhang Dabiao sighed. Which is more important, life or money? Is there even a question?

"But I donated the steel rolling mill! I'm from the red camp!"

"No matter how 'red' you are, you're still a capitalist, and that's a fact you can't change."

Lou Bancheng fell silent.

"But I was assured by those above..."

"What if even those in power can't protect themselves?"

"Is it that serious? Did your dad calculate that?"

"..."

Zhang Dabiao originally didn't intend to explain further, but for the sake of an apartment in Hong Kong, he still made up a white lie.

"I saw it in my dream the day my father performed the ritual to summon my soul."

I've seen it in later literary works and films, and I've also heard older people mention it.

"I can only tell you that if you don't leave, things will be extremely, extremely, extremely bad..."

Lou Bancheng was still hesitating.

"Uncle Lou, I haven't said a word since I left this door, and I don't recognize anyone."

"Think it over carefully yourself."

"etc."

"Um?"

"Keep that old ginseng root; I need it."

"what?"

"A 15-year-old ginseng isn't worth much. But it's really useful to me, you'll see in a few days. I've already given you a house, why would I need to covet a single ginseng root?"

"Oh……"

------------

Once outside, a gust of wind suddenly jolted Zhang Dabiao awake.

[Holy crap?! We've been tricked!]

[I didn't just get a house, I suddenly found overseas assets of unknown origin?!]

[If Lou Bancheng can't escape then, will he sell me out to gain merit?!]

Zhang Dabiao immediately wanted to turn around and go back to Lou's mansion to get that power of attorney back and tear it up.

But he stopped a moment later.

If things fall apart, the patent will be impossible to obtain. Is it worth it?

Lou Bancheng essentially tied himself to his Lou family with this house.

Zhang Dabiao was almost laughing in anger, but the whole thing was because of his own greed.

As for whether Lou Bancheng will regret not getting the patent or the house after receiving the news...

Let's see in a few days.

Zhang Dabiao really had no choice; all he could say was that capitalists were just too cunning!

Zhang Dabiao admits defeat this time!

If they really change their minds, or if they expose themselves later—then don't blame me for being ruthless.

------------

The next day, September 1, 1960, it was time to go to school.

Zhang Dabiao and Qin Jingru packed their schoolbags early in the morning and went to school with great enthusiasm.

Liu Gen has also started school and is living at school. He Yushui, Xu Xiaoling and others are still in their senior year of high school. Mu Wanqing went to work at the factory, and this week it's her turn to draw the blackboard newspaper.

Everyone is busy with their own things.

Zhang Dabiao and Qin Jingru attended the 21st Middle School in Beijing, located on Jiaodaokou East Street, only 600-700 meters away from Nanluoguxiang.

The two went to the principal's office first. Qin Jingru's transfer to school was arranged in advance by Li Huaide. The ministry had also informed the school about Zhang Dabiao's skipping a grade, so the principal naturally had to inquire about it and offer encouragement.

When the principal learned that Zhang Dabiao had received so many honors, and that the "Exported Small Commodities Manufacturing Plant," "Hongxing Daily Necessities Manufacturing Plant," "Nanluoguxiang Food Processing Company," and the family vertical farming method were all related to this young man in front of him, he was quite surprised.

Such a promising young man!

You must cherish the opportunity the school has given you to skip a grade!

We must win more honors for the school!

Zhang Dabiao has been given one semester, which is the final exam at the end of this year. If he can complete the first semester's final exam for the third year of junior high school and pass, he can skip to the third year of junior high school and study with other students. However, whether he can get into a vocational school or high school depends on his own abilities.

With a little effort, Zhang Dabiao could skip a grade in junior high, but high school would be a bit more difficult.

That was all the school could do. They then led the two to the classroom of Class 3, Grade 7, and assigned them to the very back – they squeezed them in.

Zhang Dabiao, who had already grown to 175 cm tall, stood out from the group of little girls, but it didn't matter. He went to class as usual and left as usual. As for making friends...

I have absolutely nothing in common with these little radish kids.

During recess, lots of snotty-nosed kids would play "chicken fighting," which involved raising one leg, holding it with their hand, and then trying to bump into and push against each other. It was a free-for-all, and whoever's leg got knocked off lost.

On the playground, a group of children were fighting, creating clouds of dust and looking quite professional. A classmate invited Zhang Dabiao to join them and help them get revenge.

But if Zhang Dabiao joined the fight, wouldn't that be bullying people? So naturally he didn't go, he just stood in the corridor watching the little brats fight and yell.

There were also children lying on the ground with their butts sticking out, playing marbles, slapping paper firecrackers, and flipping through picture cards.

In the distance, a few people were inexplicably clinging to their legs on the horizontal bar, slowly sliding down, looking lewd and smug...

Qin Jingru also asked Zhang Dabiao what his classmates were doing.

Zhang Dabiao's face turned black.

These kids are awesome!

Everyone was dismissed from school at noon, which confused Zhang Dabiao.

To get to school, he and Qin Jingru even brought their own lunchboxes. It turned out that since 1957, the "two-part system" for junior high schools had been widely implemented throughout the city, which simply meant that there weren't enough school buildings. "Two-part system" classes accounted for 48.94% of all classes in junior high schools, and their junior high school was in the East Fourth District, which was the district with the most "two-part system" classes at the time.

When Zhang Dabiao was in elementary school, the classrooms weren't so crowded, and there were no separate morning and afternoon classes. But in junior high, he unexpectedly encountered a "two-part system"...

Zhang Dabiao was naturally delighted; this was what he called reducing the burden of education!

Studying for half a day and playing for half a day—how great is that!

But isn't this one of the reasons why there are so many stalkers on the streets?

Some students went to the family self-study groups organized by the school, so they ate and rested at school at noon, and then studied together at school in the afternoon. Others went to the children's activity centers and youth centers organized by the neighborhood.

As for Zhang Dabiao and Qin Jingru?

Of course, she went back. Qin Jingru even went to the food processing plant in the neighborhood to help earn some extra money. What was there to do with a bunch of little brats?

Zhang Dabiao went to the steel rolling mill to help Mu Wanqing draw the blackboard bulletin.

He registered with the gatekeeper, saying he was looking for Mu Wanqing, and the gatekeeper stared at him with extremely unfriendly eyes.

Zhang Dabiao — [?]

"No fewer than twenty people have come to see Miss Mu this month, from all sorts of organizations. What's going on with you...?"

"The 21st Middle School of Beijing?"

"You're a teacher? You don't look like one."

"I'm a student..."

"That's too old!"

"..." [Will you die if you don't tell the truth?]

"Sir, I really do need to talk to her. I'm her neighbor."

"Just a few days ago, someone claimed to be her cousin! I don't believe him!"

"..."

"I'm her boyfriend, okay?" Zhang Dabiao had no choice but to confess.

The gatekeeper laughed loudly, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! Miss Mu graduated from high school, works in the quality control department, and is the most beautiful girl in our steel rolling mill!"

"And you? You're just a middle school student, how old are you?"

"Has your pubic hair all grown in yet?"

"Kid, if you want to pick up girls, go look somewhere else. This is a steel rolling mill!"

"If you cause trouble here, believe me, the security department will lock you in a dark room!"

"You think you're worthy of being our factory's most beautiful girl's boyfriend?"