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

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi was furious and immediately jumped up, slapping her thigh.

"Hey, who are you calling names, you surnamed He?!"

"You old scoundrel who abandoned your family, what right do you have to lecture my grandson!"

"Damn it, they're ganging up on us orphans and widows!"

He Daqing sneered, showing no mercy to Jia Zhangshi.

He stood up and kicked the stool behind him away.

He Daqing walked to the table in a few steps, picked up the plate of sliced ​​cured meat he had brought, and then picked up two plates of the main dishes stir-fried by Sha Zhu.

"Zhu Zi, if you want to eat, then stay here and put up with this nonsense. I'm not putting up with this anymore!"

"Rain, on your way!"

After saying that, He Daqing carried the dishes and led He Yushui back to the main house in the central courtyard without looking back, slamming the door shut.

The group of people left at the table stared at each other, the atmosphere extremely awkward.

The old deaf woman sighed, said nothing, and continued eating the few meat dishes on the table. At her age, she didn't want to get involved in these trivial matters; she would eat as much as she could.

Yi Zhonghai also had a gloomy face. He had finally managed to get the relationships between the various families in harmony, but now it was ruined by that little bastard Bang Geng.

An older woman?

It has nothing to do with her. Anyway, she has her goddaughter He Yushui. They treat each other with sincerity and have a good relationship. She doesn't have to worry about taking care of herself in her old age.

Seeing that no one was speaking up for her and the atmosphere had reached this point, Jia Zhangshi could no longer continue wailing.

Qin Huairu was so angry that she trembled all over and slapped Banggeng on the back.

Back at the Jia family home that evening, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi took turns scolding Banggeng for being so ignorant.

Madam Jia is now truly terrified. She knows perfectly well what would have become of her family without Sha Zhu's help.

Stubborn to the end, Bang shouted, "I don't want to!" and slammed the door shut as he ran out.

There was another chaotic scene in the courtyard in the middle of the night. Yi Zhonghai led his men to search for the culprit, flashlight in hand.

Zhang Dabiao heard everything clearly in the east courtyard, then turned over and went back to sleep.

He's such an ingrate, we've spoiled him rotten.

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

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, everyone gets up to exchange New Year's greetings and visit each other's homes.

Zhang Dabiao hopped onto the gleaming sidecar motorcycle.

Qin Jingru sat in the back of the truck, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat and holding a pile of gifts, while Mu Wanqing sat in the back seat wearing a brand-new red woolen coat.

With the roar of the engine, the three headed straight for Qinjiatun in Changping.

First, Zhang Dabiao paid his respects to his master, Qin Dingsong, for the New Year. He then sparred with his master a few times at the threshing ground. Although he got a beating, his improved martial arts skills pleased the old man greatly.

Having achieved minor mastery of Hongmen Iron Wire Fist and Chasing Wind Step, I dare not say I have great abilities, but I can certainly protect myself and escape.

Qin Dingsong also said that when Zhang Dabiao has mastered the art, he will find someone to teach him Bajiquan. The current Zhang Dabiao has a very fiery temper, and he is afraid that Zhang Dabiao will kill someone.

Early on the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Dabiao took Mu Wanqing to Zhangjiatun in Zhangzhen, Shunyi District, again. She was his fiancée, so naturally he had to bring her along. They went to Zhang Banxian's grave to pay respects to their ancestors. They had been too busy before the New Year to come back to pay respects to their ancestors, but with the Zhang brothers, Zhang Maoshan and Zhang Maosheng, continuing the ceremony, Zhang Banxian wouldn't be without incense and paper money.

It wasn't until the evening of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year that the two of them returned to the courtyard house, travel-worn. Qin Jingru had already returned on her own on the third day.

Zhang Dabiao parked the car and had just stepped into the passageway of the main room.

In the dark corner, Banggeng was staring intently at the lit window of Zhang Dabiao's house.

He clenched his fists, his lips moved, and his eyes were full of resentment, as if he were muttering something viciously.

This little ingrate now likes to hide in corners, stare at people, and mutter to himself. He's been seen doing this many times, and it's really creepy.

Especially late at night, if you're walking along and someone is hiding in a corner, it can scare you to death.

Of course, he didn't do anything too outrageous, so it wasn't right for everyone to grab him and beat him up, because that would be bullying an orphan and a widow.

Aside from being startled, I didn't see Bang Geng do anything else, and I just assumed it was because the child had a gloomy personality, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

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

As February arrived, the winds of change began to blow in Beijing.

Although the temperature was still below zero, there were noticeably more police officers patrolling the streets and alleys.

That day, Zhang Dabiao rode his bicycle slowly to the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

The heating in Director Zhao's office was on full blast, and there was a pot of broken tea leaves steeping on the table.

As soon as Zhang Dabiao entered, he handed over two large Qianmen cigarettes and sat down on the sofa with practiced ease.

There's no need for formalities between him and Director Zhao; if Zhang Dabiao gets into trouble, Director Zhao won't be able to escape either.

If Director Zhao gets into trouble, the higher-ups will still investigate Zhang Dabiao's accounts.

After all, it allowed an ordinary person to register a patent in Hong Kong and earn over a million dollars through the connections of capitalist Lou Bancheng.

Although this matter is beneficial to the country, but...

If you really investigate, there are many unreasonable aspects to it.

Director Zhao put the cigarettes in the drawer, closed the door tightly, and looked much more serious than usual.

"Da Biao, be more discreet in your behavior lately."

"A working meeting is about to be held at the higher-ups; the internal documents have already been circulated over the past few days."

"The key is to launch the 'Five Antis' campaign to oppose corruption, theft, speculation, and other such scoundrels."

"In particular, the crackdown on speculation and profiteering in market trade in large and medium-sized cities is very strict."

Zhang Dabiao paused for a moment while holding the teacup.

He remained outwardly calm, but his mind was racing with calculations.

My current assets are indeed substantial, and I have a share of most of the resources.

However, the grain transfer station at Lishuiqiao Teahouse, if strictly investigated, is somewhat overstepping the line.

If someone with malicious intent were to use this to their advantage, it would be no laughing matter.

"Director Zhao, you need to see beyond the surface to the essence of this matter."

"All the foreign exchange and supplies we acquire, aren't they all meant to generate foreign exchange for the country and to meet the ministry's targets?"

"But don't worry, I know what I'm doing and I won't cause you any trouble."

Zhang Dabiao put down his teacup and replied with a grin.

After leaving the Ministry of Foreign Trade, Zhang Dabiao hopped on his sidecar motorcycle and sped off towards Lishuiqiao Village.

It's inappropriate for it to suddenly "appear" from the backyard in broad daylight; it's a bit scary.

Inside the teahouse, Grandpa Qin Youcheng sat on a long bench by the entrance, smoking a pipe.

After parking his car, Zhang Dabiao strode inside, closed the door, and then called Qin Youcheng, Qin Dashan, and Qin Dahe to the backyard.

Uncle Cheng is the gatekeeper here, and Qin Huairu and Qin Jingru's father take turns on duty here. They just happened to be here today to hand over the duties, so they are both here.

"Uncle Cheng, Uncle Dashan and Uncle Dahe, the situation has changed."

Zhang Dabiao lit a cigarette, his tone unusually serious.

"The city is about to launch the Five Anti-Corruption Campaign, and the crackdown on speculation and profiteering will be very strict."

"Starting today, the teahouse will suspend all private, scattered transactions, including the private collection of mountain products from the surrounding community."

"Especially antiques, small yellow croakers, calligraphy and paintings—these must be stopped; we'll deal with them again once the heat dies down."

"All the supplies coming in and going out are handled in conjunction with their team, with invoices and receipts issued. Our department is the 'Red Star Daily Necessities Manufacturing Plant Purchasing Department'."

"Every transaction must be well-founded and the receipts must be complete and able to withstand scrutiny."

"At this critical juncture, you can never be too cautious!"