Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

The next day, Lin Weidong had just finished get off work and arrived at the gate of the compound when he was stopped by Yan Bugui, who had been waiting there.

Yan Bugui wore a fawning smile and lowered his voice, saying, "Weidong, Weidong, I have something to discuss with you. Would you like to come to my house for a bit?"

Looking at his mysterious appearance, Lin Weidong had already guessed seven or eight parts of what was going on.

He didn't say anything and followed Yan Bugui into the room.

Jia Yanbu poured Lin Weidong a bowl of plain water, rubbed his hands together, and sat down opposite him, his smile becoming even more lewd.

"Weidong, look at your fishing skills! They're amazing! You catch almost half a bucketful in one go. I was thinking... could you teach me?"

He then added, "You know, my kids haven't had meat in ages. If I learn your skills, I can catch some fish and sell them on the black market to help support the family, right?"

Lin Weidong picked up his water glass, took a sip, and said nothing, only tapping the table lightly with his fingers.

Yan Bugui gritted his teeth as he looked at him, took out a crumpled fifty cents from his pocket, and handed it to Lin Weidong: "Weidong, look at this little something, don't think it's too little."

Lin Weidong glanced at the 50 cents, put down his water glass, and made a move to get up.

"Hey! Don't go!" Yan Bugui cried out anxiously, grabbing him tightly, his heart aching with pain.

He gritted his teeth, pulled a cloth bag from under the bed, unfolded it layer by layer, took out five yuan, and tremblingly handed it over: "Weidong, is this amount... alright?"

Lin Weidong then stopped, took the money and stuffed it into his pocket, finally showing some expression on his face.

He cleared his throat and began slowly and deliberately:

"Fishing is all about the right time, the right place, and the right people..."

He spoke in great detail, and Yan Bugui's eyes lit up as he listened. He took out a small notebook and began to write furiously, afraid of missing a single word.

Finally, Lin Weidong casually added, "Third Uncle, if you catch any fish, why not show them off in the yard?"

"Especially Liu Haizhong's family. They're struggling financially right now. If you bring fish home every day, he'll definitely be envious."

"When the time comes, just say that you learned this technique from a master at a high price, and the fishing rod is also specially made. If he wants to learn, make him pay for the technique and the fishing rod. You're guaranteed to make a fortune."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui slapped his thigh.

He thought to himself, "That's right! Liu Haizhong is short of money right now. If we can squeeze some money out of him, we can recoup the five yuan tuition fee!"

He immediately exclaimed, "Brilliant! Weidong, you're brilliant! I'll listen to you, Third Uncle!"

Lin Weidong smiled, said nothing more, and got up to take his leave.

He knew perfectly well that Yan Bugui, with his character, would definitely handle this matter perfectly, while Liu Haizhong, with his eagerness for quick success and instant benefits, was destined to fall into trouble.

The next morning, Yan Bugui, carrying fermented corn and his old fishing rod, went to the moat with great excitement.

Following Lin Weidong's method, he chose a fishing spot near the aquatic plants and scattered corn as bait. Before long, the float moved, and he hurriedly lifted the rod, actually catching a half-pound crucian carp.

This delighted Yan Bugui, and he caught a whole small bucket full of fish in the next half day.

When he got home, he deliberately walked around the courtyard house, making a loud "clattering" sound with the fish bucket, which attracted the attention of the neighbors.

Sure enough, Liu Haizhong was squatting at his doorstep smoking when he saw the bucket of lively fish and his eyes widened.

For the next few days, Yan Bugui returned home laden with spoils every day, and he would always make a point of loitering around Liu Haizhong's house.

Liu Haizhong finally couldn't hold back any longer. That evening, he stopped Yan Bugui, who was carrying a bucket of fish.

He forced a smile: "Old Yan, your fishing skills are getting better and better. Could you teach me?"

Yan Bugui was waiting for these words, and he immediately put on a troubled look and sighed.

"Old Liu, it's not that I don't want to teach you, but I spent fifty yuan to learn this technique from a master craftsman in the south of the city. He specifically told me not to pass it on to anyone."

"Besides, my fishing rod is specially made and has high sensitivity, which is incomparable to ordinary fishing rods."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong became even more eager and quickly asked, "How much will it cost? Just name a price, and I'll pay!"

Yan Bugui feigned generosity and said, "The technical fee is twenty-five yuan, consider it a joint investment between the two of us. This fishing rod of mine is old, three yuan for you, making it twenty-eight yuan in total! Not a penny less!"

Liu Haizhong felt a sharp pang of pain at the thought of paying twenty-eight yuan, but the idea of ​​catching fish to earn money made him grit his teeth and agree.

He went home and gave Yan Bugui eight yuan in exchange for the so-called "secret recipe" and the old fishing rod.

Yan Bugui was overjoyed to receive the money, but he didn't teach him any real skills at all.

He had a plan in mind: if he taught Liu Haizhong how to fish, wouldn't everyone in the courtyard go fishing? How many fish were there in the moat? How would he make money then?

Liu Haizhong believed it to be true and went to the moat excitedly the next day.

Following Yan Bugui's method, they tried until dark, but not only did they not catch any fish, but the float barely moved. The next few days were also fruitless.

He squatted by the river, watching Yan Bugui catch one fish after another, and gradually became suspicious.

That evening, he saw Yan Bugui return with the fish bucket again and immediately realized that he had been tricked by Yan Bugui!

Liu Haizhong was furious and immediately stopped Yan Bugui.

He grabbed Yan Laoxi by the collar and roared, "Old Yan! You dare to cheat me! That lousy technique couldn't catch any fish at all! Give me my money back!"

Yan Bugui turned pale with fright, but stubbornly insisted, "I'm not lying to you! You just haven't mastered the techniques! Fishing is all about understanding!"

"Understanding my foot! If you don't return the money today, I'll tear your house down!"

Yan Bugui was frightened by his fierce appearance, but he was reluctant to give up the money.

He suddenly lay down on the ground, clutching his stomach and wailing, "He hit me! Liu Haizhong hit me! My back hurts so much! If you don't pay my medical bills, I'll report you to the neighborhood committee!"

This left Liu Haizhong stunned.

He knew Yan Bugui was cunning, but he didn't expect him to be such a scoundrel. If things escalated to the neighborhood committee, he was sure to suffer the consequences.

The neighbors gathered around and started pointing and whispering.

Seeing this, Yan Bugui cried even harder: "Everyone, be the judge! Liu Haizhong can't learn any skills, so he beats people! My back is probably going to break!"

Liu Haizhong was caught in a bind. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out three yuan from his pocket and threw it at Yan Bugui: "Consider myself unlucky! Here, take this money and get lost!"

As soon as Yan Bugui saw the money, he immediately stopped feeling pain. He got up, picked up the money, dusted himself off, and went home triumphantly.

Watching his retreating figure, Liu Haizhong could only spit out a curse: "Old Yan! You just wait!"

All of this was observed by Lin Weidong, who was standing at his own door. A smile appeared on his lips as he turned and went back inside.