Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

Early November, 1958.

Autumn has faded in Beijing, a chilly wind is rising, and the greenery in the streets and alleys has faded. The entire city is immersed in the bustling atmosphere of industrial construction. The rise of China as an industrialized and information-based powerhouse is already underway. The Red Star United Industrial Corporation is innovating and upgrading, new equipment is being put into production, and breakthroughs are being made in various domestic technologies. The whole country is striving for industrial take-off, and the rapid changes are visible to the naked eye.

The courtyard house was now peaceful and quiet, the tension and gloom of the previous assassination attempt at Sha Zhu's wedding banquet and the disturbances caused by enemy agents had dissipated, and the mundane daily life of ordinary people had returned.

In the central courtyard, Sha Zhu and Yu Li's wedding room has been renovated and remodeled, becoming the most eye-catching new-style residence in the entire No. 95 courtyard and even the surrounding alleys.

This originally old two main rooms were completely renovated and rebuilt according to the new renovation plans hand-drawn by Wang Huanbo. Abandoning the old-fashioned courtyard house's shortcomings of being dark, damp, cramped, and lacking independent living areas, the entire house layout was replanned, creating four spacious bedrooms, a bright study, and a separate living room. Most enviable is the house's unique independent bathroom, the only one of its kind in the entire hutong.

The flush toilet and heated bathtub in the bathroom were unique, trendy, and practical wedding gifts that Wang Huanbo specially gave to Sha Zhu. In addition, a viewing balcony was built on the second floor, which is bright, open, and perfect for drying clothes and relaxing. The wiring throughout the house is neat, the walls are moisture-proof, and the layout is square, combining practicality and comfort.

As Wang Huanbo's childhood friend, Sha Zhu's most reliable source of confidence in life largely comes from this brother who has always been there for him and supported him in everything he does. This new house is also a wedding home that Sha Zhu specially built for Yu Li, pouring his heart and soul into it, just to give his wife a decent and stable new home.

Originally, Xu Damao and Qin Jingru's wedding was scheduled after Sha Zhu and Yu Li's, but due to a sudden assassination attempt by spies at the wedding banquet and an attempt to kidnap Lou Xiao'e to coerce Wang Huanbo, Xu Damao's wedding schedule was completely disrupted and the wedding was postponed.

As the storm subsided and the dust settled, Sha Zhu's brand-new wedding room stood quietly in the central courtyard, shining brightly every day, constantly stimulating Xu Damao in the backyard.

The feud between Xu Damao and Shazhu spanned half of their lives from childhood to adulthood. The two had been at odds since they were young, with clashing tempers and neither willing to back down. Often, a casual remark or a trivial matter could immediately escalate into a fight. They were always competing and vying with each other, neither willing to give in.

In the past, they competed on food, craftsmanship, and face. Now, Sha Zhu has risen to the top, living in a unique, modern two-story courtyard house that is the only one of its kind in the entire alley. Its layout, grandeur, and comfort completely overshadow everyone else in the courtyard. This huge gap makes Xu Damao, who is extremely concerned about his image and has a strong competitive spirit, feel both envious and jealous, and his stubbornness of not admitting defeat is completely aroused.

Why should Sha Zhu get to live in a modern wedding room, while Xu Damao and Qin Jingru have to settle for an old, dilapidated house for their wedding?

I absolutely refuse to accept this!

Once he made up his mind, Xu Damao immediately began raising funds. He first went back to his parents' home and, through persistent pleading, managed to coax most of his savings out of his father, Xu Fugui. However, this was far from enough to cover the expenses of the renovation. Although he was usually very frugal, this time he gritted his teeth and went all out, even taking out high-interest loans and selling everything he owned to completely renovate the house in the backyard of his family's house at number 95 into a new two-story house exactly like the ones owned by Shazhu and Yuli.

If you're going to compare, you have to copy everything exactly, down to the last detail.

With the funds in place, Xu Damao shamelessly approached Wang Huanbo.

He knew perfectly well that among all the courtyard houses, only the set of renovation blueprints in Wang Huanbo's hands were the most detailed, reasonable, and modern. Any haphazard modifications by others would only result in something incongruous and would not achieve the desired effect of the wedding room in the central courtyard.

Among all the neighbors in the courtyard, Wang Huanbo was the only one who didn't have any ill feelings towards Xu Damao.

Compared to Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, and their ilk—who are easily swayed, unable to distinguish right from wrong, lazy, and ungrateful—Xu Damao is arguably the most normal, insightful, and law-abiding ordinary person in the original story. Although he is vain, loves to compare himself to others, and is somewhat petty, he never does anything malicious, ungrateful, or despicable. He has principles, knows how to act appropriately, and is clear about right and wrong, as well as the pros and cons.

Therefore, when faced with Xu Damao's anxious yet expectant request, Wang Huanbo readily gave him the complete blueprints for the renovation of the wedding room without reservation.

Not only that, Wang Huanbo also took the initiative to offer Xu Damao a wedding gift of the same standard.

It was exactly the same gift given to Sha Zhu, complete with a new flush toilet, a constant temperature bathtub, a residential solar water heater, and a pressurized shower head.

In this era of scarcity and outdated appliances, such a complete set of modern bathroom appliances is an incredibly valuable gift, something that ordinary families wouldn't even dare to dream of.

This support and kindness deeply moved Xu Damao, filling him with immense gratitude.

Ever since Wang Huanbo returned from his studies in the United States and became the chief engineer of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, wielding core technologies and leading industrial innovation, step by step supporting the rise of China's industrialization and informatization, Xu Damao had deeply admired this promising young neighbor. He had long since deliberately tempered his temper, actively softening his confrontation with Sha Zhu, and trying to befriend Wang Huanbo in every way. Now, receiving this generous gift, he completely suppressed most of his personal grudges against Sha Zhu, and was filled with gratitude and respect.

With the blueprints in hand, the gifts finalized, and the funds secured, Xu Damao didn't dare delay and immediately finalized the selection of construction workers.

Lei Dahai, a descendant of the Lei family of Yangshi Lei, personally led the construction team.

Lei Dahai, as the chief craftsman of the decoration team under the street office, is the best craftsman in Beijing. He has profound skills and exquisite workmanship. The overall renovation of Wang Huanbo's west courtyard and the renovation of Sha Zhu's wedding room in the middle courtyard were both done by him and his apprentices. The quality, craftsmanship and details are impeccable.

Having personally witnessed Lei Dahai's top-notch skills, Xu Damao naturally chose to hire him at a high price to take full charge of the renovation and exquisite decoration of his backyard house.

By early November, the main structure of Xu Damao's two-story new house was completely completed. He was now busy with the interior layout refinement, wall polishing, pipeline laying, and soft furnishing finishing. It would be completely completed in less than half a month, ready for him and Qin Jingru to move in for their wedding.

Under the west courtyard corridor, Wang Huanbo stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the busy construction workers in the backyard and listening to Sha Zhu's cheerful greetings coming from the middle courtyard. The trivialities of neighborly life and the comparisons of new homes within the courtyard were all part of the ordinary human experience. His gaze was calm, but he knew in his heart that beneath this lively and peaceful facade, a test that would sweep the entire country was approaching step by step.

It was November 1958, and only one month remained before the three years of natural disasters (1959-1961) that began in 1959 and swept across the country.

The country is about to face several years of food shortages, crop failures, and scarcity of supplies, plunging countless people into a desperate situation of not being able to eat and struggling to survive.

While others remained oblivious, still immersed in the current construction boom and daily trivialities, only Wang Huanbo had long anticipated the future trends, making plans years in advance, taking each step carefully, and making thorough preparations for disaster prevention and famine relief.

Years earlier, he had remotely instructed the Wang family in the United States via encrypted transoceanic telegrams to initiate a global food stockpiling plan ahead of schedule.

On the one hand, relying on the family's overseas business empire, they have made extensive investments in major agricultural exporting countries in Southeast Asia, contracting grain warehouses, securing grain sources, and stockpiling massive amounts of high-quality rice, with storage capacity sufficient to support large-scale disaster relief. On the other hand, they are making every effort to revitalize the domestic industry in the United States, relying on their own large-scale chain farms covering tens of thousands of acres to continuously produce abundant harvests of the three major staple grains: wheat, corn, and soybeans. At the same time, they are sweeping through the US agricultural wholesale market, purchasing regardless of cost or quantity, and locking in warehouses and storing them at constant temperatures.

The massive amount of grain stockpiled this time is huge in quantity, complete in variety, and has a long shelf life. It is more than enough to sustain the country through the most difficult period of the three-year natural disaster. It can not only ensure the safety of China, but also provide disaster relief at critical moments and save countless people from starvation.

Today, the Wang family in the United States is a deeply rooted super-landlord and top-tier capital giant in North America.

The company owns vast private farms spanning thousands of hectares, large-scale breeding bases, and a complete agricultural and livestock industry chain. It boasts expansive land, a large-scale industry, and substantial financial resources. The farms, together with its subsidiaries Carrefour supermarkets, McDonald's restaurants, and Blackwater security company, form a perfectly closed-loop industrial system, providing employment for a large number of Chinese and local residents.

The Wang family treats all its employees exceptionally well, creating a comprehensive and highly attractive social security system.

All employees enjoy generous salaries and comprehensive benefits; their children can attend public schools fully funded by the Wang family free of charge, with tuition and miscellaneous fees waived throughout their studies; any student admitted to university can apply for a full scholarship exclusively from the Wang family, covering all tuition and living expenses for four years of university; after graduation, students will be given priority for recruitment into the Wang family business, directly entering management positions with a promising future and a smooth career path.

With a safety net covering employment, education, and future prospects, the Wang family practically provides for the livelihood of all its employees and their families for life.

This kindness, which is repaid with boundless generosity, has earned the near-unwavering loyalty of all employees and their families. Whether they are native-born whites or Chinese expatriates, they are all proud to be employees of the Royal Family and are sworn to serve them to the death, never to betray them.

The United States does not prohibit gun ownership, and the Wang family tacitly approves and guides its employees and their families to legally carry guns for self-defense. The farm's exclusive patrol team and private militia are all selected and formed from the families of loyal employees, with sufficient combat power, strict discipline, and maximum loyalty.

On the vast private lands of the Wang family, the Wang family were absolute local emperors, possessing supreme autonomy.

Even the US police, state governments, and even high-ranking federal officials are absolutely not qualified to set foot on the Wang family's territory or interfere in internal affairs without the Wang family's personal permission.

This is precisely why both parties in the United States have long sought to win over the Wang family. The Wang family is not only a top capitalist with massive capital and influence over the market, but also a super landowner who controls vast tracts of land and holds a huge number of grassroots votes. Their massive base is enough to sway the local election situation, making them a powerful force that neither party dares to offend and both vie to curry favor with.

Beyond industry and military force, the Wang family also wields deep-rooted influence in overseas underworld and Chinese communities.

Wang Huanbo's cousin, Wang Jinshui, married into the core circle of the Hongmen, marrying Situ Nianhua, the nephew of Hongmen tycoon Situ Meitang. This powerful marriage deeply bound the Wang family to the North American Hongmen, extending their influence, voice, and network of connections to the entire overseas Chinese community.

Many of the Hongmen's family members and children have taken up jobs at Carrefour and McDonald's, two major businesses under the Wang family, ensuring stable employment and a peaceful life. They share in each other's fortunes and losses, forming a deep bond.

Domestically, Wang Huanbo led the country's industrialization and informatization to rise strongly, steadily consolidating the foundation of national strength; internationally, the Wang family's overseas business was deeply rooted, with ample supplies, strong military, and extensive connections.

Inside the courtyard is the warmth of human life, the new homes of neighbors, and the mundane routines of daily life; outside the courtyard is the surging tide of national destiny, the impending storm, and the meticulous planning.

With only a month left until the famine, everything was ready, awaiting only the arrival of the storm. Wang Huanbo stood quietly under the corridor, his eyes calm and undisturbed, his mind brimming with confidence, already certain of victory.