Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

Li Zhenhua put down the porcelain and looked calmly at Lou Bancheng.

"I see your sincerity. Your abilities are also quite usable. Now you know what to do next, right?"

"I know! I know!"

Lou Bancheng bent down even lower.

"From now on, the entire Lou family will follow Director Li's lead without exception! We will have no disloyalty whatsoever!"

Seeing Lou Bancheng's fearful and apprehensive appearance, Li Zhenhua knew that this "loyalty test" had achieved its best results.

This not only initially verified the value of the Lou family's overseas assets and Lou Bancheng's capabilities, but also thoroughly intimidated Lou Bancheng through a meticulously planned "accident" and a thunderous resolution, making him dare not waver or have any disloyal thoughts.

Li Zhenhua nodded slightly.

"Go down. Don't contact me without my orders. If I need you to do anything, I'll have someone tell you."

"Yes, yes, I understand, I understand!"

Lou Bancheng felt as if he had been granted a pardon and bowed as he withdrew.

In the study, Li Zhenhua picked up the hot tea that Xiaomei had just brewed, took a sip, and a cold, stern smile appeared on his lips, as if he had everything under control.

We've secured a preliminary connection with the Lou family.

Another crucial move has been made in this grand game.

With the Lou family's secretive and efficient overseas channel as a perfect "white glove," Li Zhenhua no longer had any scruples about his actions.

His long-brewing, ambitious plan could finally be put into full-speed action.

Lou Bancheng offered not only his daughter and family fortune, but also an excellent barrier to rationalize the miraculous output of the "Pinduoduo system".

From then on, the almost unlimited grain and various scarce resources in the system warehouse could be openly and legitimately transferred into Beijing under the guise of "Lou family's secret overseas procurement".

Li Zhenhua first met with his maternal uncle, Liu Dashan.

In an absolutely safe place, he did not reveal the existence of the system, but instead portrayed the Lou family as a family that still had deep roots overseas, cherished their homeland, and was willing to serve the country through special channels.

He claimed that he had by chance gained access to the Lou family and had already established initial trust with them.

"Uncle."

Li Zhenhua's expression was solemn and sincere.

"The Lou family is in a delicate situation right now. They need strong protection from within the country, while we urgently need to break through the external blockade of supplies. This is a mutually beneficial cooperation. Through their network, we can reliably obtain large quantities of food, medicine, and even some key components of embargoed industrial products. The quantities... far exceed our expectations."

Liu Dashan, being a man of great stature, immediately recognized the immense power and political risks involved.

He scrutinized his nephew carefully and asked in a deep voice.

"Zhenhua, are you absolutely sure this channel is reliable? Is the Lou family...trustworthy?"

"The channel is absolutely reliable; I've already tested it with a small transaction."

Li Zhenhua answered confidently.

"As for the Lou family, their lifeline is already in my hands. Xiao'e... is safe in the place I arranged. Lou Bancheng is a smart man; he knows how to ensure the Lou family's survival. We can keep the transactions within a very small circle of knowledge, with me handling the communication. All supplies will enter through a rigorous vetting process. The credit will go to the collective, and the risks will be borne by me and the Lou family."

Liu Dashan pondered for a long time, his eyes gleaming.

He was well aware of the extent of the current shortage of supplies in the country, and that if such a "lifeline" could be opened, its significance would be no less than winning a key battle.

This is not only a tremendous political achievement, but also an excellent bargaining chip for consolidating power.

He looked at Li Zhenhua, and his nephew's methods and boldness amazed him time and time again.

"good!"

Liu Dashan made the final decision.

"This matter is of great importance. I will report to higher authorities to a limited extent and try to secure the highest level of authorization and convenience for you. But remember, be extremely cautious, and make sure every step is taken steadily and cleanly! If you need any support, just contact me."

With Liu Dashan's approval and behind-the-scenes efforts, a special material channel, backed by state power, effectively controlled by Li Zhenhua, and endorsed by the Lou family, was quickly established.

Li Zhenhua began boldly redeeming goods from the "Pinduoduo system".

Initially, it was grain—tens of thousands of tons of high-quality wheat, corn, rice, and even sugar and cooking oil—that was continuously transported to Tianjin Port through the Lou family's "overseas channels," and then received by special personnel and transported to Beijing by special railway trains.

When the first batch of several thousand tons of grain arrived, it caused a huge stir at the highest levels of government.

As these life-saving rations were distributed to some of the most needy industrial sectors and military regions, the name Li Zhenhua began to circulate quietly in certain small circles.

He was no longer the young cadre who relied solely on his father's influence and his own cleverness, but had become a key figure capable of solving urgent problems.

With the channels stabilizing, the types of supplies provided by Li Zhenhua also began to expand.

Some special steels that cannot be produced domestically, precision instrument parts, and even the latest machine tool drawings.

It began to appear on the procurement lists of key national projects.

Several veteran experts from the Ministry of Industry were moved to tears upon seeing these long-awaited materials and technologies, and repeatedly inquired about their origin.

All I received was the reply, "Special channel, confidential."

But the name "Li Zhenhua" is deeply imprinted in their hearts.

Li Zhenhua is very good at leveraging and creating momentum.

He never claimed credit for himself, always emphasizing that the achievement was made possible by the wise decisions of his superiors and the concerted efforts of relevant departments.

But anyone with eyes to see knows that the core hub is this young logistics director of the steel rolling mill.

The resources he controlled gave him extraordinary influence.

In order to secure unplanned material allocations, the heads of various ministries and major factories and mines treated Li Zhenhua with utmost courtesy, and some even tried to curry favor with him.

The courtyard houses in Nanluoguxiang became the absolute embodiment of Li Zhenhua's authority.

Although the people in the courtyard did not know exactly what had happened, they could see that the people who came to find Li Zhenhua were driving increasingly high-end cars and had increasingly extraordinary demeanors.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the others had long since given up on any ideas. They avoided Li Zhenhua whenever they saw him, not even daring to breathe loudly.

After the incident with the stick, Sha Zhu both feared and respected Li Zhenhua. His relationship with Zhao Xiaoyun was developing steadily, and he dared not do anything rash.

Qin Huairu managed the guesthouse very well, becoming one of Li Zhenhua's eyes and ears in the factory, and she was completely devoted to Li Zhenhua.

Under Li Zhenhua's shadow, the entire courtyard house presented an unusual "harmony" and silence.

The No. 7, Jia, Lingjing Hutong became Li Zhenhua's true haven of pleasure and secret command post.

Here, he enjoyed the gentle service of Lou Xiao'e, Xiao Ju, and Xiao Mei, and strategized to determine the flow of countless scarce resources.

After experiencing initial fear and struggle, Lou Xiao'e gradually accepted reality and even began to rely on the feeling of being protected by a powerful man, carefully managing this small "home".

Lou Bancheng diligently played the role of a "white glove," using his remaining connections to handle some overt procedures and "launder" the goods that Li Zhenhua had exchanged through the system.

Because of this channel, although the Lou family dared not make a big fuss, their strength and influence were quietly recovering. At least, no one dared to easily touch them anymore, because even when beating a dog, one must consider its owner.

The turning point came at a high-level meeting.

Due to two consecutive years of natural disasters, food supplies in several important industrial bases are about to be interrupted, workers are at risk of starvation, and production is seriously threatened.

The leaders of the Ministry of Industry were in a state of great distress and raised this serious issue at the meeting.

Just then, Liu Dashan glanced at Li Zhenhua, who was attending the meeting, and calmly began to speak.

"Regarding the food issue, perhaps we could ask Comrade Li Zhenhua of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill for a solution. He has previously helped some units resolve difficulties through special channels."

All eyes immediately focused on Li Zhenhua.

Li Zhenhua calmly stood up and said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Thank you for your trust, sir. We have indeed been working hard to expand our channels. If the organization needs it, I can find a way to procure fifty tons of grain in the short term to urgently support our brother units."

"Fifty tons?"

The meeting room erupted in uproar.

This was an astronomical figure at the time.

The leaders of the Ministry of Industry stood up excitedly.

"Comrade Li Zhenhua, are you telling the truth? Fifty tons? In the short term?"

"Yes, sir."

Li Zhenhua answered affirmatively.

"Although the difficulties are great, for the sake of national development, our steel rolling mill's logistics department will do everything in its power to ensure the mission is completed!"

After the meeting, Li Zhenhua immediately exchanged the grain through the "system" and "operated" through the Lou family's channels. In just one week, fifty tons of high-quality grain miraculously appeared in the designated warehouse.

This move saved several key industrial projects and stabilized public sentiment.

The leaders of the Ministry of Industry were deeply grateful and personally petitioned higher authorities to commend Li Zhenhua.

In view of Li Zhenhua’s “special and outstanding” contributions to solving the problem of material supply, and his outstanding ability in the logistics management of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, an appointment was made after a series of procedures.

Comrade Li Zhenhua was appointed as the deputy director of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, in charge of logistics, supply and new project development.

Li Zhenhua, who was only in his early twenties, rose to become the deputy director of a key large state-owned enterprise in the capital, entering the ranks of senior cadres.

When the news spread, it drew attention throughout Beijing.

Everyone understands that a new political star is rising, and his path to power is shrouded in mystery and has an unrepeatable legendary quality.

Li Zhenhua's name has become synonymous with energy, resources, and unfathomable depth.

In the circles of Beijing, various legends circulate about him, but no one dares to easily explore the truth, and no one dares to provoke this young deputy factory director who has access to "heavenly" channels.

Li Zhenhua rose to prominence like a comet, rapidly becoming a key node in Beijing and even a wider region with his near-infinite supply of food and materials.

The massive amount of grain he dumped into the market through the Lou family's channels was like a huge torrent, completely destroying the already fragile and artificially manipulated grain market system.

In years of widespread famine, food was a hard currency, even more valuable than gold.

In the past, years of disaster were the golden period for major grain merchants to collude in hoarding and speculating, driving up prices, and reaping huge profits.

Behind these grain merchants are often powerful figures of varying degrees, either remnants of the old regime or vested interest groups with deep-rooted ties to certain departments.

They formed a secret alliance, manipulating the pulse of the market and siphoning off the wealth of the people.

However, Li Zhenhua's appearance completely shattered this tacit understanding and balance.

The grain he provided was not only of excellent quality, but also ridiculously cheap, almost at prices comparable to those in a peaceful year. In some cases, he even subsidized the sales to quickly stabilize prices.

This is not a business transaction at all; it's more like a strategic deployment that employs a form of "dimensional reduction attack."

Initially, the grain merchants tried to resist, uniting to buy up the grain released by Li Zhenhua in an attempt to maintain high prices.

But they soon discovered in despair that Li Zhenhua's grain supply seemed inexhaustible; however much they consumed, more would immediately appear on the market, keeping prices stubbornly low.

Their vast sums of money were tied up, their warehouses were full of grain they had bought at high prices, while the market price of grain had plummeted.

The enormous losses devoured their savings like a bottomless pit.

The price of grain in Beijing was so low that it was unbelievable to ordinary people, and it even attracted people from surrounding provinces to come and buy it, further driving down the price of grain throughout North China.

This was something unimaginable during times of famine, but it became a reality thanks to Li Zhenhua's efforts alone.

With the people yearning for stability, praise for the government has risen, and behind this praise, there is an unspoken connection to the mysterious food supplier.

That evening, inside an inconspicuous mansion near Qianmen, bearing a sign that read "Shanxi Guild Hall," the atmosphere was completely different from the peaceful and serene atmosphere outside.

Inside the hall, smoke swirled, and seven or eight middle-aged men dressed in silk robes or Zhongshan suits, their faces gloomy, sat around a mahogany octagonal table.

They were the managers of some of the largest private grain stores in Beijing and even North China, each representing a different power.

At this moment, their faces were filled with anxiety, anger, and despair.

"Manager Wang, please say something! If this continues, our families will really go bankrupt!"

A gaunt shopkeeper surnamed Qian pounded on the table, his voice hoarse.

"The old grain in my warehouse can't even be sold at 30% of its cost price, let alone cover the cost! Where did that kid Li Zhenhua get so much grain? He's trying to kill us!"

The man known as Manager Wang was a man in his fifties with a fair complexion and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He was the owner of "Fengtai Grain Shop" and the most powerful and influential among the grain merchants. It was said that he had some indirect kinship with a retired but still influential former leader.

He slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes behind his glasses gleaming with a sinister light.

"Are you trying to force us to our deaths?"

Manager Wang gave a cold laugh.

"He's not just forcing us, he's trying to kill us! Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Gentlemen, are we really going to let all the wealth we've built up over the years be wasted in the hands of a mere brat?"

"That's absolutely right!"

Another portly shopkeeper surnamed Sun chimed in, saying that behind him stood a director from a powerful department.