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

This far exceeded his expectations!

He knew that in those days, the price of a silver dollar varied from a few dollars to ten dollars, depending on its condition and market conditions.

He was just worrying about the start-up capital, but he never expected to discover such a "treasure" in the blink of an eye!

He counted them carefully; there were five Yuan Shikai silver dollars in the box, all in fairly good condition.

"Comrade, how much are these silver dollars?"

Li Zhenhua asked in a casual tone as much as possible.

The salesperson glanced at it, clearly not taking it seriously.

"Oh, those 'big heads' (referring to large, round nuts), they've been sitting here for ages and nobody's asked about them. If you want them, I'll sell them cheap, eight dollars each, or you can take them all for 35 dollars."

35 yuan!

That's five thousand yuan in system currency!

Without any hesitation, Li Zhenhua immediately took out four brand-new ten-yuan bills from his pocket and slapped them on the counter.

"Okay, I'll take it. Here's forty yuan, please count it."

The sales clerk was taken aback, not expecting the young man to be so straightforward. A smile immediately appeared on her face. After carefully counting the money and confirming that everything was correct, she gave Li Zhenhua his change and then pushed the box back to him.

"Alright, here's your five dollars change. The stuff is yours!"

Li Zhenhua took the wooden box containing five silver dollars and left the supply and marketing cooperative with a calm expression.

He then found a secluded corner where no one was around.

Li Zhenhua took a deep breath, focused his mind, and communicated with the system.

"System, recharge! Exchange all five Yuan Shikai silver dollars for system currency!"

[Rechargeable item detected: 5 Yuan Shikai silver dollars from the third year of the Republic of China]

[Estimated price per piece: 1000 yuan]

[Total Value: 5000 RMB] [Confirm Recharge?]

"confirm!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the wooden box in Li Zhenhua's hand, along with the five silver dollars inside, vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.

At the same time, on the system interface in his mind, the number representing the balance jumped rapidly, and finally settled at: 5000.00 yuan.

Seeing the numbers on the panel, Li Zhenhua breathed a long sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face.

We have the seed money!

With the money in hand, Li Zhenhua immediately focused his mind and summoned the Pinduoduo e-commerce system interface in his mind.

The colorful interface reappeared, and his gaze quickly locked onto the "Today's Flash Sale" section, which was prominently displayed.

With a thought, the product list in the flash sale section unfolds.

The first item that caught his eye made him gasp for breath, and his eyes widened instantly!

Premium pork belly, 10 jin (5 catties) pack

[Flash Sale Price: 1 Yuan]

[Limited to 1 unit per purchase]

Ten pounds of pork! For just one yuan?

Li Zhenhua could hardly believe his eyes.

In this era of extreme scarcity, pork was rationed and limited in quantity, and ordinary people could only afford to eat it a few times a year.

It can be said that ten pounds of pork during this period was far more valuable than money!

One yuan isn't enough to buy ten pounds of meat, let alone one pound of meat bones!

This isn't a discount, it's practically free!

No, it's even more outrageous than giving it away for free!

Overwhelmed with joy, he didn't hesitate and immediately clicked the "Buy Now" button with his mind.

Payment successful! -1.00 yuan

Your item has been stored in our system. Please check your inbox.

As soon as the system notification sounded, Li Zhenhua immediately immersed his consciousness into the system's built-in 100-cubic-meter storage space.

In one corner of the space, a large piece of pork belly, with alternating layers of fat and lean meat and a bright red color, weighed a full ten pounds. It was wrapped in transparent plastic wrap, as if it had just been taken out of the refrigerated display case.

"Haha! That's great!"

Li Zhenhua couldn't help but chuckle softly, his excitement beyond words.

This system may have an odd name, but its functions are truly incredible!

He simply couldn't imagine the power that five thousand yuan in start-up capital could unleash in this era, combined with this online marketplace!

After calming his ecstatic emotions, Li Zhenhua looked at the sky; it was still early.

He decided to go home first to pack his belongings and prepare to move into No. 95 Nanluoguxiang that night.

On the other hand, I also need to report to my mother, Xiuqin, about today's work assignments so that she won't worry.

Guided by his memory, Li Zhenhua returned to the familiar Soviet-style cadre building courtyard.

Pushing open the door, he found that his mother, Xiuqin, hadn't gone to work today. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room knitting a sweater, obviously waiting for him.

"Mom, I'm home."

Li Zhenhua changed into slippers and went inside.

Xiuqin put down her knitting and looked him up and down with concern.

"How's it going? Is the work arrangement going smoothly?"

"Smoothly, exceptionally smoothly."

Li Zhenhua smiled and sat down next to his mother.

"Uncle Wang... Director Wang was very hospitable and personally took me to the steel rolling mill. Director Yang also took good care of me and directly assigned me the position of head of the security department, administrative level 17."

Then, he gave a brief account of the process of reporting for duty and being assigned housing today, including his insistence on choosing a courtyard house and the kindness of Director Yang in allocating two extra small rooms.

Of course, he glossed over the conflict with Jia Zhangshi, saying only that it was a small misunderstanding between neighbors that had been resolved.

Xiuqin listened attentively. When she heard that her son had been appointed as the head of the security department and was ranked at level 17, she nodded with satisfaction. This was indeed a high starting point, which showed that the factory attached great importance to him.

But when she heard that the house was an old courtyard house in Nanluoguxiang and that she had had some friction with her neighbors, her brows furrowed slightly.

"Zhenhua, the security department has heavy responsibilities. You must do a good job and not let Director Yang down."

Xiuqin first affirmed the work arrangements, then changed the subject.

"But this housing... the courtyard house is crowded and noisy, and the conditions are tough. Maybe... Mom can think of another way, talk to the ministry or the neighborhood committee, and see if we can move to a better apartment building? Although our family doesn't want special treatment, there's no need for us to suffer in that crowded courtyard."

Li Zhenhua knew his mother was worried about him, so he smiled and shook his head, his tone relaxed yet firm.

"Mom, really, there's no need. I think the courtyard house is great—lively and down-to-earth. I'm going there to work and train, not to enjoy myself. Besides, I've seen the courtyard; it's quite well-maintained. Director Yang even gave me two extra rooms, which is enough for me. Don't worry!"

Seeing her son's resolute attitude, Xiuqin knew that further persuasion would be futile. This child had been very opinionated since he was a child, just like his father.

She sighed softly, no longer insisting, but only offering some words of advice.

"Alright, if you think it's good, then so be it. But living in the courtyard, you need to be careful when getting along with your neighbors. Think things through more often, don't be too honest, but don't be like your father who gets angry so easily either. You need to stay calm when things happen."

"Yes, Mom, I understand."

Li Zhenhua obediently replied.

Only then did Xiuqin notice the fine beads of sweat on her son's forehead, indicating that he had rushed back in a hurry. She couldn't help but scold him.

"You busy child, you've come all morning and come back again. Have you eaten yet?"

Li Zhenhua scratched his head sheepishly and grinned sheepishly.