Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's question, Xiao Dang pretended to be a little adult, patted his chest, and answered in a childish voice, "Uncle! Xiao Dang is very obedient, and he even helped Grandma with his little sister."

Hearing Xiao Dang's answer, Jia Dongming smiled and pressed further, "Xiao Dang! Did you secretly taste your sister's milk powder?"

When asked this question, Xiao Dang blushed and said in a soft voice, "Uncle! When I fed my sister, I only tasted a little bit. I didn't drink much."

Hearing Xiao Dang's words, Jia Zhangshi felt a pang of heartache, remembering how Xiao Huaihua had almost finished her milk powder. She complained to Jia Dongming with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Dongming! You don't know, this girl said she would help feed her sister, but she ended up drinking from the bottle herself, making Xiao Huaihua cry from hunger."

Jia Dongming obtained a lot of milk powder through system check-ins, so he didn't lack it.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's distressed expression, he smiled and comforted her, "Mom! I can get the milk powder. You can make some if you want."

"Dongming! I've heard that even with coupons, it's hard to buy this milk powder, and a bag costs seven or eight yuan! Even though you can earn money, you can't let the two kids waste it like this! If you ask me, you should just feed Huaihua some rice cereal from now on."

Thinking about the price of the milk powder, Jia Zhangshi couldn't help but feel distressed and scolded Jia Dongming for spending money so extravagantly.

Knowing Jia Zhangshi's temperament well, and seeing her reluctant expression, Jia Dongming changed the subject and asked, "Mom! When I came back, I saw two children picking through trash by the garbage can at the alley entrance in the backyard. What was going on?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia immediately understood whose children Jia Dongming was referring to, and then explained, "Dongming! You must be talking about the two children from the Zhang family in the backyard."

Speaking of Old Mrs. Zhang, she was a woman with a tragic life.

"When she was young, her husband was conscripted by the Kuomintang and sent to the front lines. After that, she never heard from him again."

The old woman had raised her son with great difficulty and found him a wife, but two years ago, during a food famine, her son and wife went into the mountains to dig for wild vegetables, and that's when they met their demise.

"Now, the old lady of the Zhang family relies entirely on subsidies from the neighborhood committee, plus the money she makes by collecting and selling scraps outside, to barely support her two children."

After listening to Zhang's account, Jia Dongming felt deep sympathy for the old lady's plight. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Mom! The Zhang family is having such a hard time, didn't anyone in the courtyard lend a helping hand?"

"Why didn't we help? But Old Mrs. Zhang is a strong-willed woman and refused to accept help from her neighbors."

As Jia Zhangshi spoke, a hint of disapproval flashed across her eyes, and she told Jia Dongming about the old lady of the Zhang family refusing to donate money.

Upon learning of this situation, Jia Dongming recalled his own plans and said to Jia Zhangshi, "Mom! Our security department's small canteen is looking to hire a helper to wash vegetables."

I'd like to arrange for Grandma Zhang to go there; do you think that's appropriate?

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia Zhang quickly reminded him, "Dongming! It's not that your mother is heartless, but you must never have such a thought."

"There are so many households living in our courtyard. If you arrange a job for Old Mrs. Zhang, what if other people come to you for help? Will you help them or not? Don't be fooled by the 'Civilized Courtyard' sign on our courtyard. When it comes to matters of interest, everyone only cares about themselves and is very selfish."

Only after Jia Zhangshi reminded him did Jia Dongming remember that when he returned earlier, Yan Bugui had asked him to find work for Yan Jiefang.

Thinking of his neighbors in the courtyard, Jia Dongming immediately realized that he had been too simplistic in his thinking.

He pondered for a moment, then quickly came up with an idea. He said to Jia Zhangshi, "Mom! What if I hand over this job to the neighborhood committee, and then the neighborhood committee assigns it to Old Lady Zhang? What do you think of that?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia's eyes lit up immediately, and she hurriedly instructed, "Dongming! This is a good idea, but you absolutely must not let anyone know that you arranged for Old Madam Zhang to be employed."

Jia Dongming nodded and replied, "Mom! I understand, don't worry."

At this moment, Madam Jia remembered what Master Lei had told her at noon, and quickly said to Jia Dongming, "Dongming! Master Lei asked me to tell you to go to the other courtyard after you come back, he has something to discuss with you."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming put down Xiao Dang from his arms and turned to walk towards the small door.

Passing through the small gate, Jia Dongming entered his own courtyard. Looking at the grape trellis and small pavilion that had already been set up, a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He walked to the front of the house and saw Master Lei busy inside. He took out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes from his pocket and greeted him, "Master Lei! My mother said you needed to see me. What is it?"

While busy at work, Master Lei heard Jia Dongming's greeting and immediately put down his tools, walked over to him, and asked, "Boss, are you planning to pave this floor with cement or bricks? If you choose bricks, I know someone who happens to have a batch of gold bricks. Would you like to consider it?"

The so-called "golden bricks" are actually specially made paving bricks produced by the imperial kilns. They have always been used exclusively in palaces and pavilions. They are dense in texture and produce a metallic sound when struck, hence the name.

In a later auction, a pair of intact Suzhou imperial kiln gold bricks sold for over 800,000 yuan.

Upon hearing that there were gold bricks to be found, Jia Dongming immediately perked up, forgetting even to offer him a cigarette, and hurriedly asked, "Master Lei, how much is one gold brick?"

Seeing Jia Dongming's reaction, Master Lei knew that the other party was knowledgeable, so he introduced: "Master, this batch of bricks was originally intended for the repair of the imperial city, so the price is a bit higher, one yuan and fifty cents per brick."

If you want more, I can offer a slightly lower price.

Jia Dongming then remembered the cigarettes in his hand, took one out and handed it to Master Lei, then asked, "If all these rooms were to be tiled, how much would it cost approximately?"

Master Lei had previously estimated the area and immediately replied, "Each gold brick is two feet and two inches square, so about forty-one bricks are needed per square meter."

Your house is 120 square meters in total, so it would cost around 5,000 yuan.

Five thousand yuan is no small sum in this day and age.

If Jia Dongming hadn't received an unexpected windfall from enemy agents, he probably wouldn't have been able to afford even half of his hunting income.

After a moment's thought, Jia Dongming said, "Master Lei, could you please ask your friend what the lowest price is?"

If it's suitable, I'll use gold bricks for the entire floor.

Master Lei nodded in agreement: "Okay, I'll ask tonight and get back to you tomorrow."

Jia Dongming then remembered the roof beams and asked with a smile, "By the way, does your friend have any old rosewood, huanghuali, or golden nanmu wood? The kind that can be used as beams."

Upon hearing this, Master Lei guessed his plan and asked in return, "Does the master intend to replace the beams with these timbers?"

Jia Dongming smiled and nodded: "I suddenly had this idea when I heard you mention BRICS."

However, I don't want new materials, I want old materials, the kind that won't be noticeable after the replacement.

Master Lei looked slightly surprised and reminded him, "These timbers are quite expensive, and you've already done half of the partition here. Replacing the beams will require redoing the work."

Jia Dongming waved his hand: "Money is not a problem."

If you're buying yellow croaker, I can supply some here.

But this needs to be kept low-key, given my position.

Master Lei could tell from his confidence that he was very confident, so he immediately said, "If you can pay with croissant, I can not only get you gold bricks at a low price, but also prepare a batch of timber and even furniture made from that timber for you."

Jia Dongming smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."

"What's the market price? I'll settle with you based on the price of the small yellow croaker."

Actually, the gold BRICS were inherited from Lei Jun's ancestors, and he originally wanted to monetize them.

Jia Dongming's willingness to settle the payment with yellow croaker was an unexpected surprise for him.

Master Lei immediately assured him, "Don't worry, boss, I will definitely handle this matter properly."

Jia Dongming couldn't help but feel excited when he thought about the value of these things in future generations, but considering the future, he whispered, "Master Lei, the fewer people who know about using these materials, the better."

Master Lei immediately understood and replied, "Don't worry, my two apprentices are my son and my nephew, and they both keep their mouths shut."

There's a small gate in your yard, so you can bring materials in directly through it without disturbing anyone else in the yard.

Jia Dongming nodded: "Okay, then thank you for your hard work."

"Uncle! Dinner's ready!"

Just then, Banggeng ran into the yard through the small gate and shouted at Jia Dongming.

Jia Dongming responded and said to Master Lei, "Master Lei, I'm going to eat first."

You should also pack up and get some rest.

"Boss Jia! Since you're planning to change the building materials, there's no point in me continuing to rush the work. I'll pack up my tools and go back first, and come back to see you tomorrow morning."

After listening to Jia Dongming's opinion, Master Lei smiled and said...

Jia Dongming stuffed the remaining cigarettes into Master Lei's pocket and replied with a smile, "Okay! I'll wait for Master Lei in the yard tomorrow morning."

"Dongming! What does Master Lei want with you?"

When Jia Dongming returned to the house and sat down at the dining table, Jia Zhangshi, who had been waiting for him to eat, immediately asked him a question.

Not wanting Jia Zhangshi to talk too much and cause trouble, Jia Dongming simply explained, "Mom, it's just discussing some details about repairing the house, nothing important."

The next morning around 7 a.m., Jia Dongming finished breakfast and went to the side courtyard. Seeing Master Lei already waiting there, he greeted him, "Master Lei! Good morning!"

Upon seeing Jia Dongming, Master Lei immediately said, "Boss Jia! Good morning. I've already taken care of the matter you asked me to inquire about yesterday."

"Because you pay with croissant, each gold bar will be two cents cheaper."

Regarding the old wood you requested, another friend of mine has two pieces of Phoebe zhennan wood and five pieces of rosewood, all over a hundred years old, as well as a set of furniture made of rosewood.

After listening, Jia Dongming asked, "Master Lei, how much do these timbers and furniture cost in total? How would you calculate it if we used small yellow croaker knots? After all, the market price is several times higher."

Master Lei quickly replied, "Boss Jia, the bank is currently buying small yellow croaker for three yuan per gram, but the price has already risen to twenty yuan per gram online."

My friend urgently needs small yellow croakers and is willing to settle with you at 18 yuan per gram.

Jia Dongming was quite satisfied with the price and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's go with this price."

"Calculate how many small yellow croakers I'll have to pay for the gold bricks, the timber, and the furniture."

Master Lei had already calculated it last night and immediately replied, "Boss Jia, I need eleven gold bricks, and ten pieces of timber and furniture in total."

If you think it's suitable, I'll have someone deliver the gold bricks and timber tonight.

Jia Dongming did a quick mental calculation and agreed, "Okay, it's settled then."

But don't send the furniture here. Send it to Gulou East Street. I'll give you the exact address tomorrow.

Master Lei nodded and added, "Boss Jia, my friend would like to collect a deposit. Is that convenient for you?"

Jia Dongming understood that this was a test of his financial resources, but he didn't expose it and said with a smile, "Master Lei, please wait a moment, I'll go back to the room to get the deposit."

Jia Dongming quickly returned to the side courtyard, took out five small yellow croakers from his pocket and handed them over: "Master Lei, this is the deposit, please check it."

Master Lei took the small yellow croaker, gently bit it to check its color, then put it in his pocket and said happily, "Boss Jia, I've accepted the deposit on behalf of my friend."

We'll deliver the gold bars and timber tonight, and the furniture will be delivered to your designated location tomorrow during the day.

Jia Dongming readily agreed, "Master Lei can arrange it. I'll go to work now, and we can talk when I get back."

Jia Dongming said goodbye to Master Lei and rode his bicycle to the steel rolling mill.

After parking his car, he didn't go straight to the office as usual, but instead turned and headed towards the logistics department.

"Good morning, Director! What instructions do you have for the Logistics Department today?"

When Zhang Guoping saw Jia Dongming appear at the door, he immediately stood up and greeted him respectfully.

Jia Dongming smiled and said, "Comrade Guoping, I heard you say the day before yesterday that the canteen was looking to hire a kitchen helper. Has the person been hired yet?"

Zhang Guoping replied with some doubt: "Director, I've been busy these past few days and haven't had time to get on it yet."