Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Wang Liang patted his chest confidently and assured them in a warm tone, "Don't worry, Chief! We have a good relationship with Lao Lu, this little thing will definitely be fine! I guarantee we'll arrange decent accommodations for you guys!"

Seeing that Liu Jianguo nodded in satisfaction at their statement and gave no further instructions, they said nothing more, gestured to Li Wu and the others, and led the three of them out of the deputy director's office. The door closed gently behind them.

The office fell silent. Liu Jianguo picked up his teacup but didn't drink; his gaze deepened.

Since he had just arrived, he was eager to know the true movements of his subordinates and their relationships. Through his conversation and observations with Wang Meng and Wang Liang, he had come to a lot of conclusions.

"Wang Meng agreed readily, but his eyes were more scrutinizing than enthusiastic; Wang Liang was overly enthusiastic, which made him seem guilty... Were they so humble towards me, the newly appointed deputy director, simply because of the difference in rank?"

Could it be that, at this point, the security department and the public order department had secretly sided with Li Huaide, the deputy factory director in charge of logistics and personnel, who wielded considerable power?

The thought startled him. But then he shook his head, chuckled to himself, and thought the idea was unlikely.

"Li Huaide is quick-witted, but Secretary Nie and Director Wu are still in office. No matter how deep his roots are, it is impossible for him to completely control two powerful departments in such a short time."

More likely, Wang Meng and Wang Liang are being courted by Li Huaide, or they are observing the situation and trying to curry favor with both me and Li Huaide.

After all, I've only just arrived, and it's indeed a bit premature for Li Huaide to want to take complete control at this point in time.

Having figured this out, he felt somewhat relieved, but his vigilance increased even more.

In the blink of an eye, a month of biting north winds has passed in a flurry of activity.

During this month, Liu Jianguo barely got a full night's sleep.

He made full use of his position as deputy director of the Public Security Bureau and his authority as deputy director of the Security Department. During the day, he familiarized himself with the layout of various workshops and warehouses in the factory area, reviewed personnel files, and found out the backgrounds of the personnel. At night, he began to conduct frequent and irregular surprise inspections without fail.

In the dead of night, he would wrap himself tightly in his cotton-padded coat, take a flashlight, and appear like a ghost in every corner of the factory area. Sometimes, at 11 p.m., the guards at the factory gate, who were dozing off with their guns in their hands, would be suddenly awakened by the flashlight beam and see the stern-faced Deputy Director Liu, and would be terrified.

Sometimes, around three or four in the morning, he would quietly appear at the back window of a key warehouse to check if the guards were in place. Other times, he would suddenly appear on the security patrol route in the Nanluoguxiang residential area to check if the team members were on duty and if the records were accurate.

His inspections not only checked whether people were present, but also whether the records were complete and whether the staff on duty were clear about their responsibilities and emergency plans. Through several inspections, he identified several typical cases.

A security guard skipped his post to go drinking at his girlfriend's house. A senior security team leader was perfunctory in keeping his duty log. On one occasion, he even caught two workers leaving their night shift secretly exchanging copper scrap from the factory for cigarettes in a secluded corner of the factory where scrap was piled up.

Liu Jianguo was ruthless in his dealings, criticizing those who deserved it, withholding bonuses where necessary, and handing over those to the police station where appropriate. He quickly established a strong image in the factory as someone who was "not to be messed with," "sharp-eyed," and "tough-handed." The atmosphere in the security department and public order section was immediately improved.

At the same time, he was also secretly sorting out the intricate network of relationships in the department, keeping in mind who was close to Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, and who was close to Deputy Factory Director Li Huaide.

Li Wu, Li Liang, and Li Cheng, on the other hand, quickly won the trust of their squad members with their excellent military skills, conscientious attitude, and "just the right" performance.

During a training exercise, Li Wu single-handedly subdued three defiant veterans, immediately silencing the crowd. Meanwhile, Li Liang and Li Cheng, during a night patrol, successfully discovered and prevented an attempted theft of factory cables, earning praise from the security department.

Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Jianguo, under the pretext of "strengthening grassroots leadership and optimizing team structure," "promoted" and transferred one squad leader from each of the original security and public order sections who had mediocre work performance or were too closely related to Yi, Liu, and others to related subordinate units (nominally a promotion, but in reality a transfer from core positions). The vacant positions were then filled by Li Wu, Li Liang, and Li Cheng, who had performed outstandingly, as squad leaders on a work-study basis, and their salaries were also raised to the level of second-grade worker (45 yuan).

As Liu Jianguo's secretary, Li Bing managed office affairs meticulously, ensuring timely document delivery, standardized telephone handling, and proper reception of visitors, becoming Liu Jianguo's reliable eyes and ears and capable assistant.

What pleased Liu Jianguo even more was that Section Chief Lu of the Housing Management Section was very accommodating, perhaps because Deputy Factory Director Li Huaide had put in a good word for him. Li Bing, Li Wu, Li Liang, and Li Cheng were all successfully allocated housing, and it was located in the No. 95 courtyard of Nanluoguxiang, which was a set of four auxiliary rooms next to the central courtyard.

In this way, even before Liu Jianguo officially moved into the courtyard house, he had already placed four absolutely loyal "insiders" there, forming an outpost. Although he wasn't sure if things would actually develop in the courtyard as he remembered, it was always good to be prepared.

This month was also a window of opportunity for Liu Jianguo to frantically stockpile supplies for the future. He knew that the era of comprehensive rationing was coming soon, so he used his rest time to change into civilian clothes and, like an ordinary purchasing agent, traveled all over the big and small markets, mule and horse markets and even the surrounding villages in Beijing. He was low-key in his actions, but generous in his spending (relying on his high monthly salary of 124.5 yuan and his previous savings).

At the bustling Dongdan vegetable market, he bought pairs of half-grown chickens and ducks. At the Luomashi market outside Deshengmen, he carefully selected a pair of clever Chinese rural dog puppies. He even had a stroke of luck and bought a pair of well-proportioned, newly weaned yellow calves from a farmer who needed money urgently for his son's wedding.

He bought various grain seeds (corn, wheat) and vegetable seeds (cabbage, radish, potato) in bulk. All these living things and seeds were quietly transferred into his little world.

He meticulously planned out his ten acres of black soil, dividing it into sections for planting grain crops, vegetables, and fruits.

Thanks to the 1:10 time flow rate in the small world, crops can be harvested almost every 9 to 12 days.

The water from that spiritual spring seemed to have a slight nourishing effect on plants and animals, producing plump grains, juicy vegetables, and exceptionally healthy and robust poultry and livestock.

Liu Jianguo also keenly noticed that as these living creatures moved in and the crops grew luxuriantly, the hazy mist at the edge of the small world seemed to have expanded outwards by a tiny bit.

This little world is truly becoming a secret base that can be self-sufficient and even give back to the outside world.