Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

When Liu Haizhong saw this formation, with four strong young men who were clearly Liu's confidants, his idea of ​​"calling on the old women for help" suddenly seemed ridiculous and superfluous.

He looked embarrassed and quickly tried to save face:

"Oh dear, I forgot you have a colleague living here! That's great, it's convenient for family members! Director Liu, well... well, you go ahead with your work. If there's anything in the institute in the future, just tell me, Liu Haizhong! I won't bother you any longer, I'll head back now!"

After saying that, he bowed and scraped back a few steps, then turned and slipped back to his own home.

After seeing Liu Haizhong off, Liu Jianguo took out the key, unlocked the door to the east courtyard, and led Li Bing and the other three into their own little world.

The yard was clean and tidy. He stood in the middle of the yard, took out a ten-yuan bill from his pocket (a considerable sum at the time), handed it to Li Bing, and instructed him:

"Li Bing, you're fast on your feet. Go to the grocery store and grain store on the street now and buy a lot of ready-made cooked food, like braised meat and sesame cakes. Also, buy some rice, flour, and oil, enough for the rest of us to eat for a few days." This was both to settle our living arrangements and to reward his subordinates.

Then, he directed the others:

"Li Wu, Li Cheng, you two are strong, see if there's anything else in the yard that needs tidying up, and organize the clutter. Li Liang, you're meticulous, tidy up the house, wipe the tables and benches. I had the department store deliver the basic furniture, bedding, pots and pans a couple of days ago, they should all be piled up in the house, you can arrange them properly." The tasks were assigned in an orderly manner.

Meanwhile, in a dimly lit room in the backyard, an old man named Yi Zhonghai was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), whispering to an elderly deaf woman leaning against the headboard, his face full of anxiety.

"Grandma, what do you mean... a Director Liu suddenly appeared in this courtyard? What should we do?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned deeply. "Look at them, Yan Bugui in the front yard and Liu Haizhong in the middle yard, they're always crowding around people, practically begging to lick their shoes! Just a couple of days ago, four strong young men moved into their security department: Li Bing, Li Wu, Li Liang, and Li Cheng. I heard they're all Liu's confidants. This kind of behavior… my authority as an old man in this compound is about to disappear!"

He grew increasingly agitated as he spoke, "If no one listens to me anymore, who will care about me when it comes to matters big and small in the backyard? How... how am I supposed to take care of myself in my old age?"

As he finished speaking, his tone became laced with a hint of threat and probing, and as he looked at the deaf old woman, he implied:

"If this continues, I can't stay in this house anymore. Should I think about moving out?"

These words were clearly a challenge to the deaf old lady: If you don't find a way to help me stabilize the situation, I, Yi Zhonghai, will be gone. Let's see who will take care of you in your old age like a son!

The deaf old woman squinted as she listened to Yi Zhonghai's complaints and threats. Her face was covered in wrinkles, making it impossible to discern any expression.

She remained silent for a long while before slowly speaking in a hoarse voice:

"Zhonghai... a section chief with soldiers under his command... what does that mean? It means they have a lot of power!"

She raised her eyelids and glanced at Yi Zhonghai. "Why do you always have to pick a fight with him? In the chaotic times I lived through, those who had soldiers and guns were the bosses! If you go head-to-head, you'll only suffer."

She sighed. "I'm old, and I don't have any good ways to help you get past him. Take my advice: don't provoke him yet. Observe the situation first. See what kind of person he is, what kind of methods he uses. Whether he's a dragon or a worm, time will tell."

After hearing the deaf old lady's almost "lying down" suggestion, Yi Zhonghai was unwilling, but he knew that forcing the issue at the moment would definitely not work.

He frowned and thought for a moment, but he couldn't think of a good way to immediately turn the situation around. After struggling for a while, he finally said:

"Alright then, I'll do as you say."

But he was ultimately unwilling to lose all his prestige, so he rolled his eyes and came up with an idea:

"However, we can't just do nothing. I'll go and notify the front and back yards to hold a general meeting! First, to welcome the new neighbors, and second, to discuss cleaning and fire safety for the upcoming New Year. I'll also use this opportunity to test Director Liu's attitude, see if he'll give me, this old man, any face, and whether he'll participate. It'll also let everyone see who's really in charge here!"

East Courtyard

Li Liang leaned the last broom against the wall, carefully inspected the yard to make sure everything was in order, then turned and went inside to report to Liu Jianguo, who was looking around:

"Chief, everything inside and outside the house is cleaned up." His voice was steady, carrying the sense of satisfaction of completing a task.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jianguo pushed open the slightly ajar door and stepped into the main room. The evening light streamed softly into the room through the glass windows. Instantly, he was greeted by a clean and bright room. The floor was spotless, and the eight-immortal table and several long benches against the wall were neatly arranged, with the new furniture emitting a faint smell of wood.

Although the furnishings are simple, they exude a neat and warm atmosphere, finally giving it the feel of a "home".

Just then, Li Bing returned from outside, carrying large and small bags. He placed the items on the octagonal table and reported them one by one:

"Director, as you instructed, I bought five catties of wheat flour, two catties of eggs, one catty of pork fat (to render lard), and a few ounces of soybean oil."

In those days, prices were very low. Rice and noodles cost about 18 cents a pound, eggs were only 50 cents a pound, and pork and cooking oil were about 80 cents a pound.

This amount of money may not sound expensive, but you have to understand that at that time, an ordinary worker's monthly salary was only twenty or thirty yuan. To support a family of five or six people, every penny had to be carefully calculated.

The things Liu Jianguo bought for ten yuan were enough for an ordinary family to eat carefully for several days.

Li Bing then took out several packets of oily cooked food from the net bag:

Half a roast chicken, a large bag of pork head meat, and a dozen or so sesame seed cakes—the aroma immediately filled the room. Liu Jianguo greeted them:

"Don't stand there, everyone. You must be hungry after working all afternoon. Let's eat together."

He sat down first, and Li Bing, Li Wu, Li Liang, and Li Cheng followed suit, sitting around the eight-immortal table and eating in silence. For a moment, only the sounds of chewing and the soft clinking of bowls and chopsticks filled the room. Halfway through the meal, Liu Jianguo was about to say something to arrange the next steps.

Then a slightly slick shout came from outside the east gate:

"Director Liu! Is Director Liu here? The three old men from the front, middle, and back courtyards have announced a general meeting for the entire hospital! Everyone, assemble in the middle courtyard!"

Judging from the voice, it was Xu Damao, who lived in the backyard. He obviously didn't dare to trespass into the east wing, so he only dared to shout at the gate.