Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Liu Jianguo raised his voice:

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

After seeing Xu Damao off, a meaningful smile crept onto his lips.

Thinking to myself: This is really happening now. I've seen this "famous scene" countless times in TV dramas in my past life—the "whole courtyard assembly" where everyone in the courtyard is present and the three old men are presiding over it. Today, I'm finally going to experience it in person. I wonder what Yi Zhonghai is up to.

The group quickly finished eating and cleaned up their dishes.

Liu Jianguo then called Li Bing, Li Wu, Li Liang, and Li Cheng, and together they walked out of the east courtyard and into the central courtyard. They saw that the central courtyard was already packed with people, men, women, and children; it seemed that almost everyone had arrived.

In the center of the courtyard sat a square table, behind which sat three men. The eldest, Yi Zhonghai, sat upright in the central seat, his face serious. To his left sat the second eldest, Liu Haizhong, who tried to straighten his back and project an air of authority. To his right sat the third eldest, Yan Bugui, who adjusted his glasses and scanned the attendees with his eyes. It had to be said, the setup was quite convincing, reminiscent of an old-fashioned ancestral hall meeting or a grassroots democratic council.

Liu Haizhong, with his sharp eyes, spotted Liu Jianguo and his group approaching immediately. As if seizing a perfect opportunity to demonstrate his loyalty, he abruptly stood up and shouted loudly in Yi Zhonghai's direction:

"Oh! Director Liu is here! Please, please come in! Come, Director Liu, please take the seat of honor!"

As he spoke, he waved to Yi Zhonghai, "Old Yi, move over a bit. Can't you see the leader is coming? Don't you have any sense of propriety?" His words were extremely blunt, almost a reprimand.

Yi Zhonghai, who was sitting upright in the main seat, suddenly turned pale and his lips were tightly pursed. The eager fawning from Liu Haizhong was like a direct attack on his face, showing no regard for his dignity as an "old man".

Yi Zhonghai, who had always ruled the hospital with his own voice and maintained his authority through seniority and a "morally upright" image, had never been so publicly humiliated before. This made him feel a surge of anger, but he couldn't let it out immediately.

At this moment, Li Bing cleverly moved a stool over from the side and prepared to put it on the table.

Liu Jianguo waved his hand to stop him, his voice calm yet clear, carrying throughout the room: "No need, Li Bing. It's after get off work hours, a neighborhood meeting, what's with all this talk of leaders?"

With a calm smile on his face, he walked to the edge of the crowd, found an inconspicuous spot, and said:

"I'll just stand here and listen. We're all just ordinary people, so feel free to order whatever you like."

His action not only avoided directly getting involved in the "power" center of the three old men, making him appear humble, but also subtly elevated his status, making him seem more important.

Seeing that Liu Jianguo had chosen a spot on the edge, Yi Zhonghai breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fearing that this fool Liu Haizhong might say something even more embarrassing, he quickly seized the opportunity, cleared his throat, and raised his voice:

"Ahem! Quiet! Everyone, please be quiet!"

After the murmurs subsided a bit, he continued, "Today, I'm taking up some of everyone's rest time to hold this hospital-wide meeting. There are two main things to discuss. The first is to warmly welcome our new residents!"

He turned his gaze towards Liu Jianguo, trying to make his tone more enthusiastic, "Our institute's east wing welcomes combat hero, Director Liu Jianguo of the Security Department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, along with four young comrades: Li Bing, Li Wu, Li Liang, and Li Cheng! Let's give them a round of applause!"

Sparse applause broke out, and he continued, "From now on, we're all neighbors. A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. We should help each other and make progress together!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a buzz of discussion arose from the crowd below.

Many people turned their curious gazes toward Liu Jianguo and the four capable young men behind him.

"Wow! Such a young combat hero?"

"You look so energetic! And you're a section chief!"

"The head of the security department? That's a lot of power! His salary must be high, probably over a hundred yuan, right?"

Whispers of envy, curiosity, and inquiry circulated among the crowd.

After a brief silence from Yi Zhonghai and the others, their expressions turned serious, and they revealed the main event of the evening:

"This second thing is very important! It's about conveying the latest instructions from the subdistrict office!"

He picked up a notice issued by the neighborhood committee and solemnly read it aloud:

"In accordance with the directives from higher authorities, the 'Order on Implementing Planned Procurement and Supply of Grain' and the 'Provisional Measures for the Rationing of Grain in Towns and Cities' have been officially issued! This means that from now on, grain will be rationed, and the grain coupon system will officially begin!"

He looked around at the crowd and emphasized, "From now on, every household will have to use ration coupons to buy grain according to the number of people! Everyone should take some time in the next few days to go to the neighborhood committee to apply for them, so don't delay!"

This news was like a bombshell, instantly causing an uproar among the crowd!

The relaxed atmosphere of welcoming the new neighbors vanished instantly, replaced by anxiety and worry.

"Quantitative? How do you quantify it?"

"My son is eating me alive, is the ration enough?"

"There are many people in my family, but I'm the only one with a ration. How are we supposed to survive?"

The rationing system meant the end of the relatively free (though still financially strained) purchasing methods of the past. For families where not every member had a formal job or a ration, the future was suddenly filled with uncertainty. The worried discussions were several times louder than before.

In that instant when the courtyard was filled with discussion and people were restless, Liu Jianguo, standing at the edge of the crowd, suddenly heard that long-lost, cold, and clear mechanical voice in his mind:

[Ding! Detected that the host personally participated in and experienced a key event in this plane—the "Birds Fill the Courtyard Assembly"—successfully completing a memorable scene. Reward: 2 Absolutely Loyal Bodyguard Summoning Quotas.]

Before Liu Jianguo could fully process the unexpected system notification, Yi Zhonghai on stage had already quelled the noise in the audience and continued:

"In short, that's the situation. I advise everyone to get it done as soon as possible, don't delay, or you'll be caught off guard!"

After he finished speaking, he symbolically turned to both sides, "Second Uncle, Third Uncle, do you have anything to add?" This was clearly just a formality.

Liu Haizhong opened his mouth and puffed out his chest, seemingly wanting to say something insightful to show his presence, but after struggling for a long time, due to his limited knowledge, he couldn't think of anything to say and could only shake his head dejectedly.

Yan Bugui was indeed well-educated, but the moment he heard the word "ration," his mind went blank. He started rapidly calculating whether the ration was enough for his family of five, with three children at the age where they could eat a lot. He wondered how to make the most of the ration and how to manage it carefully. He was already eager to leave the meeting and go home to discuss solutions with his wife and children, so he quickly waved his hand to indicate that he had nothing to say.

The plenary meeting ended hastily, and everyone dispersed with various thoughts on their minds.

After Liu Jianguo held a general meeting for the entire college, he led Li Bing and the other three back to the east courtyard and closed the door.