Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

He paused, lowering his voice even further, "Go and inquire about a girl named Qin Huairu, around 20 years old, who should be quite pretty. Find her and ask her privately... if she'd like to come with me."

He saw a flicker of surprise in Li Bing's eyes, but Li Bing quickly regained his composure and continued:

"Her family's financial situation is probably not good. You could try to entice her a little. For example, tell her that if she agrees, I can arrange a formal job for her in the city, or give her a sum of money to improve her family's life. You can discuss the specific terms, but be careful not to go too far."

These words were spoken calmly and bluntly, and were full of the flavor of a transaction.

Without any hesitation, Li Bing nodded immediately and gave a brief and clear answer:

"Yes, Director. I understand what to do."

For assassins, their master's orders don't need to be understood; they only need to be executed.

After arranging this matter, Liu Jianguo rode his bicycle alone to the steel rolling mill.

On the way, his mind was in turmoil: Is doing this a bit...? But he quickly shook off that hesitation.

He thought to himself: Well, let's leave it to fate and her own choice. If she can't resist the temptation of the job and money in the city, then she can't blame me; if she chooses to marry Jia Dongxu, then it means our time hasn't come yet, and I, Liu Jianguo, will never pester her again. Thinking this way, he felt a little more at ease.

I had just sat down in the security office and hadn't even made tea when I heard a knock on the door.

Li Bing wasn't there, so Liu Jianguo called out "Come in" himself.

The door opened, and the person who entered was Li Huaide's secretary. He said respectfully:

"Director Liu, Factory Director Li requests your presence in his office now, saying he has something urgent to discuss."

Liu Jianguo was a little puzzled. They had just discussed benefits yesterday, so what was going on today? But he didn't show it on his face and nodded.

"Okay, I'll be right there." After saying that, he got up and followed the secretary to Li Huaide's office.

Upon entering the office, Li Huaide warmly invited him to sit down. He even stood up from behind his desk, walked over, and handed Liu Jianguo a "Daqianmen" cigarette, lighting it for him.

Then, Li Huaide leaned closer, lowered his voice, and asked with a mixture of probing and anticipation:

"Jianguo, I heard you got two big fat pigs for the Public Security Bureau a few days ago? You've got some pretty connections! Tell me honestly, do you have any other ways?" So that's what it was about.

Liu Jianguo suddenly understood. His mind quickly scanned the small world. On the black soil inside, pigs, cattle, sheep, and chickens roamed in large numbers. The pigs and cattle, in particular, reproduced and grew extremely fast. There were already more than a dozen large, fat pigs, more than a dozen strong cattle, and hundreds of chickens and ducks. He was just wondering how to sell them reasonably.

With a perfectly timed look of surprise on his face, he took a drag of his cigarette and retorted, "Brother Li, you're the factory manager in charge of the entire factory's logistics. You have plenty of connections; why would you need something as small as mine?"

Li Huaide immediately put on a worried expression and began to pour out his grievances:

"Jianguo, you have no idea what my difficulties are like! At the end of the year, all the units are scrambling for supplies, and tens of thousands of mouths in the factory are waiting to be fed, so the planned supply is already tight. And now, suddenly there's a rationing system, and the quotas allocated from above have shrunk considerably! Just..."

Relying on the purchasing department to run errands according to plan is simply not enough to fill a gap! The shortage is getting bigger and bigger, and as the logistics manager, I'm in a tough spot!

He was only half telling the truth, but the shortage of supplies was real.

Liu Jianguo hesitated for a moment, flicked his cigarette ash, and asked:

"How big is the gap? Brother Li, tell me a number, and I'll see if I can think of a solution."

He first needed to figure out Li Huaide's true intentions and needs.

Li Huaide held up two fingers and said in a heavy tone:

"At the very least, we need at least two thousand catties of meat to barely get through the New Year period and give the workers something to eat. Brother, do you have a way to get some?"

He stared longingly at Liu Jianguo.

Liu Jianguo quickly calculated in his mind. The oxen in the small world were also plump and strong, perfectly capable of being used. He deliberately feigned a troubled expression and said:

"It's a bit risky to ask for so much pork all at once. But... I can ask if we can get any dead cows. How about beef? I reckon it'll be more expensive than pork, and... they might have other conditions, like wanting some scarce resources or other benefits."

He's raising the bar to prepare for future negotiations.

Upon hearing that there was a chance, Li Huaide's eyes lit up, and he quickly said:

"Beef is fine too, as long as the meat is okay. A higher price is no problem; the factory can use special funds. As long as the conditions aren't too outrageous, we can negotiate!"

He patted Liu Jianguo on the shoulder forcefully. "Jianguo, if you can really help your brother solve this problem, that would be a huge help to me! I'll remember this favor!"

Liu Jianguo was overjoyed. He had been worried that the output in the small world was increasing and that it was difficult to sell on a large scale. This was like a godsend.

He remained outwardly calm, bid farewell to Li Huaide, and returned to his office. He waited patiently all afternoon, estimating that Li Huaide's anxiety had subsided, and then returned to Li Huaide's office just before the end of the workday.

He closed the door, his face showing a look of utter exhaustion, and said to Li Huaide:

"Old Li, I got in touch with him! I had to beg him a lot before he reluctantly agreed, out of respect for our comradeship."

He recited the numbers he had already prepared: "Ten fat pigs, each weighing about 150 jin; ten cows, each weighing about 430 jin. In total, that's about 5,800 jin of meat."

He paused, then said, "Old Li, you're in too much of a hurry. A normal transaction is impossible. We need to find another channel."

Li Huaide thought for a moment and said, "I understand. Special cases should be handled specially. I am prepared."

Liu Jianguo paused for a moment, then stated his terms:

The other party doesn't want cash, it's too conspicuous. They're asking for 5,800 yuan, calculated at one yuan per jin, to be paid entirely in gold. They want six large yellow croakers (ten taels each) and one small yellow croaker (one tael each).

In addition, we need to provide four more full-time positions. Do you think these conditions are acceptable?

This price was considered exorbitant at the time, but it seemed acceptable considering it could solve the factory's year-end meat problem.

Li Huaide quickly calculated in his mind:

Two thousand catties of meat is just a drop in the bucket, but getting five thousand eight hundred catties of meat will not only help us get through the year-end perfectly, but also make the factory look good in front of our brother units. This is a real achievement!

Gold is precious, but it can be obtained through special channels; job openings are scarce, but it's worth it for this big order!

He slapped his thigh suddenly, making up his mind:

"Okay! It's settled then!"

He seemed very agreeable. "Brother, I'm not a stingy person! Four job openings, right? No problem! How about this arrangement: two for the publicity department, one for the logistics and canteen, and one for the purchasing department. All good positions! What do you think?"

The positions he offered were indeed in good departments, which showed his sincerity.