Siheyuan: I will never tolerate gambling and drugs!

Xu Lin packed his belongings and looked around the room. It wasn't exactly noisy, but it was definitely bare. There were three rooms, a bed, a table, two chairs, and a water tank in the kitchen (which Xu Lin used as a bathtub). That was it. Wait, there was a lock.

The window was still there, but the glass was gone, not to mention the curtains. Xu Lin calculated his remaining funds: the 60-odd yuan he had left for living expenses, plus the money Director Yang had given him when he left.

Xu Lin counted the money; there was 500 yuan, and the total cash was about 560 yuan. Considering current prices, this was quite a lot for settling down, enough to buy all the daily necessities.

Thinking of this, Xu Lin quickly packed up, found his grain ration book, and prepared to go out. He had been delayed for so long, and the cooperative would probably be closed if he stayed any later. There was no 24-hour convenience store at the moment.

Not long after, Lin went to Wangfujing and strolled around, then bought some supplies at the department store. At this time, various ration coupons weren't needed, but the selection was still limited. After browsing for a while, he spent over 60 yuan on rice, flour, cooking oil, toiletries like towels, toothbrushes, and washbasins, plus some kitchen utensils, bedding, and sheets. He also bought a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes. Then, he spent 3 cents to hire a cart to take him back to the courtyard house.

Because the driver paid him readily, the old man who ran the errand didn't even wait for Xu Lin to ask before offering to help him carry the things to the door of the west wing and then preparing to leave.

Xu Lin thanked him twice, then took out a Daqianmen cigarette he had just bought, opened it, and handed it to the man pulling the cart. Seeing the Daqianmen with a handle, the man accepted it with both hands, thanked him again, and turned to leave.

Xu Lin took out his key, opened the door, and slowly carried the items into the room and arranged them.

Just as I finished tidying up, I saw a thin, middle-aged man strolling over from the east wing across the street, head held high, hands behind his back.

The man was none other than Yan Bugui, the man from the courtyard who called himself the Third Uncle. Yan Bugui wore a gentle smile, squinting as he sized up Xu Lin. He adjusted his glasses and greeted him as he approached.

"You must be the new resident. Hello. My name is Yan Bugui. I'm a teacher at Hongxing Elementary School and also the third oldest of the stewards of our courtyard."

Xu Lin, who was still carrying things, put them down on the table inside the room after hearing what was being said. He turned around and strode out, smiled, took out a pack of cigarettes (Daqianmen brand), and, because his hands were a little dirty from carrying things, handed it over.

"Hello, Teacher Yan, I'm Xu Lin, a new resident and the new factory doctor at the steel rolling mill. I hope you'll take good care of me in the future." Xu Lin couldn't bring himself to call him "Uncle Yan," but thinking that one shouldn't hit a smiling face, and considering he was a well-mannered young man from the future, it wasn't worth the trouble to start swearing. So he greeted him as "Teacher Yan."

Yan Bugui didn't pay much attention, but instead began to scrutinize Xu Lin. Xu Lin was tall and muscular, with well-defined features, a straight nose, and a distinct facial contour. He had fair skin and an air of scholarly refinement. This image, combined with Yan Bugui's polite attitude, impressed him.

This pleased Yan Bugui greatly, and he couldn't help but feel smug. He took the cigarette, sniffed it, and then excitedly took out a match to light one. He then discreetly stuffed the rest of the cigarette into his pocket and chuckled again.

"I didn't see you moving things just now. If I had, I would have definitely come over to lend you a hand. Dr. Xu, are you alone? If it's inconvenient to cook, you can come to my house for a meal today. It'll be much more convenient to eat together. I'll ask your aunt to cook an extra dish."

Xu Lin was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled. This old bastard was truly opportunistic, ruthless and shameless when it came to taking advantage. Fine! This advantage was definitely going to be taken; just you wait. This young master's advantages aren't so easy to come by. You keep calling me "Third Uncle" and "Third Aunt," trying to take advantage of me based on seniority. Old Man Yan, you just wait. Although Xu Lin was cursing inwardly, he still maintained a polite smile on his face.

"No need, I'm used to eating by myself. My parents are gone and I live alone, so I just grabbed a bite outside while I was shopping. I won't bother you today. I just moved some things into this place and it's still a mess, so I won't invite you in."

Yan Bugui wasn't really inviting him to dinner. He had just seen the things Xu Lin had bought at home—mostly household items and not much groceries—so he guessed Xu Lin had eaten out and that's why he casually mentioned it.

"Alright, then you can start packing. I won't take up any more of your time. I live in the east wing across from yours, so just let me know if you need anything."

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he puffed on his cigarette and left happily. Needless to say, he'd gotten a pack of cigarettes without doing anything, and even flaunted his position as the "manager" to the new residents.

Xu Lin had a general idea that the old man was trying to take advantage of him by coming over to say hello, but he didn't expect the old guy to be so shameless, even more so than in the drama.

My hands weren't very clean from moving things, so I wanted this old geezer to have a cigarette. That stingy Yan knows how to take advantage; he managed to sneak the whole pack away! Just you wait, I won't let you get away with this cheap cigarette! Thinking this, I pursed my lips, turned around, and went back to my room to make the bed.

After tidying up a bit, installing the glass and curtains, making the bed and cleaning, I finally went to the kitchen. I casually emptied the water from the tub, washed myself, and then refilled it with clean water from the storage room. Sweating profusely from all that, after much hesitation, I finally stripped naked and jumped in for a soak.

I took a bath in the kitchen water tank in the afternoon because I was in so much pain that I had no choice. This second bath was just because I was too lazy to bother with bathing supplies. Anyway, the tank can't be used for drinking water anymore, so it doesn't matter if I wash it again.

We still need to build a bathroom with a bathtub. Anyway, Director Yang said there's no rush to report to the factory; we'll wait for the repairmen to arrive tomorrow. They'll convert the rear building into a toilet and study, and then open a gate in the courtyard wall near the west wing.

This way, not only can a toilet be built, but also a study and a separate courtyard can be created.

Thinking of this, Xu Lin got out of the water. After drying himself off, he lay down on the bed to rest, and remembering that he hadn't checked in with the system yet, he quickly pondered in his mind...

"Check-in"

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on your first successful sign-in!"

Congratulations, host, you have obtained 1000 jin of candy!

Congratulations, host, you have obtained 1000 jin of rice!

Congratulations, host, you have obtained 1000 jin of white flour!

Congratulations, host, you have obtained 1000 catties of pork!

Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Grandmaster-level "Master of Massage" inheritance!

Congratulations, host, you have obtained ten acres of "Rapidly Growing Spirit Field"!

Seeing the first sign-in reward given by the system in the system space, Xu Lin felt a surge of excitement.

" Cool!"

"This system is great! It's really helpful. If it had these features earlier, I would have sneaked over to the Koreans long ago and shown them just how well-fed and clothed the strongest army on earth could ravage their tiny territory!"

However, if he left this courtyard and went south, he figured he wouldn't find this system anymore. Thinking this, Xu Lin stopped worrying about anything else and started checking the system panel.

[Host: Xu Lin]

[Appearance: 9/10 handsome]

Height: 183cm; Weight: 76kg

Strength: 3 times that of an average person; Speed: 3 times that of an average person

[Combat Power: 100-Man Kill]

[Skills: Mastery of the Dragon Vein Thirteen Needles, Grandmaster-level Massage, and unparalleled mastery of Tai Chi]

[Supplies: 1000 jin each of rice, flour, pork, and candy]

The system's storage space solved the problem of expired supplies, but not having cash still causes some minor inconvenience. Looks like I'll still have to rely on my intellect to make money...