Sha Zhu's Rebirth in the Courtyard: Starting with Hitting Someone in the Head

Chapter 305 Battle at the Front Gate

December in Beijing is bitterly cold and dry. The locust trees at the entrance of Qianmen Hutong are long gone, with only a few withered branches sticking out towards the sky. Liu Guangtian squats at the entrance of the recycling station, smoking. His fingers are red from the cold, and the cigarette burns quickly in the cold wind, going out in two puffs.

He stubbed out his cigarette on the sole of his shoe, and just as he stood up to go inside, he saw Liu Guangfu returning from outside. The tricycle was practically empty, containing only a few bundles of old newspapers and half a bag of scrap metal.

The two brothers went inside and sat down. Liu Guangtian opened the account book and pushed it in front of Liu Guangfu.

Liu Guangfu glanced at it, his expression darkening. This month's profit was only a little over six hundred yuan. After deducting the wages of the hired helper, rent, and food expenses, there wasn't much left.

"Brother, this can't go on." Liu Guangfu took out his cigarette case.

Liu Guangtian took a cigarette and lit it. "Yan Jiekuang's scrap metal prices haven't dropped; we can't compete. Guangfu, do you think it'll work if we borrow money from Xu Damao?"

"Brother, you want to borrow money to compete with the Yan family on price?"

Liu Guangtian shook his head. "I know someone at a sanitation station in Dongcheng District. He said that sanitation stations have a lot of waste now. Let's buy a vehicle and go haul it away."

"Buy a car?"

"Buy a used bread truck."

Liu Guangfu was silent for a moment: "Brother, I know that each sanitation station has a lot of waste. After sorting and organizing, it prioritizes selling it to the state-owned material recycling company. Many private recycling stations have connections with the sanitation department and are making a lot of money through clandestine operations. Can your friend help us?"

Liu Guangtian frowned. "Don't worry about that. I can handle it. Just tell me if this is feasible?"

Liu Guangfu slammed his hand on the table. "That'll definitely work. We'll hire a few more people to clean and pack the waste. After deducting the kickbacks, we can easily earn an extra five or six thousand a month."

"Then go ask Xu Damao for money," Liu Guangtian said. "We have no grudge against him. When you were little, you always called him 'Brother Damao,' so he should lend you money."

Liu Guangfu looked worried. "Brother, why should they lend us the money?"

"We can afford to pay it back." Liu Guangtian's voice shrilly. "Just tell him we have connections to get goods from the sanitation department and will pay interest every month. If you can't even handle this, we brothers might as well close down and surrender."

Liu Guangfu stood up: "Okay, I'll give it a try."

That evening, Xu Damao came to the courtyard again.

Xu Damao was delighted as soon as he entered through the moon gate. He Yang was riding around on a big yellow dog, complete with a leash and saddle. After playing with the child for a while, he went into the main room, sat down, and said, "My dear in-law, I have something interesting to share today."

"What is it?"

"Liu Guangfu came to me to borrow money."

He Yuzhu turned the TV volume down a bit: "How much do you want to borrow?"

"Twelve thousand," Xu Damao said. "He said he wanted to buy a used van to haul recyclables from the sanitation department. I think he's really desperate. He's been under a lot of pressure from Yan Jiekuang. They've been fighting a price war for over a month, and he's lost all his business."

He Yuzhu offered her a cigarette. "Did you borrow it?"

"Not yet." Xu Damao took the cigarette and lit it. "I said I'd think about it. That's why I came to ask what you think."

He Yuzhu exhaled a puff of smoke. "Borrow. Borrow more."

Xu Damao was taken aback: "Borrow more?"

"He asked for 12,000, so lend him 20,000. Let the Liu family buy a decent used car, and keep some money for working capital. With a car, they can go to the sanitation department to pick up goods. Yan Jiekuang definitely can't compete by just collecting small goods from the ground up. It'll be interesting when the two groups fight."

Xu Damao realized what was happening and chuckled, "My dear in-law, you're just enjoying the show."

He Yuzhu took a sip of tea. "When dogs bite each other, the harder they bite, the louder they bark."

Xu Damao replied the next day. Twenty thousand yuan, IOU to be kept, interest calculated at bank fixed deposit rates, to be repaid in two years.

Liu Guangfu's hand trembled slightly as he took the money. He didn't say much, only saying, "Brother Da Mao, I will definitely pay you back."

Xu Damao patted him on the shoulder: "Keep up the good work."

Liu Guangfu turned and left, clutching the wad of money. Xu Damao stood at the supermarket entrance, watching his figure disappear into the alley, then took out a cigarette and lit it. This Liu Guangtian, effeminate as he is, actually has some skills; he can pull strings with the sanitation department.

Now the Liu brothers are holding their breath, rich and with cars, making this show even more exciting. Controlling other people's lives feels amazing. No wonder Brother Zhu enjoys arranging things for these families so much. Xu Damao exhaled a puff of smoke and turned back to his office.

The Liu brothers acted quickly. Three days later, a slightly worn Tianjin Dafa van pulled up at the entrance of Qianmen Hutong. Like the yellow vans that roamed the city, it was sturdy and fuel-efficient, maneuverable in the alleys, and with the back seat removed, it was just the right size to haul recyclables from the sanitation station.

Liu Guangtian hired a driver for 380 yuan a month. He would make one trip every morning at dawn and another the following afternoon. Guangfu wiped the "Recycling" sign and stuck it on the rear window of the van.

"I'll get up early tomorrow." Liu Guangtian walked with a slight limp. "I'll leave at two in the morning to go to the sanitation station in Mao'er Hutong. I'll go there every day from now on, bring the goods back, and then sort them."

A few days later, Yan Jiekuang and his team were collecting goods when they passed by Liu's recycling station and saw the yellow van. Liu Guangfu was leading people to load waste cardboard onto the van. These recyclables were clearly from the sanitation department, as they were covered in oil stains.

Two nights later, Xiao Dang returned to the courtyard and said to Qin Huairu, "Mom, the Liu family bought a van."

Huaihua interjected first: "Sister, a van costs tens of thousands. Where did they get the money?"

"It's secondhand. I heard it was borrowed from Xu Damao. Liu Guangfu always tells people that Xu Damao is generous and takes care of the neighbors," Xiao Dang said. "Jie Kuang found out too, and he didn't look too good today."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu said, "Xiao Dang, it's no use telling me. Go back and discuss it with Jie Di, and try to persuade Jie Kuang. If my words were effective, the two families wouldn't have to separate and run their businesses."

Yan Jiekuang, that foolish young man, thought he could ruin the Liu brothers' business by relying on his large capital and manpower. He didn't expect the Liu family to find connections and make money, and they'll definitely try to steal Yan's business later. Given this son-in-law's personality, he might go to extremes.

Qin Huairu was worried that Yan Jiekuang would escalate the situation and drag Xiao Dang into it. She didn't care if the Yan family went bankrupt; she just wanted Xiao Dang to be safe.

Seeing Xiaodang's anxiety, she advised her again, "Xiaodang, go back. Talk to Jiedi properly and try to persuade Jie Kuang to stop. The two Liu brothers will definitely retaliate against you once they have money. If you really can't persuade them, you two should save some money. Don't let Jie Kuang throw it all away and fight the Liu family until they're broke."

He Yuzhu took a stroll in the yard that evening. His senses activated, and he saw that the light was on in Yan Jiekuang's house in the front yard. Jie Di and Xiao Dang were trying to persuade Jiekuang to stop. The three of them were arguing, and Yan Jiekuang wouldn't listen to anyone.

This kid's not bad, Master Zhu will help you. When the time comes, have Ma Qiang lend money to Yan Jiekuang, let the two families fight it out, preferably to the death, that'll be exciting.