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

Chapter 309 A Bolt from the Blue

Two days later, Liu Guangtian came out of the inner room carrying a black imitation leather handbag, the zipper zipped up tightly.

Liu Guangfu asked curiously, "Brother, why are you going out so late?"

"Okay. I'm going to take care of some errands." Liu Guangtian didn't explain further. "I won't be back tonight. Keep an eye on the recycling station tomorrow."

The next morning, Liu Guangfu took his driver to Mao'er Hutong to pick up goods, then returned to disassemble and clean them. At five in the morning, he sent several helpers to collect loose goods in the hutong. When he returned home after work that evening, he found his second brother's room door closed.

Liu Guangfu knocked on the door. "Brother, you're back?"

"Yes. The matter is settled."

"Have you eaten? I'll go cook you a bowl of noodles."

"I've eaten," Liu Guangtian said softly. "Don't bother me. I drank too much last night and didn't sleep well."

Liu Guangfu smiled and didn't seem to care.

The next morning, Liu Guangfu returned from the sanitation department with the recyclables, and Liu Guangtian was already waiting at the recycling station to unload them.

Liu Guangfu noticed that his brother walked with a limp.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Liu Guangtian put down a sack of scrap. "I twisted my ankle. I missed a step while walking."

Liu Guangfu watched his retreating figure and didn't ask any more questions.

After finishing his morning work, Liu Guangtian ate three meat buns. "Guangfu, things are all settled. Just wait and see what happens."

"Brother, how did you do that?"

Liu Guangtian picked up his bowl and took a sip of porridge. "You'll find out in a few days."

Liu Guangfu was very excited and kept asking his brother what had happened. Liu Guangtian told him not to ask anymore, since the other party had already agreed to help.

In early June, the sun scorched the alleyways, making people sweat profusely even if they stood still, and their hearts felt heavy and irritable.

Yan Jiekuang squatted at the entrance of the recycling station, smoking. The bread truck had been running for over a month, and business at Andingmen was very stable. He had just bought three electric fans for the shop, and the people at the recycling station had more energy to work.

A 28-inch bicycle turned into the alley, and Director Sun, wearing a white shirt, got out. He looked around first, then took out a file folder from his bag.

When Yan Jiekuang saw him, he stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, wiped his hands on his trouser leg, and was about to greet him.

Director Sun shoved the file folder into his hand. "Brother Jie Kuang, I'm really sorry. We can't give you the scrap metal from Andingmen anymore. If you offend someone and the higher-ups call, there's nothing I can do."

Yan Jiekuang's smile hadn't completely faded: "Director Sun, what do you mean by that?"

"It means exactly what it says." Director Sun looked at him, his tone leaving no room for negotiation. "The money that should be refunded is all in here. Keep it safe. Don't come looking for me again."

Yan Jiekuang held the wad of money, standing there for a long time before he came to his senses, then walked into the courtyard with his head drooping.

Xiao Dang came out of the house and saw his dejected look. "Jie Kuang, what's wrong?"

Yan Jiekuang felt like something was stuck in his throat, and managed to squeeze out a few words: "Scrap...it's stopped."

Xiao Dang was stunned: "What do you mean 'stopped'?"

Yan Jiekuang went into the room, put the file folder in the drawer, and didn't explain much. In the evening, Yan Jiedi returned from outside and noticed that the atmosphere in the shop was strange. The two of them joined forces to find out what was going on.

Yan Jiedi frowned after hearing this: "Brother, who have you offended?"

"I don't know," Yan Jiekuang said in a muffled voice. "Director Sun said that the higher-ups gave some instructions."

"Who's in charge?"

"He didn't say."

Xiao Dang handed him a glass of water: "Have some water first, don't think about it."

"I'm not reconciled." Yan Jiekuang took the cup. "We finally got things going, and now we're stopping just like that. Who did I offend?"

The three of them sat in the recycling station, with no one to cook dinner. Dusk was falling, and the heat from the daytime sun still lingered on the ground. The fan was whirring, but they felt increasingly stifled.

That evening, He Yuzhu sat under the eaves of the courtyard. Sensing that Yan Jiekuang in the front yard was in a daze, he muttered to himself: Who can I offend? Only the two Liu brothers. But they don't have the power to make Director Sun listen to them.

He Yuzhu perked up immediately. It seemed Liu Guangtian had intervened… no, he should say Liu Guangtian had pulled some strings. He needed to keep a close eye on him these next few days. Once this was done, he'd have to thank him properly.

Several days later, one night, He Yuzhu sensed Liu Guangtian leaving with a bag. The bag contained a wig and several pieces of women's clothing. He walked along the alley, turning several streets, and entered a small alley near Andingmen. He stopped in front of a small courtyard and raised his hand to tap rhythmically, as if it were a pre-arranged signal.

The door opened, and Liu Guangtian slipped inside, closing it from the inside. He Yuzhu stood in the corner, his senses activated. The room was lit and playing music. Liu Guangtian began to dress up; it was truly an eyesore.

Despite feeling nauseous, He Yuzhu took out a 135 point-and-shoot camera from his spatial storage while the venomous snake was burrowing into its hole. He aimed the lens, and with a precise snap of a needle, he took several photos and quickly left.

Two days later, an envelope hit Yan Jiekuang on the head. The seal wasn't completely closed, revealing the corner of a photograph. Yan Jiekuang picked it up, pulled out the first photo, and was completely dumbfounded.

In the photo, a house in a small courtyard is lit up, and two people are intertwined. The one being pressed up raises his head, with half-dried saliva hanging from the corner of his mouth, and his disheveled long hair covering half of his face. He recognizes Liu Guangtian.

The man in the photo, in profile, was around fifty years old, slightly overweight, with a mole on his chin. Yan Jiekuang didn't recognize him, but there was a line of text on the back of the photo: Deputy Director Wang of the Dongcheng District Sanitation Bureau.

The second photo was even more shocking. Liu Guangtian was wearing a floral dress draped around her waist, her hair loose, her legs spread wide, making no attempt to cover herself. Yan Jiekuang looked at the photos over and over again, then stuffed them back into the envelope and put them in the drawer.

He ran to the front gate, but there was no one in the alley. Who threw the envelope in?

Never mind, this is a good thing. Someone must have discovered that Deputy Director Wang's secret and wants to use him to leak it. I'm not that stupid.

Yan Jiekuang went back inside and took out the two photos again. What a Liu Guangtian! The Andingmen Sanitation Station is under the jurisdiction of the Dongcheng District Sanitation Bureau; no wonder Director Sun said that someone from above had called him.

He carefully put the photos away and locked the drawer. Now he had leverage over someone. What was the best course of action? Going to Deputy Director Wang would easily resolve the matter, but the other party wanted the negatives, which he couldn't produce. Going to Director Sun was also out of the question; what if Deputy Director Wang had something on him?

Yan Jiekuang decided to find Liu Guangtian first and give him a good laugh. He needed to get that rabbit back to his scrap metal business; making money was the priority. He wondered if the person who took the photos would find someone else to do it.

Yan Jiekuang lit a cigarette, thinking, "Why don't we get Liu Guangtian to open a couple more sanitation stations, earning 20,000...30,000 yuan a month?" He was still fantasizing about how to make money off Liu Guangtian, having completely forgotten about avenging his father.

When Jie Di and Xiao Dang returned, they asked him why he was smiling foolishly all by himself.

He then laughed wildly and said that the matter could be resolved, and that they should wait a few days. His manner made Xiao Dangjie think he had gone mad, and she almost called an ambulance.