Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

Late at night, the banquet finally came to an end.

Lin Yang and Tian Yu had to discuss some confidential matters with the old leaders, so they asked their bodyguard, Xiao Li, to drive the GAZ command vehicle to take Lin Fan back to the courtyard.

At one o'clock in the morning, all was quiet in Beijing, with only the dim streetlights swaying in the cold wind.

However, the lights in courtyard number 95 of Nanluoguxiang are still on.

The beasts in the courtyard couldn't sleep at all. They were all anxiously and apprehensively waiting for Lin Fan's return. They desperately wanted to know what that general's birthday banquet, which only happened in legends, was really like.

"Creak—"

The sound of car brakes echoed at the entrance of the alley.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, He Daqing, Xu Wude, and others immediately put on their cotton-padded coats and rushed out of their respective houses like cats smelling fish, gathering in the central courtyard.

The door was pushed open.

Lin Fan, wearing a dark blue woolen overcoat, his face slightly flushed, exuding the rich aroma of high-end Moutai liquor, strode in with steady steps.

His aura at this moment was completely different from when he left home that morning. Having experienced the baptism of the general's banquet, the timidity in his bones had been completely washed away, replaced by a composure and confidence that came with having seen the world.

"Oh! Brother Lin is back!"

He Daqing was the first to greet him, his smile extremely obsequious, almost as if he were about to kneel down and kowtow to Lin Fan.

"Brother Lin, your complexion is so rosy! You must have eaten a lot of good food at that banquet, right?"

Yi Zhonghai also forced himself to come closer, his back hunched, his voice filled with flattery and probing: "Lin Fan... um, Commander Li's birthday banquet, it was quite a grand affair, wasn't it? What kind of important figures attended?"

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui also pricked up their ears, staring eagerly at Lin Fan.

Lin Fan stopped and gave Yi Zhonghai a cold look.

There was no anger in his eyes, only utter indifference and contempt. It was like looking at a stray dog ​​on the street.

"Whether it's a grand affair or not is none of your business," Lin Fan said calmly, but his words were like knives.

Yi Zhonghai's face stiffened, so embarrassed he wished he could disappear into the ground.

Lin Fan ignored them and walked straight ahead. When he reached the door of his room, he deliberately stopped, as if talking to himself, but his voice was loud enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear.

"I didn't see any outsiders today. It was just Commander Liu, Deputy Commander Zhang, Commander Ding, and Commander Kong, a few of my old comrades-in-arms."

Lin Fan casually patted the snow off his clothes.

"Oh, right, Commander Liu even toasted me with a bowl of wine, saying that if I ever encounter any trouble in Beijing, I can always go to the military compound to find him. This old commander is really too polite. And then there's Army Commander Li, who insists on introducing me to a female soldier from the cultural troupe as a potential partner. I can't refuse him, it's really worrying."

boom!

These words, like a Category 12 typhoon, instantly stirred up a storm in the courtyard!

Commander Liu is offering a toast?!

Go to the military compound anytime you encounter trouble?!

Li Yunlong personally introduced female soldiers from the cultural troupe to his girlfriend?!

Each word was like a heavy hammer, slamming into the skulls of Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong. They felt as if their breath was about to stop; intense jealousy and fear intertwined, causing their bodies to tremble uncontrollably.

This Lin Fan has not only turned his life around, he has ascended directly to become a dragon!

Anyone who dares to offend him again will face the wrath of the entire military leadership in Beijing!

"Oh my! Brother Lin! Your ancestors' graves are emitting auspicious smoke!" Xu Wude exclaimed exaggeratedly from the side, his face full of envy, jealousy and hatred.

Just then, the door to the Jia family's house in the corner of the courtyard opened a crack.

Jia Zhangshi's face, which was still not completely swollen, peeked out. She looked at Lin Fan, who was surrounded by everyone like a star, and heard the names of those important people. Her heart was filled with sourness, and her face was contorted with jealousy.

"Pah! What's so great about it!"

Madam Jia lowered her voice and muttered sourly, "He's just a spineless man who lives off his brother! Even in a dragon robe, he wouldn't look like a prince! A dog relying on its master's power, he'll get his comeuppance sooner or later!"

Although her voice wasn't loud, it still reached everyone's ears in the quiet of the night.

Lin Fan frowned, too lazy to bother with this mad dog.

However, He Daqing and Xu Wude keenly seized this excellent opportunity to perform in front of Lin Fan.

"You old hag! Who are you calling a jerk?!"

He Daqing jumped up and pointed at Jia Zhangshi's nose, cursing: "Have you forgotten the pain once the wound healed? Did the tooth that Wei, the guard, slapped out of your hand a few days ago grow back?"

"You dare to insult Brother Lin? Believe me, I'll tear your stinking mouth apart right now!"

Xu Wood immediately followed suit, mocking in a sarcastic tone:

"Oh dear, Aunt Jia, I can smell your sourness from ten miles away!"

Brother Lin has a high-ranking official's brother backing him up; that's his ability! And you? You only have a useless son, Jia Dongxu, who gets yelled at in the workshop every day and can't even pass the third-level worker exam!

"Exactly!" He Daqing spat.

"Brother Lin is about to marry a female soldier from the cultural troupe; she's like a swan!"

"And what about your Dongxu? He married Qin Huairu, a country bumpkin, and treats her like a treasure. Your Jia family is destined to toil in the mud your whole lives! You dare to be jealous of Brother Lin?"

"You...you all!" Jia Zhangshi was so angry that she trembled all over. She pointed at He Daqing and Xu Wude, but before she could catch her breath, she rolled her eyes and fainted.

"Mom! Mom, what's wrong?"

Startled, Jia Dongxu rushed out of the house and frantically dragged Jia Zhangshi back inside, not daring to utter a single harsh word.

Yi Zhonghai watched this scene and closed his eyes in anguish.

He knew that the Jia family was finished, and so was he, Yi Zhonghai.

Lin Fan looked at the crowd, who resembled clowns jumping around, and a faint, cold smile appeared on his lips.

He pushed open the door and strode inside.

From this day forward, the fate of this courtyard house will forever belong to the Lin family.

············

A few days later, one morning, at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, in the office of the Party Secretary.

The north wind howled outside the window, swirling up countless yellow leaves that pattered against the glass. Inside, the heating was on full blast, dispelling the chill of early winter.

Lin Yang sat behind his large desk, a report on the factory's equipment maintenance in his hand, his brow slightly furrowed. In the past few days, he had swiftly and decisively reorganized several key departments, demoting several troublemakers from Li Huaide's faction to manual labor in the workshops. The entire steel rolling mill had a completely new atmosphere; no one dared to be evasive in front of this young Party Secretary anymore.

Just then, the old-fashioned black crank telephone on the desk suddenly rang urgently.

"Ring ring—"

Lin Yang put down his pen and picked up the microphone.

"Hello, this is the office of the Party Secretary of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. This is Lin Yang."