I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao immediately sat up straight: "Brother Li, I see you just came back from outside, and you're preparing to start a new business. You must be short-handed. I don't have much to do at the movie theater, and it's quite relaxed. I can run errands for you. I can't do anything else, but you see…"

"Haha, Da Mao, I'm so glad you have this idea. I'm just worried it will interfere with your job. After all, you're a projectionist, serving the public. How can the cinema operate without you?" Li Jing'an said while drinking tea.

"Hehe, Brother Li, although the movie theater can't do without me, what kind of relationship do we have? Right? Just give me a call, and I'll drop everything and come help you."

Xu Damao didn't reveal his situation at the movie theater, preserving his dignity. Li Jing'an had actually already figured out that Xu Damao wasn't doing well at the movie theater, but he didn't expose him.

"Alright, Da Mao, since you're so willing, I can't turn you away. After all, you helped me before, and I, Li Jing'an, am a person who remembers old friendships. The main thing is that the oral liquid project is still in the planning stages, so if you have time, help me with errands and make contacts. Most importantly—I heard you say yesterday that you're planning to get the approval from Liu Haizhong, is that right?"

"Yes, Brother Li. Liu Haizhong wants to get this permit and is trying to get me involved. Actually, I don't want to get involved with him. With his character, even his children don't want to be near him. I only went along with him because he bothered me so much." Xu Damao quickly kicked Liu Haizhong, the originally agreed-upon business partner, aside.

"Actually, I've thought about it, and this license is a good business opportunity, but it's too limited. After all, it's a gray area, not something that can be done openly, and the government will clean it up sooner or later. We can give it a try first. You, go and find a trading company these next few days, get it up and running. I'll appoint you as the manager, and you'll be in charge of that. I'll then give the Ministry of Metallurgy a heads-up, and that'll be all." Li Jing'an casually assigned the task.

"Thank you, Brother Li! Since you trust me, I'll definitely do a great job!" Xu Damao got what he wanted, and a smile immediately spread across his face.

"Okay, I trust you to handle things. But let me make this clear: our main business isn't dealing with permits or licenses; those are just temporary. We need to focus on our core business—our health supplements, our oral liquids."

I'll sort things out first and see which pharmaceutical company to collaborate with. There will be a lot of paperwork involved, and you'll have to handle that. Don't let small things cause you to lose sight of the bigger picture; prioritize what's important.

"Hey! Brother Li, don't worry, whatever you say goes. I'll definitely prioritize the big picture," Xu Damao replied respectfully. Judging from Li Jing'an's demeanor, the Ministry of Metallurgical's approval was a trivial matter in his eyes.

Xu Damao knew that Brother Li had grand ambitions; what he really wanted was that oral liquid. He hadn't looked into the specific brand yesterday, but after hearing the older women talk about its miraculous effects today, he understood—once it took off, it would be a truly respectable business. Unlike obtaining permits, even with connections to the Ministry of Metallurgy across the country, no matter how big you sounded, you were still just a middleman, lacking any real prestige.

"By the way, Damao, even though you're here to help me now, we still need to set a salary for you." Li Jing'an stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and said to Xu Damao.

When Xu Damao heard the conversation turn to salary, he immediately perked up. He knew in his heart that Li Jing'an would definitely not treat him unfairly, but he hadn't dared to ask since Li Jing'an hadn't mentioned it earlier. Now that Li Jing'an brought it up himself, he immediately perked up his ears, waiting expectantly.

"As for the salary, let's start with two thousand. After all, you're one of us, I certainly can't treat you unfairly."

Li Jing'an's words stunned Xu Damao. Two thousand yuan a month? That's almost three years' worth of his previous salary! It's like a pie falling from the sky. This salary level is comparable to that of senior managers recruited by large foreign companies in Beijing, something that has only been mentioned in their casual conversations over tea in their courtyard.

(Note: In the novel "Full House of Love," the timeline isn't explicitly stated, but it's likely set in the mid-1980s. The eldest son of the Yan family offering Sha Zhu a salary of 2000 for a job at a small restaurant is a bit outrageous. I'll change that later.)

Li Jing'an didn't stop, continuing, "As for the permits, when you go out and make money, you'll get a commission, which will definitely not be less than your basic salary, and may even be much higher."

The blows, one after another, left Xu Damao completely disoriented.

"Brother Li, this... isn't that a bit inappropriate? After all, it's the Ministry of Metallurgy, and I'm only doing this because of you. You give me such a high salary, how could I possibly take a commission on top of that..." Xu Damao's voice trembled with excitement.

"Take it if I tell you to. Back when I worked for me in a government unit, the salary was just so-so, and I couldn't make decisions about how much I could give you. Also, after your accident, I couldn't protect you, and I've always felt bad about it. But now it's different; I have the means. Your brother Li won't let you down."

"Thank you, Brother Li! Thank you, Brother Li!" Xu Damao was practically kneeling down to Li Jing'an at this point.

"Oh, right, Ivy, go get a car key and an envelope."

Ivy obediently walked to the cabinet next to her, picked out a key from her bag and took out one from a stack of envelopes, and respectfully handed it to Li Jing'an.

Li Jing'an took the car keys, weighed them in his hand, and looked at Xu Damao: "Damao, can you drive?"

"Yes! I will!" Xu Damao quickly replied.

No sooner had he finished speaking than he saw a black shadow fly toward him, which he quickly caught with both hands—a car key.

"Okay. The car's parked in the yard. Take it when you go back. Ask Ivy to reimburse you for the gas. She's our company manager, after all. She'll be going to the Ministry of Metallurgy quite often and will have to do other things for me. I'll give you a leg up."

Xu Damao stared blankly at the keys in his hand, then suddenly said, "Brother Li, I can drive. I used to drive the factory car at the steel rolling mill, but... I don't have a driver's license."

"Haha, it's okay, just keep driving. I'll have Ivy get you a license plate later. We're a foreign company, it'll be an unlicensed car, the police won't check you."

These words reassured Xu Damao, and he happily looked at the keys in his hand over and over.

"Here, Damao, take this too." Li Jing'an pushed the envelope in his hand toward Xu Damao.

Xu Damao subconsciously took it from the table; it was thick. He looked at Li Jing'an with confusion: "Brother Li, what's this?"

"There are some foreign exchange certificates inside. When you go back, go to the Friendship Store and buy yourself some new clothes. Pay attention to the company image; don't make a bad impression."

Xu Damao, feeling dizzy, walked out of the Western-style building, holding an envelope in one hand and a key in the other. Still dazed, he squinted at the sunlight shining through the door and then came to his senses.

He looked at the garden; a Mercedes and two Crowns were parked in front of the mansion.

He wasn't foolish enough to just open the door of the Mercedes; instead, he walked to the black Crown that was closest to him.

The car body was boxy with sharp lines. He inserted the key, and with a click, the door opened. Blue velvet seats came into view. He didn't rush to sit down; he first gently ran his hand over the seat before plopping down and slowly moving his legs into the driver's seat.

He ran his fingers around the steering wheel to test its feel, then looked at the instrument panel and center console—a dense array of gauges and several small screens, exuding a strong sense of technology.

Xu Damao kept swallowing as he touched these things.

Suddenly, with a loud slap, he raised his hand and slapped himself.

He was afraid he was dreaming.