Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

But upon further reflection, Gao Jianguo came to a realization.

Back then, people weren't too old yet, and Jia Dongxu was still alive. The underlying theme of the whole show—the issue of retirement—hadn't even surfaced yet, and there wasn't even the biggest plan in place, so naturally, many trivial matters didn't come to fruition.

First of all, some actors haven't been assembled yet, and the group that has been assembled hasn't fully matured. Without all the actors present, how can the play proceed?

Another point is that the timing is wrong. The external circumstances and the political climate for many things hadn't reached that point yet, so it was impossible to tear them apart even if you wanted to.

Having figured these things out, Gao Jianguo felt relieved. No rush. He would get his hands on this sooner or later. It didn't matter whether Jia Dongxu lived or died. If he lived, he could eat watermelon; if he died, he could eat pumpkin. Either way, he would get what he wanted.

Whether Jia Dongxu will be able to breathe again is anyone's guess. Gao Jianguo has some plans to make a quick buck, but all he knows from watching the show in his previous life is that Jia Dongxu died at his workstation. When he died, where he died, and how he was killed are not mentioned at all. Even if he wanted to prevent it, he had no way to do so. He could only gamble that the butterfly's wings might flap and cause some trouble.

While Gao Jianguo was squatting there, his mind racing with all sorts of thoughts, Xu Damao was also busy in the backyard.

The whole family was there, and Xu Damao was complaining to Xu Zhangshi: "Mom, didn't you say that the matter with that girl from the Lou family was almost settled? Why did you change your mind today and say it's off?"

Madam Xu was equally bewildered: "How would I know? I'm wondering about this myself. I've already given Mrs. Lou enough of a bewitching potion."

"This is what Mrs. Lou and I were discussing: our families have different social classes, one high and one low, and with this disparity, we've managed to live relatively peacefully these days. The Lou family knows our situation well and isn't worried about our daughter being mistreated after marriage. We want Xiao'e to live a peaceful life without being wronged. You see, I've said all the right things, covered up all the issues, and Mrs. Lou has almost given her a nod of agreement. But who would have thought that today she would just tell me straight away, 'This is out of the question.'"

Xu Damao scratched his head, "Mom, did you offend someone by saying something wrong?"

Madam Xu waved her hand dismissively: "No way, I know perfectly well what she likes to hear and what annoys her, so I'm extremely careful with every word she says."

Xu Fugui chimed in from the side, "So, it turned out her dad's side messed things up?"

Madam Xu shook her head: "It's not that kind of thing. Her father has no say in this matter. But from what Mrs. Lou said, it seems that Lou Xiao'e came to our courtyard once, but she didn't go into details."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao immediately mentally compared it to all the shady dealings he had done in the past. After a quick mental search, he locked onto the suspect: "Shazhu! It can't be him. Lou Xiao'e must have bumped into Shazhu when she sneaked into the yard, and when Shazhu heard she was there to spy on me, he started splashing dirty water on me."

Madam Xu was skeptical: "Could such a coincidence really happen? Maybe it's someone else?"

Xu Damao stamped his foot: "Hey, Mom, who else would be so foolish as to do this? The other kids in the yard are still too young. Only the eldest son of the Liu family and the eldest son of the Yan family are a couple of years older, but they're not even twenty yet. They don't have that kind of scheming mind. Who else could it be? Gao Jianguo? Gao Jianguo is busy all day long, he wouldn't have time to mess around like this. That leaves only Shazhu. You might say things aren't that coincidental, but some people just happen to pick the opportune moment to strike."

She was just short of revealing her secret: how she would pretend to bump into Sha Zhu on his blind dates and then go on a rampage to torment him.

That's how it is. What you hold in your heart determines the quality of what you see.

Having said that, before Xu Fugui and his wife could even open their mouths, Xu Damao had already convinced himself, his logic firmly shut: "Idiot Zhu, I'm not finished with you!"

Of course, he didn't have the guts to just rush over and beat up Sha Zhu. That would be like delivering food to someone's door. He could only keep it to himself and wait for the right opportunity to humiliate him.

The next day, after putting on his demobilized military uniform and tightening his belt, Gao Jianguo arrived at the training ground early, following the schedule on the militia training plan.

Just as he reached the edge of the training field, Gao Jianguo glanced around and was delighted. "Hey, there are guns."

The location and setup of the training ground were carefully chosen. It was nestled at the foot of an earthen slope, where a straight wall about ten meters high and a hundred meters wide was carved out, with a row of targets. Pushing forward from the targets, there was a large, bright open space.

The militia hadn't yet formed a proper unit, but almost everyone had arrived. Section Chief Wang, dressed exactly like Gao Jianguo, spotted Gao Jianguo and quickly came over to greet him: "Jianguo, you're here."

He then gestured for the two deputy captains to recognize Gao Jianguo, before handing him the whistle: "Why don't you take the assembly whistle?"

Gao Jianguo was just there to be a figurehead; how could he be so oblivious, especially with two deputy captains standing right next to him? He waved his hands, saying, "No, no, I'm out of practice. You do it, you do it."

Section Chief Wang didn't waste any more time, shoved the whistle to his lips, and shouted, "Assemble!!!"

The militia at the factory and mine site didn't have buglers, so they sometimes relied on whistles instead of bugles. The militia members who were originally scattered in groups of three or five around the training ground would immediately gather together when they heard the whistle. After a series of commands, accompanied by a rustling sound of footsteps, the entire team would stand at attention.

Section Chief Wang gave a speech, and the two deputy captains each gave a speech as well. Then Gao Jianguo was invited to go up and say a few words.

Gao Jianguo didn't make any special gestures; he just went along with the crowd and chatted for a few minutes.

After finishing his rant about Gao Jianguo, he tried to slip away, but Section Chief Wang stopped him: "Jianguo, wait a minute, are you free? If so, show them what you've got, give those kids a piece of your mind."

That was a skillful way of putting it. If Gao Jianguo felt he was out of practice and couldn't show off his skills, he could have simply said he was too busy with work. If he felt he could still do a good job, he could have established a reputation among the militia and built up some goodwill.

To say that Section Chief Wang was secretly making things difficult for Gao Jianguo? Give me a break! You're someone who makes a living off your title as a combat hero. If someone asks you to demonstrate your military skills, why would they want to sabotage you? If you're even wondering if they're trying to frame you, you might as well go home and take care of your kids.

Gao Jianguo considered it for a moment. Although he didn't have time to spend with these militiamen, it would still be useful to make them remember him as the deputy captain and establish a solid foundation. Who knows when it might come in handy? So he nodded.

The militiamen were in an uproar, shouting and yelling, all eager to see just how capable this combat hero, whose story had been told countless times, really was.

If you want to establish authority in the military, there's a simple but effective method: just show your skills. Being weak is a cardinal sin; only those who can fight are truly formidable. With Gao Jianguo's solid military foundation, his wealth of combat experience, and the physical enhancements he received from head to toe when the system first appeared, this kind of thing is child's play for him.

Gao Jianguo said he would reveal two tricks, and he really only revealed two tricks.