Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

Gao Jianguo brought a pretty girl to his door.

Wang Tiezhu and Wan Yueying were incredibly enthusiastic.

Xiao Fang, that girl, couldn't stay still. She kept calling out "Auntie, Auntie," running around non-stop, dragging chairs over, and even putting sunflower seeds on the table.

Xiaofang's thoughts were very simple: she liked Uncle Gao, and she also liked the pretty auntie he brought with him.

At the other end of the kitchen, Sha Zhu was still working when he heard Gao Jianguo arrive. He shouted a greeting from afar.

Their friendship is so close that there's no need for them to put down their frying pans and come over for a chat.

Although he told Lou Xiao'e not to spend money, Gao Jianguo wouldn't go empty-handed.

I always bring baby formula, and today I also brought two bottles of Maozi (a type of Chinese liquor) to drink on the table.

These are not considered proper congratulatory gifts.

He prepared an extra set of books.

This book has an interesting origin; he downloaded it from the internet when he was a hamster in his previous life. It's called "Criminal Psychology Series".

The compressed file contained several books on criminal psychology, which were later drawn as prizes.

Back then, when I got a ticket, I had nowhere to use it, so I just tossed it into the storage room and forgot about it until Wang Tiezhu got promoted and suddenly remembered it.

He removed those books written after 1959, keeping only Lombroso's "On Criminals," Wulfen's "Criminology," and Gross, Kofleynsky, and Summer's "Criminal Psychology."

The strange thing is that all three books have the exact same title when translated.

Wang Tiezhu took it and flipped through it, his eyes glued to it, wishing he could sit down and read it right there.

Wan Yueying and Lou Xiao'e were chatting casually when Wang Tiezhu gave Gao Jianguo a look. The two then used the excuse of smoking to go outside.

Outside, Wang Tiezhu handed over a cigarette, took one for himself, and took a deep drag before speaking: "Old platoon leader, this girl's family background must be quite prestigious, right?"

Gao Jianguo lit a cigarette and replied, "Yeah, it's quite high."

Wang Tiezhu's words were tinged with worry: "Old platoon leader, this is supposed to be your private matter, and I shouldn't pry. But this is no joke, have you thought it through?"

Gao Jianguo answered without hesitation: "I've thought it through. As long as he's a good person, that's enough. I know what's going on with his class background."

For Lou Xiao'e, the high content of ingredients has obvious disadvantages, but it also has advantages.

However, this benefit has little to do with money.

But he couldn't break the ice with Wang Tiezhu, and he couldn't say a word to anyone. Even Lou Xiao'e herself had to be kept in the dark, and could only keep it to herself, giving this vague answer.

Wang Tiezhu knew Gao Jianguo's temperament well; he never fought a battle unprepared. Feeling a little more at ease, he still added, "Then you'd better keep a close eye on things. If you need my help, just let me know. I'll also keep an eye on things here; if anything seems amiss, I'll be the first to tell you."

Gao Jianguo nodded: "Okay, thank you for your trouble."

There are still five or six years left, which is more than enough time.

Before the mid-60s, the storms didn't affect them.

The TV series begins at the end of 1965 in the lunar calendar, which is already well into the following year in the Gregorian calendar. Lou Xiao'e and her parents are still living well, doing whatever they want without any problems.

As for whether it will affect Gao Jianguo's work?

To put it simply, these days, among those who do scientific research and actually make a name for themselves, if you look into their backgrounds, the majority actually come from families with high social standing.

If you want to understand, go and look up the information yourself.

The reason is not complicated. When this group of people were in school, apart from a few exceptionally talented individuals like Mr. Hua Luogeng and Comrade Wu Yunduo, those from low-class backgrounds basically couldn't even get close to the books.

The situation only changed after the founding of the People's Republic of China, but the generation trained after the founding of the PRC has not yet fully taken over.

Returning to Wang Tiezhu's side, despite his worries, he quite approved of Lou Xiao'e: "You know what, old platoon leader, you have a sharp eye. Aside from her family background, this girl is perfect. She's straightforward, honest, and doesn't mince words."

Gao Jianguo laughed out loud: "Of course, you don't even know who I am."

Wang Tiezhu said with a regretful look, "Hey, if I had known you weren't picky about class background, there's a really nice teacher at Yueying's school who I should have introduced to you a long time ago."

After the two finished their cigarettes, they went back inside. Sha Zhu was almost done with his work.

Once everyone was seated around the table, Gao Jianguo formally introduced Lou Xiao'e and Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu had a deep impression of the name "Lou Xiao'e".

Just because of his name, Xu Damao even performed a good show with him.

Upon hearing the name, Sha Zhu paused for a moment, then turned his eyes to Gao Jianguo: "You mean Lou Xiao'e?"

There's nothing to hide.

Gao Jianguo nodded: "It's her. But I don't know what's going on between her and Xu Damao. She came to my house to ask for directions and we got to know each other. She never mentioned Xu Damao to me."

He said it, but he didn't say it all, and it's impossible for him to say it all.

Lou Xiao'e added, "I've heard of Xu Damao, but I've never met him."

Sha Zhu loved seeing Xu Damao get his comeuppance, and upon hearing this, he immediately gave a thumbs up: "Zhendong, in the end, it all comes down to you!"

When I'm happy, I even use honorifics.

Wang Tiezhu and Wan Yueying, sensing something amiss, pressed for details. Sha Zhu then recounted the whole story to Gao Jianguo, one sentence at a time.

After listening, Wang Tiezhu only said one sentence: "Old platoon leader is awesome, but your neighbor is not decent."

Sha Zhu nodded in agreement, but still reminded Gao Jianguo, "Zhen Dong, you still have to be careful. That bastard Xu Damao is cunning and petty. He'll hold a grudge for the smallest thing for the rest of his life."

Gao Jianguo replied, "Yes, I've got it."

He knew perfectly well that, given Xu Damao's character and behavior, he was definitely going to seek revenge to the death in the future.

Moreover, Xu Damao has no bottom line when it comes to taking action, regardless of the means or the goal.

Gao Jianguo had only one thought going back and forth in his mind.

Xu Damao must disappear from our sight within the next few years.

Gao Jianguo is usually kind and generous to people; that's just his way of dealing with people. To put it bluntly, he's too lazy to spend time scheming over trivial matters.

But this doesn't mean he's a pushover at heart, nor is he a submissive pushover.

When faced with a situation like Xu Damao's, he always makes decisive decisions, and his goals are even tougher than those of ordinary people.

It's just a normal matter, there's no need to escalate it to this level.

Wang Tiezhu nodded to Gao Jianguo.

He roughly grasped the meaning behind Gao Jianguo's words.

There's no way around it; brothers who've been through life and death together in the same tunnel, this kind of tacit understanding is perfectly normal.

Gao Jianguo also didn't plan to talk about Xu Damao's petty affairs on the day Wang Tiezhu was promoted.

That guy isn't worthy.

He urged everyone to fill their glasses, and said to Wang Tiezhu, "Come on, you have to be the one to say the first thing. I think Xiaofang is really drooling over it, haha."

Xiao Fang had never smelled such fragrant food before.

He held the chopsticks firmly in his hand, the small bowl steadily in his hand, his two bright eyes staring straight at the table, drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

It was only because Wan Yueying disciplined her well that she managed to keep quiet and not do anything.

Wang Tiezhu glanced at his daughter and picked up his cup.

The banquet has begun.