Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

Jia Zhangshi muttered, "You can just scoop them up from the river."

"Grandma, let's go fishing tomorrow!"

Banggeng said, drooling.

"Okay, I need to go ask that idiot Zhu how he made this dish."

Jia Zhangshi grabbed the stick and was about to leave.

"Grandma, look!"

Bang Geng pointed sharply at the overhead corridor, "Meat, all meat!"

Beneath the corridor ceiling, strings of cured meat hung densely. Jia Zhangshi's triangular eyes widened, wishing she could rush up and tear them all down immediately.

"Let's go home."

Madam Jia muttered, "Storing so much meat, aren't they afraid of choking to death? This little beast doesn't understand what neighbors are."

"He should have delivered the meat to our house."

Just as the two men left, Li Weidong's braised chicken and salted pork with fresh fish were ready. He opened a bottle of beer, preparing to have a couple of sips himself.

Lin Yurou took the wine bottle from him and poured him a glass. It seemed she was going to serve him a drink.

Liu Haizhong and Liu Da Naotou smelled the aroma in the yard as well. The fragrance of stir-fried snails wafted over, instantly making the silkworm pupae in their mouths taste bland.

"I'll have Guangfu go and gather some tomorrow."

Liu Da Nao clicked his tongue, "Let's stir-fry some to go with the drinks."

"That's a good idea. I'll treat you tomorrow night."

Liu Haizhong puffed out his belly and said, "I've become an official, and this banquet hasn't even been held yet."

"Call Lao Yi and Lao Yan tomorrow. Oh, and buy a string of firecrackers tomorrow. I'll light them at the front gate when I get back!"

Liu Hai was secretly delighted, feeling that this was the most glorious moment of his life.

When Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng returned to the central courtyard, Sha Zhu was drinking baijiu with Yi Zhonghai. Yi Zhonghai couldn't bear to drink Erguotou every day; that stuff was expensive.

"Hey Sha Zhu, I have a question for you!"

Banggeng swaggered over, glanced at the dishes on the table, and had no appetite whatsoever. There was no meat.

On the table were braised tofu, smashed cucumber, stir-fried eggplant with green peppers, and hot and sour shredded potatoes.

The deaf old woman sighed as she ate her steamed bun. She also longed for the food at Li Weidong's house.

"Hey, what do you want to ask, young men?"

Sha Zhu grinned.

"Do you know how to stir-fry snails? That's what that little bastard's family makes."

Banggeng rolled his eyes.

"Of course, it's just that we can't gather all the spices."

Sha Zhu scratched the back of his head. "Without all the spices, the aroma is far from perfect."

"Pillar, just use whatever spices you have. After all, it's meat."

Yi Zhonghai looked at Bang Geng with a loving expression.

If my son wants something, I'll find a way to get it if it's within my power.

"Okay, bring the snails back tomorrow morning. Add a few drops of oil to the water so they can purge all the dirt."

Sha Zhu said, "We can cook it by tomorrow night."

"Zhu Zi, if you know how to do it, why have I never seen you try?"

Yi Zhonghai was quite puzzled.

Sha Zhu curled his lip, his face full of disdain: "That stuff is something only southerners eat. We don't have that habit here at all. How could I possibly remember it right now? Li Weidong spent four years in the south..."

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and quickly replied, "Alright, alright, I understand."

As soon as Jia Zhangshi opened her mouth, a foul stench wafted out: "Silly Zhu, don't wait until tomorrow, go and touch it now!"

Sha Zhu rolled his eyes and said without any politeness, "Oh, go ahead and touch it if you want!"

This old geezer thinks he can boss him around? No way.

Qin Huairu walked over from her front door, her voice soft: "Zhuzi, look at my mother-in-law's legs, how can we let her go? You can't just let Banggeng go alone, can you? Stop drinking, go quickly before it gets dark."

As soon as Sha Zhu heard Qin Huairu speak, he immediately nodded: "Alright, then."

The deaf old woman sat to the side, her face showing displeasure, muttering something under her breath, and the way she looked at Qin Huairu was definitely not right.

Sha Zhu carried a small bucket and a stick out the door. He'd find a clean ditch and soon he'd have enough to eat.

Xu Damao had a free meal at Cui Dake's place. After he left, Cui Dake tidied up and prepared to go to sleep.

Cui Dake felt a little uneasy. Before, that thing would be very active every morning, and he'd need to use a full course of oral sex to get rid of it. But this morning, during the full course, it was like a caterpillar, completely still.

"Damn it, I hope nothing bad happens. I need to find some time to see a doctor."

Cui Dake muttered to himself.

The next morning, Li Weidong prepared to go to the factory. He wanted to talk to Jin Da and Jin Er, feeling that the two brothers were still hiding something good.

Lin Yurou found it strange: "Brother Dong, why are you leaving so early today? It's only seven o'clock."

She gets up at five o'clock to do laundry and prepare breakfast for Li Weidong. Now she's standing at the door seeing him off to work.

Li Weidong said gently, "I'm going to see two people to discuss something. Remember what I just told you. Or, how about this, leave the gun at home."

"Keep it with you at all times. If anything seems amiss, just pull out your gun and shoot first."

Lin Yurou rolled her eyes at him: "What could possibly happen to me at home? I don't need a gun."

Li Weidong straightened his expression: "Come inside, I'll teach you how to use it. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen in the next few days."

Lin Yurou looked puzzled, but Li Weidong still taught her how to load and unload the gun. He then instructed her, "If anyone tries to hurt you, just point the gun at them and pull the trigger."

"Hold on tight. When I have time tonight, I'll take you somewhere to fire a couple of shots."

"How about this, after you finish breakfast, come straight to the factory to find me. Make sure to lock the gate before you leave."

Lin Yurou nodded obediently. Li Weidong hugged her and kissed her for a while before she blushed and continued washing clothes.

Li Weidong stepped into the Intermediate People's Court and muttered, "System, sign in."

"Check-in complete. Host has received: 1,000 catties of premium cotton and 1,000 bolts of various fabrics."

Li Weidong was taken aback, wondering to himself, "Is this system designed for me to do wholesale?"

He rode his bike to the factory's security office, where Jin Da and Jin Er were eating their breakfast.

"How's it going? Feeling stifled here?"

Li Weidong pushed open the door and went in.

There was soy milk and fried dough sticks on the table, brought back from outside by the security personnel.

"It's fine, but it's boring. Nobody talks to us."

Kim Dae wiped his mouth. "Luckily there were two of us. If it were just one person, we would have gone crazy."

"Yes, when can we go out?"

Kim Il was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands together.

"Soon, this matter needs to be investigated thoroughly."

Li Weidong said, "We can't touch the deaf old woman yet, lest we alert her."

"Okay, we'll stay here for now."

Kim Dae-il tilted his head back and gulped down the soy milk.

"I'll have someone send over some chess and playing cards later."

Li Weidong thought for a moment, "I'll also get you a radio."

He suddenly remembered that he knew how to assemble radios; he just needed to buy some parts from an electronics factory.

"That's great!"

Kim Dae-man smiled broadly.

Li Weidong casually asked, "Do you have any old items left in your family? That fan is quite nice."

"Of course, that was the emperor back then... uh, never mind."

Jin Da was a little guilty. "We do have some old things at home, but we haven't made any money from practicing martial arts all these years. We've squandered it all."

"Don't worry, I'll pay."

Li Weidong said calmly, "I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Okay, once this is over, we'll definitely bring out something good."

After chatting for a few minutes, Li Weidong returned to the medical affairs department. The office had been cleaned, and tea was brewed on the table.

Ding Qiunan walked in, her face delicate and her eyes gentle: "Section Chief, we need to pick up some medicine from the pharmaceutical company later, you see—"

"Is there a lot of stuff?"

Li Weidong asked.

"It can fit in one box."

Ding Qiunan bit her lip. "How about you lend me your car, and I'll go get it?"

"No need, I'll just go and take care of something."

Just after eight o'clock, Li Weidong picked up his teacup when he heard a voice call out, "Brother!"

Xiao Xi stood at the door, followed by He Yushui, and then Lin Yurou.

Lin Yurou happened to run into Ding Qiunan, who was coming out of the office. The two exchanged glances.

Li Weidong stood up with a smile: "Xiao Xi, have you had breakfast yet?"

Xiao Xi raised her hand and shouted, "I ate! I ate instant noodles and braised eggs! It was so delicious!"

"Okay, okay, okay."

Li Weidong patted her head and said, "You stay in the office with Sister Yushui. I'm taking your sister out to run some errands."

He Yushui nodded and said, "Don't worry, Brother Dong, I'll keep an eye on Xiaoxi."

Li Weidong led Lin Yurou towards the research lab. Lin Yurou followed beside him. After leaving the medical department, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "Brother Dong, who was that woman who came out of your office just now?"

"What woman?"

Li Weidong replied casually.

Lin Yurou bit her lip and said, "It was that one... who came out of your office."

Li Weidong said, "The doctor at the infirmary, of course."

"She's really pretty."

Li Weidong wasn't stupid; he immediately sensed the sourness in Lin Yurou's words.

He laughed and said, "No one can compare to my little Roujun."

He meant it sincerely. In his eyes, Lin Yurou was the most perfect image in his mind. Moreover, she had a good personality, and the first person she thought of was Li Weidong. She loved and cherished him more than she loved herself.

"That's complete nonsense."

Lin Yurou's two words revealed an undisguised joy.

The two arrived at the shooting range as they talked. This place was used by the security department on a regular basis.

In those days, the security department, especially in large factories like steel mills, was very well-equipped. They had not only pistols and rifles, but also machine guns. Most of the security personnel were veterans, many of whom had seen real combat, and they conducted target practice every now and then.

Li Weidong had come here once during the Spring Festival with Deputy Section Chief Jiang. Right now, several security officers are practicing shooting in the yard.

When Section Chief Jiang saw Li Weidong, he asked warmly, "What kind of gun does Chief Engineer Li want to play with? I'll get you all kinds, long and short."

Li Weidong waved his hand: "No need to say hello, I'll just take my sister for a few rounds and then leave. Thanks, Section Chief Jiang."

After exchanging a few polite words with Section Chief Jiang, Li Weidong drew his pistol from his waist, aimed at the target fifty meters away, and fired three shots in quick succession.

The three bullets were fired almost simultaneously.

"Hey, they all hit the target."

Section Chief Jiang was stunned for a moment, then immediately ordered someone to pull over the rope and drag the wooden target closer. His face showed even greater astonishment: "My goodness, a sharpshooter! Three shots from the pistol, with such short intervals, and all ten rings!"

Section Chief Jiang is a veteran, a soldier who came from the battlefield. He can hit the bullseye every time he shoots with a pistol at 50 meters. But that's shooting slowly and deliberately; it's impossible for someone like Li Weidong to just raise his hand and shoot.