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

"Judging by its caliber, its power must be considerable."

Old Man Li spoke slowly.

"That's right, it's also convenient for soldiers to carry. It has good targeting capabilities, making it particularly suitable for engaging personnel or high-value targets."

Li Weidong said, "This thing would be best equipped with a scope, but we don't have that right now."

"It will be available; I'll find a way to get it for you."

Old Li spoke solemnly.

Just then, a jeep pulled up. Several soldiers got out, including the one who had just left. He was carrying a small metal box.

Li Weidong knew that procuring ammunition wasn't difficult. Any experienced worker in the arsenal's ammunition workshop could handle it. After all, the conditions there were what they were.

Li Weidong was itching to try it and couldn't help but ask, "Where can we try it?"

The old man waved his hand: "Don't worry about that, they'll test it themselves. Just hand over the grenades and the blueprints."

"That's so boring."

Li Weidong muttered something under his breath, but still pulled out the blueprints.

A soldier took the blueprints, smiled at him, and said, "If Chief Engineer Li wants to experience the thrill of shooting, he can come to our unit's firing range another day. Range 03 is available."

"Alright, it's almost time. Uncle Li, your fishing rod is at the workshop entrance."

Li Weidong turned and called out, "Secretary Zhang, Factory Director Yang, how about coming over for a couple of drinks tonight?"

"Director Wang and Factory Manager Li are here too. The main thing is that we need to get that pig back."

The wild boar was cleaned up by Nan Yi and his men and is now frozen in a cold storage. Li Weidong specially tied two bamboo baskets to the back rack of his bicycle so he could carry the meat away.

"Yes, I have to take my pork back with me too."

Old Li smiled, his eyes crinkling: "A whole half of it! Take a piece back, and life will be wonderful."

"I'm coming to your place for dinner tonight, so we can skip this meal."

Li Weidong chuckled twice: "Uncle Li, stop joking. My place is really inconvenient."

"What's inconvenient about it? I'm still going to your house for a drink today."

Old Li chuckled: "I heard you're a good cook. I'll be counting on you tonight. By the way, I love Sichuan cuisine."

"Okay, I'll be there at six. I need to get things ready when I get back."

Li Weidong waved his hand helplessly and said, "Let's go, let's go."

The group went to the cold storage together and each took their own piece of pork. Director Yang and the others each took half a carcass, while only Li Weidong took two pieces.

Nan Yi had already cut it up.

"I'll only take the fatty meat and ribs back; I'm afraid the rest will spoil."

Li Weidong said.

Nan Yi whispered from the side, "Chief Engineer Li, it can actually be made into salted meat. You can marinate it if you have a cold storage."

"Okay, you can make it into salted meat for me. I'll pay you for the work, the cost of the salt is separate... Never mind, here's twenty yuan, I'll refund any extra or make up the difference."

Li Weidong took out ten yuan and handed it over first.

He only took the fatty and white parts of the meat with him, nothing else. Wild boar meat is inherently gamey and greasy, and only a good cook would use plenty of spices to mask that smell. The meat was tough and dry, hardly delicious.

These days, people are lucky to even have a little meat; who's going to be picky?

However, Li Weidong is different; his system warehouse is piled high with unregistered pigs.

"This is too much money."

Nan Yi said cautiously.

"Take it first. I don't want the pig offal, but you can keep it as payment for your work, okay?"

Li Weidong asked with a smile.

"That won't do, it's still meat, after all..."

Nan Yi couldn't hide his excitement.

"It's yours now."

Li Weidong waved his hand and turned to leave.

Just then, Sha Zhu walked over with a dark expression. The engine workshop was going to have to work overtime that night, and he still had to prepare dinner for midnight.

Li Weidong carried a bamboo basket into the courtyard, which was crammed full.

The fat was piled on top, with beef and mutton and two slaughtered chickens underneath.

A pig's head, split in two, was sticking out, with the pig's large intestine, heart, and stomach crammed into the gaps. Half of the liver was missing, but there were still ten tails.

Yan Bugui stood guard at the gate, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Hey Weidong, you're living way too arrogantly!"

Yan Bugui swallowed hard. "Even if you're rich, you can't just squander money like this every day..."

"How I live my life is none of your business!"

Li Weidong didn't stop walking.

Yan Bugui shrank back and forced a smile: "No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I just wanted to apologize to you."

"What happened before was my fault, Lao Yan. Please don't take it to heart."

Li Weidong stopped, stared at him for two seconds, and suddenly smiled.

"Apologize? Next, do you want me to find Yan Jiecheng a job and get him another house?"

Yan Bugui's face flushed red, and his voice trembled with excitement: "Yes, yes, yes! Weidong, you're someone important now, and important people have to be magnanimous! I did try to scheme against you, but it didn't work out!"

"If you're willing to lend a hand to Jiecheng, arrange a job for him, and provide him with housing, then I, Old Yan..."

"Yan Bugui".

Li Weidong interrupted him, "I'll give you four words—shameless."

After saying that, he turned and walked away.

Yan Bugui's face drained of color instantly, and he stood there with a livid expression.

He finally understood that Li Weidong had no intention of moving on.

That kid is as narrow-minded as a pinhole.

-

Over at the cafeteria, Sha Zhu was seething with anger.

He used to be in charge of all the meals and large-pot dishes, with Ma Hua and the chubby guy running errands for him. Life was going smoothly for them.

Now look what's happened.

Sha Zhu can only cook large pot dishes; Nan Yi has taken over all the banquet meals.

The key point is that Nan Yi was appointed as the deputy director of the canteen right from the start.

Where's Sha Zhu? He's just a canteen supervisor.

"Li Weidong, you've stored so much meat in the cold storage, it's all turned salty, why don't you take it out and share it with everyone?"

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth, "Do you know that the Jia family would do anything for a piece of meat..."

"You want to be a saint?"

Li Weidong didn't even lift his eyelids. "Fine, the meat is yours, six cents a pound. There are still 150 pounds left, take ninety yuan, it's all yours."

"Take it back and share it with the people in the yard."

Sha Zhu choked.

After a long pause, he said with a dark face, "I paid for this meat, why should I give it to someone else for free?"

As soon as he said it, he thought to himself: "There's so much meat, I'll take it back to Sister Qin slowly. Isn't it better to let her touch my little hand every day than anything else?"

Li Weidong scoffed, "You know you can't just give away your things for free, right?"

"How can you have the nerve to let others take their things out and share them?"

"You expect others to give you everything you ask for, yet you keep your own things to yourself more tightly than anyone else."

"Silly Zhu, your skin is thicker than a city wall at the bend."

Sha Zhu's face turned pale and then red. He tried to use Yi Zhonghai's moral blackmail tactics, but he was left speechless by the rebuttal.

Factory Director Yang shook his head and called to several workers, "Move these meats onto Master Li's truck."

Li Weidong had just arrived at the Intermediate People's Court when Yi Zhonghai and his gang were nowhere to be seen.

When he went around to the backyard, Yan Jiefang and Liu Guangtian were already waiting at the door. The two of them quickly went forward to help him move things.

"You start work at six, don't be late."

Li Weidong casually gave some instructions.

"Don't worry, we'll be there right away."

Liu Guangtian interjected, "The household registration and grain ration certificates have already been distributed!"

After he finished speaking, Yan Jiefang and Liu Guangtian exchanged a glance, their faces full of smugness.

"You guys have to pay some price too, right?"

Li Weidong spoke with certainty.

"you do not say."

Yan Jiefang gritted his teeth, "I have to bring Yan Jiekuang to live with me, and I'll have to pay five yuan a month."

Liu Guangtian was also holding back his anger. "Me too, I'll pay five yuan. And I'll have to bring Liu Guangfu to live with me."

"Brother! Did you buy meat?"

Xiao Xi grabbed Li Weidong's leg and tried her best to reach the canvas bag in his hand.

"No meat, just canned food."

Li Weidong patted her head. "Aren't there still bananas at home?"

"My sister said I can only eat one a day!"

Xiao Xi looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Lin Yurou and He Yushui had already taken out the meat and sorted it into different categories.

"Brother Dong, why did you buy so much?"

Lin Yurou frowned.

"I'm having dinner tonight; a very important person is coming."

Li Weidong explained, "Pig heads and offal aren't worth much."

He turned and instructed, "Yushui, quickly braise the pig's head, offal, and tail. The feast begins at 6:30."

"Understood, Dong-ge!"

He Yushui immediately got to work.

Yan Jiefang and Liu Guangtian exchanged a glance and, with great tact, went over to help.

"Xiaorou, take out the bananas and give one to everyone."

Li Weidong added, "This stuff won't keep; it'll spoil tomorrow."

"It broke so quickly?"

Lin Yurou looked distressed. She knew without asking that this stuff was expensive, but it did taste good.

She and He Yushui couldn't bear to eat more, and the two of them only shared one.

Now they can only divide it up, with Yan Jiefang and Liu Guangtian each getting one.

Liu Guangtian peeled the banana and stuffed it into his mouth. He turned around and saw Yan Jiefang holding a banana, about to leave.

"Liberation, where are you going?"

He quickly asked.

"Send it to my sister."

Yan Jiefang was a little embarrassed.

"Try it first, then I'll give you another one."

Li Weidong is very generous.

Yan Jiefang thanked him, peeled the banana, and took a bite.

Across the street, at Liu Haizhong's doorstep, Liu Guangqi and Liu Guangfu were staring longingly, their mouths practically watering.

At this moment, Liu Haizhong, heavily pregnant, swayed back.

On a sweltering day, he was drenched in sweat, looking like a giant water bucket.

When Liu Guangfu saw him, his thin body shrank back.

Now, the only person in the family he can vent his anger on is himself.

Forty-seven

As soon as Liu Haizhong reached his doorstep, he took off his shirt and went completely naked. His wife, Zhang Cuihua, quickly brought out a basin of cold water, clutching a towel in her hand.

"I'm going out to catch cicadas; I'll make them for you to have with your drinks later."

Liu Guangfu carried a bamboo pole and walked outside.

"Alright, you've finally grown up."

Liu Haizhong grinned and nodded, "Get lost, get lost."

Liu Guangfu did go out to catch cicadas, that's true. But he couldn't use gluten for this task. Gluten could be extracted from flour and used to make noodles, which would be so delicious. These days, they use tree sap to catch cicadas.

"Dad, look, Liu Guangtian is eating a banana."

Liu Guangqi came over to complain, "I didn't even bring you any."

"Just wait, I'll get him sooner or later."

Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth, "By the way, how's your talk with Xiaojuan going?"

"All done."

Liu Guangqi was so proud that his eyebrows almost flew up. "Just have the matchmaker come over and set the wedding date."

"I knew it! I'm the son of a level seven blacksmith, how could I not be good enough for Xiao Juan?"

Liu Haizhong puffed out his chest. "It seems the problem lies with the house."