With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

What they didn't know was that while Aunt Zhang's family was having a lively dinner, the person behind the doorway at the corner of the alley had already slipped away quietly.

The man jogged through two alleyways, turned into another lane, pushed open a half-closed door, rushed inside, gulped down a large vat of cold boiled water, and, panting heavily, said to the person inside:

"Officer Zhao! Something terrible has happened! The Jiang couple has returned to the city! It looks like it won't be easy for us to get that house!"

Zhao Ji was sitting on a bamboo chair with his legs crossed, fanning himself with a palm leaf fan. Upon hearing this, he sat up abruptly.

"He's only been sent down to the countryside for less than a year! How could he possibly be back?" He squinted and muttered to himself, "Could he have run away?"

He shook his head again: "No, no, no, impossible. They'd sneak back and dare to move in so openly?"

He paced back and forth in the room a couple of times, no longer fanning himself with the palm-leaf fan, his brows furrowed into a knot.

"Have some water and rest for a bit, I'm going to find my cousin."

As he spoke, Zhao Ji pushed the old bicycle by the door and hurriedly rode towards his cousin's house.

-

Sun Hongmei was enjoying the cool air in her courtyard when the door was suddenly pushed open, and her cousin, sweating profusely, burst in. She couldn't help but frown.

"Were you chased by a dog? Why are you running so fast?"

She got up and poured Zhao Ji a glass of water.

Zhao Ji took the package and gulped it down, then wiped his mouth and said anxiously, "Cousin! Didn't you say that the Jiang couple wouldn't be back for a while? You said we could use a time difference and occupy the house by the time they got back! But they're back now! Has your neighborhood committee received the news?"

Sun Hongmei's expression changed, and she stood up abruptly.

"You're saying the Jiang couple are back? That's impossible! Our neighborhood committee didn't receive any notification!"

Zhao Ji said, "Then how could they possibly come back so openly and even move back in?"

"Have a drink of water here and wait, I'll go ask."

-

Half an hour later, Sun Hongmei returned.

Zhao Ji quickly went to greet him: "Have you found out? Has your subdistrict office received the notification?"

"No." Sun Hongmei's expression was not good. "I've asked everyone up and down the hierarchy, and I haven't received any notification."

"So they returned to the city without permission?"

"Logically, we should have received the documents when they returned to the city..."

Zhao Ji's eyes darted around, and a plan came to him.

"Cousin, since they're returning to the city and you didn't receive any notification—I'll take the neighborhood committee people to collect the keys to the house tomorrow!"

Sun Hongmei hesitated for a moment: "Wouldn't this be inappropriate? They're living in their own house..."

Zhao Ji waved his hand: "What's wrong with that! We're just following policy! Housing is so tight, it's a waste for those who have been sent down to the countryside to have their houses empty!"

Sun Hongmei thought for a moment and then remained silent.

Zhao Ji excitedly pushed his bicycle and hurried back home.

-

The next morning.

Zhao Ji indeed took action.

He brought four young men from the neighborhood committee, clutching a document—not the official document, but a "management regulation" issued by the neighborhood committee itself. He'd been watching the Jiang family's house for so long; how could he let them move in so easily? Even if they returned, he would still give it a try.

The five people walked in a large group towards Jiang's alley, their footsteps making a clattering sound. Hearing the noise, the neighbors all poked their heads out to see what was going on.

Zhao Ji walked at the front with his neck held high, looking quite self-righteous.

-

The Jiang family courtyard.

The family of three had just finished breakfast.

Jiang Zhiyu was watering the flowers in the yard—she had moved a few plants from Aunt Zhang's house yesterday and planted them in the flower bed. She casually watered them with some spiritual spring water, estimating that they would be alive by the afternoon.

As her spiritual energy dissipated, she raised an eyebrow slightly.

Ha, they actually came.

clap clap-

The courtyard gate was being pounded on loudly.

Jiang Boxun put down his teacup and got up to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, five people, a dark mass of them, squeezed in.

Zhao Ji led the way, puffing out his chest, glanced around the courtyard, and cleared his throat:

"Hello, we're from the subdistrict office. How did you get back to the city? We didn't receive any notification. You shouldn't be living in this house; we need to take it over and have it rented out—don't you know how tight the housing situation is right now?"

Before Jiang Boxun could even speak, Jiang Zhiyu was already laughing in anger.

She strolled leisurely to the stone table in the courtyard, sat down, crossed her legs, and looked at Zhao Ji: "Do we need to report to you just because we live in our own house?"

Zhao Ji was taken aback by her attitude, but remembering the four people standing behind him, he forced a smile and said, "We're just following the policy!"

"Oh?" Jiang Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. "Where did this policy come from? Show it to me."

Zhao Ji was prepared and handed over the temporary management regulations issued by the subdistrict office.

Jiang Zhiyu took it and glanced at it.

I laughed in exasperation.

"So this is a policy you yourselves came up with?"

She slammed the document on the stone table, looked up at Zhao Ji, and said calmly, "So your policy conflicts with my house, what do you suggest we do?"

Zhao Ji's face darkened: "Since you returned to the city without permission, of course I will report it!"

Jiang Zhiyu tilted her head and said slowly, "And who told you we returned to the city without permission?"

"Our neighborhood committee didn't receive any notification! So how did you get back to the city?"

"You didn't receive any notification, so it's because we returned to the city on our own?"

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at her mother calmly and said, "Mom, bring that document over and let them see it."

Su Wanqing entered the room, and after a moment took out the document and handed it to Zhao Ji.

Zhao Ji took it suspiciously and turned to the first page—

His expression froze.

Central government document.

The bright red official seal was neatly and squarely stamped on it.

He looked down, his face growing paler and his hands trembling more. Rehabilitation, restoration of original position, original rank, original benefits—every word felt like a nail piercing his eyes.

Especially when you see the signature at the end.

Zhao Ji's legs went weak, and he staggered backward, falling directly to the ground.

The four young men behind him looked at each other, puzzled, and quickly reached out to help Zhao Ji up.

The moment Zhao Ji got up, his back was bent over, and his face was full of smiles, completely different from before.

"Oh dear! I didn't expect you to come back like this! I knew it, we didn't receive the documents for returning to the city—I'm so sorry, so sorry, I'm really so sorry!"

He bowed and scraped as he backed away, his legs still trembling.

"Since you received special approval from above, we should receive the documents soon. Sorry to bother you today! Ah—Professor Jiang, Professor Su, sorry to bother you! Well, I'll go back and report this to the neighborhood committee right away!"

Before the words were even finished, the group had run faster than rabbits.

-

The courtyard gate slammed shut.

Jiang Boxun looked at the hurried figures outside the door with amusement and shook his head.

Outside the door, Zhao Ji and several young men turned out of the alley before stopping.

The four men looked bewildered: "Officer Zhao? Officer Zhao, what happened?"

Zhao Ji said, trembling, "Something terrible has happened... We almost caused a major disaster today!"

"This family is not to be trifled with! From now on, avoid them if you see them!"

He couldn't discuss the matters in the documents with his subordinates—the signatures on them were not something a lowly street-level official like him could discuss.

All he wants to do right now is get back to his cousin and tell her that they almost pulled the tiger's tail this time!

It seems I need to be more cautious in my actions from now on.

I wonder who's backing whom—this family has such a powerful background, no wonder they were able to come back in less than a year!

The group left in a hurry.

The neighbors who had been watching the commotion in the alleyway, finding there was no more excitement, went back inside, bored. Someone muttered under their breath, "I thought we were going to see a good show, why did they leave so quickly?"

-

In the courtyard, Jiang Zhiyu returned the document to her mother and continued watering her flowers.

She went over it in her mind—it seemed that the gaze that had been watching the courtyard last night was from someone arranged by Zhao Ji.

There's nothing seriously wrong.

Zhao Ji is, frankly speaking, a treacherous opportunist. He'll take advantage of any opportunity and back down when there isn't; he'll never amount to anything. The signature on that document is enough to make him tremble for the rest of his life; he probably won't come back again.

but--

If no one is keeping an eye on things for the next few days, it means there aren't any fish that have slipped through the net.

If there is more...

That's another matter.

After watering the last flower, Jiang Zhiyu patted the soil off her hands and looked up at the outside of the courtyard wall.

I need to go to the military region tomorrow; I have some things to discuss with Division Commander Li.