I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

Lin Feng glanced in the direction of the third aunt's house, a cold smile playing on his lips. "You like reporting people, huh? Fine, you just wait!"

Lin Feng wasn't sure who had reported him, and with the mindset of "better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free," he frantically wrote reports at home. As for using his left hand to write and obscure the handwriting, Lin Feng simply disdained to do it.

Within an hour, Lin Feng quickly wrote five or six complaint letters, put them in his pocket, and rode his bicycle out the door.

Not far from the courtyard house, there was a green mailbox. Lin Feng went to the mailbox and threw all the letters into it without hesitation.

At 10 a.m. the next day, Yan Bugui was summoned to the principal's office. "Principal, you wanted to see me!"

"Sit down!" The principal looked at Yan Bugui, his brow furrowed and his expression serious. "You've been a senior member of the school for a long time; how could you make such a mistake?"

Hearing this, Yan Bugui trembled with fear. "Principal, what mistake have I made?"

"See for yourself!"

Yan Bugui took the letter, quickly read it through, and cursed the person who reported him in his mind.

"Principal, I'm innocent! My reputation is completely ruined, sob sob sob!"

"They said you have to taste the saltiness of the manure truck when it comes. If word gets out, what will happen to our school's reputation? What will society think of us?"

"I'm innocent, Principal! I'm a liaison officer appointed by the neighborhood committee; guarding the gate is my duty! To prevent enemy agents from getting in and out, I have to ask questions to avoid any mishaps!"

"Heh, do you think enemy agents need to take other people's scallions and vegetables? I didn't want to get involved in your trivial matters, but you're a teacher. If this reputation gets out, you'll be too ashamed to be a teacher anymore. If you don't handle this properly, you'll be working as a boiler operator!"

"I understand, I'll definitely handle it properly!"

"And remember to arrive and leave work on time from now on! If I find you leaving early again, your salary will be reduced by two levels!"

"Understood, Principal!" Yan Bugui gritted his teeth in anger. "I'll bring those two potted plants to your office later, Principal!"

Hearing this, the principal sighed. "What can I say to you? You're a teacher; your reputation is very important. If even one thing in this letter is true, how can you face your job? What will the students' parents think of you?"

"I promise I'll change, I promise I'll change! Give me another chance!"

"For this incident, you'll write a 5000-word self-criticism and leave it with me. I'll deduct two months' salary. I'm being lenient this time by not publicly criticizing you, but if there's a next time, you can expect to be sent to the boiler room!"

"Thank you, Principal! Thank you, Principal!" Yan Bugui gritted his teeth as he left the office; two months' salary had gone to two potted plants... Thinking of this, Yan Bugui clutched his heart with his right hand, feeling as if he could hardly breathe.

"Which bastard wrote this whistleblower letter?! I'll curse your ancestors for eighteen generations..."

At the same time, Li Huaide smiled as he looked at the letter of complaint in his hand. "Secretary Chen, come here for a moment!"

"Director, you wanted to see me?"

"Hehe! This is a letter of complaint forwarded to me by the factory office. There are corrupt officials in our logistics department! When you hand this letter to the security department, remember to say that I gave it to him personally."

"Understood, Factory Manager!"

Compared to Li Huaide's nonchalant attitude, Director Wang was so angry that he smashed his beloved cup on the table. "You, Yi Zhonghai, how dare you impersonate a martyr's family member and even create an ancestor! You're eating my food and then trying to smash my pot! You just wait!"

A storm was approaching the courtyard house, but Lin Feng was completely unaware of it. He had almost forgotten about it after throwing the letter of complaint inside. With his bicycle, Lin Feng never stopped after work. He would ride to a relatively remote lakeside village, where, in the original owner's memory, there were many wild ducks.

After a drive of more than an hour, Lin Feng finally arrived at his destination. He was overjoyed to see the flock of wild ducks in the center of the lake and was just about to use the spiritual spring water to lure and catch them when a pair of villagers walked towards him.

"What do you do?"

Lin Feng looked at the seven or eight people, two of whom were carrying guns. "I'm the cook at the purchasing station. This is my work ID. I came to the village to see what they have and see if I can get some more ingredients for the station!"

After checking Lin Feng's work permit, the villager leading the group's expression softened considerably. "You're not allowed to catch wild ducks here. If you're caught, you'll not only be fined but also locked up in solitary confinement, understand?"

Lin Feng suddenly realized why there were still flocks of wild ducks here even though the three years of natural disasters were almost over.

"I know, I know! But can I buy this duck? You know, things aren't going well in the city lately. The workers haven't been eating meat for a long time, and they don't have the strength to work!"

"So you're a purchasing agent for the factory! You should have said so earlier. Come with me to the village."

Lin Feng followed the villagers into the village, trying to make conversation. "Young man, could you tell me why we can't catch these wild ducks?"

"Haha, a few years ago when we were catching sparrows, the fields were full of pests. Experts said they were beneficial insects, so they wouldn't let us catch them on a large scale!"

Hearing this, Lin Feng's eyes darted around. "So that means scratching it occasionally is okay."

Several villagers laughed. "As long as you don't get caught, catching one or two shouldn't be a problem! But if you do get caught, it's hard to say..."

"So that's how it is!" Lin Feng said with a forced smile, inwardly complaining, "Why are there experts everywhere?"

Upon entering the village, Lin Feng was quickly led to the production team leader. "Hehe, welcome comrades from the purchasing station! My surname is Li, and this place used to be called Li Family Village!"

Lin Feng was overjoyed from the start. "I see many people in the village are raising ducks. With the Lunar New Year coming soon, are the ducks for sale in the village?"

"You want to buy ducks? That's great! The village slaughters a lot of ducks every year before the New Year. In winter, when feed is scarce, these ducks just eat grain and don't gain weight! I just don't know what price you're willing to pay?"

Lin Feng was stunned by the question. He wasn't a professional buyer, but after recalling the prices on the black market, he secretly figured that a duck would probably sell for four or five yuan!

"I want to buy 20 live ducks. I'm doing this on behalf of the station's leaders. I don't have the necessary receipts, but I can pay more!"

"I see! Without the factory's purchase order confirmation, that's a bit of a violation of regulations!"

"I buy live ducks for one yuan per pound! I'll take 20 of them, male and female!"

"Ahem!" Captain Li's eyes darted around. "One yuan twenty cents a pound! I'll provide you with five male ducks and fifteen female ducks! They'll start laying eggs tomorrow, early spring! How about some top-quality Muscovy ducks?"

"Alright, that's settled then!"

"You wait!" Captain Li slammed his pipe on the table, then tucked it into his belt and stormed out of the house. Seeing Captain Li's expression, Lin Feng's face darkened. He had quoted too high a price!