Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

Lou Xiao'e stared at the box of gold, her breath almost stopping.

Shock, gratitude, disbelief...

At that moment, her worldview was completely shattered.

Twenty small yellow croakers, and a thick wad of US dollars!

In an era when a pound of pork could make people's eyes water, this huge sum of money was enough to incite any evil.

Zhou Jianguo was adopted; only heaven and earth know that. He could have easily swallowed everything up and moved on to live a carefree life elsewhere.

But he braved the cold wind in the middle of the night to deliver it to her hands.

This impact was tens of thousands of times more intense than Xu Damao's betrayal or the neighbors' cold indifference.

"Nation-building..."

Lou Xiao'e's hands trembled as she grabbed a few gold bars and stuffed them into Zhou Jianguo's hand, her voice trembling with tears: "You found these... I can't keep them all to myself. We'll split them in half, no, you take the lion's share! As long as you... as long as you don't abandon me."

Now, she no longer sees the gold as wealth, but as a hot potato.

She knew that only someone like Zhou Jianguo could keep such immense wealth in check.

Zhou Jianguo didn't even lift his eyelids.

He grabbed Lou Xiao'e's wrist with his backhand, his strength as steady as a rock, freezing her in place.

"Lou Xiao'e, look into my eyes."

Zhou Jianguo's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Lou Xiao'e subconsciously looked up and saw eyes that showed no greed whatsoever.

"I don't lack money."

Zhou Jianguo casually pushed the gold bars back into the iron box, making a crisp clinking sound. "These things are just a few pieces of scrap metal to me. I have no use for them, but for you, they are your means of survival."

"But……"

"No buts."

Zhou Jianguo interrupted her, leaning forward slightly, his powerful aura filling the cramped room: "I'm returning your things not to split the profits with you. I want you to understand one thing."

Lou Xiao'e held her breath, feeling as if her chest was filled with something.

"In this world, besides your parents, only I, Zhou Jianguo, will not scheme against you."

"Xu Damao was willing to sell you out to protect himself, and those beasts in the courtyard were willing to tear you apart for food. But I could put mountains of gold and silver in front of you and not even blink an eye."

Zhou Jianguo released her hand, stood up, and looked down at her condescendingly:

"So, from today onwards, no matter what happens outside, you only need to remember one thing: trust me unconditionally and listen to me."

"This box of gold is my token of sincerity. I don't want these scrap metal; I want your absolute loyalty. Can you do that?"

Lou Xiao'e stared blankly upwards.

That's a very ambitious vision!

This domineering attitude of regarding money as dirt was something even her father, known as Lou Bancheng, never possessed at his peak.

With a "plop".

Lou Xiao'e knelt directly in front of Zhou Jianguo.

She didn't cry, but her eyes burned with an almost fanatical determination.

"Brother Jianguo, this money is yours, and so is my life. For the rest of my life, I, Lou Xiao'e, am yours!"

Zhou Jianguo looked at the subtle changes on the top of her head and smiled with satisfaction.

"Alright, pack your things and go to bed early. We'll go back to the courtyard to watch the play tomorrow morning."

After saying that, he didn't look at the box again, turned around, opened the door, and disappeared into the dark corridor.

……

The tranquility of the courtyard was shattered the next morning by a pig-like scream.

"My bike wheels!! What the hell struck me and ripped them off!! They were brand new spokes!!"

Yan Bugui's screams were even more agonizing than Jia Zhangshi's last night when she fell into the cesspool.

As Zhou Jianguo stepped into the front yard, his feet glistening with morning dew, he stumbled upon this grand spectacle.

"What a tragedy! What a terrible tragedy!"

Yan Bugui collapsed next to the wrecked bicycle.

The car that used to be a status symbol is now just a bare frame, with all the front and rear wheels removed, not even a single screw left.

A cold wind blew by, and the loose mudguard fell to the ground with a "clatter." Yan Bugui's heart trembled violently, and tears and snot covered his old face.

"Who did it? Who on earth did it?!"

The neighbors, who had been hunching over, gathered around.

Still seething with anger from the meat stamps they'd lost the night before, the men now looked at the stingy Yan Bugui and thought he deserved it.

"Old Yan, stop howling."

Yi Zhonghai, with dark circles under his eyes and wearing an old overcoat, stood to the side, shaking the enamel mug in his hand: "The security department won't be at work for another half hour. If you cry until your voice is hoarse, you won't be able to get back on track."

"Yi Zhonghai! You make it sound so easy!"

Yan Bugui looked up, his glasses fogged up, and pointed at the other man's nose, yelling, "It wasn't your wheel that was stolen! The gate to this yard was locked last night, it must have been an inside job! Tell me, are you holding a grudge against me for leading the charge to make you pay for it yesterday?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Yi Zhonghai was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged.

Liu Haizhong, standing to the side with his hands behind his back, sneered, "Old Yi, don't drag me into this. I think this is retribution. Old Yan, who knows who you've been plotting against this time? Someone climbed over the wall to teach you a lesson."

"Climb over the wall to unload the wheels? Those are cart wheels, not pancakes!" Yan Bugui's eyes turned red with anger, his logic flying wildly.

Just then, a crack automatically parted in the crowd.

Zhou Jianguo walked in expressionlessly.

His gaze swept over Yan Bugui, who was sprawled on the ground, and then swept over the two old men tearing at each other, his eyes filled with mockery.

"Zhou... Jianguo".

Liu Haizhong subconsciously shrank his neck, still feeling the fear of being dominated by the truth-or-dare stickers last night.

Zhou Jianguo didn't stop walking.

As he passed Yan Bugui, he let out a very soft, cold laugh: "Heh."

It is not very harmful and extremely insulting.

Yan Bugui opened his mouth to vent his anger, but when he met Zhou Jianguo's broad back, he swallowed back the swear words and continued to sob while hugging the broken bicycle frame.

……

Back in the backyard, I closed the door and bolted it.

Just as Zhou Jianguo lifted the lid of the coal stove, three long and one short knocking sounds came from under the window.

Lou Xiao'e, wearing a headscarf, slipped in through the window, carrying the iron box in her arms.

"Didn't I tell you to stay at the guesthouse?" Zhou Jianguo frowned.

Lou Xiao'e gasped for breath and slammed the heavy iron box onto the table.

"Thump!"

"Jianguo, I can't keep this money."

Outside the window, Qin Huairu's pitiful cries of poverty drifted in; she was trying to borrow cornmeal from Sha Zhu.

"Have you thought it through? This is your fate." Zhou Jianguo looked at her.

"It's precisely because it's fate that I couldn't hold onto it." Lou Xiao'e's eyes were terrifyingly clear. "I figured it out last night. Money in hand is a death warrant. Xu Damao was willing to sell me out, and the people in this courtyard were willing to drive the Jia family to their deaths for two catties of meat ration coupons. My money is useless to them."

She gave a bitter smile, pulled out three gold bars and a few US dollars and stuffed them into her pocket: "I'll keep these few, just enough to escape. The rest... are all yours. Jianguo, you're the only one in this compound who can keep Jinshan in check. Consider this money my protection fee, and also my investment."

"Investment?" Zhou Jianguo repeated with amusement.

"Yes, I'm investing in you as a person. If I'm about to die in the future, you'll lend me a hand."

Zhou Jianguo scrutinized her.

The originally naive girl was forced to develop a business sense overnight.

"I'll take this deal."

He simply and decisively reached out and placed his hand on the metal box.

"System, recharge."

With a slight thought, the gold bars inside the iron box vanished under Lou Xiao'e's horrified gaze.

Not even a trace was left.

"You...you can do magic tricks?" Lou Xiao'e took a half step back.

Zhou Jianguo didn't explain. With a flick of his wrist, two small medicine bottles with English labels and several packets of vacuum-packed beef jerky appeared out of thin air.

"Take it. I'll handle the gold, but this stuff could give you an extra life in a critical moment."

"Since you've invested, this is your first dividend."

Lou Xiao'e held the penicillin, her eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

This is hardly medicine.

This is a miraculous medicine that you can't buy even with gold on the black market!

This man actually possesses such extraordinary abilities!

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed its first major investment, subduing the prototype of the "future business queen".]

[Congratulations, host, you have received a critical hit reward!]

[Reward 1: Superb Investment Insight (Beginner) - Ability to intuitively see the value trend of items and talents over the next thirty years.]

[Reward 2: Priority exchange right for black market supplies.]

A sharp glint flashed in Zhou Jianguo's eyes.

He looked at Lou Xiao'e, above whose head a line of pale gold text appeared: [Potential Commercial Value: SSS Level (To be Activated)].

Looking back at the front yard, a sign jumped out from Yan Bugui's crippled vehicle: "[A pile of scrap metal, utterly worthless]".

In his eyes, the entire world's wealth system had become transparent numbers.

"Listen, keep the gold bar thing to yourself. Xu Damao will search the place three times over when he gets back and won't find a single piece of gold. Take the medicine and go back to the guesthouse through the back door. I'll come find you once things have calmed down."

"Brother Jianguo, I'll do whatever you say."

Lou Xiao'e held the medicine bottle, her eyes no longer filled with the confusion of before, but only with unwavering devotion.