Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

Having lost both money and face, Jia Dongxu's anger flared up the moment he entered the door and saw his two daughters laughing.

He grabbed Qin Huairu by the hair, dragged her over, and slapped her across the face.

"You jinx! I must have been incredibly unlucky to marry you! These two good-for-nothings are so noisy!"

Qin Huairu was beaten for no reason, and she was so aggrieved that she burst into tears. She hugged her two daughters and huddled in a corner.

After venting his anger, Jia Dongxu felt a little better.

He sat on the edge of the bed, drinking alone and cursing under his breath.

"Damn it, how come that guy isn't dead!"

"That bastard Lai Liu took my money and didn't do anything! Damn it!"

Xiao Dang looked up and met his gaze.

His eyes were as fierce as a wolf's.

Little Dang was so scared that she burst into tears.

The locust flowers also started to cry.

"Qin Huairu! If you can't appease them, take them and get out! What's with the crying? Is it like a funeral?"

Qin Huairu was so frightened that she quickly covered her two daughters' mouths. Little Huaihua was only a few months old and almost couldn't breathe from being suffocated.

Fortunately, Jia Dongxu got tired of cursing and fell asleep drunk.

Before lying down, he muttered, "Lai Liu... I'm going to settle the score with you tomorrow..."

Li Jianguo could hear everything that was happening next door.

He released a small insect to keep watch, and it happened to overhear these words.

He gave a cold laugh.

"You bastard, Jia Dongxu."

A hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

the next day.

Li Jianguo got up and cooked as usual.

Everything is great here, except cooking for myself is quite a hassle. Eating at state-run restaurants isn't very nutritious.

Homemade food tastes better, but making it every day gets tedious.

While steaming xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), he thought about breakfast stalls and takeout in the future.

Once the steamed buns are out of the pot, that longing disappears.

No takeout can compare to my own cooking skills! I'm a master chef!

After finishing my meal, I rode my bike to work.

I'll just check in on the way.

We must not forget this.

There's no special reward today, just some ordinary things.

They also added a stun gun for self-defense.

Li Jianguo looked at this thing and was both amused and exasperated.

It's better than nothing, let's keep it for now. You never know when we might need it.

When we arrived at the factory gate, several security guards were chatting together.

He rode his bike over and heard them talking about themselves.

"Our Director Li is a real gem. Yesterday, Factory Director Yang praised him at the meeting, all because Director Li was there."

"Of course. I've heard that people abroad are paying attention to him."

"Our factory has already met its foreign exchange target for this year!"

He was bombarded with compliments, which made Li Jianguo feel a little embarrassed.

Just as I was about to sneak away, I was spotted by someone with sharp eyes.

"Director Li! You're here for work!"

At this shout, everyone turned to look.

Li Jianguo could only greet him with a smile.

But she was still thinking about Jia Dongxu.

He'll definitely go find Lai Liu today. It would be too easy for him to just have a fight.

What's the difference between having someone who wants to kill me living next door and raising a tiger for personal gain?

You can't be on guard against thieves every day.

This needs to be completely resolved.

A thought suddenly occurred to him.

Are you busy today?

The security personnel immediately said, "No rush! Director Li, please feel free to speak."

"Keep an eye on someone for me. I'm coming too."

"Don't worry."

The security personnel nodded on the spot.

They ordered with such gusto.

Who doesn't know that Director Li is a big shot in the factory? Trying to get on his good side—only a fool wouldn't do it.

Li Jianguo thanked them and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go arrange some work."

Inside the office, the project was coming to an end.

He casually took out the new plan and placed it on the table.

"The car's performance is now among the world's best," he said. "Next, we'll work on the bodywork. A convertible, a canopy—bulletproof, electronic locks, all of these are fine. The data is here, everyone take a look. We'll arrange the specifics gradually."

The new car will be put into production soon.

I happen to have some free time lately.

Li Jianguo took out the documents right on time. "A person can't be idle; if you're idle, you'll fall behind"—this was a lesson he'd learned from his past life.

Once the information was released, those experts who always maintained a high-handed attitude in front of outsiders were completely dumbfounded.

Look at me.

Let me look at you.

The surprise in his eyes was like seeing an alien. And something else—how to put it—it was like a child seeing a new toy, his eyes lit up.

Can a car have so many functions?

You can figure it out gradually.

Moreover, if these technologies are truly mastered, they can definitely be applied to other areas.

Director Li is simply a genius among geniuses.

They also can't fall too far behind.

Upon receiving the materials, everyone was as excited as if they'd been injected with adrenaline, rushing to flip through them in a hurry.

After finishing these tasks, Li Jianguo went outside to meet up with the security personnel.

"Director Li, what exactly is going on? How many weapons do you need?"

As they were talking, he simply pushed open the door to the armory. Several standard-issue weapons were laid out inside. The smell of gun oil mixed with the smell of rust filled his nostrils.

Upon seeing this, Li Jianguo waved his hands repeatedly.

"Why would I bring a gun? I'm just a thug, why would I pull one out? People would laugh their heads off."

Hearing that he was just a hoodlum, the security guards breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's alright," one of them said, touching the baton at his waist. "Those thugs avoid us when they see us. Last time, there was one who didn't know any better, and I swung him so hard he couldn't get up for three days."

Just then, someone with sharp eyes suddenly whispered "Hey!"

"Is that Jia Dongxu?"

Li Jianguo looked in the direction he was pointing.

There was indeed a shifty-looking guy sneaking into the factory from the corner. He was hunched over, like a rat that couldn't stand the light.

"This guy isn't from our factory anymore," the man said. "I'll go kick him out."

One of the more energetic people was about to go over there.

"Wait a moment."

Li Jianguo called the person to a stop.

"Don't rush. Let's see what he's here for."

Upon hearing this, the clerk blinked, a mischievous smile appearing on his face. His lips curled upwards, as if he were enjoying the moment.

"Director Li, you want to watch the show? Alright, I'll go follow you and see what's going on. I'll come back and let you know in a bit."

"Okay. Thank you for your help, Xiao Li."

Surprisingly, Director Li actually remembered his name was Xiao Li.

Li Hu chuckled, lightened his steps, and followed. His footsteps were so light, like a cat's, that he landed without making a sound.

Li Jianguo and the remaining officers simply sat down in the security office to wait.

The coal stove inside was burning brightly, its tin chimney curving out from the upper corner of the window. Several potatoes were roasting on the stove lid, the flipped sides already charred. Sweet potatoes were nearby, syrup seeping from a crack and dripping onto the lid with a sizzling sound.

In no time, several people brought out tea and cigarettes, and laid them out in a pile.

Looking at it, Li Jianguo suddenly recalled his past life—those girls loved to gather around a stove and brew tea in winter. It was similar to this, just with less food. Back then, he thought it was pretentious, but now, thinking about it, life was pretty good.

While they were eating and drinking, Li Hu rushed back.

He was panting heavily from running, and puffs of white breath came out of his mouth.

"Director Li, Jia Dongxu has left." He said in a low voice, "He went to see Yi Zhonghai. The two of them agreed to talk over at the stone quarry. It's too empty there, so I didn't dare get too close. It looked like they were arguing, but in the end, Yi Zhonghai still gave them money, not much—"

He gestured a number.

"Thanks a lot."

Li Jianguo never expected that Jia Dongxu had come to ask for money.

This master and apprentice pair is quite interesting.

I wonder what leverage Jia Dongxu has over Yi Zhonghai that he can use to squeeze money out of him. Yi Zhonghai is the kind of person who'd stretch every penny to its limit; getting him to part with his money won't be easy.

"We were already following Jia Dongxu today. Shall we set off now?"

Upon hearing from Li Hu that Jia Dongxu had left the factory, Li Jianguo stood up.

He patted the dust off his hands.