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

"Li Jianguo, the deaf old lady's words are unpleasant, but she fell down because you were angry. You're being a little too... too gloating, aren't you?"

She regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth.

Because Li Jianguo's gaze slowly turned to her. That gaze was calm and without a ripple, yet it sent a chill down her spine, made her heart skip a beat, and a strong sense of unease welled up inside her.

"Schadenfreude?" Li Jianguo looked at her, a cold smile playing on his lips. "She deserved it. A despicable old woman, her evil deeds will surely bring her down. Even Heaven couldn't stand it anymore and took her away for me."

He withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent.

"I wish this kind of person would just fall to her death this time and go to see the King of Hell. That would be great."

His words were cold, harsh, and unvarnished.

But none of the remaining people in the courtyard could refute him. Because what he said was true; the deaf old lady's fall was entirely her own doing, and had nothing to do with anyone else.

So, while they remained outwardly calm, no one knew what they were really thinking. But surely, there were quite a few who were gloating.

After a group of people hurriedly carried the old lady and Sha Zhu away to the hospital, the courtyard finally quieted down.

Those who were meant to leave have left.

The Jia family members returned to their house and continued their interrupted dinner.

The food on the table had long since gone cold. Qin Huairu's bowl had been eaten by Jia Zhangshi, so she could only sit silently to the side, hungry, watching Jia Zhangshi serve food to Bang Geng.

As Jia Zhangshi shoveled the meager amount of food into the bowl of rice stalks, she kept muttering to herself.

"That coward Yi Zhonghai, he didn't dare utter a sound after Li Jianguo glared at him twice? What kind of so-called engineer is he? I think he's just mediocre!"

Her tone was arrogant, as if she didn't take Li Jianguo seriously at all. She chewed on the cornbread in her mouth, but it tasted like nothing at all. In particular, the faint aroma of meat wafting from the direction of Li Jianguo's house stubbornly wafted into her nose, making this meal more unpleasant than ever before.

"Hey, do you want some meat?"

Madam Jia's eyes darted around a few times, and an idea popped into her mind. She leaned closer to her grandson, lowered her voice, as if discussing some confidential matter.

Banggeng was drooling, his chest soaked. Hearing this, he nodded his head like a pestle being pounded.

"I want it! How could I not? I dream about it!"

"Alright, Grandma will show you a way."

Jia Zhangshi grinned, revealing a few yellowed teeth, and lowered her voice even further.

"Go sneak over there in a bit, go to their house and take it. Be quick and take as much as you can, bring it all back."

Bang Geng agreed without hesitation.

"Grandma, please hold on tight! I'll go steal some meat for you right now, all of it for you to eat!"

"Oh my good grandson, you still remember your milk! I haven't spoiled you for nothing! Go on your way!"

Qin Huairu stood by the stove, watching her mother-in-law instigate her son to do such a thing, feeling uneasy. But then she thought, if the meat is brought into the family, how could she, as the mother, go without a bite?

She swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue and continued to pick at the cabbage stalks in her bowl.

This is her own son. If she gets a benefit from it, why wouldn't she give it to him? Why stop her?

With Grandma's support, even chewing bland cabbage tasted delicious to Banggeng.

---

The Jia family is currently figuring out how to make their move.

Li Jianguo divided the leftovers into portions and handed them to Zhao Erlu and the others, then saw them out the door.

After all that commotion, no one had the appetite to sit down and eat anymore. He decided to go all the way and send the person and the food away together.

"Master Li, thank you so much! If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know. No money needed, just a meal will do—no meat required, with your cooking skills, everything tastes delicious!"

Zhao Erlu and the others were completely won over by him, and they kept talking about him even as they left.

After seeing the people off, Li Jianguo went back into the house and sat down at his desk.

He needs to think carefully about how to proceed from here on out.

Since fate has brought him to this era, he has to make a name for himself. Besides, he's got such a powerful system in his hands; if he doesn't stir things up, who will he be letting down?

These days, all industries in China are lagging far behind the West. The car factory he's about to visit can't even produce a decent engine right now and is completely dependent on others.

Now that he's here, he has to put his skills to good use. At the very least, he needs to push the country's technological progress forward by several decades compared to his previous life.

He wants to be the most outstanding among those researchers who uphold the backbone of the nation. With him there and the system helping, how could they not manage to run this business?

"The first step is to start with automobiles. Once we've conquered this market, we can expand into other areas. Foreign automakers have been making money in this market for so many years; it's time for a change of scenery."

Li Jianguo wrote the word "car" on the paper, tracing two heavy lines with the tip of his pen.

This is the first shot he has to fire since arriving in this era.

With a direction set and a goal in mind, he finally relaxed. He stretched, his joints cracking a few times.

"Yeah, I'm actually a bit tired."

Lying on that hard wooden bed, I could finally stretch out. After being jostled around on the train for so many days, my whole body felt like it was falling apart. As soon as I lay down, my eyelids started to droop.

Before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

Tomorrow is his first day at work. Thinking about it, I'm actually kind of looking forward to it.

---

As soon as the sky brightened, all sorts of noises and sounds erupted from the courtyard house, as if a switch had been flipped.

Li Jianguo woke up amidst the noise.

He sat up and stretched.

"System, check-in."

I can't miss my daily lessons.

"Ding—Check-in successful."

"Congratulations, host, you have obtained: 100x Memory (Having lived through a hundred lifetimes, though young, he has already seen all the splendor, and his eyes hold a depth beyond his years...). Rotary Piston Engine (complete blueprints). Other supplies..."

"A rotary piston engine?"

Li Jianguo glanced at the blueprints provided by the system and his lips twitched.

This thing wouldn't be considered very advanced in the 21st century; it's more of an entry-level product. He never expected the system to give him this.

But then I thought, given the current level of technology, even if we had something more advanced, it would be useless if the materials weren't up to par. This rotary engine, however, is compatible with the current level of industrial technology.

Besides, this was something that the German Wankel had just come up with in 1957; he kept it very secret, treating it like a treasure. Getting this set of blueprints was already an incredible bargain.

Thinking about it that way made me feel much better.

He put the blueprints away and got up to make breakfast.

Ever since he acquired master-level culinary skills, he no longer looks down on food from outside. These days, life is already bland without cell phones and computers; if you also deprive yourself of good food, that would be truly meaningless.

Simply boil a pot of congee, then make a few pancakes, and you're all set.

---

While Li Jianguo was busy preparing breakfast inside the house, everyone else in the courtyard was also cooking.

The aroma of pancakes mingled with the rich flavor of rice porridge, wafting out through the cracks in the doors and windows, soon filling the entire courtyard.

The person who was eating suddenly felt that the cornbread in their hand was even more irritating to their throat.

These days, everyone is struggling financially. Those who are well-off eat cornbread and boiled water, maybe a pot of mixed grain porridge at most. Those who are poor simply skip breakfast and tough it out until lunchtime when they go to the canteen for a big meal.

Now, smelling the aroma of rice and meat, and then looking at the pungent stuff in your bowl, who can find peace?

"This Li Jianguo, he's so young, but he really dares to cause trouble!"

An elderly man named Yi Zhonghai sat facing his wife, his words laced with barely suppressed bitterness.

"Young people like that, they only care about themselves. They'll understand once they get married, then they'll have a hard time..."

The sour smell was so strong it could choke you even across the table.

It wasn't just at Uncle Yi's house; the whole courtyard was the same. Everyone who got up early talked about Li Jianguo.

---

The Jia family next door were gathered around the table, their faces all looking increasingly grim.

Jia Zhangshi took a bite of the hard cornbread and started cursing.

"That ill-mannered little beast! He's eating with his mouth all greasy, not even sharing a bite with the neighbor. This selfish bastard deserves to be a bachelor his whole life! Whoever marries him is doomed!"

She was cursing so hard that spittle flew everywhere from her mouth.

Li Jianguo had excellent hearing and could hear everything clearly through the wall. Listening to the Jia family's bitter complaints, he actually felt better and even ate two extra pancakes for breakfast.

---

After finishing his meal and tidying up, Li Jianguo took out the iron lock he had bought yesterday and prepared to lock the door before going to work.

What are you doing?

The deaf old woman opened the window and shouted at him through the glass.

She broke her leg yesterday and is now lying in bed with a cast on, but she's still restless and wants to meddle in other people's business even while sitting by the window.

Li Jianguo turned his head and shook the lock in his hand at her.

"Lock the door, time to go to work."

"Why are you locking the door? This courtyard house is a prestigious one; we haven't had anything stolen in years. Who are you trying to keep an eye on?"

Hearing the commotion, Jia Zhangshi rushed out of the house with her bowl in hand.

"Exactly! The deaf old lady is right. Our neighborhood is so advanced, everyone praises it. Everyone comes and goes, who locks their door? You're the only exception!"

Li Jianguo completely ignored the two men, his hands moving non-stop as he locked the door with a click.

"My things are not like your junk. Who will compensate me if they get lost? If you, deaf old lady, are willing to sign a written agreement to take responsibility, I won't lock it."

"This house has been occupied for over a decade without anyone's permission. I can't trust the people in this courtyard."

Hearing the commotion behind him, Yi Zhonghai quickly came out of the house.

"What's this again? Let me go see!"

I had just stepped outside when I ran into Sha Zhu.

"Perfect timing, let's go take a look together. This Li Jianguo is really troublesome, and so is the Jia family; once they start causing trouble, it'll never end!"

The two of them came over together, blocking Li Jianguo's way out.

"Li Jianguo, you're a young man, is it appropriate for you to argue with two elders so early in the morning?"

Yi Zhonghai put on airs as soon as they met.

The deaf old lady saw them coming through the window, and her back immediately straightened.

"You've come at the right time! Look at him, he locks the door as soon as he leaves. Who is he trying to keep out of? Our compound hasn't had a thief in years, why is he the exception?"

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu immediately chimed in, pretending to offer advice.

"The deaf old lady is right. Our neighborhood has always been peaceful. It's not good for you to keep it locked like this, like you're guarding against thieves. We're all neighbors."

"The old lady is doing this for your own good. Look around, who else in the whole compound locks their door? You're the only one making an exception."

"Get out of the way."

Li Jianguo didn't want to waste words. It was his first day at work, and he wanted to get familiar with the environment as soon as possible.

"Hey—I'm talking to you, what kind of attitude is that?"

Sha Zhu stood in front of him, completely unmoved.

"I have to say, you're a really strange person. We tried to talk to you nicely, and this is how you treat us? Today I'm going to—"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Jianguo grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up.

The moment his feet left the ground, Sha Zhu's face turned bright red, and he struggled to breathe.

"I'd like to ask you, do you even remember who I am?"

"Wh...what is your identity?"

Sha Zhu struggled a few times, but couldn't break free at all.

Li Jianguo sneered and raised his hand to pat his face.

"If my house loses blueprints or something like that, do you think you can afford to pay for it?"

"I'm quite curious, what are you two up to, meddling in other people's business like this? Maybe it's something..."

"You're talking nonsense!"

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu's expressions changed simultaneously; they were quite frightened by his words.

It was only then that I realized Li Jianguo's identity was unusual.

But what valuable stuff could an eighth-level engineer possibly have? And what's with the "classified" nonsense?

Deep down, I still didn't think so.

Li Jianguo was too lazy to argue anymore, so he loosened his grip and threw Sha Zhu away.

"If you act like a jerk again, you won't get away with it so easily."

He looked at Shazhu, who had fallen to the ground, with a mocking expression.

"Trying to teach me a lesson? Even if you had one hand over you, you still couldn't reach it."

Sha Zhu, who always boasted about his superhuman strength, now truly witnessed Li Jianguo's power.

In that instant when he was grabbed by the collar, he truly felt the taste of death. And the way Li Jianguo acted so casually made it seem like he was holding a chicken, not a person.