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

He looked at Li Jianguo, and a picture suddenly flashed into his mind: no one was in the field, the machines were running by themselves. Farmers were sitting inside, drinking tea, watching screens…

"It can definitely be done!"

From that moment on, light shone in the young man's eyes.

……

After washing up, Li Jianguo went back to his room and cooked a simple meal. Before leaving, he didn't forget to take the wine he had promised Xu Damao.

"Here's a drink." He handed it to her, "Drink less."

Xu Damao accepted the wine, beaming, "Thank you, Director Li!"

He leaned closer and lowered his voice, "Director Li, once you return from your business trip, I'll officially start working at the new factory. Thank you for your help this time."

A couple of days ago, Li Jianguo casually mentioned to Cadre Cui that Xu Damao wanted to go to the new factory. It was a small matter, and Cadre Cui readily agreed. The new factory had a lot of logistical pressure, so of course they were happy to have someone come.

Although the new factory is hiring, priority will still be given to recruiting from the original factory. After all, the technology is confidential, and it would be troublesome if a spy were to infiltrate. Screening is too troublesome, so it's better to use experienced employees.

Previously, due to his bad reputation, no one even considered Xu Damao for this matter. But recently, following Li Jianguo, his status has risen. Although some people still dislike him—this kid flaunts his authority in the factory every day, who wouldn't be annoyed? Fortunately, he's clear-headed and doesn't dare to do anything outrageous.

With Li Jianguo at the new factory, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble. Officer Cui readily agreed.

Li Jianguo didn't expect it to happen so quickly: "See you at the factory after that."

Just as he was about to leave, Xu Damao called him back: "Director Li, there's something else I want to tell you."

Li Jianguo assumed he was trying to pull strings, so he said in advance, "Personnel at the new factory will be under Officer Cui's jurisdiction. You'll still have to listen to him in your work; I can't be of much help."

"I know," Xu Damao said. "I'm not the kind of person who pushes his luck. It's not about that."

what is that?

Li Jianguo looked at him. Xu Damao moved closer, looked around to make sure no one was eavesdropping:

"Yesterday I was driving back and ran into Yu Li at the entrance of the alley. She was practically flying towards the car—I almost hit her."

Yu Li?

Li Jianguo was stunned for a moment. After the matter was resolved, he completely forgot about that family.

"You didn't hit her, did you?"

My impression of Yu Li is that she's quite difficult to deal with. If they really collide, who knows what kind of trouble it might cause.

Xu Damao chuckled, his eyes gleaming suggestively: "How could that be! My driving skills are alright. The alley is so narrow, I couldn't go fast even if I wanted to. She saw it was me, so she didn't come any closer."

He lowered his voice even further: "I think she's got her eye on you, trying to scam you."

He paused, then smiled meaningfully: "I think Yu Li genuinely likes you. She definitely wouldn't mind being with you..."

Li Jianguo frowned.

The woman was alright-looking, but not his type. Besides, she was so difficult; he'd have to be crazy to mess with her.

"Have you said enough?"

He glared at Xu Damao.

"They're just bored. I have absolutely nothing to do with her. Next time you see her, please warn her—stay away from her!"

Xu Damao curled his lip, still sporting his usual smirk: "Director Li really has no chivalry whatsoever. I think that young lady is quite nice; you're not at a disadvantage!"

Li Jianguo glared at him: "How about I set you two up?"

Xu Damao's eyes darted around. He turned his head and saw Lou Xiao'e coming out of the house, and quickly shook his head.

"My wife is very strict. I don't know where she learned this trick—if you don't have a single penny in your pocket, who's going to be with you!"

Speaking of this, he felt frustrated. Now, Lou Xiao'e collects her salary directly from the finance department; he never even gets a glimpse of it. She only gets a few yuan a month for pocket money, and he has to carefully budget his spending when going out to gamble or drink.

"You should be content," Li Jianguo said. "At least Lou Xiao'e still cares about you."

He actually thought Lou Xiao'e was clever. It was a pity that she married someone with such a crooked mind, a rare clear-headed person in this compound.

After saying that, he drove away.

Lou Xiao'e walked over, glanced at the back of the car, and then at the wine in Xu Damao's hand.

"Did Director Li give it to you?"

"Yes. I received a thank-you gift from Director Li for helping Jiang Min get home yesterday."

"Give it to me."

She grabbed the wine.

"Hey—" Xu Damao exclaimed anxiously, "I was just saying I was inviting my friends over for drinks, what's with you taking it away?"

"Which friend?"

Lou Xiao'e looked at him and glared at him.

Xu Damao immediately chickened out: "I... I don't have many friends. Maybe I'll have a drink tonight..."

Li Jianguo had no idea that a bottle of his liquor almost sparked a family war.

At that moment, he was driving towards the Jiang family's house.

The alley was narrow, and as he approached the Yu family's door, he remembered Xu Damao's words and subconsciously slowed down.

Just as they rounded a corner, Yu Li suddenly rushed out from the corner.

"Li Jianguo!"

She called him affectionately, her face beaming with a smile, her eyes sparkling brightly.

An elderly man walked over, looked at her, then at the car, and asked, "Lily, is this your boyfriend?"

Yu Li lowered her head and smiled shyly, "Sir, I'll talk to him. You can go ahead with your work."

"This young man is not bad!" The old man looked Li Jianguo up and down his car. "He even has a car; he's got money. You've found a good one!"

She talks a lot.

Yu Li stood in front of the car, preventing Li Jianguo from moving. His face had darkened.

It seems this woman is determined to cause trouble today.

He pushed open the door and peeked in: "Grandpa, do you recognize me?"

The old man squinted and looked closely: "Young man, you look familiar. You're that...that..."

"Li Jianguo," he continued, "Director Li of the steel rolling mill."

The old man suddenly slapped his thigh: "Oh my! The one who was in the newspaper! The one who caught spies and raided casinos!"

Li Jianguo's deeds were widely known in the alley, but because he left early and returned late, few people had actually seen him. Upon hearing this name, the old man leaned closer to examine him more closely.

"Are you Yu Yatou's boyfriend?"

The old man's eyes were filled with suspicion. He had heard of Li Jianguo, but Yu Li was just a high school graduate; the two of them didn't seem to be on the same wavelength at all.

"You've misunderstood," Li Jianguo explained. "Comrade Yu Li helped me and the Public Security Bureau with something before."

The old man's eyes became even more puzzled as he looked back and forth between Yu Li and him.

"So what are you doing here...?"

"Please don't tell anyone," Li Jianguo said in a low voice, "otherwise I won't be able to explain it to my future father-in-law, Secretary Jiang. Then I'll be in big trouble."

"Secretary Jiang?" The old man immediately perked up his ears. "Which Secretary Jiang?"

"That guy from the heavy machinery factory. I've been dating his daughter for a while now. Once the date is set, I'll invite you to our wedding."

"Oh my!" The old man's eyes lit up. "That Secretary Jiang! Good lad! You'd better treat that girl well."

"Definitely, definitely."

Li Jianguo smiled and agreed, but when he turned to look at Yu Li, his eyes suddenly turned cold.

Yu Li's heart sank. He had clearly seen through her little scheme. She had really offended Li Jianguo this time.

"Comrade Yu Li," Li Jianguo said, "you can contact Deputy Director Zhang if you need anything in the future. Your mother's matter is related to him, and I really can't help you with it."

After saying goodbye to the old man, he drove away.

The old man watched the car drive away, then turned to look at Yu Li and said earnestly:

"Yu girl, that young man is a good person. But you can't do something like interfering in someone else's life; you'll bring shame to your family. But your family is also... Your mother isn't a bad person, she's just not very bright. Your father, on the other hand, is a complete coward..."

Yu Li's face immediately darkened.