All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

To put it simply, it smelled of sweat. Lei Dongbao was a little embarrassed and didn't know what to do for a moment.

Gao Shengnan glanced at it from the side and her face flushed red, clearly the alcohol was quite potent!

Alone in a room with only a man and a woman, Lei Dongbao looked up at Gao Shengnan and examined her closely. He found that the woman was not ugly at all, with a well-proportioned figure and a typical mature woman's appearance.

Whether it's natural or because she rarely gets sun exposure, her face and hands are very fair, and her skin looks great. However, her face is noticeably tired, and her hair is disheveled. Overall, her face shape is somewhat three-dimensional, and she even has a bit of an exotic look!

Damn it, Lei Dongbao quickly banished these wild thoughts from his mind. He was a married man, and to be having such wild thoughts on his first meeting with her was truly despicable.

As expected, Lei Dongbao had overthought things. The flush on Gao Shengnan's face was clearly from drinking. She turned around, picked up Lei Dongbao's plan from the side again, flipped through it, and said seriously.

"You wrote this proposal."

Lei Dongbao nodded!

Gao Shengnan raised her head, glanced at Lei Dongbao, pondered for a moment, then placed her hand on the plan and tapped it a few times, clearly deep in thought. After a while, she looked up at Lei Dongbao and spoke.

"Let's discuss the terms!"

Lei Dongbao was stunned. Did Gao Shengnan agree?

So simple?

I was just thinking about how to persuade the other person, and I didn't expect them to agree so readily.

Seeing the surprise on Lei Dongbao's face, Gao Shengnan shook her head helplessly and said...

"Actually, even if you hadn't come, I was planning to resign soon anyway. I've already made plans to go to the south to take a look around!"

Lei Dongbao was taken aback, and looked at the woman in front of him again. It was indeed a good thing that she came at the right time. Since she had already said so, Lei Dongbao stopped talking and sat up straight, speaking seriously.

"Alright, tell me your terms!"

Chapter 21: Demands

Gao Sheng, true to his name, was a man of action, even more decisive than most men. When Lei Dongbao asked him to negotiate, he didn't hesitate and spoke up directly.

"First, I am confident in my skills, and I hope you will not interfere with my work in terms of technical aspects!"

Lei Dongbao was truly stunned. He hadn't expected this woman to start with this. Of course, he respected her. What's most important for the future? Talent!

Lei Dongbao spoke without thinking.

"Don't worry, I guarantee I won't interfere with the technical aspects, and I absolutely won't let anyone else interfere!"

Gao Shengnan nodded and continued.

"Secondly, I hope you can solve my living problems. I plan to bring Xiaoyuan with me. Just the two of us, Xiaoyuan's schooling, our accommodation, and so on!"

Lei Dongbao nodded, signaling Gao Shengnan to continue.

After Gao Shengnan finished asking the two questions, she waved her hand and said...

"I only have these two requirements. As for other salary and benefits, I just want them to be similar to everyone else's!"

Lei Dongbao looked up in confusion at the haggard-looking woman in front of him.

Gao Shengnan picked up her wine glass, drank it all in one gulp, and seeing Lei Dongbao's gaze, gave a wry smile and said...

“I used to be a teacher at Jinzhou College. They said Jinzhou Electric Fans needed to undergo technological reform, so they sent me here. But this place is a complete mess, and you've seen the result!”

Lei Dongbao also picked up his wine glass and took a sip. At this moment, he finally felt relieved. He had really struck gold. The person in front of him was a true expert in technology.

Jinzhou College was a secondary vocational technical college in the 1970s, a technical school in cooperation with the nearby military region. A few years later, it was upgraded to a university. In later years, it was a very professional technical college. So, someone so young who could serve as a teacher there must have real skills.

He then stopped wasting words, looked at Gao Shengnan, and said very formally.

"Mr. Gao, welcome to Xiao Lei's family. I can guarantee you a comfortable life; we'll eat meat, you won't have to drink soup. To be honest, Xiao Lei's family is actually quite poor right now, but I believe the electric fan market has a bright future. As for salary, I'll start by offering you 500 yuan a month. How about that?"

Upon hearing the price of five hundred yuan, Gao Shengnan looked up in surprise. Seeing Lei Dongbao's serious expression, which didn't seem like a joke, she smiled after a long while and nodded in agreement.

Just then, the door was pushed open, and the little girl came in panting, carrying a large bag of things. When she saw her mother's bright eyes and Lei Dongbao in his t-shirt, a hint of melancholy appeared in her eyes. She then put the snacks on the table and began to count her spoils.

One popsicle, one ice cream, one bottle of soda, two packs of preserved plums, two packs of cookies…!

Finally, they pulled out a packet of peanuts wrapped in brown paper, and that was it.

Lei Dongbao looked at the table full of snacks and stared speechlessly at the little girl. The little girl picked up an ice cream, opened the packaging, and stuffed it into her mouth, mumbling indistinctly.

"The dried tofu is sold out, only peanuts are left. I'll buy snacks instead!"

Ten yuan worth of snacks, wow!

Gao Shengnan was so angry that she wanted to hit him, but Lei Dongbao quickly stopped her, telling the little girl to pack up and go out to play, as these snacks were an eyesore!

Faced with Gao Shengnan's outstretched hand, the little girl calmly put away her snacks, her expression unchanged. Clearly, the atmosphere in this family wasn't good. What kind of family could allow a little girl to face domestic violence so calmly?

Lei Dongbao sighed, opened the kraft paper, picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth. He watched as the little girl calmly packed up her snacks, picked up her bag again and went out. Before leaving, she didn't forget to close the door. Look at her, what a sensible child.

Gao Shengnan sighed, picked up a peanut, and began to ramble on about her story. The story was accompanied by wine, and the more she talked, the more interesting it became. Before she knew it, she had finished the second bottle of wine, and Gao Shengnan's story was over.

It's a very cliché story. The bald man was once a spirited and ambitious young man who was Gao Shengnan's colleague. Later, the ambitious young man was assigned to work as a technician at the Jinzhou Electric Fan Factory, and the couple spent little time together.

Later on, the ambitious young man went bald and withered. He lost his ambition not only in his technical skills but also in his sexual life. They argued every three days and every two days, until he finally reached the brink of collapse.

Gao Shengnan originally wanted to save her marriage, so she volunteered to work at the Jinzhou Electric Fan Factory. But as soon as she entered, she discovered that the world there was already a lifeless quagmire, and no one who jumped in was clean.

She had originally planned to divorce the bald man and then take her daughter to the Pearl River Delta region in the south, but Lei Dongbao arrived at just the right time.

Perhaps it was Lei Dongbao's unique charisma, or perhaps she had drunk a bit too much, but Gao Shengnan impulsively agreed to go with Lei Dongbao.

Two bottles of 53-proof liquor, one man and one woman, were finished off just like that. Even though Lei Dongbao had a high alcohol tolerance, he was a little dizzy. The aftereffects were kicking in, and he knew he couldn't drink anymore. Seeing that it was getting late, he stood up, smiled, and prepared to say goodbye.

Seeing Lei Dongbao stand up, Gao Shengnan's face was also flushed. However, this woman was truly living up to her name; her alcohol tolerance was no less than that of a man. Although her face was already red, her eyes were clearly still clear.

Lei Dongbao said with a smile.

"Engineer Gao, I'll head back now. I'll be staying in Jinzhou for a few more days. I'd like to check out the electric fan parts market, and I'll need your help then. Once you've finished the paperwork, we'll go to Xiao Lei's house together!"

Gao Shengnan nodded, staring blankly at Lei Dongbao's tall and imposing figure. It wasn't until Lei Dongbao swayed in front of her a few times that she fully snapped out of it and quickly stood up and said.

"Alright, I won't see you off, to avoid gossip from the people around. And don't call me 'Engineer Gao' anymore, just call me Sister Shengnan! I'm definitely older than you!"

Lei Dongbao put on his coat and said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll call you Sister Shengnan then. Actually, Sister Shengnan, don't ruin yourself like this. If you dress up nicely, you're no less beautiful than an eighteen-year-old girl. Your skin is so tender and fair; I don't know how many people would envy it..."

Before Lei Dongbao could finish speaking, he realized he had been too rude and quickly shook his head to apologize. He was indeed a little dizzy. After taking only two steps, he bumped into a stool and almost fell. Gao Shengnan quickly stepped forward to help Lei Dongbao.

Lei Dongbao instinctively grabbed Gao Shengnan's shoulder. Gao Shengnan couldn't withstand Lei Dongbao's strength and fell backward. Lei Dongbao quickly pulled her close, and the two hugged each other for two seconds until Lei Dongbao reacted. He then quickly let go and apologized.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm a little dizzy, I was a bit reckless. Sister Shengnan, I'll go back to the guesthouse now!"

Gao Shengnan's face turned even redder, but she remained calm as usual. It was hard to tell whether she was faking it or if this was something she simply didn't care about.

Lei Dongbao, somewhat embarrassed, apologized again, picked up his handbag, quickened his pace, pushed open the door, and, not daring to look back, staggered towards the corridor and stairs.

In the corridor, at each doorway, many pairs of onlookers were still watching. Lei Dongbao felt a flush spread across his face and strode towards the courtyard.

Lei Dongbao finally breathed a sigh of relief after walking a long way out of the compound and onto the street.

Looking at the dim night, his shadow stretched long. As he walked, Lei Dongbao suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself hard. The pain made him realize that he had only just gotten married and was already being fickle. What a beast!

Isn't your own little beauty more appealing?

Thinking of his wife Song Yunping's small mouth, Lei Dongbao felt a surge of heat and was overwhelmed with guilt!

On this matter of principle, Lei Dongbao secretly vowed in his heart that he would never let Pingping down in the future. Wildflowers may smell sweet, but they can be poisonous!

Lei Dongbao's mind wandered, becoming increasingly confused. Men, sometimes, really are just pathetic!

Two figures had already quietly followed him from the darkness behind him.

Lei Dongbao had actually sensed that someone was following him as soon as he left the compound, but he didn't pay any attention to it. He still had a lot of pent-up anger to vent, so he had to accept this fun that had come to him!

Chapter 22: The Legend of the Scarecrow

Lei Dongbao looked ahead and realized they had reached a fork in the road. The straight road was a main road, while the fork in the road clearly looked like a small path, overgrown with weeds and quite eerie.

This road is good!

Lei Dongbao deliberately stood at the crossroads for a while, looking somewhat unsteady like a drunkard. Seeing this, the two people behind him could no longer hold back and quickened their pace to rush towards Lei Dongbao.

Lei Dongbao seemed startled and hurriedly ran towards the path. The two people behind him paused for a moment, clearly taken aback.

Is this person crazy? He doesn't run on the main road, but instead tries to outrun the side road. In the blink of an eye, he's overjoyed and quickly catches up.

After a chase that lasted for several minutes, there were hardly any buildings left in the area. As far as the eye could see, there were only farmlands. Not far away, a river blocked the road. Lei Dongbao was too lazy to run anymore. He looked at the bright moon in the sky, which was already high in the sky.

He stretched and then saw two people running towards him from a distance, panting. When they saw Lei Dongbao stop, the two quickened their pace and finally arrived.

The two men were panting heavily, clearly indicating kidney problems. One of them had his hands on his hips, holding an iron rod or something similar. Perhaps noticing Lei Dongbao's tall and strong physique, the other pointed at Lei Dongbao and shouted.

"Huff... I'm exhausted. You son of a bitch, you're pretty fast. Kid, we're not saying anything more. Put down your bag and get lost. I don't want to mess with you today!"

Lei Dongbao shook his head, picked up his briefcase, and gestured to the two of them.

“Hey guys, I have 50,000 yuan here. If you rob it and get caught, you’ll be shot. And you, you skinny short guy, I know where you live. You deliberately bumped into me in the hallway just now. You were the one, weren’t you? If you let me go and I report you, and you get shot, won’t your parents be heartbroken?”

Lei Dongbao's words caused the two men to exchange a glance. Their expressions were unreadable in the darkness, but they were clearly going through a fierce internal struggle. The other man nodded, drew a dagger from his waist, and without further ado, the two men surrounded Lei Dongbao.

It's clear these two aren't novices; they're ruthless and don't talk much!

Seeing how decisive the two were, Lei Dongbao sighed at the coldness of the world and the decline of human nature. Looking at the sky, which was getting late, he wondered whether to throw the two into the river or into the paddy field.

Hey, Lei Dongbao looked down and realized that this wasn't a paddy field at all. Right next to him was a watermelon patch. In the moonlight, the lush watermelon leaves looked like white frost. Not far away, there were two crooked scarecrows used to scare away birds.

Lei Dongbao immediately had an idea. He strode forward and chose to confront the two men head-on. To their surprise, Lei Dongbao made his move swiftly and decisively, using a grappling move and a side kick. The two men cried out and fell to the ground.

What a disappointment, there's not a single one who can fight!

Lei Dongbao chuckled, threw down the dagger and iron rod, and said with a smile.

"Gentlemen, let me loosen your bones!"

He then stepped forward and, amidst the two men's groans, dragged them, whose bones had been loosened, to the middle of the melon patch like two dead dogs. Finally, using sticks as supports, he neatly arranged the two men into a V-shaped scarecrow.

However, if these two "scarecrows" tried to wiggle their bodies, they would let out painful howls. Lei Dongbao even reinforced them with straw, enough to make them stand steadily until dawn.

After everything was settled, Lei Dongbao was also parched. He searched in the melon patch for a while and found several large watermelons. He ate one, threw one away, and finally made a bright green watermelon helmet for the two of them, which made them even more conspicuous.

If he hadn't had a few drinks, Lei Dongbao wouldn't have been so childlike. He looked at his masterpiece one last time, then stuffed five yuan into one of the men's shirt pockets before finally picking up his bag and turning to leave, satisfied.

Lei Dongbao returned to the guesthouse at midnight. He took a cold shower in a daze, then fell asleep as soon as he got to bed. He would be busy investigating the market for the next few days.