Courtyard House: A Great Musician! Red Songs Resound Worldwide

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Section Chief Li, you've given me too much...

Li Chaoyang had already thought about the compensation before inviting Jiang Datong to his home.

I planned to use these tickets as money from the very beginning.

After all, he doesn't have much cash on hand right now.

However, they had a very large quantity of all kinds of tickets and coupons...

For working-class families like Jiang Datong's, money wasn't a problem, but they certainly lacked various ration coupons and vouchers.

If grain coupons don't work, then cloth coupons; if cloth coupons don't work, then oil coupons... there's bound to be one he needs...

If all else fails, you can simply take the tickets to the black market and exchange them for some money...

However, seeing Jiang Datong tightly clutching the national grain coupons, his eyes turned somewhat red.

Li Chaoyang then realized that using the national grain coupons as payment should be sufficient...

After carefully considering the matter, Jiang Datong looked up, his breathing becoming somewhat rapid...

"Section Chief Li, it's not a question of whether this is enough or not."

"You know, these national grain coupons were worth more than money..."

"But..." Jiang Datong hesitated as he spoke.

Li Chaoyang thought he hadn't given enough, so he asked, "Master Jiang, do you think five tickets are too few?"

"If it's not enough, just tell me, how much do you want..."

His arrogant demeanor startled Jiang Datong... his hand, clutching the stack of grain coupons, trembled slightly.

"Section Chief Li, what I want to say isn't that it's too little... but that you've given too much..."

"If it's a nationwide grain coupon program, two or three coupons would actually be enough..."

"Last time I worked on making furniture for someone for half a month and they only paid me twenty-something yuan..."

"These national grain coupons, if sold secretly, can fetch three yuan per pound!"

"These five sheets, weighing five jin each, will cost you seventy-five yuan!"

"This is almost two months' salary for me..."

As he spoke, he hurriedly tried to return the grain coupons.

But Li Chaoyang didn't take it. Instead, he smiled and said, "Alright, Master Jiang."

"Please accept this; it's not just payment for making the furniture."

"Afterwards, you'll have to help me fix up all the parts of this house that need repairing, inside and out."

"Things like doors, windows, partitions, and so on, you can see those too."

"Although it looks fine overall, there are quite a few things that need to be repaired."

"After a chaotic cleanup, it's questionable whether this amount of votes will be enough..."

"Just keep doing it for now, and we'll discuss it when it gets too short."

After hearing what Li Chaoyang said, Jiang Datong finally calmed down a bit.

After looking around the room, he nodded again: "Actually... even with these tasks, five tickets are enough..."

"But Section Chief Li, could I find someone to help with the door and window repairs and this partition?"

"I'm okay at making furniture, but I'm really not that good at repairing doors and windows."

"Especially for an old house like yours, it's better to find a professional craftsman."

"The ones I mentioned before are pretty good, and they are absolutely trustworthy."

Jiang Datong's words were quite frank, so Li Chaoyang naturally felt there was no problem.

Anyway, Jiang Datong asked others for help because he wanted to make a profit or something.

He didn't care; all he cared about was the result.

He nodded and said, "No problem, the key is to get it done as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Datong nodded repeatedly, "Alright, Section Chief Li, then it's settled."

"I'll go find someone tomorrow, and then I'll ask the factory for leave to go to the countryside to get timber for you..."

"Just the furniture alone means I have to come in every evening after work to rush production, and I still have to work at the factory during the day..."

"After all, it would take a long time to manufacture all the furniture you requested, and our manager definitely wouldn't approve of a long leave of absence..."

Li Chaoyang considered for a moment and said, "That's no problem... Actually, there's no rush for the furniture."

"Just get me a good bed first... My bed creaks and groans as soon as I lie down, I can't sleep peacefully at all."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Datong stood up and said, "That's easy. I brought my tools. I'll fix it for you right now..."

"Let Section Chief Li get a good night's sleep tonight..."

As he spoke, Jiang Datong went outside to get his tools from his bicycle.

He truly lives up to his reputation as an old carpenter; he carries around a jumble of odds and ends, like hammers, nails, and rulers, wherever he goes.

The entire military satchel was filled with these kinds of carpentry gadgets.

Back in the house, he started repairing the dilapidated double bed.

Li Chaoyang was thinking of going out to get some food.

Just as they stepped outside, they saw Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, sneaking through the archway.

When Yan Bugui saw Li Chaoyang come out, and there were two bicycles parked at the door, he asked...

"Chaoyang...do you have guests?"

Li Chaoyang did not answer the question, but instead asked, "Third Uncle, is there something you need from me?"

Yan Bugui turned back and glanced outside the archway... seemingly checking if anyone was in the courtyard.

This dawdling was making Li Chaoyang a little impatient: "Third Uncle, if you have something to say, just say it..."

"I'm busy right now..."

Seeing that no one was outside, Yan Bugui leaned closer and whispered, "Chaoyang, after you left today, Xu Damao insisted on going to your factory to report you, and even said he would report you to the security department for assaulting him..."

"I was afraid he would really make a big deal out of this, so I had to plead and persuade him to temporarily put it under control..."

"But he set conditions: either you apologize to him in public, or you hold a hospital-wide meeting..."

"Otherwise, he'll sue you again..."

"Chaoyang, look...why don't you just apologize to him?"

"Anyway, you didn't lose out today..."

"It's not worth making a scene at your workplace over this..."

After the third uncle finished speaking nervously, Li Chaoyang said with a nonchalant expression, "Alright, third uncle, I understand. Thank you for coming all this way to tell me..."

"Not Chaoyang..." The third uncle thought Li Chaoyang hadn't understood, so he quickly added.

"Did you even hear me clearly? Xu Damao said..."

Li Chaoyang interrupted Yan Bugui and said, "I understand, Third Uncle."

"Isn't it just that Xu Damao said he was going to report me at the factory?"

"I advise you not to get involved in this matter, just let him sue!"

"I want to see what tricks Xu Damao can pull..."

"I haven't settled the score with him yet for lying about taking the day off today..."

"That's settled then, Uncle. You can go back now. I'm really busy today. Let's talk again later..."

After saying that, Li Chaoyang left Yan Bugui, who was still standing at the door, and walked out.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Did indulging in meat at every meal arouse suspicion?

"Lying to ask for leave?" Uncle Yan Bugui was still pondering this in a daze.

Li Chaoyang's words just now left him somewhat confused.

Pushing up his glasses, the old man didn't chase after Li Chaoyang anymore, but instead muttered to himself again...

"Wait a minute... wasn't he talking about Xu Damao lying about taking leave?"

"How did he find out about this...?"

"And they even said they wanted to settle accounts with Xu Damao?"

Actually, when Xu Damao asked his wife Lou Xiao'e to ask for leave for him today...

These three old men were just advising Xu Damao not to make a big fuss.

But since Li Chaoyang seemed to know about this as well, he was naturally a little confused...

This is also because Li Chaoyang did a good job of keeping secrets and did not spread the word that he was the head of the propaganda department.