Siheyuan, my new life

Guo Yongping glanced at his watch and said apologetically, "Section Chief Zhao, I have to go back. I made an appointment with the bricklayer on the street. Several tiles on the roof of my house are broken, and I plan to have them replaced in case it leaks again when it snows or rains."

Upon hearing this, Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong urged, "Then why don't you hurry back? Just stay home and get busy this afternoon. There's nothing much to do here."

Guo Yongping smiled and said, "Alright, I'll be going now. I'll treat you to drinks sometime after the New Year."

Zhao Xiangdong smiled and waved his hand: "Alright, I know you're observing mourning, let's talk about it after the New Year."

After leaving the office, Guo Yongping hurried out of the office building, pushed his bicycle in the parking shed, and headed towards the gate of the steel rolling mill.

He wasn't really going back to wait for the bricklayer to replace the tiles. Just now, after the steel mill's loudspeaker announced the results of the handling of Hao Aiguo, the system interface, which had been in standby mode, suddenly lit up, and a line of light gold text appeared: "Host punished the evil neighbor and gained two hundred merit points. Keep up the good work."

If the circumstances hadn't prevented it, Guo Yongping would definitely have summoned the system interface to take a closer look. That's why he deliberately made up this excuse, wanting to go home and think things through. Of course, another reason was that he really didn't want to go to the canteen anymore. Yesterday at noon, he went with Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong to the canteen closest to the office building and tasted the current food from the steel rolling mill.

To be honest, Guo Yongping really found it hard to swallow. He was already sick of the food in the university cafeterias of his past life, and had no choice but to order takeout online. But today, when he saw the food served in the steel mill cafeteria, he realized that the food in the university cafeterias of his past was definitely a delicacy compared to it.

Yesterday at noon, the canteen served stir-fried cabbage and stewed potatoes, cornbread as the staple food, and a so-called seafood soup.

Those two dishes were simply stewed in water, with a few drops of oil floating in the broth. Apart from being slightly salty, they were almost impossible to swallow. As for the hard cornbread, it had a distinctly bitter taste when you bit into it, and it made your throat hurt when you swallowed it.

Seeing Zhao Xiangdong wolfing down the same food across from him, and glancing at the other workers at the surrounding tables who were also gulping down their food, Guo Yongping had no choice but to cheat. Although he outwardly put the food into his mouth, he secretly stored it in his storage space. Guo Yongping knew, of course, that in this day and age, food should never be wasted. Otherwise, he would be criticized and educated at best, and at worst, he would be labeled with some serious accusations. He also made up his mind that from now on, whenever possible, he would try to eat at home. He clearly had plenty of grain and meat; he couldn't just force himself to eat something he didn't have.

Furthermore, due to the gene-enhancing drugs he had taken, Guo Yongping's body was undergoing a slow transformation. In accordance with the law of conservation of energy, strengthening his various functions required a large amount of energy. However, how could he possibly provide enough energy by eating only boiled vegetables and cornbread that barely filled his stomach?

To fill his stomach, Guo Yongping planned to go out of the city this afternoon to find a suitable place to stew some pork and mutton.

You should know that you live in the infamous Beastly Courtyard in all the heavens and myriad realms. If Guo Yongping ever cooks pork or mutton at home, the neighbors will definitely gossip behind his back because of the smell. There's even a chance someone will secretly report him. Not to mention others, just the Hao Aiguo family, who also lives in the front yard, are now sworn enemies after this incident. If given the chance, the Hao Aiguo family will definitely take revenge on him.

Guo Yongping walked to the gate of the steel rolling mill and showed his work ID to the security guard on duty before being allowed to leave the factory. Guo Yongping had heard from Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong that, under normal circumstances, cadres and employees need to obtain an exit permit from their respective departments if they want to leave the factory during working hours. However, only special departments like the purchasing department are allowed to leave without an exit permit, since purchasing staff frequently enter and exit the factory gate every day.

After leaving the steel rolling mill, Guo Yongping got on his bicycle, pedaled hard, and sped off towards Nanluoguxiang.

As Guo Yongping carried his bicycle through the gate of courtyard house number 95, he felt somewhat disappointed. He hadn't witnessed firsthand Yan Bugui, the abacus-wielding genius, blocking the courtyard gate every day and shamelessly collecting "tolls" from returning residents. In the many novels about courtyard houses, Yan Bugui blocking the gate was considered a classic scene, almost a daily occurrence, alongside Qin Huairu, the "pure white lotus" and "laundry girl," who occupied the central courtyard's pool to wash clothes every evening.

The main gate of courtyard house number 95 is now empty, with only the sounds of a few children playing in the courtyard. Guo Yongping shook his head with a wry smile. To be honest, if Yan Bugui, that shrewd swindler, were still living across the street, he would have to be extra careful. After all, this stingy old man Yan always blocks the main gate, and it's hard to escape his rat-like eyes when he brings back something from each household. Moreover, this guy is always scheming about how to take advantage of others, and he already knows pretty much everything about the income of the residents in the courtyard.

Especially since his house was right across from Yan Laokou's, Guo Yongping figured that every little thing he did would be under Yan Laokou's watchful eye. Just thinking about this situation made Guo Yongping feel uneasy. Who would want to be under someone else's surveillance all the time? Moreover, he had too many secrets. Even if he was extra careful, if he made any mistakes and they fell into the eyes of this cunning man, it would really be a troublesome matter.

After parking his bicycle under his porch, Guo Yongping took out his key and opened the door. Before going inside, he glanced down at the thin layer of coal dust at the entrance, a small warning sign he had deliberately placed there so that he would be prepared in advance if someone tried to sneak into his house.

Turning around and closing the door, Guo Yongping took off his cotton-padded coat and casually hung it on the coat rack next to the door. Then he picked up the kettle that was constantly steaming on the stove, added a few pieces of coal to the firebox, opened the air vent, plopped down on the small stool in front of the stove, lit a cigarette, closed his eyes slightly, and began to carefully examine the contents of the system interface.