Siheyuan, my new life

Lost in his own thoughts, Feng Tao didn't notice that as he stepped out of the gate of the No. 95 courtyard house, the door of the east wing in the front yard was slowly opened. Guo Yongping watched Feng Tao's figure disappear before pushing his bicycle out of the house. After locking the door, he pushed the bicycle outside.

When Feng Tao entered the front yard of the courtyard house, he did not deliberately make a fuss, so Guo Yongping, who was sitting by the stove, heard him. Out of curiosity, he stood up and looked out through the glass of the door. He only saw the profile of a middle-aged man of medium build. However, the man was wearing a blue Zhongshan suit, and his every move made it clear that he was definitely not an ordinary worker. Therefore, Guo Yongping paid special attention to him.

Upon seeing the other party knock on Hao Aiguo's door in the side room, and then vaguely hearing Hao Aiguo's wife address the other party as "senior brother," Guo Yongping guessed the man's identity. He assumed it was Feng Tao, Hao Aiguo's senior brother who was the director of the second fitter workshop.

This morning, while chatting with Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong, I learned about this person's existence from him. Apparently, Feng Tao takes special care of his junior brother, Hao Aiguo.

However, Guo Yongping could more or less guess the other party's intention. Most likely, they were there to inform Hao Aiguo of the punishment he had received from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. With that thought, he lost interest in continuing to observe and turned around to pack the items he needed.

Guo Yongping pushed his bicycle out of the gate of courtyard house number 95, got on the bike, and headed southwest.

At this time, in the streets and alleys, groups of two or three teenagers were playing in the cold wind. Every now and then, a crisp firecracker could be heard. With the New Year fast approaching, families with sufficient means would give their children a few cents of pocket money. Boys would usually go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a string or two of small firecrackers, disassemble them, put them in their pockets, and hold a lit incense stick. Every now and then, they would light a small firecracker and throw it out. Often, one could hear the scolding of passersby startled by the sudden firecracker noise; there were also some... Mischievous children would stick firecrackers into snowdrifts, mounds of dirt, or even piles of cow and horse manure. After lighting the firecrackers, they would quickly hide to the side. When they saw passersby covered in the filth from the firecracker explosions and jumping up and down in anger, these children would immediately laugh and run into the alley and make their escape, then choose a new target to continue the game. This year, since it hasn't snowed, these mischievous children could only use firecrackers to bombard mounds of dirt and cow and horse manure pits. Some even went so far as to throw firecrackers directly into the public toilets next to the street.

Guo Yongping rode his bicycle quickly through the street, listening to the laughter of the children behind him. He felt a warmth in his heart, thinking back to his past life when he had also played and frolicked in the streets like those children. However, now he had transmigrated to this strange parallel world alone, without familiar relatives or family by his side. To avoid revealing his many secrets, he had to live cautiously. Even if he got married and started a family in the future, he would never reveal the existence of the "Heaven Rewards Diligence System" to his spouse. Only when he was about to die would he leave his descendants some high-tech items that would be enough for them to protect themselves. Of course, he would definitely leave his descendants a huge fortune.

In later generations, Guo Yongping greatly envied the children of the wealthy and powerful. These guys were born with the golden key to wealth in their mouths. While others were still struggling to find the road to Rome, these lucky ones were born directly into Rome.

While young people from ordinary families are struggling to pay off their mortgages and car loans, these lucky ones can easily acquire luxury cars, yachts, and mansions, and are surrounded by beautiful women.

With the "Heaven Rewards Diligence System," Guo Yongping was confident he could amass astronomical wealth. Since he hadn't been born a second-generation rich kid, he would become a self-made millionaire. He believed that once the reform and opening up began, his golden age would arrive. If he possessed the "Heaven Rewards Diligence System" and had access to information from future generations, and still couldn't become one of the wealthiest individuals at the top of the wealth pyramid, he might as well buy a block of tofu and smash his head against it.

With his mind wandering, Guo Yongping kept pedaling his bicycle and soon he was out of the city.

Yesterday, in the purchasing office of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, Guo Yongping carefully examined the map of Beijing hanging on the wall and gained a preliminary understanding of the surrounding environment. Today, he planned to go out of the city to find a suitable place to stew some pork and mutton.

Living in the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, known as the "Courtyard House Full of Poultry," if you frequently cook various kinds of meat at home, given the nature of those guys in the courtyard, someone will definitely be unable to resist coming over to beg for your money, and someone might even secretly report you. The "Family of Glory" sign hanging at the door can't stop those guys' greed and jealousy.

Although the courtyard at No. 95 was now missing familiar faces like Yi Zhonghai, the Moral Celestial Venerable; Liu Haizhong, the good-for-nothing official; Yan Bugui, the abacus-wielding genius; Qin Huairu, the bloodsucking white lotus; and Jia Zhangshi, the necromancer, the other residents were probably no pushovers either. Guo Yongping had already personally experienced the character of the third steward, Hao Aiguo. Although he hadn't directly interacted with the first steward, Xu Fugui, and the second steward, Yue Xiangqian, birds of a feather flock together. These two, who could stand out among all the beasts in the courtyard, couldn't possibly be simple characters.

Therefore, Guo Yongping did not want to become the target of these beasts. Now that the share of food supply has decreased, almost every household is not getting enough to eat. If he were in such an environment, and the smell of meat wafted from his house all day long, wouldn't he be asking for trouble?

However, Guo Yongping couldn't possibly eat those unpalatable cornbread buns all day just to avoid trouble from other residents. His body urgently needed high-protein, high-nutrient foods to replenish its energy. Under the current conditions, the only way to get enough nutrition was to eat as much meat as possible.

After much deliberation, Guo Yongping decided to first go to a deserted area outside the city to stew some pork and mutton, store it in his storage space, and then secretly take it out when it was time to eat. Since the food was stored at a constant temperature in the storage space, as long as he was careful, he should be able to avoid the noses of the residents of the courtyard.