Siheyuan, my new life

Half an hour later, Guo Yongping was riding his bicycle close to the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. However, when he looked up, he couldn't help but frown slightly, but he quickly recovered. At this moment, a group of workers in faded work clothes were walking towards the gate of the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang on the opposite street.

It was clear that these were the same workers who worked at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, returning home together after get off work. Guo Yongping also saw He Yuzhu pushing a bicycle and He Daqing and his son walking beside him in the crowd. They were also walking and chatting with their neighbors.

The two groups met at the gate of the courtyard house at No. 95 almost at the same time. Although he had attended a general meeting of the entire courtyard house before, Guo Yongping had only given a brief self-introduction. Therefore, apart from a few key figures, he really didn't know the names of the other residents.

Therefore, Guo Yongping could only smile and nod to the crowd opposite him, saying, "Everyone, you're off work now." He did this merely to maintain a superficial harmonious atmosphere. To be honest, if he had the chance, he would like to live in a separate small courtyard house. After all, he had too many secrets that he could not let outsiders know. However, he could only think about such things in private.

With housing becoming increasingly scarce in Beijing, regulations on private housing transactions have been tightened. In principle, the buying and selling of houses between private individuals is no longer permitted. Of course, no matter when or how strict the policy, there are always ways to circumvent it. In Tomato's novels, the time-traveling predecessors can easily bypass policy controls through private gifts or debt settlements. After all, there has always been a saying that "where there's a policy, there's a countermeasure." As long as one has connections within the street office or housing management bureau, such sham transactions have always been unimpeded. Even those above are well aware of this and often choose to turn a blind eye.

Although Guo Yongping doesn't have such connections or resources yet, he believes that as long as he really wants to get a small courtyard house, it won't be too difficult.

However, Guo Yongping has no plans to move out of the No. 95 courtyard house yet. The main reason is that, thanks to his report, the third uncle Hao Aiguo, the manager of the No. 95 courtyard house, was severely punished by the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. In fact, he received a reward of 100 merit points from the "Heaven Rewards Diligence System". Obviously, living in this courtyard house is beneficial for him to continue to obtain merit points in the future. Before he fully understands the real way to obtain merit points, he still needs to continue to live here.

In fact, Guo Yongping's head was also a complete mess. When he had just gained merit points by punishing Hao Aiguo, he thought that he would need to continue to punish those beasts in the same courtyard in order to gain merit points. However, when he returned to Baihua Mountain in Beijing after hunting in the outer Xingan Mountains of Beisu, the "Heaven Rewards Diligence System" in his mind directly rewarded him with 1,000 merit points.

This completely baffled Guo Yongping. What was going on? He had only poached a batch of wild animals, so why was the "Heaven Rewards Diligence System" awarding him a thousand merit points? For a moment, Guo Yongping was utterly confused. Clearly, he still didn't understand the correct way to obtain merit points. So, Guo Yongping secretly complained to himself that many of his predecessors who had transmigrated had so-called system spirits to assist and guide them, or at least they had a detailed explanation. But here he was, left to figure it out on his own.

When they saw Guo Yongping pushing his bicycle, the workers from courtyard number 95 could only manage a forced smile and murmur, "Purchaser Guo is back." Clearly, after what happened with Hao Aiguo, these people had a better understanding of this young man. They knew he wasn't someone to be trifled with, especially since he was a military dependent, and they themselves were purchasing agents in the steel mill's purchasing department—an administrative position, essentially a cadre position. Therefore, most of them now kept their distance, preferring to avoid him rather than provoke him.

Guo Yongping had no interest in what these people thought, nor did he intend to give way to them. He picked up his bicycle, stepped onto the steps, and headed towards the gate. Since the threshold of the courtyard gate was more than 30 centimeters high, it was not a problem for pedestrians to enter and exit, but bicycles had to be lifted by hand. He simply carried the bicycle, along with the sack on the back seat, and easily stepped over the threshold.

Many of the residents who had just reached the door had their eyes fixed on the sack on the back of Guo Yongping's bicycle. People in this era were particularly sensitive to the smell of meat because they lacked oil and fat in their daily lives, whether it was raw meat or meat dishes.

By this time, everyone could smell the meaty odor and a faint muttony smell emanating from the burlap sack on the back of Guo Yongping's bicycle. Clearly, the bulging burlap sack contained a considerable amount of pork and mutton, and many people's eyes revealed a mixture of envy and jealousy.

However, considering Guo Yongping's identity as a purchasing agent, it is estimated that this is the meat he purchased for the steel rolling mill. Although these people are thinking of getting a share of the pie, none of them are willing to be the first to speak up. After all, Hao Aiguo's example is right in front of them, so who would be foolish enough to provoke him?

At this moment, some people couldn't help but think of Yi Zhonghai, the old man who used to always talk about "respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and uniting the neighbors." They guessed that if Yi Zhonghai were here today, he would definitely give a long lecture, trying to force Guo Yongping to take out some meat and distribute it to the residents of the courtyard, especially the deaf old lady in the backyard, the Jia family, and the three old men in charge.

At this moment, people with different thoughts had entered the courtyard one after another. However, when passing the east wing of the front yard, many people unconsciously slowed down. As for what they were thinking, only they themselves knew.

Guo Yongping was untying the rope from the back seat of the bicycle parked at the entrance of the east wing. He then picked up a burlap sack with one hand, placed it at his feet, went inside, and quickly returned to the bicycle with a rag. He began to carefully wipe the bloodstains on the back seat and the rear wheel arches to prevent the bicycle from rusting.