Siheyuan, my new life

The reason Xu Fugui dared to tell Yue Xiangqian his plans directly was that he knew Yue Xiangqian's background very well, and the two had previously worked together.

That was more than half a year ago. Xu Fugui and Yue Xiangqian went to the black market to buy fine grains. The Xu family rarely ate coarse grains for many years, so the small amount of fine grains on their ration book was not enough. Therefore, Xu Fugui had to frequently go to the black market to buy fine grains.

In fact, if it weren't for the desire to win over the residents of courtyard house number 95 and gain their support, Xu Fugui really wouldn't have wanted to organize them to go to the black market to buy things. Although a large number of people could intimidate those who tried to rob people on the road, there would also be more problems with more people. Every time Xu Fugui went to the black market, he was extra careful, fearing that something unexpected might happen. He knew the residents of courtyard house number 95 quite well, and if anything unexpected happened, they would definitely turn against him without hesitation.

As for going to the black market alone, Xu Fugui was quite confident. First of all, he had learned some martial arts from the bodyguards when he was Lou Bancheng's driver, so he could handle two or three ordinary people without any problem. In particular, when Xu Fugui left Lou Bancheng, he did not take back the Browning pistol that the Lou family had given him for self-defense. Every time he went to the black market, Xu Fugui would carry the pistol with him at all times. If his life was in danger, he would definitely shoot without hesitation. After all, he had seen blood on his hands under the arrangement of the Lou family's butler.

I remember that night, Yue Xiangqian approached Xu Fugui, wanting him to accompany him to the black market to buy some fine grains and nutritional supplements for his family. As fellow stewards, Xu Fugui couldn't refuse out of courtesy or reason, so the two went to the black market in the middle of the night.

The purchase went smoothly, but on their way back, they were intercepted by three robbers.

When Xu Fugui saw that the three robbers opposite him were only holding short knives, he did not immediately draw his pistol. Instead, he wanted to see how Yue Xiangqian would react. After all, drawing a gun in front of him would cause some trouble later.

To Xu Fugui's surprise, Yue Xiangqian whispered to him that he should deal with one of the robbers on the side first, while he would take care of the other two. After saying that, he dropped the cloth bag he was carrying, pulled out a half-foot-long dagger from his waist, and pounced on the robber opposite him.

Seeing Yue Xiangqian's actions, Xu Fugui did not hesitate at all. He immediately swung a wooden stick about the thickness of a teacup and rushed towards the last robber.

Clearly, the three robbers on the other side had not expected that the two guys they had intercepted that night would be so fierce. Before they could even make a move, the two guys had already struck first. So the three robbers were not to be outdone and charged forward, brandishing their weapons.

The battle between the two sides ended quickly. While Xu Fugui was knocking down his opponent with a wooden stick, Yue Xiangqian had already successfully subdued the two robbers.

The two didn't waste any time at the scene. They quickly searched the robber's belongings, then picked up their own things and left the scene. On the way, they learned from Yue Xiangqian that his ancestral home was Cangzhou, Hebei, a famous martial arts town. He had been learning martial arts from his elders since he was a child, and now he worked at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, only practicing occasionally at home.

Afterwards, each of them received a small yellow croaker, more than ten silver dollars, more than two hundred dollars, and some receipts.

It is said that there are three great bonds between men: studying together, fighting together, and sharing the spoils. After that incident, Xu Fugui and Yue Xiangqian's relationship grew closer and closer in private.

Yue Xiangqian is now a level 6 fitter at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, which is considered one of the top intermediate technicians in the factory. His monthly salary is 72.3 yuan, and with subsidies and overtime pay, his actual monthly income exceeds 80 yuan.

Logically speaking, Yue Xiangqian's income is almost two or three times that of an ordinary first-class worker, which should be enough to support his family.

However, Yue Xiangqian's mother had been bedridden for several years due to overwork before liberation. Although as a family member of an employee of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, Yue Xiangqian's mother could enjoy a certain amount of reimbursement for medical treatment and medicine at Hongxing Hospital, Yue Xiangqian would often go to some traditional Chinese medicine clinics to buy precious medicinal materials such as ginseng in order to nourish his mother's body. In addition, his wife did not go out to work in order to take care of the elderly, and there were two children in school at home. As a result, Yue Xiangqian's salary was somewhat tight.

Yue Xiangqian and his wife tried their best to eat coarse grains, and saved the little bit of refined grain for their mother and children. However, as the grain supply decreased, the amount of refined grain in their family's ration book was not enough for the elderly and children. Yue Xiangqian had no choice but to frequently buy refined grain at high prices on the black market.

Yue Xiangqian is an impulsive and easily angered person. He often gets into arguments and conflicts with others over trivial matters at the steel mill. However, in the courtyard house at No. 95, he is definitely a model of filial piety towards his mother. Even the old women who like to gossip behind their backs can only admit their admiration when it comes to this matter. If it were them, their families would probably have turned upside down long ago.

Tonight, Yue Xiangqian spent a lot of money to buy fifty catties of flour and a lot of pork. He also asked Xu Fugui to buy him a bottle of malted milk powder and a bag of imported milk powder. These things are now on the two of them.

Upon hearing Xu Fugui's words, Yue Xiangqian hesitated for a moment before responding softly. If this were in the old imperial city's black market, in front of so many law enforcement personnel, even if he were out of his mind, he wouldn't dare to openly resist. After all, no matter how strong his fist is, he's afraid of a kitchen knife, not to mention that the law enforcement personnel all have guns.

However, there was only one person in front of him who was less than 1.7 meters tall. Although he was wearing a big, khaki cotton coat, he looked rather thin and weak. He was probably just a weakling, otherwise he wouldn't have been assigned to a small alleyway so far away from the old imperial city black market.

Thinking of this, Yue Xiangqian glanced around. By the light of the stars, he didn't see anyone else nearby. He gently placed the bag of flour he had been carrying on his back at his feet and stretched his limbs slightly. However, he didn't draw the dagger tucked in his waistband. He knew very well that if they knocked down the law enforcement officers blocking their way and then fled, the law enforcement department wouldn't have much trouble investigating afterwards. But if a law enforcement officer was stabbed, the nature of the matter would be different. The law enforcement department would probably have to dig three feet into the ground to catch the culprit.