Chapter 8: Huh? A Courtyard Full of Drama?

The car stopped in front of a crude but large-scale factory, and two sentinels with loaded guns immediately stepped forward to check their credentials.

Only then did Li Mingyuan realize that this factory on the surface had actually been taken over by the Military Industry Department and had become a secret weapons research base.

After touring the factory, Group Liu Zuzhang brought Li Mingyuan to Nanluoguxiang.

The alley was not wide, with low-rise residential houses on both sides, dust flying on the road surface, and a few children in patched clothes chasing and playing.

Group Liu Zuzhang stopped in front of a vermilion gate and knocked, "I'll go find the person in charge of the Street Office first; you wait here."

Before long, Group Liu Zuzhang trotted over from the side, followed by a thin man wearing glasses, "This is Director Han from our Street Office, who is specifically responsible for arranging your accommodation."

Director Han was around fifty years old, wore a blue Zhongshan suit, his hair was combed meticulously, and he spoke very quickly.

"Hello, comrade. I am Han Jian from the Street Office. I received notice from my superiors to arrange a place for you to stay." He looked Li Mingyuan over carefully, "You are that Comrade Li who returned from the Polar Bear, right?"

Li Mingyuan nodded and reached out to shake his hand, "I am Li Mingyuan. Sorry to trouble you, Director Han." He noticed Group Liu Zuzhang nod at Director Han, seemingly hinting at something.

Afterwards, the group arrived at the 95 Hao Siheyuan.

Director Han knocked on the door, and a middle-aged man opened it and poked his head out.

Director Han said to the middle-aged man who opened the door: "Old Yi, this is Comrade Li Mingyuan, a technical staff member sent by our superiors. From now on, he will live in the small courtyard behind the west wing room in your Siheyuan. Take us in to have a look."

"So it's Comrade Li, please come in." The middle-aged man enthusiastically stepped aside. Only then did Li Mingyuan see his appearance—in his thirties, thick eyebrows and big eyes, sturdy build; he looked like a manual laborer at first glance, but his eyes revealed a sense of shrewdness.

Holy crap, isn't this a young version of Yi Zhonghai? Li Mingyuan almost blurted it out, quickly suppressing the shock in his heart as he followed him into the courtyard.

Damn it, it really is the courtyard from "Qing Man Siheyuan"!

For a moment, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh; he had binged the TV series dozens of times in his past life, and now he was actually going to live in it as the protagonist?

The Siheyuan was a bit larger than Li Mingyuan had imagined. Upon entering, there was a spacious patio, with east and west wing rooms on both sides, the north room facing the front, a water well in the middle of the courtyard, and a few old trees providing precious shade.

"Neighbors, come out and meet the new Comrade Li!" Yi Zhonghai stood in the middle of the courtyard and shouted, his voice carrying a natural sense of authority.

People walked out from their respective rooms one after another, and Li Mingyuan watched intently as these "historical figures" made their appearances one by one.

The first to come out was a thin, tall person wearing round-rimmed glasses, holding a book in their hand; they looked like an intellectual, but their clothes were very plain.

"This is Yan Bugui, who teaches Chinese at the nearby primary school." Yi Zhonghai introduced. Yan Bugui, not yet forty, was much younger than in the TV series, but that air of pedantry was already taking shape.

Next came a middle-aged man with a round face, small eyes, and a habit of squinting when looking at people.

"Liu Haizhong, a bench worker at the Rolling Mill." Yi Zhonghai introduced again. Liu Haizhong nodded, his gaze scanning Li Mingyuan up and down, seemingly evaluating the financial condition of this new neighbor.

At this moment, a young man of about eighteen poked his head out from the west wing room of the Central Courtyard. He looked quite spirited, but his eyes were a bit evasive, and he seemed to lack his own opinions.

Li Mingyuan was stunned for a moment before realizing that this must be the young Jia Dongxu, Qin Huairu's future husband.

"That is Jia Dongxu, who also works at the Rolling Mill." Yi Zhonghai said, then suddenly turned to the main room of the Central Courtyard and shouted: "Shazhu, come out and meet the new neighbor!"

A boy of fourteen or fifteen jumped out of the room, a shy smile on his dark face, "Hello, new uncle!" The boy's voice still had the hoarseness of the voice-changing period.

Li Mingyuan almost laughed out loud; this was the future "God of Simps" He Yuzhu. Right now, he was just a brat, and he looked quite cute.

"This is He Yuzhu. His father, He Daqing, is a cook at the Rolling Mill. The kid grew up by the stove and is now learning to cook from his father." Yi Zhonghai rubbed the boy's head, and He Yuzhu shyly dodged away.

Li Mingyuan sighed to himself; so He Daqing hadn't run away yet, and He Yuzhu still had a complete family.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed an old woman of about sixty at the entrance of the hanging flower gate in the back courtyard, squinting her eyes as she sized up the new guest.

"Long Laotai" really exists!

This old woman was the living fossil of the Siheyuan, having witnessed all the ups and downs of the entire courtyard.

Director Han didn't give Li Mingyuan much time to observe, taking him directly toward the West Courtyard, "Comrade Li's work is quite special and requires quiet. We have arranged the West Courtyard for him; it is relatively more independent over there."

The West Courtyard was a small branch of the Siheyuan with an independent small gate. Although the area was not large, it had the advantage of being quiet, with a small courtyard containing two main rooms and one wing room, which was much better than the shared living conditions in the main courtyard.

As soon as Director Han finished speaking, ripples instantly stirred beneath the smiling faces of the people in the courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi's eye twitched, and she was the first to snap: "What? Arranging the West Courtyard for him? Isn't that the place I submitted an application for a long time ago!"

Yi Zhonghai was quick-witted and stepped forward in one stride, blocking Jia Zhangshi without a sound while giving her a look. "Sister Zhang, the guest is right here. Let's talk about this later."

Jia Zhangshi would not have it; she pushed Yi Zhonghai aside, glared, and pointed directly at Director Han: "My son is about to get married, and I've applied for the West Courtyard three times. You guys, on the other hand, said it was too small and we weren't qualified. Now, in the blink of an eye, you give it to an outsider?"

Only then did Li Mingyuan see Jia Zhangshi's true face—in her early forties, her eyes revealing a sense of shrewdness and craftiness.

The "Necromancer" lived up to her reputation; one could feel her combat power before the argument even started.

Director Han's face darkened: "Comrade Jia, please watch your words and actions! This is an arrangement from the superiors, not something the Street Office decided on a whim. Comrade Li's work is of a special nature and requires a quiet and independent living environment."

"Hmph, what's so special! It's just pulling strings!" Jia Zhangshi stood with her hands on her hips, looking like she wouldn't give up.

Group Liu Zuzhang frowned and said coldly: "Comrade, that is inappropriate. Comrade Li Mingyuan is a technical talent being heavily cultivated by the state, and the arrangement of his residence has been considered from many angles."

When Liu Haizhong heard the words "heavily cultivated technical talent," his eyes flickered, and he interjected sourly: "Yo, so young and already an expert? Can't tell at all."

Yan Bugui stood to the side, squinting his small eyes as he sized up Li Mingyuan, estimating the background of this young man and calculating in his heart whether this new neighbor could bring him any benefits.

He curled his lips and muttered in a low voice: "My two children are squeezed into one room, and I haven't seen any special arrangements from the superiors."

He Yuzhu naively chimed in: "New uncle, are you very powerful? Being able to live in the West Courtyard must be something special!"

Jia Dongxu stood in the corner, his eyes drifting; he was clearly embarrassed by his mother's actions but didn't dare to step forward to dissuade her.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, let's not meddle in matters arranged by the superiors. It's our courtyard's good fortune that Comrade Li has come; we should be welcoming him, not scaring him away."

After finishing, he turned to Jia Zhangshi and lowered his voice: "Sister Zhang, let's talk about this later. Don't lose face in front of outsiders."

Jia Zhangshi huffed unwillingly, but seeing that the expressions of Director Han and Group Liu Zuzhang were not good, she had to retreat to the side sullenly, though her eyes still stabbed at Li Mingyuan's back like knives.

Li Mingyuan was calm in the face of this sudden turmoil; he had long since seen the temperaments of these people in the TV series, and at this moment, he just observed quietly, a polite and distant smile on his face.

Director Han coughed awkwardly: "Well, Comrade Li, you go take a look at the room first. If there's anything you're not satisfied with, we can adjust it. Old Yi, you lead Comrade Li over to take a look."

Yi Zhonghai nodded quickly and led Li Mingyuan toward the West Courtyard.

Leaving the noise of the main courtyard, he said to Li Mingyuan in a low voice: "Comrade Li, don't take offense. The people in the courtyard are honest, just sometimes they don't have a filter."

Li Mingyuan smiled: "It's fine, I understand." He thought to himself: This isn't honesty; these people are drama queens through and through.

After Li Mingyuan finished touring the small courtyard with Yi Zhonghai, Director Han and Group Liu Zuzhang gave a few instructions and left in a hurry.

The others also dispersed one by one, only Jia Zhangshi sat on her own threshold with a gloomy face, staring fixedly in the direction of the West Courtyard.