Chapter 107: Changes in the Courtyard

After bidding farewell to Liu Xiaoning, Xiao Weiguo realized he was quite close to home. Since he hadn't wasted much time at the police station or the neighborhood office, he still had plenty of time and decided to head home for a bit.

Upon arriving at Courtyard 98, he ran into Liu Erli, the second son of the First Master. Liu was heading out of the gate with a chicken coop in his left hand and a bundle of vegetable seedlings from their garden in his right.

Xiao Weiguo stopped him, asking curiously, "Erli, what are you doing? These vegetables are growing just fine, why are you pulling them up? And where are you taking that hen your family raises?"

Seeing that it was his newly acquainted good friend Xiao Weiguo, Liu Erli poured out his grievances: "Weiguo, you have no idea. This morning, the neighborhood office came around to spread the word that from now on, no one is allowed to grow anything or keep chickens or ducks in front of their homes. They say it’s like digging at the foundations of socialism. You know my dad is the First Master and has to fully support the call, so he told me to get rid of our things first. Now, if we want eggs, we’ll have to go buy them. It’s so expensive!"

Xiao Weiguo listened, realizing that this trend had finally reached the city, though it had already been the case in the countryside for a long time. It didn't matter much to him; he knew that in a few years, due to the pressures of survival, the authorities would turn a blind eye. But for now, one had to follow the rules, or the consequences would be severe.

"Erli, where were you planning to take the chicken?" Xiao Weiguo suddenly thought that he needed to procure supplies, and he couldn't rely solely on the items from his personal space; he still needed to procure some things openly.

"I’m worried about that too. This hen lays really well—at least one egg a day. I can't bear to kill it for meat, so I was planning to take it to my great-aunt's place in the countryside," Liu Erli said, looking troubled as he held the bundle of things.

"Don't bother," Xiao Weiguo replied. "They don't allow it in the countryside anymore either. Tell you what, you know I'm a procurement officer. If you want to sell it for cash, give it to me. I'll buy it on behalf of the textile mill for two yuan. If anyone else in the courtyard wants to sell, they can sell them to me too."

Two yuan for a chicken wasn't particularly high or low. The black market might fetch three, but one needed the nerve to go there, and few people in this era dared to take that risk.

Upon hearing this, Liu Erli stopped in his tracks and said, "Alright, Weiguo, I'll just leave the chicken at your door. There are others in our courtyard and the one next door who want to sell, so I'll go talk to them."

"That would be a big help, Erli. I'll be back tonight, so just tell them to come find me then. I'll pay you for this one now." Xiao Weiguo handed two yuan to Liu Erli and took the chicken.

As he walked into the middle courtyard, he saw the Second Mistress, Zhang Mei, directing a group of people to clear out a vacant room next to the side gate. The gate had been locked for some time but was now standing open.

Xiao Weiguo walked over and asked, "Second Mistress, what are you busy with?"

Zhang Mei turned around, saw it was Xiao Weiguo, and said, "Oh, Weiguo! The neighborhood office held a big meeting this morning. They want every courtyard in the city to start a public canteen. In the future, everyone will have a place to eat here instead of cooking at home. It’s a truly great policy; we’re one step closer to communism! I heard this policy is working wonders in the countryside, and now they’re rolling it out in the city too."

Xiao Weiguo hadn't heard about this. Public canteens in the city? In his memory, they had only been pushed in the rural areas, where they were "working wonders" right before falling apart. Since he rarely ate at home anyway, it didn't affect him much, and he decided not to concern himself with it for now.

After seeing the commotion at the Second Mistress's, Xiao Weiguo returned to his room. Sitting in his chair, he drank some water while using his mind to operate his internal space, harvesting the crops and storing them in the thatched-roof warehouse. He had to perform this harvest once a day; if he skipped a day, he would end up with a batch of overripe crops, which forced him to stay diligent.

Looking at the two jars of wine in his space, he remembered he needed to find some herbal wine recipes and start his brewing business. He scanned the space, planning his next moves—there was plenty to do. He needed to plant fruit trees on the small hill, which was still bare. He needed to introduce some white-skinned pigs to improve the breed in his space, and he needed to diversify the medicinal herbs. Most importantly, he needed to acquire more high-quality jade; the space was picky and wouldn't absorb low-quality stones.

He also needed to practice the two sets of "Vajra Longevity Exercises" regularly, as they were key to improving his physical fitness and mental reach. He decided to make it a routine: the Vajra Exercises in the morning and the Longevity Exercises in the evening.

After finishing his water, he prepared to leave for the factory. He didn't want to be late. Carrying the chicken he bought from Liu Erli, he hadn't even left the back courtyard when he was surrounded by Liu Erli and a few others.

"Brother Weiguo, these neighbors also want to sell their chickens. Is that alright?" Liu Erli asked with a sheepish grin.

Because of the new policy, they couldn't keep the chickens, but they couldn't bear to eat them all at once either. People lived frugally, so getting two yuan to buy grain was enough to feed a family for several days. A full meal today was better than stretching it out.

Xiao Weiguo looked at the chickens in their hands and nodded. "Sure. I'm heading to the factory now, so I'll buy these from you. I'll be back tonight; if anyone else wants to sell, they can bring them to me then."

He counted out ten yuan and handed it to Liu Erli for the five chickens. He shoved them into the coop, ignoring their discomfort—a total of six chickens now. He tied the coop to the back of his bicycle and rode toward the textile mill.

After riding for a while, he checked that no one was around and tucked the coop into his space, then pedaled faster. Looking at the time, he knew he wouldn't make it by four o'clock. If it came to it, he would just go to Red Scarf Park to meet them himself.

He was still puzzled about the purpose of these gatherings. Liu Yicheng, Hou Xiaoshuang, and Cui Juan were there for the romance—and it might turn into a love triangle. But what about him? Was it for Liu Yanran? He couldn't deny she was beautiful, but it hadn't reached that level yet; they were just getting to know each other. Even if it were for her, he could just meet her alone without those three bozos tagging along.

Yes, he thought, he could play it by ear. Meeting alone would be much more comfortable than being stuck in a crowd. Yet, the image of Quan Linglan flickered in his mind.

What a mess. It was giving him a headache.