Chapter 9: The Present Situation
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Li Aiguo had seen many descriptions of Yan Bugui before.
What? He never picks up money off the ground; if he drops it, it's gone.
What? When the manure truck passes by, he even reaches into the dung vat to taste the saltiness.
...
At first, Li Aiguo thought these were just people's prejudices against Yan Bugui.
Who in this world could be so stingy?
But after arriving in this era, he realized it was painfully true.
Yan Bugui was truly the stingiest old man, living up to his reputation.
...
Those books were impossible to get back now.
He had to find another way.
Under the dim yellow light, Li Aiguo paced back and forth inside the room.
Suddenly, a bright idea flashed through his mind.
He had an epiphany.
The system only required that he grind through books to earn skill points.
But—
It never specified the kind of books.
Then—what about elementary school textbooks, middle school textbooks, or even... comic books?
The reason he thought of comic books was because the elementary and middle school textbooks had long been borrowed by Yan Bugui.
Only the comic books, which Li Aiguo’s predecessor had treasured and hidden away, were still at hand.
"Where did I put them?"
Li Aiguo pinched the bridge of his nose and suddenly strode toward a corner.
There stood a dark vinegar jar used for pickling vegetables.
Since the death of the predecessor’s mother, the jar had been unused and often served as a container for various small items that might get him scolded by adults.
The jar was covered in dust. After wiping it down with a towel, Li Aiguo unscrewed the stopper, reached inside, and pulled out several comic books.
“Fugui,” “The Industrious Village of Jiajia Tun,” “Female Commander Liu Hucheng”...
Holding the comic books, Li Aiguo carefully placed them on the table under the dim light.
“Fugui” was a work by Zhao Shuli, illustrated collaboratively by Zhao Hongben and Zhou Xingsheng, published by the People’s Book and Newspaper Supply Agency.
On the back of the comic book was the number “painting 0001.”
Flipping open the yellowed pages, the story vividly depicted events during the land reform period.
The comic book was only a dozen pages long; Li Aiguo finished reading it in less than five minutes.
“Skill points +0.001”
“???”
Li Aiguo’s eyes widened in shock.
There were still two decimal places—this damn system must be a joint venture by Diao Diao and Goose Intestine!
A powerful alliance, indeed.
Well, no way to exploit any bugs.
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Tomorrow, I’ll check out the Xinhua Bookstore—they should have plenty of books.
Putting down the comic books and yawning, Li Aiguo laid down and fell asleep immediately.
...
Morning at the courtyard house began as early as five-thirty.
Due to lingering moisture in the air, the tender sunlight filtered through the mist, scattering rays of vibrant dawn light that coated the ground in a rosy hue.
Amidst this breathtaking scene, Li Aiguo lifted a chipped enamel basin and pushed open the door to step outside.
He walked while observing his surroundings.
The courtyard was divided into a front yard, middle yard, back yard, and an adjacent rear yard, forming a four-section compound.
Li Aiguo lived in the back yard. His house faced south, with Xu Damao’s house to the west, Liu Haizhong’s to the east, and across the way was the deaf old lady’s home.
The deaf old lady had just turned seventy this year. Her age made her light sleeper, and she always rose early.
Today, however, her old wooden door was tightly shut.
Li Aiguo’s eyes narrowed slightly but he didn’t linger, stepping through the moon gate toward the middle yard’s water basin.
The courtyard had only one faucet, around which people gathered each morning, each carrying an enamel basin, their faces still drowsy.
Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Jia Dongxu, and Jia Zhangshi were also there, all showing displeasure upon seeing Li Aiguo.
Qin Huairu was nowhere in sight, probably staying home to tend to her infant.
Liu family’s children were present as well; Liu Guangqi shyly greeted Li Aiguo.
Li Aiguo nodded in return.
At this time, Liu Guangqi, about the same age as Shazhu, had just graduated from vocational school and was awaiting job assignment, rumored to have chances of becoming a cadre.
Once settled in a workplace, the street committee planned to investigate relations within the courtyard, which explained why Liu Haizhong had no hesitation pulling out a hundred yuan.
Liu Guangtian was slightly older than Yan Jiefang by about ten years.
Liu Guangfu was a two-year-old baby still nursing.
Yan Jiechun of the Yan family was three years younger than Shazhu and about to graduate high school; Yan Bugui wanted him to work in the steel rolling mill.
Yan Jiekang was still in elementary school but was an active student leader.
Yan Jiedi had just started walking.
Yi Zhonghai was currently a level seven fitter; Liu Haizhong was a level six machinist; Jia Dongxu was a first-class fitter; and the infant was newly born.
Yi Zhonghai had been married for decades without children; his wife took tonic soup daily without much effect.
Yi Zhonghai had decided to adopt Jia Dongxu as his godson. Whenever the Jia family caused trouble, he was the one to smooth things over.
The scheme to seize the Li family house was also his idea.
When Li Aiguo’s father was alive, he earned eighty-nine yuan a month, the highest salary in the courtyard.
He was warm-hearted and often helped others.
After his injury, bedridden and immobile, only a few neighbors and Yan Bugui came to visit him a few times.
“Aiguo, wash your face! Auntie San has free time this morning; she’ll wash your quilt. How about that?” Auntie San grabbed Yan Jiedi’s hand as she approached, greeting warmly.
“That sounds great, thank you,” Li Aiguo accepted without refusal.
Among the three elder caretakers, only Yan Bugui had a relatively good relationship with the Li family.
Of course, “good” was relative.
Li Aiguo’s predecessor’s father also loved fishing and often went fishing in the wild with Yan Bugui.
Back then, there were no high-tech baits; fishing required real skill.
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Yan Bugui often returned empty-handed at first, but after being taught by the predecessor’s father, he occasionally caught fish.
After the predecessor’s father was injured, Yan Bugui brought two small crucian carp.
That’s why yesterday Li Aiguo didn’t hold a grudge against Yan Bugui for “failing to save.”
Yan Bugui was stingy and liked to take advantage of others, which was indeed annoying.
But—
He was a scholar with certain principles and wouldn’t commit any major moral transgressions.
He was at least someone Li Aiguo could deal with.
...
Splash~
Filling the basin with cool water from the gray faucet.
Carrying it over, he washed himself thoroughly.
Taking off the towel around his neck, he wiped himself roughly.
Sleepiness vanished completely; he felt much more energized.
Li Aiguo held the enamel basin, ready to return home and cook.
Before reaching the door, the door opposite opened. The deaf old lady came out, leaning on her cane, calling after him.
“Li family boy, wait a moment.”
Li Aiguo stopped, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scrutinized her from head to toe.
Compared to the original story, the deaf old lady was seven or eight years younger, only seventy this year, not yet feeble, and her features suggested she had been a beauty in her youth.
Her identity remained a mystery in the original tale.
Some said she was a welfare recipient, others claimed she came from a family of martyrs, and some suspected her of being an undercover enemy agent.
None of this concerned Li Aiguo.
He neither liked nor disliked her.
To him, she was just an older neighbor.
If she didn’t provoke him, he had no reason to target her.
But if she dared to bare her teeth, he wouldn’t hold back.
Li Aiguo was sizing up the deaf old lady, and she was assessing him in return.
Though neighbors, her entire attention was on Shazhu, occasionally caring for Yi Zhonghai’s family, and she had little to do with the Li family.
In her impression, Li Aiguo was shy and reticent, much like his father, rarely involving himself in the courtyard’s affairs.
When Yi Zhonghai and others planned to seize the Li family house, she had originally opposed it.
There’s an old saying: better to deceive the old than the young, because no one should look down on a struggling youth.
Especially now, with Li Aiguo alone and unencumbered, a lone wolf.
If he ever lost control and got a hunting rifle from the pigeon market, under cover of night, he could wipe out these families.
But Yi Zhonghai was infatuated with the Jia family and wouldn’t listen to her.
...