He had bought a lot of things.
Lu De Min had a personal space, and he originally planned to put everything in it so that he could save money on renting a car.
However, after some thought, he realized that while putting everything in his space would save some money, his neighbors would be suspicious if so many new things suddenly appeared in his home. Besides, he still had some money on hand, enough to last him for a while, so there was no need to be stingy with the car fare.
So, Lu De Min hired a rickshaw driver to take the things he had bought back to the courtyard. He also sat on the rickshaw, saving himself the trouble of walking.
"We're here! Stop here!" Lu De Min told the rickshaw driver to stop outside the courtyard at No. 95.
A few aunties at the entrance were playing with their children. When they saw Lu De Min had bought so many things, they all looked over curiously. There were envious glances among them. In this era, most people were poor, barely making ends meet. They saved whenever they could, and many furniture and household items were old and worn. Seeing others buy new things naturally aroused envy.
Lu De Min and the rickshaw driver started to move the things from the rickshaw into the courtyard. They weren't afraid of the things being stolen. After all, the people in this era were honest and thieves were rare. Moreover, the aunties in the alley were watching. Even if there were petty thieves, they wouldn't dare steal in broad daylight, would they?
Lu De Min was carrying a mat into the front yard when he met Yan Bu Gui.
Yan Bu Gui smiled and said, "Oh! You bought a new mat! It's a good one! How much did it cost?"
Since someone else had greeted him first, Lu De Min naturally wouldn't ignore them. He responded casually while continuing to walk.
【Ding!】
【Footwork +1】
【Footwork +1】
【Footwork +1】
【Footwork +1】
【Ding!】
【Strength +1】
【Strength +1】
【Strength +1】
【Strength +1】
The pleasant and melodious sounds echoed in his mind.
It felt so good to have his physical fitness improving every moment.
Lu De Min and the rickshaw driver passed through the front yard and entered the middle courtyard.
Jia Zhang Shi was washing sweet potatoes by the water tap in the middle of the courtyard. Seeing Lu De Min had bought so many good things, her ugly, triangular eyes couldn't help but flash with jealousy and malice:
"I've heard it all. This kid is a refugee. He's lucky he didn't starve to death. It's his first day at work, how could he have money to buy so many things? Could he be an enemy agent, and the things he bought are enemy funds?"
Thinking about the possibility that Lu De Min was an enemy agent, Jia Zhang Shi's eyes lit up. If Lu De Min was really an enemy agent, she would report him and have him arrested. Then, Lu De Min's house would be reclaimed, and she would have made a great contribution, which would give her the opportunity to request the house. Wouldn't that make the house Jia's?
The more Jia Zhang Shi thought about it, the more excited she became. She secretly decided to investigate Lu De Min thoroughly.
...
Lu De Min felt like he was being watched by a poisonous snake. He turned his head to look and saw Jia Zhang Shi's sinister gaze.
"That old hag is trying to cause trouble again! Damn it, if she dares to reach out, I'll chop her hand off!"
Lu De Min wasn't a goody-two-shoes. He wouldn't hesitate to deal with enemies who harbored ill intentions.
...
Finally, all the things he had bought were moved into the house.
Lu De Min happily paid the rickshaw driver. The driver took the money and left happily, saying that if he needed a ride in the future, he could just call him. Lu De Min agreed.
Lu De Min organized the things he had bought and put them away neatly. Then, he cleaned up, threw away the trash, and it felt much better.
Then, Lu De Min started to cook.
It was a simple meal: he bought some lean meat to make a soup base, cooked corn noodles, cracked an egg, and sprinkled some chopped green onions.
He had already eaten meat at the lunch meeting hosted by the female leader, so Lu De Min wanted to save some money.
However, thinking that it was his first official day at work and he had bought furniture and household items, his life was getting better, and he should celebrate. So, he reluctantly bought meat.
Soon, the noodles were cooked, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.
...
Backyard.
Liu Hai Zhong's house.
Liu Guang Tian, who was still a child, smelled the aroma of meat and immediately shouted to his parents: "Dad, Mom, it smells so good! I want to eat meat!"
"Who is actually eating meat?" Liu Hai Zhong's eyes widened in surprise. He knew that the residents of this courtyard usually only ate meat during festivals.
In the courtyard, Yi Zhong Hai had the highest salary, followed by him, Liu Hai Zhong. But with one salary to support a family, it wasn't easy. They always had to be frugal.
Yi Zhong Hai and Yi Da Ma didn't have any children, and they only needed to take care of Deaf Old Lady's meals. Logically speaking, their finances should be relatively good, but they rarely ate meat, for some unknown reason.
The residents of the courtyard praised them for this. That's what a real neighbor would do.
Now it was different. It wasn't a festival today, and someone was actually eating meat.
This was unheard of.
This was disunity.
"Old lady, go and have a look!" Liu Hai Zhong was too lazy to get up and told his wife to go.
"Alright!" Liu Da Ma stood up and went out. She soon smelled the aroma of meat coming from the new neighbor, Lu De Min's house.
The closer she got, the stronger the aroma became. Liu Da Ma couldn't help but swallow. "It smells so good!"
Lu De Min heard Liu Da Ma's voice and realized that his meat-eating had attracted his neighbor's attention. He quickly closed the door.
Bang!
"Oh!"
Liu Da Ma originally wanted to go in and mooch some food, but seeing the door closed, her face turned dark and she went back home dejectedly.
"It was that kid, Lu De Min, who was eating meat. He even sneaked around and closed the door. Seems like he's got something to hide!"
Liu Da Ma muttered as she entered the house.
"I thought it was someone who didn't know the rules, eating without considering others' feelings, eating alone! It turns out it was that kid, Lu De Min!" In Liu Hai Zhong's opinion, everyone was eating salted vegetables and steamed bread, but you're eating meat, that's not being in sync with everyone else.
"No! I have to go and educate this kid who doesn't understand unity!"
Liu Hai Zhong finally decided to lift his noble rear end and stand up from the stool.
He was going to make sure Lu De Min never ate meat again.
After all, if the neighbor frequently eats meat and his family doesn't, his wife and children would definitely nag him to eat meat. Wouldn't that make things difficult for him, the head of the family?
The best solution is for all the neighbors in the courtyard to unify and not eat meat during ordinary times, and only eat meat during the New Year. In this way, everyone's lives are similar, and it will be harmonious.
Therefore, this bad tendency must be nipped in the bud.