Mysterious Man in Black

Due to their limited line of sight, the militiamen didn't know where the man in black had gone.

However, Zhao Dongchuan, lying on top of the rockery, saw clearly that the man in black didn't continue running forward but instead turned to the side and hid directly in a patch of grass in the corner of the courtyard.

Looking at the 'man in black' lying motionless on the ground, Zhao Dongchuan couldn't help but feel admiration.

To be able to remain calm in a crisis after being shot, hiding motionless in the grass—he truly possessed both courage and cunning.

The man in black waited in the grass for a while. Seeing that no one was returning, he slowly got up and staggered to hide in another direction.

He had no intention of climbing over the wall into the courtyard; the wall was so high, and he was injured, so he definitely couldn't get in.

Even if he did get in, if he attracted attention and made a sound, it would surely draw the militiamen back again.

Zhao Dongchuan had no intention of meddling. This person was being chased by militiamen and had even been shot at, so he must have committed a serious crime.

He had no interest in dealing with such a person.

Seeing that there was no more show to watch, Zhao Dongchuan returned to his bedroom, washed up, and went straight to sleep.

...

The next morning, Zhao Dongchuan woke up early and cooked a pot of porridge for himself using the system rice.

He then began his morning exercises. By the time his morning routine was finished, the porridge was also ready. Zhao Dongchuan was eating breakfast with last night's leftovers when he heard some movement in the front courtyard.

He knew immediately that someone had unlocked the gate and come in.

Zhao Dongchuan, holding his bowl, got up, put on his glasses, and slowly walked to the front courtyard.

Huang Laosan came as usual today to check on the house and clean the front courtyard.

As for the back courtyard, Mr. Han had instructed that no one else could enter except him, so he would usually knock on the door, and if there was no response, he would leave.

So when he opened the courtyard gate and saw Zhao Dongchuan holding a bowl and drinking porridge, he suddenly felt a sense of unreality. He never expected to see Mr. Han again in such a scene.

"Mr. Han?" he couldn't help but call out softly, confirming that he wasn't hallucinating.

"You're here! I cooked some porridge, come in and have some?" Zhao Dongchuan said with a slight smile, holding his bowl.

"No, no, I've already had breakfast. Mr. Han, you're back!" Huang Laosan quickly recovered and said respectfully.

"Yes, I took a long vacation to handle some things, and now I'm back!"

After exchanging greetings, Zhao Dongchuan returned to the back courtyard to continue drinking his porridge, with Huang Laosan waiting by his side.

After finishing breakfast, the two sat down in the front courtyard living room.

"Mr. Han, here are our accounts for these past few days, please take a look!" Huang Laosan handed a ledger to Zhao Dongchuan.

Zhao Dongchuan took the ledger and began to flip through it.

It wasn't that he didn't trust Huang Laosan, but he needed a clear understanding of recent sales.

More than twenty days had passed since he left Huangyuan. A total of 50 watches were sold, most of which were sold around the Spring Festival.

"I guess they were all bought for gifts or to reward oneself for a year of hard work during the New Year?" Zhao Dongchuan mused silently.

Is this considered a New Year's goods festival?

The 50 watches brought in 5120 yuan. The average transaction value was much lower than before, which was a promotional activity he had discussed and agreed upon with Huang Laosan.

There were only so many people in Huangyuan, and fewer could afford them. Moreover, other goods had started to come in, and the previous prices were artificially high. Without a price reduction, they wouldn't sell well.

Fortunately, goods were still in high demand, with supply falling short of demand, so it wasn't yet time for a price war.

Huang Laosan then took out the proceeds from a cabinet and handed them to Zhao Dongchuan.

This residence served as his financial center. Every day after selling, he would store the proceeds here and keep records.

Yesterday, Zhao Dongchuan arrived late; otherwise, he might have run into him.

Zhao Dongchuan took five bundles of 'Great Unity' banknotes and quickly counted them. He finished counting in a short while; the number was correct, indeed 5120 yuan.

Zhao Dongchuan took out 120 yuan and handed it to Huang Laosan, saying, "Take this money and distribute it among the brothers. You decide how to divide it; consider it a New Year's Red Packet!"

"Mr. Han, these watches are almost sold out. Should we restock?" Huang Laosan asked respectfully as he took the money.

"Yes, we need to restock. Don't worry, just continue selling as usual; I will figure something out!"

"Mr. Han, since we're restocking, could we get more variety, like radios, flashlights, and so on?" Huang Laosan suggested.

"That's a good point, it's good that you thought of that. We can't just sell electronic watches; we need to broaden our product categories! I will figure this out."

"Oh, by the way, have you encountered any trouble recently?" Zhao Dongchuan asked, thinking of yesterday's chase.

"Mr. Han, the black market has been quite peaceful recently, except for a new stall owner selling electronic watches; there haven't been any other changes! Mr. Han, have you heard any rumors?"

"Uh, it's good if there's nothing! If anything happens, you must report it to me immediately. If you can't find me here... you can leave a message at that state-run restaurant, and I will know!"

Huang Laosan nodded, then, as if remembering something, said, "Mr. Han, I've heard rumors circulating that a notorious bandit has appeared in Huangyuan and is being hunted. I don't know if it's true!"

Zhao Dongchuan immediately knew that it must be the man in black from last night.

"So he's a notorious bandit. It seems he has some skill!"

He showed no emotion on his face, but he had already confirmed the identity of the man in black from last night. However, they were like water from different wells, not interfering with each other; he had no energy to manage such matters.

"It might not be peaceful for a while. Tell the brothers to be careful. If things get too difficult, we can stop doing business for now. I think this matter might involve us, so be vigilant!"

After giving these instructions, Zhao Dongchuan left. He still had to go to work, a poor working man!

In the following days, he was constantly in a state of dealing with 'paperwork.' Fortunately, none of it was urgent; he just had to proceed step by step.

"Little Zhao, I just ran into Director Wang on my way here. He wants you to go to his office!" Jia Bing shook off the snow from his body and feet, walked into the office, and said to Zhao Dongchuan.

"Alright, I'll go right away!" Zhao Dongchuan put down the documents in his hand, straightened his clothes, opened the door, and left the office.

Outside, heavy snow was falling, covering rooftops and the ground. The entire world was beautifully adorned in silver.

Without pausing to admire the beautiful scenery, Zhao Dongchuan hurried towards the Director's office.

"Director, you were looking for me!"

"Come, sit! Have a hot cup of tea to warm yourself up!" Director Wang greeted Zhao Dongchuan with a smile, inviting him to sit down.

After Zhao Dongchuan took a sip of tea, Director Wang slowly began to speak.

"It's about this: your housing application that you submitted a few days ago has shown some progress. We reported it to the Cultural Bureau, and after their review, it's basically confirmed!"

"However, because you are single, they can only allocate you a one-bedroom apartment!"

"Of course, the official notice hasn't come down yet; this is what Director Du told me privately!" Director Wang said with a chuckle.