Chapter 144: Furniture Delivery

Returning to the large courtyard and pushing the new bicycle inside, Xiao Weiguo was met with surprised gazes from the neighbors he encountered.

"Weiguo, did you buy yet another brand-new bicycle? Oh, my goodness!"

"Ah, Uncle Zhao! My dad just came into town, so I let him use my older one."

Do not underestimate how effortlessly Xiao Weiguo bought a bicycle; households in this courtyard that could actually afford one were still exceedingly rare. With every family having a bunch of dependents to feed, saving money was exceptionally difficult, and hardly anyone had spare cash lying around to purchase such major items.

Over the past twenty years, among the three major items a household could own—bicycles, watches, and sewing machines—Xiao Weiguo already possessed the first two, lacking only a sewing machine. It seemed he still had an uncollected sewing machine purchase ticket that he could claim when he went to work next week, and he could buy one then if the need arose. Buying it now would just leave it sitting around collecting dust, which wouldn't do at all.

Back in his room, Xiao Weiguo took out some lubricating machine oil to grease the bicycle, then used specialized bicycle wax to polish and shine the frame. Since it was freshly bought, it naturally required some tender loving care for a while; after that, he would let nature take its course. There was no need to worry, though, as goods manufactured nowadays were extremely sturdy and wouldn't break down at the drop of a hat.

Pouring himself a glass of water to drink, Xiao Weiguo opened the inventory list that Zhou Xiaoming had given him inside his spatial dimension, so he could prepare the supplies in advance. He would simply take them out and drop them off when evening arrived. As for any additional demands, there was no rush this week; he needed to let Zhou Xiaoming develop and grow first. Going forward, the procurement of items like jade could be completely entrusted to Zhou Xiaoming, sparing Xiao Weiguo from constantly worrying about a lack of jade to use. He would also be able to use the spatial spring water more generously.

Speaking of which, the spring water left in his space was running low again, which was rather pressing. The medicinal wine he had previously steeped was basically ready for use, and he could bring a bottle to Sister Ling tomorrow as he had already promised her earlier. As for brewing his own alcohol, it still needed a bit more time and practice.

He wondered how Hao Zhenhua, the courtyard youth who had been stabbed, was doing. Since he had some free time now, he might as well go check on him. He remembered hearing that the youth had been taken to Jishuitan Hospital, so Xiao Weiguo rode his bike there at a leisurely pace.

Upon arrival, he searched through the three-story inpatient building from top to bottom, but to his surprise, he couldn't find him. With no other choice, he asked at the nurse's station, and the nurse replied, "Are you talking about that patient? A whole crowd of people came to see him at first, but he left long ago. It seems he was transferred to Hospital 301 the very same day."

That made sense, of course. As the son of a high-ranking official from a major compound, he naturally had to go to the best hospital. Being the son of military personnel, a transfer to Hospital 301 was inevitable. Why on earth had he thought the youth would still be lingering here?

He had originally intended to make his acquaintance and perhaps lean on a powerful connection later on, but alas, the opportunity was gone. Still, it didn't matter; relying on his own abilities, he could live quite comfortably in this era. To gain such an opportunity was his fortune; to lose it was simply destiny.

After returning home, he cooked and ate by himself, then took out his medical books to study for a while. His innate abilities and medical skills were such a perfect match that he had to study diligently.

By nine or ten o'clock in the evening, seeing that his old man still hadn't returned, Xiao Weiguo knew he would likely have to wait until tomorrow morning. Surely his father wouldn't be foolish enough to ride his bike along a pitch-black mountain road at night? There were wolves out there, and Xiao Pingles did not possess spatial abilities. Encountering wolves would mean nothing less than turning into wolf dung. Surely his father wasn't that brainless?

Xiao Weiguo used his newly bought alarm clock to set a time, then lay down on the bed to catch some sleep. When the alarm went off at eleven, Xiao Weiguo went straight to the warehouse near Zhou Xiaoming's location. He scanned the area with his mind and waited for a short while. Seeing that Zhou Xiaoming indeed had no hidden tricks up his sleeve, he directly produced the requested supplies, stacking them into a small pile on the floor. Afterward, he climbed over the wall and returned home along the same route.

When the clock struck one in the morning, Zhou Xiaoming led two young men cautiously to the warehouse. Upon seeing the batch of supplies, they were overjoyed; their next task was to sell them off as quickly as possible.

Upon returning to the courtyard, Xiao Weiguo felt something was amiss near his doorway. Huh? Why was that old bicycle there?

He hurried inside the room and found Xiao Pingles drinking water frantically, gulping it down as if he hadn't had a drop in three days.

"Dad, did you... did you walk the road at night?"

"Hey, isn't tomorrow my very first day on the job? How could I possibly be late? It's fine, there weren't any wolves. I just fell into a ditch, and it tore my trouser leg right open. Such a shame for my pants."

"You... you really are something else."

He had given countless warnings not to travel the night mountain roads, yet his father wouldn't listen. Sometimes he realized that certain people's brains operated like a single-tracked piece of code. Xiao Weiguo had genuinely encountered wild wolves while walking at night before; the fact that Xiao Pingles escaped unscathed could only be attributed to sheer luck.

Checking his father's legs, he found only a few minor scratches with nothing serious.

"Dad, haven't I told you repeatedly not to travel at night? You just refuse to listen. Is going to work really that important?" Xiao Weiguo truly felt a sense of exasperation that his father failed to meet expectations.

"Of course it is! You have no idea how the people in the village treated me when I went back. Everyone surrounded me and showered me with praise. I must work hard from now on and never lose this job. Oh, by the way, Weiguo, all the documents are right here—including the transfer introduction letter for my household registration, as well as the migration introduction letters for Red Plum and the others. Uncle Gonglin has already issued them all, along with any other paperwork we might need. Take a look and see if anything else is missing."

Xiao Pingles remained completely oblivious to his own recklessness and instead felt quite proud. Look, I rode back through the night, yet I didn't delay tomorrow's move or my first day of work in the slightest.

Xiao Weiguo gave up on trying to argue with him, gathered the various documents, and resolved to rush through the administrative procedures tomorrow as soon as the morning meeting concluded. He set up the small cot he had bought, laid out the mattress, placed Xiao Pingles's smelly quilt on top, and said, "Dad, hurry up and go to sleep. Tomorrow is your first day on the job, and you need to be in high spirits. By the way, do you need me to accompany you to check in?"

"No need, Weiguo, I can handle it. Didn't I already report there last time? Tomorrow I'll just head straight to the hauling team and get to work. Your old man knows the ropes inside out."

Xiao Weiguo nodded. Afterward, both father and son washed up and fell into a deep sleep.

It seemed they were truly exhausted today, as Xiao Pingles snored like thunder. Over the past couple of days, he had been so preoccupied with his father's smelly feet that he hadn't even noticed the loud snoring.

The next morning, the ringing of the alarm clock woke both father and son. Because they needed to wake up early to move the large pieces of furniture into the new rooms, Xiao Weiguo had set the alarm the night before. Those pieces of furniture couldn't be left sitting out in the courtyard indefinitely; if they were stolen after a long time, what would they do? This courtyard did not enjoy the same level of security as Courtyard 95 next door.

After inspecting the newly whitewashed walls of the two new rooms—which were mostly dry thanks to good ventilation—father and son cooperated according to Xiao Weiguo's prior layout and began moving things in. Before long, two rooms fully furnished with complete sets of furniture were ready for use.

Xiao Pingles stood in the room, grinning like a goofball.

"Let's go, Dad, hurry up to work. The time is getting late."

"Right, coming!"