60s: I have a store

Chapter 499 The Courtyard Was Robbed

After Zhou Yimin woke up, he opened the store as usual and saw today's one-yuan flash sale products, including 100 kilograms of braised meat, 100 kilograms of mangoes, 100 thermos bottles, and 100 kilograms of tea.

After buying all of them in seconds, Zhou Yimin got up. He also had to prepare the things to trade with the old man. By then, he would be able to get a courtyard house and some antiques.

He came to a sparsely populated place, and then took out 1,500 kilograms of food, including 300 kilograms of white flour, 100 kilograms of refined rice, 50 kilograms of meat coupons, and some various non-staple food coupons from the store space.

Then, relying on his memory, he soon arrived at the courtyard where he was last night.

He stepped forward and knocked on the door.

After a while, the gate of the courtyard was opened. It seemed that the old man was still a little impatient. He must have been waiting, otherwise the door would not have opened so quickly.

When the old man saw Zhou Yimin, he quickly invited him in.

After entering, he couldn't wait: "Comrade, you came here today, are the things ready?"

The old man thought that it would take a few days to prepare. It seems that Zhou Yimin’s strength is quite strong. He can take out so many things as soon as he says so.

Zhou Yimin nodded, indicating that everything was ready.

"Can I have a tour?"

Although the old man was a little anxious to complete the transaction, in order to leave a good impression on Zhou Yimin, maybe they could do business again in the future.

"Of course, comrade."

Zhou Yimin visited the courtyard house and the first thing that caught his eye was an exquisite screen wall. The brick carvings on the screen wall had gone through the test of time but were still lifelike.

This screen wall is in the shape of a Chinese character "I", and the ratio of its height to its width conforms to the golden ratio, giving people a sense of harmonious beauty.

The screen wall consists of three parts: the top, the body and the base. The top is built to look like the roof and eaves of a room, like a compressed house.

There is a protruding brick carving pattern in the center of the wall. Although it is a little blurry in the night, you can still see its exquisite carving. It must be a pattern with auspicious meanings. The wall base is firmly rooted in the ground, solid and reliable.

The screen wall and the courtyard complement each other, setting off its layout and enhancing its momentum, while also highlighting the characteristics of its architectural craftsmanship.

Going further in, the courtyard is neatly laid out, with the main house and wing rooms arranged in an orderly manner.

The courtyard houses of Sijiucheng are arranged in an orderly manner with the central axis as the spine, in front, behind, left and right of the axis, forming a symmetrical space with the courtyard as the center.

Although this courtyard is not large, it also follows this layout rule.

The main house is located behind the central axis. Its volume and area are the most prominent among all the buildings, highlighting its central position.

The doors and windows of the main room all open toward the courtyard, providing good lighting.

The walls are made of blue bricks and some are made of stone components. The wall body is made of the technique of "polishing bricks and matching seams" to make the wall surface flat and smooth.

The wing rooms are located on both sides of the main house. They are slightly smaller in size and are connected to the main house through a corridor at the corner.

The existence of the corridor not only makes it convenient for people to move between different buildings, but also adds spatial interest to the courtyard.

In the middle of the yard, there is an ancient well, and the windlass at the wellhead casts a long shadow in the moonlight.

After seeing it, Zhou Yimin became more and more satisfied with this courtyard.

"Let's go trade!"

After hearing this, the old man couldn't wait to agree, and then the two of them came to the street office.

I didn't expect to meet someone I knew.

When Director Li saw Zhou Yimin, he quickly stepped forward and asked, "Yimin, have you forgotten something?"

Zhou Yimin heard Director Li's tone and was sure that he had promised something but had forgotten it.

Then I tried hard to recall and suddenly remembered that I had promised Director Li to get 300 kilograms of pork.

Zhou Yimin quickly apologized: "Aunt Li, I'm sorry, I was so busy helping the village build roads that I forgot about it."

Director Li also understood that Zhou Yimin did not do it on purpose, so he did not pursue the matter any further: "Yimin, when can the 300 kilograms of pork be delivered?"

Her old face was almost lost. When she went to the processing plant, they said there would be pork to eat in two days, but more than a week passed and not even a pig hair was seen.

At first, Director Li thought Zhou Yimin was busy with scheduling, so he didn't urge Zhou Yimin.

Who knew that Zhou Yimin was so busy with village affairs that he forgot. If she had known this was the case, she would have urged Zhou Yimin, and maybe the pork would have arrived the next day.

Zhou Yimin quickly made a promise: "Aunt Li, I will deliver 300 kilograms of pork tomorrow."

Director Li was satisfied and asked, "Yimin, why are you here this time?"

The old man was a little surprised by Zhou Yimin's identity. Since he was so familiar with Director Li from the Street Office, it seemed that his identity should not be simple.

However, this will make transactions more secure, as at least you don't have to worry about being cheated.

This kind of thing is not uncommon, especially for people of their status, most of them can only swallow it.

Director Li also recognized the identity of the old man in front of him.

This is an old man, there is no way around it, his identity is a bit special, so the street office is relatively clear about these people.

You know, the "old and the young" refers to a group of people who are nostalgic for the past and have stubborn and old-fashioned ideas.

Specifically refers to the old and young people who remain loyal to the previous dynasty after the change of dynasties, or to those who have outdated ideas, are stubborn and nostalgic for the old times.

Zhou Yimin did not hide anything and said: "Comrade, there is a courtyard house that you want to sell. I have seen it. If I like it, I am ready to buy it."

Director Li was a little surprised. She didn't expect Zhou Yimin wanted to buy a courtyard house. As far as she knew, Zhou Yimin already had a courtyard house with an entrance.

He pulled Zhou Yimin aside and whispered, "Yimin, you've bought so many houses, should you be careful?"

Zhou Yimin felt warm in his heart. If he didn't really care about you, he wouldn't have reminded you specifically.

"Aunt Li, don't worry, I will rent out the yard when the time comes."

This is the best way to deal with real estate now. There is a severe shortage of housing in urban areas, and more and more people are flocking to them.

Moreover, many people are reluctant to leave after arriving in Sijiu City and want to stay here.

Even the government has a headache with these people.

Director Li felt relieved after hearing how Zhou Yimin handled the matter.

"Come on! I'll help you with it myself!"

She also didn't want too many people to know that Zhou Yimin had so many properties. This matter could be big or small.

Zhou Yimin hurriedly thanked her: "Thank you, Aunt Li." Zhou Yimin and Yi Lao followed Director Li to the office.

Director Li registered the two people's information, then took out the sales contract and asked the two to sign it.

Finally, the property ownership transfer was completed very quickly because Director Li handled it personally.

In less than half an hour, everything was done.

The two of them left and went out to the street office.

After Zhou Yimin and the old man completed all the procedures for the transaction of the courtyard house, they felt quite relieved.

He knew very well that this courtyard house was not only a property, but also a treasure trove of opportunities.

After completing the formalities, Zhou Yimin took the old people to the place where the trading materials were previously stored.

It was an abandoned warehouse located on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by weeds. The door of the warehouse was dilapidated, and the paint had long since peeled off, revealing mottled wooden boards.

Zhou Yimin walked forward and pushed the dilapidated door open with force. With a creaky sound, the door slowly opened, raising a cloud of dust.

The old man followed behind and looked inside. He saw bags of grain in the warehouse. White flour and refined rice were neatly stacked together. In the dim light, they gave off a rustic atmosphere.

The old man's eyes instantly widened, his mouth slightly opened, revealing an expression of disbelief. He muttered to himself: "Comrade, you put so many things here, aren't you afraid that they will be stolen?"

Zhou Yimin shook his head confidently and said with a smile: "It's okay, you can check it, if there is no problem, we will be clear."

The old man thought of Zhou Yimin's mysterious background and didn't find it strange.

The old man came to his senses and began to carefully count the supplies.

He checked each bag, weighing it with his hands from time to time, muttering something. After a careful count, the old man looked up with a satisfied look on his face: "Okay, comrade, the numbers are correct, and we're done."

As he spoke, he took out the key to the courtyard gate from his arms and handed it solemnly to Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin took the key and felt a surge of joy in his heart.

After saying a brief goodbye to the old man, he couldn't wait to rush back to his own courtyard.

Along the way, scenes of his future life in the new courtyard kept appearing in his mind, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

However, when Zhou Yimin returned to the courtyard, he was stunned by the scene before him.

I saw a lot of people gathered in the yard. Everyone looked panicked, whispering and talking.

When everyone saw Zhou Yimin coming back, they gathered around him as if they had found their backbone, and said in unison: "Yimin, go back and check if anything is missing."

When Zhou Yimin heard this, his heart skipped a beat and he had a bad feeling.

He didn't have time to think about it and rushed to his room. When he opened the door, the scene in front of him made him furious.

The room was in a mess. The items that had been neatly arranged were now in a mess, and the drawers had been pulled out, with the contents scattered all over the floor.

The floor was littered with discarded debris, and the food and meat in the room had long disappeared.

Zhou Yimin suppressed his anger and quickly found Dapeng and Li Youde.

At this time, Dapeng and Li Youde were standing in the yard with worried looks on their faces.

Zhou Yimin asked anxiously, "Have both of your homes been robbed?"

Dapeng and Li Youde nodded helplessly. Dapeng sighed and said, "Not only us, but almost everyone in the hospital was not spared."

Zhou Yimin was full of doubts. He frowned and said, "This is strange. There are always people in the courtyard. How could something like this happen?"

The two also found it strange, but there was no point in thinking about it. After all, the thing had already happened, and the only thing they could do was to catch the thief to prevent such things from happening again.

Li Youde then said, "Yimin, you should also quickly count the losses."

Zhou Yimin took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

He began to carefully check every corner of the room and put away the items that had been turned over one by one.

While sorting, he found that some valuables that were originally placed in a hidden place were also turned out. It seemed that the thief had conducted a thorough search of the room.

After Zhou Yimin finished counting his own losses, he walked out of the room and saw that the residents in the yard were busy counting their own losses, with helplessness and anger on their faces.

But the only lucky thing was that he kept most of his valuables inside the store because it was the safest place and he didn't have to worry about them being stolen.

Moreover, there are not many things in the house, and their main purpose is to conceal the truth. It cannot be said that there is nothing in the house.

But if we keep eating meat, it will be easy for others to notice this.

Although he didn't communicate much with people in the courtyard, even fewer people came to Zhou Yimin's house.

Zhou Yimin walked into the middle of the crowd and said loudly, "Don't panic, let's think of a solution together. Has anyone seen any suspicious people entering or leaving the yard?"

The residents shook their heads, saying they hadn't noticed. Then an old lady said, "Yimin, I was washing clothes in the yard all day today and didn't see any strangers coming in. This thief is really cunning."

Zhou Yimin nodded and asked, "Did the people in the hospital call the police?"

Dapeng replied: "Not yet. Everyone is counting the amount of lost items before calling the police."

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yimin said, "Everyone, stop what you are doing and let's check the situation in the yard carefully to see if we can find some clues."

So the residents put down what they were doing and started looking for clues in the yard.

Some people checked the wall to see if there were any signs of climbing, and some checked the gate to see if the lock was damaged.

However, after a careful inspection, no useful clues were found.

Zhou Yimin did not give up, he decided to start from the timeline. He asked everyone when was the last time they saw everything was normal in the yard.

After some discussion, everyone determined that it was around ten o'clock in the morning, and then one after another people discovered that their rooms had been ransacked.

Zhou Yimin had a rough idea in his mind that the thief probably sneaked into the yard after ten o'clock in the morning when everyone was busy.

But the question is, how did the thief avoid everyone's sight and complete the theft so smoothly?
At this time, a young man said, "Brother Yimin, I suddenly remembered that a water deliveryman came this morning. I thought it was a bit strange at the time because he seemed to stay in the yard for a long time."

Zhou Yimin's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Do you remember what that person looked like? Did you notice if he took anything with him when he left?"

The young man scratched his head and said, "He was wearing a hat that covered most of his face, so I couldn't see his appearance clearly. When he left, he seemed to be pushing a small cart covered with a piece of cloth. I don't know what was inside."

Zhou Yimin felt that the water delivery man was very suspicious, but this kind of matter should be left to the police.

(End of this chapter)