Siheyuan: Xu Damao's New Life

As night fell, the dim street lights began to light up, and the hustle and bustle of the day was gradually covered by the night. Xu Damao looked up at the sky and found that it was getting late. He touched his rumbling stomach and decided to fill his stomach before going home. Riding along the street, he saw a small state-owned restaurant with warm lights and tempting aromas, so he walked in.

In the tavern, Xu Damao just drank some wine and tasted a few dishes, but at this moment his stomach was rumbling with hunger. He found an empty seat, sat down, ordered a few home-cooked dishes, and ate with relish.

After finishing his meal, Xu Damao rode his bicycle to his destination. When he arrived in front of the courtyard house given to him by his father-in-law, he saw that the delivery team from the trust store had already arrived, and Zhao Xuan was standing in the front.

Xu Damao got out of the car and looked at his watch. It was almost eight o'clock. He muttered to himself, "Oh, I'm a little late." He couldn't help but feel a little sorry. He quickened his pace and walked to Zhao Xuan, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, Sister Zhao, I kept you waiting for a long time."

"Nothing, brother Damao, who doesn't have something to do? Do you think we should unload the things first?" Zhao Xuan said with a smile on her face, her tone very calm. As she spoke, she walked towards Xu Damao.

After hearing what Zhao Xuan said, Xu Damao nodded slightly to show his agreement. Then, he turned around, took out a bunch of keys from his pocket, inserted them into the keyhole and turned them gently. With a slight "click" sound, the slightly heavy door of the courtyard was slowly pushed open.

After the door opened, Xu Damao pointed to the converted warehouse in the corner of the front yard and said to Zhao Xuan, "Sister Zhao, you can leave these things there for now. I'll go and sort them out when I have time in the future."

Zhao Xuan stood there and took a good look at the entire courtyard. Although the courtyard had two entrances, it looked quite old and dilapidated. It was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time. It looked more like an abandoned and idle property.

She thought to herself: "I didn't expect that this Brother Xu is so talented! Not only is he willing to spend a lot of money to buy antiques, he also owns a large courtyard house. Well... I have to establish a good relationship with him as soon as possible. After all, more friends mean more paths. Who knows when they may come in handy. And isn't personal connection accumulated bit by bit in this way?" Thinking of this, Zhao Xuan couldn't help but smile.

Before long, Xu Damao and Zhao Xuan began to systematically direct the delivery staff. They shouted loudly for everyone to be careful, and at the same time, they personally helped to move the things. After all, this batch of goods was very important, with various heavy furniture, delicate and fragile precious porcelain, and other priceless antiques.

After more than half an hour of hard work, all the items were finally unloaded. Xu Damao took out a brand new big black bill from his pocket, handed it to Sister Zhao beside him with a smile, and said: "Sister Zhao, please help me distribute this money to those truck drivers who worked hard to pull the goods, so that I can express my gratitude."

In fact, Zhao Xuan had already paid the freight in advance before coming here, but after all, she was more than half an hour late, and it was not easy to carry such heavy goods, so Xu Damao decided to pay her extra wages to show his gratitude.

Zhao Xuan knew very well that Xu Damao's family was wealthy, so she did not exchange too many pleasantries with him. She readily took the money and handed the list of items to him. Then she turned aside and prepared to distribute the wages to the cart drivers.

Xu Damao took the list of items from Zhao Xuan and began to pretend to count the items. However, Xu Damao had already used his scanning skills to conduct a comprehensive inspection of these items before, but no matter what, he still had to do enough superficial work.

Time passed by minute by minute, and after about ten minutes, Xu Damao had finished a rough inspection of the items. He raised his head and said, "Sister Zhao, I have checked them, and there seems to be nothing wrong with these things."

Zhao Xuan smiled and nodded, indicating that she understood. She reached out and turned to the last page of the list, and said softly, "Brother Damao, if everything is confirmed to be correct, please sign this receipt, so that I can report to my superiors."

Without saying anything, Xu Damao picked up the pen and signed on the list. He then handed the list back to Zhao Xuan and said, "Sister Zhao, wait a moment, I have something to give you." Before he finished speaking, he turned and walked into the main house, and soon came out with a cloth bag full of fresh apples. He had just exchanged these apples from the system, and he went into the house to get them just to cover up his tracks.

"It's so late, I'm really sorry to delay your return home. You can take these apples back to try them, which is also a way to express my gratitude to you." Xu Damao said sincerely and handed the bag of apples to Zhao Xuan.

Zhao Xuan tried to refuse again and again, but Xu Damao insisted on giving it to her. She was too embarrassed to refuse, so she accepted it. "Brother Damao, it's really getting late. I have to go back first. My family is waiting for me. Also, from now on, just call me sister. It's too formal to always call me 'Sister Zhao, Sister Zhao'. From now on, I will just call you brother."

"Okay then, sister. I have nothing to do anyway, so I'll give you a ride. It's not safe for you to go home alone so late." Xu Damao climbed up the pole and called her sister.

"Really, there's no need, Damao. My home is very close to here, and I've walked this road for many years. Just don't worry." Zhao Xuan got on her bicycle as soon as she finished speaking, and turned around and said, "Oh, by the way, our manager asked me to give you a message."

"What are you talking about?" Damao asked with a puzzled look on his face.

Zhao Xuan cleared her throat, then deliberately lowered her voice to imitate Manager Xu's way of speaking: "You little bastard, did you secretly take my Zippo lighter? If you dare to come to our store to buy things again, I'll show you how I'm going to rip you off!" After saying that, Zhao Xuan couldn't hold it back any longer, and covered her mouth with her hands, letting out a clear laugh like a silver bell.

Xu Damao touched his nose with an embarrassed look on his face and muttered, "Old Xu is too stingy! It's just a lighter, but he still keeps thinking about it. We are brothers from the same family. We were one family five hundred years ago. Sister, you must talk to him when you go back. I will never go to your place again. I will go directly to another trust store."

"Okay, brother, I will definitely tell him what you said, but you have to come to our place next time you buy something. I'll leave now, and you should pack up quickly." Zhao Xuan responded cheerfully, then waved her hand and turned away. Her figure gradually went farther and farther, and finally disappeared into the vast night.

Watching Zhao Xuan go away, Xu Damao came to the warehouse where the items were stored. Standing at the door, he moved his mind, and all the things in the room disappeared instantly. They had been collected by him in the huge collection room he had specially prepared in the basement of the space villa.

Xu Damao looked at the collection room that only occupied a corner and nodded with satisfaction. This space is really awesome. He locked the gate of the courtyard and rode his bicycle towards the courtyard, his figure gradually blending into the darkness.