"Guangtian and Guangfu, you must have made a lot of money lately, right?"

Back in the courtyard house, Xu Damao looked at the two brothers bragging at the door and said sarcastically.

The two people who were interrupted were initially annoyed and wanted to retort, but when they saw that it was Xu Damao, they immediately dared not be presumptuous.

“Brother Da Mao, we’re still students. How can we make money doing these things?” the two replied.

"Oh, I must have misheard. I came from the vegetable market this morning and heard that someone smuggled confiscated antiques and paintings to the black market near Deshengmen and made a fortune." Xu Damao muttered casually, but Liu Guangtian, who had very keen ears, heard him.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, seemingly understanding each other's thoughts.

They had indeed made some money these past few days, but they considered it all hard-earned. They had followed the leaders in confiscating property from many wealthy families, but the truly valuable items had either been moved long ago or seized by the leaders, leaving them with only scraps.

There are quite a few antiques and paintings, but now they are all hot potatoes. Some were destroyed on the spot, and the rest were all locked in the warehouse, ready to be destroyed in a centralized manner.

Hearing Xu Damao say this, the seed of evil in their hearts immediately began to sprout and grow wildly. Yes, if others can do it, they certainly can too.

With so many things, you could secretly take a few items to exchange for money without anyone noticing.

Without hesitation, the two brothers decided to stop bragging here and go back to the small warehouse at school to take a look.

Upon arriving at school, I casually dismissed the students guarding the area, opened the warehouse door, and wow, it was crammed full! It had everything imaginable: calligraphy, paintings, porcelain, furniture. A batch had already been destroyed; otherwise, the warehouse simply couldn't hold it all.

To be honest, there were a lot of antiques from that era. Many of the items belonging to wealthy families had been passed down for centuries and were well-preserved, yet they were ruined like this during that special period.

"Brother, which one is more valuable?" Liu Guangfu asked.

"Are you stupid? It's definitely those things inlaid with gold and silver that are valuable. But everyone knows how many of those things are, so we can't just take them. Here's what we'll do: you take a few paintings and calligraphy, and we'll sneak them out. We'll go check things out tonight first." Liu Guangtian pretended to know a lot.

"Alright, brother, look at these paintings and calligraphy, which ones are valuable?" Liu Guangfu was still fixated on money.

Liu Guangtian pretended to look at the calligraphy and paintings, but the calligraphers' characters all had their own unique style, not the typical regular script, and with his sporadic studying, he couldn't recognize them at all. However, to maintain his image as the older brother, he pretended to nod and sway, and selected a few paintings.

"These are the few. Hide them well, I'll cover for you from the front," Liu Guangtian instructed his younger brother.

After the two came out of the room, they encountered many soldiers, but no one paid them any attention, and they returned to the courtyard house.

"Brother, do you think we can find a place tonight?"

Liu Guangfu had never been inside the black market; he could only ask his older brother, who was two years his senior.

"It should be possible. Since someone has been there, it means there are people collecting it there, but we must be discreet. You stay outside with the supplies and hide, while I go in to scout out the situation."

If someone wants to buy it and it's environmentally safe, then we'll join forces; otherwise, forget it.

Liu Guangtian had been to the black market with his father before and knew that government officials sometimes appeared there. Now, they weren't dealing in ordinary goods; if they got caught, they'd definitely be dragged away for public criticism.

The two were dreaming of getting rich at home when Liu Haizhong pushed open the door and startled them.

"Comrade Liu, can't you be a little more self-aware? Don't you know the two leaders are discussing business? Remember to knock next time you come in."

During this period, Liu Guangtian frequently berated his father at home, and now he speaks very fluently. The brothers had suffered too many beatings and scoldings from their father before, and now that they have turned their lives around, their attitude has become increasingly arrogant, and they don't treat their father like a father at all.

"Yes, your awareness is still not high enough. We'll ask you for a promotion someday. Let me tell you, just this morning we criticized a deputy workshop director, who's the same rank as you. He used to act all high and mighty, but he still got scolded."

"You're currently on probation. If your attitude isn't right, we'll criticize you at any time," Liu Guangfu added.

Looking at the two children he had previously beaten and scolded, now speaking to him like this, Liu Haizhong suddenly felt that the decisions he had made these past few days were absolutely correct. Ah, in any era, power is always a good thing.

"Are you qualified to talk to me about consciousness? I am now a member of the Red Star Auto Repair Factory Committee and the captain of the workers' picket team. What are your positions?" Liu Haizhong said arrogantly.

He's been really angry with his two sons these days, which is why there's this scene of the father and sons comparing their positions.

"What? When did you become the captain of the disciplinary team?" Liu Guangtian asked with a forced smile.

"He was just appointed by the factory. Let me tell you, I've lived longer than you've eaten rice. I was just waiting for an opportunity; if I wanted to, I could become a leader right away."

"Look at you all, always making a fuss outside, and after all that time you haven't even gotten a small position," Liu Haizhong said angrily.

“Dad, I have a position; I’m the group leader,” Liu Guangtian said, dissatisfied.

"Your group only has you and Guangfu, and you still have the nerve to bring this up? You should learn from your dad more in the future!"

“Now there’s one more person, so there are three people,” Liu Guangfu said.

In fact, Liu Guangtian appointed himself as the group leader. The higher-ups didn't pay much attention because they saw two underlings following him.

After showing off to his son, Liu Haizhong ran out again.

"Old Yi, Old Yi, I'm telling you, your awareness isn't good enough. You still need to study harder. Look at the state you've made of the compound. All we hear is Sha Zhu yelling nonsense all day long." Liu Haizhong's voice had already carried into Yi Zhonghai's house before he even arrived.

Hearing Liu Haizhong speak, Yi Zhonghai came out, only to find Liu Haizhong with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky. Yi Zhonghai followed suit and looked up at the sky for a long time, but saw nothing.

"Old Liu, what are you looking at? I didn't see anything," Yi Zhonghai asked.

“You don’t understand. I’ve been thinking about the meaning of that sentence from the leader’s words. It’s absolutely brilliant.” Liu Haizhong withdrew his gaze.

"By the way, from now on, we can't call him 'Old Liu' anymore, we have to call him Committee Member Liu," Liu Haizhong added.

"A committee member? From a car repair shop?" Yi Zhonghai was a little skeptical. Was it really that easy to become a committee member?

"Yes, he was just appointed this morning, fresh out of the gate, still fresh in everyone's eyes. Although I, as a committee member, can't oversee you, a worker at the steel mill, I can still recommend and report any problems I discover. So, Lao Yi, you'd better be careful in your conduct and actions from now on," Liu Haizhong said.