Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

But as the director of the subdistrict office, how could she possibly have the right to silence the public? Especially in front of so many people?

She wanted to shut Zhang Dabiao up, but she couldn't actually do it.

So I could only force myself to make a "please" gesture to him.

Zhang Dabiao strode arrogantly to the center of the courtyard, stood in front of the square table, and slammed his hand on it.

"There are a few things I'd like to clarify now that everyone's here, so you won't say I didn't warn you!"

"First of all! My brain is all better now! I don't care how much better, you can call me Big Biao Biaozi from now on, but if anyone calls me 'Silly Biao' from now on, don't blame me for hitting them!"

No one spoke, and there was a bit of an awkward silence. They've been calling it that for so many years, why should you change it just like that? What's the big deal?

But Sha Zhu, sporting panda eyes, silently nodded.

"That makes perfect sense, that's exactly how it should be."

Hearing him say that, Zhang Dabiao turned to him in confusion and asked, "You're the only one in the whole hospital who supports what I say. You're a true friend!"

"Silly Pillar, no, Brother Pillar, why do you support what I say?"

"That name, 'Silly Biao,' doesn't rhyme. Besides, some people outside say we're the two idiots of Compound 95, but that's impossible! You're just a little kid who hasn't even grown all his hair yet, how dare you compare yourself to me, 'Silly Pillar'? 'Silly Pillar' is just a nickname, you, Biaozi, are the real idiot!"

The entire room fell silent, and He Yushui even covered her face with her hand...

This guy is no good, might as well throw him away...

Zhang Dabiao's jaw was so agape it almost dislocated.

Being two idiots in the same courtyard as you, is this considered a disgrace to your reputation as a fool?

No, you were called "Silly Pillar," which is an insult meaning you're stupid, and you act all proud of it?

What the hell is wrong with your brain?

Was your brain lost and replaced by the placenta when you were born?

Seeing that Sha Zhu was still acting all high and mighty and self-righteous, Zhang Dabiao gave up on explaining.

I was just being polite and calling him Brother Pillar...

Forget it, this idiot only deserves to be called Stupid Pillar.

"Alright, whatever makes you happy, Sha Zhu."

"Secondly, my father performed a ritual to summon my soul before. He was engaging in feudal superstition, and I was just passively accepting it, so I wasn't engaging in feudal superstition. We need to make this clear."

These days, feudal superstition depends on one's social class and motives.

Those who are not significantly affected will at most be taken away by the neighborhood committee for education or even paraded through the streets.

But if the winds blow again in a few years and the rhetoric of the 80s leads to the resurgence of feudal superstition, that would be a big deal, so Zhang Dabiao still has to play it safe.

"Thirdly, about today's incident, I wasn't fully recovered yet, my mind was still a bit foggy. Then, damn it, the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai plotted against me, wanting to borrow my house and workspace. Now it's only just dawning on me, no wonder so many people were asking me to drink before the meeting."

"So you're trying to get me drunk so you can force me to agree at the college-wide New Year's gathering, with everyone in the college as witnesses, so your scheme will succeed, right?"

"Damn, they're all so filthy-hearted!"

"Did the foreman, along with his apprentice's family and the bunch of idiot young people in the courtyard, conspire against a simpleton like me who has no parents?"

"And you call this a civilized compound? Mutual help, respect for the elderly and care for the young?"

"Pah! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! Pah!"

"Why don't you, Yi Zhonghai, even go and break... I mean... buy or rent a house?"

"Just spend a little money!"

"Look what you've done! You've taken advantage of someone who has no family to support you? You've bullied a minor, an idiot with no adults at home?"

"You're nothing but bandits! Even worse than bandits!"

Zhang Dabiao became more and more excited as he spoke, spitting as he spoke, and slapping his hands on the table loudly!

And Yi Zhonghai, from the Jia family, felt a chill run down his spine every time he heard the word "slap"...

Now that things have come to this, they dare not argue with Director Wang and Section Chief Xie, for any further arguing would truly land them in jail.

But Director Wang quickly stopped Zhang Dabiao: "Dabiao, let's get down to business. They already know they were wrong. How about I have Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family compensate you?"

If this keeps going, the case will probably have to be reopened again. Director Wang can't take it anymore!

Zhang Dabiao finally calmed down: "Oh, I went off-topic, didn't I? Okay, let's start over."

"There's no need for compensation; they didn't succeed in their scheme."

"And it wasn't just that many idiots who forced me to drink, but also those who offered to lend me their house or workspace, that kind of stimulation made it hard to say when I would be completely sober."

"So the culprit behind this big incident today is Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family! And it was the neighboring courtyard that called the police."

"If you hadn't schemed against me, I wouldn't have bothered with your dirty business! You deserved to end up like this!"

"This is called 'Heaven sees what man does!' You reap what you sow!"

It was your greed that ruined you! You ruined yourselves!

Zhang Dabiao pointed at Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family and scolded them loudly. Jia Zhangshi wanted to rush out to refute, but was pulled back by Jia Dongxu. "Don't stand out at this time. Didn't you see that Yi Zhonghai was shrinking his head and didn't dare to say a word?"

"As for the others, it was an accident. I was drunk at the time."

"If Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family hadn't schemed against me, and you hadn't forced me to drink, I wouldn't have said anything out of line, right?"

"However, I want to apologize to everyone here. It was completely an accident. If there's any problem, go find the culprit."

Zhang Dabiao circled around and bowed to all his neighbors, but he was still muttering to himself.

[Who told you to force me to drink? You even stopped me, hit me, and mocked me! So you got yourself into this mess!]

"So I don't want compensation, but I'll cut all ties with the Yi and Jia families who schemed against me, from now on. Is that reasonable?"

"Don't talk to me about mutual help, civility, unity, respect for the elderly, and care for the young. You don't deserve that!"

"Oh, and there's also Fatty Liu and Stingy Yan. You guys ate all of my dad's 50 yuan condolence money and all the food at home. You said you'd give my dad a grand funeral, and the banquet was indeed grand, but when it came time for the funeral procession, none of the three old men were there!"

"I won't say anything more. From now on, you two will have no face left in my eyes."

At this point, Yan Bugui and Liu Pangpang lowered their heads. The joy they had felt when Yi Zhonghai was dismissed and they were promoted on the spot had vanished completely. After all, they had handled the matter too sloppily and it was shameful.

"Director Wang, I've been bullied to this extent. From now on, I'll just shut myself in and live my own life, ignoring all their nonsense. Is that alright?"

Everyone was stunned by Zhang Dabiao's rapid-fire remarks, and Director Wang swallowed hard.

"Fine, you don't have to listen to them. Just mind your own business."

"If you need anything... just come to the neighborhood office and find me."

This Zhang Dabiao is so quick to explode, is he some kind of firecracker incarnate? The key is that he speaks so eloquently... But thankfully, this guy isn't good at labeling people. If he were to add a few more labels, Yi Zhonghai might have to be shot!

Director Wang felt it was best to keep a close eye on him himself.

Zhang Dabiao said, "I just arrived, there's no guidance for beginners, and I'm not familiar with the situation or have any experience. I'll come back after I've adapted and learned how to do it."

In the 21st century, if you're going to argue, you're going to argue; if you're going to fight, you're going to fight. Why label people?

No way!

If you don't know, you don't know. It's even more embarrassing to pretend you do when you're arguing, to be tongue-tied, or to misunderstand policies or your thinking.

"Okay, then I'll thank Director Wang in advance." For Zhang Dabiao, this outcome wasn't a loss.

Having achieved his goal, Zhang Dabiao calmed down and sat down confidently. He had gotten too excited and carried away while talking, and was a little short of breath.

The neighbors all quietly moved a little further away from him...

These two idiots aren't stupid anymore, but they have terrible tempers and their mental state is very unstable.

You've offended so many people, how are you going to live your life now? It's better to stay away from him to avoid getting hurt in the process.

Director Wang breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhang Dabiao had finally "obediently" quieted down. He gave a few final instructions, emphasizing that he should not cause any more trouble for Zhang Dabiao because of these matters, before leaving the courtyard.

Hopefully, things will calm down in the yard for a while.

Tired.

------------

After the meeting, everyone went home to their own mothers. Everyone told their children to keep their distance from Zhang Dabiao. Although there was no violence at the moment, it was obvious that this idiot's emotional state was a bit off—he was a bit too excited and a bit crazy!

Zhang Dabiao was happy with this arrangement; it would be best if they never spoke to each other again, and I could have some peace and quiet.

He is only 16 years old and still in elementary school. There are no adults in his family, and he only has a little over 100 yuan on him. He has no way to escape this courtyard house.

Let's leave it at that.

As for the handling of the matter by Director Wang, the police station, and the factory, he was dissatisfied, but it was obvious that someone from above had intervened.

Zhang Dabiao wasn't so stubborn as to go against his superiors. It wasn't really his business anyway; he was only responsible for leaking information, not for burying the dead.

For example, Yi Zhonghai gave Sha Zhu a total of 2400 yuan in repayments and compensation, which is very problematic.

The money sent by He Daqing was for He Yushui's living expenses. If there's any compensation to be paid, it should go to Yushui.

What about the money he left behind before he left, and the workstation in the steel mill's kitchen?

Why wasn't it mentioned at all?

That night, I saw Qin Huairu swaying her hips as she went to Sha Zhu's place through the window again. It seems the money...

"Never mind," Zhang Dabiao shook his head, "it's none of my business."

He was tired today, and the bed was uncomfortable to sleep on. The blankets were dirty, damp, and freezing cold because there was no coal to heat the bed, and Zhang Dabiao didn't know how.

So he simply closed the door, bolted it, crawled into his "little nest," ate something quickly, and went to sleep.

I moved the bed to the side of the living room, close to the front door, so that I could hear outside noises if anything happened, and it would also be convenient to check the electronic peephole.

We'll talk about anything else when I wake up tomorrow morning; I need to calm down first.

I was too excited about the time travel today, and I'm now mentally exhausted.

The world is vast, but right now, sleeping is the most important thing!