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

But the courtyard was not peaceful at this time.

Yan Family —

"How dare this brat bully me! What could I do if the school had an impromptu meeting? He actually complained about me to Director Wang over such a trivial matter?"

"Once school starts after the Lunar New Year... I'll teach you, Zhang Dabiao, what it means to respect your teachers!"

Liu family —

"Dad, it was that beast Zhang Dabiao who angered you, and it was my older brother who wanted to marry into the family and run away. Why are you hitting me?!"

"Shut up! I'm your dad, so what if I hit you?! Take it!"

The Xu family—

"What? My wife's gone? Just because of those few words Zhang Dabiao said? Holy crap! I'm going to fight him to the death!"

"Are you stupid? Your mother only mentioned it to Mrs. Tan once, and she didn't agree. What makes you think you can fight her to the death? Besides, looking like this, who would want to marry you?"

"I'm telling you, keep quiet for now. I'll find you other girls after the New Year."

"Can……"

"No buts, just don't mess with Zhang Dabiao. I always feel like there's something wrong with that kid."

The He family—

"Brother, why did you lend that money to Sister Qin again...?"

"They're having a hard time. Five people are crammed into a dilapidated room. Banggeng is still growing, and Xiaodang is only a few months old and as thin as a kitten. Your sister Qin doesn't have much breast milk either. I just can't bear to see them suffer like this."

"We're all neighbors, we have to help with this. We can't just watch Xiaodang starve to death, can we?"

"Can……"

"No buts, just focus on your studies. If you can get into another university, I'll have done right by Mom." (He Yushui is 16 years old but not yet 17, and is currently a high school sophomore.)

"Don't worry about what happens in the courtyard."

"Then you should at least keep my tuition and living expenses for now!"

"..."

The deaf old lady's house in the backyard—

"Grandma, I want Zhang Dabiao dead." Yi Zhonghai shrank into the shadows, and no one could see his expression. His resentment and anger had reached their peak.

All the scheming, and all the reputation, are gone.

Seeing that his parents were gone and he was an idiot, I finally dared to be bold for once, but he made me lose so completely?!

But the deaf old woman sighed. Today's incident was completely undeserved. She had never schemed against or bullied Zhang Dabiao. At most, she would use her seniority to go to the Zhang family's house to freeload some good food from time to time.

And that day, when the three old men were all hiding, Zhang Dabiao came to the backyard crying and begging her to step forward and say a word for him, but the old deaf man hid.

But she never expected that Zhang Bansian already knew about her "fake martyr's family member" situation and had even told Ershazi.

That kid's reckless; he just exposed it all.

Left with no other choice, she used her connections and influence; otherwise, she truly wouldn't have been able to protect herself, Yi Zhonghai, and Sha Zhu...

It was a completely undeserved disaster.

Now she regrets it. If she had spoken up for him back then, that idiot probably wouldn't have exposed her. According to him, it had nothing to do with him. If he hadn't been bullied and gotten so angry, he wouldn't have bothered with this mess at all.

The connections and favors have been exhausted, and even the five-guarantee household status has been revoked...

What the hell is this?

"Zhonghai, this isn't like before liberation. Before liberation, if someone died on the street, the police sometimes wouldn't even bother to care. But now, if something happens to Zhang Dabiao, even a fool would know it was you."

"Let's bear with it for now. Once three months have passed and everyone has stopped mentioning it, we can think of a solution."

"Even if you're going to do something, you have to do it openly so no one can find fault with it, otherwise..."

Yi Zhonghai nodded. He had originally planned to use the deaf old woman's other connections to have someone kill Zhang Dabiao, but he was almost forced into jail by a fool, lost 2400 yuan, and his reputation was ruined...

How could he swallow this insult?

But the old deaf man's words made sense. If Zhang Dabiao got into trouble recently, the police would definitely investigate him, Yi Zhonghai, so he could only endure it.

"Old lady, what can I do to make that little beast Zhang suffer, in a way that is both legal and ethical?"

"Here's a little idea: smash their window."

"Um?"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned—after asking so many questions, this was all?

Something even a three-year-old can do?

"The coal briquettes in that idiot's house were all stolen by Jia Zhangshi a long time ago. And didn't you see that the idiot doesn't know how to heat the kang (a heated brick bed)? After Zhang Banxian died, the idiot never heated the kang again. He doesn't know how."

"He's managed to hold on these past few days entirely thanks to the youthful energy of his teammates."

"Even if it causes a scene after they smash their windows, at most it'll be assumed that it was done by young people or kids. He's offended so many people, it's perfectly reasonable for someone to smash their windows, right? Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng, Liu Guangqi, Sha Zhu—who doesn't hate him?"

"It's freezing cold, it's good for him to get sick. But we have to be careful not to overdo it, just smash a piece as a token gesture, don't actually cause someone's death."

Yi Zhonghai then realized that the idea was simple and straightforward, and as long as he wasn't caught in the act, no one would associate it with him. Or he could find someone else to smash it!

"What if he goes to fix the window again the next day?"

"Then smash it again." The old deaf woman didn't even raise her eyes. She used to dominate the neighborhood with this trick. If a seventy-year-old woman smashed your window, would you dare to fight her?

Be careful, she might just stay at your doorstep and refuse to get up.

Yi Zhonghai then raised his head, his eyes shining.

Sure enough, consulting the deaf old lady was the right thing to do; old people are wise and experienced!

"Grandma, do you have any other ideas?"

"..." The old deaf man felt that Yi Zhonghai was a bit greedy. "I gave you an idea, and you don't even offer any thanks?"

Not to mention that I went to great lengths to save you today. It's a matter of personal relationships, and every time I use someone, it's one less opportunity. Do you really think hiring someone doesn't cost money?

Having spent so many years with the deaf old woman, how could Yi Zhonghai not guess what she meant?

"My bad, I'll buy some meat tomorrow and have Sha Zhu cook you some braised pork. I just forgot because that idiot made a fuss today."

"I want three fingers' worth of fat. I'm getting old and my teeth aren't what they used to be, so I'm counting on this one bite of food."

"Okay, ma'am, I'll remember."

"That idiot is in third grade, right? He's still in Yan Bugui's class. If he doesn't graduate or drops out, and he hasn't finished elementary school and has an intellectual disability, what if something goes missing from the warehouse? Can he explain it clearly?"

"Or test him before he gets the job, or suggest the factory set a threshold."

"Either we manipulate the warehouse inventory list after we get to the factory."

Yi Zhonghai was stunned. "Damn it, you've figured out whether I go into the factory or not. You're really something else!"

That old woman—she's ruthless!

But I love it!

The old deaf man still looked "kind" and drowsy, his expression completely devoid of malice, but the more he looked like that, the more terrifying he became.

He has a kind and gentle appearance, but every idea he comes up with is designed to kill...

You can't defend against it at all!

"Besides, Zhang Banxian's family doesn't have much money to begin with. I reckon they'd be lucky to keep a hundred or two."

"The factory gives him a living allowance of 5 yuan a month, but what can you do with 5 yuan these days? This kid isn't old enough to work in the factory, his family has run out of food, and he has a big appetite. What do you think he can do?"

"Either go to Pigeon City, or if he refuses, find someone to take him. This idiot has a bad reputation; it's not surprising that he got robbed in Pigeon City, isn't it?"

"If we weren't robbed and were lucky enough to get back, we could just find someone to report it, and that would be the end of it."

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run down his spine...

I have an urge to have diarrhea.

Every move is aimed at killing someone, right? There are both positive and negative tactics, all of them are open schemes—let alone a minor with intellectual disabilities, even if it were Yi Zhonghai himself, he wouldn't be able to defend himself against this kind of thing when he was 16!

Too bad!

Is this still considered a "small idea"? What about the big idea?

Indeed, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure!

This braised pork was definitely worth it!

When the idiot is completely cornered, Yi Zhonghai will come out and take control of him. He wants the house and the job!

If we take in that idiot as a dog, with his physique, he'd be perfect for carrying heavy loads at the grain depot!

I'll be Yi Zhonghai's dog for the rest of my life!

It's settled then.

Suddenly, Yi Zhonghai remembered something and said to the deaf old woman with difficulty.

"Grandma, what about my daughter-in-law's side... and Sha Zhu's side too..."

"Hey... I'll talk to Cuilian tomorrow. She's so old, childbirth is too dangerous for her. She can't survive in Beijing without you. Don't you think about what life is like in the countryside now?"

"Silly Zhu is easy to coax, but he's still angry. Let's talk about it in a couple of days. You're already so rich, why are you still coveting those pittances from the He family? If I hadn't done you a favor, believe me, you'd be dragged off to be shot!"

"I told you long ago that Sha Zhu is the best person to take care of you in your old age. You insisted on choosing Jia Dongxu. Isn't this whole mess caused by the Jia family? Look at them, what have they done? They've been hiding away for ages, they don't even dare to say a word of justice for you."

"Grandma, I've already invested too much in Dongxu..."

"Alright, that's enough. I'm tired." Seeing that his advice was useless, the old deaf man waved his hand, too lazy to say anything more.

"Alright, ma'am, I'm going back now."

After leaving the backyard, Yi Zhonghai passed by the gates of the Zhang and Jia families in the middle courtyard, staring at the side rooms with a sinister look for a while before going to the front yard.

"Old Yan, come out and let's talk."