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

The afternoon passed peacefully, except for the children running around setting off firecrackers, which were all chased away by the adults to set off in the alley.

As evening approached, Yi Zhonghai went out for a while and then returned to the courtyard house carrying a piece of pork belly.

"Hey Lao Yi, how did you get that pork belly?!"

"I reckon this cut must have yielded about a pound of meat! You're really something, Old Yi, to still be able to get any at this hour!"

"How about we go to my house and my wife cooks some pork belly, then we can have a drink together. I also have a bottle of good wine."

Before the person arrived, the voice reached the central courtyard first, and the goalkeeper, Old Man Yan, followed him all the way to the central courtyard.

Even if you can't gain any advantage, getting your hands oily is still good.

This disgusted Yi Zhonghai, but he couldn't say anything.

"Old Yan, let's skip this today. This is for the old lady. She's so old and all she wants is this food. We younger generation can't take it from her, can we?"

"Next time, let's have a drink again sometime."

Is this for a deaf old lady? Well, then it's hopeless.

Yan Bugui smiled awkwardly and had no choice but to turn around and go back to the front yard.

Hurry back and wash your hands. Use that water to make soup with a meaty flavor, and add a little salt—that'll be like drinking meat broth! Maybe add a small dried fish? That would be good for nourishing your body.

Hearing there was meat, many people opened their doors to take a look, including the Jia family. They opened their door, peeked inside, and then—

It's closed?

What does that mean?

Zhang Dabiao couldn't understand. Shouldn't they have rushed over and asked for the meat?

Why did you close the door after just one glance?

Yi Zhonghai went straight to Sha Zhu.

"Silly Zhu, the old lady wants to eat meat, can you get some for her?"

Sha Zhu glanced at Yi Zhonghai, then at the meat he was carrying, and was about to refuse.

But in the end, he agreed.

"Eh."

Yi Zhonghai went home and asked the expressionless old lady (Liu Cuilan) to make some cornbread. Then he went to Sha Zhu's place, sat on a stool in the veranda by the main house entrance, smoked, and watched Sha Zhu cook.

He smoked a cigarette while chatting idly with Sha Zhu.

"Silly Zhu, I was wrong about what I did before, and I apologize to you."

"But that was also to temper you. A jade stone cannot become a gem without being carved. Don't you think about how many things you've done in the yard since your father passed away?"

"I admit that my methods were wrong, but I really didn't have any bad intentions."

"Think about it yourself, when have you ever not been protected by me and the old lady? And that's only because we've suppressed your temper. If we hadn't, think about what would have happened to you?"

At this point, Sha Zhu was a little annoyed, but after frowning and thinking for a moment, he replied, "Uncle, I've been thinking about what you're saying."

"If it weren't for you and the old lady keeping an eye on him, I reckon he would have really gone too far."

"I know you and the old lady are good to me."

While muttering to himself, Sha Zhu chopped and prepared the vegetables.

At that moment, Yu Shui opened a crack in the door and eavesdropped on the conversation in the main house.

When cooking in the main house, the smoke from the cooking oil would roll up the curtain at the main entrance, so people could speak very clearly.

Zhang Dabiao also brought a stool and sat at the doorway, smoking and flipping through old books in the house as if reading, while eavesdropping.

The old book was titled "Elementary School Arithmetic, Book 3 (Provisional Edition)"...

"But let's be honest, He Daqing left in 52, and I supported Yushui by collecting garbage. In 54, I went to the factory as an apprentice. When Yushui was hungry, she asked you to borrow some food, but none of you paid any attention to her."

"Even my nemesis Xu Damao took care of Yushui, but the old lady didn't care about her, and neither did you. Only an old lady occasionally stuffed a few cold cornbread into her mouth."

"Let me tell you, if it weren't for that old lady who helped me with the rainwater, I really wouldn't have made it through this!"

"It's fine if you toughen me up; I'm a man, a little hardship is nothing. But treating the rainwater so cruelly is unacceptable—it's my own sister!"

Upon hearing this, the half-closed door on the other side of the rain shook slightly; clearly, she was excited.

"If you had just given us the money He Daqing left behind, we wouldn't be living like this. You earn such a high salary every month, yet you still covet our meager savings. I really don't understand why you would do that."

"You're really something else!"

Sha Zhu got angry as he talked, and he slammed the spatula down with a loud bang.

Yi Zhonghai was also startled, but he quickly calmed down and continued to explain, "That's what I misunderstood. I was thinking that there was no adult at home, and you were so young at the time. If you had a large sum of money, what would you do? You would either spend it recklessly or be targeted and robbed. The streets were chaotic back then."

"I was thinking of saving it for you first, and then giving it to you when you get married or when Yushui gets married, so that you won't spend it recklessly."

"And isn't this a ready example? Look at Zhang Dabiao, my third uncle told me that he's smoking filtered cigarettes now. Today he went to a bathhouse, bought a dog-skin hat, scarf, gloves, and new cotton shoes. And he hasn't cooked at home for the past two days."

"The third uncle calculated it; just today, he spent at least 10 yuan!"

"The factory only gives him a living allowance of 5 yuan a month. How can he live like this?"

"This is the result of having no adult supervision at home and holding a huge sum of money."

Zhang Dabiao was stunned. "I was just listening to a noise. How could this involve me?"

Am I becoming a negative example?

Have I become a "chestnut"?

Is Old Man Yan just bored? He even helps people calculate the cost of whatever new things someone buys.

Hearing this, Sha Zhu ran out with a spatula in his hand, looking around in confusion.

"Wow, after all this styling, Biaozi is almost as good as me!"

[…What kind of analogy is this? Why compare me to you, you idiot Zhu?]

"Biaozi, how much money did your dad actually leave you? Isn't it wasteful of your money to squander it like this?"

Zhang Dabiao was stunned. How dare you say that to me?

At least I spent it myself, but most of your money and the money you earned went into the Jia family's pockets!

"What business is it of yours how much my dad left me?"

Yi Zhonghai shrugged and said to Sha Zhu, "See, this is what happens when you have money and nobody cares."

Sha Zhu wasn't angry. Why get angry at a bunch of idiots?

"Fine, I'm asking for your own good, and you don't appreciate it. You'll regret it later."

"Still reading? Do you even understand it? You're holding the book upside down!"

Sha Zhu chuckled and continued cooking. Zhang Dabiao glanced at it and realized he'd indeed held it upside down. He'd only taken it out as a pretense to eavesdrop, but he hadn't expected—

Oh my god, I got roasted and my weakness was discovered?

I'm so angry!

The key issue is that, judging from Sha Zhu's words, he really didn't mean any harm.

Zhang Dabiao was trembling with anger and wanted to do something, but—

Yi Zhonghai suddenly turned around and asked him, "Da Biao, it cost more than ten yuan, right? I wasn't lying, was I?"

Zhang Dabiao gritted his teeth and nodded.

How can I refute that?

The hat, scarf, and cotton shoes look brand new. No one would believe you if you said they were old stock from your family.

Zhang Dabiao is a man of principle. Although Sha Zhu's words were unpleasant to hear, he meant no harm. Yi Zhonghai had something to hide, but his questions were reasonable.

Zhang Dabiao isn't a crazy, explosive person who'll explode at the slightest thing someone says. He has his own principles, and there's always a reason why he might act crazy.

I'm not some crazy gas cylinder.

And the most crucial point is—

Holding the book upside down is so embarrassing!

At this point, I lack the confidence to refute! I'm already at half the power level!

Even the half-closed door was shaking from the rain...

a shame!

Even if Zhang Dabiao said he could understand it even if he read it backwards, no one would believe him. If your brain is working properly, then it's like saying which blood vessel is open.

But your academic performance isn't something you can just understand immediately just because you're smarter. You'll still need to go to class to catch up, right?

This is arithmetic, not language.

Besides, everyone's cooking right now, so who the hell has the time to come up with a question and ask you to prove yourself?

So I had no choice but to put up with it.

At this moment, the aroma of braised pork wafted out. To be honest, Sha Zhu's cooking skills were indeed quite good, but Zhang Dabiao wasn't that greedy.

What hasn't he eaten since he came from the future?

Sha Zhu put the lid on the pot and it needs to simmer over low heat for a while.

Then I sat down and continued chatting with Yi Zhonghai.

"Uncle, what you said about the money makes sense, I agree."

"But what about my sister? You have to give me an explanation for that!"

Yi Zhonghai stubbed out his cigarette: "I have to apologize to you and Yushui for this."

"I am a person who favors boys over girls, but who doesn't these days? The old lady is too. So if you come to our door in need of food, the old lady and I have never said that we would starve you. But girls have to get married and leave the family, so we naturally neglected the rainwater. It's my fault, and I will talk to the old lady about it. We will try to be more careful."

Holy crap?

Is Yi Zhonghai playing the sincerity card?

Did he come up with this himself?

Zhang Dabiao was shocked!

And this trick works best against idiots! He immediately went to check on Sha Zhu, and sure enough—

Sha Zhu's expression was extremely awkward.

Finally, he slapped his thigh and said, "Hey, you guys are really something else... sigh."

"I'll explain about the rain later. What kind of mess is this?"

"That's outdated feudal thinking. Now we all have gender equality! Sir, your thinking is wrong, you need to change."

Yi Zhonghai nodded calmly, feeling a sense of relief.

"Yes, it needs to be changed, it definitely needs to be changed."

"So, Sha Zhu, is this matter between us two just over?"

"That's over. I'll get another bottle of wine later, and we'll go have a couple of drinks with the old lady. But, sir, you'll have to drink three cups as a penalty."

"Of course, of course."

The old lady's advice was correct.

Sha Zhu is like a donkey that's easily swayed; just go along with him, admit your mistakes, and be sincere.

He believes whatever you say, especially when Yi Zhonghai apologizes to him; it makes Sha Zhu feel proud!

Zhang Dabiao was speechless. These two had just made up like that?

Does this work?