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

When everyone looked into Zhang Dabiao's house, they found it in complete disarray, with footprints and urine stains even on the bedding.

Banggeng was instigated by Jia Zhangshi and sneaked in that afternoon by picking the lock with a wire.

In the final tally, the 10 catties of wild boar meat hanging on the roof beam were gone; half of it was consumed by the Jia family, and the other half was hidden away.

Three metal spoons were stolen, six pairs of the better-made chopsticks from later generations were taken, along with a head of cabbage, a small bag of milk candy, a string of cured meat, two tubes of noodles, and ten yuan in cash—which Zhang Dabiao had specially placed in the cabinet with the Want Want milk candy.

The total value of Yanbugui is due to this, and a quick calculation shows it to be a full 48.5 yuan!

Putting everything else aside, Zhang Dabiao buys pork for 1 yuan per jin (1 kg), and sells it to the factory and the street for 2 yuan. Everyone knows that. Ten jin of meat only cost 10 yuan to buy, plus 10 yuan in cash. A string of cured meat costs 5 yuan, and milk candy is also extremely expensive.

But the most expensive item is the stainless steel spoon, which costs 3.5 yuan!

After the Great Leap Forward and the Great Steelmaking Movement, even iron pots were scarce in ordinary people's homes, let alone metal spoons, especially those smooth and flawless stainless steel spoons!

Stainless steel was a relatively new material in the 60s. It wasn't that it didn't exist, but it was mainly used in specific industrial fields or for high-end needs. Supply and marketing cooperatives occasionally sold aluminum and iron spoons, the kind with a pitted and uneven surface.

And Zhang Dabiao—

He can even get his hands on special-supply cigarettes, fresh Xinjiang grapes, milk...

It's not unusual for someone to have a few good spoons at home, so everyone tacitly overlooked the question of why he had stainless steel products.

Therefore, Yan Bugui set the price of the spoons very high.

The whole mess came to 48.5 yuan, and that doesn't even include the value of the ruined bedding.

……

Director Chen Guangliang remained silent.

The amount of money involved in the case is extremely large!

These days, many people only earn around 20 yuan a month!

Furthermore, Zhang Dabiao added that the noodles and cured meat were supplies purchased for the factory and belonged to the collective.

That would make things even bigger!

Chen Guangliang was still hesitant. Bang Geng was just a child. Should he try to mediate? After all, they were neighbors in the same courtyard. If Zhang Dabiao compensated for his losses and didn't pursue the matter, the issue could be resolved peacefully.

But Jia Zhangshi wouldn't have it, and she rushed up and started scratching and biting the police officer who was holding the stick.

Ouch?

Assaulting a police officer?!

They took out a silver bracelet and handcuffed Jia Zhangshi. She tried to struggle and even banged her head against the police, but after two slaps, she immediately became obedient.

Yi Zhonghai hurriedly stepped forward to mediate, but Zhang Dabiao beat him to it.

"Officers, this Jia Zhangshi instigated Banggeng to steal from my house; she's essentially inciting a minor to commit a crime. You absolutely cannot let her get away with this!"

Chen Guangliang's eyes lit up immediately.

We didn't catch the murderer today, and we caused such a big commotion. In the end, we only managed to arrest a child. This report is going to be difficult to write.

But Zhang Dabiao's words reminded him that he was instigating minors to commit crimes!

That's a huge deal!

At least it can cover up tonight's blunder.

He nodded happily and, without saying a word, took Banggeng and Jia Zhangshi away.

Retreat!

No matter how much the Jia family begs on their knees, it's useless. The evidence is conclusive. Take them back for trial first.

As for Yi Zhonghai's furious moral accusations and Sha Zhu's righteous indignation, Zhang Dabiao didn't care. "Go ahead and hit me if you dare!"

I'll send you all in here!

He ignored Qin Huairu's sobbing even more. Jia Dongxu wanted to rush over and beat Zhang Dabiao, but worried he couldn't win. In the end, he could only pull Qin Huairu, who was holding Xiaodang, back into the house. Soon after, slaps and Qin Huairu's screams came from inside again. Jia Dongxu was taking his anger out on Qin Huairu.

This pained Sha Zhu, who was still outside. He looked distressed and said, "Oh dear, what kind of mess is this?!"

He Yushui didn't express her opinion, but it was clear she disliked Sha Zhu very much. Zhang Dabiao discussed it with her, and it was decided that Qin Jingru would live in the same room with her for the time being, paying her 1.5 yuan a month in rent.

He Yushui refused, but Zhang Dabiao simply stuffed the money into her hand.

"Save some money for yourself; relying on others is not as good as having money in your own hands."

In the end, He Yushui had no choice but to accept it with tears in her eyes.

Afterwards, everyone went home to their own families. Zhang Dabiao went back and tidied up, leaving the quilts and bedding aside. He decided to wait until tomorrow to discuss the compensation. In any case, Zhang Dabiao didn't want the things that had already been taken, as he was afraid they might be poisonous.

The cotton quilt and blankets need to be replaced with new ones; we'll talk about it tomorrow.

Once the latch was in place, I went back to my little nest to wash up and go to bed.

I have to go to school tomorrow.

Around 1 or 2 a.m., there was a knock on the door.

"Brother Da Biao, Da Biao—"

"Da Biao, open the door!"

"I know you're in there. Open the door, Sister Qin needs to talk to you about something!"

"If you're so capable of reporting our family, then open the door!"

This nearly scared Zhang Dabiao, who was watching an action movie, so much that he fell off the bed!

Fuck!

I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!

In the dead of night, in complete darkness, a very low, soft female voice suddenly came from outside...

That's really a bit scary!

Losing interest, Zhang Dabiao simply turned off the lights, plugged his ears with 3M noise-canceling earplugs, and went to sleep!

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

February 3, 1960, the seventh day of the first lunar month;

Suitable for: burial, encoffining, tomb repair, moving the coffin, wearing mourning clothes, removing mourning clothes, erecting a monument, and relocating the grave;

Avoid: getting married, opening a business, logging, and building beams.

Everyone should go to work or go to school as usual.

Yan Jiekuang went to Zhang Dabiao's door early in the morning and knocked on it, asking him to go to class together, in exchange for a cornbread bun.

Then Yan Jiekuang was stunned, not because he was surprised that Zhang Dabiao had hot cornbread to eat without lighting the stove, but because—

"Da Biao, why are your steamed buns so golden, so soft, and so fragrant?"

Zhang Dabiao took a couple of bites; he had steamed a whole pot of food that morning using the Thermomix.

"Because this is a pure cornbread, with added sugar and milk."

"What you're eating is cornmeal..."

Indeed, coarse grains were not cheap in later generations, and they were all real cornmeal, buckwheat flour, or dark flour. But in this era, they weren't called cornmeal; they were made by grinding corn kernels and corncobs together into a powder, so they were called corn flour.

That hoarse voice... well, Zhang Dabiao really couldn't eat it.

He felt that eating those low-GI meal replacement cookies for weight loss, the kind that are sugar-free, low-sugar, and made with whole grains, was much better than the corn noodles of this day.

Yan Jiekuang was stunned. Pure cornmeal buns?

Where did all the corn cobs go?

Whose family is so extravagant?

Don't give it to me!

The two chatted casually, and that's how they joined the ranks of students going to school. These are the flowers of our motherland!

It must be said that the children's energy and spirit are much better than those of the adults.

Zhang Dabiao is 170cm tall and weighs 170kg, and looks very robust.

There are quite a few tall and strong students in elementary school, but Zhang Dabiao just stands out in Class 2 of Grade 3. He sits in the very back corner of the classroom, which has nothing to do with his grades. No matter how good or bad his grades are, he has to sit there so as not to affect other students' ability to see the blackboard.

The first class was Chinese class taught by our homeroom teacher, Yan Bugui. To be fair, Mr. Yan is a pretty good teacher of Chinese.

The text was explained quite clearly, but he would occasionally interject with a few words from Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website), revealing a hint of shrewdness and calculation in his whole persona.

Seeing Zhang Dabiao so seriously in class, the surrounding classmates and Yan Bugui were also surprised. Had this idiot really come to his senses?

Yan Bugui even specifically called Zhang Dabiao up to read the text and explain the poems and classical Chinese prose. Although Zhang Dabiao was very embarrassed—

But I did it anyway.