Kill the beasts in the courtyard, I fled to Hong Kong, surrounded by beauties on both sides.

"I will." Qin Huairu took the ration book, didn't even look at it, and turned to leave.

"Wait," Yi Zhonghai called after her, "There's one more thing. About you stealing public property..."

"I didn't steal it." Qin Huairu turned around, her eyes clear and sharp. "Uncle, you probably know better than I how those things in the woodshed came about. If you insist on taking it to the police station and having the police check the fingerprints on those things, or ask who in the yard last used that shovel, I have no objection."

Yi Zhonghai was speechless. He truly had no evidence; the notes and "stolen goods" seemed suspiciously obtained. What if someone had framed him, and the police intervened…

"I'm just reminding you," Yi Zhonghai's tone softened, "to be more careful in the future."

Qin Huairu didn't say anything more and left.

Looking at her straight back, Yi Zhonghai felt a strong sense of unease. This pawn had not only slipped out of his control, but might also become a thorn in his side.

Afternoon: Chen Fei's assessment and the growth of space

In the afternoon, Chen Fei listened to Qin Huairu's entire morning's actions from inside the house.

The neighborhood committee, the police station, the confrontation with Yi Zhonghai... every step was unexpected, yet also reasonable.

"Desperate circumstances have brought out his ruthlessness..." Chen Fei murmured.

He had thought that Qin Huairu's failed suicide attempt last night would cause her to completely break down or become even more cowardly, but unexpectedly, it gave rise to an even more troublesome existence. The current Qin Huairu has shed her feigned weakness and revealed the true fangs of a survivor from the bottom rungs of society—calm, decisive, adept at using the rules, and even willing to set fire to a more distant place (the black market) to divert danger.

This is good, but also... a bit troublesome.

The good thing is that this version of Qin Huairu will bring more pressure and suspicion to Yi Zhonghai, accelerating the internal strife within the beastly group. The problem is that she may no longer be so easy to control, and could even become a variable.

But Chen Fei quickly dismissed this doubt. Faced with absolute power and precognition, individual resilience merely made the game more interesting. His core objective remained unchanged—to make all his enemies pay for their blood debts in pain and fear. Qin Huairu's "rebirth" simply added another noteworthy twist to this revenge drama.

He stopped listening and instead entered the planting space.

The space is already a scene of abundant harvest. Yesterday's harvest of wheat, corn, potatoes, and cabbage is piled up like mountains, exuding a vibrant energy. The newly sown five mu of wheat and three mu of corn have already sprouted tender seedlings half a foot tall, lush and green. One mu of potatoes and one mu of cabbage are also growing well.

With a slight thought, he processed some of the grain: the wheat was threshed and ground into coarse flour, the corn was ground into grits, and the potatoes and cabbage were simply sorted and stored. This processed grain was enough for him to eat for a long time. He planned to gradually sell off the remaining large amount of raw grain to exchange for more valuable resources of this era—gold, foreign exchange, and antiques.

Sitting quietly by the spiritual spring, practicing breathing techniques, his spiritual energy slowly recovered and even subtly increased under the nourishment of the spring water and the circulation of his energy. The range of his telekinetic abilities seemed to have expanded by one or two meters, and his perception of objects became increasingly refined. The power of traditional Chinese martial arts flowed freely within his body, and his use of internal energy became more proficient.

Strength is accumulating little by little.

After exiting the space, Chen Fei began planning his next move. He needed to be mindful of Qin Huairu's situation, but the original plan remained largely unchanged. The conflict between Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong was now public, Yan Bugui's greedy nature had been exploited, Xu Damao was frightened, and Sha Zhu was disappointed in Qin Huairu… So, the next step was to further escalate the conflict between the three men, especially between Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui jumped around excitedly at the meeting today, gaining a benefit (those ten jin of grain coupons), but also thoroughly offending Qin Huairu. Will Yi Zhonghai feel that Yan Bugui is challenging his authority as "Grandpa," acting without authorization, and disrupting his rhythm?

We can light another fire.

Chen Fei took out a piece of paper and wrote with his left hand: "Yan Bugui embezzled the confiscated money and goods (grain coupons) from the conference, intending to replace you." After thinking for a moment, he added: "He secretly joined forces with Liu Haizhong."

Fold the note neatly and mentally send it into the pages of "Selected Works of Mao Zedong" that Yi Zhonghai often read at night.

Then, he wrote another note: "Yi Zhonghai suspects you of embezzling grain coupons and colluding with Liu Haizhong to seize power. Be careful." He put it into Yan Bugui's lesson preparation materials.

Finally, a note was also prepared for Liu Haizhong: "Yi Zhonghai believes you are in league with Yan Bugui and wants to completely destroy you. Make plans early." It was stuffed next to the pile of complaint letters in the crack of his wall.

Let the poison of suspicion fully ferment between them.

Evening: Sha Zhu's lingering and Qin Huairu's silence

In the evening, Sha Zhu wandered around the yard with an empty lunchbox in his hand.

He was restless in the cafeteria today, and almost put too much salt in the stir-fry. He kept thinking about Qin Huairu's desperate eyes last night and the gossip he heard today about her "stealing food coupons." He knew that turning away yesterday had hurt her, but the feeling of being deceived was too strong at the time.

Now that I've calmed down, something feels off. Everything is too coincidental.

He saw Qin Huairu come out of the central courtyard, holding her ration book in her hand, her face expressionless, and go straight to the water pipe to fetch water. Her movements were crisp and efficient, no longer as weak and laborious as before. After fetching the water, she carried the bucket back without looking at anyone.

"Qin..." Sha Zhu opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Qin Huairu seemed to hear her, paused for a moment, but did not turn around and continued walking forward.

That pause was like a small thorn, pricking Sha Zhu's heart. He realized that some things might have been completely severed the moment he turned away yesterday.

Xu Damao squatted at his doorstep, watching this scene, and muttered sarcastically, "Oh, Shazhu, you've got a cold shoulder now, haven't you? They're all high and mighty now, daring to talk back to an old man, they look down on your leftovers."

Sha Zhu glared at him fiercely, but didn't yell back as usual. He suddenly felt bored and went back to his room with his lunchbox.

Qin Huairu returned home and closed the door. Xiao Dang and Huaihua immediately surrounded her.

"Mommy, I'm hungry." Huaihua hugged her leg.

Qin Huairu patted her daughter's head, took out her ration book from her bosom, and then took out the two yuan she had reluctantly borrowed from the neighborhood office that day—this was what she had obtained with her last bit of credibility and promise.

"Sweethearts, Mommy will go buy grain and flour tomorrow to make steamed buns for you." Her voice was gentle, completely different from the coldness she displayed outside during the day.

"Really?" Xiao Dang's eyes lit up.

"Really." Qin Huairu hugged her two children tightly.

Outside the window, darkness fell. In the courtyard, dim lights shone from every household, wafting the aromas of various dishes. Inside the Jia family's house, only the mother and her two daughters huddled together quietly, accompanied by an almost inaudible sigh.

Late at Night: New Poisonous Schemes and Eavesdropping

Late at night, Chen Fei once again monitored the entire hospital.

Yi Zhonghai discovered the note in Mao Zedong's Selected Works. His face darkened, and he paced around the room for a long time before saying to an older woman, "That old bastard Yan Bugui is indeed restless. And Liu Haizhong... it seems they've conspired together."

An older woman worriedly said, "Really? Old Yan is just greedy for small gains..."

"A small gain?" Yi Zhonghai sneered. "Ten catties of grain coupons is a small gain? Openly undermining me at the meeting is a small gain? I think he's gone crazy wanting to be the boss! And Liu Haizhong, he's always been defiant towards me, it must be him instigating this!"

Meanwhile, Yan Bugui was preparing his lessons late into the night when he discovered a note in the textbook, which startled him so much that his glasses slipped down. "Yi Zhonghai is targeting me? I...I didn't embezzle anything! Those grain coupons were clearly...evidence I found!" He glanced guiltily at the drawer—the ten jin of grain coupons were lying there perfectly fine, but he genuinely hadn't intended to hand them over. "Liu Haizhong? I'm working with him? Yi Zhonghai is trying to wipe me out!"

Liu Haizhong was worried about the note that had recently appeared in the crack in the wall. "That bastard Yi Zhonghai, he's never done this! Teaming up with Yan Bugui? Team up my ass! I can't even protect myself right now!" He tore the note to shreds in frustration, but then he became afraid. He knew the power Yi Zhonghai wielded in the factory.

Chen Fei withdrew his thoughts with satisfaction. The seed of poison had been sown; it was only waiting to take root and sprout.

He then "listened" to the Jia family.

Qin Huairu was still awake, mending clothes by the dim light of a kerosene lamp. Her movements were steady, her eyes focused, and occasionally she would glance at her sleeping daughters on the kang (a heated brick bed), her hard features softening for a moment.

There were no tears, no complaints, only a kind of almost numb resilience.

Chen Fei watched for a while, then looked away.

He walked to the window and looked out at the deep night. The courtyard house was like a sleeping monster, with snarling beasts inside plotting their own schemes and having their own nightmares.

He, however, is the one lurking in the shadows, weaving nightmares.

The resentment in his chest swirled steadily, slowly dissolving with the pain of each enemy and the realization of each step of his plan. The faces of his father, mother, and sister flashed clearly in his mind for a moment, bringing a faint comfort and a deeper, cold resolve.

"It'll be soon," he murmured to himself silently.

The night is still long, and the play must continue, scene by scene.