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

As dawn broke, Yi Zhonghai got up early as usual.

This is a habit he has developed over the years—as the "top leader" of the courtyard house, he must get up earlier than everyone else, walk around the courtyard, and check whether the public water pool is clean, whether the courtyard gate is closed, and whether there are any new notices on the bulletin board.

This is a symbol of his authority and the way he controls the courtyard.

It was a bit chilly this morning, with the air carrying the chill of late autumn. Yi Zhonghai put on his faded but neatly ironed blue Zhongshan suit, donned his cadre hat, and strolled out of the house with his hands behind his back.

The courtyard was still quiet, with only the sound of Old Liu coughing early in the morning coming from the east wing. Yi Zhonghai first went to the pool in the middle courtyard, turned on the tap and checked—the water flow was normal, and there were no obvious stains on the pool wall. He nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he walked towards the whitewashed wall in the middle courtyard. A wooden-framed glass bulletin board was nailed to the wall, which usually displayed notices issued by the street office, sanitation evaluation results, and occasionally notices issued by the courtyard itself.

He habitually leaned closer to the glass, ready to check if there was any new information.

Then, his gaze froze.

Behind the glass, between a "Autumn Fire Prevention Notice" and a "Patriotic Health Campaign Poster," was a piece of paper folded into a square. The paper was yellowed and the edges were worn, looking like it had been torn from some notebook.

Yi Zhonghai frowned. Who was so rude as to stuff waste paper into the bulletin board?

He unlocked the small lock below the notice board—only he and the neighborhood committee officials had the key. He took out the paper and unfolded it.

After reading only two lines, his pupils suddenly contracted.

This is an IOU.

The note read, "I have borrowed RMB 20 from Comrade Yan Bugui," and was signed "Borrower: Xu Damao," dated "March 15, 1960." Normally, this is nothing unusual; it's quite common for neighbors to write an IOU when lending money.

But below, in a different handwriting, a few lines of smaller text were added:

"This loan carries a monthly interest rate of 3%, payable monthly. If the loan is not repaid on time, the interest will be added to the principal, and interest will accrue on a compound basis."

"If the loan is overdue for more than three months, the creditor has the right to take away the borrower's valuables as collateral, or report the situation to the borrower's employer or neighborhood committee."

"This contract is hereby renewed. September 15, 1960."

The signature of the person renewing the contract clearly reads "Yan Bugui"!

Yi Zhonghai's breathing quickened. Three percent monthly interest? Compound interest? Confiscating goods to settle the debt? Reporting it to his workplace?

This is clearly usury! It's the kind of money lending scheme from the old society!

What shocked him even more was that the borrower was Xu Damao—the only son of the Xu family in the backyard, a film projectionist at the steel mill, and also a notorious troublemaker in the compound. How could Xu Damao borrow money from Yan Bugui at exorbitant interest rates? He borrowed twenty yuan at a monthly interest rate of three percent, which was six mao (0.6 yuan) per month! After six months, the interest alone amounted to three yuan and six jiao (0.3 yuan)!

Yi Zhonghai's hands trembled slightly. He recalled the note he had received yesterday: "Yan Bugui embezzled the confiscated money and goods (grain coupons) from the conference and intends to replace you. He is secretly working with Liu Haizhong."

Could it be... true?

Yan Bugui not only embezzled grain coupons, but also secretly lent money at exorbitant interest rates? Where did he get so much money? A primary school teacher's salary is only thirty-odd yuan. How could he have extra money to lend out when he has to support a family of six?

Unless... he has other illicit income? Or, he embezzled even more?

Yi Zhonghai carefully folded the IOU and put it into the inner pocket of his Zhongshan suit. He didn't continue wandering around the yard, but quickly returned to his house and closed the door.

An older woman was cooking porridge by the stove when she noticed his pale face and asked, "Old Yi, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, sat down at the table, took out the IOU from his inner pocket, and looked at it again.

His mind raced.

Why did this IOU end up on the bulletin board? Who put it there? Did Yan Bugui accidentally drop it? Impossible, he would have hidden something this important very carefully.

That means someone deliberately placed it there. What was the purpose? To expose Yan Bugui? Or... to warn Yi Zhonghai?

Yi Zhonghai recalled the incident yesterday when the neighborhood committee took back Qin Huairu's grain ration book. He thought of the undercurrents in the courtyard these past few days. He remembered how eagerly Yan Bugui had jumped out at the meeting.

He became increasingly convinced that the appearance of this IOU was not accidental.

Perhaps one of Yan Bugui's creditors, dissatisfied with his usurious loans, secretly released the IOU in an attempt to ruin his reputation? Or perhaps Liu Haizhong was behind it all, trying to use this incident to strike at Yan Bugui and at the same time warn him against Yi Zhonghai's attempts to control everything?

Regardless of the possibility, this matter must be addressed.

But how do we handle it?

Should you directly confront Yan Bugui with the IOU? No. Yan Bugui will definitely deny it, claiming the handwriting is forged, or that it was just a normal loan, not usury. Without other evidence, it's difficult to convict him based solely on an IOU.

Moreover, if Yan Bugui really joins forces with Liu Haizhong, his rash move might force the two to take desperate measures and unite against him.

We must be cautious.

Yi Zhonghai carefully put the IOU away again and said to the old woman, "I'm skipping breakfast. I have some things to do at the factory, so I'll go early."

He needs time to think, and he also needs to... check other places.

Before leaving home, Yi Zhonghai deliberately walked around to the front gate. He slowed his pace, his gaze sweeping over the walls, the ground, and the door frame.

Then, in the inconspicuous crack on the left wall of the doorway, he saw a corner of yellow paper.

His heart skipped a beat.

I walked over and reached into the crack to pull out the paper—another IOU!

"I have borrowed RMB 15 from Comrade Yan Bugui. Borrower: He Yuzhu (Shazhu), May 10, 1960."

The renewal terms are also listed below: "Monthly interest rate of 2.5%, with the same handling for overdue payments as above."

"Silly Zhu?!" Yi Zhonghai's brows furrowed into a knot.

Why would Sha Zhu borrow money from Yan Bugui? And at exorbitant interest rates? Sha Zhu is a cook in the steel mill canteen, and his salary is not low. Although he often helps the Jia family, he shouldn't be so short of money as to borrow from loan sharks!

Unless... this IOU is fake? Or, does Sha Zhu have some urgent need for it?

Yi Zhonghai sensed that things were getting increasingly complicated. Two IOUs, two borrowers, both from the compound. If these IOUs were genuine, then Yan Bugui had been lending money at exorbitant interest rates in the compound for quite some time, and the people involved might not be just these two.

He put the second IOU into his pocket and walked heavily out of the courtyard.

On his way to the steel rolling mill, Yi Zhonghai kept thinking about how to handle this matter. His briefcase still contained the materials he needed to submit that day, but his mind was completely elsewhere.