Courtyard House: A Major Power's Heavy Industry, Hand-Crafted Nuclear Fusion

Winter, 1962.

In the old city of Beijing, in Nanluoguxiang, at No. 95, a courtyard house.

A biting wind howled through the courtyard, and the dry jujube tree branches danced wildly in the wind, making a strange "whooshing" sound.

The air was filled with a strong smell of cheap coal smoke, the smell of coal briquettes mixed with soil that every household burned to save money.

The open space in the middle courtyard was now crowded with people.

Under the dim streetlights, dozens of eyes were fixed on a young man in the center of the field.

Su Zheng felt a sharp pain in his mind, as if countless steel needles were churning inside.

A flood of unfamiliar memory fragments rushed in, causing him to sway uncontrollably.

"Su Zheng, say something!"

A stern yet somewhat impatient voice boomed in my ear.

Su Zheng suddenly opened his eyes and saw a square and serious face, wearing a thick dark blue cotton-padded work jacket, with his hands behind his back. It was Yi Zhonghai, the old man in the courtyard.

Beside Yi Zhonghai stood a young woman with tears streaming down her face.

She was wearing a worn-out floral cotton-padded jacket, her hands twisting the hem of the jacket, her eyes red-rimmed, tears welling up in her eyes, threatening to fall but not quite, making her look exceptionally pitiful.

It was Qin Huairu.

Behind Qin Huairu, an old woman with triangular eyes and a fleshy face was glaring at her fiercely, muttering something foul...

No need to guess, this is Jia Zhangshi, the top necromancer in the courtyard.

"hiss……"

Su Zheng gasped as the memories merged.

He crossed.

He transmigrated into the world of "Full House of Love" and became an ordinary fitter at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.

The original owner of this body was an orphan, had a dull personality, and was only average in terms of skills. He was usually seen as a "blood bag" by the beasts in the yard.

Today's scene, without a doubt, is another classic "forced donation rally".

"Su Zheng..."

Seeing that Su Zheng remained silent, Yi Zhonghai assumed he was intimidated by his imposing manner, so he softened his tone slightly, but the condescending, lecturing tone only intensified:

"The Jia family has it tough. Dongxu is gone, leaving behind a large family of orphans and widows. Huairu only earns 27.5 yuan a month, and she has to support five people. How are they going to make ends meet? As neighbors, we should lend a hand if we can. You're single and don't have a family to worry about. Your salary isn't low either. Lending the Jia family 10 yuan won't affect your life."

"Yes, Su Zheng!"

Silly Zhu chimed in from the side, still holding a lunchbox in his hand:

"The old man has spoken, what are you dawdling for? It's just ten yuan! Look at Sister Qin crying, can you bear it?"

Qin Huairu let out a timely sob, raised her head, and gave Su Zheng a mournful look with her watery, peach-blossom eyes:

"Brother Su Zheng, I really have no other choice... Bang Geng needs to pay his tuition, and we're almost out of money for cornmeal... Consider this a loan from me, and I'll definitely pay you back later."

"borrow?"

Madam Jia rolled her eyes and snorted.

"Why should we borrow? We're neighbors, isn't it only right to help each other? Su Zheng has no parents, what's the point of keeping money? He'll just die without an heir! Helping our family is doing him a favor!"

The neighbors around them started whispering and pointing at Su Zheng.

"Yes, Su Zheng is really inconsiderate."

"Even an old man has spoken."

"The Jia family is truly in a terrible situation."

Su Zheng coldly watched the scene unfold before him.

Moral kidnapping?

This method worked on the original owner, but why is it working on him?

Sorry, but in this era of scarcity, money is life, and tickets are blood!

You want to suck my blood? No way!

Su Zheng took a deep breath, and the bewildered look on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an unprecedented calmness and sharpness.

He didn't respond to Yi Zhonghai's words, nor did he look at Qin Huairu's pitiful face. Instead, he directly put his hand into his clothes.

Everyone was stunned, thinking that Su Zheng was about to take out money.

Yi Zhonghai smiled with satisfaction: "That's more like it, Su Zheng. I knew you were a sensible person..."

Sha Zhu grinned and said, "You're smart to know what's good for you."

A hint of joy flashed in Qin Huairu's eyes, and she was about to reach out to take it.

However, what Su Zheng pulled out was not money.

Instead, it was a small, black notebook, about the size of a palm, with a worn cover.

That was the original owner's account book.

Although the original owner was dull-witted, she had a good habit: keeping accounts.

Every expense, every penny lent out, is remembered clearly.

Su Zheng slowly opened the account book, and by the light of the streetlamp, his fingers lightly traced the pages. The sound was soft, but each word was clear, echoing in the quiet courtyard:

"Since we're talking about borrowing money, let's settle our previous accounts first."

Yi Zhonghai's smile froze.

Qin Huairu's outstretched hand froze in mid-air.

Madam Jia's eyes widened even more: "What account? What nonsense are you spouting, you little brat?"

Su Zheng ignored them and read aloud:

"On November 5, 1960, Jia Dongxu was hospitalized due to a work injury. Qin Huairu lent him 5 yuan, promising to repay it when she received her salary, but she has not repaid it to this day."

"On January 10, 1961, Jia Jiabang choked on peanuts he stole and had to go to the hospital. Jia Zhangshi borrowed 3 yuan from him, but never repaid it."

"In February 1961, during the Spring Festival, Qin Huairu came to my door to complain and borrowed five catties of flour and half a catty of meat coupons, promising to repay them after the New Year, but she has not repaid them to this day."

"July 1961..."

With each item Su Zheng read out, the atmosphere in the room became more and more tense.

The chatter from the neighbors stopped.

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened.

Qin Huairu's face turned pale.

"...Up to last month, the Jia family borrowed a total of 38.5 yuan in cash, 20 jin of flour, 1.5 jin of meat coupons, and 0.5 jin of oil coupons from me."

Su Zheng closed the ledger, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing directly at Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu:

"Uncle, you just said the Jia family is having a hard time and asked me to lend you money. Okay, this old debt of thirty-eight yuan and fifty cents, plus those grain coupons and meat coupons, are worth at least fifty yuan on the black market now. Let's settle this debt first, and then we can talk about a new one, how about that?"

The entire room fell silent.

Fifty yuan!

What does this mean in this day and age?

Qin Huairu's salary for two months wasn't enough!

In this era where everyone is extremely frugal, no one could have imagined that Su Zheng, who usually seems honest and unassuming, would have so much money borrowed from the Jia family! And not a single penny of it was ever repaid!

"This...this..."

Qin Huairu panicked, and this time her tears were truly from fright:

"Su Zheng, sister... sister isn't refusing to pay back, she just really doesn't have the money..."

"No money?"

Su Zheng sneered:

"Does having no money give you the right to refuse to pay? Does having no money give you the right to keep borrowing? Sir, you're the most respected elder in the neighborhood, the fairest judge. You be the judge. These old debts haven't been settled, and now new ones are being added. Even a landlord wouldn't waste his surplus grain like this!"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected Su Zheng, usually such a quiet and unassuming man, to be so difficult to deal with today, especially since he had an account book in his hand!

This is practically a public slap in the face for him!

"Su Zheng, we're all neighbors, why are you keeping such a detailed record..."

Yi Zhonghai tried to smooth things over: "The Jia family is indeed facing difficulties right now..."

"Does difficulty justify defaulting on a debt?"

Su Zheng interrupted him directly, his voice suddenly rising:

"Uncle, your monthly salary is ninety-nine yuan, plus seniority pay, it's over a hundred, right? There are only two people in your family, and you live comfortably. Since you care so much about the Jia family, and are so considerate of the bigger picture and neighborly relations, why don't you help them pay this debt first? Or, you could lend them a hundred yuan directly, so they can spend it slowly, and it'll save them from constantly complaining about being poor. What do you say?"

"you!"

Yi Zhonghai trembled with anger, pointing at Su Zheng:

"What kind of attitude is this! I'm doing this for the sake of unity within the compound!"

"Unity is not about robbing the rich to help the poor, nor is it about being generous with other people's money."

Su Zheng did not back down an inch; instead, his gaze was intense.

"My money didn't come from thin air; it's the hard-earned money my parents left me! Why should I have to support that ungrateful family?"

"You little beast! Who are you calling an ingrate?!"

Jia Zhangshi, having been touched on a sore spot, immediately threw a tantrum, baring her teeth and claws as she lunged at Su Zheng, reaching out to snatch the account book from his hand:

"Give me that lousy notebook! It's fake! You're framing an innocent person!"

Su Zheng was prepared, so he slightly shifted his body and lightly tripped over his own feet.

"Ouch!"

Jia Zhangshi missed her target, slipped, and fell flat on her face, crying out in pain.

"Make a move?"

Su Zheng's eyes turned cold, and he raised the account book high in his hand:

"All the neighbors are watching! Jia Zhangshi tried to snatch the IOU and destroy the evidence! Every entry in this ledger is recorded with the date and reason, and even includes witnesses who were present at the time! This is the evidence! If even a corner of this ledger is damaged today, it means the Jia family is guilty and trying to renege on their debt!"

He looked around, and wherever his gaze fell, everyone instinctively avoided his eyes.

"That's all I wanted to say for today."

Su Zheng's voice was icy cold and resolute:

"Paying back debts is a matter of course. Want to borrow money? Pay it back first! If you can't pay, then don't even ask! And again, if anyone dares to try to blackmail me with moral blackmail again, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

After saying that, Su Zheng didn't even glance at the ground before turning around and heading back into the house.

Yi Zhonghai stood there, his face turning pale and then flushed, as if he had swallowed a fly.

His long-cultivated reputation as an "old man" was unexpectedly thwarted by Su Zheng today!

As Qin Huairu watched Su Zheng's resolute back, an unprecedented sense of panic welled up in her heart.

She sensed that Su Zheng, whom she used to have complete control over, seemed... a little different.

And just as Su Zheng turned around and pushed open his own door.

His heart skipped a beat.

The world before my eyes suddenly underwent a strange change.

Countless fine lines, emitting a faint blue light, appeared in the air.

The texture of the wooden door, the structure of the latch, and even the gaps in the brickwork in the distance are all deconstructed into the most basic geometric lines and data in this instant.

【Ding! 】

Immediately following was a crisp electronic notification sound echoing deep within my mind.

[Host has completed their first "mental awakening," breaking free from moral constraints...]

[The Eye of Truth System is activating...]

System...

Su Zheng's lips curled up slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

It’s just a good show.