Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

In the early morning, just as a sliver of light peeked through the leaden sky, the courtyard was still immersed in a somber stillness.

Sha Zhu was taken away by the neighborhood committee for education, and the chaos of last night still seemed to have left a lingering smell of gunpowder.

However, an irresistible, tantalizing aroma of meat porridge, like an invisible declaration, forcefully shattered this false tranquility, permeating every corner.

In He Yuanchao's small side room, the stove fire was burning brightly.

In the clay pot, the bone broth, carefully simmered last night, was bubbling. The rice grains were the glistening Thai fragrant rice caught last night, now cooked until they were plump and soft.

Several thin slices of pork belly, as thin as cicada wings and with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, were scalded until they curled slightly, their pinkish-white color tempting, and garnished with emerald green scallions.

Even more extravagantly, he cracked an egg into it. The egg drop soup tumbled in the thick rice porridge, and the aroma of oil, meat, egg and top-quality rice blended perfectly, so irresistible that anyone who smelled it couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

The tattered curtain of the Jia family's door in the middle courtyard was suddenly flung open, and Jia Zhangshi's mean and ungrateful face was squeezed out again, her triangular eyes glaring viciously at He Yuanchao's tightly closed little side room in the backyard.

"Pah! You good-for-nothing! You jinx! I'll choke you to death sooner or later!"

She lowered her voice, and vicious curses poured out like sewage from a gutter, "Eat, eat, eat! Eat your heartless, rotten-necked wretch to death! The smell of that meat yesterday kept us Bang Geng up all night, crying several times! You damned thing, may you be struck by lightning!"

Banggeng huddled on the cold edge of the kang (heated brick bed) inside the house, his little face sallow, his stomach rumbling loudly, his eyes fixed on the direction of the backyard, as if he could see through the walls and see the oily slices of meat that only existed in his dreams.

Qin Huairu was pale, with dark circles under her eyes, and silently scrubbed the dirty clothes of her family in the icy cold basin.

Her fingers, red and stiff from the cold, were soaked in murky, cold water; each rubbing brought excruciating pain. Her mother-in-law's sharp curses cut like a dull knife, gouging at her heart. Regret, like the most poisonous vine, grew wildly in her heart overnight, almost suffocating her.

How did He Yuanchao, who was once taciturn and whom she disliked as a "poor apprentice with no future," become like this?

A fourth-level worker, earning a salary of fifty-six yuan and eighty cents, he could eat meat and drink alone behind closed doors, and even Director Wang of the neighborhood committee sided with him... If only... Qin Huairu shook her head violently, not daring to think any further. Cold dirty water splashed onto her face, mixing with the hot liquid in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks.

The aroma is so penetrating!

The rich aroma of rice, pure and sweet, seemed to carry the scent of sunshine and rain, instantly overpowering all the coal smoke and the gloomy smell of the public toilet in the courtyard.

What's even more irresistible is the aroma of the meat! It's not as strong and assertive as the stir-fried pork with soy sauce from last night, but rather a richer and more mellow aroma of meat congee!

The rice grains are cooked until they fully open up, releasing all their sweet starch, which coats the finely chopped minced meat.

The aroma of meat seemed to melt into every grain of rice and every drop of broth, penetrating every nook and cranny, carrying an irresistible umami flavor, mixed with a touch of spicy ginger and scallion, spreading, diffusing, and rising in the cold air!

"Slurp... slurp..."

Banggeng's nose twitched wildly, and saliva gushed out uncontrollably, dripping down the corners of his mouth.

He leaped off the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), rushed to the doorway, clung to the doorframe, his eyes fixed on the backyard like a hungry wolf, and let out a low, beast-like growl: "Meat! Meat! The meat porridge smells so good! I want to eat it! I want to eat it!"

He couldn't hold back any longer. The aroma felt like countless tiny hands scratching at his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Overwhelmed by immense grievance and hunger, he plopped down on the ground, kicking his legs wildly, and burst into a heart-wrenching wail, his face streaked with snot and tears: "Waaaaah—! Meat porridge! I want He Yuanchao's meat porridge! Give it to me! If you don't give it to me, I'll die! Waaaaah—!"

Xiao Dang and Huaihua were also lured by the irresistible fragrance and burst into tears, their small bodies curled up in a ball, looking helplessly at Qin Huairu.

Jia Zhangshi's face instantly contorted!

The resentment in his triangular eyes was almost spitting fire!

She spat out a mouthful of phlegm, slapped her thigh, and her voice suddenly rose, sharp as sandpaper against sheet metal: "Damn it! You heartless bastard! He's deliberately trying to kill our whole family! He's cooking meat porridge first thing in the morning! It smells so good! He's deliberately trying to tempt us! You black-hearted, rotten bastard! You deserve to die a horrible death! We'll all get diarrhea from eating it! You bastard, you'll die of diarrhea!"

[Ding! You have gained one fishing opportunity! Do you want to fish now?]

When the cold, mechanical notification sound rang in He Yuanchao's mind, he was sitting comfortably at a small table with a bowl of steaming, thick, and fragrant meat porridge in front of him.

The glistening rice grains were cooked until soft and fluffy, with delicate minced meat evenly distributed throughout, absorbing the oil and broth to a tempting light brown color. The porridge was garnished with vibrant green scallions and a few shreds of tender yellow ginger, its rich aroma dominating the small space.

"Fishing?"

A cold smile curled at the corner of He Yuanchao's lips as he gazed at the glistening, tempting meat porridge in the bowl. His mind was completely focused. "Begin!"

hum!

The mysterious fishing rod, which was translucent and shimmered with a restrained luster like stars, instantly took shape above his palm!

A flash of silver light appeared on the rod tip, and it was suddenly swung forward! The fishing line, formed by a stream of silver light, tautened, and the peculiar hook at the end silently disappeared into the void!

The space rippled with visible waves.

In just a moment!

Whoosh!

[Ding! Fishing successful! Caught: Flying in Place Talisman (One-time Consumable) x1! Effect: The user will transform into a "Jet Warrior," engaging in indiscriminate, uncontrollable, and violent excretion for 24 hours. The talisman activates by locking onto a target with the user's mind.]

He Yuanchao: "???"

He almost spat out the mouthful of piping hot meat porridge he had just taken a sip of!

Splatoon? 24 hours?

Even with his two lifetimes of experience and unwavering resolve, He Yuanchao was completely bewildered by this bizarre catch. This system… is it really this unconventional? Do all the realms of existence even have something like this?

He subconsciously "checked" the system space. A rough talisman with yellow background and red characters floated quietly. It was covered with extremely abstract, crooked cinnabar drawings that no one could understand, exuding an indescribable... well, ominous aura.

He Yuanchao was stunned for a few seconds, and then an uncontrollable smile erupted from the deepest part of his heart like a volcanic eruption!

He quickly covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably, almost laughing himself to death.

This thing... it's practically the ultimate weapon tailor-made for Jia Zhangshi!

Outside, Jia Zhangshi's sharp, mean curses, filled with all the malice in the world, continued to pour in, accompanied by Bang Geng's heart-wrenching wails, creating a symphony of noise pollution.

"I'll eat you to death, you ungrateful wretch! I'll choke you to death! I'll make you vomit your own stool! You heartless, rotten thing! You deserve a terrible death! Old Jia! Come on up and take him away! He's bullying us mother and children to death..."

He Yuanchao finally managed to stop laughing, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, carrying the excited light of someone about to succeed in a prank.

He put down his bowl of porridge, walked to the window, and looked out through the gaps covered with old newspapers.

By the pool in the middle courtyard, Qin Huairu was still engrossed in washing the pile of dirty clothes that seemed to never end, her fingers frozen like carrots.

Several early-rising middle-aged women also came over with basins, washing and rinsing their hands while whispering among themselves, their eyes occasionally glancing at the backyard and the crying Jia family, their faces showing expressions of watching a show.

Jia Zhangshi stood with her hands on her hips at her door, her triangular eyes glaring like copper bells, spittle flying everywhere with her vicious curses, completely unaware of the "glorious" fate that was about to befall her.

"Go ahead and curse, you old hag." He Yuanchao grinned silently, revealing his gleaming white teeth. "I'll let you curse to your heart's content later!"

With a thought, the [Flying in Place Talisman], which was drawn with abstract, grotesque symbols, silently appeared in his hand.

Mind lock.

[Can the "Flying in Place" talisman be used on Jia Zhangshi?]

"yes!"

He Yuanchao silently recited in his heart.

The talisman in his hand vanished in the next instant.

It's working!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Writing diligently~~

Requesting some free gifts, ┭┮﹏┭┮

Crab~