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

"You...you..."

Sha Zhu was so angry he almost vomited blood again, but he was intimidated by He Yuanchao's cold gaze and terrifying skills, and dared not make another move.

"Alright! Stop arguing!"

Dr. Wang completely lost his patience. He grabbed the meager change from Sha Zhu's hand, stuffed it into his pocket without even counting it, and impatiently yelled, "This little bit of money isn't even enough for the registration fee! Get the child an injection to stop the bleeding and relieve the pain! The rest, you'd better figure out how to scrape together! The money must be at the hospital by tomorrow morning! Otherwise, you'll face the consequences! Xiao Zhang, give me a hand, lift the child onto the stretcher! Get him to the emergency room!"

Under Dr. Wang's direction, several neighbors hurriedly lifted the still wailing Banggeng onto a makeshift door stretcher.

Qin Huairu followed along, sobbing and turning back every few steps. Her eyes were filled with deep resentment as she looked at He Yuanchao, while her gaze towards Shazhu carried a complex mix of dependence and despair.

Sha Zhu watched the stretcher disappear into the distance, then glanced at the leftover food containers scattered on the ground, covered in mud, and then at the strange, inquisitive, and even slightly mocking looks from his neighbors.

Finally, when he met He Yuanchao's cold and mocking gaze, he felt an unprecedented sense of frustration, anger, and powerlessness welling up in his heart.

He stomped his foot angrily, pointed at He Yuanchao, and uttered a weak but harsh remark: "He Yuanchao! You just wait!" After saying that, he didn't even bother to pick up the lunchbox and slunk away after the stretcher.

The farce temporarily came to an end as Bang Geng was carried away and Sha Zhu fled in a sorry state.

But the lingering smells of blood, fish, and the invisible stench of gunpowder in the air lingered for a long time.

As if her bones had been removed, Jia Zhangshi slumped onto the cold ground, her eyes vacant, unconsciously muttering, "My grandson... my eldest grandson... money... money..."

The fierce temper she had displayed earlier vanished completely under the weight of the enormous medical bills and He Yuanchao's merciless slap in the face, leaving only endless fear and bewilderment.

Yi Zhonghai's face was so gloomy it could drip water. He gave He Yuanchao a deep look, then glanced at Yan Bugui's family, who were clearly siding with He Yuanchao. His eyes were filled with apprehension and a hint of barely perceptible resentment.

He knew that today, He Yuanchao had publicly humiliated him, making him look like an old man! He didn't say a word, turned around, and walked heavily back to his home.

Liu Haizhong watched Yi Zhonghai's defeated figure, a hint of schadenfreude flashing across his chubby face. But then he was made uneasy by He Yuanchao's domineering demeanor and also slipped away with his belly sticking out.

Seeing that there was no excitement to be had, and intimidated by He Yuanchao's cold aura and the menacing looks of the Yan brothers, the other neighbors also dispersed.

But the gossip in their eyes was burning brightly, and it was clear that there would be plenty of discussion about hot topics at each family's dinner table tonight, such as "Is Bang Geng the son of Sha Zhu?", "He Yuanchao angrily confronts an old man and woman", and "Old Yan got a huge benefit".

The backyard finally returned to relative quiet, with only Jia Zhangshi's suppressed sobs and the faint, excited sounds of cleaning up the fish coming from the Yan family's side.

Yan Bugui let out a long sigh of relief, feeling his back soaked with cold sweat.

He walked up to He Yuanchao, his face showing lingering fear and apprehension, but even more so, determination and a hint of flattery: "Yuanchao... today's incident... is all thanks to you... it's also my fault, I was confused for a moment and almost got led astray by Lao Yi..."

He Yuanchao waved his hand, interrupting him, and said in a flat tone, "Third Uncle, let's not talk about the past. Hurry up and deal with the fish. As for smoking the fish, I'll leave it to Third Aunt."

He pointed to his bucket of fish.

"Don't worry! Don't worry!"

Yan Bugui immediately patted his chest and guaranteed, his face beaming with joy. His previous fear vanished completely. "Quick! Bring the biggest basin in the house! Unpack it! Release it! Don't just stand there! Quickly help fetch water and scrape off the scales! Use well water! Keep it chilled! We'll stay up all night to smoke this fish for Yuanchao!" He shouted loudly, directing his family like a general who had won a battle.

The three aunties were also full of energy at this moment. Looking at the full bucket of lively fish, and thinking that they could get half of it after it was smoked, they threw all of Jia Zhangshi's insults to the wind.

She deftly directed her two sons, her eyes filled with gratitude and eagerness as she looked at He Yuanchao: "Yuanchao, don't worry! Auntie will guarantee you a golden, shiny finish, with a wonderfully fragrant aroma! Not a trace of burnt smell! We'll use the best firewood and salt!" She practically wanted to tear her heart out to show her loyalty.

The Yan brothers, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, put in even more effort, their eyes filled with awe and admiration as they looked at He Yuanchao.

This guy is not only an amazing fisherman, but he can also easily defeat Sha Zhu in a fight, and his insults can leave an old man and an old lady speechless! Most importantly, he's incredibly generous to his family! Following a "god of wealth" and "god of war" like this is definitely the right choice!

He Yuanchao merely nodded indifferently to the Yan family's enthusiasm, pushed his bicycle, unloaded the water buckets, and handed them over to them to handle.

He glanced at Jia Zhangshi, who was lying on the ground, looking utterly dejected, his eyes cold and devoid of any sympathy.

He turned around, pushed the empty cart, and walked steadily toward his small side room.

The last rays of the setting sun disappeared below the horizon, and the courtyard was shrouded in deep twilight.

He Yuanchao opened the door and immediately looked at the shadowy corner under the window.

The stainless steel mousetrap had been removed, but on the cold, hard cement floor, there were still a few drops of dark red, semi-congealed blood, as well as a few strands of gray-blue cotton fabric fibers that had been snapped off from the legs of the trousers.

A faint smell of blood and an aura of fear seemed to linger in the air.

He Yuanchao's lips curled into a cold smile.

This is just the beginning.

He bent down, picked up the blood-stained, still-gleaming steel mousetrap, and ran his fingers over its menacing serrations.

"Mice...we caught one, but there's a whole nest of them."

He muttered to himself, casually tossing the mousetrap into the wooden box in the corner with a dull thud.

……

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

The low-ceilinged room was filled with the strong smell of herbs and an overwhelming sense of despair.

Qin Huairu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), tears streaming silently down her face, as if her soul had been emptied from her body.

Jia Zhangshi huddled in the corner, her eyes vacant, muttering nervously, "Money...forty or fifty yuan...money..." Jia Dongxu lay at the very back of the kang, his cloudy eyes staring at the ceiling, occasionally glancing around, revealing a deathly numbness and a hint of barely perceptible resentment.

The curtain was gently lifted, and Sha Zhu tiptoed in, his face showing exhaustion and worry.

In the afternoon, he went to all his coworkers and neighbors with whom he usually got along, pleading and begging, but he only managed to borrow a dozen yuan, which was a drop in the bucket.

"Sister Qin..." Sha Zhu looked at Qin Huairu's haggard appearance and felt extremely distressed. His voice was hoarse. "I... I can only borrow this much..." He put a handful of loose bills and a few crumpled bills on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), which totaled less than fifteen yuan.

Looking at the meager sum of money, Qin Huairu's tears flowed even more fiercely. She shook her head in despair, "Zhuzi...it's not enough...far from enough...the doctor said...if we can't pay by tomorrow...Bang Geng's leg...will..."

"I know! I know Sister Qin!" Sha Zhu scratched his head anxiously, then gritted his teeth, "Don't worry! I'll sell everything I own, even my blood! I'll definitely raise the money! I... I'll go find Uncle Yi! Uncle Yi will definitely have a way!" He remembered the meaningful look in Yi Zhonghai's eyes when he left.

A faint glimmer of hope ignited in Qin Huairu's eyes, and she nodded vigorously.

Sha Zhu turned and rushed out of the Jia family's house, heading straight for Yi Zhonghai's house.