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

Easy home.

Yi Zhonghai was sitting at the octagonal table, eating a plate of peanuts and sipping small sips of loose liquor, his face gloomy.

An older woman was sewing shoe soles in the inner room, clearly unaware of what was happening in the backyard, or perhaps knowing but too lazy to care.

Seeing Sha Zhu rush in so hurriedly, a glint of expected cunning flashed in Yi Zhonghai's eyes, but his face wore a heavy, worried expression: "Zhu Zi? It's so late, what's wrong?"

"Grandpa! Help!"

Sha Zhu rushed to the table, his voice trembling with tears, "We really can't raise enough money for Bang Geng's medical expenses! Sister Qin is going crazy with worry! You...you are highly respected, you know many people, and you have many connections, please think of a way! Help Bang Geng! The child can't be without legs!" With a thud, he actually knelt down before Yi Zhonghai!

Yi Zhonghai sneered inwardly, but on the surface he quickly made a gesture of helping him up: "Zhu Zi! What are you doing! Get up! How can I just stand by and do nothing about Bang Geng's matter?"

He sighed, lowered his voice, and said as if he were speaking from the heart, "Sigh, this matter... is difficult! You've seen it yourself, that kid He Yuanchao is stubborn and ruthless! It's impossible to get him to part with his money."

The Jia family's situation...sigh...well, let's see..."

He stood up, walked to the door of the inner room, glanced warily at the middle-aged woman inside, and only after confirming that she was not paying attention to the outside did he carefully open an old camphor wood chest against the wall.

At the very bottom of the box was a small cloth bag wrapped tightly in red cloth.

He opened it layer by layer, revealing a thick stack of 100-yuan bills inside!

He took out a small stack of cash, which, judging by its thickness, must have been at least seventy or eighty yuan! This was his secret stash of money, which he had saved up over the years, keeping it from an older woman, and preparing it for emergencies or for "special investments"!

Sha Zhu stared, his eyes wide with amazement!

He never expected that the old man had hidden so much money!

Yi Zhonghai counted out forty-five yuan, thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and added five more yuan, making it a total of fifty yuan.

He wrapped the thick wad of money in red cloth and said earnestly, "Here is fifty yuan, which is a considerable amount of my savings. I will personally deliver the money to Qin Huairu later."

Just leave it alone and don't make a fuss, lest the people in the yard gossip, and... lest you, an old lady, find out and start nagging."

He wore a helpless expression on his face, as if to say, "I'm doing this all for your own good."

Sha Zhu was instantly moved to tears!

Look! This is a real elder! This is true respect and virtue! A timely help in times of need! He Yuanchao, that pretty boy who only knows how to hit and curse, is nothing compared to him!

"Grandpa! I...I..." Sha Zhu stammered excitedly, "On behalf of Sister Qin and Bang Geng, thank you so much! I, Sha Zhu, will remember your great kindness for the rest of my life! If you ever need anything, even if it's a mountain of knives or a sea of ​​fire, I, Sha Zhu, will never flinch!"

Looking at Sha Zhu's tearful gratitude and his willingness to give his life for him, Yi Zhonghai felt secretly pleased.

This money was well spent! It not only got Qin Huairu under control, letting her know that the money came from him, Yi Zhonghai, and not Sha Zhu, but also completely won over Sha Zhu, this brute who was both a henchman and a backup plan for old age, while maintaining his own image of "public-spiritedness and righteousness".

As for the older woman... we'll just keep it from her.

Kill three birds with one stone!

"Alright, go back now. Remember, don't tell anyone about this, keep your mouth shut."

Yi Zhonghai nodded in satisfaction, a tired yet "compassionate" smile on his face, and waved his hand.

Sha Zhu left the Yi family, feeling excited and grateful.

Yi Zhonghai watched Sha Zhu's figure disappear into the night, walked to the window, and looked at He Yuanchao's small side room in the backyard, which was lit with a dim yellow light, with a sinister and cold gaze.

He picked up the wine glass on the table and drank the remaining spicy liquid in one gulp.

"He Yuanchao...we'll see!" The deep voice, filled with deep-seated hatred and scheming, echoed in the silent room.

The cold moonlight cast a distorted and dark shadow at Yi Zhonghai's feet through the window covered with old newspapers.

The night was deep and quiet, and all was still.

The courtyard house, like a huge, weary monster, curled up in the gray night of Beijing and fell into a deep sleep.

Only the occasional chirping of insects and the faint sound of a train whistle in the distance occasionally broke the deathly silence.

He Yuanchao lay on the hard bed in his small side room, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling covered with old newspapers.

Outside the window, the cool moonlight shone through the window frame, casting dappled and distorted shadows on the ground.

The daytime clamor, Bang Geng's miserable screams, Jia Zhangshi's curses, Yi Zhonghai's hypocrisy, Sha Zhu's disarray, the deaf old lady's scheming... all swirled in my mind like a revolving lantern.

A cold, silent smile curved his lips.

Cool!

This is the best I've ever felt!

After so many years of being humiliated, being exploited, schemed against, and trampled on by these beasts, today's series of counterattacks are like a swift knife cutting through tangled hemp, or a heavy hammer striking rotten wood, completely turning the seemingly calm but actually filthy stagnant water of the courtyard upside down!

They tore off the hypocritical masks of those beasts in human skin, revealing their true colors of greed, selfishness, and malice!

"Ding!"

Just as he was feeling exhilarated and savoring the day's many triumphs and tribulations, the cold yet familiar mechanical voice in his mind rang out precisely on time, like heavenly music:

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed a full natural day, gaining 2 fishing opportunities! Want to fish now?]

coming!

He Yuanchao's spirits lifted instantly! A burning light shone in his eyes!

This system really does settle accounts on a daily basis!

What does this mean? It means that as long as he lives, he can reap at least two benefits every day from this mysterious fishing pond of all realms! A continuous and endless stream!

This is the true foundation upon which He Yuanchao, in this difficult world of scarcity and rampant beasts, truly found his place and looked down upon everything!

"Great stuff! Really great stuff!"

He Yuanchao couldn't help but sigh softly, his heart filled with boundless anticipation for the future.

With the system at my back, what is there to worry about in the future? These chickens and dogs in the courtyard are nothing but stumbling blocks on my road to rise, and they will eventually be crushed to pieces!

"Start fishing now!"

hum!

In the sea of ​​consciousness, the mysterious fishing rod, its entire body flowing with a restrained starlight, instantly materialized! A point of silver light flashed rapidly at the tip of the rod, carrying a sharpness that could tear through the void, and it was suddenly swung forward!

The fishing line, formed of flowing silver light, was taut as a bowstring, and the peculiar hook at its end silently disappeared into the void! Visible ripples spread through the space.

Whoosh!

[Ding! Fishing successful! Caught: 1 case of Arctic Ocean soda (24 bottles)! 1 can of refined lard (5 jin)!]

He Yuanchao's eyes lit up with even more joy!

Arctic Ocean soda!

This is good stuff!

These days, even sweet soups are a luxury, let alone this authentic Arctic Ocean soda with its bubbles, refreshing sweetness, and polar bear logo!

A case of 24 bottles! In this sweltering summer, it's absolutely the ultimate thirst quencher and a status symbol! Whether you enjoy it yourself or use it to "blind" some people at a crucial moment, it's perfect!

Refined lard! 5-pound bag! This is truly a high-quality product! It's even more practical than the 100 liters of tea oil you catch during the day.

In an era when lard was rationed and each person only had a few ounces of oil per month, it was the soul of stir-frying and stewing, adding oil and moisture, and making food fragrant and tempting!

With this snow-white, delicate lard that exudes a rich, savory aroma, plus the tea oil from before, He Yuanchao has completely surpassed all the other residents of the courtyard house when it comes to "eating"!

From now on, I can put as much oil as I want in my stir-fries, making them glistening with oil and fragrant, enough to make those beasts drool!

"A great start! A very auspicious sign!"

He Yuanchao was in a great mood.

With a slight thought, the box of glass-bottled soda bearing the eye-catching "Arctic Ocean" logo and a heavy, oil-paper-sealed jar of lard, glistening with an enticing sheen, appeared silently in the system space.

"Keep fishing!"

hum!

The mysterious fishing rod was cast again! This time, the hook seemed to take a little longer to sink into the void, as if it were searching for something in the deeper waters.

Whoosh!

[Ding! Fishing successful! Caught: Skill - Master-level mouth-to-mouth resounding!]