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

Sha Zhu pointed at He Yuanchao's bicycle, spitting as he spoke:

"That's right! I'm the one who pulled it out!"

I don't like the way that car is parked there!

What's wrong? You can't do it? He Yuanchao, weren't you so great? Yesterday you made an old man pay money and apologize, and made Aunt Jia get arrested. You're so proud of yourself, aren't you? I'm just not happy about it!

I just wanted to annoy you a little!

So what if I pulled out your valve stems? I did! I admit it! What can you do to me?

His sophistry and unreasonable arguments, making his personal grudges sound so righteous, made many people frown.

But given Sha Zhu's reputation as a simpleton, no one was particularly surprised.

Liu Haizhong finally realized what was happening, and he immediately sought "justice."

The starting point was a stern, bureaucratic reprimand:

"Silly Zhu! This is outrageous! You're blatantly damaging other people's property!"

This is a serious mistake!

This must be dealt with seriously!

"Tell me, how should we compensate Comrade He Yuanchao for his losses?"

Sha Zhu, with his neck stiffened, glanced sideways at He Yuanchao, looking like he was saying, "I'm rich!"

"Compensate? Fine! How much do you want? I can afford it! It's just two valve cores, right? I'll give you twenty!"

Looking at Sha Zhu's nonchalant attitude, He Yuanchao smiled coldly and held up two fingers:

"Twenty? No need. Two will suffice. But..."

He deliberately drew out his words, and under Sha Zhu's questioning gaze, he clearly said:

"The valve core is worthless; what's valuable is my time, my emotional distress, and your courage to 'take responsibility for your actions,' you silly Zhu."

Two pieces! If it's one cent less, we'll do it the way I said before.

Two pieces?!

Sha Zhu's eyes almost popped out of their sockets!

He thought he'd only lose a few cents at most!

Two yuan? That's enough for his food expenses for more than half a month!

Two pieces?! He Yuanchao!

Are you fucking robbing me? You think you can just put gold trim on a cheap valve stem?

Sha Zhu instantly bristled and pointed at He Yuanchao's nose, ready to curse.

"Too expensive?"

He Yuanchao's eyes suddenly turned cold, like a frozen pool. "Then don't admit it."

Uncle, I think we should call the police.

Let the police investigate and find out who pulled it out, so that no one can take the blame and cause confusion.

As he spoke, he made a move to walk out.

"No! Don't call the police!"

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu cried out almost simultaneously!

Sha Zhu was afraid that the police would actually find out he was a bastard, and Sister Qin was even more desperate.

Qin Huairu, on the other hand, was simply terrified.

When Liu Haizhong saw that He Yuanchao was about to leave, he also became anxious.

If the police were called, wouldn't his newly launched "Second Uncle's Debut Show" be ruined? He immediately turned stern and yelled at Sha Zhu:

"Silly Zhu! Since you admitted it, you have to accept the punishment! Two yuan it is!"

Damaging public property and disturbing order will only get you a 2 yuan fine!

Hurry up and pay up! Don't waste everyone's time!

Sha Zhu was so angry that his face turned ashen, his chest heaving violently. He looked at He Yuanchao's cold, mocking eyes, and then at Liu Haizhong's "upholding the law impartially" expression.

His gaze swept over Qin Huairu's pleading and desperate eyes at the back of the crowd, revealing his true colors...

"Fine! Fine! Two pieces! I give up! Consider it dog food!"

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth, practically squeezing out those words from between his teeth.

He pulled out the worn-out handkerchief pouch from his inner pocket again, counted out two brand-new one-yuan bills with trembling hands, and slammed them hard on the octagonal table in Liu Haizhong's arms with great resentment and heartache!

"Snapped!"

Two green "one yuan" banknotes lay quietly on the worn-out table, their presence particularly jarring.

He Yuanchao didn't even look at the money, his gaze still fixed on Sha Zhu's face, and slowly added, "The money's gone, but the matter isn't over yet."

My car won't move right now.

Whoever pulled out the valve stem is responsible for inflating it to full.

Remember to beat it thoroughly and evenly.

If your tire gets bumped or dented because you didn't inflate it properly, or if it gets flat on the road...

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "I'll still come looking for you. And by then, it won't be just two pieces."

"He Yuanchao! Don't you dare push your luck!"

Sha Zhu was so angry that he trembled all over, his fists clenched so tightly that they cracked, and he wished he could pounce on He Yuanchao and smash his face to pieces!

"What? You don't want to?"

He Yuanchao raised an eyebrow, his eyes defiant, "If you don't want to, fine, I'll do it myself."

But what's with the top half of the cylinder? Maybe we should…”

"I'll hit you! I'll hit you, okay?!"

Sha Zhu almost roared as he interrupted He Yuanchao.

The word "call the police" was like a tight band around his neck, firmly binding him.

He was so frustrated he almost vomited blood, but he could only swallow it down!

He deeply regretted ever jumping out!

Under the varied gazes of the people in the courtyard—some gloating, some disdainful, some sympathetic—

Most people were watching the fool. Sha Zhu looked like a prisoner being escorted, his belly full of resentment, as he walked heavily toward the bicycle with a flat tire in the corner.

He roughly found the air pump at the door of the back house in his front yard, and rudely shoved the nozzle into the valve stem hole. Although the valve stem was gone, the copper nozzle was still there. Then, he used all his strength to pump air frantically and vent his frustration!

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

The sound of the air pump piston violently beating was like the angry pounding of Sha Zhu's heart at that moment.

He stared intently at the tire that was gradually bulging, his eyes fierce, as if it were not a tire, but He Yuanchao's hateful face!

He's going to smash that face to pieces!

He Yuanchao crossed his arms and coldly watched Sha Zhu's venting actions until both the front and rear tires became full and stiff.

He walked over, reached out and squeezed the air pressure to check it, and confirmed that there was no problem.

"Alright."

He Yuanchao said it casually, as if he were dismissing a choresman who had finished his work.

Sha Zhu abruptly stopped moving, panting heavily, sweat streaming down his forehead, his eyes glaring at He Yuanchao with deep-seated resentment.

He Yuanchao stopped looking at him, picked up his canvas satchel, walked to the bicycle, and casually straddled it.

He casually nodded to Liu Haizhong, who was still trying to maintain his official demeanor: "Second Uncle, thank you for your hard work. You handled this matter quite well."

His tone was so flat, as if he were commenting on something trivial.

After saying that, he pushed off with his foot, and the brand-new Forever 28-inch motorcycle carrying him sped out of the courtyard gate amidst the crisp sound of bells, leaving behind the complex and varied gazes in the courtyard and Sha Zhu's almost fiery and venomous eyes.

Hearing He Yuanchao say "It was handled alright," Liu Haizhong felt as sweet as if he had drunk honey!

Although Sha Zhu didn't receive any of the compensation money, it was still an "achievement" personally acknowledged by He Yuanchao.

Ah!

He straightened his back, cleared his throat, and, addressing the still-gathering crowd, made a concerted effort to deliver his concluding remarks:

"Ahem! Everyone has seen it! The saboteud, Sha Zhu, has realized his mistake and compensated for the losses!"

This fully demonstrates that with the timely intervention and fair handling by our magistrate, any unhealthy tendencies will be nipped in the bud!

It is hoped that some comrades will take this as a warning and not make similar mistakes again!

Alright, meeting adjourned! Time to go to work or school!

He waved his hand, feeling taller than ever before.

The crowd dispersed, buzzing with discussion.

Yi Zhonghai, head down, as if avoiding a plague, was the first to quickly slip home.

Xu Damao chuckled as he watched Sha Zhu's discomfiture, humming a little tune as he walked away.

Qin Huairu looked at Sha Zhu, who was standing there dejectedly, covered in sweat. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions: gratitude, guilt, but mostly a sense of relief and exhaustion.

She moved her lips, wanting to go forward and say something, but seeing Sha Zhu's fierce and unapproachable appearance, she ultimately didn't dare to go over and silently turned around and went home.

He Yushui stood in the corner, watching everything with a cold eye.

Seeing Sha Zhu being publicly mocked and humiliated by He Yuanchao, and then being encouraged like a dog, she felt no sympathy, only burning anger and extreme disappointment in her brother's stupidity!

She couldn't hold back any longer. She rushed to Sha Zhu and, before he could react, shoved him hard with all her might!

"Idiot Zhu! You big idiot! Is your brain filled with shit?!"

He Yushui's voice was shrill and piercing, filled with sobs and boundless rage.

"What kind of bewitching potion did Qin Huairu give you?! Yesterday it was a hundred yuan! Today it's two yuan! And you're still acting like a grandson, cheering her on!"

Don't you know what kind of person her son, Bang Geng, is? You're framing him for stealing chickens!

He pulled the valve stem! He's a thief! A scoundrel! And you! You're just offering yourself up as a scapegoat!

What are you after? Do you want her to call you "Brother Pillar"? Do you want her to give you leftovers? Or do you want her to treat you like a fool?!

Sha Zhu was pushed by his sister and stumbled. He was already seething with anger, and now that He Yushui was publicly scolding him, he was even more furious and embarrassed!

"He Yushui! Shut the hell up! My business is none of your concern!"

Sha Zhu suddenly raised his large, fan-like hand, as if to strike, "If you keep talking nonsense, believe me, I'll slap you!"

"Go ahead and hit me! Hit me then!"

Instead of backing down, He Yushui straightened her back and met the attack head-on, tears streaming down her face, her voice hoarse and desperate.

"You'd even beat your own sister for a widow? You idiot! You're hopeless! Let me tell you, from now on, I don't have you as my brother!"

You can be Qin Huairu's lapdog if you want, and take the blame for that little thief Bang Geng if you want, whatever!

You deserve to be tricked and used as a pawn!

From now on, your affairs have absolutely nothing to do with me, He Yushui! I'm ashamed of you!

After shouting that last sentence, He Yushui wiped away her tears, not even glancing at Sha Zhu's frozen and extremely ugly face, then turned around abruptly and rushed out of the courtyard gate without looking back.

She was afraid that if she stayed any longer, she would burst into tears, or even break off all ties with her utterly foolish brother and start a fight.

Sha Zhu's hand froze in mid-air as he watched his sister's resolute departing figure and heard her words, "I don't have a brother like you."

It was like a bucket of ice water being poured over my head, instantly extinguishing most of my anger, leaving me with a sense of bewilderment and... a faint stinging pain.

He opened his mouth, wanting to call out to his sister, but his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't make a sound.

Qin Huairu's tear-streaked face seemed to become somewhat blurry at this moment.

The kitchen of a steel rolling mill is always a bustling scene filled with the smell of cooking oil.

Sha Zhu absentmindedly swung the large ladle, not even noticing that the food in the pot was almost burnt.

One moment his mind was filled with the disappointed and angry look in his younger sister He Yushui's eyes and her resolute words, and the next moment with Qin Huairu's pitiful pleas.

Then, He Yuanchao's cold, mocking face would appear again, making him feel agitated.

"Master! It's burnt!"

His apprentice, Ma Hua, was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

Sha Zhu suddenly snapped out of his daze, hurriedly lifting the pot away. Seeing the charred bottom, he became even angrier, slamming the spatula onto the stove: "Damn it! What bad luck!"

Just then, a figure flashed at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Qin Huairu walked in timidly, carrying an empty lunchbox.

Her eyes were still red, and her face showed deep exhaustion and a hint of barely perceptible shame.

"Pillar…"

Qin Huairu walked to Sha Zhu's side, her voice low and filled with deep apology.

When Sha Zhu saw Qin Huairu, the irritation and subtle pain that had risen in his heart because of He Yushui were instantly suppressed by another emotion.

He forced a smile and said, "Sister Qin, you're here? Are you hungry? I'll get you some food."

Qin Huairu shook her head and did not take the rice spoon that Sha Zhu handed her.

With her head down, she carefully took out a crumpled one-yuan bill from the pocket of her faded old work clothes and handed it to Sha Zhu.

"Zhu Zi... today... today you spent so much money again... and... and you even suffered some injustice..."

Qin Huairu's voice choked with sobs, "Sister... I'm short on money right now, for Banggeng's dad's medicine... and for the family... take this one yuan first... the rest... I'll definitely pay you back when I get my salary..."

Looking at the crumpled one-yuan note in Qin Huairu's hand, and then at her face filled with the hardships of life and guilt, Sha Zhu's displeasure over the two yuan and He Yushui instantly vanished, replaced by a strong desire to protect her and a sense of satisfaction from being needed.

"Oh dear! Sister Qin! What are you doing?"

Sha Zhu shoved Qin Huairu's hand away as she offered him money, his tone both bold and distressed, "It's just two yuan, what's the big deal? Why are you bringing this up with me? Bang Geng's dad's taking his medicine is the priority!"

Eating at home is the priority!

Keep the money! You don't need to pay it back! I, Sha Zhu, am a single person with no family to worry about, I don't need this little bit!

He patted his chest, as if the frustration of losing money and trying to boost his morale had never existed: "Besides! I'm happy to help you, Sister Qin!"

"Don't even mention two yuan, even if it's twenty or two hundred yuan, as long as Sister Qin asks, I, Sha Zhu, wouldn't be a man if I even frowned!"

Looking at Sha Zhu's "heroic" appearance and listening to his sincere words, Qin Huairu couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes again.

She took back the one yuan, looked at Sha Zhu gratefully, and said softly, "Zhu Zi...you...you're such a good person...I...I don't know how to thank you enough..."

That one word, "good person," and that one word, "sister," made Sha Zhu feel incredibly light!

The frustration from being scolded by He Yushui and the anger from being humiliated by He Yuanchao were all swept away by this huge sense of satisfaction!