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

He felt a warm, powerful sensation in his chest! "Don't mention it! Sister Qin, you're too kind!"

Sha Zhu waved his hand dismissively, exuding an air of magnanimity, "We're like brothers! Don't worry, the Bang Geng incident is over! From now on, with me, Sha Zhu, around, let's see who dares to bully you orphans and widows!"

He took a step closer, lowered his voice, and his eyes turned fierce: "And there's that scoundrel He Yuanchao!"

Don't be fooled by how energetic he is today!

You caused your mother-in-law to get arrested, you scared Bang Geng, and you even tried to extort money from me!

This isn't over yet!

Just you wait and see!

I, Shazhu, have plenty of ways to deal with him! He'll regret it sooner or later! I'll avenge you and Banggeng!

Qin Huairu felt a slight tremor in her heart as she listened to Sha Zhu's vicious words. She was a little scared, but she felt a twisted sense of pleasure and relief.

With the common "enemy" of Korea in sight, the lifeline of Sha-ju seems to be grasped even more firmly.

She lowered her head, concealing the complex emotions in her eyes, and softly hummed in agreement.

The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire Nanluoguxiang in a warm orange-red hue.

He Yuanchao rode the Forever 28-inch bicycle that Sha Zhu had "carefully maintained" and turned briskly into the alley.

On the back seat of the car, a square cardboard box of considerable size was firmly tied together with several sturdy hemp ropes!

The cardboard box was plain kraft paper with no fancy patterns, except for two lines of small black text printed on the side: "Precision instrument, handle with care" and "Supervised by Capital Radio Manufacturing Plant".

There are no other markings.

The box was tightly sealed, and you couldn't tell what was inside from the outside.

But that doesn't stop it from being the most eye-catching presence in the entire alley!

These days, being able to carry such a large box home on a bicycle represents a kind of strength and mystery.

What's more, the one carrying it is He Yuanchao, who just turned the courtyard upside down last night and made the old man Yi Zhonghai lose face!

As soon as the car stopped at the gate of the courtyard house, the neighbors who were about to enter the house or had just returned from get off work all focused their attention on the mysterious big box!

"Hey! You're back from Korea? What... what precious thing are you carrying?"

Uncle Yan Bugui had just returned with his dilapidated bicycle, which rattled everywhere except for the broken bell. He was the first to approach, adjusting his glasses.

Behind the glasses, his small eyes gleamed with boundless curiosity as he circled the box, as if he wanted to press his face against it to see what was inside.

"It looks...like a box? It's so big?"

Xu Damao had just entered, arms crossed, giving He Yuanchao a sour look as he sized him up. "He Yuanchao, what good stuff have you gotten your hands on this time? It wouldn't happen... a sewing machine, would it?"

He deliberately raised his voice in an attempt to attract more attention.

"A sewing machine? It doesn't look like one..."

A neighbor muttered something under his breath.

He Yushui also came home from school. When she saw the large box on the back of He Yuanchao's car, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes.

But thinking of her brother's troubles, she immediately put on a stern face, sullenly walked into the yard.

Yi Zhonghai, his back hunched, silently walked past without even lifting his eyelids, as if he hadn't seen anything.

But his tightly pursed lips and quickened pace betrayed his inner turmoil.

As Uncle Yan Bugui's fingertips traced the edge of the cardboard box, he suddenly flinched as if he'd been electrocuted.

He suddenly leaned closer, his nose almost touching a faint, inconspicuous printed character on the side of the box, trying to make out the details.

A few seconds later, he hissed and gasped, sitting bolt upright with a look of utter shock, his voice cracking and piercing through the murmurs of the room.

"Peony brand! It's...it's a TV! A 14-inch one! My God! He Yuanchao! You...you bought a TV?!"

"TV set?!"

These three words were like three heavy bombs, crashing heavily onto the cement ground at the entrance of the courtyard house!

boom!

After a brief, suffocating silence, the crowd erupted in chaos!

"A television?! Really?!"

"My goodness! This...this is a television set! You probably can't find more than a few in the entire Nanluoguxiang area!"

"Peony brand! From the Capital Radio Factory! How much does this cost? And you need a receipt! My goodness!"

"He Yuanchao has really struck it rich!"

Envy, amazement, disbelief, and naked jealousy filled countless gazes upon He Yuanchao and the mysterious box, almost setting the box ablaze.

The air at the entrance of the courtyard house seemed to boil over by this sudden news.

He Yuanchao's expression was calm, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible amusement.

He reached out and untied the ropes, his movements unhurried and deliberate.

"Third Uncle has a good eye."

He spoke so casually, as if he were saying the weather was nice today, "Just got it back, haven't had time to take it down yet."

"Support Korea! Support Korea! Let us handle this!"

Yan Bugui's voice trembled with excitement, and his face broke into a wide grin, as if the television set belonged to him.

He suddenly roared into the hanging flower gate, "Jiecheng! Jiefang! Get out here now! Where have you been?! Hurry up! Help He Yuanchao move his things! Be careful! This is a gold nugget!"

Before the words were even finished, the Yan brothers, Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, darted out of the yard like monkeys, their faces also filled with disbelief, excitement, and curiosity.

"Dad! Is it really a TV?"

"Brothers who came to aid North Korea! We're coming! We're coming!"

The two brothers rubbed their hands together, eager to try, their eyes fixed on the large box with more fervor than when they were looking at a new bride.

"Okay, be careful not to bump into anything."

He Yuanchao nodded and did not refuse.

He stepped aside, and the three members of the Yan family immediately surrounded him, their demeanor even more respectful than if they were holding an imperial edict.

"Slow down, slow down! Lower your head! Lower it further! Keep your back steady!"

Yan Bugui was giving tense instructions, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Dad, I know, I know! Do I even need to say it?"

Yan Jiecheng carefully held the corner of the box, his hands trembling.

"Hold on tight, Liberation! Don't sway!"

Yan Bugui, still worried, gave his youngest son another instruction.

The three of them held their breath and used all their strength, as if carrying a fragile glass tower, moving step by step, very slowly and solemnly, to move the large cardboard box that carried the dreams of everyone in the courtyard into the hanging flower gate, and towards He Yuanchao's small side room in the middle courtyard.

The crowd of onlookers surged in, eager to be the first to see this rare object.

The entire courtyard was instantly enveloped in an atmosphere of immense shock and intense longing.

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

The window was suddenly pushed open a crack.

Jia Zhangshi's swollen, sallow old face was squeezed behind the window crack, her triangular eyes shooting out a greedy and resentful light like a hungry wolf, staring intently at the cardboard box outside surrounded by a crowd.

Her withered lips trembled nervously, her teeth chattered, and she forced out a hoarse, vicious curse from deep within her throat:

"Pah! You worthless piece of trash! You lucky bastard! Show off! Show off all you want! Watch out, or you'll get struck by lightning! I'll turn your broken box into charcoal!"

Buying a TV? You'd be better off buying a coffin! You selfish, rotten-bellied wretch! You deserve a terrible death! You're destined to be childless and without descendants! You deserve it…”

Banggeng was squatting on the doorstep, holding a hard cornbread, taking bites here and there, his face long.

Hearing his grandmother's curses and the shouts of "TV! TV!" from outside, he suddenly looked up.

"TV set?"

Banggeng's eyes widened instantly, and he forgot to swallow the cornbread crumbs in his mouth, drool uncontrollably dripping down the corners of his mouth.

He jumped up and slammed the cornbread he was holding onto the ground with a loud thud.

Then a deafening wail erupted, sharp and piercing, filled with resentment and anger:

"Wow—! Why?! Why does he get to watch TV?! I want to watch TV too! I want to watch TV! Grandma! I want to watch TV! Go get me one! Right now! Waaaaaah—!"

He cried and screamed while frantically stomping his feet, his dirty shoe soles crushing the steamed buns on the ground into a pulp.

Qin Huairu had just put the porridge on the table and hadn't even had a chance to call the little one to eat when Bang Geng's sudden tantrum and the deafening noise outside made her feel flustered.

She walked quickly to the door and immediately saw the three members of the Yan family, father and sons, carefully carrying the large cardboard box toward He Yuanchao's side room.

The words "Peony Brand" and "14 inches" on the box were like a red-hot branding iron, burning fiercely onto her retina and even more so into her heart.

An indescribable bitterness and sharp regret, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around her heart, tightening more and more until she could barely breathe.

She gripped the door frame so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and her nails dug deeply into the wood.

Television... Arctic Ocean soda... days with meat at every meal...

If only... if only she had chosen He Yuanchao...

This thought, like a poisoned needle, pierced the deepest part of her mind.

When they first met, He Yuanchao was a quiet, ordinary fitter wearing faded work clothes. He was nothing like the confident, upright, and generous man he is now.

Qin Huairu, at that time, was young and beautiful, the most beautiful girl in the alley. She looked down on him for being "honest and simple" and "having no background".

Although Jia Dongxu's family wasn't wealthy, he had a father who was an eighth-grade worker (though he later died), and he was also good at sweet-talking and flattering people...

One wrong step, one wrong step!

Now, Jia Dongxu is paralyzed in bed and has become a burden; his mother-in-law is mean and vicious, and is also an instigator who has been to the police station before.

The son, Banggeng, was spoiled rotten and became lawless, stealing chickens and dogs.

You have to work yourself to the bone and endure all kinds of scorn just to barely make ends meet.

Then look at He Yuanchao. He's single and has no family to worry about. He's a fifth-grade worker with a decent salary, and now he's even brought back a TV! How glamorous must that be?

The stark contrast was like a dull knife, repeatedly tearing at Qin Huairu's nerves.

As she watched the box being carried into the side room, her vision blurred, and her heart felt as bitter as if she had swallowed a whole jar of bitter herbs.

Intestines? I've regretted it for ages! Not just green, it's downright dark green!

"Cry! What are you crying for! You jinx!"

Annoyed by the wailing of the boy, Jia Zhangshi glared at Qin Huairu with her triangular eyes and turned fiercely towards her.

"It's all because of you, you useless piece of trash! If you had any foresight or resources back then, and had been able to keep that childless heir under control, wouldn't we, the Jia family, be enjoying this television and this good life now?! You good-for-nothing! You can't even hold onto a man!"

What a waste of your face! You've made it so my precious grandson can't even watch TV! And you still have the nerve to stand here? Hurry up and find something nice to make my grandson feel better! You useless thing!

This barrage of sarcastic and unreasonable insults was like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Qin Huairu swayed, her face ashen, her lips trembling, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she bit her lower lip hard, trying her best to hold them back.

The bitterness in my heart had already overflowed.

The doorway to He Yuanchao's side room.

The three members of the Yan family finally escorted the "sacred object" box safely to its destination.

The three of them were exhausted, but their faces were flushed with excitement.

The entrance was surrounded by layers of people, all craning their necks and watching eagerly.

"Aid Korea, open...open the box?"

Yan Bugui rubbed his hands together, his voice trembling with excitement, as if he were requesting permission for a sacred ceremony.

He Yuanchao nodded and took a sharp knife out of his pocket.

Everyone held their breath.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the seals and tape on the cardboard box, making a soft, sizzling sound, yet it felt like a heavy hammer blow to everyone's heart.

Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, one on each side, carefully helped He Yuanchao peel off the outer cardboard.

As the last layer of protective foam was gently removed—

hum!

A suppressed gasp erupted from the crowd!

A brand-new machine, with a calm, black sheen, quietly appeared before everyone's eyes!

The square wooden shell is polished to a smooth, glossy finish, exuding a unique, heavy industrial aesthetic characteristic of this era.

In the very center is a slightly concave 14-inch square screen covered with a protective film.

Below, a row of gleaming silver metal knobs are neatly arranged, with the "Peony" trademark and the words "Capital Radio Manufacturing Plant" clearly printed next to them.

At the top, a gleaming, retractable telescopic antenna points straight towards the roof.

This is a television! The ultimate luxury item that countless families dream of in this era! It stands there quietly, silently exuding a captivating technological charm and symbolizing wealth.

"It's...it's so beautiful!"

Yan Jiecheng murmured, his eyes wide open.

"My goodness...this is newer and brighter than the samples displayed in the supply and marketing cooperative's shop window!"

A neighbor rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"How much...how much will this cost..."

Another voice was filled with awe and disbelief.

Envious gazes, like tangible rays, focused on the brand-new Peony brand television set, almost melting it.

Yi Zhonghai had somehow squeezed into the back of the crowd.

He stared intently at the brand-new television set, then looked down at the old "Red Star" brand television he clutched tightly in his hand, which he treasured like a precious gem.

radio.

In the past, this radio, which could play news and storytelling, was his reliance and pride as an "old man" and as a "well-informed person" in the courtyard.

If any of the neighbors wanted to hear about national affairs or the weather forecast, they would all eagerly gather at his doorstep.

But now, standing before that television set, gleaming with a metallic sheen and possessing a magical screen, the "Red Star" brand television he once held in his hands...

It instantly turned dusty and tattered! Like an outdated, pitiful old relic!