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

An indescribable bitterness and immense sense of loss, like a cold tide, instantly overwhelmed Yi Zhonghai.

The feigned calm on his face shattered completely, leaving only an undisguised dejection and deep resentment.

He silently hid the radio behind his back, as if that would hide his utterly crushed and almost nonexistent dignity.

This precious device, which once granted him "information privileges," now only felt incredibly glaring and embarrassing to him.

Uncle Yan Bugui circled the television twice, so excited he was incoherent:

"Support Korea! Support Korea! Great! Excellent! This is the first of its kind in our department! The first of its kind! It brings honor to our family! It makes our courtyard director proud!"

"Brother Yuanchao, you're... amazing!"

Yan Jiecheng gave a thumbs-up, his face filled with undisguised admiration.

In that era, being able to acquire a television set through one's own abilities was no less impressive than a young person in their early twenties driving a Porsche 911! It wasn't just about money; it was a symbol of ability and extraordinary connections!

Yan Jiefang rubbed his hands together excitedly: "Brother Yuanchao, if there's any heavy work to be done in the future, just let me know! I'll be there whenever you call!"

Being able to connect with such a capable person and even get to watch TV on TV is an incredible blessing!

Xu Damao stood on the outskirts of the crowd, looking at the brand-new television set, then at He Yuanchao who was being fawned over. He felt a mix of emotions, a bittersweet mix of jealousy and resentment.

He considered himself the "capable person" in the courtyard house.

He's good at getting things done and making extra money, but compared to He Yuanchao's methods, his little tricks and schemes are simply laughable.

Since He Yuanchao rose to prominence, Xu Damao's presence in the courtyard has become increasingly insignificant, his limelight completely stolen! He curled his lip, suppressing the jealousy in his heart, his eyes flickering uncertainly.

"Thank you, Uncle San, for getting it done. We're free now."

'

He Yuanchao responded indifferently to the Yan family's enthusiasm and flattery. He turned and went into the house, quickly bringing out several bottles labeled "Beibingyang" from the inner room.

The bottle of soda had a metal cap and the bottle was sealed with a metal cap. Fine, cool water droplets were still condensed on the bottle.

"It's hot, let's quench our thirst."

'

He Yuanchao casually handed over three bottles.

Upon receiving the cool glass bottle, Yan Bugui and his two sons were overjoyed! Arctic Ocean soda! This was a rare treat; they only bought a bottle to try during holidays and special occasions!

"Oh dear! This...this is so kind of you!"

Yan Bugui verbally declined, but his hand gripped the bottle tightly, as if afraid that He Yuanchao would change his mind.

"Thank you, brother who aided North Korea!"

Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang didn't stand on ceremony; they happily accepted the bottle and eagerly used their teeth to open the caps.

"Sizzle—"

The soft sound of the gas bursting out, accompanied by a rich, refreshing orange scent, instantly filled the air.

The three of them tilted their heads back and took a big gulp. The cool, sweet liquid slid down their throats, dispelling the heat from moving the boxes and bringing an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Sipping Arctic Ocean soda beside the brand-new television, the Yan father and son felt as if their lives were bathed in golden light! Yan Bugui was even more moved, slapping his thigh: "Yuanchao, you... are beyond words! Generous! Benevolent! One of a kind in the whole compound! Old Yi... cough, compared to you, some people are like fireflies vying for the moon's light!"

This blatant flattery and contrast made Yi Zhonghai, who was listening intently from behind, turn even darker.

The Yan father and son left satisfied, turning back every few steps, reluctant to part with the television set.

Yan Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang tilted their heads back and gulped down their soda, letting out a satisfying "Ha!"

The sound was particularly clear in the gradually quieting courtyard.

This scene was witnessed without a single detail by Bang Geng, who was peeping from behind his own door curtain.

That bright orange-yellow liquid, that sizzling sound...

The bubbling sound, the intoxicated expressions on the faces of the Yan brothers as they tilted their heads back and drank... were like red-hot hooks, fiercely hooking into the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys of the glutton!

"Wow--!!!"

Just as Jia Zhangshi had managed to calm him down, Banggeng suddenly erupted into an even more piercing and aggrieved wail. Pointing outside, his little face flushed red, tears and snot streaming down his face, he cried out, "Soda! Arctic Ocean soda! I want soda! I want some too! Why do they have it but I don't! I want some too! Grandma! I want soda! Right now! Waaaaaah—!"

He cried and screamed, rolling around on the ground like a fish out of water, rubbing his already tattered cotton-padded coat until it was covered in dust.

His antics also whetted the appetites of Xiao Dang and Huaihua, who were watching timidly nearby.

Little Dang pouted and began to sob softly, "Mom... soda... it's sweet... Little Dang wants some too..."

Huaihua, being even younger, cried along with her older siblings.

With a thud, they joined the chorus.

The small Jia family home was instantly filled with the heart-wrenching cries of three children, so loud it gave everyone a headache.

Qin Huairu was so annoyed by the piercing sound that her temples throbbed.

Looking at her son rolling around on the ground in a fit of rage, and then at her two daughters staring at her with tears streaming down their faces, a wave of exhaustion and helplessness washed over her.

She subconsciously glanced again at He Yuanchao's tightly closed door, as if she could see through the door the brand-new television set and the cold soda on the table.

The venom of regret gnawed at her heart once more.

"Cry! What are you crying for! A bunch of debt collectors!"

Jia Zhangshi was furious at the noise, her triangular eyes glaring fiercely at Qin Huairu.

"It's all your fault for being useless! You can't even get a bottle of soda! Look at He Yuanchao! Look at Yan Laoxi! Even the bits of soda that leak from between their fingers are better than ours!"

You jinx! You killed Dongxu and dragged my precious grandson down with you! How dare you stand here? Go and think of a solution!

"Go ahead and beg, steal or rob! Get my grandson a bottle of soda! Don't come back if you can't!"

These unreasonable, arrogant, and malicious accusations were like cold knives, stabbing Qin Huairu's already wounded heart again and again.

She trembled all over, her face was deathly pale, her lips quivered, and her nails dug deep into her palms, leaving several bloody marks.

Tears finally broke free and streamed down my face.

She turned abruptly and rushed into the inner room, collapsing onto the cold edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), suppressing her sobs as her shoulders heaved violently.

This house is a veritable den of monsters that devour people!

As night deepened, the lights in each household of the courtyard house lit up one after another.

In He Yuanchao's side room, however, the scene was quite different.

The brand-new 14-inch Peony brand television was placed on the only long table against the wall, with the telescopic antenna carefully pulled out and adjusted.

As He Yuanchao turned the knob, a slight hum of electricity was heard, and then flashing static appeared on the screen.

He patiently fine-tuned the channel knob and antenna angle.

Sizzle... sizzle...

Finally, the snowflakes gradually stabilized and disappeared, and a clear picture bearing the mark of the times appeared on the screen!

It's a news briefing!

The announcer's clear, powerful voice came through the small speaker on the television set!

"...Our working class, carrying forward the spirit of hard work and struggle, achieved a major breakthrough on the oil front... Daqing..."

Although the image is black and white, the characters' movements have slight flickering and ghosting, and the announcer's voice has a slight hum unique to vacuum tubes, this does not diminish its magic at all!

At the same time, a rich, mouthwatering aroma of meat wafted domineeringly from the small honeycomb briquette stove at the door of He Yuanchao's house!

In the small iron pot, chunks of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat were being stir-fried, sizzling and releasing the aroma of caramelized fat mixed with the rich scents of soy sauce, scallions, and ginger, relentlessly invading every inch of the courtyard!

The aroma of meat! The sound of the television!

When these two things are combined, in this era of extreme material scarcity, in this small courtyard, they create an unparalleled, almost luxurious shockwave!

He Yuanchao sat on a small stool next to the long table, with a plate of freshly cooked, glistening, tempting braised pork, a small dish of bright green stir-fried vegetables, and a bowl of steaming white rice in front of him.

He picked up a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda that he had just pried open with a screwdriver; the orange-yellow liquid was bubbling merrily in the glass bottle.

He took a leisurely sip, the cool and sweet sensation rushing to his head, then picked up a trembling piece of braised pork covered in sauce and put it in his mouth.

It's fatty but not greasy, melts in your mouth, and is bursting with meaty aroma!

My eyes were glued to the news footage of our nation's development, my ears were filled with the powerful voice of the news anchor, and my mouth was savoring the rich aroma of braised pork and the refreshing taste of Arctic Ocean soda…

The sense of satisfaction at this moment is a top-level enjoyment that no one else in the courtyard could even dream of!

The curtain was carefully lifted a crack, and the Yan brothers, Jiecheng and Jiefang, peeked in, their faces plastered with ingratiating smiles.

"Brother Yuanchao... um... the news... has started, right? Can we... come in and take a look? Just a look! We promise we won't make a sound!"

"Come in, sit on the edge of the kang (heated brick bed)."

He Yuanchao didn't even look up, just casually pointed.

The two brothers, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, tiptoed in and sat properly on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), their eyes fixed on the magical screen that flickered with black and white images, even their breathing becoming soft.

They may not understand everything the news is saying, but just being able to sit here and watch this amazing "theater box" is something else entirely.

The enticing aroma of the meat and the announcer's voice were enough to excite them! This feeling was even better than celebrating the New Year!

The sound of the news broadcast, the announcer's powerful tone, the rich aroma of braised pork, the soft sound of a bottle of Arctic Ocean soda being opened, and the suppressed, excited gasps of the Yan brothers...

All of this mixed together, and through the not-so-soundproof doors and windows, it clearly reached the quiet courtyard.

Easy home.

Yi Zhonghai sat silently in his old wicker chair, his dinner laid out on the table in front of him.

A bowl of cornmeal porridge so thin you could see your reflection in it, and a plate of dark, pickled vegetable dumplings.

He clutched the old "Red Star" brand radio tightly in his hand, turning the knob to the maximum volume.

"...This is a local news report...Spring plowing is progressing smoothly in Hongxing Commune on the outskirts of Beijing..."

The local radio announcer's hoarse voice rang out, trying to drown out the sounds of the new era coming from next door.

But the announcer's voice coming from the television was clearer, deeper, and more "sophisticated."

And the faint news background music, like an invisible mockery, easily pierced through the radio noise and entered his ears.

Yi Zhonghai's face was ashen, and the veins on the back of his hand, which was gripping the radio, bulged.

He abruptly raised his hand and rudely slammed the radio off!

The world instantly became half quiet, with only the sound of the television next door and the aroma of meat surging in even more unrestrainedly.

He picked up the bowl of thin porridge, brought it to his lips, and stared intently at the wall with his cloudy eyes, as if trying to see through the bricks and stones to the glaring scene next door.

The porridge tasted even more bitter than bitter melon.

The backyard, Liu Haizhong's house.

Uncle Liu Haizhong was munching on a steamed bun made from two kinds of flour, with a plate of stir-fried cabbage stalks in front of him.

He also heard the noise in the front yard; the sound of the television tickled his heart like cat claws.

He took a big bite of the steamed bun and complained to his wife with a sour tone:

"Hmph! Young people! They don't know anything about hard work and frugality! They spend their money like crazy! They want TVs, meat, and soft drinks!"

"What kind of talk is this? In the past, this would have been typical bourgeois hedonism! They're getting too cocky! What a waste! Such a waste!"

He was spitting as he spoke, as if he were criticizing some heinous crime.

The second aunt pursed her lips, didn't reply, but just craned her neck and took a deep breath of the faint yet irresistible aroma of meat in the air.

He swallowed hard and looked down at the cabbage stalks in his bowl, which had barely a drop of oil left.

He cursed inwardly: "That old bastard! He can't even get it himself, all he does is be envious and spout sour words!"

The kitchen of a steel rolling mill.

After finishing the last bit of work, Sha Zhu carefully wrapped up the two best-looking white steamed buns that the canteen chefs had left over, as well as a small portion of stir-fried cabbage with minced meat that was still quite oily.

This was reserved for Sister Qin's child.

The thought of cornbread munching on cornbread made him feel uneasy.

He dragged his weary body back to the courtyard house. Just as he entered the central courtyard...

The sounds of crying and commotion emanating from Jia's house, along with the television and faint laughter coming from He Yuanchao's house next door, made him frown deeply.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his agitation, forced a smile, and lifted the curtain at the Jia family's door to go inside.

"Banggeng, Xiaodang, Huaihua! Look what delicious treats Uncle Zhuzi brought you!"

Sha Zhu opened the oil paper package like he was showing off a treasure, revealing snow-white steamed buns and glistening minced meat and cabbage inside.

Normally, the stalker would have pounced on him long ago.

But today, he merely glanced at it with his red, tear-filled eyes, his little mouth pursed, his face showing undisguised disdain:

"This junk again! It's either cornbread or cabbage scraps every day! Even pigs wouldn't eat that!"

He turned his head, pointed at the wall, and said in a tearful and accusatory voice, "Uncle Shazhu! Look at them! They have TV to watch! They have meat to eat!"

There was even Arctic Ocean soda to drink! Iced! Bubbly! So sweet! And you? All you ever bring back is this pig slop! You can't even get a bottle of soda! You're utterly useless!

"Exactly! Uncle Zhu is useless!"

Xiao Dang muttered something under his breath, his eyes still glancing at the oil paper package, but he was clearly influenced by his brother's words and suddenly found the "delicious food" no longer appealing.

The locust flower seemed confused, but it also pouted.