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

Sha Zhu's despondency did not last long.

Or rather, the pressures of life didn't allow him to wallow in despair for too long.

A fermented, sour smell filled the air—the stench of leftover liquor bottles and days-old garbage. Sha Zhu, his beard unkempt, sat on the cold edge of the bed, his eyes cloudy and bloodshot, staring intently at the nearly empty rice jar in the corner.

Only a few shriveled grains of rice remained at the bottom of the jar, as if mocking his current predicament.

Losing his job at the canteen was like having his spine ripped out. That job wasn't just his only source of income; it was the foundation of his confidence, the reason "Silly Pillar" could act so arrogantly in the courtyard. Now, that confidence was gone, the money was gone, and even the people around him had fallen.

Although he always said that he only needed to eat his fill to support his family, he still understood the principle of "sitting idle and running out of resources." The feeling of being abandoned by the world was like the most biting winter wind, pouring into his dilapidated little house from all directions, and into his empty heart.

His younger sister He Yushui's resolute words still echoed in his ears: "Brother, you'd better take care of yourself!" The disappointment in her eyes was like a needle, piercing his heart.

Qin Huairu's family avoided him like the plague. The usually cheerful and talkative Jia Zhangshi now wouldn't even lift an eyelid at him, turning away as soon as she saw him. Qin Huairu would glance at him, but her eyes no longer held the dependence and tenderness of the past, only a cautious distance and wariness.

Even his once proudest act of "helping others" has now become a joke. Without the leftovers from the cafeteria, Bang Geng looks at him with undisguised contempt.

This feeling of being betrayed and abandoned by everyone made him experience for the first time what true isolation and helplessness meant.

Just as he finished the last bottle of bulk liquor in the house, his throat was burning, but his heart was ice-cold. As he looked at the empty rice jar and worried, a sudden knocking sound rang out.

"Thump, thump, thump."

The voice was neither hurried nor slow, but carried a sense of certainty.

"Who is it?" Sha Zhu shouted impatiently. Who would come looking for a homeless dog like him at this hour?

The person outside did not answer, but instead pushed the door open and entered.

The visitor was Xu Damao.

He carried a bottle of wine wrapped in oiled paper and sealed in one hand, its aroma faintly wafting out. In the other hand, he held half a gleaming roast chicken. On his face was a forced, inscrutable smile, and in his darting eyes, a calculating glint shone.

"Silly Zhu, drinking alone?" Xu Damao walked into the house as if they were old friends, seemingly oblivious to the unpleasant smell inside. He placed the wine and roast chicken on the table with a soft "bang".

The aroma of food instantly filled the small house, causing Sha Zhu's empty stomach to convulse.

"What are you doing here? To laugh at me?" Sha Zhu raised his bloodshot eyes, like a wounded beast, and looked warily at his nemesis with whom he had fought for half his life. He wanted to stand up and kick Xu Damao out, but he couldn't muster any strength.

"Oh, look at you, so formal." Xu Damao pulled up a stool, sat down casually, poured himself a glass of water, and said, "We've been rivals since we were kids, we have some minor grudges, but those are all internal contradictions among the people. Now, we have a common enemy!"

Xu Damao leaned forward slightly, close to Sha Zhu's ear, and lowered his voice, uttering three words slowly and deliberately, like a viper flicking its tongue, his eyes chillingly cold: "He—Yuan—Chao!"

These three words, like a thunderclap, exploded in Sha Zhu's dazed mind.

His pupils contracted sharply, and his previously unfocused gaze instantly sharpened as he stared intently at Xu Damao.

"I know you hate him, and I hate him too! I wish I could skin him alive!" Xu Damao's voice was full of inflammatory rhetoric. "Look at him now! An engineer! Living in the cadre dormitory! Even Professor Shen has taken him on as his last disciple! He stole your limelight, stole your status in the institute. Before, who in this institute didn't respect you, Sha Zhu? And now? Everyone's fawning over He Yuanchao!"

Xu Damao paused, observing Sha Zhu's reaction, then dropped another bombshell: "And there's more! Now, even Lou Xiao'e is almost snatched away by him! I saw them laughing and chatting as they went to the movies! Sha Zhu, aren't you feeling resentful? Can we just stand by and watch him be so smug?"

Every word he uttered was like an awl, precisely piercing Sha Zhu's most painful spot. His heavy breathing was exceptionally clear in the quiet room, and his clenched fists trembled slightly from the force of his grip.

"What can we do?" After a long pause, Sha Zhu finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth, then slumped back down, chuckling self-deprecatingly. His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against sandpaper. "In a fight, I can't beat him. In terms of brains, I'm no match for him either. He's an engineer now, a big shot, living in the cadre dormitory, even Deputy Factory Director Lou treats him like his own son. What can we do against him? Run our heads against him?"

"A direct confrontation is obviously unbeatable." A cunning glint flashed in Xu Damao's eyes, like a weasel about to steal a chicken. "We can't solve problems with our fists like you used to. To deal with someone like He Yuanchao, we need... our brains!"

He smiled mysteriously, picked up the wine bottle, and filled the chipped bowl in front of Sha Zhu with wine.

"Shazhu, do you want to find a new job? A job that's more prestigious and pays better than being a chef in the steel mill's canteen?"

Sha Zhu's breathing quickened instantly. He jerked his head up, his eyes gleaming with disbelief: "What kind of job?"

"Be a private chef for the boss!" Xu Damao said, enunciating each word clearly, his voice full of temptation. "Recently, I went to the countryside to show movies, and by chance, I met a high-ranking leader who had been sent down from the city to train at the grassroots level. This leader is high-ranking and has a deep background, but he has a particularly picky palate. He only likes authentic Beijing cuisine, especially Tan family cuisine! But the chefs around him are all just average people with mediocre skills, and they can't make it taste the same at all. So, I mentioned to the leader that there's a master chef hidden in our compound, a true disciple of a famous Tan family chef, whose skills are absolutely superb..."

"Tan Family Cuisine?!" Sha Zhu's eyes lit up instantly, as if a fire had ignited in his cloudy eyes.

This was his most treasured skill! His father had indeed worked in the kitchen of Tan Family Cuisine back then, and although he was just a handyman, he had secretly learned a lot of the essentials through his keen eye. And Sha Zhu was born to do this kind of work. Under the influence of what he saw and heard, he learned a few special skills, especially the "soup-making" skill, which he surpassed his father's.

"How about it? Interested?" Xu Damao coaxed, like a devil tempting people to ruin. "Think about it, as long as you can please this leader and make him happy, forget about a few dozen yuan a month in salary; even benefits we wouldn't dare dream of normally are just a word from you! Then, will you still need to put up with He Yuanchao's attitude? You can trample him underfoot! What's an engineer compared to him? In the leader's eyes, you're more valuable than him!"

A tremendous temptation, like an invisible hand, gripped Sha Zhu's heart tightly, almost suffocating him. Glory, money, revenge against He Yuanchao… these words swirled in his mind, reigniting his long-dormant blood.

He looked at Xu Damao, his eyes filled with struggle, longing, and the last vestige of rationality that brought him wariness.

"Why...why are you helping me? We're mortal enemies." Sha Zhu asked warily, not believing that Xu Damao would be so kind.

"Helping you is helping myself!" Xu Damao's smile instantly turned icy. He dropped his hypocritical facade, revealing his狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) true colors. "He Yuanchao is not only your enemy, but also mine! Lou Xiao'e was originally mine! He stole everything from me! I'm going to make you a pawn I planted next to the leader! I'm going to make you keep an eye on He Yuanchao for me! Whenever there's an opportunity, we'll join forces to completely bring him down and ensure he can never rise again!"

The two locked eyes, and in the dim light, they both saw a mad, reckless ruthlessness in each other's eyes.

……

A few days later, with Xu Damao's introduction, Sha Zhu shaved his beard, got a haircut, and put on a crisply starched chef's uniform before entering the small canteen of the city leader who had been transferred down from the city.

The environment here was tranquil, far more refined than the steel mill's large canteen. Sha Zhu took a deep breath; he knew this was his only chance to turn his life around.

He put in his best effort and used all his skills to prepare a table of authentic Tan family dishes.

Braised shark fin, abalone slices with oyster sauce, bird's nest soup… Although ingredients were limited and many precious items were unavailable, he adapted to the situation, using the best materials at hand to perfect the form and spirit of the dishes. Especially the seemingly simple clear soup, crystal clear yet rich and flavorful, leaving a lingering aftertaste. His ancestral skill in "simmering the broth" and his impeccable control over the heat still won over the well-traveled and discerning leader, who praised it highly.

The leader barely said a word throughout the meal. After finishing, he gently tapped the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks and said casually to his secretary, "From now on, let him do it."

With just that one sentence, Sha Zhu successfully stayed.

He became the leader's personal chef, his salary doubled, he received various subsidies every month, and his status rose accordingly.

When the news reached the courtyard, it caused another huge stir.

No one expected that Sha Zhu, who had been lying at home like a dead dog just a few days ago, and who had been considered a "useless person" by everyone, would have such a miraculous encounter and rise to the top in one step!

Uncle Liu Haizhong was so angry that he slapped his thigh repeatedly at home, even smashing an enamel teacup. The "thugs" he had painstakingly coerced and bribed had been snatched away by that opportunist Xu Damao! This made him feel that his authority had been seriously challenged.

At the dinner table, Uncle Yan Bugui, the third son, curled his lip in disdain and delivered his deeply ingrained, calculating lecture to his sons: "See? Being a cook for a leader is basically just being a servant. It's nothing compared to being an engineer like He Yuanchao or a student of Professor Shen. That's called social status! From now on, you should learn from He Yuanchao, not Sha Zhu, understand?"

Upon hearing the news, Qin Huairu's hand, which was sewing shoe soles, suddenly stopped, and the needle pricked her finger deeply. She felt no pain, but rather a complex mix of emotions, like a spice shop had been overturned.

A faint glimmer of hope quietly rekindled in her heart, which had long been deadened by the weight of life.

Sha Zhu... is back on his feet? And he seems to be even more successful than before?

Will he... still help me like before?

Once the thought took hold, she couldn't suppress it any longer. She began to intentionally or unintentionally appear in the central courtyard corridor that Sha Zhu always passed when he returned to the hospital after work. She would be carrying freshly washed clothes or a basin of water, her face showing just the right amount of haggardness and fragility, glancing at him with a mournful look in her eyes, and then quickly lowering her head again.

At first, Sha Zhu ignored her and walked past her without looking at her, creating a gust of wind.

But Qin Huairu's skill level is too high.

She didn't pester him, didn't speak, and didn't get close. She just watched him from afar, silently, with a sorrowful, helpless, and slightly regretful look in her eyes.

Once, twice, three times...

Sha Zhu's already wavering heart, like a stubborn rock soaked in warm water, began to falter again.

Especially after witnessing the luxury and power of the leadership circle, his vanity as a newly rich nobody and his deep-seated protective instincts were amplified once again.

He felt that he was now a "respectable" person, with a car to pick him up and drop him off, and that it would seem petty and lacking in class to argue with a helpless widow.

Moreover, Qin Huairu's appearance was indeed... quite pitiful. Those thin shoulders and downcast eyes always stirred his most primal urges.

So, on a drizzly evening, when Qin Huairu "bumped into" him again and accidentally "slipped" in front of him, almost falling, Sha Zhu finally stopped.

The rain dampened her hair, and a few strands clung to her pale cheeks, making her look even more pitiful.

"...What is it?" His voice was still stiff, but his deliberate indifference was starting to crumble.

"Zhu Zi... Congratulations..." Qin Huairu lowered her head, her voice weak and barely audible, as if it would dissipate with the sound of rain.

"Hmph." Sha Zhu let out a cold snort from his nose as a response.

"I...I know I was wrong before...I was confused...I'm sorry...Please...please don't be angry anymore, okay?" Qin Huairu slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with tears, misty and swirling in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall.

That tearful appearance instantly struck the softest spot in Sha Zhu's heart.

Looking at the face he had longed for day and night, the last line of defense in his heart completely collapsed in her tearful gaze.

"...Alright, it's all in the past." Sha Zhu's voice softened unconsciously, returning to its usual mild tone.

On the other hand, He Yuanchao's career also ushered in a new leap forward.

Lou Zhenhua treasured the compressor blueprints that he had painstakingly modified and personally reported them to the Municipal Bureau of Industry.

The city's experts were stunned when they saw the blueprints. They had initially thought it was just a factory-level technological innovation, but they hadn't expected the design concept to be so advanced, the data so detailed, and the technical solution to be so bold yet rigorous. The expert group organized a review meeting overnight, with the meeting room lights burning brightly throughout the night.

The conclusion came quickly: the design scheme is technologically advanced and ingenious, which can not only solve the energy consumption problem of steel rolling mills, but also has extremely high promotion value across the entire industry!

The Municipal Bureau of Industry immediately issued a document listing the "Steel Rolling Mill Compressor Energy-Saving Renovation Project" as a key municipal-level technical research project, and allocated special funds and materials on the spot!

As the project's chief person in charge, He Yuanchao's name appeared clearly on a municipal-level official document for the first time!

This means that he can not only mobilize all relevant resources in the factory, but also apply for technical and equipment support from other brother units in the city with this document!

Their power has increased even further.

The platform is now even higher.

Lou Zhenhua held him in high regard, praising him endlessly and treating him almost like a son. He would invite him to his home for meals every few days, and during these meals, they would discuss the factory's future development plans.

Lou Xiao'e's relationship with him also rapidly warmed up during these frequent contacts.

The two would go to see old Soviet movies together, browse for books in the secondhand bookstores of Dong'an Market, take walks under the moonlight, and talk about Turgenev's literature and the latest current events at home and abroad.

Lou Xiao'e was shocked to discover that He Yuanchao's knowledge and depth of thought far exceeded her imagination, even surpassing that of her father.

He could always explain the most complex engineering principles in the simplest language; and when she felt lost about the future, he could always offer the most insightful advice with a vision that transcended her time.

The way she looked at him gradually changed from initial curiosity, appreciation, and admiration to a deep, inescapable attachment and...love.

He Yuanchao was fully aware of all of this.

He neither pointed it out nor refused.

In this era of impending turmoil, allying with the Lou family was the most secure protection he could find for himself after careful consideration.

Moreover, Lou Xiao'e is indeed a very good girl.

She is well-educated, reasonable, independent-minded, kind but not overly naive, and lacks the shortsightedness and endless scheming of the women in the courtyard houses. Being with her is a source of mental relaxation and joy.

Everything was developing in a direction that was most favorable to him.

Like a master chess player, he calmly and precisely placed his pieces on the chessboard called "The Era."

In his eyes, the people and events in the courtyard house were increasingly like a few insignificant pieces in the corner of a chessboard, pieces that could be discarded at any time.