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

Xu Damao's return was like a pebble thrown into a stagnant pond, creating ripples in the courtyard.

He is back.

They carried an indelible layer of dust and frost, and an aura of menace that sent chills down one's spine.

Standing under the moon gate of the courtyard house, he looked at this place that was both familiar and strange. There was no trace of the warmth of returning home, only a bone-chilling coldness in his eyes.

He had lost weight, his cheeks were sunken, and his cheekbones were high, making his already gloomy eyes appear even larger and emptier.

His skin, roughened by the sun and wind, turned a dark brown, like the bark of an old tree.

His eyes were no longer those of a cunning, calculating man who used to dart around aimlessly; instead, they had become more sinister than before, like a lone wolf lurking in the shadows, enduring hunger and thirst for days, exuding a strong, pungent aura of danger.

What was life like in a labor camp?

It was hands frozen purple at four in the morning, endless labor under the scorching sun, the coarse and hard-to-swallow cornbread and pickled vegetables, and even more so, the endless mental torment and humiliation.

Every lonely night, he would relive his hatred in his heart over and over again.

He hated Sha Zhu's fists, hated the old man's favoritism, hated Qin Huairu's hypocrisy, but what he hated most was He Yuanchao, who kicked him into the abyss!

He believes that the root of all this is He Yuanchao.

Even without He Yuanchao, he would still be the only projectionist at the steel mill, the Master Xu whom everyone fawned over. Lou Xiao'e would be his wife, and he would be living a respectable and glamorous life.

It was He Yuanchao who ruined everything for him!

This thought grew wildly in his heart like a poisonous weed. The harsh environment of the labor camp did not smooth out his rough edges; instead, it became the most powerful catalyst, causing the resentment in his heart to ferment day by day, becoming more intense, purer, and more terrifying.

He returned, not to start afresh, but for revenge.

The first thing he did upon returning home wasn't to clean the dusty house, nor did he even check if his door lock was rusty. He carried a bottle of cheap Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and half a pound of peanuts wrapped in oil paper, his steps steady and purposeful as he headed straight for his second uncle, Liu Haizhong's, house.

"Bang bang bang".

The knocking wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force.

Liu Haizhong sat at the table, drinking his wine in silence with a plate of pickled vegetables, pondering how to regain his authority in the courtyard. Ever since he lost his official position, his sons had stopped taking him seriously, and the people in the courtyard treated him like a joke, which fueled his deep resentment.

Hearing the knock, he impatiently yelled, "Who is it?"

"Second Uncle, it's me, Xu Damao."

The voice coming from outside the door was hoarse and low.

Liu Haizhong's wine glass trembled, almost falling to the ground. He was startled at first, thinking he had misheard, but then his face was instantly filled with ecstasy.

He practically ran to open the door, and when he saw Xu Damao standing outside, who was emaciated but had sharp, piercing eyes, Liu Haizhong's lips trembled with excitement.

"Da Mao! You...you're finally back!"

He was worried that he was outnumbered and powerless to deal with the "disobedient" troublemakers in the courtyard, led by the old man and He Yuanchao. Now, Xu Damao, the former "strategist," the only person in the courtyard who could rival He Yuanchao in scheming and intrigue, had returned!

This is like reinforcements sent from the sky!

"Second Uncle, won't you invite me in for a drink?" Xu Damao tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Please! Please come in quickly! You must come in!" Liu Haizhong pulled him into the house as if afraid he would run away.

The two hit it off.

That night, on the greasy eight-immortal table in Liu Haizhong's house, the spiciness of Erguotou liquor mingled with the salty aroma of peanuts, filling the dim light. Two people, one yearning for revenge, the other for the restoration of power, found a common outlet for their resentment.

"Da Mao, the place's been in complete chaos while you were gone!" Liu Haizhong complained, his face flushed from drinking. "That He Yuanchao, he's the factory's star now, Chief Engineer Shen Molin's prized student! He's in cahoots with Uncle Da, and Sha Zhu's just his dog! Nobody listens to me, Uncle Er!"

"I know everything." Xu Damao poured himself a full glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy liquid burned his throat, but his eyes became clearer. "Second Uncle, times have changed. Your official power alone won't work anymore. You have to use your brain to deal with someone like He Yuanchao."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Liu Haizhong nodded repeatedly. "You see things so clearly! Da Mao, tell me, what should we do? I'll listen to you!"

Xu Damao sneered inwardly at his impatient manner. What a senile old man, being sold out and still helping count the money. But his face remained sincere: "Second Uncle, we must unite all forces we can. There are more than just the two of us who want He Yuanchao to suffer."

"you mean……"

"Just wait and see." A strange light flashed in Xu Damao's eyes. "Soon, someone will come knocking on our door."

That night, the two got completely drunk at Liu Haizhong's house, discussing how to "regroup" and reclaim everything they had lost in the courtyard house.

Their primary target was, of course, He Yuanchao.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Sha Zhu, following He Yuanchao's instructions, took the initiative to find Xu Damao.

Xu Damao had just gotten up and was washing his face with cold water, trying to shake off the hangover headache. When he saw Sha Zhu awkwardly appear at his door, he instantly understood, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

coming.

"Da Mao, you're back." Sha Zhu wore a smile that He Yuanchao had personally instructed him to wear—a smile that was just right, a mixture of guilt and flattery. The smile made his teeth ache, but for the sake of the plan, he gritted his teeth and continued to act.

He rubbed his hands, looking restless, and avoided Xu Damao's gaze: "That... before... before it was all my fault, I was stupid, I was brainless! I was used as a pawn by that bastard He Yuanchao. Now that he's so successful, he doesn't treat me like a human being at all, ordering me around all day!"

As Sha Zhu spoke, he secretly observed Xu Damao's expression, mentally cursing Xu Damao's ancestors for eighteen generations.

"See, I understand now!" He slapped his thigh, his voice rising an octave. "That kid is the enemy of everyone in our compound! He gets all the benefits, and the rest of us don't even get a sip of soup! Da Mao, I'm sorry for what I did to you before, I'm apologizing!"

As he spoke, he actually bowed to Xu Damao.

"If you ever need my help in the future, just say the word! I'll be your henchman! Together, we'll bring that bastard down!"

Xu Damao looked at the silly Zhu who had taken the initiative to "surrender" and whose acting was exaggerated, and sneered inwardly.

Xu Damao knew perfectly well what kind of person Sha Zhu was. He was just a simple-minded, muscle-bound brute. If He Yuanchao hadn't been guiding him behind the scenes, Xu Damao would have sworn to change his name!

He Yuanchao, are you trying to plant a spy next to me?

good very good.

If you want to play, I'll play with you to the very end. Let's see who comes out on top in the end!

Although he had already seen through Sha Zhu and He Yuanchao's scheme perfectly, Xu Damao's face instantly filled with an "enthusiastic" smile. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed Sha Zhu's arm.

"Hey, Zhu Zi! What are you doing! Get up!"

His surprise and emotion were as if he had truly encountered a long-lost brother.

"It's great that you've figured it out! I knew it! You, Silly Zhu, may be impulsive, but you're not a fool! You're a smart person!"

He patted Sha Zhu's shoulder hard, so hard that Sha Zhu grimaced.

"Come, come, don't stand at the door, come inside and sit! Come inside and sit!"

Two men, each with their own ulterior motives, one feigning allegiance and the other playing along, formed a seemingly unbreakable "alliance" once again after a long time.

Xu Damao began his revenge plan.

He knew all too well that He Yuanchao had now grown powerful. In terms of social status, he was the chief engineer's top student and the person in charge of key projects; in terms of connections, he had a leader like Zhou Zheng to look after him; and in terms of personal ability, whether in terms of technology or cunning, he was far from being a match for him.

A head-on confrontation would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Then we can only... use the most insidious, vicious, and despicable methods.

Cut off the fuel supply at the root!

He wanted to find He Yuanchao's weakness and kill him with a single blow!

After several days of covert observation and analysis, he precisely targeted He Yuanchao's most cherished and weakest link in this era—his wife, Lou Xiao'e, and the entire Lou family behind her.

A cruel smile curled at the corners of Xu Damao's mouth.

Using the connections he had built up while showing movies in various factories, mines, and communes, he began to dig up dirt on the Lou family. He treated his cronies to drinks and meals, spending the last of his savings, like a hyena that had caught the scent of blood, frantically searching for any possible clues.

Hard work pays off.

Soon, at a drinking party, a friend who had once worked as a police officer near the Lou family's old house, after drinking too much, revealed a shocking piece of news.

With just half a bottle of wine and a few compliments, Xu Damao seized a fatal "handle".

Lou Xiao'e's mother had a distant cousin with whom she had long lost contact. Before the liberation, he was a Kuomintang officer! It was said that he was even a colonel-level officer! At the end of the Liberation War, seeing that the situation was not good, he directly fled to Taiwan with the remnants of the defeated army!

Taiwan! Overseas connections! Kuomintang officers!

These words exploded in Xu Damao's mind like a series of thunderclaps!

He felt his blood boil instantly, and an indescribable joy and excitement surged into his heart!

At the time, this was absolutely a "relationship with overseas people" that could never be washed away once you got involved!

This is a political stain a hundred times worse than being a capitalist!

It is a capital offense that could instantly plunge the entire family into an abyss of no return!

Xu Damao was overjoyed!

He could almost see the Lou family's downfall and He Yuanchao's utter ruin!

He immediately hid in his dark little room and, adding fuel to the fire, exaggerated and distorted the truth to the extreme, wrote a viciously worded anonymous whistleblower letter.

In the letter, he portrayed the Lou family as a "reactionary fortress" that was "physically in Cao Cao's camp but mentally in Han's," saying that while they appeared to be active and progressive, they were actually secretly colluding with "enemy agents' relatives" in Taiwan, always ready to "counterattack and settle scores." He also fabricated shocking "evidence" such as "Lou Zhenhua was secretly hoarding gold bars and US dollars, preparing to flee at any time" and "the Lou family was secretly listening to enemy radio broadcasts every night."

He wants to completely destroy the Lou family from the very roots!

He wanted to turn He Yuanchao, this opportunist who rose to power by becoming a "capitalist's son-in-law," from an engineer admired by everyone to a "reactionary family member" despised by everyone overnight!

He'll make him taste what it's like to fall from the clouds to hell!

He's going to make him lose everything!

After finishing writing, he put on a hat and mask, and under the cover of night, stuffed the letter, filled with all his resentment, into the complaint box at the entrance of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee.

After doing all this, he returned to the courtyard house, looked up at the warm light shining from He Yuanchao's window, and a ferocious yet satisfied smile appeared on his face.

He Yuanchao, your death is near.

……

A few days later, one afternoon, the weather was sunny and the sun was shining brightly.

He Yuanchao was in the technical department office of the steel rolling mill, intently reviewing a new batch of equipment modification drawings. He carefully marked the modifications on the drawings with red and blue pencils, his expression focused.

The red telephone on the desk suddenly emitted a rapid, piercing ring.

He picked up the phone, and Zhou Zheng's somewhat anxious voice came through the receiver: "Yuanchao, come to the Municipal Revolutionary Committee immediately, right now!"

Zhou Zheng's tone was more serious than ever before, and He Yuanchao's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding rising within him.

He put down the blueprints, told his colleagues what to do, and immediately got on his bicycle and sped off to the Municipal Revolutionary Committee.

The atmosphere in the office was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Zhou Zheng sat behind his desk, his brow furrowed and his face grim. The ashtray in front of him was already overflowing with cigarette butts.

Upon seeing He Yuanchao enter, he didn't exchange any pleasantries, but simply pointed to a letter on the table.

"See for yourself."

He Yuanchao stepped forward and picked up the letter.

This is an anonymous whistleblower letter. The letter is written on the cheapest kind of scrap paper, and the handwriting is crooked and messy, yet it is full of resentment and inflammatory rhetoric.

He Yuanchao read it aloud, word by word.

When he saw the exaggerated and distorted "evidence" about the Lou family in the letter, especially the mention of "relatives of Kuomintang officers in Taiwan," his face instantly turned as cold as iron.

He was certain almost immediately that the letter was written by Xu Damao.

Only he could harbor such a deep-seated hatred.

Only he would resort to such despicable means.

"Engineer He, this matter is very serious." Zhou Zheng's voice was also extremely serious, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "The higher-ups were furious after reading this letter and are taking it very seriously. They have already made an immediate decision to send an investigation team down to prepare for the isolation and investigation of Comrade Lou Zhenhua."

Isolation and investigation!

These four words struck He Yuanchao's heart like a heavy hammer. His heart sank.

He knew that Hsu Ta-mao's knife had been stabbed too accurately and too ruthlessly. In this tense era, once the label of "Taiwan relations" is attached, almost no one can remove it.

"Director Zhou, I believe this matter is a malicious frame-up, a complete fabrication!" He Yuanchao forced himself to remain calm. He knew that at this moment, he absolutely could not lose his composure.

He raised his head, meeting Zhou Zheng's gaze, and said, word by word, "I know the Lou family's situation very well. I also know Uncle Lou's character very well. His family has always supported the Party and are patriotic businessmen. Back when the public-private partnership was implemented, he took the lead in donating most of his family's assets, and all of this is verifiable!"

"We believe in you, and from my personal perspective, we also believe in Comrade Lou Zhenhua's character." Zhou Zheng rubbed his temples wearily and sighed. "However, Yuanchao, you must understand the current situation... procedures must be followed. Before the investigation results are released, Comrade Lou Zhenhua must suspend all duties, voluntarily return home, and cooperate with the investigation. This is the regulation, and no one can change it."

He looked at He Yuanchao with a hint of helpless sympathy in his eyes: "Engineer He, you... also need to be mentally prepared for the worst. As his son-in-law, I'm afraid... your work and life will be affected in some unavoidable ways."

He Yuanchao's heart sank to the bottom little by little.

He knew that this was definitely more than just an "influence".

This is a meticulously planned political storm.

Once Lou Zhenhua is defeated by this storm, the label of "reactionary son-in-law" will be firmly pinned on his head.

At that time, everything he currently possesses—the halo of being a chief engineer student, his status as an engineer, the power of a project leader, and even Zhou Zheng's protection—may vanish overnight.

This is Xu Damao's real, deadly move.

What he wanted was not to make He Yuanchao suffer, but to kill him.

……

He Yuanchao didn't know how he rode his bicycle back to the courtyard house.

When he got home, it was completely dark.

Inside, Lou Xiao'e had prepared dinner and was sitting at the table, anxiously waiting for him. The food on the table was already a little cold.

When she saw him push the door open and enter, and saw his unusually solemn face, Lou Xiao'e's heart jumped into her throat.

"Yuan Chao, what happened?" She approached, her voice trembling slightly. "Your face... why do you look so pale?"

Looking at her face, which was filled with worry and unease, and at her clear, bright eyes, He Yuanchao was momentarily at a loss for words.

He took a deep breath, pulled her to sit down on the sofa, and finally told her everything.

From that anonymous letter to the decision of the Municipal Revolutionary Committee, and then to the isolation and investigation my father was about to face.

Every word was like a cold knife, piercing Lou Xiao'e's heart.

Upon hearing this, she was struck dumb, her mind going completely blank. The color drained from her face at a visible speed, leaving her deathly pale. She tried to say something, but her lips trembled uncontrollably, and she couldn't utter a single word. Finally, as if all her strength had been drained away, she collapsed onto the sofa.

"Dad...Dad...he's been placed in isolation for investigation?"

It took her a long time to find her voice, but it was filled with sobs and uncontrollable despair.

In those days, the words "isolation and investigation" meant a devastating blow to any family.

"Xiao'e, don't be afraid."

He Yuanchao suddenly came to his senses, walked to her side, stretched out his strong arms, and hugged her tightly.

His voice, at this moment, became incredibly firm, carrying a power that could pierce through all darkness.

"I'm here. Listen to me, as long as I'm here, the sky won't fall down."

"Trust me, I will definitely find a way to get Dad out safe and sound."

Lou Xiao'e, nestled in his arms, finally couldn't hold back her tears and burst into sobs.

He Yuanchao held his trembling wife in his arms, gently patting her back, but his gaze was fixed on the deep night outside the window.

His eyes no longer held any of their usual gentleness and composure; only a cold, Arctic star-like light remained.

Xu Damao...

You really have messed with me.

You shouldn't have, absolutely shouldn't have, targeted my family.

This time, I will not give you any excuses or any chance to turn things around.

I... will make you disappear from this world completely!

Once the thought arises, it can no longer be suppressed.

He comforted his wife in his arms, and a thought struck him.

He took out the "Good Luck" lighter from the system space, a brass-cased lighter with an engraved retro pattern that he had never used before.