Siheyuan (courtyard house): My name is Shazhu!

I understand. Let nature take its course. The larger the land area, the greater the harvest. At least, the 'Power Pill' I was planning to buy will be available in a month, and within eight months, many technologies from the 1950s will also be available.

In the 1980s, technology worth tens of millions was not just something to look at; it could be upgraded again after a year, and there was hope for improvement within three years.

My 'divine thoughts'.

He couldn't afford it, and thinking about it was pointless, so He Yuzhu decided to stop thinking about it. Making trouble and getting a full stomach were the top priorities.

They continued causing trouble that night when no one was around in the Intermediate People's Court.

........

Time flies when you're resting at home. In the blink of an eye, it's the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. When He Yuzhu got up in the morning, he went from inside the house to outside and set off a string of two hundred firecrackers.

The fifth day of the first lunar month is called "Po Wu Festival". Setting off firecrackers is the core custom of "Po Wu", which originates from the ancient people's belief in warding off evil and bringing good fortune.

The sound of firecrackers symbolizes "breaking away poverty," driving away the "five kinds of poverty" (poverty of wisdom, poverty of learning, poverty of literature, poverty of fate, and poverty of social connections) from the home, while welcoming the arrival of the God of Wealth.

This custom originated from the Song Dynasty tradition of "driving away the five evil spirits," and developed into the "sending away the ghost of poverty" ritual during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Symbolic meaning: The sound of firecrackers represents overcoming inner fears and inspiring people to bravely pursue new goals.

Ceremony details: The offerings should be placed from inside the house outwards, moving towards the door as you go, to ensure that bad luck is dispelled.

Regional differences: In the north, it's commonly used to ward off poverty, while in the south, it's more about welcoming the God of Wealth; in the north, it's often combined with eating dumplings, while the ceremony is simpler in the south.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. People in Yanjing nowadays follow this custom, and He Yuzhu didn't want to be different.

I'm going to Donglaishun for hot pot at noon today, and then I'll have dumplings when I get home tonight.

The brother and sister had just stepped out of the house and reached the front yard when they encountered Yi Zhonghai, who had been hospitalized for thirty-eight days, being carried back to the courtyard house by Jia Zhangshi.

The two were carried back by eight or nine people on two stretchers. Looking at the two lying on the stretchers, He Yuzhu's mouth twitched.

Both of them should be able to walk with crutches, especially Jia Zhangshi, who is probably just pretending to want people to continue serving her.

Yi Zhonghai hasn't fully recovered; he can't get out of bed and can't walk with crutches. His treatment is protracted, and he may become a cripple.

"Oh, you two 'old comrades' have been discharged from the hospital. Your health is fine now, and you're at home recuperating. Congratulations to you both."

While resting at home, they should eat more nutritious food to help the two 'elderly comrades' recover as quickly as possible.

"I have other things to attend to, so I won't bother you two any longer," He Yuzhu said very warmly.

"Of course we need to eat something good, otherwise how will we recover?" Jia Zhangshi, that's exactly what you mean.

After Jia Zhangshi finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai and Tan Guilan looked exasperated, their faces filled with helplessness. Jia Dongxu's face flushed slightly; was he embarrassed by his mother's actions?

He Yuzhu left with his sister, and everyone assumed that He Yuzhu, as a neighbor, was simply greeting the two of them and had no malicious intent.

As the brother and sister entered Donglaishun, Jia Zhangshi's agonizing screams echoed from the Jia family home once again.

When he got home, he lay down on the bed to rest, while Jia Dongxu went to start a fire to warm the house and also to cook lunch.

At first, Jia Zhangshi lay on the pillow and felt a little cold, so she lifted the quilt to cover herself. In less than five minutes, she felt something cold seeping into her pants.

It was still swimming upwards, which scared Jia Zhangshi to death. She sat up, unbuckled her belt, and wanted to see what was on her thigh.

It was a snake, climbing upwards, already reaching her thigh. This terrified Jia Zhangshi, as women are generally more afraid of snakes.

It was a white-striped krait. He Yuzhu found it outside; there was only one, so he caught it and put it in Jia Zhangshi's quilt. This benefited Yi Zhonghai.

The white-striped rat snake is very docile and rarely exhibits aggressive behavior; it is abundant in cities.

However, in her panic, Jia Zhangshi didn't know that she was shouting for help. To make matters worse, in her panic, she actually tried to move to get rid of the snake, forgetting that her kneecap fracture hadn't fully healed.

Her startled cry turned into a scream; her knee was in serious trouble again. Jia Dongxu rushed in from outside and saw a snake on his mother's inner thigh.

They quickly grabbed the snake and threw it outside the room. Because of superstition, they didn't kill the snake but released it.

"Ah... Ah..." Jia Zhangshi began to clutch her right knee and scream in agony, begging for help.

The noise was loud, and many people came out to watch the spectacle. Wu Laogen (Wu Yougen) saw the white-striped rat snake, grabbed it, and exclaimed, "Hahaha! A white-striped rat snake! We'll have meat for dinner tonight!"

The other men, seeing that it was a white-striped serpent, looked at Wu Laogen (whose real name was Wu Yougen) with envy, jealousy, and hatred.

These days, too many people eat snake meat, and snake meat isn't bad. A nearly one-meter-long white striped rat snake is a good ingredient, it's meat!

Jia Dongxu begged and pleaded, spending 40,000 yuan to hire four men to help, but even carrying Jia Zhangshi to the courtyard gate was beyond Jia Dongxu's ability alone, as she was too heavy.

Only when there was money to be made did the men in the courtyard agree to help, and Jia Zhangshi was sent to the hospital again.

The people didn't leave; they stayed to wait for news from Jia Zhangshi. They were all good neighbors, concerned about Jia Zhangshi, not just gossiping.

No one was surprised to find a snake in Jia Zhangshi's quilt; white-striped rat snakes are common in the city, and it's not unusual for them to spend the winter in people's homes.

The white-striped rat snake is a guardian snake.

Guardian snakes refer to non-venomous snakes that live around human dwellings and are beneficial to families, such as the black-browed rat snake and the white-striped rat snake. They prey on rodents and are considered "house-protecting snakes." The white-striped rat snake (scientific name: *Elaphe dione*) fits this definition.

Diet and Benefits: Primarily feeds on rodents, birds, and bird eggs, making it a natural predator of rodents and effectively reducing rodent infestations in homes.

Behavioral characteristics: Non-toxic, docile, rarely attacks humans, and is commonly found in fields, cemeteries, roadsides, and residential areas.

Endurance to hunger: Highly resistant to hunger, with a record of going without food for 18 months, demonstrating its adaptation to human environments.

Under normal circumstances, most people recognize the white-striped rat snake and will not panic.

Unfortunately, our unfortunate Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that she didn't recognize him and had to go to the hospital a second time because her kneecap was fractured again.

The people who took her to the hospital laughed when they heard that Jia Zhangshi had suffered a second fracture, and they all thought that she should have all four limbs broken and be paralyzed in bed.

"Karma, karma. With the second fracture, her right leg is ruined; she'll be a cripple for life."

"She should have all four limbs broken and be paralyzed in bed forever. She's a shrew; the courtyard is better off without her."

"An old shrew who's afraid of a snake meant to ward off evil spirits isn't very brave. She'll still be a cripple in the future. If she dares to act like a shrew, teach her a lesson."

"Yi Zhonghai might be happy."

"Hahaha. Yi Zhonghai is being tortured to death by Jia Zhangshi in the hospital. Go back and tell him."

"Everyone, it's alright, let's go back and deliver the good news to Yi Zhonghai."

When Yi Zhonghai learned that Jia Zhangshi had suffered a second fracture, he was initially very happy. This guy was in the hospital and wanted to eat well every day. If he didn't give him any, it would be his fault. He was the one who fractured the bone to help him.

There was no other way but to give. In less than forty days, Yi Zhonghai and Jia Zhangshi spent five or six hundred thousand yuan on food, which they split equally between themselves, ensuring that Jia Zhangshi didn't get all the benefit.

Tan Guilan chimed in, "Old Yi, Jia Zhangshi deserved her second fracture, but she's trying to pin this on us again. What are we going to do?"

Yi Zhonghai, who was secretly pleased, was stunned when he heard his wife's words. This shrew Jia Zhangshi was very likely, no! 100% likely to cling to him.

Yi Zhonghai knew Jia Zhangshi's character all too well. More importantly, Jia Dongxu's salary after a year at the factory was not high, only 150,000 yuan per month. Jia Dongxu's father hadn't left much money, and the family didn't have much money either.

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened. Damn it, she was hospitalized and he was going to have to pay for everything again. He couldn't do anything about it. If he did, Jia Zhangshi would just stay at the hospital like a king.

The money I worked so hard to earn was for my own retirement, not to support Jia Zhangshi.

What should I do?