Courtyard House: Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) Traded for an Aircraft Carrier, the Whole Count

The night was deep and quiet, and all was still.

Most residents of the courtyard house had already snuggled into their warm beds. In this era lacking entertainment, procreation and sleeping were the only two pastimes.

In the middle of the court, Yi Zhonghai turned over, preparing to fall asleep. An older woman beside him was snoring softly.

Suddenly, the loudspeaker outside the window, which usually only blared during hospital-wide assemblies, emitted a crystal-clear sound without warning.

Because the night was so quiet, the sound was like a whisper in everyone's ear.

"...If you're willing to help me out...I'll do whatever you want tonight..."

Her voice was alluring and captivating, with a wet, tearful tone and a breathy quality that made one blush and their heart race.

Yi Zhonghai suddenly opened his eyes, jolted awake, and almost rolled off the bed. He knew that voice all too well! Over the past decade or so, the owner of that voice had often complained about being poor in front of him, causing countless waves of emotion to stir in this old man's heart.

It's Qin Huairu!

"What...what's going on?" An older woman was also startled awake, sitting up groggily. "Old Yi, who's speaking on the radio? It sounds like Huai Ru!"

Before Yi Zhonghai could answer, the man's voice came through the loudspeaker again.

His voice was cold, tinged with a hint of mockery: "This is your bargaining chip?"

Then came Qin Huairu's voice, so sweet it seemed like it could be squeezed to release water: "As long as you like it... I'll be yours from now on..."

boom!

The entire courtyard was instantly in an uproar.

In the backyard, Xu Damao was secretly laughing in bed when he heard the noise and burst out laughing, spraying the mouthful of cold water he had just drunk all over the blanket.

"Holy crap! Section Chief Jiang is awesome! What's going on here? A live broadcast to the whole hospital? Hahahaha! That's so mean! So damn mean!" Xu Damao laughed so hard he slapped his thigh, tears streaming down his face.

In the front yard, Yan Bugui was wearing his reading glasses and calculating his coal briquette money for the month when he heard the lewd words on the radio. His hand trembled, and the abacus beads clattered all over the ground.

"Indecent! Absolutely indecent!" Yan Bugui was so angry that his beard stood on end, but his ears stood up straighter than a rabbit's.

The Jia family.

Madam Jia was having a sweet dream, dreaming that Qin Huairu brought back a pile of steamed buns and braised pork. She was suddenly awakened by the broadcast. After hearing the content, her old face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and her green eyes were filled with terror and rage.

"That jinx! That shameless slut! How dare she... how dare she let anyone hear!"

Jia Zhangshi didn't even bother to put on her shoes before scrambling off the kang (a heated brick bed).

At this very moment, inside Jiang Chen's room.

Qin Huairu was completely unaware of what was happening outside. The one-way shielding function of the [Full-Band Broadcast Plugin] prevented her from hearing the loudspeaker outside. She only felt that Jiang Chen hadn't pushed her away; this was tacit approval, this was an opportunity!

She clung to Jiang Chen like an octopus, her fingers even boldly attempting to unbutton his top button.

Jiang Chen grabbed her wrist with such force that it felt like an iron clamp, causing Qin Huairu to cry out in pain.

Jiang Chen knew that the time was right; every word he spoke now would be broadcast through the loudspeaker throughout half the street.

So he took a deep breath, his voice suddenly rose, and his tone instantly became righteous and awe-inspiring, as if he were a judge proving evil:

"Comrade Qin Huairu! Please have some self-respect!"

The angry shout, amplified by the loudspeaker, resounded like thunder over the courtyard.

"I am a state cadre! I am the head of the security department at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill! I have my principles and bottom line! What are you doing? Breaking into the room of a single male cadre in the middle of the night, disheveled, and trying to corrupt a revolutionary cadre with such feudalistic methods! You are committing a crime! You are engaging in corruption!"

In the courtyard, the neighbors who had just put on their clothes and run out to see what was going on looked at each other with very interesting expressions after hearing these words.

"My goodness, Section Chief Jiang's awareness...is too high, isn't it?"

"Yeah, they won't even eat meat that's been delivered to their door? That self-control is something else."

"I think Qin Huairu is just too shameless! She always acts like a pure and innocent lotus flower, but I never expected her to be so promiscuous behind the scenes!"

Inside the room, Qin Huairu was stunned by Jiang Chen's shout.

She stared blankly at Jiang Chen, completely bewildered as to why the man who had been so playful moments before had suddenly become so serious. She assumed it was just a man's usual tactic of playing hard to get, the kind of "saying no but doing the opposite" trick.

"Oh dear, Brother Jiang, keep your voice down..." Qin Huairu hurriedly tried to cover Jiang Chen's mouth, but instead pressed herself even closer. Her pretty face wore a reproachful expression. "Stop pretending! It's just the two of us, there are no outsiders... Just give in to me, I'll definitely make sure you're comfortable..."

It's just the two of us.

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy crowd outside the courtyard instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately afterwards, an uncontrollable uproar erupted.

"How shameless!"

"How shameless! Is it just the two of us? Hundreds of people in the entire hospital are listening!"

"I knew Qin Huairu was no good. She must have seduced Sha Zhu like that before!"

The middle-aged woman standing at the front of the crowd spat fiercely: "Pah! Vixen! Disgraceful!"

Yi Zhonghai stood in the crowd, his face ashen, his whole body trembling. It's over, all over. Qin Huairu's actions had not only ruined her, but also dragged him, the old man who had always sided with her, down with her.

Inside the room, Jiang Chen listened to the constant notifications of emotion values ​​from the system in his mind, and a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips.

[Received 999 points of fear from Yi Zhonghai!]

[Received 999 points of rage from Jia Zhangshi!]

[Received 10000 Social Points from Qin Huairu (delayed settlement)!]

"Qin Huairu, since you show no remorse, don't blame me for being impolite."

Jiang Chen abruptly shook off Qin Huairu's hand and strode to the door.

"What are you going to do?" A sudden, ominous premonition welled up in Qin Huairu's heart, and she staggered as she tried to pull Jiang Chen back.

But it was too late.

"Splash!"

The bolt was pulled open.

Jiang Chen suddenly pushed open the door.

The incandescent light inside the room poured out instantly, like a sharp sword piercing through the darkness.

Qin Huairu's disheveled appearance, with her neckline wide open and her face flushed, was thus exposed to dozens of eyes throughout the hospital.

At that moment, time seemed to stand still.