Uncle Shazhu, a simple-minded man in a courtyard house, persuades people with reason.

With the conclusion of the Battle of Tieyuan, both sides successfully witnessed each other's combat capabilities and abandoned their intention to completely annihilate the enemy... They tacitly shifted from a hot war to a stalemate!

The two powerful figures from the Northern and Southern Dynasties were surprisingly unanimously dissatisfied, but so what? If they had the guts, they should go and do it themselves... Begging for food doesn't have to be sour!

With the intensity of the battle decreasing, He Ping'an had more time to express his longing and, incidentally, to complain...

"My wife, Bai Ling, our army won a great victory at Tieyuan at the end of May. Of course, none of that matters. What I want to say is that I effectively saved the 63rd Army. And then..."

The commander of the 63rd Army not only showed no gratitude but also tried to poach my men, a disgrace to his reputation as a scholar-general. This was intolerable! I had no choice but to show him what a rogue intellectual really was!

Furthermore…my father-in-law has once again attempted blatant robbery. Such behavior is utterly disrespectful to his elders! Please inform my mother-in-law…”

In the Battle of Tieyuan, He Ping'an emerged victorious, and his special forces naturally attracted widespread attention.

The defining characteristic of this generation of ruthless opportunists is their inability to resist anything of value; they'll find a way to pocket it, regardless of whether they'll actually use it. Even renowned scholar-generals are trying to take advantage of them, not to mention the morally ambiguous Bai Juyi's father…

Taking advantage of his elder status, he demanded an entire company right off the bat. Utterly shameless! The worst part is, He Ping'an can't afford to offend him… We must report him, and endlessly condemn Bai's father's shameless behavior!

In mid-June, early summer, the little rain, having played wildly all day, went to bed early.

Under the lamplight, Bai Ling gently touched the tear-stained letter and offered a reply. It contained expressions of longing, work-related matters, and amusing anecdotes about the light rain. Considering her lover's quirky sense of humor, she chuckled and added a few more stories about the courtyard house…

To be honest, Yi Zhonghai truly lives up to his identity as the hidden boss of the Heavenly Courtyard, like an unkillable cockroach.

In 49, the courtyard house, having followed Liu Kangzhan's lead, received a major urban development package. Fortunately, the country had just been liberated and was in dire need of reconstruction, with industrial development being the top priority. Yi Zhonghai was able to return to work at the steel rolling mill!

Without He Ping'an's interference, everything in the courtyard seemed to return to the plot...

Yi Zhonghai continues to use the guise of mutual help and the mask of being a kind old man to disgust people.

Despite his bangs, he's still incredibly ambitious, dreaming of becoming an official. He spends all day putting on airs with "uh-huhs" and "right?"

As the saying goes in *Dream of the Red Chamber*, "One prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer!" This applies to the master-disciple, father-son relationship, and Jia Dongxu, as Yi Zhonghai's only disciple...

In 49, Yi Zhonghai swept the streets and cleaned up garbage, and he was constantly ostracized at the steel rolling mill. It wasn't until Yi Zhonghai returned to the steel rolling mill that his life improved.

Jia Zhangshi…? Heh… Without He Ping'an's supervision, and having not performed the piglet diving for a long time, she's become increasingly obese. She spends all day hiding at home cursing Yi Zhonghai for dragging her son down, and the beast in the courtyard for bullying her and her orphan.

Of course, He Ping'an couldn't escape it either. Jia Zhangshi, who hadn't worked most of her life, suddenly had to clean for six months, almost working herself to death. She even developed a habit of taking painkillers…

It used to be one tablet every three days, now it's three tablets a day, and judging by the trend, it will have to be increased sooner or later!

Xu Damao, still being his usual cheeky self, kept provoking He Yuzhu with "Silly Zhu, Silly Zhu," earning him a beating and a few shouts of "Silly Mao." Undeterred, he fought again the next day.

Sha Zhu and Sha Mao are the only ones in the courtyard who don't have any vested interests involved; they're just fighting each other!

The deaf old woman is perhaps the one who experienced the greatest contrast. The remnants of the old society cannot block the sun of the new world... Spies, thugs, and gangsters will find it harder to wreak havoc!

The old woman with bound feet lost the respect for the courtyard house. If it weren't for He Daqing's protection, she would have met a terrible end!

However, Li Guifen remained devoted to her, and Li Ze'an called her "Madam, Madam" (a term of endearment for elders) all day long. The cold, lifeless grave finally had the warmth of a home; every bite and every drop of warmth and coldness was known only to herself.

Um... and also, He Daqing and Li Guifen got married. The Marriage Law was promulgated in April 1950, and He Daqing and Li Guifen's ambiguous relationship was reported by some scoundrel. The two registered their marriage at the end of 1950...

It's normal that He Ping'an didn't make it! If he had been there, that beast would have just buried his head in the sand and become a funny sand sculpture!

Husband and wife follow each other's lead... After learning about this, Bai Ling gave a small amount of money. Then, she used the excuse that her father had gone to court and she was busy with work, leaving her mother at home bored, to take Xiao Yushui back to live with the Bai family.

The biggest change... a new group of residents moved into the courtyard house, the rooms that Li Dagang and his group used to rent. One of them, a thin, middle-aged man wearing glasses and supposedly a primary school teacher, quickly won over the residents in the front yard with his silver tongue.

The three kings of the courtyard, the abacus bead, and "Old Man Yan the Stingy," with eyes full of calculation, began their lives in the courtyard full of birds.

At that time, the old beast in the courtyard thought that another Li Dagang had come. Unexpectedly, Yan Laokou immediately taught the beasts a lesson, letting them know that there are beasts beyond beasts!

"Teacher Yan, charging money for writing a few banners is so stingy! It's not respectable at all for old Beijingers!"

"Yes, Teacher Yan... all they do is write a few big characters for the neighbors, and they charge money!"

On October 1, 1950, the beasts in the courtyard were preparing to parade in the streets. In the past, they would just buy a few banners from the street, but now that there were ready-made fat sheep, they naturally wanted to take advantage of them.

Yan Bugui wrote with gusto, and felt even more exhilarated reaching for his money after finishing. Despite the beastly complaints, he stubbornly refused to budge, grinning and demanding his share.

"I don't want to make things difficult for everyone, but this fee is a refined matter among us cultured people. You neighbors are all old Beijingers, and you care about appearances."

Surely we scholars wouldn't break our rules over such a small amount of money, would we?

"Cough cough..." The birds in the courtyard were speechless for a moment, remembering the kindness of Li Dagang.

Behind the crowd, Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up. Ever since the old man was dealt with last year, he'd been constantly thinking about restoring his reputation. Seizing the opportunity, he stepped forward.

"Teacher Yan, we're all neighbors in the same courtyard. As the saying goes, 'A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative.' If you help me today, I'll help you tomorrow. Let's give and take, why be so calculating!"

Unable to argue with Yan Bugui, that old beast, they all supported Yi Zhonghai, showing none of their usual contempt.

"That's right, Teacher Yan! We're all neighbors in the same courtyard, and you're charging me for writing a few words? You're being too stingy!" A group of people argued noisily, their voices full of arrogance.

Yan Bugui didn't rush to refute, simply observing the noisy old residents before him. He displayed a certain air of unwavering composure, like someone standing firm against a precipice. After the crowd quieted down somewhat, he finally spoke with a chuckle:

"The old folks say... anything gained without effort is exploitation! Mr. Yi, I'm just thinking of everyone's best interests; I don't want my neighbors to be labeled as exploiters!"