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

In the golden autumn of October, the parade became even more spectacular. The courtyard house was once again designed by Yan Bugui and funded by Yi Zhonghai; this time, the old dog was quite generous and willing to participate.

In the backyard, He Daqing slapped Li Ze'an twice on the backside and chased him away. Even a dog wouldn't want a six or seven-year-old kid!

"Daqing, what Ze'an said isn't without reason. If you don't choose, the liaison officer position at the Intermediate People's Court will definitely fall to that disgusting Yi Zhonghai!" It's normal for Li Guifen to spoil her son, who has finally come along.

The liaison officer was responsible for conveying government policies, preventing espionage and theft, mediating neighborhood disputes, and reporting residents' situations to the government. He was the steward who later became the head of the "Qinman Siheyuan" (a traditional courtyard house).

It's always been said that having connections in the court makes things easier! This bunch of beasts, utterly self-serving individuals, naturally unanimously elected He Daqing as the liaison officer for the courtyard. Their aim was simply to achieve their goal indirectly, by taking advantage of He Ping'an.

"Whatever, I'm not participating!" He Daqing replied casually. "Besides, I'm going on a long trip soon, and I don't have time to get involved in this!"

Li Guifen put down her work and asked in confusion, "Going on a long trip? You're a chef, why would you need to go on a business trip?"

"Sigh..." He Daqing sighed, "My junior brother wrote to me saying that he was injured in an attack by spies a while ago. His disciples haven't graduated yet, so he asked me to come and help them out!"

A broken bone takes a hundred days to heal! He'd be gone for at least four months, in Guangdong, and cooking Tan family cuisine—He Daqing was naturally extremely reluctant. But since his master had come knocking, he had no choice but to go!

"Dad, the meeting is in session..." He Yuzhu barged in loudly without knocking.

"Get lost..." Already annoyed, He Daqing grabbed an apple from the table and threw it at He Yuzhu.

The courtyard was packed with over twenty households, totaling about a hundred people, young and old – almost everyone in the entire courtyard.

In the crowd, Yan Bugui in the front yard remained calm and collected, while Xu Fugui and Liu Haizhong in the back yard exchanged glances. Only in the middle yard, although He Daqing had clearly stated that he would not participate, Yi Zhonghai still occasionally glanced at the He family in a veiled manner.

As expected, Yan Bugui was elected as the liaison officer for the front court, and Yi Zhonghai of the middle court, who had been anxiously waiting for this moment, also got his wish. It was only in the back court that Liu Haizhong and Xu Fugui argued fiercely.

Liu Haizhong, needless to say, is a fan of officialdom!

Xu Fugui's situation was somewhat special; his wife, Tao Ying, was born into the household of Lou Tanshi, the current principal wife of the second branch of the Lou family. She had extensive access to information and knew that Lou Bancheng was trying his best to serve the people.

Xu Fugui's thinking was simple: if a big boss like Lou Bancheng was vying for this job, it couldn't be wrong. That's why he was thinking of competing for the position of liaison officer in the backyard!

"I'm a projectionist, and if I'm elected as a liaison officer this time, I'll show a movie for everyone for free every month..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the birds cheered... In these days, entertainment is scarce, and a free movie every month is a great joy... Xu Fugui glanced disdainfully at Liu Haizhong and smugly cupped his hands.

Not to be outdone, Liu Haizhong stepped forward with his large pregnant belly and pulled out a speech he had been working on for several nights.

"Um... well... as everyone knows, I'm the master forging master at the steel rolling mill, and I have some influence there. If you ever encounter any problems at the factory, feel free to come to me!"

The economic base determines the superstructure; ultimately, life is defeated by survival… Liu Haizhong was elected with a high number of votes. Xu Fugui snorted coldly and left angrily.

With this, the three beastly leaders in the drama... are back in their places!

The "Beast Chief," nicknamed "Beast Boss," actually has some skills... After taking office, he led the beasts in the compound to put up slogans and conduct propaganda on the streets, making quite a splash. He's pretty much secured his position!

Of course, none of this had anything to do with the He family. He Daqing, carrying his bundle, boarded the train heading south amidst Li Guifen's tears. After learning that He Daqing had left, Bai Ling stopped bringing rainwater home.

In the courtyard house, only the deaf old woman, Li Guifen and her son, and... well, the completely free He Yuzhu remained. The secretly pleased He Yuzhu had no idea what being unsupervised meant...

Four months passed in the blink of an eye. He Daqing failed to return home on time, and Bai Ling, representing He Ping'an, had not stepped into the courtyard house for a long time. Even during the Lunar New Year, she only lit incense for the portrait before leaving in a hurry.

All of this caused those beasts who had been dealt with by He Ping'an to become restless. Their gazes towards the He family grew increasingly greedy and audacious!

Rumors began circulating in the courtyard at some unknown time... saying that He Daqing had abandoned his wife and children and run off with a theatrical performer. He Yuzhu, of course, wouldn't stand idly by and watch the He family be humiliated...

First, they approached the three "beasts," but as if they had conspired, each made excuses. When the matter was brought up in a meeting, it was only briefly mentioned. This only fueled their greed. The rumors grew increasingly rampant!

Finally, He Ping'an had already died in the Korean War! The story was told in great detail, otherwise why wouldn't Bai Ling ever visit the courtyard house again!

A seventeen-year-old boy can't reason with people, he can only reason with his fists... When he encounters a beast who spreads rumors, he just uses his fists to deal with it.

One or two acts of savagery might be tolerated by the He family's reputation, and they would obediently admit defeat. But after it happened repeatedly, they secretly joined forces and gave He Yuzhu a good beating.

In the backyard, Li Guifen watched Li Ze'an carefully applying medicine to He Yuzhu, feeling both gratified and melancholy.

"Madam, something feels off about this."

"Cough cough..." Over the years, the deaf old woman has become increasingly frail, her hair already gray, but her cloudy eyes are still piercing.

"You...it seems these past few years of peace have made you less vigilant. First it was He Daqing's rumors, then He Ping'an's, then forcing Sha Zhuzi to take action, and finally, a coordinated attack for revenge!"

Li Guifen's face turned cold, and she gritted her teeth, coldly uttering a name: "Yi Zhonghai!"

Li Guifen was certainly not stupid; she managed to forge a path to survival even when she had no one to rely on. Just as the deaf old woman said, people who live in peace for too long lose their vigilance.

The deaf old woman nodded in satisfaction!

"That……"

"What's the rush?" The old woman, wise as she was, hit the nail on the head. "Has He Daqing really run away? Or is that kid He Ping'an really dead in Korea? Let them run rampant, they'll pay for it sooner or later!"

"Your most important task now is to keep an eye on Zhuzi and Ze'an, the two brothers! Understand?" The deaf old woman pointed at the two brothers playing not far away, giving them a meaningful reminder.

Li Guifen followed the deaf old woman's gaze and nodded subconsciously, "Of course!"

"You..." The deaf old woman shook her head. Deliberate attempts are never as beautiful as they seem; perhaps this way is better. The older one gets, the more perceptive one becomes, especially the elderly with a wealth of experience.

He Daqing was to He Ping'an; He Yuzhu was to Li Ze'an... The deaf old lady thought they were perfect in every way!

Years later, even with a change of dynasties, in her eyes Yi Zhonghai was still that clown. "Recycling waste"—that was the only assessment the deaf old woman had of him!