Courtyard House: Starting by inheriting the tradition and suppressing the barbarians.

Seeing Qin Huairu standing motionless, Jia Zhangshi became anxious.

He shoved Qin Huairu hard, yelling, "What are you daydreaming about?!"

"Do you really want to watch the only son of the Jia family die in some poor, remote place?"

"Think about Dongxu!"

"If Dongxu's spirit in heaven knew about this, he would never rest in peace!"

"Say something! Think of a solution!"

"Let's think of a way to stop Banggeng from going to the countryside!"

"It's urgent," Jia Zhangshi urged, her voice trembling with tears.

Qin Huairu took a deep breath and stood up.

She tidied her slightly messy hair, her eyes revealing a resolute determination.

"Okay... I'll think of something."

After saying that, Qin Huairu turned and walked out.

……

Qin Huairu's first stop was the Li family's house in the backyard.

Although she knew the chances were slim.

But within this institution, if someone were to claim to have extraordinary abilities to change that list...

Perhaps only Li Xuan could do that.

"Knock knock knock".

The knocking sounded particularly clear in the quiet backyard.

After a while, the door opened.

But it wasn't Li Xuan who opened the door; it was He Yushui.

Rain was wearing a fitted wool sweater and holding a book in her hands.

Seeing Qin Huairu looking haggard at the door, he frowned slightly: "What's wrong?"

"Rain, I want to see your brother Li Xuan..."

"I have something I'd like to ask him..."

Qin Huairu's voice trembled slightly, and she adopted a very humble posture.

"Looking for Brother Li Xuan?"

"Sorry, I'm taking a nap, I'm busy."

The rain coldly refused and was about to close the door.

Upon seeing this, Qin Huai immediately knelt down at his doorstep.

"Thump!"

His knee slammed against the hard stone slab with a dull thud.

"Rain! I know our family wronged you in the past!"

"But I beg you, please make an exception."

"If Bang Geng went to the Northwest, he'd be doomed!"

"Your brother knows a high-ranking official. If he's willing to put in a good word for you... anything can be resolved."

"I only have this one son!"

Qin Huairu wept bitterly, tears streaming down her face.

It was at this moment that...

Li Xuan's indifferent voice came from inside the room.

"It's so noisy."

"Where did these mosquitoes come from? They're so annoying!"

Li Xuan came out wearing a robe, holding a teacup in his hand.

At this moment, he looked down at Qin Huairu kneeling on the ground, his eyes showing no emotion.

"Qin Huairu, you've asked the wrong person."

"Bang Geng went to the Northwest in response to the national call and to receive re-education."

"As a highly conscious and exceptional national talent, how could I possibly undermine national policy for personal reasons?"

"We'll see."

Li Xuan's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "People like Bang Geng, who break into homes with knives and have wicked intentions."

"Only the winds and sands of Northwest China can wash away the evil in his bones!"

"Let him start a new life!"

"Li Xuan! How could you be so heartless!" Qin Huairu cried out in despair.

"heartless?"

Li Xuan sneered, "When he came into my house with a knife, why didn't you call him heartless?"

"Get out of here right now!"

"Don't dirty the ground in front of my house."

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut in front of Qin Huairu, and the cold wind it brought dried the tear stains on her face.

......

Qin Huairu returned to the Central Courtyard, dejected and distraught.

She looked towards Yi Zhonghai's house.

He used to be an old man, the pillar of the courtyard.

But when she pushed open the door, she saw an old man with a full head of white hair and a hunched back rolling a pipe.

Since his wife ran away and he lost all his savings, Yi Zhonghai has aged more than ten years.

"An old man..." Qin Huairu had just begun to speak.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, his face turning bright red from the violent coughing.

"Cough cough cough..."

"Huai Ru, stop talking."

"I'm in a predicament right now, barely able to save myself."

"I can't even get through to the neighborhood committee anymore; they treat me like I'm a plague carrier..."

"There's nothing I can do about this."

Qin Huairu's heart sank.

……

Just then, Sha Zhu returned from outside.

Seeing Qin Huairu standing in the wind crying, I immediately felt a pang of heartache.

"Sister Qin! What's wrong? Who bullied you?"

Sha Zhu rushed over and helped Qin Huairu up.

Looking at Sha Zhu's concerned face, Qin Huairu felt a pang of sadness.

If it were before, when Sha Zhu was the head chef, he might have been able to use his connections at the factory.

But now, Sha Zhu has been reduced to a mere porter by Xu Damao, and his wages are being docked.

Even his reputation in the courtyard was ruined because of his previous falling out with Yushui.

"Zhu Zi... Bang Geng is going to the countryside, to the Northwest."

Qin Huairu leaned on Sha Zhu's shoulder and cried.

"What? The Northwest?"

Sha Zhu panicked, "That's no place for a human to go!"

"No way! I'm going to find Director Wang! I'll slam my fist on the table and confront her!"

"it's useless..."

Qin Huairu shook her head and pushed Sha Zhu away.

She knew that now, besides his brute strength and kind heart, Sha Zhu had nothing left.

Slamming the table?

They'll just get arrested and locked up.

Power and influence.

Only power can save the baseball team!

Qin Huairu's gaze passed through the central courtyard and landed on the door of Xu Damao's house, which was covered with red couplets.

At this time, Xu Damao was riding high on his success.

Through flattery and manipulation, he has now become the deputy director of the Revolutionary Committee of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

They manage personnel and publicity, wielding real power.

I heard that he and Section Chief Liu from the district's educated youth office were drinking buddies.

If we're talking about who can remove Bang Geng's name from the list, or find a better place for it, it's only Xu Damao.

But who is Xu Damao?

That's a lustful glutton!

He had feelings for Qin Huairu before, but he didn't dare to act recklessly because of Sha Zhu and the previous situation.

Now that he has power, Qin Huairu is offering herself up to him; it's like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

Qin Huairu stood in the cold wind, biting her lip until it bled.

On one side is her son's entire life, and on the other is her own innocence and dignity.

"Mom! I don't want to go to the Northwest!"

"If I go, I'll kill myself!"

Then, Banggeng's hysterical roars came from inside the house again.

This roar became the final straw that broke Qin Huairu's back.

She closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears flowed down her cheeks.

"For my son... I'll accept it."

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears, took out a small mirror from her pocket, and used the light to tidy her hair.

Then, she pinched her cheeks hard to make her complexion look rosier.

After all this is done.

She turned away, her back to Sha Zhu's concerned gaze.

Step by step, they walked into the dead-end alley leading to Xu Damao's house.

That silhouette carried a heartbreaking allure, and a resolute determination to walk into the abyss...

......