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

Several days later.

Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, Finance Department Window.

"Next! He Yuzhu!"

The cashier called out, her voice tinged with impatience.

Sha Zhu hunched his shoulders, wearing that tattered cotton-padded jacket that reeked of stench.

Amidst the disapproving gazes of the workers, he moved to the window.

"He Yuzhu, your basic salary for this month is 18.5 yuan."

"After deducting late arrival fines, hygiene non-compliance fines, and tool wear and tear fees... the actual amount paid was 12.3 yuan."

The cashier counted out a few crumpled bills and a few coins, and threw them out like trash.

"Here you go, next one!"

Sha Zhu, his large hands trembling with chilblains and calluses, clutched the money tightly.

Twelve dollars and three cents.

This is what he has been doing for the past month.

Every day, they carry hundreds of kilograms of steel in the transport team and clean up waste in the sewage ditch, earning their hard-earned money.

He used to be a head chef, so he already had a high salary.

With the lunchboxes they brought back, they lived a very comfortable life.

But now... this little money isn't even enough to buy cornmeal for the whole family to eat.

"What are you looking at? It stinks!"

"Get out of here!" the worker behind him shouted, covering his nose.

Sha Zhu lowered his head, his eyes were dull, and he silently squeezed out of the crowd.

......

As evening fell, a cold wind howled.

Sha Zhu dragged his leaden legs and slowly made his way back to the courtyard house.

He was cold and hungry, and his stomach had been growling for a while.

But the thought of the money in his pocket made him muster his spirits.

Although it wasn't much money, it was still money he had worked hard to earn!

If we take it back to Sister Qin, at least we can get a hot meal and a few kind words in return.

I just entered the Intermediate People's Court.

Sha Zhu smelled the aroma of stewed cabbage and vermicelli.

That drifted out from the Jia family.

Sha Zhu swallowed hard and quickened his pace toward the Jia family's house.

"Sister Qin! Mom! I'm home!"

Sha Zhu pushed open the door and was about to go in.

"Oh my god!"

As Jia Zhangshi was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) sewing shoe soles, she almost fainted when she smelled the stench that came in with the cold wind.

The smell was a mixture of the rotten smell of sewers, the stench of sweat, and the smell of waste engine oil; it was even more pungent than a latrine.

"He Yuzhu! Did you fall into a cesspool?"

Jia Zhangshi immediately jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed).

She covered her nose tightly with a handkerchief, pointed at Sha Zhu, and screamed, "Don't come in! Please don't come in!"

"Are you trying to suffocate us?"

Sha Zhu had just stepped one foot across the threshold when he was stopped by this shout.

He stood awkwardly at the door, fidgeting with the hem of his clothes.

"Um... I was cleaning the sewage ditch at the factory, and the smell was a bit strong."

"But didn't I just get paid?"

"I was thinking of getting it back to Sister Qin as soon as possible..."

"salary?"

Upon hearing those two words, Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up.

The look of disgust in his eyes lessened slightly. "How many did you send?"

"Did you bring back a lunchbox?"

Sha Zhu pulled out the crumpled roll of money from his pocket and lowered his head in shame.

"Xu Damao withheld a lot of money this month... I only received a little over twelve yuan."

"A lunchbox is even more out of the question; I can't even get enough to eat in the cafeteria..."

"What? Only twelve yuan? And there aren't even any leftovers?"

Jia Zhangshi's triangular eyes widened in surprise.

The slight restraint he had shown vanished instantly, replaced by even more scathing contempt.

"Hey He Yuzhu, are you a piece of trash?"

Jia Zhangshi pointed at Sha Zhu's nose and cursed, "You work yourself to the bone for a month, and this is all you earn?"

"Are you trying to appease a beggar?"

"You wouldn't even get this little food if you were begging, would you?"

"Back then, with your high monthly salary, you could still bring meat and vegetables every day. Letting you in was an honor!"

"And now? Look at the state you've become!"

"They have no money, no food, and they come here reeking!"

"Get out! Get out of here right now!"

While cursing, Jia Zhangshi picked up a broom and tried to chase people out.

Sha Zhu was stunned by the scolding.

He stared blankly at the old woman who usually ate and drank his food, and who, despite being a chatterbox, at least called him "Pillar".

At this moment, it felt like chasing away a mangy dog.

"Sister Qin..."

Sha Zhu turned his pleading gaze to Qin Huairu, who was serving rice.

Qin Huairu put down her rice spoon and turned around.

She didn't hurl insults like Jia Zhangshi, but the expression on her face chilled Shazhu to the bone even more than any cursing.

That's disdain.

A naked, undisguised disdain!

Qin Huairu walked to the door, showing no intention of letting Sha Zhu into the house.

Instead, he reached out and snatched the twelve yuan from Sha Zhu's hand.

"Pillar."

Qin Huairu put the money in her pocket, frowning.

He fanned his nose with his hand and spoke in a cold tone.

"It's not that I dislike you, it's just... your smell is too strong."

"Xiao Dang and Huaihua are eating. Don't make the child vomit from the smell."

"This amount of money is a bit small, but it's better than nothing."

"We haven't bought coal yet, and we're worried about not having enough money."

After saying that, Qin Huairu was about to close the door.

Sha Zhu panicked and grabbed the door frame, saying, "Sister Qin, I...I haven't eaten yet."

"Could you please serve me a bowl of hot porridge?"

"Even a cornbread would be fine, I've been hungry all day."

Qin Huairu looked at Sha Zhu's dark face and chapped lips, and hesitated for a moment.

But before she could speak, Jia Zhangshi inside the room shrieked, "Eat what?!"

"That little bit of cornmeal isn't even enough for us to eat!"

"He reeks of stench. If we let him in, how can anyone live in this house?"

Upon hearing her mother-in-law's words, the slight hesitation in Qin Huairu's eyes vanished instantly.

She looked at Sha Zhu, sighed, and put on a helpless expression.

"Pillar, you heard that too."

"Mom is getting old and can't stand this smell."

"You should... go back to your room first, boil some water and wash up."

"But Sister Qin, I'm out of coal in my room, it's cold..." Sha Zhu's voice trembled.

"Then just bear with it."

"Who told you you weren't capable of making big money?"

After saying this, Qin Huairu was extremely decisive—

"Bang!"

The door slammed shut right in front of Sha Zhu's nose.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of bolting the door came from inside.

Sha Zhu stood frozen in place, still holding out his hand.

The cold wind howled, chilling him to the bone in his thin, smelly cotton-padded coat.

Inside the house, one could hear Jia Zhangshi's cursing, Xiao Dang Huaihua's eating, and the crackling of the stove fire.

It was warm, it had the feel of everyday life.

Outside the door, there was only endless darkness and cold.

Sha Zhu looked at his empty hands.

The money was given.

The person was kicked out.

They didn't even get a sip of hot soup.

"hehe..."

Sha Zhu suddenly laughed, a laugh that sounded even worse than crying.

He recalled his days as a head chef.

As soon as he entered the courtyard with his lunchbox, Qin Huairu would greet him with a smile and help him dust off the dirt.

Jia Zhangshi also kept calling him "good pillar".

What now?

When he ran out of money and meat, he became a "stinking beggar".

So this is what they mean by "whoever feeds you is your mother, whoever has no money is a stranger."

Sha Zhu turned around, dragging his stiff body, and walked step by step toward the dark and cold room opposite.

The wind in the courtyard was really cold that night.

......