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

Soon, winter arrived in Beijing again.

The north wind howled across the sky above Beijing, as if it could blow right through your bones.

What's more unsettling than the cold is the extreme shortage of supplies!

In this era of food and clothing shortages, living is truly exhausting.

The queues outside the grain depot are getting longer every day.

The shelves in the grocery store were empty; even the lowest quality pickled vegetables had to be bought with ration coupons.

The price of grain coupons on the black market has tripled, and transactions have to be done secretly, like thieves.

In the courtyard house, every household tightened their belts.

The Yan family, which used to have some money, now dare not put too much rice in their porridge, which is so thin you can see your reflection in it.

Uncle Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, earned a meager wage for cleaning toilets, and his second aunt even picked up rotten vegetable leaves to eat in order to save money.

The entire compound was shrouded in gloom and despair.

However, amidst this somber backdrop, there is a striking bright spot.

......

Evening, backyard.

Li Xuan had just returned from outside, carrying a seemingly ordinary black briefcase.

Nobody knew that the briefcase didn't contain documents.

Rather, they are "life-saving medicines" and "special supplies" that are more precious than gold in this era.

Just now.

He utilized the system's point-to-point teleportation function.

A batch of penicillin and high-purity glucose was delivered to Old Chen.

They also sent the Hua family a 50-pound bag of refined wheat flour and 10 pounds of pork.

These things are crucial for the bigwigs who are currently in the eye of the storm and facing limited supplies.

It's not just about providing material support, but also about having a life-saving trump card.

[Ding! Detected that the host has rescued Guo Jiadongliang and his family, earning 5000 merit points!]

Current merit points balance: 28000 points.

The system shop (lifestyle section) has been refreshed: premium pork belly, top-grade fragrant rice, White Rabbit milk candy...

Hearing the pleasant notification sound in his mind, Li Xuan smiled faintly.

This feeling of operating behind the scenes and profiting from both sides is really great.

Back inside, the heating was just right, a world apart from the freezing cold outside.

He Yushui was busy in the kitchen, wearing an apron.

Hearing the noise, she peeked out with a big smile: "Brother, you're back?"

"What are we eating today?"

Since her last major falling out with Sha Zhu, Yu Shui has been living comfortably at Li Xuan's place.

Even her complexion has become increasingly rosy, and she no longer looks like the bullied girl she used to be.

Li Xuan put down his briefcase and took out a piece of pork belly weighing at least three pounds from behind him.

That was top-grade pork belly, with distinct layers and a bright red color.

"It's cold today, let's eat something hot."

Li Xuan smiled and said, "Braised pork belly, and also stewed cabbage and glass noodles, with plenty of meat slices!"

Raindrop's eyes lit up instantly, and he swallowed hard. "Alright! Brother, just you wait and see!"

.....

After half an hour.

A rich aroma of meat began to emanate from Li Xuan's house, spreading throughout the entire courtyard.

The fragrance seemed to have eyes, following the scent through the cracks in the doors and windows...

It seeped into every nostril and crevice, even into the noses of every household.

forecourt.

Yan Bugui was sighing over half a cornbread when he smelled it, and his eyes behind his glasses turned green.

"This...this is braised pork!"

Yan Bugui swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing violently. "How much sugar? How much oil did they put in that?"

"The Li family is far too rich."

The third aunt took a bite of pickled vegetables with resentment and said, "That damned bastard!"

"Releasing poisonous content so late at night, they're deliberately trying to kill us!"

Intermediate People's Court.

Sha Zhu was lying on the bed, lifeless.

He had been lying at home for several days since Li Xuan kicked him.

At that moment, he smelled that familiar aroma—the aroma of top-quality braised pork that he, as a chef, knew best!

Sha Zhu's stomach started growling uncontrollably.

"This skill... is amazing."

Sha Zhu muttered to himself, his eyes filled with loneliness.

He used to bring his own lunchbox from the cafeteria, thinking he was a big shot.

Compared to Li Xuanyi, his leftovers are practically pig swill.

The Jia family suffered the most.

The Jia family's dinner was a thin, watery cornmeal porridge, without even a hint of salt.

Banggeng was drinking porridge with a gloomy face when suddenly his nose twitched twice.

The next second, his face turned extremely ugly.

The aroma of meat was like an invisible hand, relentlessly scratching at his stomach.

It awakened the craving that had been lurking in his stomach for a long time.

"Mom! I want to eat meat! I want to eat meat!"

Banggeng pushed the bowl away, his single eye bloodshot, and roared at Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu felt her heart breaking as she looked at her son's ferocious expression, yet she was powerless to do anything about it.

She's now penniless; she can barely afford cornbread, let alone meat.

"Bang Geng, listen to me, let's bear with it..." Qin Huairu coaxed, her voice trembling with tears.

"Stop it my foot!"

Jia Zhangshi, who was on the kang (a heated brick bed), couldn't take it anymore and slammed her chopsticks on the table.

He started cursing loudly towards the backyard.

"Li Xuan, you little beast who deserves to die a horrible death!"

"You heartless bastard!"

"Everyone's starving, and you're eating lavish meals at home every day!"

"Aren't you afraid of choking to death? Aren't you afraid of your intestines rotting?"

"This meat smells so good, why didn't you even send a bowl to my family, a widow and her children!"

"That's capitalist behavior! You'll get shot sooner or later!"

Jia Zhangshi cursed with spittle flying, her vicious curses carrying far into the quiet night.

She's really craving it!

His drool was practically dripping down his collar.

The more she craved it, the more she hated it.

They hated Li Xuan for not helping them, and they hated God for being so unfair.

But no matter how much she cursed, the aroma of meat in the backyard did not dissipate.

On the contrary, it's getting stronger and stronger!

The sounds of laughter and cheerful chatter from the Li family could even be heard.

"Brother! This meat smells amazing! It melts in your mouth!"

"Eat as much as you like, there's plenty!"

Hearing these words, Bang Geng angrily pounded his fists against the wall repeatedly.

It makes a "thump thump thump" sound!

"Li Xuan...Lu Xuan!"

He repeated the name in his mind.

That jealousy and hatred, fueled by hunger, grew wildly.

He vowed that one day...

He wanted to make Li Xuan kneel before him like a dog and vomit up all the meat he had eaten!

......

The backyard, the Li family's house.

A large bowl of bright red braised pork was placed on the dining table.

Each piece was coated in a rich sauce and trembled slightly.

Next to it was a pot of pork, cabbage, and glass noodle stew, steaming hot.

Li Xuan picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth. It was fatty but not greasy, soft, sweet and fragrant.

He could hear Jia Zhangshi's cursing and shouting clearly coming from the front yard.

"Brother, that old hag is cursing again."

"Should I go...?" Li Tian put down his chopsticks, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"Sit down and eat."

Li Xuan waved his hand dismissively, his expression as calm as a still lake.

If a dog bites you, are you going to bite it back?

Let her curse.

Li Xuan's lips curled up slightly as he casually picked up a piece of meat and placed it in his mother's bowl.

"The more fiercely she curses, the more she craves it and the more she suffers."

"The better we live, the crueler the punishment we inflict on them."

In this era of scarcity, the greatest revenge is not violence.

It's when you risk your life for a single steamed bun.

Your enemy is in a warm house, eating meat and drinking wine.

This is truly killing someone by destroying their spirit.

......