Courtyard House: Starting with handing over the keys, the state helps me abuse birds.

It was 5:30 in the morning, and the sky was not yet fully bright.

The courtyard of the siheyuan was already brightly lit – several temporary high-powered lights illuminated the entire courtyard as if it were daytime.

Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, He Yuzhu, and Xu Damao stood in a row in the center of the courtyard, each of them looking ashen-faced as if they had just crawled out of a graveyard.

The bandages on their bodies were brand new, and the casts had been reapplied, but through the edges of the gauze, one could still see the dark red bloodstains that had seeped from the ruptured wounds from yesterday's run.

Several medical staff in white coats stood in the corner of the courtyard, their medicine boxes open, ready to handle any emergencies.

Duan Chengyi stood before the five people, still dressed in sportswear, holding a notebook and a pen. He glanced around, his gaze lingering on each person's face for a moment, before speaking, his voice exceptionally clear in the morning stillness:

"How did you sleep last night?"

The five people looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

Rest? How do I rest?

With broken ribs, it hurts no matter how I lie down; with a leg injury, it's hard to even turn over; and on top of that, the frustration and fear in my heart make it a miracle if I can even fall asleep!

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and managed to squeeze out, "It's...it's alright."

"That's good." Duan Chengyi nodded, opened his notebook, and said, "Yesterday's running results have been recorded. Comrade Xie Weihong won and earned one point for the captain's candidacy. Today we will have the second event, the standing long jump."

"long jump?!"

The five people shouted almost simultaneously, their voices filled with terror.

Liu Haizhong looked down at his left leg, which was now back in a cast, and said in a trembling voice, "Director Duan, my leg... I can't jump!"

"My ribs..." Yi Zhonghai clutched his chest.

"My arm is still in a sling!" Yan Bugui said anxiously.

Needless to say, He Yuzhu and Xu Damao both had severe injuries to their right legs, making it difficult for them to even stand, let alone jump.

Duan Chengyi asked expressionlessly, "Didn't you all finish your run yesterday?"

"That was..." Yi Zhonghai wanted to say that he was forced to do it, but he swallowed the words back. He took a deep breath and tried to reason with them: "Director Duan, the long jump is different from running. You can barely move while running, but the long jump requires explosive power and leg strength. With our injuries... we really can't do it."

"We have to do it, even if we can't." Duan Chengyi's tone left no room for doubt. "This is an order from above. Physical training must be comprehensive; we can't just focus on running."

He paused, then added, "Moreover, today's project is very important. Comrade Xie Weihong already earned one point yesterday, and if she wins again today, she will earn two points. Among the five of you, Comrade Yi Zhonghai currently has the highest score, but zero points."

Yi Zhonghai's face turned pale.

"According to the rules, the person with the highest score after the three events will be elected captain," Duan Chengyi continued. "If Comrade Xie Weihong wins again today, then even if someone from your group wins the push-up event tomorrow, their total score will still be lower than his."

He paused, looking at the expressions on the five people's faces.

Yi Zhonghai and others felt their hearts sink to the bottom.

They desperately wanted the captain's position. With that title, they could legitimately "manage" the training, have a voice in Duan Chengyi's eyes, and even... find ways to deal with Xie Weihong!

I already lost miserably in the running yesterday, and it seems like I'm destined to lose in the long jump today.

"Director Duan," Yi Zhonghai forced a smile, trying to negotiate, "could you... perhaps change the project? For example... perhaps theoretical study? We could study the documents, write reflections..."

"Yes, yes!" Liu Haizhong quickly chimed in, "Theoretical study is also an important part of ideological progress!"

Yan Bugui's eyes lit up: "I can also give lectures! I've read quite a few books..."

"No way." Duan Chengyi interrupted directly, "Physical training is a hard requirement. Today it's the long jump, there's no room for negotiation."

The five were utterly desperate.

Just then, the back gate opened.

Xie Weihong came out.

He was still dressed simply in sportswear today, but he looked much more energetic than yesterday. His steps were steady, his eyes were clear, and standing in the morning light, he resembled a tall and straight pine tree.

When Yi Zhonghai and the others saw him, their eyes were filled with an extremely complex mix of emotions—resentment, jealousy, fear, and even a hint of envy that they themselves were unwilling to admit.

Why? Why can this orphan live so easily, while those of them who have been powerful in the compound for over a decade are now being manipulated like dogs?

"Wei Hong is here." Duan Chengyi turned his head. "The second event today is the standing long jump. The rules are simple: each person has three attempts, and the longest jump will be recorded. The person with the best score will get the points for this event."

Xie Weihong nodded, walked to the starting line, looked at the pale faces of the five people opposite her, and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it made Yi Zhonghai's heart skip a beat.

"Uncle Duan," Xie Weihong said calmly, "it seems like Master Yi and the others don't really want to jump?"

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that my injuries are too severe," Duan Chengyi said cooperatively.

"Oh..." Xie Weihong said thoughtfully, "Then how about this, to be fair, I'll propose a solution."

Yi Zhonghai and the others immediately perked up their ears.

"Aren't there five of them?" Xie Weihong said slowly. "Let's add up the distances of all five of them in the long jump, and then compare it to my distance alone. If their total distance exceeds my distance alone, they win. How about it?"

The courtyard was quiet for a moment.

then.

"What did you say?!" Yi Zhonghai was the first to react, his voice distorted with excitement.

Liu Haizhong's eyes widened: "Five people...combined? Compared to you alone?"

Yan Bugui's mind raced as he calculated, his eyes behind his glasses growing brighter and brighter.

He Yuzhu and Xu Damao exchanged a glance, both seeing ecstasy in each other's eyes.

Five people combined! And they're still not as good as one person?!

Even if they are all injured and can't jump far, there are still five of them! Even if each person only jumps half a meter, that adds up to two and a half meters! No matter how good Xie Weihong is at jumping, can she jump two and a half meters?

The world record for the standing long jump is only a little over three meters, and for the average person, jumping two meters is considered quite good!

"You...you're serious?" Yi Zhonghai's voice trembled, unable to believe his ears.

"Of course." Xie Weihong nodded. "I keep my word. As long as the total distance of your five long jumps exceeds mine, you win this event. The one with the longest jump among you gets the points."

"Good!" Yi Zhonghai almost shouted, "It's settled then!"

He was trembling with excitement, oblivious to the pain in his ribs. An opportunity! A chance to turn things around! A golden opportunity!

Liu Haizhong, his face flushed, said, "Xie Weihong, you said it yourself! Don't go back on your word later!"

"Go back on your word?" Xie Weihong chuckled. "When I, Xie Weihong, say something, it's a promise."