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

Earlier, when Xie Weihong went out to find food due to hunger and completely disappeared around the corner of the alley, the courtyard was quiet for a moment.

That silence wasn't the relief of finishing something, but rather the quiet brewing of some suppressed emotion that had finally found its right moment to erupt.

Yan Bugui was the first to lose his composure. He stood at his doorway, leaning out most of his body, and looked around the alleyway again and again. Only after confirming that he could no longer see anyone did he lower his voice, but he could not hide the urgency in his tone: "They really went far away, didn't they? This time they're not just wandering around in the yard, they've gone outside."

The second aunt immediately chimed in, her tone very certain: "They've gone far away. I listened for a while, and the footsteps stopped. It's so late at night, they must have left the yard."

These words seemed to have unlocked some kind of constraint.

The few families who were originally huddled inside their houses gradually poked their heads out, and the open space in the middle courtyard was soon filled with people.

Yi Zhonghai then walked out of his own door.

He stood in the center of the courtyard, his hands behind his back, his face extremely somber. His gaze swept across everyone's faces, but he remained silent for a long time, as if waiting for everyone to arrive, or as if waiting for everyone's emotions to ignite on their own.

Soon, Jia Zhangshi came out carrying a stool, plopped down, making quite a commotion.

Immediately afterwards, Qin Huairu, supporting He Yuzhu, slowly moved to the front of the group.

He Yuzhu's face was pale, and there was a bandage on his forehead. He was leaning against the stool, his chest heaving unevenly, clearly still recovering from the beating.

Everyone's here.

Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat, his voice not loud, but carrying an authority honed from years of giving orders: "Since everyone is here, let's get this straight. This is not a minor incident, nor can it be dismissed as mere youthful impulsiveness."

He paused deliberately, waiting until everyone's attention was on him, before continuing, "Although Xie Weihong is not here, the problem remains. We can't just pretend nothing happened just because he's gone."

As soon as these words were spoken, Madam Jia Zhang seemed to be ignited, her voice suddenly rising: "That's right! So what if he's not here? Does that mean you can beat people for free just because he's not here? Uncle Yi, look at Zhu Zi, look at the state he's in! If no one does anything about this, who in the courtyard will dare to go out in the future?"

As she spoke, she slapped her thigh, her obese body leaning forward, spittle flying far as she spoke: "Today it's Zhu Zi, tomorrow will it be someone else's turn? Let me tell you, if someone's heart is corrupt, it can't be hidden!"

Yan Bugui immediately pushed up his glasses, his tone seemingly calm, but every word he spoke carried weight: "Sister-in-law, what you said may be rough, but it makes sense. In terms of its nature, this is no longer just a neighborhood squabble. Xie Weihong directly took action, and she did it extremely hard. If this happened outside, it would be considered a public security issue."

As he spoke, he glanced at He Yuzhu again and added, "What is Zhuzi's status? He's a regular worker at the steel rolling mill. Master Yi, you've always said that he's the pillar of our factory. If he really suffers some kind of aftereffect, it won't just affect him alone."

Qin Huairu spoke softly at this moment. Her voice was not loud, but everyone around could hear her clearly: "Uncle Yi, I'm not trying to speak well of anyone, but if the factory finds out about Zhu Zi's current state, and they think he's caused trouble, who knows if he can keep his job?"

As she spoke, her eyes slowly reddened, and her voice lowered: "Zhuzi has a younger sister who depends entirely on this salary to make a living. If something really goes wrong..."

As soon as these words were spoken, a chorus of agreement immediately arose in the courtyard.

"Yes, this is no small matter."

"Young people don't know their own strength; what if someone gets killed?"

Yi Zhonghai then raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, his face showing an expression of "I have no choice but to get involved": "I understand what everyone means, this matter really can't just be left like this."

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming exceptionally serious: "First of all, it is a fact that Xie Weihong beat her neighbor in public. Everyone witnessed it, and there is no dispute about it."

"Secondly, instead of reflecting on his actions afterward, he verbally abused and even threatened the elders in the facility. This is no longer a matter of attitude, but a matter of ideology."

He paused here, his gaze sweeping heavily over the crowd: "What are we emphasizing now? Organization, discipline, and a sense of collective responsibility. This kind of loss of control over personal emotions and extreme behavior must be taken seriously."

Liu Haizhong couldn't help but chime in, his tone slightly official: "I think this matter can't just be discussed in the courtyard. We need to report it to the street office. Otherwise, if something really happens later, who will be held responsible?"

Yan Bugui immediately chimed in, "Old Liu is right. We're doing this for everyone's safety. If he really has some mental issues, it's better to address them beforehand than for something serious to happen."

The moment the words "mental health issues" were uttered, the courtyard fell silent.

Immediately following was a hushed discussion.

"If this is really not normal, then we can't live together."

"Who would dare to be neighbors with someone like that?"

Qin Huairu sighed softly, as if she had made a great decision, and said, "Uncle, I know it's difficult for you, but how about... we let the neighborhood committee take a look? It's not about punishing him, it's about preventing problems before they arise."

These words, spoken very softly, struck like a hammer blow, directly hitting the conclusion.

Yi Zhonghai was silent for a few seconds, then slowly nodded: "Since everyone is so in agreement, then this matter cannot be delayed."

He solemnly declared, "When Xie Weihong returns, we must conduct a thorough self-examination and criticism in front of the entire hospital. Those who need to be educated should be educated, and those who need to be dealt with should be dealt with. We must not allow this kind of atmosphere to continue in the hospital."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and no one raised any objections.

It was as if, at that moment, Xie Weihong's "crime" had already been decided.

Throughout the entire conference, no one mentioned it once.

The person involved was not present at all, from beginning to end.