Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

Madam Jia sensed the displeasure in her son's words and, realizing she had spoken out of turn, lowered her voice: "Dongming, it's not that I'm greedy, it's just that... I feel it's a bit of a loss for us to spend this money to buy back the house we're already living in?"

Jia Dongming shook his head, feeling that his mother's perspective was too narrow. "Mom, you've always heard the saying, 'Penny wise, pound foolish.'"

Do you remember back in the 1960s? Food rations were tight in the city, and the neighborhood committees were pressuring people with rural household registration to either stay in the countryside or go back. I don't know how you managed to avoid it then, but if it happened again, would you rather go back to the countryside and suffer, or would you want to continue living a stable life in the city?

When the year 1960 was mentioned, Jia Zhangshi's face turned pale.

She was only spared deportation back then thanks to Yi Zhonghai's secret intervention, but she had witnessed firsthand how difficult life was in the countryside.

As memories flooded back, she couldn't help but shudder, her voice trembling with fear: "Dongming, you're a cadre, so if you made the decision, you must have your reasons."

"Mom will listen to you."

Seeing her expression, Jia Dongming's face softened slightly. He turned to Qin Huairu and instructed her, "Huairu, take some time these next few days to transfer Mom's household registration to the city."

Around 5 p.m., the melody of "We Workers Have Strength" played over the loudspeaker at the steel rolling mill.

Xu Damao said goodbye to his colleagues and headed towards the parking shed.

Just as I pushed my bicycle to the factory gate, a voice suddenly called out from behind, "Da Mao! Wait, Uncle Er has something to ask you!"

Xu Damao stopped in his tracks, turned around, and saw Liu Haizhong hurrying up. A look of confusion appeared on his face: "Second Uncle, what do you need me for?"

It turned out that early that morning, Liu Haizhong heard from Yan Bugui when he passed by the front yard that Xu Damao had actually eaten with Jia Dongming and the factory leaders last night, and had even returned in the factory's car.

This news surprised and envied Liu Haizhong, who was eager to climb the social ladder. He spent the whole day wondering: Why did Jia Dongming take Xu Damao to such a dinner party?

After thinking it over, he concluded that Xu Damao must have invited Jia Dongming to dinner before, which was how they established their relationship.

He waited until he got off work, then immediately came looking for him.

Seeing Xu Damao stop, Liu Haizhong smiled and leaned closer: "Damao! I heard you had dinner with Section Chief Jia and the factory leaders last night, is that true?"

Xu Damao loved to show off, and when asked this question, his smugness immediately flared up, but he pretended to be surprised: "Second Uncle, your ears are really sharp! You even know this."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong realized it was true and quickly pressed, "Tell your second uncle, how did you end up sitting at the same table as the leader?"

Xu Damao replied without hesitation, "Why else? It's all thanks to my brother Jia's help."

Otherwise, how would I ever get to attend a dinner party like that?

Hearing this, Liu Haizhong was even more certain of his guess—it really was Jia Dongming who brought it.

He was immediately annoyed. If only he had known that inviting Jia Dongming to dinner would have allowed him to get on good terms with the leader, why hadn't he thought of that? The opportunity had slipped away, and his heart ached.

Unwilling to give up, he leaned closer and lowered his voice, asking, "Da Mao, tell me in more detail what exactly happened at the banquet last night?"

Xu Damao, who always liked to show off, saw Liu Haizhong asking about last night's dinner with an envious look on his face and raised his chin and said, "Second Uncle, if I hadn't happened to sit next to Section Chief Jia yesterday, how would I have known that he had such a big influence in the factory? Even the leaders above have to watch their noses at him."

Liu Haizhong was stunned, his face filled with disbelief. He asked hesitantly, "Da Mao, isn't Jia Dongming just the head of the security department? Why are the factory leaders so subservient to him?"

Xu Damao originally thought that the security department was just an ordinary department in the factory, but after the dinner last night, he suddenly realized that there was another layer of jurisdiction over the security department, and it could even keep an eye on the factory leaders' every move.

Thinking of this, he became even more excited and leaned closer to Liu Haizhong, lowering his voice to say, "Second Uncle, you don't know this, the security department manages both ends."

If factory leaders commit a crime, they can arrest them directly.

"Wasn't our Deputy Factory Director Zhou taken away last night by Section Chief Jia and his men?"

Liu Haizhong had always dreamed of getting a government position. When he heard that Jia Dongming had more power than the factory leaders, he felt a mix of envy and excitement, and secretly made up his mind.

As soon as he stepped into the house, he instructed his second aunt, who was busy at the stove, "Mingtian, take all the meat coupons at home and go to the market to buy two catties of good meat, and also bring some decent vegetables."

"I'd like to invite Section Chief Jia over for dinner tonight."

The second aunt paused in her hand, spatula in hand, and turned her head in confusion: "Why are you suddenly inviting him to dinner?"

These words stirred up Liu Haizhong's frustration.

He recalled that Xu Damao had only treated Jia Dongming to a meal, and last night he was able to sit at the dinner table with the leaders, as if an opportunity had fallen from the sky, but he had failed to seize it.

He rubbed his legs and sighed, "You don't know, Xu Damao was taken drinking with the factory leaders yesterday just because he treated Section Chief Jia to a meal."

If we had acted sooner, would he have had the chance? Sigh, I'm so slow on the uptake!

The second aunt opened her mouth in surprise: "Where did you hear that from?"

"Yan Laoxi told me."

Liu Haizhong hurriedly said, "I was afraid he was lying to me, so I deliberately waited for Xu Damao at the factory gate after get off work today and asked him directly."

He suddenly leaned forward again, his voice filled with excitement: "Honey, I always thought the security department was just under the factory's control, but I only found out today that's not the case—they can even control the factory leaders! If we can get on good terms with Section Chief Jia, and he puts a good word for me in front of the leaders, I might just become a leader myself."

The second aunt was skeptical: "Can Xu Damao's words be taken seriously? The security department is just a department after all. Can Jia Dongming really be more powerful than the factory director?"

Liu Haizhong hurriedly defended himself: "If something hadn't really happened, I wouldn't believe it either."

But yesterday afternoon, Deputy Factory Director Zhou was personally taken away by Jia Dongming. I heard... it was because he was involved in something shady.

The second aunt's expression changed; her previous suspicion instantly turned into shock.

She wiped her hands, her tone becoming resolute: "Then I, Mingtian, will bring more money and tickets, and I will definitely prepare the dishes properly."

"Once you get on Jia's good side, any promotion you want in the future will be as easy as a word from him."

Meanwhile, at Qin Huairu's maternal home in Qinjiacun, Changping, the situation was quite different.

At dinner time, smoke was rising from the chimneys of every household, but the Qin family's house was quiet and deserted.

Looking at her husband curled up on the bed, Qin's mother's eyes gradually reddened.

She lowered her voice, which was choked with sobs, and said, "Dad, how can you always tough it out like this... Shall we go to the city and borrow some money from Huairu to go to the hospital for a checkup?"

In the dim light, enduring the sharp pain in his abdomen, Qin's father's voice was so weak it seemed to be squeezed out from between cracks: "My dear wife, you know how temperamental Huairu's mother-in-law is... If we go, won't we just be adding to the child's burden?"

Qin's mother looked at the fine beads of cold sweat on her husband's forehead, her fingertips clenching the faded hem of his clothes. "Doctor Xiao came to check on you at noon and said that if this medicine doesn't suppress the pain, we'll have to go to the city hospital… How can your body withstand this on your own?"

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps could be heard outside the door.

The eldest son, Huai Ren, burst in like a gust of night wind, panting, "Mother, Second Uncle is here!"

The curtain was lifted, and the second son of the Qin family entered the inner room, bringing with him the chill of autumn dew.

The person on the kang (a heated brick bed) was curled up, his face ashen, and his teeth were clenched so tightly they were making a grinding sound.

The second brother strode to the bedside, then hurriedly turned to his sister-in-law: "Brother, what's wrong...?"

"My back aches so much when I get home from work that I can't straighten up."

Qin's mother's voice trembled, "Doctor Xiao left some medicine and also said that if I don't get better, I absolutely cannot delay any longer."

But your brother is stubborn. He said that it's too expensive in the city and he absolutely refused to go.

I wanted to ask someone to find Huairu to help me out, but he got angry instead…”

Upon hearing this, the second brother frowned deeply. "Big brother! What time is it? Why are you still worrying about these things!"

He turned and waved to Huai Ren, who was standing dumbfounded at the doorway. "Hurry and get the oxcart from the village chief's house! We have to leave tonight!"

As the sound of oxen chaff rolled across the field ridges, the lights in the courtyard had long since gone out.

A loud knocking sound came from the front yard, startling Yan Bugui from his light sleep.

He put on his coat and slippers and walked to the doorway, asking through the door, "Who is it? It's the middle of the night."

"I'm sorry, we are Qin Huairu's family."

A hoarse, local accent came from outside the door: "I'm her second uncle. There's an emergency at home. Please ask him to call her."

The latch was pulled open, and moonlight streamed in, illuminating a face etched with deep lines by the elements.

Yan Bugui squinted and looked him over: "What happened?"

"Her father is seriously ill and has been sent to the city."

The second brother rubbed his rough hands together. "The hospital said I need surgery, but I don't have enough money... that's why I had to swallow my pride and come to her."

Yan Bugui asked no more questions and led him through the moonlit courtyard.

The windows of the Jia family's house in the middle courtyard were pitch black. He raised his hand and knocked on the door: "Huairu, wake up, your second uncle from your mother's side is here."

There was a rustling sound inside, and the door creaked open a crack.

Qin Huairu, her hair disheveled, peeked out. Upon seeing who it was, her heart sank: "Second Uncle? What happened to Father?"

"Appendicitis, surgery is required."

The second son said in a low voice, "The surgery will cost more than fifty yuan."

Your father originally didn't want us to look for you, but the villagers scraped together... not even a fraction of what they could have saved."

Qin Huairu felt her hands and feet were ice-cold. "Wait a moment, I'll change my clothes and then I'll go with you."

She retreated back into the house, her fingertips touching the few small bills in the trunk—less than ten yuan.

There's still no sign of this month's wages.

Should I borrow from my mother-in-law? The thought was quickly dismissed.

She fastened her clothes, tiptoed open the door, and went straight to the west wing—at this moment, Jia Dongming was the only one she could rely on.

It was late at night when Jia Zhangshi was awakened by the commotion in the courtyard. Upon hearing that it was Qin Huairu's family members who had come to borrow money in the dead of night, an inexplicable anger surged within her.

She sat up, putting on her coat, and stared at her daughter-in-law, who was hurriedly getting dressed, with a sullen expression. No matter how she looked at her, she was an eyesore.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, and he was about to give a scathing rebuke when he suddenly remembered Jia Dongming's earlier warning. He had no choice but to suppress his resentment, his throat feeling constricted, and he didn't utter a single word.

Qin Huairu quickly tidied up and hurriedly left the house.

Seeing the anxious-looking second son of the Qin family standing under the corridor, she steadied herself and said, "Second Uncle, please wait here for a moment. I'll go find my eldest uncle to borrow some money, and then we'll go to the hospital together."

Before he finished speaking, he had already turned around and walked quickly towards the other courtyard.

The lights were still on in the main room of the villa.

She jogged to Jia Dongming's door, knocked lightly twice, and called out, "Uncle, are you resting?"

Jia Dongming was leaning against the headboard, flipping through a book, when he heard Qin Huairu's voice outside the door, which sounded unusually urgent. He immediately closed the book, sat up, and called out, "Huairu? It's so late, what's wrong?"

"Uncle,"

Qin Huairu's voice was filled with anxiety, "I want to borrow some money from you... My father is seriously ill, and the hospital says he needs surgery. We urgently need money."

The door creaked.

It opened with a sound.

Jia Dongming stood inside the door, his brows slightly furrowed: "What illness does your father have? It's gotten to the point where he needs surgery?"

Qin Huairu looked worried, her brows furrowed with deep sorrow: "My second uncle said it's 'tail inflammation,' but I can't really say for sure what it is. I only know that the doctor is urging me to get it treated, and it can't be delayed."

She paused, her voice lowering, "The surgery will cost over fifty yuan, and I only have a few yuan left... Uncle, if you can help me, I will pay you back slowly once I start earning a living."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongming immediately understood—it was appendicitis.

This disease might not seem like a big deal in the future, but right now, with medical care so inconvenient, it could really be fatal if left untreated.

His expression hardened, and he turned around to go back into the house to get his bicycle keys, saying decisively, "We'll talk about the money on the way."

Huairu, the most important thing now is to get to the hospital as soon as possible.

Which hospital is your father in?

Qin Huairu then realized she hadn't asked where they were, and quickly turned back to ask Qin's second son, who was following a few steps behind, "Second Uncle, which hospital is my father in?"

The second son of the Qin family had been surprised when he saw Qin Huairu lead a strange young man out of the other courtyard. Now, when asked, he came to his senses and hurriedly said, "He's at the People's Hospital, in the emergency department."

"Walk!"