Pursued by the Heavenly Dao, first level up in the courtyard.

On the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, at Yucheng Shipyard, a subsidiary of Yucheng Industrial Group.

"Sir, the measured data of the six dredgers all meet the design parameters and can be put into use at any time."

"Very good, you've worked hard. When will the ship be completed?"

"Six destroyers and six submarines. They are expected to be completed in the first half of next year."

"What are the wages and living conditions like for the shipyard workers?"

"For regular workers, the minimum wage is sixty. There are meat dishes at noon and in the evening. The housing in the employee community is a standard five-bedroom, two-living room, one-kitchen, three-bathroom apartment with an indoor area of ​​120 square meters."

"How's the upgrading and renovation of the four major shipyards going?"

"The four major shipyards have all completed their renovations and are currently building fishing boats. It is expected that 36 fishing boats will be completed by the end of the year."

The courtyard house, the central courtyard of which belongs to the Yi family.

Tan Guilan said, "Husband, we'll have to rely on Qin Huairu for our retirement."

Yi Zhonghai nodded, his tone full of helplessness: "Yes, we have no children, Jia Dongxu is dead, and Sha Zhu has a wife and children. In our old age, we can only rely on Qin Huairu."

Tan Guilan chimed in, "Qin Huairu is filial and hardworking, but Zhang Cuihua definitely won't agree to let Qin Huairu take care of us in our old age."

Thinking about retirement, Yi Zhonghai felt extremely frustrated: "Qin Huairu is raising three children, and she has a difficult and unreasonable mother-in-law, Zhang Cuihua. By the time we get old, Zhang Cuihua will be old too! Sigh!"

Tan Guilan pointed out incisively, "The biggest problem right now is Zhang Cuihua."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes turned cold, and he said in a low voice, "Zhang Cuihua is a roadblock on our path to retirement. She is greedy and unreasonable. Even if she agrees to take care of us in our old age, she just wants to exploit us until we die out."

Tan Guilan looked up at Yi Zhonghai, her voice even softer: "Master, have you ever thought about completely eliminating this obstacle?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai was stunned. After thinking about it carefully, he was moved.

After Zhang Cuihua's death, her daughter-in-law Tan Guilan helped Qin Huairu take care of her children. Over time, they developed feelings for each other, and she was assured of a comfortable retirement.

Yi Zhonghai feigned ignorance and asked, "Guilan, do you mean to kill Zhang Cuihua?"

Tan Guilan said in a low voice, "We must not leave any future troubles. As long as she is alive, our retirement will be uncertain."

Yi Zhonghai nodded in deep agreement: "Yes, I won't be at peace until Zhang Cuihua is dead!"

Tan Guilan smiled and said, "After Zhang Cuihua is gone, I will take the initiative to help Qin Huairu take care of the children. Over time, Qin Huairu will be grateful to us, and Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua will also treat us as their grandparents."

Despite his advanced age, Yi Zhonghai remained young at heart. He was filled with excitement and anticipation at the thought that after Zhang Cuihua's death, he would have the opportunity to win over Qin Huairu.

Before marrying Tan Guilan, Yi Zhonghai was a frequent visitor to the Eight Great Hutongs.

After Jia Haoyun's death, he taught Jia Dongxu his skills and used money to help Zhang Cuihua sneak into the cellar multiple times.

Yi Zhonghai knew that the probability of him becoming a father was very, very low, but his fighting ability was still intact.

Three days later, Zhang Cuihua received an invitation from Yi Zhonghai, and she was filled with anticipation.

In the dead of night, Yi Zhonghai and Zhang Cuihua walked out of the courtyard one after the other.

Upon arriving at the public toilet, Yi Zhonghai drugged Zhang Cuihua until she was unconscious, then threw her into the latrine.

Zhang Cuihua, who was upside down, quickly suffocated to death.

After confirming that Zhang Cuihua was dead, Yi Zhonghai returned to the courtyard house with a calm expression.

"If I kill He Daqing first, Jia Dongxu second, and Zhang Cuihua third, I'll only have one way out: death."

Back home, Yi Zhonghai lay on his bed and soon fell asleep.

Around 7 a.m., Chen Rong walked into the public restroom, took a closer look, and shouted, "Help! Someone's dead!"

"Qin Huairu, something terrible has happened. Your mother-in-law drowned in a public restroom."

"Zhang Cuihua is dead? She was perfectly fine yesterday, how could she be dead?"

"The Jia family is in such a terrible state. Jia Dongxu died in the factory last year, and Zhang Cuihua is now dead too."

"Qin Huairu's life is getting tough; she's raising three children alone, it's so hard!"

"Those who are supposed to go to work, go to work. Those who are not supposed to go to work, go and notify the neighborhood office and the police station."

Liu Haizhong, Ye Qiu, Yi Zhonghai, Xu Damao, He Yuzhu, Yan Bugui, Liu Yuhua, and others went to work.

Chen Rong and Yang Ruihua went to notify the street office and police station.

The forensic doctor examined her carefully but found no external injuries, and Zhang Cuihua's death was ruled an accident.

Liu Xiaoqian said, "Soldier, did you hear that? Zhang Cuihua from the Jia family in the Central Court is dead."

Qi Bing, though puzzled, said nonchalantly, "I never expected Zhang Cuihua to be dead."

Liu Yongfeng asked, "Xiao Qi, should we help with Zhang Cuihua's funeral arrangements?"

Qi Bing said, "Dad, we have no dealings with the Jia family, and we don't need to get involved in Zhang Cuihua's funeral arrangements."

Liu Yongfeng nodded: "Okay, I'll do as you say."

After breakfast, Qi Bing drove his father-in-law, mother-in-law, wife, and children to the school gate.

Yi Zhonghai went to the factory to ask for leave and help with the funeral arrangements. Three days later, Zhang Cuihua was buried.

Qin Huairu is about to start working at a steel rolling mill, and with no one to take care of her three children at home, she plans to send them back to the village.

Tan Guilan took the initiative to approach Qin Huairu, promising to help her take care of Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua.

That afternoon, Yang Ruihua, Chen Rong, and others were chatting idly in front of the Yan family's house.

"Auntie, Qin Huairu is so pitiful. She's raising three children all by herself."

"Second Aunt, you're wrong about that. Qin Huairu is living a better life than many people right now."

"What do you mean, Auntie?"

"Once Zhang Cuihua dies, all the money she saved will belong to Qin Huairu. Even if Zhang Cuihua doesn't have three thousand yuan, she won't be much worse off. Qin Huairu will go to work at the factory soon."

"Jia Dongxu died in the factory. Qin Huairu became a formal employee as soon as she entered the factory, earning 27 yuan a month. Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua each earned 5 yuan a month, which added up to more than 40 yuan."

"She has about three thousand yuan in savings, a sewing machine, and earns more than forty yuan a month. Her life is better than many people's. An older woman helps Qin Huairu take care of her child. Her future life can't be happier."

Upon careful consideration, everyone realized that Qin Huairu's life was much better than they had imagined.

There are more than 20 households living in the courtyard, but less than half of them can afford to contribute 1,000 yuan.

Zhang Cuihua, whom everyone disliked and even dogs rejected, died, and most people in the courtyard were very happy.

With Zhang Cuihua dead, Tan Guilan can legitimately take care of Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua, and develop feelings for them.

Without Zhang Cuihua in the courtyard, the number of arguments decreased by at least half.

At first, Bang Geng missed his grandmother who cherished him. But after a few days, he found that after his grandmother died, he ate meat more often and in larger quantities.

His grandmother used to eat most of the meat his family cooked.

Now that his grandmother has passed away, his family cooks meat more often, and he eats more meat.

Xiao Dang said, "Brother, our family's life has improved a lot since Grandma died."

Banggeng sighed, "Yes, if Grandma had died sooner, we could have eaten a lot more meat."

Qin Huairu scolded Banggeng and Xiaodang a few times, and in her heart she also thought that Zhang Cuihua died for good.

With Zhang Cuihua's death, an older woman helped take care of the children, reducing the family's expenses by more than half.

With Zhang Cuihua dead, Qin Huairu received nearly three thousand yuan.

If you have money, you can buy meat whenever you want. Don't have enough meat coupons? You can buy seafood without coupons.

When Zhang Cuihua was alive, Qin Huairu would only have a bite or two of meat at most whenever the Jia family ate meat.

Now that Zhang Cuihua is gone, she can eat quite a lot of meat every time the family eats it.

"Say some nice words and shed some tears, and Yi Zhonghai and Tan Guilan will give you money, ration coupons, and food."

Qin Huairu, whose skills as a scheming woman have improved rapidly, has silently manipulated Yi Zhonghai and his wife.

Around 6 PM, at the Yan family's front yard.

Yan Jiefang said, "Dad, Mom, there's a job opening at the kettle factory that pays six hundred yuan."

Yan Bugui frowned: "Second brother, isn't six hundred yuan too much? A kettle factory isn't like a steel rolling mill. Can you lower the price a bit?"

Yan Jiefang said, "Dad, many people are eyeing this job. If I don't buy it, someone else will."