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

People become more timid as they get older.

The deaf old woman in her seventies wanted to kill He Daqing, but dared not ask anyone for help.

The puppet Manchukuo forces hidden in the northern part of the city have been severely damaged multiple times and are now almost wiped out.

The deaf old lady was worried that if she hired someone to deal with He Daqing, the Comprehensive Management Bureau would find out.

Receiving peanuts was alright; it was just a quick thing, and she could at least leave with a whole body. But being beheaded or dismembered was a terrifying thought, and the deaf old lady was unwilling to personally find someone to deal with He Daqing unless absolutely necessary.

The biggest reason Yi Zhonghai wanted to deal with He Daqing was that the Jia family was too exploitative.

Yi Zhonghai didn't want to get involved personally, worried that He Daqing's incident might implicate him. Knowing that the deaf old lady knew many people, he asked, "Madam, do you know anyone?"

The deaf old lady also didn't want to take any risks. She just wanted to eat the food that Sha Zhu made and find someone to deal with He Daqing. If Sha Zhu found out, she would not only be unable to enjoy the food, but Sha Zhu would also send her away.

"Zhonghai, those people I used to know, some left, some ran away, some are on farms, some were executed. Now I'm old, my legs are weak, and I've lost contact with many of them."

The deaf old lady glanced at Yi Zhonghai and said helplessly that she was powerless to help.

Both of them wanted to deal with He Daqing, but neither wanted to get involved personally.

The scheme to lure He Daqing to Baocheng with Widow Bai back then was thwarted by Yi Zhonghai's greed in intercepting the money and letter. Had He Daqing not returned, he would not only have been unable to find any fault with Yi Zhonghai, but would have been grateful to him.

After all, He Yuzhu was able to get into Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill thanks to Yi Zhonghai's introduction.

The deaf old lady, who was even more hidden, did not openly target He Daqing, and occasionally even helped He Yuzhu and He Yushui.

The two cunning and treacherous individuals both decided to deal with He Daqing, but neither of them said they would actually make a move.

Around 7 p.m., Jia Dongxu knocked on the door and entered the Yi family's home.

"Master, my family's food supply is running out again. My mother says she can't live in the city anymore. She wants to take Huairu, Banggeng, and Xiaodang back to the village to farm. I want to sell my job and go back to the village with them."

It is very difficult to transfer a rural household registration to a city, but it is very easy to transfer a city household registration to a rural one.

Jia Dongxu's strategic retreat once again left Yi Zhonghai powerless to resist.

There were only two caregivers to begin with, but with He Daqing's return, He Yuzhu, the backup caregiver, was gone.

Yi Zhonghai, who has no children, is counting on Jia Dongxu to take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days. If Jia Dongxu returns to the countryside, who will take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days?

The Jia family's appetite is growing. They used to be able to save some money every month, but starting last month, Yi Zhonghai, who earns over 80 yuan a month, has stopped making ends meet and has started living off his savings.

Having invested so much in the Jia family, Yi Zhonghai couldn't bear to part with them even if he wanted to.

"Dongxu, I am your master. I can't just stand by and watch your family suffer. Here's five yuan, take it and use it first."

"Master, if it weren't for you, my family would have been unable to make ends meet long ago."

Five yuan seems like a lot, but if you use it to buy cornmeal, you can only buy ten jin (5 kg) now.

If you have grain coupons, you can buy cornmeal at the grain station for only eight cents per pound.

Without food coupons, I went to the grain station to buy cornmeal at a negotiated price of 30 cents per pound.

There are purchase restrictions on the negotiated grain at the grain station. If there isn't enough grain to eat, you can only buy it from the pigeon market.

Cornmeal in Pigeon Market is now 50 cents per pound, and the supply can't keep up with demand.

The Jia family consisted of three adults and two children. They were short on oil and fat, but had large appetites. Ten catties of cornmeal could only make enough cornbread to last two days, while ten catties of cornmeal could only make enough porridge to last a few days, depending on how much water was added.

The same pot can be used to cook a pot of porridge with either one pound of rice or one ounce of rice.

It's too difficult to get enough to eat these days, but getting enough to drink isn't a problem.

Zhang Cuihua, Qin Huairu, and Jia Dongxu all didn't want to suffer, and neither did Banggeng and Xiaodang.

Although the Jia family had little income, their living conditions were not bad. They saw through Yi Zhonghai's scheming and felt at ease leeching off him.

Jia Dongxu said a lot of nice things, and Yi Zhonghai was once again completely fooled.

The characters in the courtyard all have a corresponding aura of intellectual impairment.

Anything related to being an official can lower the IQ of Liu Haizhong's entire family.

Things related to elderly care may cause a decline in the IQ of Yi Zhonghai and his wife.

Things related to money can lower the IQ of Yan Bugui's entire family.

Things related to beautiful women will lower the IQ of the He family father and son.

......

That evening, around 8 p.m., Yi Zhonghai finished the last part, stretched, and walked out of the workshop.

"Is He Daqing also working overtime?"

A sudden idea captivated Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai is working overtime today because the factory arranged for him to process parts.

He Daqing was working overtime in the canteen because the factory needed to entertain clients.

Finding a stick, Yi Zhonghai hid in a corner.

A dozen minutes later, He Daqing arrived on foot, his steps faltering.

"It looks like He Daqing has had quite a bit to drink, which makes it easier for me to make my move."

After circling behind He Daqing, Yi Zhonghai delivered a powerful blow with his stick.

After searching He Daqing, Yi Zhonghai obtained a considerable amount of money and quickly walked towards the courtyard house.

That blow was not only powerful, but also very accurate.

The next morning around 6 a.m., He Daqing's body was discovered.

Last night, Yi Zhonghai's malicious act sent He Daqing to his doom.

The police arrived to investigate and ultimately determined that He Daqing had been robbed.

"He was hit on the back of the head with a stick-like object, just once, and his body was searched. The probability of robbery is very high."

Does anyone know him?

"Comrade, I know this man. He is He Daqing, a sixth-level cook at the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill."

After questioning many people around them and collecting evidence, two police officers took He Daqing back to the police station, while the other two went to the steel rolling mill to investigate.

"Shazhu, your father has been beaten to death."

"Your father was beaten to death."

"Shazhu, I'm not lying to you, Uncle He's body has been sent to the police station."

He Yuzhu froze for a few seconds, then felt a sense of foreboding.

With his wife Liu Yuhua about to give birth and his own father dead, He Yuzhu was at a loss.

Upon receiving the news, He Yushui rushed to the police station. Upon seeing her father's body, she was heartbroken and cried uncontrollably.

Upon hearing from the people in the courtyard that He Daqing was dead, Qi Bing was filled with doubt and suspicion.

"The last time traveler, Jiang Fan, was killed by someone hired by the deaf old lady."

"Could it be that the old deaf woman also hired someone to kill He Daqing this time?"

After exchanging a few words with Liu Xiaoqian, Qi Bing drove to the Comprehensive Management Bureau.

The deaf old woman and her puppet Manchukuo faction had long been under surveillance by the Comprehensive Management Bureau.

After confirming that He Daqing's death was unrelated to the puppet Manchukuo forces to which the deaf old lady belonged, Qi Bing became even more suspicious.

"Was the robber so strong that He Daqing was sent flying into the air by the blow?"

"He Daqing is an insignificant figure to me; whether he lives or dies is none of my business."

After calming himself down, Qi Bing drove back to the east courtyard.

After a forensic examination, He Daqing's body was returned to the courtyard house by the police.

"Old He was fine yesterday, but he's like this today."

"I heard that Old He was robbed last night and was beaten to death with a stick."

"Old He is rich and owns a house. He's only in his forties. If he hadn't had this accident, he could still have married a young, unmarried woman."

"Old He is over forty years old, what makes him think he can marry a young, unmarried woman?"

"With Lao He dead, Sha Zhu will have six houses."

"Under current Xia laws, children can inherit houses and money."

The neighbors in the courtyard gathered in twos and threes to discuss He Daqing's affairs.

In the pavilion in the east courtyard, Liu Xiaoqian was looking after her two children, while Qi Bing was fishing by the fishpond.

Liu Xiaoqian asked, "Brother Bing, should we help with He Daqing's funeral arrangements?"

Qi Bing said, "We don't have much contact with them, so we won't get involved."