I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Inside the grocery store, the meat counter was laden with good cuts of meat, both lean and fatty, while the corners were piled with inferior cuts that were mostly sinewy and tough. The air was filled with the mixed smells of grains, oils, and fresh meat.

Wang Defa accompanied his maternal grandfather's younger cousin to the butcher's stall, hoping to buy a good piece of meat. Li Hongying glanced up and recognized the child as the grandson of the old man who managed the backyard. Immediately, she felt a sense of unease and had no intention of giving them any good meat. She casually picked out a piece of lean, tough, and sinewy meat from a corner, tossed it onto the scale, and coldly announced its weight.

Wang Defa frowned immediately, pointing to the good quality meat with even fat and lean meat in the middle of the meat counter, his tone dissatisfied: "Comrade, what kind of meat are you giving us? There's clearly good meat over there, why are you deliberately giving us this bad stuff?"

Li Hongying rolled her eyes, slammed the meat cleaver on the cutting board, and said impatiently and sarcastically, "That's all. Take it or leave it. If you don't want it, get lost and stop getting in my way!"

"What kind of attitude is this, comrade?" Wang Defa's brows were tightly furrowed, his gaze sharp as a knife, staring directly at the saleswoman Li Hongying, his tone filled with barely suppressed anger.

"With this attitude, take it or leave it!" Li Hongying glanced at him sideways, rolled her eyes impatiently, and threw the meat cleaver on the cutting board with a crisp "clang." This young man in front of her was just the grandson of the old man in charge of the backyard who had come to buy meat; she didn't take him seriously at all.

"Comrade! Please correct your attitude!"

Wang Defa's voice suddenly rose, his tone righteous and stern, each word resounding with conviction:

"You are a sales clerk in a state-run store, a servant of the people, not an official who rides on the backs of the masses! Serving the people wholeheartedly is our fundamental principle, not just empty words hanging on the wall!"

He stepped forward, straightening his back ramrod straight, and continued sternly, "The people come to buy things because they trust the country and socialism, not to see you throwing a tantrum. Your appalling attitude damages the image of the revolutionary ranks and completely contradicts our original aspiration to serve the people!"

"I'm reminding you: you must maintain close ties with the masses and not become detached from them! Immediately correct your behavior, be more enthusiastic and patient with the masses, otherwise the masses will have complaints, and the organization will never agree to it!"

Wang Defa was seething with anger. He had come to visit his maternal grandfather, but he hadn't expected to be deliberately harassed. Li Hongying's actions were really going too far. He immediately put on airs and spoke with reason and conviction, full of charisma.

Li Hongying's face burned with embarrassment at being reprimanded in public. Losing face, she slammed her hand on the counter, her fat jiggling, and pointed at Wang Defa, launching into a tirade of abuse:

"Where did you crawl out from, through a hole in your pants? You dare to lecture me? Stop pretending to be all high and mighty. Who are you trying to fool?"

She stood with her hands on her hips, spitting as she spoke: "Let me tell you, you want to buy it? I'm not selling! Don't think I don't know you're in cahoots with this little brat! Where did that old geezer in the backyard find this bedbug to disgust me? Let me tell you, I'm not afraid!"

Wang Defa's chest heaved violently from the scolding, his face flushed with anger. He pointed at Li Hongying, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to stammer, "Where is your leader? I need to see your leader!"

"Who do you think you are? You think you can just see whoever you want?" Li Hongying curled her lip, her face full of disdain, and turned her head away, pretending to organize goods, too lazy to look at him anymore.

Before long, a large crowd had gathered, crowding together in layers, creating a noisy commotion. Hearing the commotion, Manager Zhao of the grocery store strode out of his office, pushing through the crowd and impatiently shouting, "Make way! What's going on? If you're going to buy something, buy it; if not, leave! What are you doing here?!"

He squeezed to the counter, glancing casually at Wang Defa—dressed in a blue Zhongshan suit and blue overalls, looking like an ordinary young man. His face immediately darkened, and his tone became unfriendly: "What are you doing here? Are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?"

"How dare you speak to me like that? Are you the leader here?" Wang Defa looked Manager Zhao up and down, his brows furrowing even more, his eyes filled with displeasure.

"Yes, I am the manager. Which unit are you from, that you're bossing me around?" Manager Zhao raised his chin, looking down at him with an air of superiority.

The little boy following beside him immediately raised his head, puffed out his chest, and proudly interjected, "My cousin is the secretary of the Communist Youth League! My uncle is a committee member!"

"Don't talk nonsense. Outside, my dad and I are just ordinary people." Wang Defa reached out and gently tugged at the little boy's clothes. He spoke humbly, but his face showed no sign of backing down. He glanced coldly at Manager Zhao and Li Hongying, exuding an imposing aura.

He looked at Manager Zhao, his tone stern: "Since you're the manager, is this how you manage your subordinates? Letting them run wild and ignoring everything? I believe the organization will hold you accountable seriously, without any leniency, and will not allow you to betray the organization's trust! You must satisfy the people!"

The surrounding crowd nodded and cheered, some even clapping. The little boy looked at Wang Defa with eyes full of admiration, his face beaming with pride.

Manager Zhao was completely stunned by his standard official language and imposing manner. He suddenly felt uncertain and couldn't figure out who the other party was. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to reply. His palms were sweating.

"What are you two doing? If you're not buying anything, get out of here!" Seeing the situation getting out of control, Li Hongying was both anxious and angry. She pointed wildly at the onlookers, her eyes darting around. Just then, she caught sight of Li Jing'an in the crowd, and her voice immediately rose a few decibels, as if afraid he wouldn't see her.

Li Jing'an had originally planned to stop by the sporting goods store and check on his sister Li Hongying's work, but seeing the large crowd, he curiously squeezed in to see what was going on. After listening for only a few minutes, he noticed that Wang Defa's tone, demeanor, and body language all exuded the seasoned experience of someone who had held a position for many years, and it didn't seem like he was just putting on an act. Coupled with the child's use of "Youth League Secretary" and "Committee Member," he secretly weighed the situation in his mind—this person looked quite young, but what level of committee member or Youth League secretary was he? What if he was someone he couldn't afford to offend? That would be a big problem, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

He didn't want to meddle and just wanted to leave quietly, but Li Hongying's shouts were too loud, and everyone's eyes were on him. There was no way to avoid it, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

Upon seeing Li Jing'an, Li Hongying felt as if she had found a powerful backer. Her previously tense posture instantly straightened, and she gave Wang Defa and the other man a contemptuous sneer, her eyes filled with smugness. Then, she turned to Li Jing'an and began to wail and cry, wiping away non-existent tears.

"Jing'an, you finally saw it! A whole bunch of them are bullying me, I'm almost being bullied to death, you have to stand up for me!"

When Manager Zhao saw Li Jing'an appear, he felt like he had grasped a lifeline and hurriedly stepped forward, hoping that Li Jing'an could step in and resolve the matter. After all, he knew Li Jing'an's identity.

Li Jing'an inwardly groaned, wishing he could pretend he didn't know this older sister on the spot, but he still had to maintain his composure on the surface.

"Why should I back you up?" He looked at Li Hongying, his tone full of disappointment and frustration, his brows furrowed. "I've told you time and time again at home to put the interests of the people first and to treat people kindly. Why don't you listen? How can you treat the people like this?"

Wang Defa looked at Li Jing'an and calmly asked, "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm just her brother, not from the store. I just happened to be passing by. I never expected something like this to happen; it's truly heartbreaking." Li Jing'an sighed softly, adopting an impartial stance, then turned to Manager Zhao and Li Hongying, "Regardless, we must first satisfy the public and this comrade. By the way, may I ask your surname?"