Siheyuan: At the beginning, I can integrate everything!

The high-ranking leader stepped through the moon gate of the central courtyard, his leather shoes making a steady and powerful sound as they trod on the bluestone slabs.

The courtyard was so quiet you could hear the snowflakes falling.

Those neighbors who usually wanted to know everything about others were now all huddled inside their own houses.

The door latch was firmly in place.

They only dared to carefully pry out tiny holes, smaller than soybeans, from the window paper that was covered with newspaper.

Pairs of eyes, filled with fear, awe, and undisguised jealousy, stared intently at the front yard.

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

Jia Zhangshi's large, bloated body was now pressed tightly against the windowsill like a frightened mouse.

She didn't even dare to breathe too hard, afraid that if she gasped for air, she would alert the heavily armed "living devils" outside.

She peered through the crack in the window at the two rows of guards standing under the big tree in the front yard.

A crisp military uniform, a gleaming triangular bayonet, and eyes so cold and inhuman.

Jia Zhangshi felt her legs go weak, and a chill ran up her tailbone straight to the top of her head.

"My goodness... this is even more terrifying than the arrests of counter-revolutionaries back then!"

Jia Zhangshi wailed inwardly, her crippled finger throbbing with pain.

She suddenly felt incredibly fortunate that she had only been detained for half a month a couple of days ago.

If we really anger that little brat, those guys outside with guns could just snap their fingers at us.

With her old bones, there probably won't even be any trace left!

Qin Huairu stood behind her mother-in-law, her hands tightly twisting the corner of her coarse cloth, her knuckles turning white.

She looked at Zhang Huaimin, who was being held by the hand kindly by the big leader, right in the center of the front yard.

envy!

A burning jealousy, like a raging fire, raged in Qin Huairu's chest, causing her internal organs to ache.

That's a high-ranking national leader who frequently appears on the front page of newspapers and holds the power of life and death!

In the eyes of these ordinary workers, that place is high above the clouds, and even a glance at it is a great honor.

But now.

This high-ranking leader was surprisingly like a kind old neighbor.

He bent over, smiling broadly as he spoke to the five-and-a-half-year-old "little childless child".

The top leader even affectionately patted Zhang Huaimin on the head!

"Why?! Why at all?!"

Qin Huairu screamed wildly in her heart, her eyes so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Her husband, Dongxu, also died in the line of duty; he was also a family member of a martyr.

Why did she only receive a cold sympathy and a paltry sum of compensation that barely covered her needs?

Zhang Huaimin not only received an exorbitant compensation, but also became a prized possession of the entire factory and even the whole country.

Now, even top leaders are personally visiting us!

Qin Huairu looked at her hands, which were covered in chilblains and rough from washing clothes in ice water all year round.

Then look at Zhang Huaimin's brand-new, obviously expensive woolen overcoat.

The bitterness in her heart, like a flood bursting its banks, completely overwhelmed her pitiful rationality.

If... if I had been kinder to this child back then.

If I hadn't gone with my mother-in-law to fight for his house.

Now, could I also bask in this glory, standing before this high-ranking leader and enjoying the envious gazes of everyone in the hospital?

But there are no "what ifs" in this world.

Qin Huairu knew that she and the Jia family had completely missed this golden opportunity for success.

They had even been crushed into dust in the mud by this giant ship.

Next door, Yi Zhonghai's house.

There was no stove in the house, and it was as cold as an icebox.

Yi Zhonghai sat stiffly on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) like a soulless zombie.

He didn't peer through the window, but he could clearly hear the big boss's hearty laughter outside.

Each laugh was like a resounding slap across his old face.

Yi Zhonghai closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

This sigh was filled with endless regret, bitterness, and a deep sense of powerlessness.

He schemed his whole life.

To secure a place in the pension scheme, he became incredibly cunning and hypocritical, even going so far as to withhold the life-saving money meant for orphans.

His biggest dream in life was simply to become a model worker at the steel rolling mill before he retired, and to wear a big red flower at the factory's general meeting.

But now?

He became a criminally punished worker, hated by everyone, and did the hardest and most tiring work in the foundry every day.

And the five-year-old baby he once looked down on the most, and even wanted to drive out of the compound.

But it has already reached a height that he never dared to dream of in his entire life!

A top national leader personally visited!

What an honor! What a display of prestige!

Yi Zhonghai opened his eyes and looked at his hands, which were covered with calluses and chilblains.

He suddenly realized that all his scheming throughout his life had been a huge joke.

Faced with true talent and absolute strength, his underhanded cleverness is utterly worthless, even less than a rat in the sewers.

"That's enough, that's enough..."

Yi Zhonghai muttered to himself, his voice hoarse like a tattered rag.

He knew that he would never be able to turn his life around.

From then on, he could only eke out a living like a ghost in this compound, keeping a low profile.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he died.

The entire courtyard was shrouded in an atmosphere of extreme oppression and awe.

The humility and fear of the beasts stand in stark contrast to Zhang Huaimin's current glory at the top.

The emotional value derived from this contrast is absolutely exhilarating.

At this time.

At the entrance of the east wing of the front yard.

Sha Zhu, wearing a tattered military overcoat, stood happily next to Chen Bing like a silly roe deer.

He didn't hide inside the house.

As someone personally endorsed by Zhang Huaimin, Sha Zhu is now full of confidence.

"Hey, Brother Chen, did you see that?"

Sha Zhu nudged Chen Bing's arm, then grinned broadly as he watched Zhang Huaimin being pulled into the room by the big boss.

"That's a big leader! A high-ranking official you only see on TV!"

"My brother Huaimin is awesome! You won't find another like him in all of Beijing!"

As Sha Zhu spoke, he proudly puffed out his chest.

It was as if he himself was the one being received by the top leader.

Even Chen Bing's usually stern face showed a rare hint of a smile.

"Zhu Zi, work hard with Consultant Zhang, your good fortune is yet to come."

Chen Bing patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder, his tone carrying a deeper meaning.

Sha Zhu nodded repeatedly, like a pestle pounding garlic.

He now admires Zhang Huaimin to the point of complete awe, and he wouldn't even blink if Zhang Huaimin asked him to go through fire and water.

inside the house.

The fire in the stove was burning brightly, making a crackling sound.

The senior leader took off his heavy woolen overcoat and handed it to Secretary Song, who was standing to the side.

He looked around the simply furnished but extremely clean and tidy room and nodded in satisfaction.

"Little Huaimin, your room may not be big, but it's very well organized."

The high-ranking leader walked to the octagonal table and sat down.

Zhang Huaimin also moved a small stool and sat opposite the big leader.

He showed no sign of awkwardness or tension; on the contrary, he appeared very natural and relaxed.

"Grandpa Leader, you've come all this way to see me. Do you have any instructions?"

Zhang Huaimin blinked his big eyes, his tone innocent and naive.

"Haha, I wouldn't call it giving instructions; I've come here today specifically to learn from you, my little hero!"

The top leader burst into hearty laughter.

He looked at the exquisitely beautiful yet unfathomable child before him.

I couldn't help but sigh, truly, heroes have emerged from among the young since ancient times.

The leader's gaze fell on the octagonal table, where a set of chess pieces that looked quite old sat.

The wooden chessboard is clearly marked with the Chu River and Han Border.

"Hey, little Huaimin, you even know how to play chess?"

The top leader's eyes lit up, and he became interested.

He's a true chess enthusiast, and he rarely has any rivals in the ministry.

"I know a little bit; my dad taught me before."

Zhang Huaimin answered modestly.

"Okay! Then let's not talk about work today."

The top leader slammed his hand on the table and said with great interest.

"Come on, little Huaimin, play a game with Grandpa!"

"I'd like to see if the chess strategies inside your little head, which can build bulletproof steel plates, are as impressive as your inventions!"

As the senior leader spoke, he began skillfully setting up the chess pieces.