Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

evening.

The lingering aroma of Zhou Jianguo's braised pork still lingered in the air, whetting everyone's appetites and constantly reminding them that the joys and sorrows in this courtyard were not shared by all.

Zhou Jianguo held up a large, chipped tea mug, the tea inside brewed with strong, hot liquid, steaming towards his face.

He lay on the wicker chair with his eyes half-closed.

This is an excellent spot; it allows you to catch the last rays of the sun while also providing a clear view of this motley crew of monsters.

"Jianguo, you're living the good life."

The three old women in the front yard were sewing shoe soles, but their beady eyes kept glancing towards the front gate, muttering to themselves, "It's completely dark now, where's Sha Zhu's net bag?"

"Mom, you're still thinking about the net bag?" Yan Jiecheng squatted against the wall, having just drunk a bellyful of thin porridge. He was picking at non-existent shredded meat with a toothpick, a smug look on his face. "Didn't you hear the announcement? Sha Zhu is the mainstay of the cleaning team now. From now on, he'll be in charge of the entire factory's grain recycling station. Where would he get leftovers?"

"Go away! Watch your mouth!" The third aunt glared at her son, but her eyes were full of excitement at the prospect of a good show.

Not only the Yan family, but also the Second Aunt of the Intermediate People's Court and several idlers gathered at the windy spot, craning their necks.

Human nature is just so messed up.

They fawn over you out of fear of your fists and to take advantage of your wealth.

Once you're down on your luck, all that pent-up jealousy will turn into the hardest rock, and everyone will want to come up and smash you.

Zhou Jianguo blew away the tea leaves and took a sip.

The tea soup is slightly bitter, but has a sweet aftertaste.

coming.

The murmurs in the courtyard abruptly ceased.

All eyes were on the main entrance.

What came in first wasn't a person, but a broken broom covered in black mud and bald brooms.

Immediately afterwards, a hunched figure moved in.

He Yuzhu, who was once so powerful and influential, has returned.

At this moment, where is the slightest trace of his arrogant, pigeon-toed manner and disdain for others?

The work clothes looked like they'd been pulled out of a mud pit, covered in yellowish-brown stains.

His hair was a mess, like a chicken coop, with a few strands of dry grass sticking out of it.

He felt half a head shorter, his eyes darting around, and he didn't dare to look up at all.

"vomit--!"

As soon as Sha Zhu stepped across the threshold, an indescribable stench spread out.

That was ammonia gas from years of fermentation in an old dry toilet, mixed with the smell of sour sweat and decay.

The taste was indescribable, instantly wiping out the aroma of the braised pork.

"Oh my god!"

The three women turned green, as if they had swallowed a live fly.

She dramatically jumped three meters away, covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, and shouted in a shrill voice, "Silly Zhu! Did you fall into a latrine and get pickled?!"

Yan Jiecheng pinched his nose and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "He Yuzhu! Don't you know any manners? Bringing this stench of shit back to the ward, who are you trying to kill with it?!"

Sha Zhu suddenly looked up.

This was his instinctive reaction.

In the past, he would have already cursed her with "You little bastard, you're asking for it," followed by a groin kick.

But today, his movements froze.

He saw Aunt Er fanning the window frantically to get Lao Liu to close it, saw the children playing marbles pointing at him and making faces at him, calling him "Stinky Pillar," and saw the undisguised disgust in the eyes of the neighbors.

Sha Zhu made a "hehe" sound in his throat.

He wanted to curse, to lash out, to reclaim his pitiful dignity.

But the image of Deputy Factory Director Li's sinister face and the fine notice that would deduct all his wages flashed through his mind.

Their momentum vanished instantly.

Without his status as the head chef of the canteen, without Yi Zhonghai's protection, and without Deputy Factory Director Li's indulgence, life had stripped away all his rebellious spirit.

Sha Zhu lowered his head, gripped the dirty broom tightly, and slunk along the wall, wanting nothing more than to escape as quickly as possible.

This scene made Zhou Jianguo's smile even wider.

This is what is called "beating a dog when it's down".

Without profit, who among these beasts in the yard will still treat you like a human being?

Sha Zhu wanted to escape, but he had to pass by Zhou Jianguo's door.

As he got closer, his muscles tensed up, and his left foot almost tripped over his right.

He caught a glimpse of Zhou Jianguo out of the corner of his eye.

The man didn't cover his nose or yell; he just looked at him calmly.

But that calm gaze was more chilling than any insult.

Last night's electric shock and today's report are both telling Sha Zhu that this is the real ruthless character.

Sha Zhu instinctively wanted to glare at her, but his gaze immediately shrank back when it fell on the gleaming anti-theft crossbow on the door frame.

He didn't dare utter a sound and sprinted into the central courtyard.

"Heh." Zhou Jianguo tapped his fingers lightly on his knee.

The main show has just begun.

……

The wind was even colder in the middle courtyard.

Qin Huairu stood at the entrance of the Jia family's house, her thin body shivering in the wind, with dark circles under her eyes, but this only added to her pitiful appearance as a "pretty widow".

A stench assaulted her nostrils, causing Qin Huairu to furrow her brow and cover her nose with a handkerchief.

The neighbors were all watching the spectacle: "Wow, Qin Huairu actually didn't run away?"

Under everyone's gaze, Qin Huairu not only did not back down, but instead took two steps towards the nauseating smell.

These two steps alone were enough to make the heartbroken Sha Zhu's eyes light up with greed.

That's like a drowning person grasping at a straw!

Everyone in the hospital dislikes me, except for Sister Qin! Only Sister Qin cares about me!

"Sister Qin... Sister Qin..." Sha Zhu's voice trembled, a bellyful of grievances about to spill out, "You don't know, today at the factory..."

"Pillar!"

Qin Huairu interrupted him directly.

Her eyes reddened, tears welling in her peach blossom-like eyes, and her voice was urgent and trembling with sobs: "Zhuzi, I really have no other choice. Banggeng's medical bills are overdue, and the nurse said that if we don't pay tonight, they'll stop the medication and kick him out tomorrow!"

"I know you're having a hard time, but this is a lifesaver! Do you have any money left? Lend me ten yuan... no, five yuan! Five yuan is fine too! I'll definitely pay you back!"

Sha Zhu was stunned.

All that bitterness was stuck in my throat, making me choke and ache.

In the cold wind, his goddess didn't care about his injuries and stench; she only cared about his money.

"Sister Qin..." Sha Zhu forced a bitter smile and instinctively spread his hands.

His hands were covered in black mud and bloody cuts.

"It's not that I don't want to help... it's just that I really don't have the money." Sha Zhu's voice was hoarse and filled with despair. "Didn't you hear the announcement today? Deputy Factory Director Li fined me two hundred! Two hundred! The finance department said it'll be deducted from my entire monthly salary for a year!"

At this point, Sha Zhu shuddered: "Don't even mention five yuan, my meal tickets will be suspended next month... Tonight's meal was just two leftover steamed buns I picked up from the swill bucket..."

Sha Zhu became more and more aggrieved as he spoke, and tears were about to fall.

He thought that after hearing how miserable he was, Sister Qin would definitely comfort him as she always had, even if it was just to let him come inside and have some hot water.

however.

The air suddenly became quiet.

The moment the words "deducted for a full year" were uttered, Qin Huairu's carefully maintained image of misery vanished completely.

The tears dried instantly.

Instead, there was an unfathomable despair, which then transformed into extreme indifference.

No salary.

Burdened with huge debts.

There are no lunchboxes.

In that instant, Qin Huairu's brain completed an assessment more precise than a computer's:

The man in front of me will not only be unable to provide financial support to the Jia family in the coming year, but he himself will also starve to death.

"Okay, I understand."

Qin Huairu's voice was no longer as soft and sweet as before.

She didn't even wait for Sha Zhu to finish saying "leftover steamed bun," nor did she give him any time to react.

He turned around, went back inside, and closed the door.

The movements were fluid and fast, almost like a gust of wind.

"Bang!"

The doors to the Jia family's house were slammed shut.

Sha Zhu remained frozen in place, his hands still outstretched.

At that moment, he heard the sound of his own heart breaking.

It hurts even more than when a bear trap breaks your bones.

"Tsk tsk, see? I told you Qin Huairu was the most realistic."

"Silly Zhu has lost both his wife and his army."

Sha Zhu stood frozen in the cold wind, suddenly realizing that no matter how smelly he was, it wasn't as smelly as this person's heart.

forecourt.

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Jianguo finished the last sip of tea.

"Brilliant." He got up, went back into his room, closed the door, and shut out the farce.

Inside the Jia family's house.

Qin Huairu leaned against the door, her chest heaving violently.

She looked at the empty rice jar, then at Jia Zhangshi lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) groaning.

The fear lasted only a second before being replaced by the will to survive.

The Jia family cannot fall, the sticks cannot be severed, and I cannot starve to death.

Since Sha Zhu is useless, we can only find that old geezer who pushed you out to take the fall.

Qin Huairu slowly straightened up, her eyes dark and greedy.

She walked to the window and looked through the torn window paper at the tightly closed red lacquered wooden door of the main house in the central courtyard.

That was the home of an old man named Yi Zhonghai.

"Uncle..." Qin Huairu said with a chilling smile, "You're the moral exemplar of the neighborhood, you can't just ignore the plight of this widow and her orphan..."