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

He Yuzhu stood there blankly at the Jia family's door, his nose almost touching the cold wooden door.

The faded, upside-down "福" (good fortune) character on the door panel looked particularly glaring at him now, as if it were grinning and mocking him.

Why was this door always open before, even when the rain was pouring?

Even in the middle of the night, just a couple of gentle taps and you'll hear Sister Qin's "pillar" coming from inside, a sound that's a mix of reproach and affection.

But today, the door closed faster than if I'd seen a ghost.

He stood there for a full five minutes.

The northwest wind seeped in through the collar, cuffs, and even the stitches of the tattered cotton-padded coat.

But his legs felt like they were made of lead, and he couldn't move an inch.

My mind was a jumbled mess, filled with Qin Huairu's disdainful glance from earlier.

"Woof! Woof woof!"

The dog in the front yard, belonging to someone, was woken up by the wind and howled twice.

He Yuzhu shuddered, shrank his neck, and nervously glanced around at the dark windows.

If any neighbor who gets up at night sees him looking like a stray dog, the whole neighborhood will be in an uproar tomorrow.

"It's so...so cold."

He muttered something, his upper and lower teeth chattering uncontrollably.

The net bag in his arms swayed lightly, and two aluminum lunch boxes, cleaner than his face, jingled inside.

Those crisp sounds were truly jarring to the ears.

He Yuzhu moved towards the main room, looking back every few steps.

With each step, he would look back at the dark window of the Jia family's house, still hoping that the light might come on.

What if the door opens?

What if Sister Qin chases after them, hands them two steamed buns, and says softly, "I was just flustered and confused"?

Unfortunately, even after he stepped into his own home, the Jia family remained deathly silent.

There was no fire inside.

I left in a hurry this morning and didn't seal the stove properly, so it's completely cold now.

The only difference between inside and outside is whether or not the wind is blowing.

He Yuzhu groped his way in the dark, too lazy to even pull the light cord, relying on muscle memory to find the rickety square table, and let go.

"Clang—"

The net slammed onto the table, the sound echoing in the empty room, sounding particularly desolate.

Without taking off his clothes or even kicking off his shoes, he flopped onto the bed, grabbed the tattered, greasy quilt, and wrapped himself up like a dumpling.

He curled up like a boiled shrimp, trying to hold onto the last bit of warmth in his body.

But the coldness seeped from the very bones, and coupled with not having eaten properly all day, the acid in my stomach began to churn violently, causing excruciating pain.

When people get to night, especially when they are cold and hungry, their minds tend to wander.

My brain, which had been numb from the wind, is now frighteningly active in the darkness.

Qin Huairu's face from just now kept playing on a loop in his mind like a movie.

An expectant smile, a bewildered face, a disgusted look, and that final hand-wiping gesture...

"That shouldn't be the case..."

He Yuzhu turned over in bed, a wave of bittersweet grievance rising to his head.

"I, He Yuzhu, have been loyal to you all these years! I've tightened my belt and never gone hungry. Today I just got into trouble because that fat bastard Liu Haizhong tricked me, but it's not my fault!"

"Besides, even if there are no vegetables in the net bag, it's still a token of my appreciation! I almost got into a fight with the security guards over these two lunchboxes! Sister Qin... Sister Qin, how could you look at me like that?"

"Could it be that Xu Damao's grandson is right? All the good things Qin Huairu does all this time are just for the meat in the lunchbox? Without meat, in her eyes, I'm no different from rotten vegetable leaves in the swill bucket?"

Once this thought popped into my head, it grew wildly like weeds, impossible to suppress.

An unprecedented sense of betrayal made He Yuzhu's nose tingle and his eyes even become a little moist.

He's usually a reckless person, but right now, he genuinely feels incredibly wronged.

"Snapped!"

In the silent darkness, a crisp slap suddenly rang out.

He Yuzhu slapped himself.

It wasn't a strong blow, but it was enough to wake me up.

"He Yuzhu, you bastard! What are you thinking?!"

He shook his head and spat at himself fiercely in bed.

Those thoughts of doubting Sister Qin just now were simply outrageous and a desecration of pure revolutionary friendship!

The brain quickly and frantically began to try to compensate.

"Who is Sister Qin? The kindest and most family-oriented woman in the entire hospital! Raising three children and a wicked mother-in-law, is it easy for her?"

He Yuzhu's eyes gradually changed from confusion to determination, and that self-pity returned.

"Was that disgust just now? Bullshit! That was anxiety! Banggeng's leg is broken, how could a mother not be anxious? She lost her composure because she saw there was no meat!"

"And that closing the door! Is that heartless? That's considerate! She must have been upset and wanted to cry because there was no meat for Bang Geng to eat, and she was afraid I would see her cry and feel bad too, so she closed the door to save face for me!"

The more I think about it, the more reasonable it seems; the more I think about it, the smoother the logic becomes.

He Yuzhu even imagined Qin Huairu hiding behind the door, biting her handkerchief, tears streaming down her face with guilt, muttering, "Zhuzi, I'm sorry."

"I knew it! How could Sister Qin be that kind of snob?"

He Yuzhu breathed a sigh of relief. This textbook-level self-help strategy warmed his cold heart.

"It's all that fat bastard Liu Haizhong's fault! And that smiling tiger Li Huaide! If they hadn't messed with me, would I have let Sister Qin suffer like this today?"

Hatred shifts swiftly, creating a perfect closed loop.

"No, I have to think of something tomorrow. A living person can't be killed by holding their pee, can they? I'll find a way to get two pounds of meat! Then I'll slam it on Sister Qin's table, and she'll definitely be so moved she'll throw herself into my arms and cry!"

This illusory sense of satisfaction allowed He Yuzhu to temporarily forget the wretchedness of reality. In the darkness, he grinned, revealing a silly smile that was even uglier than a grimace.

"Gurgle—"

However, my stomach let out an untimely, thunderous protest.

The sound was especially loud at night.

I was really hungry.

"Ouch……"

He Yuzhu curled up in pain.

You can fool your brain, but you can't fool your stomach!

That damned Zhou Jianguo!

They don't even share the food they have.

But now he wouldn't dare to cause trouble for Zhou Jianguo.

Then he slumped back onto the bed, completely exhausted.

The current Zhou Jianguo is a ruthless man who dares to take action.

He Yuzhu is now a toothless tiger. Even Liu Haizhong has been subdued. What can he use to be arrogant?

A deep sense of powerlessness arose spontaneously.

He Yuzhu could only clutch the corner of the blanket, frantically processing the message in his mind:

"Zhou Jianguo, you just wait! Don't fall into my hands! Everyone in this courtyard is starving, so you'd better watch out! Sooner or later... I'll smash your pot!"

He mentally cursed Zhou Jianguo's ancestors for eighteen generations, trying to use this spiritual comfort to offset the physical torment.

Just then, a faint commotion came from the Jia family next door.

"Grandma... I'm hungry... I want to eat meat..." Banggeng's whimpering voice, tinged with tears, came through the wall.

"Eat, eat, eat! There's no meat for you to eat! That silly Zhu is a good-for-nothing! He can't even bring back a mouthful of dishwater! My dear grandson is suffering..." This was followed by Jia Zhangshi's raspy voice cursing.

Hearing Jia Zhangshi scold him, He Yuzhu was not angry at all, but felt relieved instead.

Even the goddess's family doesn't have meat to eat.

Everyone is suffering, which makes me feel much more at peace.

Hearing Banggeng cry out that he was hungry, He Yuzhu's twisted sense of responsibility surged again: "Listen to this, how hungry the child is. Tomorrow... I have to get some meat tomorrow. As long as I get some meat, everything will be alright."

He Yuzhu wrapped himself tightly in the tattered quilt that smelled of old sweat and mildew, shrinking himself into an even smaller ball.

In his dream, he was still the imposing tyrant of the cafeteria, with Sister Qin gently pouring him wine, while Zhou Jianguo knelt on the ground begging him for a bite to eat.