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

Xu Damao wrapped his scarf tightly, as if he wanted to bury his whole face in his crotch, and slid back along the wall.

He clutched the diagnosis report in his pocket into a tight knot.

"Heavenly eunuch".

Those two words pierced his brain, causing him so much pain he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

His only thought now is to crawl back to the backyard, close the door, and not see anyone. Even being a coward is better than wandering around in front of people.

But as soon as he entered the Intermediate People's Court, he realized that his plan had failed.

The dim light bulb swayed on the ceiling of the corridor, and in the dim light, Qin Huairu was squatting by the basin, washing clothes.

The sound of water splashing was particularly jarring in the night.

Xu Damao's heart skipped a beat, and he crouched down, trying to go around it.

He was genuinely scared.

He was especially afraid of women like Qin Huairu, who had just been splashed with dirty water by him during the day.

"Sizzle—"

Qin Huairu pulled her clothes out of the icy water, splashing water droplets all over the floor.

She didn't even look up, but her voice came through:

"Hey, isn't this Da Mao? How did your attempt to conceive at the hospital go? I heard you knelt down in front of the doctor pretty readily. Did you manage to walk all that way without any wind in your crotch?"

Xu Damao stumbled, his pent-up frustration and anger from the journey ignited by those words.

He ripped off his scarf, his eyes bloodshot, and growled in a low voice:

"Qin Huairu! Stop your sarcastic remarks! My affairs are none of your business, you slut!"

"loose woman?"

Qin Huairu stood up abruptly.

Her eyes were still red; she had been crying during the day.

But now, there was no trace of gentleness in those peach blossom eyes; they were filled with fierce light.

She swung her wet clothes and slammed them heavily into the basin, making a loud "bang" that shook the paper windows of the entire courtyard.

"Xu Damao, where did your arrogance go when you were spreading rumors during the day that I was pregnant with an illegitimate child?"

Qin Huairu not only didn't back down, but instead puffed out her chest and pressed forward, her voice rising eight octaves, practically ready to lift the roof off:

"Everyone come out and see! This is Xu Damao, who was trying to drive me crazy during the day! Thank God! The diagnosis is out!"

"Pat-pat, pat-pat."

The lights in the surrounding houses gradually came on.

The second uncle, wearing a cotton-padded coat, the third uncle, carrying a tea mug, and Sha Zhu, who was holding up his belt, all squeezed onto the steps.

Qin Huairu looked around, and finally pointed at Xu Damao's nose:

"Listen up, everyone! Xu Damao is a barren rooster! He's a castrated man, a rootless eunuch! He can't have children himself, so he claims I'm pregnant with a bastard child—he's trying to drive me to my death!"

This "using someone else's strength against them" tactic is absolutely deadly.

Not only did it reopen Xu Damao's wounds, it also washed away the injustice he had suffered during the day—a eunuch's lies, only a fool would believe them!

"You...you poisonous woman..." Xu Damao was so angry that he trembled all over, his fingers shaking as if he were flipping a ladle.

"Oh ho, you little brat, you want to fight?"

Sha Zhu swayed his shoulders and stood in front of Qin Huairu, blocking her way.

"Da Mao, I feel ashamed for you. You're not even all the right parts, what are you trying to prove? Go home and find a needle to practice with, that's what you should be doing."

"Idiot Zhu! I'll kill you!"

Just as Xu Damao was about to rush forward, he heard a series of loud crashes from behind.

"Attention, all; ready—go!"

That was the sound of a stick.

Banggeng held a broken wooden stick in his hand and banged it against a tattered enamel basin, creating a rhythmic "clang, clang, clang" that seemed to summon death.

Following behind were Xiao Dang and Huaihua, along with a group of wild children who loved to watch the excitement.

A group of people started circling around Xu Damao, their voices clear and resonant:

"Xu Damao, that's hilarious!"

"A blank cannon hanging in your crotch!"

"It doesn't lay eggs, it's all water!"

"So it was Eunuch Xu!"

"Eunuch Xu! You eunuch worm! You'll end up with nothing but a childless head!"

Zhou Jianguo hid in the shadows, fiddling with an unlit cigarette in his hand, silently giving orders in his mind:

"System, add an amplification note to the stick, so that the whole of Nanluoguxiang can hear this commotion."

The originally childlike chorus was suddenly amplified.

Banggeng's voice had sonic boom-level penetrating power, passing through the courtyard wall, sweeping across the alley, and directly reaching the supply and marketing cooperative hundreds of meters away!

"Who's singing? Is Xu Damao a eunuch?"

"Quick, quick! Something rare has happened in the courtyard house! Let's go see the eunuch!"

Outside the alley, a tidal wave of chaotic footsteps and chatter surged in.

Standing in the crowd, listening to the deafening cry of "Eunuch Xu," and looking at the spectator faces of his neighbors, Xu Damao felt as if his soul had been stripped bare and laid out to dry in the sun.

His face turned from red to purple, and finally to a deathly pale white.

This level of social death is not just shameful; it's like having his registration in this world completely revoked.

"You little brat! I'll kill you!"

Xu Damao went completely mad and swung his briefcase at Banggeng's head.

Banggeng was so clever! He ducked down behind Shazhu, not forgetting to peek out: "Hehehe! The eunuch's hitting someone! The eunuch's getting angry!"

Xu Damao missed his target and fell directly at Qin Huairu's feet.

Qin Huairu sat down on the ground and started wailing as she slapped her thigh:

"We can't live like this! The eunuch is going to kill us to silence us! Dongxu, look at this! This eunuch is utterly wicked; he can't have children himself, so he's going to kill off our family line!"

Public opinion has become one-sided.

Even the old man Yi Zhonghai, who had been trying to smooth things over, panicked and spilled water from his teacup all over his crotch.

"Stop! Shut up, all of you! You're such a jerk! Qin Huairu! Do you even want to be nominated for an award?"

But nobody paid him any attention.

The entire hospital was immersed in this sense of entertainment.

Xu Damao collapsed to the ground, muttering in a daze, "It wasn't me... It can't be..."

Just then, the front gate was kicked open with a bang.

The cold wind swept the soil directly into the yard.

Four men with menacing expressions walked in.

The leader, wearing a peaked cap, shook a document stamped with a red seal in his hand.

The neighbors immediately quieted down, and Qin Huairu was so frightened that she quickly shut her mouth, hugged her child, and shrank back.

The cadre walked straight up to Xu Damao:

"Are you the projectionist, Xu Damao?"

Xu Damao looked up, trembling, his eyes still not focused.

"Someone has reported you for promoting feudal superstition and extorting money from villagers during your time in the countryside, which constitutes suspected bribery! Come with us!"

Without saying a word, the two burly men lifted Xu Damao up like a dead dog.

"I didn't! I'm innocent! Who framed me! Who framed me!" Xu Damao's screams echoed through the alley.

The teacup in Yi Zhonghai's hand clattered to the ground.

In the shadows, Zhou Jianguo raised an eyebrow.

bribery?

He hasn't had time to deal with this yet.

He looked towards the backyard.

Could it be?