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

In the very center of the Intermediate People's Court, dozens of people formed a circle, three layers deep.

At the center of this circle, there is only a lonely long bench and Yi Zhonghai sitting on it, looking like a leaf.

Liu Haizhong stood with his hands behind his back on the steps of the hanging flower gate, looking incredibly spirited.

"Guangqi, open your eyes wide!" Liu Haizhong's official tone was grating, his voice particularly harsh in the cold wind. "Not a single fly is allowed to escape! Until Yushui returns, this is the primary crime scene. We must keep a close watch on this... prime suspect, for the sake of the country!"

On the bench, Yi Zhonghai hunched his shoulders, his hands tightly tucked into his sleeves.

It wasn't just for warmth, but also to hide the uncontrollable trembling of those ten fingers.

He lowered his eyelids, but his peripheral vision scanned the crowd like a madman.

He was looking for a way to survive, even if it was just a straw.

He had been managing this courtyard for decades, and his network of connections was incredibly extensive.

Old Zhao in the east wing paid for his appendicitis medical expenses two years ago; Little Sun in the west courtyard got his factory job by drinking heavily with the workshop director; and then there's Old Man Yan, who's eating melon seeds over there, who's also benefited from his generosity quite often.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath and let out a heart-wrenching cough.

"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough!!"

The noise was so loud, it sounded like someone was about to cough up their lungs.

He was hunched over, his whole body swaying precariously, and with his pale old face, he looked exactly like a wretched old man in his twilight years.

He was gambling, gambling that there were still kind-hearted people in this courtyard, gambling that his decades-old "old man" persona still had some remaining value.

After coughing for a while, Yi Zhonghai shakily raised his head, his cloudy old eyes staring at Old Zhao, who was closest to him, and said in a hoarse voice, "Old Zhao... is there any hot water at home? My chest... feels burning..."

Old Zhao was eating melon seeds with his hands behind his back when he was suddenly called out, and he froze.

Normally, once the old man opened his mouth, Old Zhao wouldn't even have to lift a finger; his observant young wife would have already brought him hot tea.

But today, I can't see anyone.

Old Zhao's eyes darted around, glancing at the thick stack of remittance slips in Liu Haizhong's hand, and then at Zhou Jianguo, who was playing with a fire hook and had a half-smile on his face.

"Um... well, the coal in my house just went out, so there's no hot water."

Old Zhao shrank his neck, and as if his feet were greased, he slid to the back of the crowd, casting his gaze on the bare old locust tree, as if it were in bloom.

Undeterred, Yi Zhonghai turned to look at Yan Bugui again.

Before he even opened his mouth, a glint of light flashed behind Yan Bugui's glasses, which had one leg missing.

"Oh my, Lao Yi," Yan Bugui adjusted his glasses, his tone teasing, "look at the mess you've made. Drinking water at a time like this is easy to choke on. Besides, you're carrying over seven hundred yuan, that's a lot of cash you're carrying. It's normal for you to feel heavy; you can't just swallow a sip of plain water."

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but burst out laughing.

That laugh was like a floodgate being opened, and a low murmur of laughter instantly filled the surrounding area.

"Exactly, how much tea dust could you buy with seven hundred yuan? Why would you need just one more sip?"

"He always spouts platitudes about morality and righteousness, but it turns out he's just using Sha Zhu's hard-earned money to gild his own image!"

"Ignore him, that's just a self-inflicted injury ploy, I'm sick of seeing that on stage!"

Those neighbors who were originally mindful of neighborly relations now seemed to have their secrets exposed by Yan Bugui's words.

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

At that moment, he finally understood that the situation was hopeless.

In everyone's eyes, he had gone from a highly respected elder to a thief whom everyone hated.

The outermost circle of the crowd.

Qin Huairu bit her lip so hard it almost bled, her peach blossom eyes filled with anxiety.

If Yi Zhonghai really falls, the Jia family's ship will sink with him!

The few kilograms of cornmeal each month, the few yuan in subsidies, and all the messy accounts Yi Zhonghai made to help the Jia family... If these were exposed, how could Qin Huairu face anyone in the factory?

No! We have to save ourselves!

A ruthless glint flashed in Qin Huairu's eyes.

She turned and went into her kitchen, and a moment later came out carrying a chipped white enamel mug, steaming hot from inside.

She carefully tidied the stray hairs at her temples, switched her expression, and put on a pitiful look.

"Make way... everyone make way..."

Qin Huairu's voice trembled with tears, as fragile as a white flower in the wind, "No matter what, he's still an elder. Even if he made a mistake, that's the security department's job. We can't just stand by and watch him freeze to death..."

These words are what are now commonly referred to as "saintly pronouncements," as they neither deny that Yi Zhonghai made a mistake nor deny that he has occupied the moral high ground.

Several kind-hearted older women instinctively stepped aside to make way for them.

Upon hearing this voice, Yi Zhonghai's dull eyes lit up.

It has to be Qin Huairu!

It wasn't in vain that I've cultivated this backup plan for retirement all these years!

Qin Huairu, carrying the enamel mug, headed straight for Yi Zhonghai.

Her eyes were fixed on Yi Zhonghai, her lips trembling slightly, as if she were about to whisper something to him while handing him the water.

Five meters... three meters... two meters...

Just as their hands were about to meet and their eyes were about to convey their message successfully.

"when--!!!"

A piercing metallic clang suddenly rang out in their ears without warning.

Zhou Jianguo leaned lazily against the door frame, but slammed the fire hook in his hand hard against the iron washbasin stand next to him.

The lingering sound made Qin Huairu shudder, and the scalding hot water almost splashed all over Yi Zhonghai's face.

"Sister Qin, slow down."

"In this freezing weather, is this glass of water really for this old man to soothe his throat, or are you trying to use this opportunity to help him reconcile his story? And also to discuss how you can take responsibility for this seven hundred-plus yuan hole?"

Qin Huairu's face stiffened, and she forced a smile, saying, "Jianguo, what are you saying... I just saw that the old man was coughing badly, there's no question of us giving the same story..."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zhou Jianguo straightened up, the fire hook dragging on the ground with a screeching sound, and approached step by step.

"Sister Qin, it seems you have a bit of a weak sense of the law. Let me give you a free legal education."

He stopped three steps away from Qin Huairu, his eyes filled with amusement.

"This courtyard has been sealed off by Second Uncle; this is the crime scene. Yi Zhonghai is suspected of embezzling a huge amount of money and is a serious criminal suspect. At this critical juncture, anyone who dares to contact him privately or pass on any information will be treated as an accomplice according to our country's laws!"

Zhou Jianguo deliberately emphasized the word "accomplice," and looked past Qin Huairu to the window of the Jia family behind her, where a pair of frightened little eyes were peeking through the window crack.