Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

Sha Zhu went out to buy groceries this morning. He can move his hands now, but he can't do strenuous activities.

Yi Zhonghai approached him to prepare a banquet, and he couldn't refuse. So he planned to call four kitchen helpers from the factory to make do with a meal. With him in charge of seasoning and overseeing, the taste would be better than a mass-produced meal.

However, after buying his way around the market, he found there weren't many good vegetables left, and finally, looking rather grumpy, he went to find Zhang Dabiao.

"Da Biao, could you get me some pork? And that hot pot base from last time?"

As for vegetables, we can manage to put together a decent amount; there's plenty of cabbage, potatoes, and radishes, but you can't serve only these when you're entertaining guests.

I bought a lot of fish, but I really couldn't buy pork, and I couldn't find any.

In addition, considering the condition of his arm, he's also thinking of starting a hot pot business, adding a few side dishes, which would at least make him look presentable.

So he came to "beg" Zhang Dabiao.

"I wouldn't dare. Selling to you would be speculation and profiteering, and I would be reported." Zhang Dabiao didn't even look up.

"You! Today, Grandpa has something important to do, it's serious business!" Sha Zhu said anxiously.

"Oh, what does that have to do with me?"

"..."

"I'll borrow one and return eight!"

"Pfft—" Zhang Dabiao spat out a mouthful of tea.

Are you out of your mind?!

Why not learn this instead of the other way around?

[Is Yi Zhonghai your biological father? And do you even know what he's planning to do today?]

"You've only dislocated your shoulder a few days ago, and he's already making you cook a big feast. I bet it's for free, right?"

[Aren't you shameless, you idiot Zhu?]

"Just tell me if you're going to lend it to me or not?"

Zhang Dabiao looked at Sha Zhu with pity until he felt uneasy under her gaze.

"Eh..."

To be honest, Zhang Dabiao really felt sorry for this idiot. He had no idea what he would face at noon, and he was also preparing to take revenge.

Well, let's just consider it their last meal before they leave this world.

"Fine, I'll lend it to you. You don't need to pay back eight for every one you borrow."

"I'm not a loan shark."

"I don't want money. Just give me a written agreement to pay it off within this year, and then you can give me a small amount as interest. Is that okay?"

It's not that Zhang Dabiao didn't want to make money. Jia Dongxu was paying compensation, and Liu Guangqi took the goods by having the factory's purchasing agent help him bring them back, and he was paid twice the market price. But Sha Zhu was borrowing—

If someone borrows something and charges eight times the original price, that old bastard Yi Zhonghai will definitely report them.

It's not worth making that complicated.

This time, it was Sha Zhu's turn to be stunned: "It's that simple? You, Zhang Dabiao, would be so kind?"

Zhang Dabiao's face darkened: "Do you want to lend it to me? If not, get lost!"

"Borrow, borrow, borrow!"

"How much meat and how much base sauce do you need?"

"Ten pounds of meat will be enough, and two pounds of broth should be sufficient."

"Don't worry, I'll pay it all back in a month. I, Sha Zhu, keep my word!"

"I'll repay you with an extra pound of meat later, I promise it won't be a free loan!"

"Alright, whatever you say, that's fine. Sign it first, then put your fingerprint on it. Let me tell you, I only recognize you, Sha Zhu." Zhang Dabiao took out a small notebook, quickly wrote out the IOU, and then handed it to Sha Zhu to sign and put his fingerprint on.

"You have to pay back what you borrowed, but I don't care who you lend it to."

"How can you have no basic trust between people? Don't worry, I'll pay you back. I'll get the money from an old man and buy it for you!" The silly pig complained as he signed the document.

Zhang Dabiao was a bit speechless, but he still asked, "Do you know what Yi Zhonghai and his guys are planning to do at noon today?"

"I don't know?"

Oh dear, Sha Zhu is definitely not going to get that money back.

Sha Zhu's eyes suddenly lit up—

"You know?"

"I could guess that."

Tell me about it.

"Why should I?"

"Da Biao, you'll have no friends if you keep going like this."

"It's better to have no friends than to be friends with you."

"..."

"Fine, fine, I can't argue with you, just take the stuff."

Then Zhang Dabiao turned around and went back into the house, locking the door behind him.

Sha Zhu rolled his eyes—"So dramatic, why even close the door?"

"Does anyone dare to steal anything from your house now?"

A moment later, Zhang Dabiao opened the door and came out, carrying 10 jin of meat and 2 jin of hot pot base. Sha Zhu was delighted and prepared to take it, but he was a little puzzled—why was this pork like an ice cube, and why did it look so strange, especially since it was white-skinned pork? Where did this pork come from? Did you put it outside to freeze and then put it back inside? Isn't that a hassle? But Zhang Dabiao's sigh and a few words diverted his attention.

"Hey, you idiot, you need to be more careful..."

"Zhang Dabiao, what exactly do you mean?"

------------

At noon, the Intermediate People's Court tidied up and set up six tables. This time, it wasn't just one person per family sitting at each table. Not counting the outer courtyard of No. 95, which consists of six rooms under the management of the street office, these are temporary housing for temporary workers who are not registered in No. 95 and don't usually come into the courtyard.

There are a total of 20 households in the front, middle and back yards. This time, Yi Zhonghai invited the middle-aged and elderly people and most of the young people in the yard to make the matter bigger and more concrete.

Moreover, he also invited Director Wang to be an official witness.

"Today, I would like to invite everyone to witness that I, Yi Zhonghai, am recognizing the deaf old lady in the backyard as my godmother. From now on, I, Yi Zhonghai, will take full responsibility for taking care of her in her old age and seeing her off in her final days."

"The old lady has no children and is the oldest resident in our neighborhood. Having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. It's no exaggeration to say she's the pillar of our neighborhood. These days, long-lived people are rare; it's a blessing!"

"It's not easy for her to live alone, and she's made some minor mistakes before. But we still have to follow the principle of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, which is a traditional virtue of our country."

"I, Yi Zhonghai, am not very capable, and I have done many wrong things with good intentions. Let's not talk about the past. In the future, I, Yi Zhonghai, will try my best to correct my mistakes and strive to make our compound a harmonious, stable, civilized compound where everyone helps each other and makes progress together."

"Respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and maintaining good neighborly relations, starts with me."

He spoke with great passion and fervor, and then, in front of everyone, he served tea to the old deaf man sitting in the main seat, bowing respectfully.

It has to be said that his words struck a chord with Director Wang. Director Wang was afraid that something else might go wrong in this courtyard, and after the old deaf man's status as a recipient of the five guarantees was revoked, his livelihood had indeed become a problem.

If no one cares, someone might starve to death, or even if someone has been dead for many days, no one would know. As the director of the subdistrict office, Director Wang is also guilty of dereliction of duty in management.

As for the neighbors, if they can get the "Civilized Compound" plaque again, the neighborhood committee will give them some material rewards and honors at the end of the year, which is great, so no one will object.

The old deaf man was naturally overjoyed. Originally, Yi Zhonghai only wanted to take Jia Dongxu as his godson, but Zhang Dabiao had revealed the "thing that hadn't happened yet" while chatting in the backyard, so the old deaf man naturally wouldn't let this opportunity pass.

Yi Zhonghai has been thoroughly exploited and is now only a Level 4 worker. In his current state, if he wants to shut down the Jia family, and given that Jia Zhangshi will return, only the deaf old lady can control him.

Therefore, the old deaf woman also had to get on this ship; without her, the ship would sink.

Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to agree, even if it meant holding his nose.

Liu Cuilan had no expression; it was useless for her to have any opinions about this matter. She was like a walking corpse.

Sha Zhu was very happy. With this title settled, the old lady's retirement would be secure. Yi Zhonghai had recognized his godparent in front of so many people. If he dared to ignore it, not only would the neighbors gossip about him, but Director Wang of the neighborhood office would be the first to hold him accountable.

The crowd fell silent, glancing at Director Wang and then at Yi Zhonghai. They sensed something was amiss, having been intimidated by Yi Zhonghai's elaborate schemes, and unsure whether to believe him.

Is he really that kind?

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Yi Zhonghai then glanced at Jia Dongxu, indicating that he should play.

Jia Dongxu picked up a cup of tea, hesitatingly preparing to go on stage, when Zhang Dabiao shouted—

"good!"

Everyone—【?!】