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

"So what? Did I beg you to take the exam? What does it matter to me which school you apply to?"

"It's related. If you give up halfway, I will also lose my goal. This is irresponsible of our relationship."

"What feelings do I have for you? Don't talk nonsense, okay?"

"Wanqing, you know how I feel about you. In our school, only I, Ye Liangshen, am worthy of you."

"And I'm the only one who doesn't mind your family background."

At this point, Mu Wanqing suddenly burst out—

"Ye Liangshen, I don't know, and I don't need to know. I have absolutely no feelings for you! Not before, not now, and absolutely never will!"

"I'm not dating right now, and even if I were to, I wouldn't date you!"

Whether or not I take the college entrance exam is my business, it has nothing to do with you!

"My family background is none of your business. Whether you mind it or not is up to you!"

"Now you understand what I mean, right? You can understand human language, can you?!"

"Please don't bother me again!"

Mu Wanqing was almost in tears from anger—how could this person be like this?

Ye Liangshen was startled by Mu Wanqing's sudden outburst and took a step back.

At that moment, the young people in the courtyard heard the commotion at the door and ran out as well.

"Wanqing, are you alright?"

Seeing this, Yu Shui and Xu Xiaoling pulled Mu Wanqing away, while Yan Jiecheng and the others also ran out.

"Hey kid, what are you doing?"

"Hey? Da Biao's back?"

Yan Jiecheng, with his sharp eyes, spotted Zhang Dabiao standing dumbly at the alley entrance, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Yes, I'm back."

Zhang Dabiao walked over slowly. He wasn't involved in this matter, so he couldn't say for sure.

He was a young man who had just started to grow hair, with a cigarette in his mouth, and his mixed-style outfit was a bit unorthodox, just like a hoodlum.

Therefore, Ye Liangshen did not take him seriously.

As Zhang Dabiao walked towards the courtyard gate, Ye Liangshen was still passionately expressing his beautiful vision for their future together.

"Wanqing, stop being unreasonable. My feelings for you are as clear as day and night, and everyone in our school knows it."

"Once we get into the same university and we're officially together, I'll have my parents propose marriage to your family."

"My family will pay off the loan sharks your family owes, so your aunt won't have to live such a hard life."

"We've both gotten into university, we're now a family, and your family's debts are all paid off. What's wrong with that?"

Only then did Zhang Dabiao understand what it meant—

It's all a scheme!

"Wow, that's a pretty sophisticated scheme."

"If Mu Wanqing gets into college, you'll have a college student as your wife. When you get engaged, you can help her family pay off their debts. This is a no-nonsense approach, so your family won't lose out."

"If she doesn't pass the exam, your family hasn't contributed anything, so you're not at a loss."

"What a brilliant plan! This investment is incredibly profitable. Your family must be making a killing, right?"

Zhang Dabiao saw right through Ye Liangshen's thoughts, but Ye Liangshen remained calm.

"Young man, this is a matter between Mu Wanqing and me. Please don't interfere."

"Wanqing, your family owes a lot of money. These days, no one will give so much for someone who has no relatives or friends. I also have to think about our future."

Please try to understand me.

"As long as we get into university, with our abilities, we can study hard, support each other, and find good jobs. Those debts will not be a problem at all."

"This is the best solution for your family's current situation. You have excellent grades; you can't possibly misjudge this, can you?"

"I'm doing this for your own good."

At this point, Mu Wanqing lowered her head, her face somewhat gloomy: "I won't go to university; I'll go straight to work and still be able to pay back the money."

"Ye Liangshen, just give up on that idea. I will never date you, let alone marry you."

"I am the master of my own life, and I don't need anyone to do things for me."

Ye Liangshen frowned and adjusted his glasses. Why was Mu Wanqing so unreasonable?

Suddenly, Zhang Dabiao, who was smoking a cigarette, slapped his hip—

"Well said!"

"My fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens! Not believing in fate is my fate!"

Everyone was startled by him, but since this was the second time they had heard Zhang Dabiao say something like this, they were used to it.

Zhang Dabiao asked again, puzzled, "Mu Wanqing, how much money does your family owe? Do you need to finish your studies and spend several years paying it off?"

"It wasn't that few dozen yuan and several dozen kilograms of grain from last time, was it? It can't be that serious, can it?"

Seeing everyone staring at her, Mu Wanqing had no choice but to confess: "It wasn't those from last time, but..."

"My mother contracted pneumonia from a cough the fall and winter two years ago. It was only effective with penicillin, which cost us a lot of money."

"Now interest compoundes..."

"It's almost 500 yuan..."

At this point, Mu Wanqing's eyes reddened.

Zhang Dabiao scratched his head: "Penicillin is so expensive?"

He Yushui and the others nodded: "That's life-saving medicine. If it's public medical care for cadres and employees, and the hospital has a quota, then it's practically free."

"If ordinary citizens go to hospitals or clinics on their own, they have to check if the hospital or clinic still has the medicine, and they also have to make a special application and get a referral letter. In this case, a course of treatment will cost 5 to 7 yuan."

"But Aunt Mu's attacks always come on very suddenly, and there's no time to apply for an application and get a letter of introduction, plus she's not a factory employee..."

At this point, Yu Shui stopped talking, and Mu Wanqing continued on her own: "So I borrowed money at exorbitant interest rates and used my connections to buy medicine for my mother..."

"With an initial investment of 200, it has now compounded to over 500..."

Zhang Dabiao was stunned. 200 yuan turned into 500 yuan? That's usury!

Doesn't the government care?

Everyone fell silent. These days, if you're an employee of a company with a partner hospital, you're naturally not afraid of getting sick. But ordinary citizens just tough it out on their own. They wouldn't even dare to dream of getting those special medications because they simply can't afford them.

That's why everyone is desperately trying to become a factory worker, because these days the government really takes care of everything for workers, from birth to old age, illness, and death.

Aunt Mu was already weak and her illness progressed quickly, so Mu Wanqing had no choice but to save her life first.

Most of the people in that tenement were urban poor and didn't have much money to begin with.

So it ended up looking like this.

"Then why aren't you selling your bicycle?"

"My mom won't allow it, and if I sell it at that time, everyone will offer a much lower price, even lower than last time. That would be blatant profiteering, and the money from selling it wouldn't even buy a course of treatment..."

Mu Wanqing felt wronged. It wasn't that she was unwilling, but even if she were, selling it wouldn't be of any use.

"Let's go inside and talk." Zhang Dabiao scratched his head. Let's go into the yard first. What kind of nonsense is it to block the entrance?

Moreover, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

"Wanqing!" Ye Liangshen pulled Mu Wanqing along.

Zhang Dabiao immediately slapped his hand away.

"Hehehe, what are you doing, getting handsy? You're being a pervert!"

"How Mu Wanqing solves the family's debt problem, whether she goes to university or not, that's none of your business. Can you even understand human language?"

"A toad trying to eat swan meat? You think you're worthy?"

So everyone laughed and joked as they led Mu Wanqing into the courtyard, leaving Ye Liangshen, with a gloomy face, standing alone at the courtyard gate in a daze.

"Wanqing, you'll understand that only my method is the optimal solution..."

--rinse--

Suddenly, a basin of water was poured out of the courtyard, drenching Ye Liangshen completely.

It turned out that Zhang Dabiao had taken a basin of water from Yang Ruihua's vegetable washing and poured it directly outside the yard.

He muttered to himself while shaking the water in the basin.

"Are you crazy? The optimal solution...?"

"Have you gone stupid from doing so many practice problems?"

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

Back in the courtyard, everyone sat down. After Qin Jingru poured water for everyone, Zhang Dabiao suddenly slammed his hand on the table—

"This isn't right!"