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

Xu Damao was sleeping soundly when he was woken up. He wanted to curse, but when he heard it was Zhang Dabiao, he swallowed his words and could only reluctantly put on his clothes.

Zhang Dabiao walked up to Sha Zhu's door again: "Sha Zhu, come out for a drink!"

Sha Zhu came out rubbing his eyes. Seeing the bottle of liquor in Zhang Dabiao's hand and the smell on him, he frowned and asked, "What have you been doing? You smell rotten."

Zhang Dabiao didn't say anything, he just handed over the bottle.

The three men, dressed in cotton-padded clothes, sat at the stone table in the courtyard of the siheyuan. It was a chilly night, and they were drinking Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) one after another.

It's not just sick, it's downright insane!

They chatted about Xu Damao's recent engagement preparations, and also teased Sha Zhu about why he hadn't found a wife yet, rambling on and on.

They didn't go to see Liu Guangqi, since he had a child with him, and they didn't invite that stingy Yan Jiecheng either.

Qin Jingru, who was staying at He Yushui's house, heard the commotion but didn't ask when Zhang Dabiao had returned. She went to the side room to prepare some side dishes and cured meat for the group, as well as a small charcoal stove.

They drank until after 1 a.m., and both Xu Damao and Shazhu were completely drunk, lying unconscious on the ground, and were sent back home.

Zhang Dabiao had drunk quite a bit, and his head was spinning. Finally, unable to resist the drowsiness, he returned to the cabin and fell asleep immediately.

He slept soundly, but his sleep was also restless.

In my dream, there were only bloody scenes.

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

As dawn broke, the clear chirping of birds echoed through the alleys of Nanluoguxiang.

Several sparrows perched on the wall of the courtyard house, chirping and chattering, breaking the tranquility of the early morning.

Zhang Dabiao was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Big Brother Biao! Get up! We're going to be late!"

It was Qin Jingru's voice, clear and crisp, yet tinged with anxiety.

Zhang Dabiao suddenly opened his eyes, his headache from the hangover felt like it was about to explode. He rubbed his temples and sat up, a strong smell of alcohol and vomit hitting him.

He then remembered that he had drunk so much alcohol the night before, and went straight to sleep when he got home without even changing his clothes.

His clothes were wrinkled and smelled bad, as if they had been soaked in swill.

"Coming! Coming!" Zhang Dabiao shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse.

He staggered to the door and opened it, still a little dizzy from drinking too much the night before.

Qin Jingru stood at the door, dressed in a clean blue cotton coat, with two braids, a scarf around her neck, and a sweet smile on her face. She was also carrying a military green backpack. In her hands, she held a large bowl of steamed buns, rolls, and fried eggs, which were breakfast prepared for Zhang Dabiao to eat on the way.

Zhang Dabiao was a little confused: "Jingru, if you want to go to school, just go. I've already asked the principal for leave, so I don't have to go to school."

He had already informed the school beforehand that since he was also temporarily handling procurement for the "Red Star Daily Necessities Manufacturing Plant," he didn't need to go to school; he just needed to attend the exams on time. In those days, procurement of materials for a factory was a major undertaking, not to mention that the "Red Star Daily Necessities Manufacturing Plant" had foreign exchange quotas. Everything else had to give way to these quotas, so what was Zhang Dabiao's excuse from class?

"You have to go today!" Qin Jingru stomped her foot. "Today is the final exam! And it's your skipped-grade exam! Being late will be a problem!"

"A grade-skipping exam?"

Zhang Dabiao was stunned for a moment, his mind seemingly fogged up, and it took him several seconds to react.

That's right!

When he entered school in early September, didn't he apply to skip a grade? He wanted to go directly from the first year of junior high to the third year. Today is the day of the final exam, which is also his exam for skipping a grade!

If you take the final exams of the first semester of the third year of junior high school and pass all of them, you can skip directly to the third year of junior high school.

Zhang Dabiao killed two people last night, and his mind was a bit muddled, so he actually forgot about such an important matter!

"Damn it!" Zhang Dabiao cursed under his breath, quickly turned around and went back into the house. He found a set of clean clothes, changed them quickly, and then splashed cold water on his face a few times at the sink in the side room, wiping it haphazardly.

The cool water stimulated his skin, clearing his mind considerably.

While checking his schoolbag and pencil case, he picked up a steamed bun and stuffed it into his mouth before preparing to leave for school with Qin Jingru.

Just as he was in a flurry of activity, a familiar voice came from the central courtyard.

"Is Zhang Dabiao here?"

It's Lou Xiao'e.

Zhang Dabiao paused, his heart skipping a beat.

Why is she here?

Could it be that things in Hong Kong have been exposed?

He took a deep breath, forced himself to calm down, then walked out of the small courtyard and closed and locked the wooden gate.

Lou Xiao'e stood at the courtyard gate, wearing a red cotton-padded coat, much more fashionable and stylish than the gray cotton-padded jackets worn by ordinary people like them. Her complexion was not good, and her eyes were dark-circled, as if she hadn't slept all night.

When she saw Zhang Dabiao, a complex emotion flashed in her eyes—doubt, worry, and a hint of scrutiny.

When Qin Jingru saw Lou Xiao'e, she greeted her sweetly, "Good morning, Sister Xiao'e. Do you need to see Da Biao?"

Lou Xiao'e nodded in response, then her gaze fell on Zhang Dabiao, and she asked bluntly, "Zhang Dabiao, do you... know about what's happening in Hong Kong?"

She kept her voice low, deliberately avoiding the name "Zhang Yaoyang" and not mentioning that Lou Yufan's arm had been cut off.

After all, Qin Jingru was still there, so there were some things that couldn't be said.

Zhang Dabiao knew exactly what was going on, but he pretended to be clueless, scratched his head, and asked stupidly, "What's wrong? What are you talking about?"

"What's going on in Hong Kong? How would an ordinary citizen like me know if anything's happening there?"

As he spoke, he deliberately let out a burp, and a strong smell of alcohol wafted out.

Lou Xiao'e staggered from the smell of his burp and quickly took a step back.

"How much did you drink? What are you drinking so early in the morning?"

Zhang Dabiao scratched his head: "Not much. Last night I drank with Damao and Shazhu, and each of us only drank about seven or eight liang (250-300 ml). I'm considered to have drunk very little."

"Da Mao and Sha Zhu are still drunk and haven't gotten up yet."

"Did you drink last night?"

Lou Xiao'e's gaze swept over his face, then looked at his clean clothes and his bloodshot eyes.

A hangover can't be faked.

She almost fainted from fright when she received the news last night.

News from Hong Kong says that around 9:30 pm last night, her brother Lou Yufan had his wrist chopped off by Zhang Yaoyang in his factory office. Two workers also died. Zhang Yaoyang is extremely skilled and a ruthless killer. He escaped by jumping out of a window and his whereabouts are unknown.

The first person she thought of was Zhang Dabiao.

The older brother, Roy Cheung, is in Hong Kong, while his twin brother, Cheung Tai-piu, is in Beijing.

The Lou family has never believed the claims about twins, Zhang Dabiao's Hong Kong ID card, or Zhang Yaoyang's overseas connections.

The ID photo was taken by Lou Bancheng himself, the name was obtained by Lou Yufan, and the ID card was processed by someone he sent in Hong Kong—and then suddenly a "Zhang Yaoyang" appeared in Hong Kong?

What a coincidence!

Lou Yufan believed him because he had met "Zhang Yaoyang," but Lou Bancheng and others still had doubts, so this morning they sent Lou Xiao'e over to test him.

"Okay, I'll go check on Damao."

Since she couldn't get anything out of him, Lou Xiao'e went to find Xu Damao. If it was true, Xu Xiaoling, who lived next door, would also know.

Seeing Lou Xiao'e turn around and go to the backyard, Qin Jingru and Zhang Dabiao were also puzzled, but they didn't pay any attention to her.

"Brother Da Biao, let's hurry up and go. We can't be late for the final exams."

Lou Xiao'e slowed her pace slightly—

Final exams?