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

"My poor Dongxu! You died so young! Open your eyes and see! You've barely left, and someone's already eyeing your wife and your unborn child! Those two bastards, one whose father ran away, the other a sonless man, two childless people together, and they've set their sights on our only heir!"

As she howled, she glanced at the neighbors who had been woken up and were peeking around.

Under the light, her face was covered in snot and tears from crying, but her eyes were shrewd.

"That bastard He Yuzhu, what good intentions does he have? He's just lusting after my daughter-in-law's body! And that old bastard Yi Zhonghai is no better. What does he want? Isn't he just after our son, and the baby in my daughter-in-law's belly, to take care of him in his old age? Bah! Dream on!"

"You've driven my Huai Ru to the hospital! If anything happens to my grandson, I'll kill myself right here at your doorstep! I'll drag you both down to the underworld with me when I'm a ghost!"

As she spoke, she suddenly straightened up from the ground. Surprisingly, her plump body was quite agile, and she staggered towards the direction of Sha Zhu's house.

"I'll smash your pot! I'll teach you to scheme against us orphans and widows! I'll teach you to cut off the Jia family's lineage!"

Everyone in the courtyard was startled when they saw this.

The current elderly man, Liu Haizhong, quickly intervened, saying, "Hey, Jia Zhangshi, let's talk this out, don't resort to violence!"

Madam Jia paid no heed to any of this, and like a mad sow, she spat as she yelled, "Liu Haizhong, get out of my way! This is none of your business! I'll fight anyone who tries to stop me today!"

Yan Bugui huddled at his doorway, whispering to Yan Jiecheng, "Judging by this, the windows and doors at Shazhu's house are going to be another expense tomorrow. Tsk tsk, how much money will that cost?"

Yan Bugui's third uncle had long been dismissed. He was no longer in a position to concern himself with politics, so he had neither the authority nor the inclination to care—there was no benefit in it for him anyway.

Zhang Dabiao and the others had just returned when they saw this scene. They didn't stop them, but leaned against the side of the passageway between the front and middle courtyards, watching with great interest.

He knew that Jia Zhangshi wasn't really heartbroken; she was just throwing a tantrum and using the situation as an excuse to cause trouble.

First, throw a tantrum, then extort money; that's called having a legitimate reason for your actions.

Just as Jia Zhangshi was about to rush to Sha Zhu's door, a small, thin figure suddenly darted out of the shadows and grabbed her leg.

It's a buddy that just came back with us.

"Grandma! Stop it! My mom's still in the hospital!"

Jia Zhangshi was stunned when the stick interrupted her.

Now that you're back, how can I still throw a tantrum and extort money from you?

Meanwhile, the neighbors who were watching the commotion were all pointing and whispering about Jia Zhangshi.

The three older women stood by, offering token words of comfort: "Sister-in-law, don't cry. Didn't Yushui come back to say that everyone is alright?"

"Look, Bang Geng is back too, so stop messing around."

"Nothing's wrong? You call that nothing's wrong?" Madam Jia jumped up abruptly, spitting everywhere. "My daughter-in-law is bleeding, and you call that nothing's wrong! If anything bad happens to her, I'll never forgive Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu!"

Liu Haizhong seemed to have regained some of his old man aura. He walked over with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed.

"Enough! Jia Zhangshi, are you done yet?" Liu Haizhong's voice was loud and clear, carrying an unquestionable air of authority.

"If you want to make a scene, go ahead, but wait until your daughter-in-law and Yi Zhonghai (the idiot) come back. Who are you trying to impress when they're not even here?"

Jia Zhangshi was taken aback and was about to continue her tantrum when Liu Haizhong stopped her with a single sentence.

"Aren't you ashamed enough? Banggeng has been found and is back, and Yushui said your daughter-in-law is alright. Besides, everyone knows what really happened. If you keep making a scene like this, everyone will know that Banggeng pushed his mother. What do you think will happen to your grandson?"

Normally, this should be said discreetly, but Liu Haizhong didn't care about that now. If he didn't give Jia Zhangshi a hard time, she would keep scratching him—everyone still had to go to work and school tomorrow!

What's all this fuss about? The person in question hasn't even come back yet.

Madam Jia's old face froze instantly. She could disregard Qin Huairu's reputation, but Banggeng was her lifeblood. If Banggeng were to be branded as someone who "pushed his own mother, almost causing the death of both mother and child," his life would be ruined.

She opened her mouth, but in the end, she could only spit angrily on the ground and slink back into the house.

"When they get back, I will absolutely not let them get away with this!"

Zhang Dabiao shook his head and went straight back to the small courtyard.

The lights were still on inside. But Mu Wanqing had already returned to the tenement courtyard; after all, they were only engaged and not yet married, so they didn't live together.

Zhang Dabiao then used his "little nest" to make a quick trip to Hong Kong to handle some basic business.

There were no plans for large-scale development over there. As long as the four Mixue Ice Cream stores and two newspaper offices could operate normally, that would be enough. They were backup cash flow, and the managers, store directors, and editors-in-chief were all in charge. Zhang Dabiao didn't need to worry about them much.

Incidentally, I also handed over the manuscript of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils". The newspaper has always been doing well, but these days, these are not the kinds of businesses that make a lot of money.

As for clubs?

There are standards for collecting incense offerings at someone's door, and there are dedicated managers and middlemen to handle these matters. Zhang Dabiao is only responsible for paying the money.

Start your own gang? Kill everyone in Hong Kong, leaving no one alive?

So what's the point?

Besides, Zhang Dabiao has to attend classes during the day, so he didn't have this plan at all. As for making money, it doesn't really matter how much or how little, as long as it's stable enough.

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

The next day, sunlight streamed into the courtyard, and life seemed to return to normal. But everyone knew that some things had changed.

Sha Zhu didn't go to work at the factory; he stayed at the hospital for a day and a night.

Yi Zhonghai went to the factory workshop. He still has 5 apprentices to mentor, and he also needs to ask for leave for Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu.

As evening fell, Sha Zhu returned from his shift, dragging his weary body back into the courtyard. He didn't go back to his room, but instead sat on the steps by the door and lit a cigarette.

The setting sun cast a long shadow on him.

Yi Zhonghai came out from the backyard, passed by him, stopped for a moment, and patted him on the shoulder.

When he first returned to the courtyard, he was scratched quite a bit by Jia Zhangshi, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted.

Neither of them had the strength to speak.

After sitting for a while, Yi Zhonghai went to the hospital to relieve his shift and deliver meals.

Did they expect Jia Zhangshi to honestly deliver meals to Qin Huairu and take care of her?

Qin Huairu figured that even if Jia Zhangshi starved to death, she wouldn't bother going.

As Sha Zhu gazed at the half-moon gradually rising outside the window, he thought to himself: "When the child is born, when Jia Zhangshi becomes obedient, when Bang Geng grows up..."

He can wait.

Even though Zhang Dabiao said it was his fate, he still wanted to break it himself.

Inside the small courtyard, Zhang Dabiao was eating hot pot with Mu Wanqing, Qin Jingru, He Yushui, and a few others around a stove. The aroma of the meat filled the air, and laughter echoed throughout.

Inside and outside the walls, two different worlds.

Zhang Dabiao picked up a piece of mutton with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, dipped it in sesame sauce, and put it in his mouth.

"Life has to be lived like this to be truly enjoyable," he muttered.

As for other people's joys and sorrows?

It's none of his business.