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

Seeing the old man's dejected appearance, Yang Ruihua felt a tightness in her chest, but mostly a sense of helplessness. She sighed, ignored him, and turned to get a basin to fetch water for washing. There was no point in talking to this stingy old man; what he was worried about wasn't anything else, just those few dollars.

Yan Bugui sat for another ten minutes.

The abacus beads in his mind were clicking and clattering.

Two tables, four meat dishes, four vegetable dishes, two cold dishes, and one soup.

What's the price of pork these days? What about fish? Chicken? And wine, peanuts, all sorts of seasonings... He mentally calculated the prices of the vegetables again and again, and with each calculation, his heart sank a little lower.

So, just buying groceries and alcohol will cost at least eleven or twelve yuan! And that doesn't even include the cost of hiring Sha Zhu to cook!

Eleven or twelve yuan! How much does he earn in a month? And now he's farming in the school's vegetable garden, which is tiring and pays very little, much less than being a teacher. And now he's going to throw it all into someone else's stomach?

Thinking of this, Yan Bugui's heart tightened suddenly, as if gripped by an invisible hand. His fingers, resting on his knees, began to tremble uncontrollably.

No! Absolutely not!

We can't pay this money!

That night, Yan Bugui tossed and turned in bed, tossing and turning as if he were tossed and turned. Yang Ruihua, who was also unable to sleep because of his restlessness, groaned and turned over.

He had only one thought in his mind—to renege on the deal!

We have to find a way to get away with this!

Just say it was a joke at the dinner table, don't take it seriously. Yes, it was a joke! Who would take something said while drunk seriously?

Or, they might just refuse to pay. They've been living separately for ages; why should I, as the father, pay for their child's meals? That's not fair!

Yes! That's the plan!

Having made up his mind, Yan Bugui finally felt a little more at ease and slowly closed his eyes. But he didn't know that countless people in the courtyard were waiting to see his performance the next day.

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

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Yan Bugui jumped out of bed. His eyes were dark-circled, clearly he hadn't slept well all night. After a quick wash, he grabbed two steamed buns and rushed out the door, not even bothering to eat breakfast at home.

He needs to find allies.

In this courtyard, besides himself, only Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong could speak on his behalf. The three of them were in cahoots, plotting to restore the old system of the steward and regain control of the courtyard. They would definitely help him with this.

Yan Bugui quickened his pace as he pondered his next move.

He first arrived at the door of Yi Zhonghai's house in the Intermediate People's Court and knocked on the door.

Yi Zhonghai had just finished breakfast and was getting ready to go to work. He was a little surprised to see Yan Bugui when he opened the door.

"Old Yan? So early, something's up?"

"Old Yi, let's talk in private." Yan Bugui said seriously, pulling Yi Zhonghai outside.

The two hadn't walked far when they bumped into Liu Haizhong, who was coming from the backyard. Liu Haizhong was also on his way to work, and seeing the two of them whispering together, he came over.

What are you two saying?

"Perfect timing, Lao Liu, you're here too." Once everyone was there, Yan Bugui simply pulled the two of them to the crooked locust tree in the corner of the yard.

"You all know about what happened yesterday," Yan Bugui said, rubbing his hands together.

Liu Haizhong hummed in agreement: "I know, it's a happy occasion that your family has a new member."

"It's a happy occasion, but what about the banquet..." Yan Bugui said tentatively, "I was just joking around at Xu Damao's banquet when everyone was having a good time... We can't take that seriously, can we?"

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong exchanged a glance, neither of them showing any expression.

Liu Haizhong spoke first; he was a straightforward person, without any ulterior motives.

"Old Yan, you're wrong about that. What do you mean by 'joking'? You said it with your hand on your chest in front of the whole hospital, how can that be a joke? If you're trying to renege on your promise, I, Liu Haizhong, will be the first to object!"

Yan Bugui choked, not expecting Liu Haizhong to react so strongly. He quickly turned to Yi Zhonghai for help.

Yi Zhonghai didn't look at him. Instead, he slowly took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled a smoke ring.

His face darkened, and his voice was low, but every word was like a small hammer, striking Yan Bugui's heart.

"Old Yan, have you forgotten what the three of us agreed on?"

Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat.

"The three of us are going to re-elect the head of the household in the courtyard, and this is about to be implemented. At this crucial moment, in front of everyone in the courtyard, you went back on your word, contradicted yourself, and made a fool of yourself in front of everyone. Tell me, who will vote for you in the election? Who do you think will still respect you as the third head of the household?"

These words carry far more weight than Liu Haizhong's.

Liu Haizhong immediately followed suit, his voice even more direct, practically pointing his finger at Yan Bugui's nose.

"Old Yan, I'm not trying to be mean, but if you renege on that ten-odd yuan, your name, Yan Bugui, will be worthless in this courtyard! Your reputation will be ruined! When the three of us are back in power and stand in the middle of the courtyard, the moment you open your mouth, everyone will be able to shut you up with their words—'Third Uncle doesn't keep his word, who will believe you?' Where will you put your old face then?"

Yan Bugui's face turned ashen as the two of them sang in unison.

His lips trembled, and he opened them twice, wanting to refute, but he couldn't utter a single word.

He knew it all too well.

that power!

The three old men regained their positions, the most valuable bargaining chip they held in their later years. This position meant a voice, prestige, and the confidence to have the final say in the courtyard. It meant the gifts from other families during holidays, the small advantages they could gain, and the glory of sitting in the center at the courtyard assembly…

Compared to these, a few dollars...

It seems... it really isn't much anymore.

That's more than ten yuan! That's almost half a month's salary for him! That's the hard-earned money he saved by scrimping and saving!

Just as he was struggling with his inner turmoil, Yi Zhonghai stubbed out his cigarette, threw it at his feet, crushed it, and delivered the final blow.

"And think about it again. If you really go back on your word, what will Zhang Dabiao and his gang of young men say about you in the courtyard? What will Xu Damao, with his loose tongue, say about you? At that point, forget about Uncle San, you, Yan Bugui, won't even have the dignity of a schoolteacher left in this courtyard."

"At that point, neither of us will be able to speak up for you. We can't exactly tell everyone in the compound that we're choosing a faithless person as our third uncle, can we? That would drag us down with us too, wouldn't it?"

These words completely blocked all of Yan Bugui's escape routes.

He was like Tang Sanzang with the golden headband on him by Sun Wukong, while Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong were like Guanyin Bodhisattva chanting the spell. If he dared to say "no," the invisible curse would crush his soul.

Yan Bugui's fingers tapped on the cold stone table, making a soft "tap-tap" sound, like the bleeding heartbeat of his heart.

After a long while, he finally deflated like a punctured balloon, slumped his shoulders, and let out a long, resigned sigh.

"Okay...it's my treat."

These two words seemed to drain all the strength from his body.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of satisfaction in each other's eyes.

The plan was saved.

Yi Zhonghai stood up, dusted himself off, and prepared to go to work.

But then a question suddenly occurred to me: what if Lao Yan doesn't behave himself and tries something funny?

So he turned around and began to issue a stern warning again.