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

What followed was quite comical.

Yan Bugui was in front, picking out the cheapest and best-prepared vegetables, while Liu Guangqi and Hu Zi followed not far behind, occasionally offering their "comments".

"Hey, Tiger, look, Teacher Yan is preparing to make 'aged green beans'."

"That fish is good; it has a natural, aged flavor that saves the trouble of pickling it."

The sound was neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for Yan Bugui to hear.

Yan Bugui was so angry that his forehead was practically steaming. He glared at them and quickened his pace.

He went to a meat stall, stared at the worst piece of pork belly, which was mostly fat and had little lean meat, and bargained with the butcher.

"How much is this meat?"

"Two and a half cents a pound."

"Too expensive! Look at this meat, it's so fatty it could render a whole pot of oil! Eighteen cents!"

Just as he was haggling over the price with great enthusiasm, Zhang Dabiao suddenly appeared out of nowhere, followed by Liu Gen and Da Tou.

Zhang Dabiao walked straight to the meat stall, pointed to a piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, and said to the butcher, "Master, give me two jin of this piece."

Zhang Dabiao had both money and coupons; he still hadn't used up all the coupons he'd received as prizes from his work unit and department. He would still come to buy groceries from time to time, since he couldn't always eat what was being refreshed in his "little nest" (a food delivery app); he would buy whatever he found that suited his taste.

Then, he turned to Yan Bugui with a smile: "Teacher Yan, buying meat? Your feast has four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes, this pork belly... it's not presentable, is it? How about this piece of mine? It's marbled with fat and lean meat, perfect for braised pork or garlic-flavored pork belly. Why don't you have a piece like this?"

As he spoke, he waved the beautiful piece of pork belly that he had just cut in front of Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui stared at the piece of meat, his eyes wide and his Adam's apple bobbing.

Liu Guangqi and Hu Zi also gathered around.

Liu Guangqi slapped his thigh: "That's right! Teacher Yan, four meat dishes and four vegetable dishes, this is the first meat dish, we can't be careless! If you use pork belly, people won't say you're saving money, they'll say you're sloppy!"

"Yes, yes, we can't fool them!" Liu Gen and Da Tou chimed in.

Several young people, singing in unison, surrounded Yan Bugui.

The meaning was clear: We're watching you today, don't even think about getting away with this!

Yan Bugui was thoroughly humiliated, his face turning bright red. He looked at the drooping vegetables in his basket, then at the beautiful piece of pork belly in Zhang Dabiao's hand, and finally at the surrounding onlookers. He felt his face burning with embarrassment.

He knew he wouldn't be able to gain any advantage today.

He gritted his teeth, shakily pulled out some money from his pocket, and practically yelled at the butcher, "Master! Give me two pounds of the same kind!"

"Alright!" The butcher swiftly brought down his knife.

Yan Bugui's heart, like that knife, was also slashed deeply.

The subsequent grocery shopping process turned into a public execution. Zhang Dabiao and his gang followed Yan Bugui to each stall.

"Teacher Yan, this chicken needs to be bought live; it'll be fresher if it's killed!"

"Teacher Yan, you need to buy red-shelled eggs, the yolks are bigger!"

"Teacher Yan, the cold dishes can't just be pickled vegetables, right? There should be some peanuts, dried tofu skin, or something too, shouldn't there?"

Under the "enthusiastic supervision" of several young people, Yan Bugui finally left the market with a basket full of fresh, expensive ingredients, his steps heavy. His basket was full, but his heart and his wallet were empty.

Behind him, the suppressed laughter of several young people came, like small knives stabbing into his bleeding heart.

Back in the courtyard, Jia Zhangshi was sitting by the door sewing shoe soles. Seeing Yan Bugui's expression of grief at losing his son, and then looking at the large amount of fish and meat in his basket, she curled her lip and said sarcastically to Qin Huairu beside her, "Look at this old miser, he can be generous sometimes. But when he spends money unwillingly, the taste of the food he cooks is another story."

Qin Huairu didn't reply, but just kept her head down and did what she was doing, thinking to herself, "This courtyard is about to get lively again."

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

At nine o'clock in the morning, Yan Bugui carried a heavy basket of vegetables into the front yard. With each step he took, the two pounds of pork belly and the two large grass carp swayed, like two big stones, making his shoulders ache and his heart ache even more.

Once inside, he placed the basket on the table with a thud.

Yang Ruihua was wiping the table with a rag when she heard the noise and went over to look. The rag fell to the ground with a "thud." Her hands trembled as she opened the basket, her eyes wide with shock: "Old man, you...you went to rob a bank? These two pounds of meat, and this fish, how much did all this cost? Are you crazy?"

Yan Bugui plopped down on a stool, took off his glasses, and roughly wiped the fog off with his sleeve. His face was ashen, and his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton. "Money? It's flowing out like water! You think I want to buy anything? Zhang Dabiao, along with Liu Guangqi, Hu Zi, and that bunch of bastards, were camped out in the market watching me! The moment I saw some processed green beans I liked, they said they were for feeding pigs. The moment I glanced at some pork belly, they were yelling that I was trying to use rotten meat to make a feast. I've completely lost face in Xidan Market!"

Yang Ruihua slapped her thigh, tears welling up in her eyes: "How can these kids be so heartless? Do you know how hard it is for our family to make a living? This must be more than ten yuan!"

"Twelve yuan and sixty-four cents," Yan Bugui announced, his voice trembling as he quoted a figure accurate to the cent. "That's enough for our whole family's groceries for a quarter!"

The couple were looking at a basket of good vegetables with worried expressions when the curtain was lifted and Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong walked in one after the other.

The two men stood with their hands behind their backs, like leaders inspecting work, their eyes fixed on the basket on the table.

Liu Haizhong spoke first, pinching the piece of pork belly and nodding, "Hmm, this meat is good, thick and substantial. It'll definitely render its fat when braised. Old Yan, it seems you're really willing to invest this time."

Yi Zhonghai also came over, poked at the two fish, glanced at their gills, and said in a calm voice, "The fish are fresh. Old Yan, that's right. We elders have to keep our word. If you put on a decent show, everyone in the courtyard will know who's in charge. If you mess it up, don't even think about us three going back to our positions."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui's anger flared up instantly. He really wanted to dump the basket of vegetables on those two. So, they were spending his money while trying to save face for everyone else?

"Gentlemen, you've seen the dishes yourself; the quality is impeccable." Yan Bugui gritted his teeth, forcing a smile. "I, Yan Bugui, have lived my whole life, and the thing I value most is my reputation. Since I promised, I certainly won't go back on my word."

"That's good." Yi Zhonghai patted him on the shoulder. "Shazhu will be cooking this afternoon, so cooperate with him. Don't be stingy with the oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar; it'll make you a laughingstock."

After the two men left, Yan Bugui spat at the doorway: "Pah! Easy for you to talk. Let's see if you'd be willing to bleed this much when you have your own wedding!"

Yang Ruihua wiped away her tears and began to clear the vegetables. She muttered to herself, "If it weren't for your mouth, if it weren't for that Third Uncle's position, would our family have to suffer like this? Yu Li's pregnancy is truly a nightmare..."

Yan Bugui didn't reply. He stared at the piece of pork belly, already calculating in his mind that he had to leave himself a bowl of meat at the afternoon's banquet, otherwise he would die with regrets over 12.64 yuan.

I have to get my revenge!