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

Yi Zhonghai's expression turned serious: "What else can we do? It's tough! I just came from her house. Banggeng's little face was pale from the cold, and Xiaodang doesn't even have a decent pair of cotton pants. You know what kind of person Jia Zhangshi is; she takes half of the family's meager food rations for herself. Qin Huairu is a woman, pregnant with a child, working herself to the bone at the factory during the day, and then coming home to this whole family at night. Do you think she's not having a hard time?"

Hearing this, Sha Zhu clicked his tongue in distress, "What... what are we going to do?"

But he forgot one thing—Bang Geng is the heir of the Jia family, how could he possibly be freezing?

With Qin Jingru feeding Xiao Dang from time to time, and Qin Jingru also preparing cotton-padded clothes for him, how could there be a situation where he doesn't even have a pair of cotton-padded pants?

Yi Zhonghai is exaggerating and lying. The Jia family's living conditions in the courtyard have always been above average. As for Banggeng's pale face and Xiaodang not having decent cotton-padded trousers, that depends on who they are compared to.

But Sha Zhu believed it!

Blindly believe!

He felt heartbroken when he saw the state of Qin Huairu and her two children in the Jia family. He thought, "How will you, Qin Huairu, live without me?"

He naturally began to think of it as tragic.

"That's why I've come to discuss this with you." Yi Zhonghai patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Sha Zhu, everyone in the courtyard knows you're a kind-hearted person. But being kind isn't enough; you need to have a method. You used to secretly help people out, and what happened? Your reputation was ruined, things weren't done well, and Jia Zhangshi scolds you every day. We need to find a different approach."

"What other method should we use?"

"A perfectly legitimate way!" Yi Zhonghai said, enunciating each word clearly. "I've been thinking, since I'm the eldest son of this household, I should step in and act as a matchmaker for you and Qin Huairu. Not for anything else, but for those three poor children! From now on, your support for the Jia family won't be shady charity, but your responsibility as a prospective husband and father!"

Every word of these words struck Sha Zhu squarely in the heart.

"Future husband"? "Future father"?

Sha Zhu felt his blood boil and ignite!

He longed for a family, for being needed, and for a legitimate reason to take care of Qin Huairu. The promise Yi Zhonghai made was exactly what he had dreamed of.

"Grandpa, are you... are you telling the truth?" Sha Zhu's voice trembled slightly.

"When have I, Yi Zhonghai, ever gone back on my word?" Yi Zhonghai looked at Sha Zhu's eyes, which were now completely ignited, and felt reassured. "However, this matter cannot be rushed. Jia Zhangshi is the first hurdle. You must first show your sincerity and let her see your determination. Let her know that you genuinely want to shoulder the responsibility for the Jia family, and not that you are after Qin Huairu or something."

[What else could he possibly want besides Qin Huairu? How could Sha Zhu possibly be?]

"What...what should I do?" Sha Zhu had been completely led astray.

Yi Zhonghai leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Don't spend this month's salary or the vouchers the factory gave you recklessly. I'll handle it, you take the things, and we'll go to the Jia family's house together. In front of the whole courtyard, we'll make this clear. This is called 'testing the waters'!"

Actually, Yi Zhonghai was thinking of paying in installments!

"5000 yuan? You can't come up with that right now, Sha Zhu. It might take you years to raise it."

"But we can pay in installments!"

"Your salary will be collected by Qin Huairu, and you will also give your extra income to Qin Huairu every month, just like a husband gives his salary to his wife."

"This is called showing loyalty, indicating that you, idiot Zhu, will marry no one but Qin Huairu!"

"Let's settle the formalities first, just like Zhang Dabiao and Mu Wanqing's engagement, let's settle it first."

"The rest will fall into place naturally. Given time, who can say you and Qin Huairu aren't a couple?"

Yi Zhonghai got excited while speaking!

[It all fell into place naturally. You, Sha Zhu, and Qin Huairu's affair is settled. I, Yi Zhonghai, handled it all. I didn't spend a penny. You, Sha Zhu, suffered, while the Jia family and my godson's family became wealthy. And I, Yi Zhonghai, gained fame—you're good, I'm good, everyone's good!]

【Perfect!】

Sha Zhu was so excited by what he heard that he agreed without hesitation, "Okay! Grandpa, I'll do whatever you say!"

He truly believes it! And since he can't hold onto money anyway, it makes perfect sense for him to entrust it to his "future wife" to save—it's perfectly reasonable!

That simp of his didn't think about any of that, because he himself didn't have more than a hundred yuan saved up. He had no worries about food and drink, a house, a job, and his sister was wealthy and didn't need him to take care of her.

Therefore, he felt that Yi Zhonghai's statement was very reasonable!

Absolutely reasonable!

That's creative!

Learning from Zhang Dabiao and Mu Wanqing is the right thing to do!

That's a living example!

Seeing Sha Zhu's grateful expression, Yi Zhonghai left satisfied.

In the wind and snow, his figure appeared exceptionally tall, but his face, red from the cold, was beaming with joy, revealing his back teeth.

Sacrifice Sha Zhu, and the whole compound will be happy!

perfect!

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

On the other side, Mu Wanqing took the newly printed sheet music for "Towards the Distance" to Professor Chen, who taught composition in the department.

Professor Chen was a renowned old-school professor in the department, known for his rigorous scholarship and upright character. After hearing Mu Wanqing's purpose, he took the sheet music, adjusted his reading glasses, and began to examine it carefully.

The music room was quiet, with only the whistling sound of the wind rustling through the treetops outside the window.

Mu Wanqing stood to the side, her palms sweaty, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Teacher Chen watched for a long time, then gestured for Mu Wanqing to sing it once.

Mu Wanqing composed herself and sang "Towards the Distance" in its entirety with the purest emotion.

After the song ended, Teacher Chen remained silent for a long while without saying a word.

Mu Wanqing's heart sank, and she asked softly, "Teacher, is it...bad?"

Teacher Chen slowly raised her head, took off her glasses, and gently wiped them with a soft cloth.

"Wanqing, who wrote this song?"

"My fiancé wrote it; I only helped a little," Mu Wanqing replied softly.

Teacher Chen looked down at the sheet music again and gently tapped the lyrics of the chorus with his finger.

"The lyrics are simple, but they warm your heart. 'If there is light in your heart, you have nothing to fear'—that's a good line." He raised his eyes, his gaze revealing a wisdom that sees through the world. "People at all times need this kind of spirit."

He paused for a moment, then made a decision that greatly surprised and delighted Mu Wanqing.

"This song can be promoted in schools first. Let students know that although life is not easy, there is always hope."

This is equivalent to giving the song the highest recognition within the department!

Mu Wanqing was so excited she almost jumped up, bowing repeatedly, "Thank you, teacher! Thank you, teacher!"

Just as Mu Wanqing came out of Teacher Chen's office and was about to return to her practice room, she saw an unexpected person at the corner of the corridor.

Zhao Weiguo.

He had obviously been passing by when he heard the singing coming from the office. Now he was standing at the office door, looking somewhat embarrassed, like someone caught eavesdropping, his expression a mix of emotions.

At this moment, Liu Yuanchao came up from behind, looked at Mu Wanqing, and then nudged Zhao Weiguo with his elbow: "What, looking for trouble again?"

Zhao Weiguo froze, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He didn't turn around or argue; he simply shook his head and turned to leave.

After taking a few steps, he seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps to Liu Yuanchao. His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached Mu Wanqing's ears.

"This song... is very nice, and it's very heartwarming."

Mu Wanqing stood there stunned, then a bright smile spread across her lips.

She knew that the song had been a success.

Liu Yuanchao smiled and said, "I like this song. It makes me want to go to the countryside and border regions to support the construction of our motherland! Mu Wanqing, keep it up!"

Mu Wanqing went back and told Zhang Dabiao what had happened that day, and Zhang Dabiao's face turned pale.

[Damn it—I hope they don't turn this song into a propaganda anthem for the "Down to the Countryside Movement"? That would be a huge mistake!]

[I really just wanted to make a random song, is this song going to be included in textbooks?]

Is it all over?