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

In early December, a heavy snow fell in Beijing.

The snowflakes, as white as goose feathers, drifted down for a day and a night, covering the rooftops with a thick layer of white. Stepping on the bluestone slabs of the alley, the snow crunched underfoot.

In these days, people lack food and clothing, and the most dreaded time is winter. But a good snowfall promises a good harvest; heavy snow can freeze insect eggs in the ground, and next year's harvest might be better.

Zhang Dabiao wasn't too worried about the snow. He had already stocked up on smokeless coal and firewood in the east courtyard.

Late that night, all was quiet.

Inside the courtyard, everyone was already snoreling in their blankets. Outside, the north wind howled, rustling the bare tree branches.

Zhang Dabiao was half asleep when he suddenly heard a strange noise outside. The sound was very faint, like someone stepping on the snow, followed by a creaking sound from the wooden fence.

Immediately afterwards, a fierce barking erupted from the yard.

"Woof woof woof!"

That was Erhei's voice.

Erhei usually roams freely in the east wing. Although the dog hasn't fully grown up yet, it has a large frame, eats well, and is very protective of its food. Right now, it's barking unusually fiercely, accompanied by the sound of its claws scratching at the snow.

"Holy crap!"

A muffled groan came from outside, followed by the sound of fabric being torn, and then a flurry of thuds as people collapsed to the ground.

"Woof!" Erhei let out a very aggressive growl, clearly having bitten something.

Zhang Dabiao instantly woke up, rolled out of bed, grabbed a doorstop from the corner, put on his military overcoat, and headed outside.

Pushing open the door, a biting cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed in.

Using the reflection of the snow, he saw that the wooden fence gate was empty except for Erhei, which was crouching low, baring its teeth furiously at the top of the wall. It was also tightly biting a tattered strip of cloth in its mouth.

A large chunk of snow had been shoveled away from the top of the wall, clearly indicating that someone had just climbed over there.

"Erhei, come here."

Erhei immediately relented, wagged its tail, ran up to him, and rubbed against his trouser leg as if seeking praise.

Zhang Dabiao walked over and kicked the snow with his foot—there was a tattered burlap sack and a worn-out rubber shoe lying on the ground. There were specks of blood on the sack, and a few drops of crimson blood in the snow, extending all the way to the outside of the wall.

It was obvious the thief had come to steal chickens. In the corner of the east courtyard, there was a chicken coop made of wooden planks, housing several plump hens. The thief had just climbed in, and before he could even touch the coop, he was spotted by Erhei. With its sharp teeth, Erhei's bite certainly left the thief badly injured, and he even lost a shoe in the process.

At this moment, the neighbors in the front, middle and back yards were also awakened by the barking of the dogs.

Sha Zhu was the first to run over, wearing a cotton-padded coat and carrying a kitchen knife, shivering from the cold: "Da Biao, what's going on? I heard your Er Hei barking quite fiercely."

Immediately afterward, Xu Damao, Liu Haizhong, Yi Zhonghai, and others arrived at the entrance of the east courtyard, each carrying a flashlight. Liu Guangqi and Yan Jiecheng ran over, their clothes unbuttoned and still in their cotton shoes.

"Da Biao, a thief broke in?"

Zhang Dabiao shoved the doorstop he was holding into the snow and pointed to the broken rubber boots and burlap sacks on the ground: "I guess they were migrants fleeing famine who tried to sneak in to steal chickens, but they were bitten by Erhei as soon as they landed."

The beam of the flashlight shone on the ground. Everyone stared at the bloodstained, worn-out shoe, then at the imposing Erhei beside him, and gasped in shock.

Liu Haizhong, wearing an old cotton-padded coat, clicked his tongue in amazement: "Da Biao, you really got a good deal on this dog. It's not even an adult yet, but it's already so fierce. It'll definitely be a great guard dog."

Xu Damao leaned forward to touch Erhei, but was startled by Erhei's bared teeth and quickly withdrew his hand: "Goodness, those teeth, getting bitten is no joke."

Yan Jiecheng chimed in, "Of course! Da Biao's dog, it can't be an ordinary dog, can it?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned, put his hands behind his back, and sighed: "These days, it's not easy for anyone. This thief must have been starving to do something like this in the freezing cold. Da Biao, it's okay that we didn't catch him, don't take it to heart."

【Don't take it to heart? You, Yi Juehu, are such a saint. It's just that they didn't steal from your house.】

However, Zhang Dabiao did not plan to report the matter to the police. Firstly, there was no loss involved, and secondly, they might not be able to find out.

Zhang Dabiao sneered and looked around at everyone: "Of course I don't care. He's lucky he ran away."

He paused, his voice low but clear: "I'm making this clear right now. If anyone wanders into my east wing for no reason and gets maimed or killed by Erhei, they deserve it. Don't come crying to me for medical bills then."

Although these words were directed at the thief, several people in the courtyard who liked to take advantage of others felt a chill run down their spines upon hearing them. In particular, Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng, who had just peeked out from the middle courtyard, were so frightened that they quickly shrank back.

The thief escaped, and the show was over. Everyone was freezing in the wind, exchanged a few perfunctory greetings, and then went back to their rooms to sleep. Zhang Dabiao closed the courtyard gate, rewarded Erhei with a steamed bun and a sausage, and then turned and went back into his house.

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

The days passed slowly in the depths of winter.

By the end of December, New Year's Day was approaching. That noon, several key members of the Youth Mutual Aid Association gathered in Zhang Dabiao's stable warehouse to take stock of the accounts.

Liu Guangqi held a small notebook, tracing names on it with his fingers. Yan Jiecheng stood to the side, using an abacus, typing away rapidly. Xu Damao, meanwhile, held an enamel mug, happily sipping his fine wine.

"Da Biao, the accounts are settled." Liu Guangqi closed the notebook, his face unable to contain his excitement. "This year, we all went fishing in the Yongding River on weekends by breaking ice holes, dug for wild vegetables in the spring, and used the scrap wood you brought to build a three-dimensional frame for growing vegetables... After deducting what we usually shared, we took the rest to the suburbs and exchanged it for a lot of coarse grains."

Yan Jiecheng quickly chimed in, "That's right. With the subsidies you usually give us, Da Biao, we have quite a bit of stock in our warehouse now. All things considered, it's more than enough to give the brothers in the gang some year-end bonuses."

Zhang Dabiao leaned back in his recliner, toying with two walnuts in his hand: "Alright, now that we've saved them up, we should share them with everyone. The New Year is coming soon, let's let everyone's families have a taste of the good fortune."

He thought for a moment and said, "Guangqi, according to the list, prepare ten catties of cornmeal, five catties of wheat flour, two catties of salted fish for each person, and also cut one catty of pork and half a catty of nuts."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned.

Xu Damao nearly spat out his tea: "Brother Biao, are you kidding me? This is a lot of stuff! It's like the year-end bonus from a state-owned factory!"

Liu Guangqi swallowed hard: "This is too much. If those old folks in the courtyard saw this, their eyes would be green with envy."

Zhang Dabiao put the walnuts away and sat up straight: "Let them be envious. This is the result of everyone in our mutual aid association working hard, one punch and one kick. It's legal and compliant labor income. We didn't steal or rob; it's all aboveboard."

He lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke: "The year-end summary meeting is this evening, and we'll distribute the awards at the meeting."

"Let's also show those scheming people in the compound that we young people are self-sufficient, help each other, and rely on our own efforts—"

"Isn't it better than them scheming and plotting all the time?"

The group listened with great enthusiasm, their eyes shining. In this harsh winter of scarcity, these supplies were nothing short of life-saving treasures.

Yan Jiecheng rubbed his hands together excitedly—his daughter, Yan Xiaochen, was only six months old and barely getting enough nutrition, but who wouldn't be happy to have meat? These five pounds of flour and one pound of pork had come at just the right time.

"Da Biao, don't worry, we'll definitely handle things perfectly tonight."

"No one can find fault with it."