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

March marks the one-year anniversary of the "Learn from Lei Feng" campaign.

The three old men in the courtyard started showing off their unique skills again.

Yan Bugui was the most quick-witted.

He gets up before dawn every day and sweeps the school's teaching and research office until it is spotless.

By the time the principal arrived at work, a steaming cup of hot rice wine had already been brewed.

Not only that, Yan Bugui voluntarily went to the finance office and offered to give up his overtime pay for the month—in fact, it wasn't overtime at all, but rather taking advantage of other people's absence to tidy up the vegetable garden and pick up some vegetable leaves to take home. How could that be called overtime?

"I'm just doing this to emulate Lei Feng, I don't want any reward," Yan Bugui said, pushing up his glasses with a righteous air.

The principal was deeply moved.

In addition, the vegetable garden that Yan Bugui has been cultivating in recent years has indeed provided a significant subsidy for the school cafeteria's food rations.

This is a genuine achievement.

Furthermore, Yan Bugui also gave him two pots of orchids that were cultivated quite well. How could he not be moved?

A good pot of these costs tens of yuan!

The school issued a notice directly, restoring Yan Bugui to his position as a Chinese language teacher, and his salary was paid at the original level.

Yan Bugui was overjoyed when he got home, and ate two bowls of mixed noodles and broke off a whole head of garlic!

Seeing that Yan Bugui had benefited, Liu Haizhong immediately followed suit once again.

He set up a "Learn from Lei Feng Commando Team" in the forging workshop.

As soon as the clock struck midnight, Liu Haizhong blocked the workshop entrance.

"I order you all, none of you are allowed to leave today. Stay and work overtime for free!"

"We're learning from Lei Feng; anyone who doesn't do it has a problem with their ideological awareness!"

The apprentices were exhausted after a long day and couldn't even get a hot meal; they were forced to stay and work.

They don't even pay overtime.

After working for three days straight, the apprentices couldn't take it anymore.

Several people wrote a joint letter and stuffed it directly into Director Yang's complaint box.

During the morning meeting.

Factory Director Yang slammed his fist on the table and flew into a rage.

"They're engaging in formalism! Squeezing out workers' rest time!"

"Liu Haizhong, you're ruining the atmosphere of our factory!"

Factory Director Yang immediately announced that Liu Haizhong was being dismissed from his position as workshop group leader and was to make a profound self-criticism.

This group leader position was secured by Liu Guangqi's considerable efforts, along with Zhang Dabiao's influence, and he even managed to get Li Huaide to help him get it.

Now it's all for nothing.

Liu Haizhong returned to the courtyard house, and he was furious.

At the dinner table, Liu Haizhong kicked over a stool.

Seeing the situation was turning against him, Liu Guangtian swiftly grabbed his bowl and dashed out the door—[The meal wasn't finished yet; he couldn't waste it.]

Forget it, I might as well move to the factory dormitory. When will this ever end?

Liu Guangfu was a step too slow and was grabbed by the hair by Liu Haizhong and thrown to the ground.

The belt snapped and crackled as it was pulled.

Liu Guangfu rolled on the ground, trembling with pain and itching with anger.

I can't live like this anymore, I get beaten up every day!

And why did they only beat me up?!

Where is my second brother? Where is my eldest brother?

What about people?

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

At the end of February, Beijing was still chilly with the lingering effects of a late spring cold snap.

Director Wang of the neighborhood office was holding a newly printed copy of the "Fine Arts" magazine.

She had two large red certificates of merit tucked under her arm.

He walked with a powerful and energetic stride.

He started yelling as soon as he stepped into the gate of No. 95 courtyard.

"Yi Zhonghai!"

"Come out and join the meeting right now!"

"Get the whole college together immediately!"

Yi Zhonghai was sitting in the middle of the house drinking heavily.

Hearing the noise, he quickly put down his teacup and ran out.

He greeted them with a broad smile.

"Director Wang, what wonderful news have you had this time?"

Director Wang slapped the magazine into Yi Zhonghai's hand.

"Of course it's a joyous occasion!"

"The special issue on the national comic strip awards has been released."

"It's about the time at the end of last year when Zhang Dabiao's 'Nezha Conquers the Dragon King' and 'Heroes and Daughters' won awards. The magazine even published a special issue on it, reporting it nationwide!"

"This is the first major review of the achievements in comic strip creation since the founding of our country."

"This is not only the glory of Nanluoguxiang, but also the supreme glory of your No. 95 courtyard."

"Yi Zhonghai, go and bang the gong now to call everyone out."

"You, as one of the oldest residents of the compound, personally read out the commendation decision to everyone!"

Yi Zhonghai's smile froze instantly.

He looked down at the magazine in his hand.

The cover features the words "Compare, learn, catch up, and help each other to strengthen the socialist educational role of comic strips" printed in the center, with Zhang Dabiao's name below.

Yi Zhonghai felt as if a huge rock was lodged in his chest, and he was stunned.

【Damn it, it's Zhang Dabiao again? It's the same thing from last year, is this never going to end?】

He was recently praised by the factory for training five apprentices to the seventh level.

I had hoped to take advantage of this opportunity to re-establish the rules of the traditional courtyard house.

As a result, Zhang Dabiao won two national awards.

That's not all. This year, a magazine published a special issue reporting on him. Will he be able to keep winning these two awards for several years in a row?

And they even win awards consecutively?

This is practically defecating on Yi Zhonghai's neck, deliberately stealing his thunder!

But he dared not disobey Director Wang's orders.

I had no choice but to bite the bullet and go to the front yard to bang on that broken gong.

"Clang clang clang!"

"The hospital-wide meeting is about to begin, everyone come out."

Before long, a crowd gathered around the water tank in the middle courtyard.

Liu Haizhong walked out with his hands behind his back and his pregnant belly sticking out.

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses and moved closer to the front row.

Zhang Dabiao moved a grand chair and sat down ostentatiously at the front of the crowd.

He held a handful of melon seeds in his hand, while Qin Jingru served him a porcelain teacup beside him.

Yi Zhonghai stood next to the square table.

He cleared his throat, his hand squeezing the magazine so tightly it became deformed.

"We're having a meeting today."

"The main purpose is to convey the spirit of the higher authorities."

"Zhang Dabiao from our institute won first and second prizes in the National Comic Strip Awards last year, and now the special issue on the National Comic Strip Awards has been published."

"Zhang Dabiao has been featured in a magazine again, and this magazine says that the significance of this comic book competition is to compare, learn, catch up, and help each other, to strengthen comic book writing... and that it has important educational significance..."

Yi Zhonghai reluctantly read the message that Director Wang wanted him to announce, feeling rather embarrassed and unwilling.

The neighbors in the audience praised Da Biao's achievements, saying that he won an award last year and this year he even received a special report and a certificate, adding that the prestige of his award was getting higher and higher.

Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes from behind the crowd.

She lowered her voice and muttered sourly.

"What's so great about drawing a lousy comic book?"

"He's just scribbling and drawing all day without doing anything productive."

"You have so much free time, yet you don't even think about helping our family out."

The voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for the people around to hear.

Xu Damao was eating sunflower seeds.

Upon hearing this, he immediately spat out the sunflower seed shells and jumped out.

He pointed at Jia Zhangshi's nose and started cursing.

"Hey Jia Zhangshi, did you eat shit with your mouth?!"

"Da Biao's comic books are sold overseas."

"The foreign exchange earned by that book is enough for your Jia family to live on for eight generations!"

"Do you even know what it means to bring glory to the country?! We all need to learn from Da Biao, you know that?"

Jia Zhangshi was so angry at Xu Damao that her face trembled.

She opened her mouth as if to throw a tantrum.

But then he glanced at Zhang Dabiao, who was sitting in the armchair with a half-smile.

And Director Wang, who was watching her from the other side.

Jia Zhangshi swallowed the profanity back down her throat.

She, Jia Zhangshi, no longer dared to act out in front of these people.

Just then, Director Wang suddenly started clapping.