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

After the meeting ended, Banggeng was dragged back to the house by Qin Huairu, who then pinned him to the kang (a heated brick bed) and gave him a severe beating.

The sound of the pig being slaughtered could be heard throughout the entire courtyard.

This little ingrate needs to be beaten up every now and then, otherwise he'll get into big trouble sooner or later.

Yeah, right!

Around 8 or 9 o'clock, He Yushui finished her night shift and returned to the courtyard house.

Sha Zhu heard her pushing the cart into the courtyard, came out, and recounted the events of the evening in detail.

After thinking it through, Sha Zhu himself felt a bit scared and somewhat ashamed.

Sha Zhu doesn't care about taking the blame and paying compensation for the Jia family, but ruining Yu Shui's job assignment is a big deal. Yu Shui will probably never forgive himself for that.

After listening, He Yushui stood there without saying a word for a long time.

Her face flushed, not from anger, but from embarrassment and emotion.

She lowered her head, her fingers twisting together—[Da Biao...he still cares about me.]

The seed that had been suppressed in her heart was now growing wildly like weeds.

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

The next morning, Zhang Dabiao rode his bicycle leisurely to the publishing house.

As soon as he entered the gate, he sensed that something was wrong.

Normally, when we meet, we exchange a few jokes, but today everyone has a serious face and is in a hurry.

The walls of the corridor were covered with colorful posters at some point.

Zhang Dabiao frowned slightly and pushed open the door to the editorial office.

The room was quiet except for the rustling sound of turning the pages of documents.

When Editor-in-Chief Li saw Zhang Dabiao come in, he quickly stood up and pulled him over.

Editor-in-Chief Li lowered his voice and said nervously.

"Da Biao, something's happened."

"The literary and artistic circles were the first to be affected; the winds of the 'Four Cleanups' movement have blown over to our area."

Zhang Dabiao's heart sank, but his expression didn't change much.

"Isn't that just a matter of time? But what does it have to do with us comic book artists? Shouldn't it be those movie stars and directors who get into trouble first?"

We spend half a year drawing a comic book and only earn a few hundred or a thousand yuan. When we go out, nobody recognizes us.

Compared to movie stars, directors, and great writers, we're just lowly mortals.

Two sample books were neatly arranged on Editor-in-Chief Li's desk.

One of them is "Heroes and Daughters," a classic of revolutionary literature, which is flawless.

The other book is "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King".

This comic book, which once brought him great honor and foreign exchange earnings, now has a big red X drawn on it.

Editor-in-Chief Li sighed and pointed to the book "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King".

"Someone wrote an anonymous letter reporting your art book."

"They say it promotes feudal superstition and demons and monsters."

"Some people say that you are disgracing socialism and behaving like a capitalist by taking this kind of dregs out to earn foreign exchange."

Zhang Dabiao sneered.

"Why doesn't anyone say it's shameful to earn foreign exchange?"

"Now that the wind has shifted, they're throwing all sorts of accusations at me."

Editor-in-Chief Li quickly covered Zhang Dabiao's mouth.

"Oh my god, can you please keep your voice down? Is this the time for reason?"

"Some people are eyeing you with envy."

"Fortunately, there are documents from the bureau and the higher-ups. Besides, the foreign exchange was obtained by the organization, and you only received a normal royalty fee, so they don't dare to do anything to you for the time being."

"But if you were constantly being criticized and denounced, how could you live your life?"

"There are two points of contention now: 1. What you are promoting is feudal dross; 2. It is unreasonable for you to retain the right to adapt it."

Zhang Dabiao pulled out a chair and sat down, his fingers lightly tapping the table.

He knew in his heart that this storm had only just begun, and the days ahead would only get tougher.

Whether these two points are valid reasons or not is irrelevant; the key issue is that Zhang Dabiao, as a small-time writer, is far too wealthy.

Editor-in-Chief Li walked to the door to check, and only after confirming that no one was eavesdropping did he come back, pour a cup of tea, and hand it to Zhang Dabiao.

"Da Biao, I have something to tell you."

"According to regulations, all new writers in our publishing house must go to the grassroots level to create works and experience life."

"Some went to Shaanxi, and some went to Northeast China."

"Go away to gather material for a month or two, just to avoid the limelight."

"Come back after this storm has passed, and everything will be fine then."

Zhang Dabiao picked up his teacup, blew on the tea leaves, and did not answer immediately.

Going to the grassroots to gather material?

That's definitely a good idea.

Not only could they escape the vortex of Beijing, the epicenter of the turmoil, but they could also take the opportunity to go outside and assess the situation.

But he had reservations.

"Editor-in-Chief Li, I know you're doing this for my own good."

Zhang Dabiao put down his teacup and looked intently at Editor-in-Chief Li.

"But I need to go back and discuss it with my family. There are still some things at home that haven't been arranged yet."

I'll give you a definite answer in a couple of days.

Editor-in-Chief Li nodded and patted him on the shoulder earnestly.

"Make a decision as soon as possible."

"If we drag it out, the good spots will be taken."

"You're a smart person, you should know how to choose."

After get off work, Zhang Dabiao rode his bicycle, but instead of going straight back to the courtyard house, he turned onto Sesame Alley.

Pushing open the gate to the second courtyard, Mu Wanqing, who had just returned, was humming a song and tending to the vegetable garden. Aunt Mu was washing vegetables and cooking nearby. When Zhang Dabiao entered, the Mu family's little black puppy wagged its tail and ran over.

Seeing Zhang Dabiao enter, Mu Wanqing stopped and a gentle smile bloomed on her face.

"Da Biao, you're here."

Zhang Dabiao walked over and parked the bicycle.

"How's school today?"

Mu Wanqing's eyes flickered for a moment, then returned to normal.

"That's good, everyone is preparing for graduation."

Zhang Dabiao keenly noticed her unease.

He grabbed Mu Wanqing's hand, his tone becoming more forceful.

"Wanqing, tell me the truth, is someone at school giving you trouble?"

Mu Wanqing bit her lip and lowered her head.

"This afternoon, the school radio station suddenly criticized the drama 'The Story of Minglan' by name."

"They say the song's style isn't serious enough and has a petty-bourgeois feel."

"Zhao Weiguo and Yang Yibai, although they didn't kick me when I was down, they were definitely isolating me a bit..."

"However, I heard that those children from high-ranking families seem to have some issues with their class background, and now they can't even take care of themselves."

Anyway... things have been pretty chaotic at school lately.

Zhang Dabiao's eyes instantly turned cold.

These kids from high-ranking compounds really won't shed a tear until they see the coffin.

It seems that the trend of "four-year college graduation" has not only reached publishing houses, but also art colleges.

Zhang Dabiao took a deep breath: "Don't be afraid, just keep a low profile."

"We'll get married once we graduate, and we can't interfere in other people's lives."

"As for job assignments, it would be great if the school had them, but it doesn't matter if they don't. We won't fight over it; I'll find you one later." This was no problem for Zhang Dabiao; he had never placed much importance on work quotas.

Mu Wanqing nodded, and Zhang Dabiao directly told her about the troupe's arrangement for him to go out for field research.

"Well, after the start of the new year, I might have to leave Beijing for a while."

"The publishing house arranged for newly recruited writers to go to the countryside to collect materials."