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

As night fell, the east wing of No. 95 courtyard was brightly lit and bustling with activity.

A long table, temporarily erected from a door panel, was placed in the center of the courtyard, covered with clean old newspapers.

On the table, braised pork with vermicelli steamed, the pieces of pork, alternating between lean and fatty, trembling in the dark brown broth; the aroma of stewed chicken with mushrooms dominated the entire courtyard, those were hazel mushrooms that Sha Zhu had taken from the factory canteen, paired with free-range chicken freshly killed in Zhang Dabiao's yard, so delicious that it made one's tongue fall off.

In addition, there was a large plate of golden scrambled eggs, several dishes of fried peanuts, and a bowl of cucumber salad.

The dishes aren't the most luxurious, but they're plentiful and filling, with plenty of meat.

Liu Guangqi, Xu Damao, Yan Jiecheng, and Shazhu, the core members of the Youth Mutual Aid Association, were all present.

Today, Xu Damao specially brought out a bottle of Xifeng liquor that he had stored at home for several years. The bottle was covered with a layer of dust.

Liu Guangqi brought two packs of Daqianmen cigarettes and distributed them to everyone.

A few people sat down around the table, but the atmosphere was not as lively as usual; instead, it was somewhat dull.

Sha Zhu came out of the kitchen carrying a wok, slammed it down on the table, and sat down in a sullen voice.

He was in charge of cooking today, and he didn't say a word; he just kept busy at the stove.

Zhang Dabiao poured everyone a full glass of wine, picked up his enamel mug, and stood up.

"Brothers, I called you all here today for two reasons: first, to see me off, and second, to announce something."

All eyes were on him.

Zhang Dabiao took a deep breath, and his wine glass paused in mid-air.

"From today onwards, our Youth Mutual Aid Association is officially disbanded."

"Clang!"

Xu Damao dropped the chopsticks in his hand to the ground.

"Why?!" He was the first to jump up, his face full of disbelief. "Da Biao, what nonsense are you talking about! Our mutual aid association was doing so well, how could it just disband like that?"

Yan Jiecheng was also anxious. He had just paid off his debt to the mutual aid association and was thinking about how he could benefit from it in the future.

Liu Guangqi frowned and didn't speak, but his eyes were full of questions.

Sha Zhu kept his head down and didn't say anything, but downed the glass of wine in front of him in one gulp.

Zhang Dabiao waved his hand, gesturing for Xu Damao to sit down.

"Da Mao, don't rush, let me finish."

He looked around at his group of brothers and slowly began to speak.

"Why did we establish the mutual aid association in the first place? It was so that in those years when everyone was starving, we could stick together for warmth, not go hungry, and not be bullied."

"And now?" He pointed to the large amount of fish and meat on the table. "Now the food supply is slowly recovering, and everyone's life is much better than it was a few years ago. Guangqi is a cadre, I am a cadre, even Yushui is now a clerk, Yan Jiecheng has been promoted, Damao, your secret stash of money for showing movies is getting fatter and fatter, even Shazhu..."

He paused and glanced at Sha Zhu.

"...Salaries have also recovered. The most important function of the mutual aid association, 'mutual aid,' is no longer so important."

"Furthermore, once I leave, I'll be going to those poor mountain villages in northern Shaanxi. It could be as short as three to five months, or as long as a year and a half. Without me, there's no need to cultivate this land, and the mutual aid society won't need to continue."

"Otherwise, if something goes missing from the stable warehouse while I'm away, who's responsible?"

"It might be hard to calculate then."

His words were very honest, and the courtyard fell silent once again.

Xu Damao deflated, plopped back down on the stool, picked up his wine glass, and muttered, "Damn it, everything was fine, how did it all fall apart..."

Although Xu Damao didn't get along with Sha Zhu, nor with the old men in the courtyard, there was some unpleasantness among everyone present.

However, even though they are in a mutual aid society, they still appear to be a unified group and often get together for drinks.

But if the mutual aid association is gone... and Da Biao is away on a business trip, I really don't know what will happen.

Zhang Dabiao ignored him, turned around, picked up a bunch of keys from the corner of the wall, and walked to the gate of the stable on the west side of the yard.

With a loud clang, the padlock was opened.

A smell mixed with grain, dried salted fish, and dust wafted over.

"The mutual aid society may have disbanded, but our belongings must remain."

Zhang Dabiao waved his hand, exuding heroic spirit.

"Everything here is the common property of our mutual aid association. Today, it's all being distributed!"

Several people craned their necks to look inside, and by the light of the courtyard lamp, they could see that the small stable was piled with all kinds of supplies.

Neatly stacked bags of cornmeal and wheat flour, strings of dried cured meat and salted fish hanging from the roof beams, several bolts of brand-new blue and floral cloth piled in the corner, and even a few buckets of kerosene and a pile of honeycomb briquettes.

These things, in any era, are a family's most solid foundation.

Several people stared intently, their Adam's apples bobbing, but none of them dared to speak first.

It was still Sha Zhu. He suddenly stood up and rolled up his sleeves.

"What are you all looking at! All of you are just pretending to be polite!"

He was the first to rush into the stable and grab a dusty ledger.

"It's all recorded here. It shows who contributed how much effort, how much money they invested, and how much they should receive—everything is clearly documented! Da Biao said we should divide it up, so I, Sha Zhu, will set an example today and distribute the assets among everyone!"

With him taking the lead, the atmosphere immediately became lively.

Liu Guangqi brought over a steelyard balance, Yan Jiecheng took out an abacus, and Xu Damao was in charge of counting.

"The Guangqi family, the earliest shareholders and the biggest contributors, received three bags of flour, twenty catties of pork, and two bolts of cloth!"

"Xu Damao provided information on a lot of scarce supplies, as well as a considerable amount of local specialties and mountain products, including two bags of wheat flour, one bag of cornmeal, fifteen catties of pork, and a bolt of cloth!"

"Yan Jiecheng, though stingy, has done his share of hard work. He gets a bag of wheat flour, a bag of cornmeal, and ten pounds of meat!"

"I, Sha Zhu, will only contribute my labor: a bag of cornmeal and five pounds of meat. That's the most I can give!"

Sha Zhu shouted at the top of his lungs, the scales in his hands flying up and down, dividing the goods fairly and justly.

Soon, the items in the stable were divided into several piles.

They left the other mutual aid group members' donations aside, and they'll deliver them to their homes later.

Looking at the mountain of supplies piled up in front of him, Liu Guangqi felt a mix of emotions.

He walked over to Zhang Dabiao and patted him heavily on the shoulder.

"Da Biao, business trips are fine, but come back early for holidays and festivals. We're all waiting for you to get together."

"If you're not in the yard, it's hard for us to get together; it just feels like something's missing."

Zhang Dabiao patted him on the shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm an artist, it's normal for me to be sent on business trips. Keep an eye on Jingru and... you all know what kind of people are in that compound. I'm worried."

"Don't worry!" Liu Guangqi patted his chest, his voice firm and resolute.

Over there, Xu Damao was already flushed and his neck was thick from drinking. He staggered over, grabbed Zhang Dabiao's neck, and reeked of alcohol.

"Da...Da Biao! In your yard...if anyone dares to make a move, I...I'll kill the bastard!"

Yan Jiecheng didn't react yet, still staring at the supplies and drooling.

Sha Zhu didn't say anything grand from beginning to end. He just silently moved his share of food to the corner, then walked back to the table, picked up his wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp to Zhang Dabiao.

All the affection is in the wine.