I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

With a "thump," Xu Damao knelt down on the ground, his head hitting the ground repeatedly, his forehead quickly turning red.

With a mournful face and a pleading sob in his voice, he cried out, "Director Wang! Please, please forgive us! It was an accident! We accidentally took the toxic medicine and did this stupid thing! We didn't mean to! We really didn't mean to!"

Director Wang raised an eyebrow and sneered inwardly.

She's not stupid. Three similar incidents have happened in this courtyard today, from Qin Huairu to Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady, and now these two in front of her. How could they all be coincidences?

Either he was tricked, or he accidentally ate something he shouldn't have. Thinking of Zhou Weiguo's confident and smug look just now, Director Wang narrowed his eyes, a vague guess forming in his mind.

"Da Mao."

Director Wang sighed and said in a heavy tone, "Now that things are like this, quite a few people already know about it, and you can't cover it up anymore. You two aren't a legally married couple, and you've done something so immoral. The higher-ups are using you as an example to clean up the atmosphere. Once you're used as an example, forget about twenty or thirty years; whether you can even keep your life or whether you'll be punished is all uncertain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Peanuts?"

Xu Damao's mind went blank for a second. He was completely stunned. He had only thought about how terrible it was to be sentenced to twenty or thirty years, but he hadn't considered the risk of being forced to eat peanuts!

He still had so many years left to enjoy, so many advantages left to take advantage of, how could he just die like this? Absolutely impossible! He suddenly raised his head, his mind racing. Director Wang just said "not legal"... legal?

A thought suddenly exploded in his mind: That's right! Director Wang said they're not legal, so if they just make themselves legal, wouldn't that solve the problem? That way, their actions would be perfectly legitimate?

He scrambled forward, kneeling two steps, and grabbed Director Wang's trouser leg, his eyes filled with urgency and expectation: "Director Wang! You just said we're not legal... Does that mean if we become legal, this won't be a problem anymore? Please tell me the truth!"

Director Wang looked down at Xu Damao, who was tugging at his trouser leg, then glanced at Song Dahua, who was standing next to him in a daze. He pretended to ponder for a moment before slowly sighing, "Hey, Damao, there are some things I can't say too explicitly. You'll have to figure them out yourself."

She paused, her tone meaningful, "Some things are better left unresolved; taking a step back opens up a vast expanse, while taking a step forward plunges you into an abyss. You should think about it carefully."

After saying that, she seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to look at Song Dahua. "By the way, Song Dahua, Liu Haizhong committed a crime and was sentenced to prison. Why don't you file for divorce? If you do, as the director of the street office, I will definitely help you in order to protect the rights and interests of women. But this needs to be done as soon as possible. If it's too late, there really won't be any way."

After Director Wang finished speaking, he turned and left, leaving the two people in the room staring at each other in bewilderment.

Xu Damao froze for a few seconds, then suddenly stood up, rushed to Song Dahua, and called out urgently, "Second Aunt! Second Aunt!"

But Song Dahua seemed not to hear, still sitting there blankly with empty eyes, clearly not yet recovered from Director Wang's words.

Xu Damao was extremely anxious and didn't care about being an elder anymore. He grabbed Song Dahua's shoulder and shook her violently, his tone threatening and urgent: "Second Aunt! Stop spacing out! Wake up! You don't want to be eating peanuts at your age, do you?"

"Eat peanuts?" These three words pierced Song Dahua's ears.

She shuddered violently, her empty eyes instantly focusing, all color draining from her face, replaced by utter terror. Her lips trembled, her hands unconsciously clenching the hem of her clothes, her voice filled with sobs and the fear of death: "D-Damao... what did you say? We'll eat peanuts? No, no way! I don't want to eat peanuts! I can't die!"

Seeing her utterly terrified state, Xu Damao felt both anxious and annoyed, but he also knew that he had to keep Song Dahua under control. If this woman didn't give in, he would be the one to suffer.

He suppressed his anxiety, a calculating glint in his eyes, but his tone carried an undeniable sense of urgency.

"Second Aunt! Wake up!"

Xu Damao took two steps forward, his voice low but threatening, "Didn't you understand what Director Wang said? At this critical juncture, the only way to save our lives is for us to get married and turn this into a foolish thing between husband and wife! Otherwise, what do you think? If we're arrested as an example, we'll be in jail for life at best, and at worst, we'll be executed! Think it over!"

"Get a marriage certificate with you?!"

Song Dahua stared wide-eyed as if she'd heard a fairy tale, pointing at herself and then at Xu Damao, her body trembling slightly with shock. Her voice was filled with incredulous anger: "Xu Damao, are you crazy?! How old am I? How old are you? I'm your second aunt! Besides, my husband Lao Liu is still in jail. Me, marry you? If word got out, how could I ever face anyone again?"

Song Dahua's rejection was like a bucket of cold water, completely extinguishing Xu Damao's remaining patience.

He was already on the verge of collapse from the fear of being "forced to eat peanuts," and now he completely exploded, raising his voice and shouting fiercely, "Crazy? I am crazy! But you forced me to be crazy! If you want to die, then keep your stubbornness to yourself! Since we're not getting a marriage certificate, tomorrow we'll both go to the execution ground to pay our 'peanut money,' and go our separate ways! Neither of us will get away with it!"

The phrase "Let's go together" completely shattered Song Dahua's psychological defenses.

Her momentum instantly crumbled, her shoulders slumped, and her voice trembled with tears and grievance: "Da Mao... I know that this whole thing is most likely the work of that little bitch Qin Huairu, but... but we're so far apart in age, how can we get married? Besides, Lao Liu is still in there. When he gets out and finds out, he'll skin me alive! How am I supposed to live after this?"

When Xu Damao heard her tone soften, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that there was hope.

He immediately switched to a deceitful tone, squinting as he leaned closer, his voice soft and gentle, like a viper's hiss, enticingly saying, "Second Aunt, you've got it all wrong! I remember Second Uncle won't be out for another six months, right? Director Wang just said that as long as you agree, she'll process your divorce immediately, without anyone knowing! Let's quietly get the marriage certificate first, let this storm pass, and after half a month or a month, we'll quietly get the divorce certificate. From beginning to end, no one but the two of us and Director Wang will know! By the time Old Liu gets out, this will all be over, and you can still be your Second Aunt, without any disruption!"