When they arrived at the courtyard house and the celestial bridal chamber, they discovered it was a

When Zhou Zheng'an woke up again, his first feeling was pain.

My head aches, my whole body aches, and my throat is so dry it feels like it's on fire.

He opened his eyes and saw the same dark, cobweb-covered beams. The musty smell, the hard bed, the patched blankets… everything was exactly the same as when he last woke up.

"Again?" Zhou Zheng'an said in a hoarse voice, "Hasn't the production team had enough fun yet?"

He tried to sit up, but he was too weak and it took him several attempts to succeed.

The furnishings inside remained unchanged; it was still the same cabinet and the same three-legged table. The light streaming in through the window was also the light of dawn.

Zhou Zheng'an got out of bed, walked to the door, and pushed it open.

The courtyard was still the same courtyard, with its blue bricks, weeds, clothes hanging out to dry, a few stone tables, some stone benches, and the sounds of people—everything remained the same.

"Fine, keep acting, huh?" Zhou Zheng'an sneered. "I'll play along."

He walked into the courtyard and saw Yan Bugui, who looked much younger, coming out of the house, still carrying an enamel mug.

"Good morning, Uncle San," Zhou Zheng'an said sarcastically. "What's the show going on today?"

Yan Bugui was stunned for a moment: "Xiao Zhou? You're better? And when did I call you Third Uncle? I'm not your uncle, Xiao Zhou, are you still confused from the fever?"

These words startled Zhou Zheng'an, who then remembered that Yan Bugui was currently acting in a courtyard house in 1950, not 1957. Back then, the "grandfather system" had not yet been implemented, and this man was not yet the "third grandfather," but simply Teacher Yan the Iron Abacus.

So he immediately said, "Alright, alright, the fever's gone down, and your mind is clear. You're not Third Uncle, you're Teacher Yan."

Zhou Zheng'an emphasized the word "clearly," thinking to himself, "If you keep treating me like a fool, I'll kill you all. Don't say you can't afford to play along then."

Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses and looked at him strangely: "You kid, why are you talking so strangely?"

"Is it strange? I think it's quite normal," Zhou Zheng'an said. "After all, in such a realistic environment, you have to get into character, right?"

After he finished speaking, he ignored Yan Bugui's reaction and walked straight towards the Intermediate People's Court.

Yi Zhonghai was brushing his teeth in the yard, using tooth powder, and his mouth was full of white foam.

"Good morning, sir." Zhou Zheng'an stood in front of him. "Did you sleep well last night? Are you tired after a long day of filming?"

Yi Zhonghai rinsed his mouth, wiped it, and frowned at him: "Zheng'an, what do you mean by that? When did I become your grandpa?"

"It doesn't mean anything, I just think your acting is really good." Zhou Zheng'an laughed. "Especially Aunt Jia, that shrewishness, she acted it so realistically. And Sha Zhu, so simple-minded, was that a natural performance?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned even more deeply: "Xiao Zhou, is your fever still rising? What nonsense are you talking about?"

"Nonsense? I'm telling the absolute truth." Zhou Zheng'an turned around and saw Jia Zhangshi coming out of the house.

He immediately greeted her sarcastically, "Oh, Aunt Jia, you're up too? What are you planning to do today? Shout and yell, throw a tantrum, forcibly take over the house, or steal the food Sha Zhu brought from the cafeteria?"

Jia Zhangshi glared with her triangular eyes: "Little Rabbit... Zheng'an, what did you say? What house, Silly Pillar, canteen?"

Jia Zhangshi was naturally confused. It was 1950. He Daqing hadn't run away with the White Widow yet, and Sha Zhu was still an apprentice at the Tan Family Restaurant, not yet at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill canteen.

Even now, the Hongxing Factory is still called the Loushi Steel Rolling Mill.

"I have to say, you acted wonderfully!" Zhou Zheng'an raised his voice. "You portrayed the old hag so vividly, should I give you an award?"

"Who are you calling an old hag?!" Jia Zhangshi exploded, hands on her hips, and charged over. "You little brat, your parents died young, didn't anyone teach you anything? Today your aunt will teach you a lesson on behalf of your parents!"

She raised her hand to tear Zhou Zheng'an's mouth apart. As a widow, Jia Zhangshi was very shrewish.

Of course, being feisty is actually a protective shield for many widows.

Zhou Zheng'an grabbed her wrist: "What's wrong? Are you this unruly both on and off screen? The director hasn't yelled 'cut' yet, and you're already getting into character?"

"Let go! Let go of me!" Jia Zhangshi struggled. "Dongxu! Come out here! That little beast Zhou Zheng'an is bullying me!"

A man with an effeminate face rushed out of the house.

He was in his early twenties, tall and thin, with a long face and very fair skin; it was Jia Dongxu.

"Zhou Zheng'an, what are you doing? Let go of my mother!" Jia Dongxu rushed over.

Zhou Zheng'an released his grip, and Jia Zhangshi staggered backward, only to be supported by Jia Dongxu.

"Alright, the whole family's here." Zhou Zheng'an clapped his hands. "Jia Dongxu, right? I heard you're going on a blind date? Is it Qin Huairu?"

Jia Dongxu was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"How would I know?" Zhou Zheng'an laughed. "It's in the script! Next, isn't it that Qin Huairu is going to come to your house, and your mother dislikes her because she's from the countryside, but also likes her because she's hardworking and can have children, so she reluctantly agrees, but just won't give a dowry?"

Jia Dongxu's face changed: "You... what nonsense are you talking about?"

Madam Jia's expression also changed, because this was indeed her plan, but how did Zhou Zheng'an know about it? Something strange had happened.

"Am I talking nonsense?" Zhou Zheng'an looked around. A lot of people had gathered in the courtyard, all watching the excitement.

Then, in a very disdainful tone, he said, "Fellow villagers of the courtyard, you beasts, isn't it time to act out Qin Huairu coming to the door next? And then Sha Zhu staring wide-eyed, Xu Damao drooling, and Jia Zhangshi picking and choosing?"

Yi Zhonghai walked over, his face serious: "Zheng'an, where did you hear all this? Not many people in the courtyard know that Qin Huairu came to arrange a blind date."

"Where did I hear that from?" Zhou Zheng'an looked at him. "Yi Zhonghai, Master Yi, an old man, a level eight fitter, a moral exemplar, but he's thinking about finding someone to take care of him in his old age, and he's got his eye on Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu, right?"

Yi Zhonghai's expression changed instantly.

"You...you..." Yi Zhonghai,

Zhou Zheng'an continued to laugh, "An old man will definitely ask me, how did I know? It's written in the script! I know every single one of your characters inside and out!"

He walked around, pointing at the people in the courtyard: "Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, is obsessed with officialdom and loves to put on airs and beat his son! Yan Bugui, the third uncle, is stingy and calculating, even scheming about his son's tuition! Sha Zhu, He Yuzhu, is the cook, a hothead, and from now on people will call him Sha Zhu! Xu Damao, the film projectionist, is malicious and does all sorts of immoral things! Later he married Lou Xiao'e, but they had no offspring, and his line died out!"

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Everyone was looking at him, their eyes filled with shock, confusion, and anger.

"And you, Jia Zhangshi." Zhou Zheng'an walked up to the old lady. "You old hag, lazy and good-for-nothing, always throwing tantrums. You'll be a vampire from now on, sucking your daughter-in-law's blood and sucking Sha Zhu's blood."

Madam Jia Zhang was trembling with rage: "You...you...I'll tear your mouth off!"

She tried to rush forward again, but Jia Dongxu held her back tightly.

"What, you've hit a sore spot?" Zhou Zheng'an sneered. "Don't you guys find it disgusting to play these roles? Especially you, Jia Zhangshi, playing such a piece of junk, how can you sleep at night? Do you think I'm stupid? And Liu Qianqian, where are you? Get your ass out here right now!"

"Zhou Zheng'an!" Yi Zhonghai shouted sternly, "That's enough! If you keep spouting nonsense, don't blame us for being impolite!"

"You're welcome? How can you be rude?" Zhou Zheng'an laughed. "Keep acting? Keep lying to me? Let me tell you, I'm not playing along with this anymore! Where's the director? Where's the producer? Come out here! I'm not recording anymore!"

Everyone in the courtyard was dumbfounded. What was a director? What was a producer? And Xu Damao married Lou Xiao'e? Who was Lou Xiao'e? And why was she childless? And who was Liu Qianqian? Was she some kind of cadre?

Damn it, it's all damn it. (Here's a still of Lei Moumou from the movie "Breakup Buddies")

He yelled at those around him, "Director Wang! Producer Li! Come out! I know you're watching! This joke is over! I'm done!"

No one responded.

Only the people in the courtyard looked at him as if he were a madman.

Zhou Zheng'an suddenly felt that something was wrong.

If this were a TV show, the director would have yelled "cut" long ago if he were causing such a scene. The staff would have come out much sooner.

But there was nothing there.

Only these actors are still performing.

"Alright, you guys are really something." Zhou Zheng'an nodded. "Dedicated, huh? Well, I'll wait and see how far you can go with your acting when Qin Huairu arrives.

After he finished speaking, he walked to the stone bench under the locust tree, sat down, crossed his legs, and adopted a posture of watching a show.

The people in the courtyard looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Is he really delirious from the fever?" Liu Haizhong asked in a low voice.

"It seems so." Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses. "What are they even saying? I don't understand."

"Should we take him to the hospital?" someone asked.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand: "Let's see. If he still makes a fuss when Qin Huairu arrives, we'll think of something else."

After all, blind dates are a big deal; anyone who dares to cause trouble will be beaten to death.

About half an hour later, two women came into the courtyard.

One was a middle-aged woman in her forties, with a round face, wearing a clean blue blouse.

The other was a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with two thick braids, wearing a floral shirt and blue pants. Although the clothes were old, they were clean.

The girl kept her head down, a little shy, but occasionally she would look up and see her big, watery eyes, round face, and fair skin with a rosy glow—she was indeed beautiful.

Zhou Zheng'an laughed as soon as he saw it.

The actress was well-chosen; she really looks like a young Qin Huairu, and also resembles Hao Mou.

(Hundreds of people mentioned the issue of salaries in the comments section, which is worth hundreds of thousands. I'm tired of answering them individually, so I'll address it publicly here. Salaries at that time were only that much. It wasn't until a few years later that the new currency, where 10,000 equals one yuan, was introduced.)