I feel right at home in the world of the courtyard house.

Yellowed leaves drifted down from the trees, carpeting the entrance to the courtyard house. The autumn winds were picking up, and the weather was growing colder day by day.

Xu Damao pushed a worn-out bicycle into the yard. As soon as he reached the front yard, he saw Uncle Yan Bugui squatting on the ground, oiling the bicycle.

"My dear Uncle, stop messing around with that old clunker." Xu Damao grinned and leaned closer. "You're retired, but you won't let your car retire? That's really the old-fashioned capitalist style, exploiting labor like this."

Hearing the noise, Yan Bugui, who was oiling the bike, turned around and saw Xu Damao. He smiled and said, "Damao, look at my bike. After all these years of careful maintenance, it hasn't had a single problem. Don't let its old appearance fool you; it works better than a new bike and still goes incredibly fast."

"Hey, Uncle, come on. At your age, riding so fast, aren't you afraid of falling? If you end up in the hospital, the cost will be much more than just the bike itself."

"You're all talk and no action!" Yan Bugui said with a laugh.

After arguing with Yan Bugui, Xu Damao continued walking inside. Pushing his cart to the middle courtyard, he saw Sha Zhu coming out of the main house. Sha Zhu looked up and saw Xu Damao, then turned to go back inside, but Xu Damao called him back.

"Hey, you silly Zhu! Is this for real? We've lived in the same courtyard since we were kids, why are you still afraid to see me?" Xu Damao teased, his tone clearly provocative.

"Who are you? Do you think I'm afraid to see you? I just forgot something and want to go back to get it," Sha Zhu stubbornly argued.

"Oh, really? Forgot something? Do you need me to get it for you?" Xu Damao stood there pushing his cart, looking at him with a half-smile.

When Sha Zhu saw Xu Damao's expression, he got even angrier: "What's it to you? Hurry up and leave, don't delay my business. I don't have time to joke around with you here. I have enough to do with all the things going on at the factory canteen. We're not on the same wavelength as a lowly cinema worker like you."

"Hey, you're something else now that you're the cafeteria manager, aren't you? Don't forget, I used to be a manager at a steel rolling mill, much better than your lousy cafeteria manager, right?"

"Give me a break. You have the nerve to bring up your petty affairs? It's a miracle God didn't throw you in jail and execute you during the purge. And what you did back then? Let me tell you, may your sons be born without an anus."

"Hey, Sha Zhu, is this some kind of personal attack? You can criticize me, but you can't talk about my son." Xu Damao immediately raised his eyebrows and glared at him, then smirked, "Hey, I know Sha Zhu's feeling resentful. You're jealous that your buddy has both a son and a daughter, aren't you? Oh well, that's just my fate."

"So what if you've become a nobody official? Did Qin Huairu give birth to anything for you? You've been helping the Jia family for so many years, has Qin Huairu ever laid a single egg for you? You're just jealous of me!"

"Hey, you idiot, do you want to get beaten up?" Sha Zhu was so angry at Xu Damao's provocation that he rolled up his sleeves and was about to step forward.

"Hey, hey, you silly Zhu, let me tell you, things aren't like they used to be. If you dare touch me, I'll report you to the police immediately. Then I'll stay at your house, have Qin Huairu serve me, and you'll cook for me." Xu Damao pushed the car between him and Sha Zhu, continuing to taunt him.

"You don't need anyone else to take care of you, I will. Don't worry, your future depends on me." As Sha Zhu said this, he raised his leg to kick Xu Damao.

Xu Damao quickly used his car to block the way, retreating towards the backyard as he did so, continuing to shout, "Heh heh, getting desperate, huh? How could I possibly stoop to the level of someone as childless as you?"

"You're the one who's childless! Your child might have been conceived by someone!" Sha Zhu, enraged, cursed at Xu Damao's retreating figure again, still not satisfied, and stormed back into the house.

As soon as he entered the house, he slammed the door shut, poured the iced tea on the table into his mouth, gulped down a whole jug, and then plopped down on a stool.

With a creak, the door opened again, and Qin Huairu walked in from outside.

"What's wrong? What happened between you and Xu Damao?" Qin Huairu asked as she walked inside to make the bed.

"I had just delivered food to an old man when I heard you all shouting in the yard."

"Bring him food?" Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu's brows immediately furrowed, his face full of displeasure. "How many times have I told you, don't associate with that kind of person! What he did is even more hateful than Xu Damao! Even if he starves to death, don't give him a second thought!"

"What did you say?" Qin Huairu was bending down to make the bed when she heard this. She stopped what she was doing, turned to look at Shazhu, and said with a hint of helplessness in her voice, "Ever since Auntie passed away, Uncle has been all alone in the house. Apart from Uncles Two and Three who occasionally chat with him, no one in the courtyard is willing to say a word to him. How can we really avoid him? He's old; if we just cook an extra meal when we're cooking, that'll be enough for him."

She paused, her tone softening as if she were comforting Shazhu: "No matter what, he watched you grow up. I don't care if you have opinions about others, but he's always been good to our family."

Seeing that Sha Zhu's face was still grim, Qin Huairu couldn't help but defend Yi Zhonghai again: "Yes, he didn't do very well at the steel mill, but you know, that's how things were back then. He was just swept along. What could he do?"

"Fine, fine, don't mention him again!" Sha Zhu waved his hand irritably, interrupting her. "I'm already upset enough, and every time you mention him, it just makes me feel even worse!"

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about him anymore." Seeing this, Qin Huairu stopped arguing and continued along with him.

Sha Zhu took a deep breath and his gaze fell on Qin Huairu.

"Do you know what that bastard Xu Damao said? He said I'm childless. Damn it, tell me, isn't he ungrateful?!" Sha Zhu was still not satisfied after saying that, then glanced at Qin Huairu who was making the bed and said, "Hey Qin Huairu, we've been married for years, and you haven't given me a single child. You used to have three kids, one after another, how come I don't have any?"

"You said Xu Damao used to avoid me whenever he saw me, fine, now I avoid him whenever I see him, I'm afraid to see him. He brings this up every time, it really hurts me."

Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu have been married for three or four years. Back then, Sha Zhu had cultivated a relationship with the new leader at the factory, which allowed Bang Geng to work as a driver at the factory. Only then did Bang Geng agree to let Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu get married.

Qin Huairu, who was tidying up her bedding, calmed down. After all, she did owe Shazhu a debt, as it had been so long and there was still no sign of pregnancy. She subconsciously touched her stomach, wondering if it was because of her age or because Li Jing'an had damaged her body that she hadn't been able to conceive a child with Shazhu.