Siheyuan: At the beginning, I can integrate everything!

"Look...at the detention center?!"

When Qin Huairu heard those three words, her mind went blank.

His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed, as if all his bones had been removed, and fainted on the cold mud.

Jia Zhangshi was also terrified, her face turning ashen. She scrambled to hide behind Yi Zhonghai, not daring to utter a single word.

The Jia family, who usually acted like tyrants in the courtyard, have really kicked a hornet's nest this time, and a hornet's nest at that!

Director Zhou acted swiftly and decisively, waving his hand with great efficiency.

Two police officers stepped forward and, like dragging a dead dog, lifted up Banggeng, who was writhing in pain with his eyes rolling back.

They stuffed the chipped cast iron axe, along with the other iron axe on the ground, into the police car parked at the entrance of the alley.

The sirens wailed and faded into the distance, leaving behind a yard full of beasts who were so terrified they didn't dare to breathe.

Yi Zhonghai's face was ashen, and his back was already soaked with cold sweat.

He took a deep look at Zhang Huaimin, who was standing on the threshold with an expression that was frighteningly calm, and turned back into the house without saying a word.

Zhang Huaimin smiled slightly, picked up the milk that had cooled down a bit, and drank it all in one gulp.

He turned around and closed the door.

One of the malignant tumors in this compound has finally been removed.

The next few days.

The Hongxing Courtyard seemed to be shrouded in an invisible low pressure.

The Jia family's world has completely collapsed.

The compensation for Jia Dongxu's death due to a work-related injury has not yet been paid out; the factory is still going through the procedures.

Banggeng suffered a comminuted fracture of his wrist. The medical expenses for bone setting and treatment at the hospital, plus the fines he will face from the juvenile detention center, are all part of the ongoing process.

Like a mountain, it weighed heavily on the Jia family, making it hard for them to breathe.

Madam Jia cursed and swore every day in the house, but she no longer dared to cause trouble in the front yard.

Qin Huairu's eyes were swollen like walnuts. Every day, she spent her days crying and worrying about what to eat.

As the saying goes, when a wall falls, everyone pushes it down; when a tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

That evening, the north wind howled, and the sky was overcast, as if it were about to snow.

The Jia family's rice jar was empty; not even a single grain of cornmeal could be scraped out.

Qin Huairu looked at Xiao Dang and Huaihua, who were crying from hunger.

He gritted his teeth, picked up the faded, tattered net bag, and walked out of the house.

She planned to use her invincible "gentle offensive" as before, going door to door to "borrow" some food.

Her first stop was the home of Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle in the front yard.

Although the Yan family was stingy, they had a large population and a high food ration, so they could always squeeze out some.

"Auntie, are you home?"

Qin Huairu stood at the door, putting on a pitiful expression, her voice choked with sobs.

The door creaked open a crack.

The three women leaned out halfway, holding a half-finished shoe sole in their hands.

Upon seeing that it was Qin Huairu, the third aunt's face instantly turned cold.

"Huai Ru, what's wrong in this freezing weather?" the third aunt asked curtly.

Qin Huairu sniffed, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Auntie, we're really starving. Xiao Dang and Huaihua are crying because they're so hungry."

"Could you please have some mercy and lend me two pounds of cornmeal? I'll pay you back as soon as Dongxu's compensation comes through."

In the past, the older women might have been moved by her appearance and, even if unwilling, would have tried to save face.

But now it's different.

Everyone in the compound has seen through the Jia family's true colors.

In particular, the incident of Bang Geng chopping down the door with an axe in the middle of the night and being arrested and thrown into detention made everyone avoid the Jia family like the plague.

Who would dare lend grain to a family that has raised "thieves" and "vandals"?

What if I get implicated?

Moreover, the entire hospital had already experienced the methods of Zhang Huaimin, that five-year-old baby.

Now everyone tacitly understands that they would rather offend the Jia family than get involved in any scandal, for fear of offending that little darling.

"Oh, Huai Ru, it's not that I don't want to help you."

The three women, with stern faces, simply closed the door a little tighter.

"My husband Yan's meager salary is barely enough to support these four or five boys, and he's really tightening his belt."

Even the landlords don't have surplus grain!

Qin Huairu was unwilling to give up and wanted to ask again.

"Auntie, please have pity on the child, even half a jin would be fine..."

"Give me a break!"

The three women suddenly changed their expressions and spat on the ground.

"You keep saying you're borrowing, but I've never seen you return it even once!"

"If you have that spare money, go to the police station and pay the fine! Your family's Banggeng is a thief, a counter-revolutionary sabotage element!"

"Our Yan family is an upright and honest family; we wouldn't dare get too close to you!"

After saying that, the three women slammed the door shut with a loud bang and bolted it from the inside.

Qin Huairu stood frozen in the wind, her face flushed red, the feeling of humiliation gnawing at her heart like a venomous snake.

She bit her lower lip, picked up her empty net bag, and went to Liu Haizhong's house in the Intermediate People's Court.

Before they could even get inside, they were kicked out by the second aunt's sarcastic remarks.

After a series of setbacks, Qin Huairu felt an unprecedented sense of despair and panic.

The neighbors in the compound really stood by and watched their family die!

Finally, she turned her gaze to the main building in the central courtyard, to that familiar wooden door.

That was her last hope—Shazhu.

In the past, whenever she cried, Sha Zhu would even save his own sister's food rations for her.

Qin Huairu took a deep breath, walked to Sha Zhu's door, and gently knocked.

"Pillar, are you in there?"

A sound of rummaging through things came from inside the house, and after a while, the door opened.

Sha Zhu was wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, his face looked a little haggard, and his eyes no longer held the enthusiasm they used to have.

"Qin Huairu, what's up?" Sha Zhu's way of addressing her had changed; it was no longer the affectionate "Sister Qin."

Qin Huairu's heart skipped a beat, but she still forced out tears.

"Pillar, I'm really at my wit's end."

"There's no food left at home, and the child is crying from hunger."

"Could you... help me out just one last time?"

As she spoke, she instinctively reached out to tug at Sha Zhu's sleeve.

Sha Zhu, however, took a half step back without making a sound, dodging her hand.

As he looked at Qin Huairu's tear-streaked face, Zhang Huaimin's soul-stirring words uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.

"A perfect match, a family without descendants..."

"You big idiot..."

"Frozen to death under the bridge..."

Sha Zhu took a deep breath, his eyes becoming extremely complex, which eventually turned into a resolute indifference.

"Qin Huairu, my sister Yushui came back from her holiday these past few days, and there wasn't even a single scallion left in the house. She's been eating dry cornbread for two days straight."

Sha Zhu's voice was calm, yet it carried a chilling sense of resolve.

"My meager salary and the leftovers I bring back from the cafeteria have all filled the bottomless pit of your Jia family over the years."

"Right now, I'm truly starving."

"You should go ask an old man for advice."

After saying that, Sha Zhu didn't look at Qin Huairu again and slammed the door shut without any mercy.

The sound of the door closing completely shattered Qin Huairu's last psychological defenses.

Even the most devoted and foolish Zhu abandoned her.

In this cold winter, the Jia family was isolated by the entire courtyard.

Qin Huairu's legs went weak, and she collapsed onto the cold cement floor.

She held the empty net bag, tears streaming down her face.

Just then.

An extremely rich and enticing aroma of braised pork wafted in from the front yard on the cold wind.

The aroma is a blend of star anise, cinnamon, and the rich flavor of top-quality soy sauce.

Just one whiff is enough to make your mouth water and your stomach rumble with cravings.

Qin Huairu looked in the direction the fragrance was coming from.

In the front yard, wisps of smoke were rising from the chimney of Zhang Huaimin's house.

Qin Huairu's stomach made an extremely loud "gurgling" sound.

She stared intently at the wisp of smoke, her eyes no longer showing any trace of pitifulness.

Instead, there was a deep, irreconcilable resentment.