Siheyuan: At the beginning, I can integrate everything!

The dry toilet at the westernmost part of the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

The place is perpetually filled with a pungent smell of ammonia and rot, which stings the eyes.

A cold wind, carrying snowflakes, poured in through the broken window sill.

Xu Damao was wearing a tattered vest full of holes and a pair of trousers that barely covered his body.

In temperatures below -10 degrees Celsius, I was frozen like a quail.

"I can't live like this anymore... This is no job for a human being..."

Xu Damao pinched his nose with one hand, while his other hand trembled as he gripped the long-handled toilet brush covered in grime.

He looked at the rows of filth frozen in the cold weather, tears and snot streaming down his face.

He is Xu Damao.

A projectionist from the prestigious Red Star Steel Rolling Mill!

Wherever he goes, people always call him "Brother Xu," and he's always carrying local specialties or good cigarettes.

What now?

He became the lowest-ranking worker in the entire factory, even worse off than a beggar!

"What are you doing! Who told you to slack off!"

The security officer, wearing a mask and holding a baton, banged hard on the toilet door frame.

"Chief Lin has ordered that you must clean all the factory's dry toilets spotless every day!"

"If you dare leave even a speck of dirt behind, you're skipping dinner!"

Xu Damao shuddered in fright and quickly picked up a brush, resignedly scrubbing the ice crystals with all his might.

With each swipe, the stench assaults your senses.

His stomach churned violently, and he gagged with a loud "waa," almost vomiting bile.

Several foundry workers who had just finished their shifts passed by.

Seeing Xu Damao's miserable state, no one felt any sympathy.

"Pah! That bastard always acts like a big shot in the factory, and he even tried to report our Consultant Zhang!"

"Exactly! He should take a good look at himself in the mirror. Daring to mess with a five-year-old prodigy, he deserves to clean toilets!"

"Hey, Da Mao, scrub it properly! If you don't scrub it clean, we guys won't give you a good look when we come to poop here tomorrow!"

The workers ridiculed him relentlessly, and some even spat a glob of phlegm at his feet.

Xu Damao lowered his head, clenching his teeth, wishing he could bury his head in the cesspool.

humiliation!

The ultimate humiliation!

He knew that he would never be able to hold his head up high in the steel rolling mill again.

At this time.

This storm-like news has already spread like wildfire back to the courtyard houses in Nanluoguxiang.

forecourt.

Yan Bugui held a copy of the Workers' Daily that had just been delivered to him.

His gold-rimmed glasses nearly slipped off his nose, and his hands trembled violently, even tearing a hole in the newspaper he was holding.

"My goodness..."

Yan Bugui swallowed hard, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He stumbled and ran to the Intermediate People's Court.

They happened to run into Yi Zhonghai, who had just finished brooding inside and was about to come out for some fresh air.

"Old Yi! Old Yi! Something terrible has happened!"

Yan Bugui, speaking in a low voice like a startled duck, grabbed Yi Zhonghai's arm.

Yi Zhonghai impatiently shook off his hand.

"What are you yelling about? Is the sky falling down?"

Yi Zhonghai himself is now a "second-level worker with a criminal record," and he is in a very irritable mood.

"It really collapsed!"

Yan Bugui shoved the newspaper into Yi Zhonghai's arms, his voice trembling.

"Da Mao is in trouble! He... he was dealt with on the spot by the military region commander!"

"What?!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyelids twitched, and he quickly looked down at the newspaper.

Although Xu Damao's name was not explicitly mentioned in the newspaper.

But in the corner of the page, there was a brief internal disciplinary notice from the Red Star Factory.

It is clearly written above:

"Severe punishment for acts that disrupt production! Former factory employee [name omitted] has been dismissed from the factory and sentenced to life imprisonment for falsely accusing and attempting to sabotage a key scientific research project!"

"Old Yan, what... what's going on? Did Xu Damao provoke Zhang Huaimin?"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned deathly pale, and his heart felt as if it were being tightly gripped by an invisible hand.

Yan Bugui nodded repeatedly, like someone pounding garlic.

"That's right! I heard that Da Mao wrote a letter of denunciation, wanting to accuse Zhang Huaimin of engaging in capitalist black market activities."

"As a result, the generator that Huaimin developed was directly designated as a 'top-secret military project' by Commander Lin of the military region!"

Yan Bugui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his voice kept extremely low, afraid of being overheard.

"That bastard Da Mao was tackled to the ground by heavily armed guards."

"He's now been reassigned to clean the factory's outhouses!"

"I heard that Lou Xiao'e even took away their house, and now they'll only be able to sleep in the factory's dilapidated shacks!"

boom!

Yi Zhonghai felt a loud "buzz" in his head.

His cloudy eyes widened instantly, and he froze on the spot like a piece of rotten wood.

Xu Damao, is he finished?

That projectionist who was popular with everyone in the factory and arrogant in the courtyard.

All because of a letter.

It was completely destroyed?!

Yi Zhonghai gasped, an indescribable fear seeping from the very marrow of his bones.

He suddenly realized.

Zhang Huaimin, this five-and-a-half-year-old baby, is more than just an "evil" child.

Standing behind him was the military region commander! It was a matter of top-secret clearance!

It is a terrifying force that can crush these self-important beasts of the compound like an ant with ease!

"Clang!"

A crisp metallic clang suddenly rang out not far from the two.

Qin Huairu was washing clothes in an aluminum basin by the sink.

She heard every word of the conversation between Yan Bugui and Yi Zhonghai.

Startled, she dropped the aluminum basin, spilling her dirty clothes and ice water all over the floor.

Qin Huairu's face turned ashen.

She looked at Yi Zhonghai, then turned to look in the direction of the east wing of the front yard.

That direction was quiet at the moment, without a single ghost in sight.

But this silence felt like an invisible mountain pressing down on Qin Huairu's chest, making it hard for her to breathe.

Bang Geng was sent to the detention center, Jia Zhangshi's finger was broken, and Xu Damao was assigned to clean toilets...

No one who offended that little bastard ever had a good ending!

"Is he... is he a human or a ghost...?"

Qin Huairu's lips trembled, her legs went weak, and she could barely stand.

She suddenly felt incredibly fortunate.

Fortunately, when I went to beg Sha Zhu yesterday, he ruthlessly kicked me out.

If I really make a mistake and go and provoke Zhang Huaimin again...

Qin Huairu dared not think any further.

Yi Zhonghai has also lost the imposing manner he once had as an old man.

He silently picked up the newspaper from the ground without saying a word.

He turned around and, like a hunched deserter, quickly walked back to his house.

With a "bang," the door was locked shut tightly.

Yan Bugui shrank back and quickly slipped back to the front yard.

At this moment, the entire Hongxing Courtyard fell into a suffocating silence.

Everyone tacitly reached a consensus.

Starting today.

That east wing room in the front yard is a forbidden area in the courtyard!

Five-and-a-half-year-old Zhang Huaimin was the untouchable taboo in this compound!

Anyone who dares to provoke him again, or even just glance at him, will be punished.

Xu Damao's fate is their tomorrow!

……

As night fell, the north wind howled even more fiercely.

Large, fluffy snowflakes fell in a flurry, adorning the city of Beijing with a silver-white blanket.

The temperature plummeted, so cold that water would freeze instantly.

The Jia family of the Intermediate People's Court.

Qin Huairu was wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded coat with patches upon patches, shivering from the cold.

She looked at the empty rice jar and Jia Zhangshi, who was groaning in pain on the kang (a heated brick bed), her eyes filled with despair.

"When will this ever end...?"

At this time.

In the warm, spring-like east wing of the front yard.

Zhang Huaimin sat cross-legged on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), chewing on a sweet roasted sweet potato.

The wind was biting cold outside, but the room was warm and cozy.

"system."

Zhang Huaimin activated the virtual panel in his mind.

Looking at the large amount of shock points accumulated above, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

The flies in the courtyard have been mostly cleared away.

Next, it's time to add some of Zhang Huaimin's "warmth" to this harsh winter.

"Exchange for new traits".