Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

Yan Jiecheng shook his hand, but was also burned by the dog meat.

Yan Bugui gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind: "Wife, bring me that bottle of Xifeng liquor. I need to have a couple of drinks to calm my nerves. Dog meat can also soothe the nerves."

Yang Yuhua frowned with heartache: "If you don't go fishing, our family will lose a lot of income."

Despite saying that, she still turned around and took the wine.

"I can think of other ways."

Yan Bugui poured himself a full glass, tilted his head back, and gulped it down. "I know a thing or two about antiques. I'll go to the flea market later; if I find something good, I can turn my fortune around in one go."

"That won't do, isn't that speculation and profiteering?"

Yan Jiecheng turned pale with fright.

"Bullshit! I'm just buying it for myself; if it's not suitable, I'll resell it."

Yan Bugui grinned smugly. "Besides, once I send it to the state-run consignment shop, what can anyone say?"

He downed the rest of the wine in one gulp, grabbed a piece of dog meat and tore it off, his eyes gleaming.

In Yan Bugui's view, having read so many books about antiques, he had long since become an expert, and his luck was definitely not bad.

The Jia family's house was bustling with activity at that moment.

Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng each held a dog leg, gnawing on it with their mouths full of grease. The cornbread on the table remained untouched—with meat to eat, who would touch that stuff?

Qin Huairu sat on the other side of the table with Xiao Dang and Huaihua, slowly chewing on coarse grains.

Xiao Dang couldn't hold back any longer and muttered under his breath, "Brother, please stop eating this dog meat. That dog eats..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Huairu covered her mouth.

All three of them knew what Xiao Dang wanted to say.

"You good-for-nothing, so what if you eat shit?"

Jia Zhangshi didn't care at all; even with meat in her mouth, she couldn't stop cursing, "Don't fish eat shit too? Why don't you feel disgusted when you eat fish?"

Banggeng didn't pay any attention to the topic, burying his head in his meat and not even looking up.

The two dog legs were quickly gnawed clean, and the three of them finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"That bastard Zhu, he cooked the meat so salty!"

Even after finishing her meal, Jia Zhangshi was still furious. She started cursing, "He deserves to be a bachelor his whole life, a childless and childless bastard!"

She wished that Sha Zhu would really become like that, so that she could support the Jia family for the rest of her life and be their slave.

Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng each drank two large bowls of mung bean soup, and were so full that they kept clutching their stomachs and groaning.

"Alright, alright, now that you're full, go lie down on the kang (heated brick bed)."

With an air of authority, Madam Jia said, "Qin Huairu, go keep an eye on Sha Zhu at the door. If he dares to cause any trouble, go and stir things up."

Qin Huairu nodded, picked up a stool and a banana leaf fan, and sat down at the door to stand guard. The two little girls followed her out.

Huaihua blinked her big eyes, her face full of confusion: "Sister, that dog was clearly eating poop, so why were Grandma and Brother eating it so happily?"

Xiao Dang opened her mouth, remembering what Jia Zhangshi had said about fish eating excrement, but they just wouldn't believe it—fish live in water, so they should be very clean.

But they had both witnessed the dog eating poop with their own eyes.

Xiao Dang was stunned for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out, "Maybe... Grandma and my brother ate poop before too."

A bamboo mat was laid on the floor of the main room, and Li Weidong was weaving a basket with his head down. As his fingers flew, the slender bamboo strips slowly took shape.

Lin Yurou sat beside Xiaoxi, her eyes fixed on her. He Yushui had already gone back to her room to sleep, but Xiaoxi was wide awake because Li Weidong had promised to make her a bamboo dragonfly.

"I'll give it a try."

Lin Yurou reached out to take the small basket that was only half-woven.

"Don't touch it."

Li Weidong said seriously, "This thing is rough on the hands; it won't look good if your hands touch it."

Lin Yurou's face flushed, but her heart was filled with sweetness.

The bamboo dragonfly was quickly made, and Li Weidong was about to teach Xiaoxi how to play with it when he looked up and saw Xiaodang and Huaihua walking over with a small bowl in their hands.

"Xiao Xi, here's some mung bean soup for you!"

The two little girls had smiles on their faces, as if they had accomplished something amazing.

"Come and enjoy the fan!"

Xiao Xi waved: "I have some herbal tea here."

The three girls huddled around the small table, taking turns sipping their drink. Li Weidong shook his head, picked up two more bamboo strips, and prepared to make two more bamboo dragonflies.

"These two kids haven't been spoiled by their family yet."

Li Weidong lowered his voice: "But we have to keep an eye on her. If she seems unwell one day, we can't let Xiaoxi get too close to them."

"Yes, I remember."

Lin Yurou responded softly.

She sat beside him watching Li Weidong weave baskets. His fingers moved so fast they seemed to dance. As the basket grew longer and longer, Lin Yurou felt a sense of peace and contentment, thinking how wonderful life was.

Before long, the three little girls ran out into the yard to make bamboo dragonflies. The sun was blazing so hard the ground was practically steaming, but they didn't seem to mind the heat.

Just as Li Weidong was about to call someone back, he saw Qin Huairu rushing over in a panic. She stood at the door without coming in, her face full of anxiety.

"Chief Engineer Li, my son has a stomachache, he's crying out in pain! His grandmother is in pain too!"

"Please go and see, I beg you!"

Li Weidong glanced at her and asked, "Your family's been drinking mung bean soup lately?"

"We drank it! We all drank it!"

Qin Huairu wrung her hands anxiously, pleading, "Please go and see him, save my son!"

"He won't die."

Li Weidong said unhurriedly, "They won't die anytime soon. I smell dog meat. Did you eat the dog meat first and then drink the mung bean soup?"

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!"

Qin Huairu nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng lay on the cart, their bellies swollen like drums, howling so loudly that the whole alley could hear them.

Li Weidong, holding his teacup, slowly began to speak: "Shazhu is a cook, after all. Doesn't he know the common sense that mung beans and dog meat are incompatible? If you eat dog meat and then drink mung bean soup, the meat can expand to two or three times its original size in your stomach. If you eat too much, it will directly rupture your stomach wall."

"The person would be gone."

Qin Huairu's legs went weak, and her lips trembled as she cursed, "That idiot Zhu, that damned bastard, he—"

She took a deep breath and turned to stare at Li Weidong: "Chief Engineer Li, is it too late to get him to the hospital?"

"Gastric lavage? There's not enough time."

Li Weidong shook his head. "They need to vomit. Giving them soapy water is worse; it puts more pressure on their stomachs and will only make them die faster."

"The only way is to inject the gold juice. Go back and get it done right away."

Qin Huairu's mind went blank.

Even a pheasant can't escape the fate of eating shit.

But she didn't dare delay, so she got up and rushed outside.

Lin Yurou frowned: "This is disgusting. Is there really no other way?"

Li Weidong chuckled: "Yes, I can do it with just two needles. I guarantee she'll vomit as soon as the needle hits her. But is that old hag even worthy of my attention? I'm already being kind by telling her to eat that stuff."

"Too."

Lin Yurou nodded and called out, "Xiao Xi, come back! It feels nice basking in the sun, doesn't it?"

When Qin Huairu ran back to the compound, Sha Zhu had already dragged Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng out of the house and put them on a flatbed cart, ready to send them to the hospital.

Yi Zhonghai grabbed her arm: "Huai Ru, what did Chief Engineer Li say?"

He was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead; his biggest worry was Banggeng. He'd do anything as long as Jia Zhangshi died soon and didn't corrupt his precious son.

"It's too late to get him to the hospital."

Qin Huairu gasped for breath, "Quickly get some 'golden juice' and force-feed it to them so they vomit it out. Otherwise, if their stomachs rupture, even a god can't save them."

She doesn't have time to settle scores with Sha Zhu right now.

Sha Zhu slapped his forehead: "That's right, dog meat shouldn't be eaten with mung beans. Did you have mung beans for lunch?"

"I brought it back from my parents' house, didn't you see it?"

Qin Huairu's gaze was like a knife, wishing she could stab dozens of holes in Sha Zhu's body.

"Sister Qin, I really don't know."

Sha Zhu quickly explained, "I forgot to tell you for a moment."

Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng, who were on the cart, screamed their hearts out, feeling as if their stomachs were about to explode.

Yi Zhonghai had already brought over a bowl of golden juice and handed it to Sha Zhu: "Zhu Zi, don't dawdle, hurry up and drink it down."

Sha Zhu shrank back: "No way, I still need to cook later. If my hands get that stuff on them, I'll feel disgusted even if I wash them eight hundred times."

Yi Zhonghai frowned and looked at Yan Bugui and Yan Jiecheng beside him: "You two hold the rod down, I'll pour it down."

The two people were standing by watching the commotion when they were called out, and their faces fell.

"I didn't see you making this much of a fuss when we were eating dog meat."

Yi Zhonghai snorted coldly.

"Okay, okay, let's do it, alright?"

Yan Bugui and Yan Jiecheng exchanged a glance, then stepped forward with bitter faces.

Holding down the stick wasn't difficult; Yi Zhonghai simply held the bowl to his lips. Meanwhile, Jia Zhangshi grimaced in pain, shouting, "Give it to me! Give it to me! You don't need to force-feed me!"

Yi Zhonghai completely ignored her and directly handed the broken bowl in his hand to Bang Geng's mouth. Who knew that the boy would clench his lips tightly and refuse to open them.

"Bang Geng, you'll die if you don't drink this!"

Yi Zhonghai roared.

Unfortunately, the sticky lipstick wouldn't listen to reason, its lips tightly shut as if locked.

Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to reach out and pinch Banggeng's nose. The boy couldn't hold his breath, opened his mouth, and poured most of the bowl of stuff down his throat.

Yan Jiecheng and Yan Bugui quickly let go, and Banggeng lay on the ground and began to vomit.

Seeing that the spit-out spittle had come out, Yi Zhonghai finally breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile appearing on his face. His son was finally saved; he wouldn't have to go to the underworld.

"I...give it to me..."

Jia Zhangshi's voice changed tone.

Yi Zhonghai then handed over the bowl and quickly turned to wash his hands.

Jia Zhangshi held the bowl, her hands trembling violently. She glanced down at the contents, closed her eyes, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. She would die if she didn't drink it, and she didn't want to die.

Qin Huairu stood to the side, her eyes red-rimmed. What kind of mess was this? She'd have to clean up all that filth on the floor later. It was truly a disaster.

Thinking of this, Qin Huairu glared fiercely at Sha Zhu. Sha Zhu shrank back, chuckling awkwardly as he tried to slip away.

He knew in his heart that he had handled the matter improperly and had upset Sister Qin.

Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng vomited a huge puddle; the smell was truly pungent. Qin Huairu grabbed Sha Zhu's arm.

"Get these clean for me."

Qin Huairu grabbed Sha Zhu's hand and said, "I'll go get some water for them to rinse their mouths."

Sha Zhu's mind went blank the moment she grabbed him like that. He had no objection to anything Qin Huairu said, let alone asking him to pick up the trash with a shovel.

He turned around and grabbed a shovel and a broken basin. He didn't even notice that Qin Huairu was rubbing her hands vigorously on her pants several times.