I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

The enticing aroma of roast duck wafted through the air, so irresistible that it immediately attracted many residents in the front yard.

Many people opened the door and looked over, immediately spotting Yan Jiekuang and the roast duck in his hand.

Although Yan Jiekuang often came over to open the windows and clean this month, we are not familiar with each other yet, so generally no one comes over to cause trouble.

However, Yan Jiekuang couldn't stand the way these people looked at him like wolves, and he became somewhat unnatural while eating the duck.

"Let's go, let's get out of here first."

Yan Jiefang naturally noticed the situation and left the place with his third brother.

Instead of going straight home, they walked a few more steps to the lakeside in Qianhai and found a quiet spot to sit down.

Yan Jiefang went out in the middle of the night.

Starting the next day, legends of the headless man began to circulate in Cotton Alley.

This case is too bizarre. A piece of Zhao Wu's head disappeared from the middle, as if it had been cut off directly with a large round knife. The cut was perfectly smooth and left no trace.

The police investigation went on for a long time without any results, and the case became a cold case.

In the end, the files could only be temporarily stored in the archives.

This matter has nothing to do with Yan Jiefang.

He continued to study and play ball as usual.

After completing her one-month postpartum confinement period, Qin Huairu officially started working at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, taking over Jia Dongxu's position.

The factory arranged for an experienced worker to mentor her.

Newcomers are only given basic tasks, such as sawing and filing of workpieces.

Although the process is simple, it is extremely physically demanding.

Before she finished her first day of work, Qin Huairu's back ached and her hands were rubbed raw.

During her lunch break, Qin Huairu found out Li Huaide's location and secretly went to his office.

Li Huaide was the only person in the office.

Qin Huairu closed the door and took the initiative to move closer.

Li Huaide looked up and saw Qin Huairu with her handsome face; his eyes lit up.

Qin Huairu was very perceptive; she immediately opened her coat and spoke in a very low voice:

"Director Li, I can't do the heavy work in the workshop. Could you help me switch to an easier position?"

Li Huaide stared at her and nodded in response:

"Come a little closer, I'm nearsighted and can't see clearly."

Qin Huairu cursed inwardly: My milky white breasts are practically shoving into your face, and you still can't see them?

Although it's a bit cloying, we've come this far, so there's no turning back.

She sat directly on Li Huaide's lap.

A dozen minutes later, Qin Huairu left the office with a flushed face.

Li Huaide accepted the bribe and acted swiftly.

Within a week, Qin Huairu was transferred from the production workshop to the factory canteen, where she became colleagues with Liu Lan.

The cafeteria was quiet, and no one was watching over it.

The two widows often huddled together, chatting in hushed tones, exchanging information about interpersonal relationships in the factory and various experiences among women.

A few days later, Qin Huairu took Liu Lan to the hospital to have an IUD inserted.

After returning from the surgery, Liu Lan expressed her gratitude to Qin Huairu:

"I didn't expect there to be this trick. Now I feel at ease and don't have to live in fear anymore."

Since they were all in the same kitchen, Shazhu knew about their affairs.

He never expected that his former love would turn out like this, and he felt very disappointed.

After getting off work and returning to the gatehouse, Sha Zhu sat at the table in silence, his face gloomy.

Liu Yuyan brought water into the room and immediately noticed the guy's unusual behavior.

"What's wrong today?"

She had already tamed Sha Zhu.

They dared not hide anything and truthfully recounted Qin Huairu's job change and her attempts to curry favor with the leadership.

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuyan's face turned cold, and she immediately began to reprimand her.

"It's none of your business. Stop overthinking it, and don't you dare look at her again."

Sha Zhu pursed his lips and remained silent.

Seeing this, Liu Yuyan's tone became even harsher:

"Either apply to change cafeterias, or control yourself."

Stay away from Qin Huairu and Liu Lan from now on, and don't have anything to do with them.

Seeing his wife's expression, Sha Zhu could only nod in agreement.

This incident was a significant blow to Shazhu, and for a long time afterward, he spoke much less.

Since Lou Xiao'e married into the courtyard house, the deaf old woman in the backyard has often silently observed her every move.

The deaf old woman frequented the Eight Great Hutongs in her early years, had seen countless people, and was most adept at discerning a person's identity and background by observing their words and actions.

She observed Lou Xiao'e's daily behavior and, considering her surname, secretly compared her to those of established prominent families in the capital.

There aren't many Lou families that have survived to this day in the 49 cities.

One is from a family of calligraphers and painters, and the other is Lou Bancheng.

The daughter of a family of calligraphers and painters is extremely disciplined, and has proper manners in everything she does, from eating and dressing to sitting and standing.

The deaf old woman had personally witnessed Lou Xiao'e eating potato shreds upright, her behavior casual and unrestrained, completely unlike the rigid rules of a scholarly family.

Based on this alone, it can be determined that Lou Xiao'e should be from Lou Bancheng's family and is a genuine rich young lady.

From then on, the deaf old woman often took the initiative to strike up a conversation and show goodwill, deliberately trying to get closer to Lou Xiao'e.

Xu Damao often went to the countryside to show movies, and was not home for ten days or half a month at a time.

After her marriage, Lou Xiao'e lived alone in the courtyard. Her days were quiet and monotonous, and she often stayed cooped up in the house by herself.

She didn't have much in common with the other women in the courtyard, and after trying to get close to them a few times, she stopped going.

The deaf old woman's initiative to get close to her relieved her boredom.

The neighbors in the courtyard occasionally bumped into an old man and a young man chatting together.

Someone jokingly remarked to the deaf old woman, "You're getting quite close to the Xu family's daughter-in-law now."

The deaf old woman grinned, not refuting, but simply replied:

"My child is lonely at home alone, so I spend more time talking to her."

Lou Xiao'e smiled and replied upon hearing this:

"The old lady is very kind; she's the only one in the courtyard who's willing to chat with me."

As they spent more time together, the two became increasingly close and eventually became the closest neighbors in the backyard.

But in reality, the two of them simply had their own needs.

Many people think Lou Xiao'e is a fool, but that's just a misconception.

The deaf old woman probed Lou Xiao'e's relationship with the Lou family, while Lou Xiao'e inquired about various things in the courtyard from the deaf old woman.

Both spoke with great passion and sincerity, but how much of it was true was for them to judge for themselves.

The old deaf man felt that everything Lou Xiao'e said was a smokescreen, and she didn't tell the truth at all.

As expected of the children of wealthy merchants, they received all kinds of upbringing from a young age, which is incomparable to the children of ordinary people today.

Lou Xiao'e, however, felt that the old deaf man was cunning and treacherous, and that his continued existence despite his age made him a thief.

Every sentence he makes is an attempt to probe into my family's background; he's definitely trying to get something out of me.

She had also heard from other women that the old woman had been very close to the labor camp inmates in the courtyard, as if they were family.

This suggests that the old woman's past may not be entirely clean either, so we should be careful around her in the future to avoid getting implicated.