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

Lou Xiao'e was somewhat puzzled by Liu Yuyan's words.

But when she saw the sender's and recipient's names on the envelope, she had some guesses in her mind.

After reading the entire letter, his face turned ashen.

Seeing this, the old deaf man nearby had a guess in his mind, so he said to Lou Xiao'e:

"Xiao'e, show me the letter. I'm decades older than you, maybe I can give you some advice."

Although it's a bit embarrassing to talk about, I have a good relationship with the deaf old lady; we're like best friends despite the age difference. Listening to her advice might not be a bad idea.

Lou Xiao'e handed the letter directly to the old deaf man.

The deaf old man read the letter quickly, and understood the basic contents in just a few moments.

She hesitated for half a minute, then said in a low voice:

"Xiao'e, my advice is that you hurry home and check if any of your dowry items are missing. And regardless of whether anything is missing, it's best to put them back at your parents' home for safekeeping!"

Upon hearing this, Lou Xiao'e immediately understood what the old deaf man meant, so she got up and returned home.

The next day, she went back to her parents' home.

...

Since Xu Damao isn't here, we can only say he's lucky to be alive for now.

Yan Jiefang couldn't just wait at home, so he returned to school the next day.

In December, Yan Jiefang's three short and long stories published in Beijing Literature and Art Publishing House were compiled into a collection and began to be printed and published nationwide under the title "Bloodstained Charge".

The first batch of 10 copies sold out quickly.

They then printed another 20 copies, which also sold out quickly.

It wasn't until the third batch of 50 copies that they managed to hold on for a little longer, by just one month.

So the fourth printing of 100 million copies began.

According to later statistics, this collection sold over 500 million copies!

It was an absolute phenomenon and a blockbuster in the 60s.

Surprisingly, someone in courtyard house number 95 also bought this collection of books. That person was none other than Yi Zhonghai, the "Tao Te Ching".

No one knows what he was thinking when he bought this collection.

However, people from the Intermediate People's Court would occasionally hear a faint metallic scraping sound coming from his house.

According to relevant regulations, authors during this period can only receive royalties once. (Information available)

The payment for a manuscript is generally 4-15 yuan per thousand words.

Even if it's published directly as a book, the royalties will be the same.

The number of copies sold and whether the book is a bestseller have no bearing on the original author's interests.

Therefore, Yan Jiefang did not receive any monetary income from the publication of this collection.

However, this publication, along with his previous articles published in RM Literature, has not been without its benefits for him; at the very least, it has enhanced his reputation in the literary world.

Sure enough, the leaders of the China Writers Association personally came to invite Yan Jiefang to join the association.

Yan Jiefang readily agreed.

After all, the association was still relatively pure at that time, without all the messy and ridiculous things that would happen later.

The leaders of the Writers Association greatly admire Yan Jiefang, a rising star writer who has gained fame in recent years.

His writing skills were also recognized by most of the association members.

The National Writers Association currently has a relatively small membership, with only about 500 members including Yan Jiefang.

However, the frameworks of various institutions have been basically completed.

As a newly joined ordinary member, Yan Jiefang didn't know much about these things.

He only listened to the general information that his leader explained to him.

...

That night, Qin Huairu had just come out of the women's restroom and hadn't taken more than a few steps when a dark figure leaning on a cane suddenly emerged from the corner of the wall.

She was so frightened that she backed away repeatedly, almost screaming.

Fortunately, they gradually realized that the person was Yi Zhonghai, and then they stopped shouting.

"Sir, what can I do for you?"

Qin Huairu still used the same address as before.

"Qin Huairu, now that you're all grown up, you don't care about this old man anymore, do you?"

Yi Zhonghai stared intently at the woman in front of him, his voice low and deep.

"Didn't you see the code I left for you? Or are you pretending not to see it?"

"Grandpa, things are different now than before."

Qin Huairu's voice carried a rare hint of sarcasm.

"You used to torment me by holding onto my weaknesses, but that's all in the past, and I won't pursue it further."

But if you still dare to threaten me now, I have powerful backers.

You know Director Li, right? Guess what our relationship is?

Upon hearing the words "Director Li," Yi Zhonghai's imposing manner collapsed significantly, and his energy and spirit dissipated considerably.

He turned around, leaning on his cane, and slowly disappeared into the shadows of the alley, his voice, much more subdued, drifting out:

"You can leave now."

Qin Huairu curled a cold smile at the corner of her lips and left with her head held high.

After following Li Huaide, he performed well in his work.

Her job grade rose rapidly, and in just over two years, she was promoted two levels ahead of schedule. Now she is a level 35 worker (equivalent to a level 8 cook), and her monthly salary is 5 yuan!

Moreover, everyone knows what's going on between her and Liu Lan.

Although there are always crickets chirping behind their backs, no one dares to assign them heavy or tiring work, as it is much easier than doing other jobs.

Qin Huairu is quite satisfied with her current life and work.

After being warned several times, even Jia Zhangshi didn't dare to do anything in front of her, behaving as obediently as a green-haired turtle.

Yi Zhonghai walked alone in the alley, his face gloomy.

He had waited here for several days, finally getting this opportunity.

I was hoping to relax a bit, but I ran into a snag.

Since going to Qinghe Farm, everything has spiraled out of control.

Now he's practically invisible in the yard, and everyone avoids him from afar.

Or perhaps it's more accurate to say it's based on the defense.

The root cause of all this is He Yushui and Yan Jiefang!

He had considered ending it all several times, but then he thought better of it.

For example, although He Yushui is in the yard every day, this little devil is very clever. Except when she is sleeping, she is basically never alone.

Moreover, her eyes were very wary.

The only way to deal with her is to break into her house at night.

But He Daqing lived right next door, so he could hear the slightest noise.

Don't let his status as a cook fool you; he's incredibly skilled with a knife.

In close combat, Yi Zhonghai didn't think he would be a match for He Daqing.

Unless he chooses to die together with others, this path is completely blocked!

The other Yan Jiefang stayed at school every day, only going home for one day at the end of the month.

He specifically went to Mianhua Hutong to observe it.

That guy is rich; he specially made the gate with thick, sturdy locust wood, so thick that even bullets might not be able to penetrate it!

The glass is also double-layered, so it's not that easy to break.

Even if it breaks, it will cause a big commotion.

There's only one chance to get rid of him, and whether it succeeds or not, he can't escape with his limp.

Yi Zhonghai still has more than two thousand yuan in savings, which he hasn't enjoyed yet, so he's unwilling to risk his life now.

If the person dies but the money is still there, wouldn't that be too tragic?

These two thousand yuan were the thickest wall blocking his way.

It depends on the situation. If he can get rid of these two people without them noticing, he certainly wouldn't mind taking action.

But he refused to go down with the plan before he had spent all his money.

After going around in circles, Yi Zhonghai returned home and lay down to sleep.