Courtyard House: In times of famine, my hamster became a spirit.

Help me up.

Yi Zhonghai's voice was no longer hysterical as before; instead, it carried a chilling stillness.

"Old Yi?" The middle-aged woman was a little flustered.

"I told you to help me up!" Yi Zhonghai roared, the veins on his neck throbbing.

The older woman was so frightened that she quickly stepped forward and placed a pillow behind his back.

Yi Zhonghai leaned against the headboard, his eyes closed, his chest heaving violently a few times.

When I opened my eyes again, the dejected old man who had been lying on the bed wailing was gone.

That eighth-grade worker who had been scheming in the steel rolling mill for decades, that old man who once held absolute power, has been forced to go online.

"Huai Ru, don't cry." Yi Zhonghai stared at Qin Huai Ru on the ground. "The sky hasn't fallen yet. Zhou Jianguo is incredibly arrogant right now, but he's forgotten an old saying—'Those who are too proud to be proud are easily broken.'"

Qin Huairu immediately stopped crying, tears still clinging to her cheeks, and leaned close to the bedside: "Uncle, do you...do you have a way to cure him?"

Yi Zhonghai didn't say anything, he just waved to the door.

The older woman understood immediately, quickly went out to stand guard, and closed the ward door behind her.

After confirming that no one was listening in through the wall, Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice and said, "This matter is an absolute secret in the factory. I only overheard it when I went to Deputy Director Li's office to deliver materials that day."

Qin Huairu held her breath, not daring to even exhale, for fear of missing a single word.

"Next Wednesday," Yi Zhonghai held up three fingers, "a high-ranking leader from the Ministry of Metallurgy is coming to our factory to inspect our wartime production."

Qin Huairu blinked blankly: "A high-ranking leader is inspecting... what does that have to do with us? That's an official's business, how could we possibly be involved?"

"Such a woman's view!" Yi Zhonghai scoffed. "You think the big leader came just to take a look at the machines? This guy is a notorious gourmand, and also an old revolutionary from Sichuan. He specifically requested a simple meal at the factory, and it had to be authentic Sichuan cuisine and Tan family dishes!"

Qin Huairu's pupils contracted sharply, and the string in her mind instantly tightened.

"Tan Family Cuisine?!" she exclaimed in surprise. "Isn't that...?"

"That's right! In the entire steel mill, and even within a ten-mile radius, only Sha Zhu can make authentic Tan Family Cuisine with genuine Sichuan flavor!"

Yi Zhonghai stared at Qin Huairu, his tone urgent: "Deputy Factory Director Li is desperate to climb the ranks. This reception is his lifeline. If the food isn't to his liking, and the higher-ups blame him, forget about promotion; he might not even be able to keep his current deputy factory director position!"

Qin Huairu reacted quickly, her eyes filled with greed replacing the tears in them: "So... Deputy Factory Director Li has to beg Sha Zhu to come back and cook? This meal can't be served without Sha Zhu?"

"It's not just about begging," Yi Zhonghai laughed. "This is our only chance to turn things around. As long as Sha Zhu can make a name for himself at this reception and please the big boss, he won't just be a lousy cook. Then, a word from the big boss will be like an imperial edict! Even if Deputy Factory Director Li wants to curry favor with Zhou Jianguo, he'll have to consider the big boss's influence!"

"But..." Qin Huairu's excitement lasted only two seconds before her face fell again. "Shazhu has been punished by being forced to shovel manure. It's an ironclad case that's been reported throughout the factory, and Zhou Jianguo personally oversaw it. Deputy Factory Director Li is so concerned about his reputation, how could he possibly slap himself in the face by letting Shazhu go for the sake of a meal? What if he just finds some random chef from a state-run restaurant to replace him?"

"Therefore, we need to help Director Li save face and give him a generous gift that he can't refuse."

Yi Zhonghai seemed to have made an extremely painful decision; the muscles on his face were twitching.

He turned to Qin Huairu and said, "Huairu, don't go to work tomorrow morning. Go back to the compound."

"Where to?"

"Come to my house." Yi Zhonghai's voice was deep. "In the innermost room, at the base of the wall, it's the third blue brick from the bottom. That brick is loose; pry it out, and there's a tin box inside."

Qin Huairu's heart began to pound.

A cellar? A metal box?

This is a secret that Yi Zhonghai has kept hidden his whole life, a secret that everyone in the hospital has guessed about but no one has ever seen... his coffin money!

"How much is in there?" Qin Huairu felt her throat go dry and her palms were covered in cold sweat.

"Two thousand yuan in cash, plus a few large yellow croakers." Yi Zhonghai didn't specify the exact amount of gold bars, but his eyes said it all. "That's what I've saved up for my whole life, my last trump card that I originally planned to use to prepare for my old age."

Qin Huairu gasped, her legs went weak.

These days, two thousand yuan is a huge sum of money, enough to buy several apartments in Beijing! Not to mention the hard currency, the yellow croaker!

This old man, who always pretends to be incorruptible, has actually been hiding so much!

A mad glint appeared in Yi Zhonghai's eyes. "You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. I'm going to use this money to give Deputy Factory Director Li a big gift and smooth things over. As long as the money is there, plus the pressure from the higher-ups, I can turn Sha Zhu's situation from black to white!"

At this point, Yi Zhonghai suddenly reached out and grabbed Qin Huairu's wrist. "Huairu, this is our last chance, we're risking everything. If Shazhu gets out, your meals and your salary will be secure; if Shazhu gets out, the weather in this courtyard will turn back. I'll pay for this, but after it's done... Zhou Jianguo will have to pay back this debt tenfold, a hundredfold!"

Qin Huairu looked at Yi Zhonghai's distorted old face and felt the excruciating pain in her wrist.

She didn't struggle; instead, she grabbed Yi Zhonghai's hand.

There was no trace of grievance left in those peach blossom eyes; they were filled with scheming and resentment.

"Don't worry, sir," Qin Huairu said in a sinister voice, "As long as Sha Zhu can turn things around, we have a hundred ways to destroy Zhou Jianguo. The humiliation I suffered at his hands tonight, and the anger you endured—we'll settle accounts with him slowly! I'll make him kneel on the ground and beg us!"

In the ward, an old man and a young man, each with their own ulterior motives, stared at each other.

Yi Zhonghai released his grip, lay back wearily on the pillow, and clenched his teeth.

"Zhou Jianguo... since you've gone this far, don't blame me, Old Yi, for being ruthless. This game has only just begun; let's wait and see who ends up dying in this courtyard!"

Qin Huairu straightened her torn collar, wiped her face haphazardly, and turned to push open the door and leave.

That was the prelude to revenge.