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

At the entrance of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang, Uncle Yan Bugui was tending his small plot of land. His beady eyes were fixed on the alley entrance, and he was holding a peeling, empty water jug, gesturing pretentiously at a few pots of long-withered rose bushes.

This isn't watering flowers, it's setting up a tollbooth to collect tolls.

Yan Bugui's mental calculator clicked rapidly: Old Li's family bought rotten cabbage, no profit at all; Xu Damao's grandson came back empty-handed, what bad luck. He'd spent most of the day waiting for a rabbit to run into his trap, and hadn't even managed to pick a single scallion leaf—what a loss, a huge loss.

Just then, the sound of chains breaking the silence.

"Click-click-click"

Yan Bugui's ears perked up—a big fish was coming!

He looked up sharply and saw a 28-inch bicycle parked steadily at the bottom of the steps. A young man stepped off the seat.

"Zhou...Zhou Jianguo?"

Yan Bugui froze for a second; his CPU almost burned out.

Is this the same family that almost starved to death a couple of days ago?

Before he could react, a fragrant aroma mixed with the smell of raw meat wafted into his nostrils.

Yan Bugui's gaze was fixed on the net bag on the handlebars, as if he had a GPS navigation system.

Good guy!

The oil stains seeping out of the oil paper package looked like at least three to five pounds of pork belly!

Next to it was a shiny tin barrel, which contained a whole barrel of finished oil!

"Gulp."

Yan Bugui's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his eyes turned green on the spot.

These days, you might not even see such high-quality goods during the Chinese New Year!

How did Zhou Jianguo, a first-class fitter, get such connections?

Greed overwhelmed reason.

Yan Bugui threw the empty water bottle into the corner of the wall, his body moving faster than his brain. He slid across the bicycle, looking just like a bandit who was robbing someone on the road.

"Hey! Jianguo! Just got off work?"

Yan Bugui's face crinkled with wrinkles, his smile as wide as an old chrysanthemum, but his body blocked the way, his hands uncontrollably reaching for the net. "Tsk tsk tsk, it's freezing cold, being a level-one fitter like you isn't easy. Such a heavy thing, it'll break the handlebars, won't that hurt? Come on, let me help you carry it!"

As he spoke, his withered hand went straight for the piece of pork belly. He continued with a self-righteous air: "There's so much meat, you can't finish it all by yourself, it'll spoil easily. Our neighborhood values ​​neighborly help, and it just so happens that my wife is pregnant, you see…"

The hand reached out too quickly; it looked like the fingertips were about to pierce the oil paper.

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound.

Zhou Jianguo didn't dodge at all. He casually flipped his wrist, and the back of his hand hit Yan Bugui's tendon.

"Holy crap!"

Yan Bugui recoiled as if electrocuted, his entire arm numb and powerless.

"Third Uncle".

Zhou Jianguo's eyes were indifferent, the lingering power from his eye contact with the high-ranking leader at the dinner table. This indifference was like a devastating blow to a primary school teacher. "This hand is overreaching, isn't it? Aren't they afraid it'll break in the wind?"

Yan Bugui clutched his wrist, his old face turning a deep purplish-red.

He's spent half his life scheming in the compound; who would dare to lay a hand on him directly?

Embarrassment turned into anger.

"Zhou Jianguo! What kind of attitude is this?" Yan Bugui straightened his back, adopting the posture of a headmaster scolding a primary school student. "I'm just concerned about you! How much do you earn a month? This car, this meat, and this gas—it's more than half a year's salary for you, right? Where did you get the money? Huh?"

The more he spoke, the more convinced he became that he had grasped the truth. His voice rose eight octaves, as if he wanted to summon everyone in the alley: "Our compound is an advanced collective! We absolutely cannot tolerate this unhealthy trend of speculation and profiteering! If you can't explain where this stuff came from, as the third uncle, I have the right to confiscate it for everyone until you've explained it clearly!"

That's a really harsh label.

These days, if you get involved in "speculation and profiteering," you'll be lucky to escape with your life.

Several neighbors peeked around and whispered among themselves.

"Yes, that's too much..."

"Could they really have gone to the black market?"

"It seems that the Third Uncle has caught us red-handed this time."

Listening to the discussions, Yan Bugui regained his confidence.

He raised his chin, his true intentions revealed: "Jianguo, I'm not being unreasonable. If you're in trouble, to avoid suspicion, shouldn't we share the risks? For example, this meat, let's share it with everyone, that's called 'equal distribution,' it'll shut everyone up, and I can cover for you..."

Ultimately, they just want to get something for free.

Looking at that disgusting face, Zhou Jianguo suddenly laughed.

He loosened his grip on the handlebars and took a half-step forward, the shadow cast by his height advantage enveloping Yan Bugui.

"Speculation and profiteering? Sharing risks?"

Zhou Jianguo's lips curled into a sneer. "Third Uncle, your scheme is too ambitious; it's probably blown your brain out of shape!"

"You...you dare to swear?" Yan Bugui was forced to take a step back by this imposing manner, his fierceness masking his inner weakness.

Zhou Jianguo ignored him and reached out to pat the tin can containing oil, which made a dull "thump-thump" sound.

"Can you read? Read it."

Yan Bugui squinted and saw a line of inconspicuous small print printed on the bucket—

[Special Offer for XX - Internal Use Only]

"Third Uncle is a scholar, these words shouldn't be too difficult for him to say, right?" Zhou Jianguo's voice wasn't loud, but it exploded in Yan Bugui's ears like a thunderclap. "This was a reward from the big leader."

"Big...Big Leader?" Yan Bugui stammered, his mind not quite processing the question.

"This meat, this oil," Zhou Jianguo leaned forward, his eyes sharp as knives, "I cooked for the big boss, and he specially approved it to commend our working class. Deputy Factory Director Li Huaide was right there and personally signed it for me."

Upon hearing the name "Li Huaide," Yan Bugui's legs trembled.

For ordinary people like them, the deputy factory director was like a god!

And what level of leader would the deputy factory director have to be to accompany them?

Zhou Jianguo gave him no chance to catch his breath, continuing to stab him in the back: "Third Uncle, you just said you were going to confiscate my stuff? Fine. I'll push the car to the security office right now, and we'll invite Deputy Factory Director Li here so you can interrogate him in person and ask him if the things the higher-ups gave to the workers were stolen goods? Was it speculation and profiteering?"

"By the way, I'd also like to ask the third uncle in our compound if he thinks the higher-ups are acting improperly and if he wants to give them some feedback?"

A decisive goal.

The series of accusations that were put back on were even heavier than the ones Yan Bugui had just put on!

This isn't just labeling someone; it's sending Yan Bugui straight to jail to be shot!

Questioning Deputy Factory Director Li?

Questioning the top leader?

He wouldn't dare even if he had a hundred lives!

If this is proven true, the charge of "undermining the unity of workers and peasants and questioning superiors" will be crushed, not to mention the Third Uncle, even his job as a primary school teacher will be ruined!

"No! Jianguo! Stop it!"

Yan Bugui was terrified, his face ashen, waving his hands frantically, his voice trembling with sobs: "A misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding! Third Uncle... he's just... his old eyes are failing him, he's mistaken! Yes, he's seen wrong!"

As he spoke, he backed away in alarm, his heel hitting the threshold and nearly causing him to fall on Zhou Jianguo.

The neighbors who had been watching the commotion also fell silent.

Was it a reward from a high-ranking leader?

Was it personally approved by Deputy Factory Director Li?

This information was so overwhelming that it left everyone's heads spinning.

The look in their eyes as they looked at Zhou Jianguo changed from suspicion to awe.

When did Jianguo get his antenna connected this week?!

Looking at the trembling Yan Bugui, Zhou Jianguo's sharp gaze slowly faded, returning to its calm and indifferent state.

"Since it's a misunderstanding, then I'll reply."

He straightened the handlebars and said in a calm tone, "Uncle, it's cold. Don't worry about these things in the future. Be careful of the wind, or you might bite your tongue."

After saying that, he didn't look at it again and kicked off with his foot.

The wheel rolled over the threshold with a soft creak.

Yan Bugui huddled by the door, watching Zhou Jianguo push the bicycle and swagger into the front yard.

Only after that tall, upright figure disappeared behind the screen wall did Yan Bugui finally feel the breath he had been holding in finally come out.

He leaned against the door frame, his heart still pounding in his throat.

"Old Yan, is this...is this for real?" A neighbor leaned over and asked cautiously.

Yan Bugui turned his head, his eyes still filled with lingering fear: "What do you mean, 'real' or 'fake'! Didn't you see that car? Didn't you see it was a special edition? Can that be faked?!"

He shakily took off his glasses, hastily wiping the fog off with his sleeve, his voice trembling:

"The world has changed... the world in this courtyard has truly changed. This kid is going to be a big shot from now on; nobody can mess with him..."