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

It was already late at night, a time when all should be quiet, but the courtyard was brightly lit.

Having just experienced a terrifying ordeal in the cellar, no one was sleepy. They all hunched over, but their eyes gleamed with excitement.

Madam Jia Zhang had already been carried back to the main room and was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), her body exposed. She would occasionally let out a faint groan, which was just for show, to avoid being questioned about how she could eat dirt so deliciously.

Qin Huairu changed into a faded blue cotton-padded jacket. Although her hair was combed back, there was still a redness in the corner of her eyes. She lowered her head and huddled on the long bench in the corner, twisting the hem of her clothes tightly with her hands. She looked exactly like a little wife who had suffered a great injustice.

As for Sha Zhu...

He was still wearing that tattered cotton-padded jacket that smelled of swill, sitting blankly on the cement ground below the steps.

The cold air crept up his buttocks, but he seemed oblivious to it.

Those eyes, which usually exuded a strong and determined air, were now empty, staring blankly at a broken brick in front of them.

The image of Qin Huairu's ferocious face in the cellar kept replaying in my mind.

And then there's that jarring phrase—"Go to hell, you dead beggar."

Zhou Jianguo moved a bamboo rattan chair and deliberately chose a sheltered spot in the back row to sit down.

He crossed his legs, holding a handful of spiced melon seeds, and cracked them open with a "crunch, crunch" sound.

To outsiders, this was a serious college-wide meeting.

But in Zhou Jianguo's eyes, this was just an extended version of a Spring Festival Gala skit.

Especially that old man, Yi Zhonghai, who sat upright and serious.

In Zhou Jianguo's view, a gray halo that only he could see was floating above Yi Zhonghai's head.

The halo was gray and dim, reeking of bad luck, and was slowly spinning.

"Ahem!"

Yi Zhonghai stood up and slammed his iconic white enamel mug heavily onto the octagonal table in front of him.

"when--!"

The crisp sound of the impact silenced the whispering crowd.

Yi Zhonghai looked around, his gaze sweeping across everyone's face, finally lingering on Qin Huairu for a second. A look of regret flashed in his eyes, which then turned into determination.

As the pillar of this compound, he had to turn the page on this absurd incident tonight.

The Jia family's reputation cannot be tarnished, and Qin Huairu's public image cannot be ruined, otherwise his future retirement plans will be in vain.

"The reason I woke everyone up so late is because a...heartbreaking accident just happened."

Yi Zhonghai spoke in a deep, authoritative voice.

He made no mention of Qin Huairu's foul language, but instead frowned, adopting a pained and indignant expression.

"Everyone saw what happened to the Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and Bang Geng just now. Did they go crazy? No!"

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and directly characterized the incident: "Based on my careful observation just now, and combined with the principles I've heard from traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, this is acute poisoning caused by oxygen deficiency in the cellar!"

A few low gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd.

These days, most people aren't very well-educated, so they'll just listen to whatever an old man says.

Seeing that he had the situation under control, Yi Zhonghai straightened his back even more and raised his voice several octaves:

"When a person is in such an extreme state of oxygen deprivation, and has inhaled the toxic fumes from rotting vegetable leaves in the cellar, they will hallucinate! Their mind will be clouded! What they say will be unreliable!"

This theory sounds incredibly sound and perfectly logical.

It not only explained the Jia family's madness but also attributed Qin Huairu's insults to Sha Zhu to "sick talk," making it a perfect public relations move.

Sha Zhu's gloomy eyes flickered.

It was poisoning... it was just a hallucination... Sister Qin wasn't really scolding me...

However, at that moment, Uncle Liu Haizhong slowly stood up.

He stood with his hands behind his back, his imposing belly protruding, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Old Yi, your analysis is spot on. But... something feels off to me, doesn't it?"

Liu Haizhong had been eyeing the position of the eldest uncle, and tonight's incident, which had escalated to such an extent, presented him with a perfect opportunity to demonstrate his "leadership skills."

"Something's not right?" Yi Zhonghai's eyelids twitched, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.

"Although I'm not well-educated, I know that lack of oxygen can make you faint and unable to breathe."

Liu Haizhong drawled, his gaze sweeping across the faces of everyone in the courtyard. "But I've never heard of someone being able to spill their deepest truths just because they're short of oxygen. The way Qin Huairu cursed Sha Zhu just now—calling him a dead beggar and an unwanted heir—it was so smooth, so full of gritted teeth. It doesn't seem like a hallucination; it's more like... hehe, a long-standing grudge."

"Pfft."

Someone in the crowd couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Damao, who seemed to thrive on chaos, chimed in with a sarcastic remark:

"Second Uncle is right! I don't think this is poisoning, it's drunkenly speaking the truth... oh no, it's poisoned speaking the truth! Even if it's hysteria, it has to be something you've been thinking about during the day, right? If you didn't have these thoughts in your mind, would you be cursing so filthily?"

These words immediately reignited public outrage, which had just begun to subside.

The neighbors whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with mockery as they looked at Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu.

Sha Zhu's heart, which had just begun to warm up, was doused with cold water again.

He raised his head, looked at Liu Haizhong, then at Qin Huairu in the corner, his lips trembling as if he wanted to ask something, but no sound came out.

Yi Zhonghai's face visibly darkened.

You bastard Liu Haizhong, you bastard Xu Damao, you're sabotaging me now!

"Liu Haizhong! Xu Damao!"

Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table, the commotion making the teacup lid jump.

He stopped talking about scientific principles and instead resorted to the power and suppression of the person in charge.

"You're just stirring up trouble! This is promoting feudal superstition!"

Yi Zhonghai pointed at Liu Haizhong's nose, his voice sharp and stern: "I already said, it's an illness! It's poisoning! When a person is delirious, they might mistake their parents for enemies, so why can't we take it seriously? Huh?!"

He was breathing heavily, his fierce gaze sweeping across the room as he unleashed his ultimate weapon: "moral blackmail."

"Everyone has seen how Qin Huairu treats Zhu Zi! She sews and mends, washes and cleans—she does everything for him. Are you really going to drive this whole family of orphans and widows to their deaths just because of a few words uttered by a sick person? Do you only feel satisfied when you see the Jia family destroyed and its members die?!"

The accusation of "driving people to their deaths" is far too heavy.

The neighbors who had initially joined in the commotion fell silent.

In this day and age, reputation is everything.

No one dared to bear the blame for "driving their neighbor to death".

Liu Haizhong opened his mouth, but felt a little guilty under Yi Zhonghai's imposing aura. He shrank back and sat down awkwardly, saying, "I was just saying it casually... just saying it casually..."

The situation was back under Yi Zhonghai's control.

Yi Zhonghai's chest heaved violently.

Looking at the stunned crowd, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the old ways are still there, and these people are still afraid of this.

He had to strike while the iron was hot and smooth things over completely, while also appeasing that stubborn mule, Sha Zhu.

After all, Sha Zhu was the one who was hurt the most.

Yi Zhonghai adjusted his expression, switching from his previous furious demeanor to a kind and benevolent elder's mode.

He turned around, facing Sha Zhu who was still slumped on the ground, and said earnestly:

"Zhu Zi, you're the most reasonable person in our compound. You heard it too, Sister Qin was poisoned, her mind is muddled, she wasn't telling the truth. Your uncle watched you grow up, would he lie to you? This matter—"

At this point, Yi Zhonghai felt his throat getting a little dry.

I shouted so loudly just now, and now I feel burning up.

To project an air of authority, he maintained a gentle gaze at Sha Zhu while naturally reaching out his right hand to pick up the enamel mug on the table, preparing to take a sip of water to moisten his throat before delivering his final concluding remarks.

That is, in this very second.

Zhou Jianguo, who was sitting in the back row eating sunflower seeds, narrowed his eyes slightly.