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

These three words were spat out from between Lou Xiao'e's teeth, filled with hatred.

Zhou Jianguo's words directly tore away the black cloth that had been covering her eyes for the past few years.

Those deliberately ignored details all lingered in her mind: Xu Damao, who would fly into a rage at the mere mention of inspection; the bitter medicine soup she was given alone; and their unsatisfactory married life...

Lou Xiao'e rushed forward and grabbed Xu Damao by the collar.

She was incredibly strong; her nails almost dug into her flesh.

"Let's go! We need to go to the hospital right now! If you don't go, it means you're guilty! It means you're incompetent!"

Xu Damao was strangled so badly that his eyes rolled back and his face turned a deep, liver-red.

He desperately tried to pry Lou Xiao'e's hand away, his eyes darting around, not daring to meet his wife's gaze.

"E'zi! Are you crazy? Listening to this treacherous family trying to sow discord? I... I have to go to the countryside to show a movie this afternoon! The commune is waiting for me! This is a political task!"

"Bullshit! If you don't go today, I'll smash your broken projector!" Lou Xiao'e's usual spoiled princess temper completely erupted, and she would get angry at anyone who tried to stop her.

"Oh dear, you can't smash it! That's public property!"

Finally, an elderly man named Yi Zhonghai stepped forward with his hands behind his back.

This old fox is shrewd: Sha Zhu's "morning sickness" almost ruined Qin Huairu's reputation, and now there's an even bigger scandal, so he has to shift the focus to Xu Damao.

"Da Mao, now that this matter has blown up, it's for your own good, to clear your name." Yi Zhonghai said sternly, in a businesslike tone, "What's wrong with investigating? A clear conscience fears no accusation. Besides, the screening is tomorrow; do you think I don't check the schedule?"

"Exactly! We have to go! Anyone who doesn't go today is a coward!"

Sha Zhu, holding his belt, squeezed into the crowd with a fierce look on his face.

He just vomited so badly he almost vomited bile, and he was looking for a way to vent his anger.

"Xu Damao, you were having quite the time spreading rumors, weren't you? Saying I got Sister Qin pregnant? Fine, then let's see who the real eunuch is!"

Sha Zhu didn't waste any words. His large, fan-like hand clamped down on Xu Damao's thin arm, pulling him back a couple of steps.

"Silly Zhu! Let go! This is kidnapping! Grandpa, help me!" Xu Damao was terrified and kicked his legs desperately.

"What are you shouting for? This is public oversight! Let's go!"

Sha Zhu grinned maliciously, dragging and pulling.

The older women, including Auntie Er and Auntie San, were always eager for a good show, their eyes gleaming: "Go investigate, Da Mao! True gold fears no fire!"

A large group of people pushed and shoved Xu Damao toward the courtyard.

Zhou Jianguo stood at the door, watching this scene, feeling nothing at all, and even wanted to laugh.

With a slight thought, he activated the system store.

[Ding! Exchange for an Intermediate Bad Luck Charm? Price: 50 yuan.]

"exchange."

Zhou Jianguo was decisive and efficient.

You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. This fifty yuan will make Xu Damao unable to hold his head up for half his life. It's a huge profit!

A jet-black talisman appeared out of thin air, visible only to Zhou Jianguo.

An aura of misfortune emanated from it.

He tapped it lightly with his finger.

A flash of black light pierced the forehead of Xu Damao, who was struggling frantically.

Xu Damao felt a chill run down his spine, shivered, and his legs inexplicably went weak, almost causing him to trip over Sha Zhu.

"Stop playing dead! Get out of here!" Sha Zhu shoved him hard.

……

The lobby of the urology department at Hongxing Hospital.

There weren't many people registering at this time, but the large group of people who rushed into the courtyard house were so impressive that they stunned the security guards at the gate.

Xu Damao was already drenched in sweat and his face was deathly pale.

He's really faking it!

In recent years, he has vaguely felt that something is wrong with his body, but he has been trying to convince himself otherwise.

If this is really found out... how will he ever be able to hold his head up in the factory or in the yard again?

"Register! Xu Damao, pay up!" Sha Zhu stood by like a door god.

Xu Damao shakily reached into his pocket and hesitantly pulled out some money.

His hands were shaking like he had Parkinson's, and several coins clattered to the ground.

"Useless piece of trash, can't even hold a coin properly." Sha Zhu scoffed, bending down to pick it up.

Just then, the first wave of the bad luck charm's attack arrived.

Just as Xu Damao was about to bend down to help pick up the money, he heard a crisp "snap" sound!

The genuine leather belt that I had used for three years suddenly broke off at the buckle without any warning.

In addition, he was wearing those loose-fitting cadre trousers, so when the pants broke, they slid down to his ankles with a "whoosh."

Quiet.

The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.

Immediately following was a burst of laughter loud enough to lift the roof off.

"Hahahaha! Oh my god! I can't take it anymore!"

Sha Zhu pointed at Xu Damao, laughing so hard he slapped his thigh, tears streaming down his face. "Damao, Damao, you're too kind! You haven't even entered the consultation room yet, and you've already removed the holster? What, are you going to show it off in public?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xu Damao was clearly wearing a pair of bright red shorts printed with large peony flowers on his lower body!

Those were the red underwear Lou Xiao'e bought for her wedding year, her birth year of the Chinese zodiac. They were both tacky and gaudy, creating a strong visual impact in the solemn hospital lobby.

The nurses, patients, and their families around were all stunned, then covered their mouths and burst into laughter.

The nurses blushed deeply and quickly turned their heads away.

"You scoundrel! This is scoundrel behavior!" Aunt Er spat, but her eyes were wide open, as if afraid of missing any details.

"ah--!"

Xu Damao let out a pig-like scream and frantically tried to pull up his pants.

The more he rushed, the more chaotic things became. He tripped and fell face-first to the ground like a toad, his butt sticking up, making the red peony bloom even more brightly.

Social death.

Utter social death.

Lou Xiao'e stood to the side, her face so red she wished she could disappear into the ground.

She bit her lip hard, tears welling up in her eyes.

How embarrassing! So embarrassing!

Zhou Jianguo leaned against a pillar at the registration desk, arms crossed, watching this farcical scene with a cold eye.

After finally getting through the registration process, we arrived at the most crucial step: the sampling.

Xu Damao clutched the small plastic cup, mentally calculating: Absolutely can't deliver the real thing! I'll get some tap water, or switch it with someone else's when no one's looking… Yes! That's what I'll do!

"I need to go to the toilet!" Xu Damao shouted.

"I'll go with you!" Sha Zhu volunteered. "I have to keep an eye on you, lest you try to switch things out."

Once inside the restroom, Sha Zhu blocked the doorway, arms crossed, and stood there yelling, "Hurry up! Don't try anything funny!"

With his back to Sha Zhu, Xu Damao walked shakily to the sink, pretending to wash his hands, but actually trying to sneak some warm water to get by.

His hand had just touched the faucet.

[Bad Luck Charm Effect Triggered: Facility Failure Rate 100%]

A muffled "bang"!

The connection point shattered completely!

A high-pressure jet of water sprayed straight onto Xu Damao's face!

"Pfft—cough cough cough!"

Xu Damao was sprayed backwards repeatedly, unable to open his eyes, and the water under his feet made him lose his balance.

"Swoosh—Clang!"

He slipped and fell backward.

This fall was quite unexpected; by sheer coincidence, he landed headfirst into the still-wet urinal next to him!

"Ugh! Ugh!"

Xu Damao struggled desperately, his face and mouth covered in that indescribable yellow liquid and cigarette butts.

"Holy crap! Da Mao, are you hungry?"

Sha Zhu was stunned by this sudden turn of events, then let out an even more arrogant laugh, "You have quite the taste! Taking a sample is for you to put it in a cup, not for you to taste it!"

The doctors and nurses outside rushed in upon hearing the commotion. Seeing the horrific scene, they all frowned and backed away in disgust.

"What's going on! Are you sabotaging things?!" the head nurse roared.

Finally, Xu Damao was dragged out, his body reeking of a nauseating stench of urine.

He was about to take advantage of the chaos to snatch a cup from an elderly man who was undergoing a check-up when the sharp-eyed head nurse grabbed his wrist on the spot.

"What are you doing! Trying to cheat again?" the head nurse snapped. "You dare to falsify something like this? Are you being irresponsible to yourself, or to your partner? You're a coward!"

Under the strict supervision of the head nurse and the mocking gaze of Sha Zhu, Xu Damao completely gave up his hopes.

He held the new cup in despair, tears of humiliation streaming down his face, and with tremendous effort, barely managed to produce a tiny sample.