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

"Don't move."

Before Zhou Jianguo finished speaking, without any pretense or preamble, he slapped his finger precisely on Lou Xiao'e's Qimen acupoint.

This is the true value of master-level medical skills, which emphasize speed, accuracy, and stability.

Lou Xiao'e instinctively flinched, but didn't feel the expected stinging pain.

As Zhou Jianguo moved, a surge of heat forcefully penetrated her acupoints, completely dispelling the years of pent-up frustration, nausea, and stinging pain that had been building up in her heart.

"call--"

Lou Xiao'e exhaled a long breath, and the oppressive feeling that was driving her crazy vanished completely. She felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and she felt light and airy.

Zhou Jianguo withdrew his hand: "You have a good foundation; the eldest daughter of the Lou family has never lacked nutrition since childhood. Can't get pregnant? That's purely because Xu Damao's parts aren't up to par, what does it have to do with your fertile land?"

He stared into Lou Xiao'e's eyes and added reassuringly, "Now that your liver meridian is clear, go back and rest for half a year. Find a decent man, and having two children in three years won't be a problem."

"Having two children in three years."

These four words practically pulled Lou Xiao'e back from the depths of hell to the human world.

All the blame I've carried over the years, the disdain I've suffered from my in-laws, and the tears I've shed in the dead of night—all of it vanished completely at this moment.

Looking at her neighbor's younger brother, who was a few years younger than her but unfathomable, tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Jianguo... I owe you my life." Lou Xiao'e wiped away her tears haphazardly. "If you hadn't exposed this beast's true colors tonight, I would have rotted in the Xu family for the rest of my life."

Zhou Jianguo glanced at the suitcase on the ground: "Really leaving?"

"Go! Not a second longer!" Lou Xiao'e's eyes sharpened, revealing a resolve only someone who had faced death once possessed. "Everything in this house that I, Lou Xiao'e, purchased, I'd rather smash to pieces than leave that childless heir a single needle or thread!"

At this point, she seemed to suddenly remember something, turned around and ran to the wardrobe, lay down on the floor without any regard for her image, and forcefully pried open a loose floor tile under the bed.

She pulled out a rusty tin biscuit box and stuffed it into Zhou Jianguo's arms without saying a word.

"Jianguo, in this whole courtyard full of beasts, you're the only one who understands," Lou Xiao'e said in a low voice, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I can't take this back to my parents' home; even if I did, it would be a disaster. But if I leave it to Xu Damao, I'll die with my eyes open in disbelief!"

"Here you go! Take it! Stop dawdling!"

Zhou Jianguo weighed it in his hand and raised an eyebrow: "Sister E, this is too heavy."

"Heavy? What's so heavy about it!" Lou Xiao'e sneered. "Rather than letting that damned eunuch get it, I'd rather give it to someone with a conscience. If you don't accept it, you're disrespecting me!"

Zhou Jianguo didn't stand on ceremony and clicked open the box.

Even with his two lifetimes, he couldn't help but feel a twitch in his eyelids.

A thick stack of ten-yuan notes, worth at least three hundred yuan. But compared to two flimsy receipts, that's nothing.

[Full Price Ticket for a Forever Brand 28-inch Bicycle]

[Butterfly Brand Sewing Ticket (Full Price)]

In an era when even buying a needle required a ration coupon, these two pieces of paper later became the keys to a limited-edition Ferrari, a form of hard currency that money couldn't buy!

The moment the finger touched the ticket, the system's pleasant notification sound arrived as expected:

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have successfully turned Lou Xiao'e, a key character in the original story, against you and stolen all of Xu Damao's wealth!]

[Detection indicates the villain's wealth has been completely wiped out; this is considered a "ruthless strike," and the reward will be doubled...]

[Rewards: Portable Farm Livestock Area Open! Includes 2 premium black piglets and 4 breeding chickens! Obtain Master-level Fighting Skill (Mastery)! 50 jin of premium wheat flour!]

A surge of heat washed over Zhou Jianguo's limbs and bones.

He clenched his fist, feeling that he could punch a rough guy like Sha Zhu so hard he'd be stuck to the wall and impossible to pry off.

This wave of attacks is like Qin Shi Huang touching an electric shock gate – a complete rout.

"Alright, I accept Sister E's kind offer." Zhou Jianguo tucked the box into his pocket, then paused at the door. "Tomorrow at the Civil Affairs Bureau, if that bastard dares not sign or throw a tantrum, go to the security office and find Zhao Gang. Mention my name, it'll work."

After saying this, he strode into the night, his back as straight as a pine tree, concealing his achievements and fame.

Lou Xiao'e looked in the direction he left and finally burst into tears in the empty house.

But in this cry, there was no longer despair, but rather the catharsis of being reborn.

Meanwhile, in the interrogation room a few kilometers away...

Xu Damao slumped in his chair, his fingertips covered in bright red ink, his eyes vacant.

The deadly nursery rhyme still echoed in my ears: "Eunuch Xu... all for naught..."

He didn't know that not only was his life gone, but the wealth he had accumulated over half a lifetime had also been transferred to the Zhou family.

……

At 6:30 a.m., the wind was biting cold.

The large iron gate of the Dongcheng District Civil Affairs Bureau was tightly closed.

Lou Xiao'e stood in the sheltered spot at the bottom of the steps, huddled in her gray-blue cotton-padded coat, hands tucked into her sleeves, stamping her feet incessantly, her face filled with anxiety.

"Jianguo, it's almost seven o'clock."

Lou Xiao'e's voice trembled slightly in the wind. She looked towards the alley entrance for the nth time, her eyes filled with panic: "Has he changed his mind? After what happened last night, knowing Xu Damao's vengeful nature, he's definitely up to something today. If he doesn't come, or..."

"Don't worry about it."

Zhou Jianguo stood in the wind, shielding her from most of the cold wind, his expression calm.

"He will not only come, but he will also kneel down and beg you to sign the papers." Zhou Jianguo said calmly, "For Xu Damao now, divorce is the last straw he thinks he can grasp."

Lou Xiao'e bit her lip, still panicked: "You have no idea how bad he is. He threatened me, saying that if I dared to mention divorce, he would report my family's social status..."

"Individual background?" Zhou Jianguo scoffed, his fingertips lightly rubbing his cuff. "In front of the prison, individual background is nothing. Sister E, the wicked will be punished by the wicked. Xu Damao is a demon, and I am Zhong Kui, the demon hunter."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of dragging footsteps came from the alley entrance.

Two figures emerged from the morning mist.

Xu Damao was walking in front.

After not seeing him for a night, his once proud Zhongshan suit was now wrinkled and hanging on his body, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, he walked with a limp, and his face was full of hostility.

But the two plainclothes officers behind him, with their hats pulled low and their steps in unison, clearly exuded a military air.

"Hey, you've been waiting here!"

Xu Damao saw Lou Xiao'e from a distance, and a surge of resentment rushed to the top of his head.

He seemed to have forgotten how pathetic he'd wet his pants in the interrogation room the night before; all he could think about was: Since I'm going to die anyway, I'll take someone down with me! It's a fight to the death!

He stormed to the entrance of the Civil Affairs Bureau, pointing at Lou Xiao'e and yelling, "Lou Xiao'e! You spendthrift woman! I knew you were having an affair with this bastard! Hugging and kissing him here first thing in the morning, trying to force me to divorce you? No way!"

This shout stunned the elderly people who had gotten up early to queue.

Xu Damao's acting skills are definitely inherited; it's a waste of his talent if he doesn't pursue acting.

He knelt down without hesitation, collapsing onto the steps with a "plop," slapping his thighs and starting to wail, tears streaming down his face—he was practically an Oscar snub.

"Everyone, come and judge this! I'm a third-generation poor peasant from the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill! This woman is the daughter of Lou Bancheng, a big capitalist! She saw I was injured and looked down on me because I'm a cripple, so she's going to run off with my money and some other man! She's trying to drive this working-class man to his death!"

This moral blackmail tactic is so sophisticated that even Yi Zhonghai would have to admit he's an expert.

Labeling, smearing, and playing the victim – these three tactics caused an uproar among the uninformed public.