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

Sha Zhu rode a borrowed flatbed tricycle, his legs leaving afterimages of spinning wheels.

Qin Huairu huddled in the truck bed, her hands gripping the side of the truck tightly.

The remittance slip for 150 yuan was tucked in Sha Zhu's arms. It represented the hope that Bang Geng's leg could be reattached, and the last breath that would allow the Jia family to turn their lives around.

"Get out of the way! Are you all blind? A good dog doesn't block the road!"

Sha Zhu pedaled his bike while shouting out his wares.

Just as they were about to rush out of the alley and onto the main road, a wall of people suddenly cut across them.

Several dark blue cotton coats, with glaring red armbands tied around their arms, looked particularly bleak in this gray winter.

The leader was Li Weiguo, the head of the security department of the steel rolling mill.

He was followed by two street office staff members, each holding a black leather notebook.

"Squeak—!"

The wheels left a black mark on the snow, and the tricycle suddenly veered sideways, almost throwing Qin Huairu off.

"Hey! You looking for death?" Sha Zhu braced himself with one foot on the ground, his arrogance radiating from him and the vehicle. "Didn't you see there were people in the car? You've delayed a life-saving operation; you couldn't afford to pay for it even if you sold yourselves!"

Li Weiguo didn't even lift his eyelids, completely ignoring the conversation.

"He Yuzhu, I've been waiting for you for ages."

Li Weiguo said calmly, "Get down and cooperate with the inspection."

Sha Zhu was taken aback, then his neck stiffened, and his stubbornness returned: "What are you investigating? I need to go to the hospital to pay my bills! Your security department is meddling way too much! Do I even have to report to you where I poop and pee?"

As he spoke, he pushed off with his foot, intending to force his way through.

"If you refuse a toast, you'll have to drink a penalty cup."

Li Weiguo tilted his head slightly, and two officers behind him stepped forward, grabbing the handlebars on either side and pulling Sha Zhu off the seat.

"What are you doing! Robbery in broad daylight!" Sha Zhu shouted as he struggled, his voice loud enough to be heard halfway down the street. "Everyone, be the judge! The security guards are bullying ordinary people! We need to save people, and they're trying to kill us!"

"Shut up!"

Li Weiguo gave a low shout, unleashing his full aura.

He pulled a form stamped with a red seal from his pocket and shoved it directly in front of Sha Zhu's face:

"We have received a tip-off from the public that someone is suspected of colluding with the families of criminals and attempting to transfer a large sum of money of unknown origin to fund hostile forces. He Yuzhu, hand over what you're carrying!"

Qin Huairu, sitting in the truck bed, froze, her mind going blank.

adultery?

Hostile forces?

With these accusations, not only will the rescuer be out of jail, but the entire Jia family will be imprisoned!

"What dirty money? Bullshit! That's my hard-earned money!" Although Sha Zhu was muddle-headed, he knew the seriousness of the crime, and he became red-faced and swollen with anger. "I used my own money to help my neighbors, what law did I break?"

"Whether it's dirty money or not, the evidence will tell." Li Weiguo held out his hand, palm up. "Give it to me."

Sha Zhu was so angry that his chest heaved violently.

To prove his innocence, and more importantly, to show off his manly responsibility in front of Qin Huairu, he ripped open the collar of his cotton-padded coat, pulled out the crumpled remittance slip, and slammed it hard into Li Weiguo's hand.

"Open your dog eyes and look carefully! This was sent by my own father, He Daqing! It's child support! How did it become illicit money?! Huh?!"

Sha Zhu roared with righteous indignation, spitting everywhere.

However, it would have been better if he hadn't taken it out; taking it out did exactly what the other person wanted.

Li Weiguo held the remittance slip and glanced at the address on it.

His voice suddenly rose:

"He Daqing? That guy who abandoned his job and children a few years ago to elope with a widow? His records are unclear, his social status is questionable, and his source of income during his elopement is unknown. Now this unearned money has suddenly appeared, and he wants to subsidize the Jia family, who were just severely punished for promoting feudal superstition?"

Li Weiguo turned around and looked at Qin Huairu, who was slumped in the truck bed:

"Qin Huairu, I now have ample reason to suspect that this is a premeditated act of using illegal funds to corrupt and co-opt the working class and defy organizational decisions! This money is suspected of being involved in collusion with enemy elements and funding the enemy!"

As soon as the words "aiding the enemy" were uttered, the surrounding crowd of onlookers instantly retreated three meters away as if avoiding a plague.

"No...no..." Qin Huairu stammered, her teeth chattering, her whole body trembling like a leaf. "This is my life-saving money...I just want to save my son..."

"Take him back to the factory and interrogate him slowly!"

With a wave of his hand, Li Weiguo placed the thin remittance slip into a transparent evidence bag.

"Effective immediately, this remittance slip is hereby frozen and seized as crucial evidence! Not a single penny is to be touched until He Daqing's background is thoroughly investigated!"

freeze?

Qin Huairu went mad as she watched the bag of money being put into her briefcase.

Those are the legs of a stag beetle!

That's the fate of the Jia family!

"No! You can't take it! Give me back my money!!"

Qin Huairu, with a sudden burst of strength, tumbled out of the truck bed and scrambled towards Li Weiguo. In that moment, she resembled a mother animal protecting her cubs, completely disregarding her image.

"Trying to steal the evidence? You're asking for it!"

One of the officers reacted quickly and pushed with one hand.

Qin Huairu was already weak, and was pushed so hard that she rolled around in the snow, covered in mud, looking extremely disheveled.

"Sister Qin!"

When Sha Zhu saw the goddess being humiliated, the last string in his mind snapped.

"Touch my Sister Qin? I'll kill you all, you bastards!"

Sha Zhu roared and swung his fist at Li Weiguo's face. In the eyes of this courtyard war god, there was nothing that a few punches couldn't solve.

Unfortunately, he encountered a regular army today.

"Assaulting a police officer? How dare you!"

Li Weiguo didn't even move, but the two burly men next to him took action.

One used a chokehold, the other a sweeping leg kick; their coordination was flawless.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, Sha Zhu was slammed against the rough brick wall, his face contorted in the pressure, his mouth full of plaster.

"Click."

The cold handcuffs were fastened directly to Sha Zhu's wrists.

The crisp metallic clang signaled the end of this farce.

"Violent resistance to law enforcement, unclear source of funds, serious offense." Li Weiguo straightened his collar, looking down at Sha Zhu. "He Yuzhu, save those words for the interrogation room. Take him away!"

Several men dragged Sha Zhu, who was still cursing, like a dead dog towards the steel mill.

The alleyway entrance was instantly empty.

Only a lonely tricycle and Qin Huairu with vacant eyes remained.

The cold wind swirled snowflakes, slapping them against her face.

Gone.

It's all gone.

One hundred and fifty yuan, barely warmed up before it became evidence of a crime.

The habit of using blood packs to treat idiots has landed him in jail.

"ah--!!"

Qin Huairu lay on the snow and let out a heart-wrenching wail.

Just then, a series of unhurried footsteps came from the shadows of the alley.

Qin Huairu raised her head, her eyes blurry with tears.

Zhou Jianguo walked out with his hands in his cotton-padded jacket pockets and a leisurely gait.

He didn't even pause as he passed by Qin Huairu.

As she looked at that tall, upright figure, every word Li Weiguo had just said flashed through her mind: "Real-name report."

"Zhou... Jiang... Guo..."

Qin Huairu bit her lip until it bled.

Where is this?