Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

Then he sat up.

Then he went outside.

He walked into the courtyard and saw someone hanging worn-out shoes around Qin Huairu's neck—a pair of cloth shoes so worn out that the soles were worn through, strung together with hemp rope and hung on her chest.

Sha Zhu's eyes turned red.

It's not that angry red, it's a different kind of red.

He rushed forward.

"You did this!"

He pointed at Qin Huairu, his hand trembling.

"You shameless slut who cheats on her husband!"

He hit her.

He punched her on the shoulder, back, and arms. There was no particular method; he just kept hitting her.

The people nearby were terrified and quickly went to pull him away.

Sha Zhu was strong, and it took several people to hold him down.

Liu Haizhong walked over and patted him on the shoulder:

"Silly Zhu, Qin Huairu isn't your wife, why are you so angry? Don't worry, we'll definitely teach her a lesson, and so will Yi Zhonghai. Don't get involved."

Sha Zhu ignored him.

He heard the name Yi Zhonghai.

He raised his head.

Then he rushed towards Yi Zhonghai.

"I kill you!"

Yi Zhonghai was so frightened that he stepped back, his legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground.

"Idiot Zhu! I've raised you for so many years! You want to kill me?!"

Sha Zhu can no longer hear.

There was only one thing on his mind—to kill him.

"Quick! Pull them apart!"

Liu Haizhong panicked.

Several people rushed forward, but couldn't hold him back. Sha Zhu was like a madman, breaking free from one person and kicking another aside, his eyes fixed on Yi Zhonghai.

In the end, Xu Damao reacted quickly, grabbed a stick from the side, and smacked Sha Zhu on the back of the head.

Sha Zhu swayed.

It fell over.

He lay on the ground, his eyes still open, staring at the sky.

Then close it.

Several people hurriedly carried him into the house.

Liu Haizhong wiped his sweat and ordered, "Lock up Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu! In that storage room in the backyard!"

The storage room used to be a toilet.

It was small and dirty, drafty on all sides, piled with broken baskets and rotten wood, and had a lingering stench.

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu were pushed inside.

The door was locked from the outside.

It was pitch black inside; you couldn't see anything. All you could hear were heavy breathing and occasional sobs.

Liu Haizhong stood in the courtyard and clapped his hands:

"Send them to the neighborhood committee first thing tomorrow morning. They'll be paraded through the streets if they need to, and subjected to public criticism and struggle sessions if they need to."

Everyone dispersed.

The night grew quiet.

Occasionally, a sound would come from that small, dilapidated house, like crying or the squeaking of mice.

Nobody paid any attention.

Early the next morning.

As soon as dawn broke, the courtyard became lively.

Nobody wants to miss this good show.

The door to the storage room opened, and Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu were pulled out.

The two of them huddled together all night, trembling all over, their faces bruised and purple, and their hair still covered in cobwebs.

Liu Haizhong waved his hand:

"Walk!"

The large group set off.

People on the street saw this and gathered around.

"Oh, what's going on?"

"Those two are having affairs!"

"How old is that man? That woman is still very young!"

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

More and more people gathered.

People started throwing things.

First came the rotten vegetable leaves.

Smack—it landed on Yi Zhonghai's face.

Then there were the rotten eggs—I wonder who still had rotten eggs stored up, they came in handy now.

Then came the pebbles.

Several children followed behind, picking up pebbles from the ground and throwing them at the two men, laughing as they did so.

"Slut! Slut!"

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu lowered their heads, not daring to hide.

Jia Zhangshi followed in the group, her eyes red and swollen, but her cursing was no less forceful. Every now and then, she would rush up and pinch Qin Huairu:

"You still have the nerve to hide?! You deserve to be beaten to death!"

Qin Huairu bit her lip and remained silent.

Behind the crowd followed Sha Zhu.

He was wearing a coat, without even putting on his shoes, and just shuffled along.

He rushed to the front, waving at the children who were throwing stones: "Get out! All of you, get out!"

A moment later, he picked up stones from the ground and threw them at Qin Huairu.

After smashing it, she squatted on the ground and cried.

After crying, he stood up and started cursing again.

"That's insane."

Someone whispered.

"That idiot Zhu has completely gone mad."

"Anyone would go crazy in this situation? Lost his wife, lost his money, and now... sigh."

The group arrived at the subdistrict office.

The people from the neighborhood committee were also taken aback when they heard this.

"Then proceed according to the rules. Continue the parade this afternoon, and hold a denunciation rally tonight."

A hammer is fixed.

Li Jianguo didn't go out today.

He stayed inside, waiting for someone.

When Jiang Min arrived, it was right at the busiest time of the day.

She stood at the gate of the courtyard, holding a ribbonfish, staring blankly at the large group of people in the distance.

Li Jianguo came out to greet her, and his eyes lit up when he saw her.

"What brings you here today?"

"No classes." Jiang Min waved the ribbonfish in her hand. "My dad gave it to me and asked me to bring it to you."

Li Jianguo took it and smiled.

"Perfect timing, I have some good stuff here too. I'll cook you something delicious tonight."

"Can you cook?"

Jiang Min blinked, somewhat disbelieving.

"You'll have to wait and taste the chef's cooking."

He put the ribbonfish down and pulled Jiang Min outside.

"Let's go, let's watch the excitement for a while."

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu were being led forward in the crowd.

They wore worn-out shoes around their necks and white signs with black lettering around their necks that read "Adulterers".

Jiang Min's eyes widened.

"This...isn't this from your department?"

"Um."

"The two of them? Having an affair?"

"right."

Jiang Min looked at Yi Zhonghai, then at Qin Huairu, and remained silent for a long time.

"Their age difference is too big, isn't it?"

"What's wrong, Da?"

Li Jianguo smiled, a smile that held a profound meaning.

"The world is vast and full of wonders. You haven't seen enough."

The procession has moved on into the distance.

Li Jianguo pulled Jiang Min back into the house.

He cooks.

He has plenty of things here. Chicken, duck, fish, and meat are all in the cupboard. It's just that he's a little short on vegetables—vegetables are more precious than meat this season.

He picked a few items and simply made them all meat dishes.

Another pot was born.

People in Beijing love to eat hot pot in winter. He's been eating it alone all year, so he hasn't really had any. Today's the perfect day.

The pot was bubbling and steaming.

Spicy diced chicken sizzles in the oil.

The potato shreds were cut as thin as hair and arranged neatly on the cutting board.

Jiang Min sat on the threshold, watching him busy himself, her eyes shining.

"Are we sure we can finish all this food?"

"Eat slowly if you can't finish it."

"You've probably spent all your food money for the month, haven't you?"

"rest assured."

Li Jianguo didn't even turn his head, his spatula flying through the air.

"One meal won't bankrupt me. Even if you come every day, I can afford it. I don't spend any money to collect things from the countryside. Besides, I'm not short of money. I still haven't used up all the rewards I received before."

Jiang Min fell silent.

She watched his back as he walked away, wearing an apron and bustling around the stove.

The fumes rose up, making him squint.

He glanced back at her and smiled.

She smiled too.

Xu Damao arrived just as we were finishing our meal.

As soon as he entered the door, he saw Jiang Min and felt a little embarrassed, standing at the doorway, unsure whether to go in or back out.

"Director Li, well... I'll come back later."

"Come in."

Li Jianguo put down his chopsticks.

"We've almost finished eating. Just say what you need to say."

Xu Damao came in, sat down to one side, and started gesturing wildly.

"Director Li, you didn't see what happened today! Oh my god, those two made a complete fool of themselves!"

He spoke with great enthusiasm.