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

He is looking for someone.

Lai Liu.

This man lived in a dilapidated house in an alley near Qianmen, with bottles of liquor piled up at the door. Jia Dongxu had drunk with him when he was young and knew what he did—robbery, loan sharking, swindling, you name it. He'd been to the police station more than once, but always managed to get out.

These kinds of people will get things done if they have money.

When Jia Dongxu knocked on the door, Lai Liu had just woken up. His face was swollen from a hangover, his eyes were crusted with sleep, and he was wearing a shiny, filthy jacket.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Sixth Brother, I am Jia Dongxu."

Lai Liu squinted at him, then suddenly laughed: "Oh—that good-for-nothing who's been cuckolded?"

Jia Dongxu's face stiffened for a moment, and he didn't reply.

"Sixth Brother, I need your help with something." He reached into his pocket and felt for the wad of cash. "It's a favor, you can take it here, right?"

Lai Liu's gaze changed. He wasn't staring at Jia Dongxu's face, but at the bulge in his arms.

"Come in and speak."

The yard was piled with junk, moss grew in the corners, and the smell of urine mingled with the stench of alcohol. Lai Liu sat down there, legs crossed: "Speak, what is it?"

Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth: "Murder."

"Murder—" Lai Liu drawled, glancing at him, "This job doesn't come cheap."

Name your price.

Lai Liu held up one finger.

"one hundred."

Jia Dongxu breathed a sigh of relief. One hundred yuan, less than he had expected. He took out the money, didn't count it, and slapped it down: "This is the deposit. There'll be more after the killing."

"Who to kill?"

"Li Jianguo".

Lai Liu took the money, shook it in his hand, and listened to the sound. Then he stuffed it into his pocket, stood up, and patted Jia Dongxu on the shoulder: "Alright, you just wait."

Jia Dongxu came out of the courtyard. The sunlight was dazzling. He squinted and took a few steps, then suddenly wanted to laugh.

Li Jianguo.

Let's see how you hide this time.

He walked quickly and didn't notice that Lai Liu was standing at the door, staring at his back for a long time.

I get off work early.

In the final stages of the project, everyone had been working tirelessly for several days in a row. Today, Li Jianguo told everyone to go home and rest. He himself didn't stay at the factory for long either, but rode his bike to the department store.

Buy meat, buy sugar, buy malted milk powder.

I spent a lot of money on tickets, and the handlebars were completely covered with them. I went into the supply and marketing cooperative again when I passed by, and when I came out, they were tied to the back seat as well.

As I rode home, the sun began to set, the light turned orange-red, casting long shadows.

The alley was very quiet.

When Li Jianguo turned in, he didn't notice that there were two people squatting in the corner.

Lai Liu saw it.

He squatted there, staring at Li Jianguo's handlebars—the meat hanging from them, the fat as thick as three fingers, glistening in the setting sun. There was also malted milk powder, in a tin can, costing six or seven yuan a can.

He swallowed hard.

"Sixth Brother, that's him," Jia Dongxu said from the side, his voice low. "I'm going to the restroom."

"A lazy donkey getting on the millstone."

Lai Liu didn't look at him; his eyes were fixed on the meat on the handlebars.

Jia Dongxu took a few steps back, then turned and ran. His footsteps were very light, but he ran very fast, disappearing around a corner.

Only Lai Liu and Li Jianguo remained in the alley.

The distance is getting closer and closer.

Thirty meters.

Twenty meters.

Ten meters —

Lai Liu suddenly jumped out.

"stop!"

Li Jianguo braked the car. He braced his feet on the ground and looked up at him.

Lai Liu brandished a knife, its cold gleam flashing. His face, contorted with grotesque features, forced a smile: "This road belongs to my family. Want to keep it? Leave your stuff."

Li Jianguo didn't move.

Just look at him.

Lai Liu suddenly felt uneasy. This man's eyes were strange, too calm. It was as if he wasn't holding a knife, but a fire poker.

"A good dog doesn't block the way," Li Jianguo said. "Get lost."

"Damn, you've got guts, buddy—"

Lai Liu rushed forward. He thrust the knife forward with practiced ease, a skill honed on the streets—fast and ruthless. He had seen blood; he knew what it felt like, what the sound was, of a knife piercing flesh.

next second.

My wrist tightened.

Click.

Lai Liu heard his bones crack. Then came the pain—a piercing pain that exploded from his wrist all the way to his shoulder. He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out, because he had already been sent flying.

Yes, fly out.

His back slammed against the wall with a dull thud. Brick dust fell down, covering his face.

Li Jianguo walked over.

Holding the knife, tip down, he patted his face. It was cold and smelled of rust.

"Who sent you?"

Lai Liu opened his mouth.

The knife stabbed down.

It was stuck in his arm, half an inch deep, then pulled out. Blood seeped out, staining his shirt.

"ah--!"

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" Lai Liu's voice changed. "Jia Dongxu! It was Jia Dongxu! He gave me a hundred yuan to kill you!"

He shouted and turned to look for Jia Dongxu.

no one.

That bastard ran away long ago.

Lai Liu cursed him and his ancestors for eighteen generations in his mind. This bastard didn't even clarify the quality of his opponent; wasn't he just setting a trap?

Li Jianguo stood up.

She looked down at him.

He suddenly smiled.

"Two choices," he said. "Either go to the police station, or—"

"The second one!"

Lai Liu shouted until his voice was hoarse, "I choose the second one!"

You can't go to the police station. This time it's different from before; this time he really used a knife, there was real blood. Once he goes in, he might not come out.

Li Jianguo nodded: "Very good."

He crouched down, getting closer. The setting sun shone on his profile, half-lit and half-shadowed, obscuring his eyes, but Lai Liu could feel the coolness.

"Since Jia Dongxu ordered you to do it, then cripple him. Two legs or two arms, you choose. If you succeed, today's matter is wiped clean. If you fail—"

He patted Lai Liu's leg.

"I'll keep these two."

Lai Liu nodded vigorously.

Li Jianguo stood up, threw the knife on the ground, got into his car, and drove away.

The meat and malted milk powder were still on the handlebars, swaying in the setting sun.

Lai Liu lay on the ground, watching the figure disappear before daring to move.

He slowly got up, clutching his arm.

"Jia Dongxu..."

These three words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

Here.

Li Jianguo rode his bicycle home.

The alley was getting busier—people getting off work, buying groceries, and eating at their doorsteps. They all greeted him with smiles, but the smiles were different from last month's. Last month's were warm; this month's were polite, tinged with a cautious, tentative approach.

He didn't pay attention.

As I rounded a corner, a person suddenly darted out from in front of me.

He slammed on the brakes, the front wheels veered off course, and he almost crashed.

The man was startled, his foot slipped, and he fell forward. Ahead lay a patch of sand and gravel, littered with broken bricks and tiles; if he landed face-first—

Li Jianguo reached out his hand.

He grabbed her.

The man threw himself into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry—"

She struggled to back out, not daring to lift her head, and kept apologizing. Her hair was a little messy, and she smelled of soap and had the dampness of someone who had just taken a shower.

"It's alright." Li Jianguo straightened the bike. "Watch where you're walking."

He lifted his leg to leave.

The woman suddenly looked up.

stunned.

Her name is Yu Li, a well-known beautiful wife in the alley. She got married a couple of years ago. There are many rumors about her, but she doesn't care. She talks and laughs as usual, and she has a sharp tongue. She can curse for a whole day and night without repeating herself.

Her mother was sick a while ago, and she went back to her parents' home to take care of her for a month. She just returned yesterday.

"Comrade—" she called out to him, "You're new here, aren't you? I know all the young men around here, how come I've never seen you before?"

Li Jianguo turned around and glanced at her.

The setting sun was behind him, obscuring his expression.