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

The image of Sha Zhu kept flashing through his mind.

That was no longer a human being. His hair was a complete mess, like a bird's nest, his face was covered in bruises, and his eyes were practically lifeless. When I saw him, I stared blankly for a long time, as if wondering who this old man was.

"You only showed up when I was about to die."

Those words were like knives.

He Daqing took a deep drag on his cigarette. He hadn't cared for his son all these years, but he'd sent him plenty of money. Ten yuan a month, without fail. He just couldn't understand where all that money had gone.

Yi Zhonghai.

Upon hearing this name, He Daqing threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it to pieces with his foot.

He went again early the next morning.

This time, Sha Zhu was a little more sober, but that was about it—his eyes were red, his lips were chapped, and his voice sounded like a broken gong when he spoke.

"What did you say yesterday? That Yi Zhonghai took the money?"

He Daqing nodded. He recounted everything that had happened over the years, and when he got to the part about Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu's messy affair, Sha Zhu's expression changed.

"Who are you talking about?"

"Qin Huairu".

"Bullshit!"

Sha Zhu jumped to his feet, the chains rattling. The policeman outside peeked out, then withdrew.

He Daqing didn't argue with him, he just stared at him. Sha Zhu felt uneasy under his gaze and slowly sat down again.

"Think about it," He Daqing said, "how did she, a rural woman, get into the city? What qualifications did she have to get in? Yi Zhonghai spent half a year in the countryside back then, and when he came back, he brought her here. Why do you think that was?"

Sha Zhu was stunned.

I was stunned for a long time.

Then he laughed, and as he laughed, tears streamed down his face.

"I'm still thinking about marrying her."

He Daqing didn't know what to say. He looked at his son and suddenly felt that the child was truly foolish. Foolish in a way that broke his heart.

"Do you know why I admitted to it?" Sha Zhu suddenly said, "I admitted to what Bang Geng stole. Why? She just looked at me like that, her eyes red, begging me. I thought, if I help her this time, she'll at least... at least look at me a little more."

As he was speaking, his voice trailed off.

The lights in the interrogation room made faces appear pale. He Daqing looked at his son and noticed that he had gray hairs at his temples.

"That old bastard Yi Zhonghai," Sha Zhu suddenly looked up, "how long has he been with Qin Huairu?"

"I heard it started in the countryside. The Jia family's children...maybe he's one of them."

Sha Zhu opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Then he bent over and vomited.

Actually, it wasn't vomiting, it was blood. Dark red, it had seeped into the ground.

"son!"

He Daqing lunged forward, but was stopped by the railing. Sha Zhu lay on the ground, his shoulders twitching.

"Qin Huairu," he said hoarsely, "you bitch."

The words were spoken weakly, not like an insult, but more like a cry.

The police officers outside rushed in and helped Sha Zhu up. Sha Zhu pushed them away, straightened up by leaning against the wall, and wiped his mouth.

"I want to see her."

He Daqing was taken aback.

"I said, I want to see Qin Huairu. I need to see her one last time before I die."

He Daqing looked at his son and nodded.

After leaving the police station, he didn't go home; he went straight to the detention center. Qin Huairu was being held there.

He was stunned when he saw the person.

This woman, well, she looks much older than her actual age. There are dark circles under her eyes, and her hair is brittle. She doesn't look like she's in her thirties; she looks like she's in her late forties.

"uncle."

Qin Huairu called him, her eyes reddening.

He Daqing didn't respond to that. He explained his purpose, and Qin Huairu's expression changed.

"I have nothing to do with Sha Zhu," she took a step back, "Please don't look for me."

"Alright, alright." He Daqing took out a cigarette, but didn't light it, just held it in his hand. "I know everything about your affair with Yi Zhonghai. My son likes you, he's blind. But you have to go see him."

Qin Huairu remained silent.

He Daqing took out a few ten-yuan bills from his pocket and slapped them on the table.

"Before I collect his body, you'll see him one last time. Just one time. Then it'll be over, and we'll be even."

Qin Huairu looked at the money, then at He Daqing.

"Just one side?"

Just one look.

She accepted the money.

The day Sha Zhu met Qin Huairu, He Daqing didn't go inside. He stood outside smoking, one cigarette after another.

He couldn't hear anything coming from inside. Then he heard a shout, but he didn't pay attention. Then things got chaotic—footsteps, shouts, and it sounded like someone was crying.

Then Qin Huairu was carried out.

His face was covered in blood. Half of his ear was gone.

He Daqing dropped the cigarette in his hand.

Sha Zhu was pinned to the ground by several policemen, chewing on something. When he saw He Daqing, he grinned, his mouth full of blood.

"Dad," he said, "I bit him."

He Daqing stood there, unsure of what to say.

Later, he found a deaf old woman.

The old lady sat in the house and listened to him finish speaking, remaining silent for a long time.

"That silly boy," she finally spoke, "I watched him grow up. I can't let him die."

"But what can I do?" He Daqing rubbed his face. "Li Jianguo is a big shot now, who would dare offend him?"

The deaf old woman thought for a moment.

"What about the Jia family? If Bang Geng admits it, then Sha Zhu will be fine, right?"

He Daqing smiled bitterly. When he left, Jia Zhangshi splashed water on his face, and Jia Dongxu chased after him with a kitchen knife, almost chopping him up.

"Then we'll have to think of another way."

The deaf old woman lowered her voice.

He Daqing leaned closer, and as he listened, his eyes widened.

"This...this is a matter of life and death."

"Your son is going to die too."

He Daqing remained silent.

The next morning, Li Jianguo went out.

He was wearing a clean Zhongshan suit, his hair neatly combed, and he rode his bicycle out of the alley. A pretty girl in a Lenin suit was riding on the back.

He Daqing followed from a distance.

Houhai was crowded with people—skating, strolling, and couples. Li Jianguo walked on the ice with the girl. Occasionally, the girl would skate a few steps, and Li Jianguo would protect her from the side, grinning like a fool.

He Daqing squatted on the shore, hunching his shoulders, watching.

He had his hands in his pockets, clutching a hemp rope.

The girl had a lovely laugh; you could hear it from far away.

He Daqing thought of Sha Zhu. He remembered him sitting on the floor in the dark room, staring blankly at the wall.

He stood up and took two steps over there.

It stopped again.

The girl suddenly turned around and glanced in his direction. Just one glance, then she continued talking to Li Jianguo.

He Daqing suddenly felt cold.

He shrank back into the corner and lit a cigarette. His hands were still trembling.

The sun slowly rose, shining brightly on the ice.

He Daqing squinted at the two figures in the distance.

He didn't move.

Just watch.

The closer Li Jianguo got to Jiang Min, the more he felt that this girl was quite nice.

She wasn't strikingly beautiful, but rather pleasing to the eye over time. Her eyes would crinkle when she spoke, and she'd smile, revealing a hint of her canine teeth. Occasionally, when she was lost in thought, she'd bite her lower lip for a long time. He didn't know when he started noticing these details, but he just noticed them.

As they chatted more, they learned that Jiang Min came from a scholarly family. Her father was a former classmate of Director Yang and was now a cadre. What did he do? It seemed to be in the mechanical field. It was precisely because of this that Jiang Min had been interested in mechanics since childhood—when she said this, an image popped into Li Jianguo's mind: a little girl squatting on the ground taking apart an alarm clock, being chased and beaten by her mother.

He curled the corners of his mouth slightly.

The two arrived at Houhai. There were quite a few people on the ice; some were skating, some were just standing there watching, and a few teenagers were playing with ice chimes. There were also young couples like them, walking far apart, not daring to touch each other's arms, but their awkwardness was quite amusing to watch.

They rented ice skates and went down for a couple of laps. Jiang Min wasn't very good at skating; she was stumbling and wobbling, so Li Jianguo stayed right next to her, worried she might fall.

After skating for a while, Jiang Min suddenly stopped, her face slightly flushed.

"I... am not feeling well."

Li Jianguo understood. These days, young women speak subtly; "uncomfortable" is what they mean.

"I'm waiting for you."

Jiang Min left. Li Jianguo stood alone on the ice, looking around. The sun hung low, its rays reflecting off the ice, making it a little dazzling. In the distance, someone had set up a stall selling hot tea, large porcelain bowls steaming. He walked over, ordered a bowl, and sat down to drink it slowly.

The tea wasn't good; it had a burnt taste. But it was hot.

After finishing his bowl of tea, he waited a while longer, but Jiang Min still hadn't returned.

Li Jianguo glanced at his watch. It had been a while.

He stood up and walked towards the restroom. Halfway there, he stopped an older woman.

"Auntie, my girlfriend has been in the restroom for a long time and hasn't come out. Could you please go in and check if she's feeling unwell?"

The older woman glanced at him; the young man, in his early twenties, was sweating profusely with anxiety, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Okay, okay, just wait."