All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

"It's alright, it's alright. Yesterday was all a misunderstanding. I wasn't seriously injured. The doctor said I'll be fine after half a month of rest. Chunming and I grew up together. Today, I'm toasting Chunming. I hope he can forgive and forget. From now on, he'll still be my brother!"

Cheng Jianjun's words sounded extremely hypocritical to Han Chunming, but everyone else nodded in satisfaction. Han's mother even gestured to Han Chunming with her eyes to hurry up and take action.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him, Han Chunming had no choice but to stand up, pick up his wine glass, look at Cheng Jianjun with a smile, and then said with a faint smile.

"Alright, let's forget about this from now on!"

Cheng Jianjun downed his drink in one gulp, then glanced at Su Meng before turning around and saying...

"Su Meng, I'm sorry for putting you in a difficult position yesterday because of what happened between Chunming and me!"

Su Meng suppressed her emotions, looked up at Cheng Jianjun, then at Han Chunming, and then said coldly.

"fine!"

The conversation between the three felt a bit strange, but since everyone had already started talking, they stopped bringing up more sensitive topics, such as the rumors that Han Chunming and Cheng Jianjun were fighting over Su Meng.

After everyone had finished drinking and eating, Cheng Jianjun noticed that his mother hadn't spoken yet, so he kicked her under the table. Cheng's mother looked up at her son, then smiled and spoke.

"Chunming, you brought such a beautiful girlfriend home today, aren't you going to introduce her to everyone?"

Cheng's mother's words suddenly drew everyone's attention to Qi Siqiao, who had been eating with her head down, looking like a demure young lady.

Han Chunming glanced at Cheng Jianjun casually, then smiled and said.

"Her name is Qi Siqiao, and she currently works at a textile factory in Balizhuang!"

Cheng's mother continued to ask.

"This girl is so beautiful, we've already taken her home. When are you going to invite everyone to your wedding?"

Upon hearing this question, two people at the table immediately perked up their ears.

These two were naturally Su Meng and Cheng Jianjun. Han Chunming glanced at Qi Siqiao with affection and then said.

"We don't have any plans yet; we're thinking of getting married in a couple of years!"

Upon hearing this answer, some were happy while others were sad.

After asking a few questions about Qi Siqiao's family situation, everyone stopped asking further.

Soon, the conversation shifted to other topics.

The meal lasted for more than an hour before it ended, and people dispersed in twos and threes.

Han Chunming offered to take Qi Siqiao home. Han's mother originally wanted Qi Siqiao to stay overnight, but after thinking about it, she realized it wasn't appropriate for the young lady to stay overnight since it was her first time visiting. She then gave Han Chunming some instructions before letting him take her home.

Along the way, Qi Siqiao held Han Chunming tightly around the waist, and the two confided their secrets in the darkness.

After meeting the parents, the relationship was officially settled.

When they arrived at their destination, it was already quite late. Han Chunming didn't have the nerve to ask to stay the night. After receiving a kiss on the cheek, he was satisfied and headed home.

Now that the relationship has reached this point, Han Chunming is no longer in a hurry; he is thinking about something else.

This matter deserves a good lesson for that bastard Cheng Jianjun!

That bastard, wasn't he faking being injured?

Then let me make you truly hurt this time!

Playing dirty tricks is my favorite thing!

Tonight, Cheng Jianjun tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, his mind filled with images of Qi Siqiao.

Suddenly, he felt a churning in his stomach. He frowned, looked out the window, and realized it was late at night. He was a little scared to go to a public restroom in the middle of the night.

But then his stomach rumbled again, and he cursed under his breath, got out of bed, put on some clothes and slippers, and prepared to go out.

To avoid waking his parents, Cheng Jianjun gently pushed open the door before cautiously walking out into the yard.

In the old hutongs and courtyards of Yanjing, everyone used public toilets; there was always one toilet on every street.

Even in the middle of the night, there's no need to worry about getting lost. In the sweltering summer heat, just follow the street, and wherever there's a stench within a ten-meter radius, that's the toilet.

It was past midnight, and the streets were quiet. There was no moon tonight, and for some reason, the streetlights weren't on either. Cheng Jianjun regretted not bringing a light, but he had already walked halfway, so he decided to let it go.

He found the toilet by memory. There used to be a street lamp inside and outside the toilet, but it wasn't lit tonight. The toilet was pitch black inside. Cheng Jianjun cursed as he entered the toilet, thinking to himself, "Is there a power outage?"

Public toilets in those days were indescribable, especially in the summer when the stench was so strong it hurt your eyes. Fortunately, this toilet was cleaned regularly, so it was relatively clean.

These toilets are the kind with one pit after another, and the pits are long and narrow. During the day, if you look inside, you can see a huge swarm of white maggots. Fortunately, you can't see them at night.

Cheng Jianjun was already familiar with the terrain. He found the pit smoothly. He had just taken his pants off halfway when he felt his stomach growl. He was immediately relieved that he had finally arrived at his destination!

He hurriedly tried to squat down, but suddenly, in the darkness, a small stone shot out silently and hit Cheng Jianjun right in the groin. Cheng Jianjun felt a pain in his groin, and then his legs went weak, and he sat down on the pit...!

Chapter Twenty-Four: Cheng Jianjun's Infamy Becomes Widespread

All that could be heard in the darkness was a cry of pain, followed by a blood-curdling scream.

A dozen meters away from the toilet, an elderly woman was suddenly awakened. She shook her husband next to her and asked him with some confusion.

"Old Lin, did you hear anything?"

The old man was shaken awake in a daze, and muttered impatiently.

"What's that sound? Is it a ghost knocking on the door in the middle of the night?!"

After saying that, he ignored the old woman and a few seconds later, his snoring started again.

At this moment, in the public toilet, Cheng Jianjun sat slumped in the toilet pit, like an adult holding a child to urinate. If it were a child, he could fall right in.

However, as an adult, he could only wedge half of his buttocks in, with one leg in the pit. He felt something soft under his foot and his whole body shuddered.

Half of his buttocks was scraped by the cement block, and he felt a surge of pain.

The pain is nothing compared to the shame.

The scream didn't wake him up, but it made the mosquitoes in the toilet buzz loudly. Cheng Jianjun felt a pain and itching in his buttocks, and he almost fainted.

In the darkness, anxious and in pain, he didn't care about the sticky mess on both sides of the pit. He lifted his feet out of the pit, held onto the edge of the pit, and tried to get up.

In this deserted public restroom, pitch black and accompanied only by the buzzing of mosquitoes, Cheng Jianjun felt his eyes welling up with tears, unsure whether it was from the fumes or from embarrassment.

He tried to climb up by holding onto the edge of the pit, but in the darkness, the sticky, slippery surface on both sides of the pit was too slippery to get any leverage.

But at that moment, all he wanted to do was get up. In his panic, Cheng Jianjun's hand slipped, and his entire arm went into the pit, causing his head to hit the edge of the pit.

The sticky, foul smell in his mouth made him feel like his life was shrouded in darkness. He could clearly feel that he was holding a wriggling white thing in his hand. Although he couldn't see it, he knew it was white.

Cheng Jianjun's tears finally flowed. He vomited frantically, shaking off the stuff in his hands. He didn't care about anything else and vigorously wiped it on both sides of the pit.

He crawled to the toilet aisle, where the floor was either wet or something else; he was completely soaked.

He stumbled to his feet, feeling like he was about to collapse. He couldn't think straight, and without even fastening his belt, he ran outside. As he ran, he tripped and fell flat on his face.

A man doesn't easily shed tears, but Cheng Jianjun bit his lip and tears streamed down his face as if they were free. He grabbed his belt, pulled it up, and ran outside.

He stumbled and ran towards home, but halfway there, he suddenly felt a rumbling in his stomach, followed by a sound like a flood bursting forth. His trousers couldn't hold back the churning, diluted substance.

Cheng Jianjun's fragile heart finally couldn't take it anymore. He took off his pants, squatted on the road, bit his lip, and began to release his pent-up emotions.

Suddenly, a dog barked in the darkness, making Cheng Jianjun, who was already on edge, jump like a frightened bird. He pulled up his pants and ran towards his yard.

Cheng Jianjun bit his lip, tears welling in his eyes, and entered the courtyard hesitantly.

The compound had communal water taps for washing clothes and cooking. He had originally intended to rinse himself with water, but today's humiliation was a dark memory he would never forget.

Suddenly, for some reason, several barks rang out from outside the yard. As if they had been tricked, the dogs let out a few pitiful cries, which caused the lights in several neighboring houses to turn on.

The flavors that Cheng Jianjun brought back along the way were like a spring breeze, spreading throughout the entire street.

The elderly men and women, awakened by the barking of the dogs, grabbed their lamps and opened their doors. As soon as they opened the doors, the strong, fresh scent in the darkness made several of the men exclaim, "Holy crap!"

Immediately following was a chorus of curses from countless elderly men and women, which rang out particularly loudly in the darkness.

Within minutes, lights were switched on in countless neighborhood homes, doors were opened, and elderly men and women with flashlights walked onto the street, accompanied by sounds of retching and cursing.

That night, the entire neighborhood was awakened by the noise, with adults and children alike carrying flashlights and searching for something in the darkness.

No one knew what they were looking for. Some said they were looking for dog thieves, others said they were looking for poop thieves. In short, there were many different opinions. Many children were crying loudly because of the stench outside. For a while, chaos ensued.

Cheng Jianjun was finally caught. He squatted at his own door, looking like a pitiful little thing, a walking human-shaped spreader, with no way to hide.

Shining countless flashlights at him, his face was deathly pale, and he was soaking wet. The usually eloquent man was now in a semi-conscious state, hugging his knees and squatting on the ground, trembling.

No one dared to approach until his parents pushed open the door and saw their son's appearance. The couple cried and rushed over to him.

That night was very lively, extremely lively. Cheng Jianjun became infamous overnight, but his notoriety spread far and wide.

Fortunately, he was a strong person, someone who had transcended base desires, and he eventually pulled through.

After staying in the hospital for three days, he finally regained his senses and took a long leave from work to stay at his aunt's house in the countryside for a month before he fully recovered.

The Cheng family once suspected that there might be something wrong with Han Chunming's meal, but since everyone except Cheng Jianjun was fine, the matter was eventually dropped.

Han Chunming never expected that what he originally intended to do to Cheng Jianjun would have such a serious chain reaction.

However, he soon learned that there was a stain on his file, and his sympathy for Cheng Jianjun vanished instantly.

Hopefully, this guy will learn his lesson after this incident!

The courtyard house, now temporarily without Cheng Jianjun, has returned to its former tranquility.

Han Chunming also felt much more at peace. He continued to follow the ragpicker Hou around the streets and alleys collecting scraps, all of which he kept secret from his family.

His relationship with Qi Siqiao also progressed rapidly, from cheek kisses to oral communication.

Su Meng's relationship with him has entered a new cold war period. Although the two families had already talked things out at the dinner table that day, now that Han Chunming has a girlfriend, the relationship between the two families has completely entered a frozen period, and there is almost no communication between them.

Without Cheng Jianjun's meddling, the educated youth gathering was held as usual, but without that old schemer, the gathering was less fun.

Cheng Jianjun and Su Meng did not attend, but Han Chunming and Cai Xiaoli did.

At this gathering of former educated youth, Han Chunming seemed to see the future of everyone, and they were beginning to go their separate ways.

Among the educated youth, some children of cadres, like Yang Jianhua, quickly found jobs after returning to the city and thrived in their workplaces.

Children from ordinary families like Cai Xiaoli and Han Chunming had to pull strings and go through a lot of trouble to find jobs, and there were even many confused educated youths who were unemployed at home.

Perhaps at the next gathering in the future, everyone's social standing will be clearer.

For Han Chunming, this world is just a game of life. As for Cai Xiaoli and Taozi, if they don't have any opportunities in the future, they may just be ordinary workers for the rest of their lives, and eventually be laid off in ten or twenty years and become the most ordinary people.

Han Chunming was their opportunity.