The entire courtyard is full of villains

After Zhang Erhe left, Liu Guangqi and his second aunt struggled to drag Liu Haizhong to bed.

"Mom, you stay home and look after Dad. I have to go back to the factory," Liu Guangqi said. "I left so suddenly that day, and I reckon there are all sorts of rumors going around the factory right now. If I don't go back soon, I might get punished by the factory. That thing I mentioned to you and Dad before will probably fall through."

"I understand." Auntie Er wiped away her tears.

Suddenly, Liu Haizhong, lying on the bed, grabbed Liu Guangqi's hand, his voice weak yet stubborn: "Guangqi... that thing you mentioned... you absolutely can't... you can't let it go to waste... Listen to your father, I have no other hope in this life, you must... you absolutely must become an official..."

"Understood." Liu Guangqi replied with a complicated expression, looking at the red and crazed look in Liu Haizhong's eyes.

Chapter 205 Hospital General Meeting

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. During this time, Yi Zhonghai stayed by Hu Tiehua's side while she was pregnant, Liu Haizhong was demoted by the factory, and Yan Bugui was paralyzed in bed. The courtyard became much quieter all of a sudden.

Unfortunately, the weather was still uncooperative this year. First, there was a continuous drought, and then in October, torrential rains came, flooding the entire city of Beijing. Everyone felt heavy-hearted – it seemed that this year would be another difficult one.

That evening, Zhang Erhe strolled home from the factory after get off work. Back in September, he and his purchasing department had stockpiled a batch of grain and implemented flood prevention measures in the warehouse, making the steel rolling mill the only one among several nearby factories that hadn't been flooded. Li Huaide used this opportunity to commend Zhang Erhe, who had recently been promoted to head of the purchasing department.

"Jiaojiao?" Zhang Erhe returned home but didn't see Zhang Jiao. He took off his coat and handed it to Guan Xue. Guan Xue took the coat and brought over a basin of water.

"Where's Jiaojiao?" Zhang Erhe asked.

"I guess she went to the back room to find Xiaoyu," Guan Xue replied, then sighed. "Xiaoyu said she was sick, but she was actually just hungry. Jiaojiao probably saved her dinner and sent it over."

Zhang Erhe sighed upon hearing this. Seeing him sigh, Guan Xue quickly changed the subject: "The neighborhood committee is organizing a meeting tonight."

"A meeting?" Zhang Erhe's heart skipped a beat.

"I don't know what they're going to do this time," Guan Xue said.

"What else can we do?" Zhang Erhe washed his hands. "I reckon the rations are going to be reduced again."

"You want to lose more?" Guan Xue was taken aback. "This is already low enough, how will we survive if we lose any more?"

Zhang Erhe lowered his voice: "I heard that most of the grain-producing areas in the Central Plains have suffered a poor harvest this year, and I estimate that a large number of people will soon be fleeing the famine in Beijing. Beijing can still maintain its supply, but many other places cannot. We have no choice but to reduce the supply."

Guan Xue listened with deep concern: "Then what about our family's food..."

"You don't need to worry about this," Zhang Erhe waved his hand.

"Dad!" Zhang Jiao peeked out from outside.

"Jiaojiao, you're back," Zhang Erhe greeted.

Zhang Jiao put her hands behind her back, and Guan Xue asked, "Jiao Jiao, what did you do with the cornbread outside just now?"

"Dad, Mom, I...I..." Zhang Jiao stammered.

"Zhang Jiao!" Guan Xue's eyebrows furrowed. "I see you're getting bolder and bolder! Speak!" She then tried to pull Zhang Jiao over to be disciplined.

Zhang Erhe stopped Guan Xue, took Zhang Jiao's small hand in his big hand, and asked softly, "Jiaojiao, tell Daddy honestly, did you give your dinner to Xiaoyu?"

Zhang Jiao lowered her head and whispered, "Mmm." Then tears welled up in her eyes. "Dad, Sister Xiaoyu only eats one meal a day now. I saw her feet were swollen, so I gave her my dinner..."

"Did you come up with this yourself?"

"Yes, Sister Xiaoyu is my good friend, and I can't bear to see her hungry."

Zhang Erhe patted her head: "Okay, from now on, you can give some of your own dinner to Xiaoyu every night. Your mother can cook a little more, but you can't cry if you're hungry, understand?"

"I heard you!" Zhang Jiao was no longer scared when her father agreed, and she skipped and jumped to the front yard to tell Xiao Yu the news.

Guan Xue frowned: "Erhe, you're like this..."

Zhang Erhe interrupted her: "Jiaojiao chose this herself. Just make a little more when you cook dinner tonight."

“I know, but our family’s food…”

"Don't worry about the food. Jiaojiao has such a kind heart, so let's indulge her. A little girl can't eat much anyway. Consider it a blessing for our Gou Dan'er."

Guan Xue sighed, "Xiaoyu is a pitiful child. She lives with her grandmother and has to help with chores at such a young age. Now the neighborhood committee is assigning her less work, and the two of them only eat one meal a day..."

At seven o'clock, Zhang Erhe went out and walked to the Intermediate Court, where he ran into Yi Zhonghai coming out.

"Hey, Er Gouzi," Zhang Erhe greeted.

Yi Zhonghai's face stiffened, and he said with a mournful expression, "Uncle Erhe, didn't we say we'd call you by your formal name from now on?"

"Hey, I'm getting old, my memory isn't what it used to be," Zhang Erhe said with a laugh.

Looking at Zhang Erhe's jet-black hair, Yi Zhonghai cursed inwardly: You did this on purpose!

"Good brother!" A voice came from the side; it was Yi Laonian. This summer, Zhang Erhe arranged for him and his father-in-law to work in the steel rolling mill looking after the small warehouse. The items inside were rarely retrieved, maybe once every ten days or half a month; it was basically a cushy job.

"Brother, how have things been at the factory lately?" Zhang Erhe asked with a smile.

"That's good, that's good." Old Man Yi never expected that he would be able to work in a factory even though he was almost buried in the ground. Although it was a temporary job, with Zhang Erhe looking after him and accompanying his uncle to work every day, he would receive a monthly salary. It's just that food is scarce in the city now, and they have to buy expensive grain, but the old couple don't eat much, so they can manage.

"Uncle Erhe." Hu Tiehua came out, holding her belly.

"How many months has it been since Tiehua started?" Zhang Erhe asked.

“Eight months,” Hu Tiehua replied, though she knew in her heart that it was almost nine months. She was planning to find an opportunity to create an accident to give birth early, and tell Yi Zhonghai that it was premature—he was a childless woman who had never had a child before, so he certainly had no experience.

But when she caught a glimpse of Xu Damao coming from the backyard, she was troubled again: Xu Fugui said that their family had a long face, what if the child was born with a long face, would Yi Zhonghai be suspicious? She could only hope that it wouldn't be obvious at birth, and make do for now. If they really found out, they could just get a divorce.

"Uncle Erhe." Liu Guangtian arrived with Liu Guangfu. Since the family split up, Liu Guangtian had been working as a temporary worker in the street office canteen. He was doing a good job, and the two brothers had their own quotas and didn't get beaten up, so they looked great.

Liu Guangtian respectfully took out a pack of cigarettes—he had bought them as a gift for his master, and today he was giving them to Zhang Erhe. "Uncle Erhe, please try some."

“Sure, Guangtian.” Zhang Erhe took the cigarette.

"I have to thank Uncle Erhe," Liu Guangtian said with a smile. "If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to leave home smoothly." He then nudged Liu Guangfu, "Guangfu, quickly thank Uncle Erhe."

"Thank you, Uncle Erhe," Liu Guangfu quickly said.

“Alright, you two should live a good life together,” Zhang Erhe said. “Let that blind fool take a good look and see which one is the pearl and which one is the glass ball.”

These words were clearly directed at Liu Haizhong. Sure enough, when the two brothers looked over, Liu Haizhong was walking out of the backyard, his face flushed red. The fact that his underage son preferred to stay with his newly-adult second brother rather than with him speaks volumes about the kind of life this son led at home.

Amidst the casual gossip in the courtyard, Liu Haizhong's reputation in Nanluoguxiang had become utterly tarnished. Now, his life at the factory was even more miserable. Had he not genuinely mentored a few apprentices, he would have been forced to work in another workshop long ago. Now, besides work, he would go home and drink alone, and when drunk, he would want to hit people. But since Liu Guangqi lived at the factory and didn't come home, he could only vent his anger on his second aunt.

He's become "smarter" now; when he beats someone, he closes the door and gags the second aunt. Except for a few families living nearby in the backyard, almost no one else can hear the second aunt's screams. Only the women in the yard can occasionally see from the bruises on the second aunt's face how brutal Liu Zhizhong is, which makes his already bad reputation plummet in the neighborhood women's circle.

He's constantly being pointed at and gossiped about wherever he goes, so he's just given up. If it weren't for the hospital-wide meeting tonight, he probably wouldn't have come to the Central Court at all. But as soon as he arrived, Zhang Erhe snapped at him. He glared at Zhang Erhe venomously, then leaned against a pillar, looking down at himself as if it were none of his business.

The person who came to the Yan family's house in the front yard was Yan Jiefang. Yan Bugui had been sunbathing outside a couple of days ago when it suddenly started raining. Nobody paid any attention to him and brought him inside. He got soaked for a long time and caught a cold. Yang Ruihua was worried about the money, so she didn't take him to the hospital. She just bought some traditional Chinese medicine at the alley entrance and brewed it for him to drink every day.

Because Yan Jiefang cleaned toilets every day, he had long since developed a foul odor. As soon as he arrived at the Intermediate People's Court, people nearby would automatically keep their distance.

Chapter 206 Not a single one of them is easy to deal with.

At 7:00 sharp, Wang Qiuju led two staff members into courtyard number 95. But once inside, everyone was chatting with Zhang Erhe, and no one paid her any attention. She cleared her throat, looked around, and saw only a space next to Yan Jiefang, so she went over. She immediately regretted it—a stench of sweat and feces assaulted her nostrils. Suppressing her discomfort, she cleared her throat again: "Everyone's here."

Only then did the people in the courtyard notice Wang Qiuju entering. "Stand still, listen to what the neighborhood committee has to say," Zhang Erhe said, and the people in the courtyard quickly moved to the side, forming a neat line.

Wang Qiuju walked to the middle of the courtyard, took a deep breath, and then took out a document from her bag: "I've gathered everyone here today to announce something."

"What's going on?" Xu Damao shouted. "Officer Wang, is it time for our rations to be reinstated?"

Wang Qiuju's face tightened: "Xu Damao, who told you this nonsense?"

"What could be so serious? It can't be that we have to reduce the quota, can it?" As soon as Xu Damao said this, Wang Qiuju's face immediately turned ugly—who leaked the secret?

The people below immediately erupted in protest: "Reduce the rations again? With the current rations, our family counts every grain of rice before cooking. If they're reduced any further, we'll starve!"

"Exactly! The neighborhood committee doesn't care about doing anything productive, all they know is reducing quotas!"

Wang Qiuju listened to the complaints, her head throbbing with pain. She glared fiercely at Xu Damao. Xu Damao, however, was only focused on arguing with the people next to him and completely ignored her.

"Alright," Zhang Erhe said, "Let the comrades from the subdistrict office finish speaking first."

Wang Qiuju didn't appreciate the offer. Holding the report, she hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Many places suffered poor harvests this summer. After research by higher authorities, it has been decided that the grain rations for residents of our city will be temporarily reduced a little more. The rations for heavy manual laborers will be reduced from 38 jin to 32 jin, for light manual laborers from 27 jin to 22 jin, and for unemployed residents from 24 jin to 19 jin. The rations for children and infants will remain unchanged."

"Boom!" The courtyard erupted in chaos. "Damn! Xu Damao was right!"

"Another reduction? I can't live like this anymore!" "I'm going to ask who made this decision. I'm going to their house for dinner!"

"Yes, let's go together!"

"What are you doing?" Wang Qiuju suppressed her anger. This group of troublemakers at No. 95 Courtyard, led by Zhang Erhe, were simply defiant, daring to question the street office's documents. "The reduction in rations was decided by the entire leadership of Sijiu City, and our street office also took the lead in reducing them! If you don't believe me, come with me to see my family's ration. Comrades from the street office, go check. If anyone has a higher ration than you, you take the grain away; if you have less, you have to apologize!"

After all, Wang Qiuju had experience in community work, and her words immediately quieted down the noise in the courtyard.

"Officer Wang!"

Wang Qiuju turned her head, and the one who answered was Old Xie, who lived next to Sha Zhu's main house. The old couple were taking care of their grandson. Old Xie had taken over his son's job and had a household registration and a quota, but his wife and grandson did not.

Old Xie began, "The neighborhood committee asked us to reduce our rations before, and I didn't say anything. My family managed to make do. But now they're reducing them again, what are my wife and grandson going to do?" He then pulled his grandson over, "Look at this child..."

Wang Qiuju looked over; the child had a large head, but his body was as thin as a stick, so thin that he could be blown away by a gust of wind. She gritted her teeth: "Master Xie, I know it's hard for you. But in many places, people can't even sustain themselves with this ration. Don't laugh at me, but I'll let you in on a secret: by the end of this year, there might be people fleeing famine from Beijing. Then you'll realize that we're already lucky to have a ration."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "I know you all have difficulties, but please try to overcome them. As long as we get through this year, we will definitely be able to get through this difficult time next year."

After saying that, fearing that the people in the courtyard would ask more questions, she grabbed two staff members and left in a hurry—there were still several courtyards nearby waiting for her to notify.

As soon as Wang Qiuju left, the people in the courtyard started to murmur. Many families were in a similar situation to Old Xie's, and a gloomy atmosphere descended upon them.

Jia Zhangshi rushed out first, shouting, "Old Jia! Dongxu..." She realized her mistake immediately—Dongxu wasn't dead yet—and quickly corrected herself, "Old Jia! You're living the high life down there, but look at your wife and your eldest grandson, they're suffering now. You haven't even offered us a chance to enjoy ourselves..."

Zhang Erhe glanced at the noisy faces of the people in the courtyard, too lazy to join in, and returned to the front yard first. Seeing him leave, the people in the courtyard dispersed one by one, but their brows were tightly furrowed, their hearts heavy.

In the east wing of the front yard, Guan Xue had just put Gou Dan to sleep and was being led by Zhang Jiao to play cat's cradle. Seeing Zhang Erhe push the door open and enter, she looked up and asked, "Erhe, is the meeting over already?"

"Yes, the guy surnamed Wang was afraid of being stopped if he walked too slowly, so he ran off in a hurry." Zhang Erhe replied, took the basin off the stove, tested the water temperature, took off his shoes and socks, and put his feet in.

Guan Xue's eyes widened: "Does this mean we really have to reduce the ration?"

"That's absolutely right."

"No wonder I heard a commotion in the yard."

"Don't you know the people in this compound? They act like they've lost money if they can't get a good deal. When they heard about the reduced rations, how could they not complain?"

Guan Xue sighed, a rare occurrence for her. "Who started it?"

"Old Xie next to Sha Zhu."

Guan Xue thought for a moment: "It's normal for them to make a fuss, that grandson is so skinny..."

"That's just what you see on the surface," Zhang Erhe sneered. "That child isn't getting enough to eat; it's entirely Lao Xie's own fault."

"Why?" Guan Xue asked, somewhat surprised.

“Old Xie’s son was injured at work before, and the factory originally wanted his daughter-in-law to take over his job so that Old Xie’s grandson could also get a city household registration and a quota. But Old Xie was afraid that his daughter-in-law would abandon them after taking over his job, so he insisted on going to take over the job himself, dragging the lumber mill leaders along.” Zhang Erhe explained, “The lumber mill has become a laughing stock. Usually, it’s the son who takes over the father’s job, but here, it’s the father taking over the son’s job.”