The situation was similar for Yan Bugui's family. Although Yan Jiefang and Yan Jiekuang were not around, Yan Jiecheng and his wife were by their side, so they were able to have a good New Year.

As for Liu Haizhong's family in the backyard, they were in a terrible situation.

None of his three sons came back. Only he and his second aunt were left, guarding the huge house and a table full of dishes, silently facing each other...

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu were released from the police station on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.

Opinions from the factory also followed: Yi Zhonghai should retire early, Qin Huairu should retire due to illness, and her work could be taken over by her children.

And so, Huaihua also got a job at the Hongxing Factory, becoming a lathe operator—a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, given Banggeng's past imprisonment, finding a decent job would have been incredibly difficult...

In another timeline, the fat man, while watching the TV series, also didn't quite understand why Qin Huairu, being old and technically incompetent, insisted on staying at the factory, preferring to earn such a meager salary rather than let her children take her place.

Doesn't she know that none of her family members—Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua—have jobs?

It's important to know that the substitution system wasn't abolished until 1986; so what did she do during that long period from 1976 to 1986? What do you think she was thinking?

It wasn't just Huaihua who was affected by the incident; Xiaodang was also involved. However, this girl didn't have a job to begin with. Fatty had wanted her to take the college entrance exam with Chen Fang, but now that's out of the question—she wouldn't pass the political background check! They can only let Shazhu support her for now, and wait for reform and opening up.

As for Yi Zhonghai, not only was he sent home early by the factory, but the neighborhood committee also dismissed him from his position as "liaison officer." This "liaison officer" position was roughly equivalent to the later "director of the residents' committee," wielding power arbitrarily...

That's good now; Yi Zhonghai can no longer stir up trouble with his petty tricks.

There's another person, Chen Lijuan, who is in a much worse situation.

He was fired from the Sixth Hospital, his medical license was revoked, and he almost went to jail... He hated Qin Huairu to the core.

As soon as Qin Huairu got home, she started arguing with Qin Jingru.

They called her shameless and told her to get out, just like Xu Damao did to Lou Xiao'e back then, and threw all of her sister's things into the yard.

Qin Jingru tried to fight, but she couldn't win; she tried to make a scene, but she was in the wrong, so she could only be kicked out.

At night, Xu Damao vaguely heard a woman crying outside the window.

Terrified, he jumped out of bed with a howl, rushed to a corner, pulled out an incense burner, skillfully lit a candle and three incense sticks, and knelt on the ground, pleading: "Lou Xiao'e, I know you're innocent, but I had no choice. Please, please let me go..."

After praying for ages, "Lou Xiao'e" was still crying outside. Xu Damao was on the verge of collapse: "I beg you, just let me go like a fart!"

Finally, Xu Damao mustered his courage, thinking that whether he stuck his neck out or not, he would still have to do it anyway, and forcefully pulled open the door!

He was still holding a kitchen knife: "Lou Xiao'e, I'll fight you to the death! Jing, Jingru..."

So it was Qin Jingru, that silly girl! Xu Damao silently sheathed his knife, looked at her pitiful appearance, glanced towards the central courtyard, and finally sighed, saying to Qin Jingru, "Come in."

"..."

In the TV series, Xu Damao and Qin Jingru are getting a divorce. It was Sha Zhu who, with half a bottle of wine, went to their door and asked, "Are you going to drink a toast or a penalty drink?"

As a result, Xu Damao timidly chose to drink the toast, and was forced to drink a lot of liquor by Sha Zhu.

Then he got all tipsy and said he couldn't eat dry food, he had to have two scrambled eggs cooked; his expression and appearance were just so adorable...

In contrast, Sha Zhu is repulsive.

However, in this timeline, Xu Damao saw that Qin Jingru was pitiful and softened his heart, so he took her in again.

Like many couples who have divorced, but because the woman has nowhere else to go, she has to continue living with her ex-husband so that they can take care of each other.

Qin Jingru is in the same situation; she has no home anymore. They haven't been in contact for so many years. If Xu Damao really doesn't want her anymore, she'll just have to die out there.

Xu Damao's actions this time have earned him a higher regard from everyone.

Yi Zhonghai is now staying indoors all day and is feeling incredibly stifled.

He used to be the focus of Nanluoguxiang, a respected "old man". Wherever he went in this alley, people would greet him warmly.

But now, whenever he goes out, people point at him and whisper about him.

"Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu from their courtyard were having an affair in the cellar!"

"Really? He doesn't seem like that kind of person?"

"Look? Do you know the idiom 'sanctimonious'?"

"It's true, it's easy to draw a tiger's skin but hard to draw its bones; you can know a person's face but not their heart. Who would have thought he could do something like this..."

How can Yi Zhonghai go out now?

As for Qin Huairu, she lost her job and all her face. Now even Huaihua won't talk to her. She keeps running to Xiao Dangwu for no reason, which makes Qin Huairu so angry she's practically grinding her teeth to powder.

In the past, everyone in this courtyard praised how well her three children were raised.

But ever since Xiao Dang refused to acknowledge her as her mother, everything has changed!

Now, everyone in the compound tells the kids, "If you keep going like this, you'll end up like Qin Huairu's son, and you'll be in jail sooner or later!"

If anyone mistreats or beats the child, the people in the neighborhood will gossip about it, saying, "Don't go too far, or you'll end up like that little rascal from Qin Huairu's family, who was almost driven to his death."

Qin Huairu was already hysterical. Xiao Dang, it's all Xiao Dang's fault! And Fatty too! Why did he have to meddle back then? It would have been so much better if he had just let that ungrateful wretch eat a packet of rat poison!

The most heartbroken was Jia Zhangshi. She couldn't stand staying in this courtyard for even a day longer. If Bang Geng weren't still in prison, she would really want to go back to her hometown.

Madam Jia is now filled with regret. How could she have chosen Qin Huairu, this jinx, after all those years of careful consideration?

First, she caused the death of her son, Dongxu; then she sent her own son to prison and forced her own daughter to sever their mother-daughter relationship...

Dongxu, open your eyes and look! What terrible things have we done? Our Jia family is doomed!

Just think about how miserable his family's life was during the period when the fat man first took over.

Huaihua had just started working at the factory when the whole family lost their income again. Before, they could go around begging for money and play the victim in the yard. Most importantly, there was a simple-minded guy named Shazhu who was willing to help them out.

But now, all the old and young wives in the courtyard keep a close eye on their husbands!

If any of the men in her family dared to say a word to Qin Huairu, they would be in for a fight when they got home.

After the battle is over, they'll definitely come to the Jia family's doorstep the next day to hurl insults!