The situation in the Jia family was merely a microcosm of the entire Quadrangle Courtyard.
Many workers at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill had already heard the news; after all, it was hardly a secret.
Over at the Yi Family!
When Yi Zhonghai learned that Chen Feng had returned early, he didn't react with the agitation shown by Mrs. Jia.
"Chen Feng is back early probably because the mill has assigned him a task in the Procurement Section..."
If Jia Dongxu could figure that out, there was no way Yi Zhonghai couldn't. Although Yi Zhonghai wasn't a level-eight master artisan yet, he was still one of the few veteran masters in the rolling mill, and even the workshop director showed him respect.
A minor matter like this couldn't be kept from him.
"What? Two hundred pounds of meat?"
Hearing this, First Aunt instinctively licked her lips.
Though Yi Zhonghai's salary wasn't low, it was useless during a famine—even with money, you simply couldn't buy meat.
First Aunt hadn't tasted meat in a long time.
"Dear, do you think Chen Feng can really get his hands on meat? If he can, shouldn't we buy some from him?"
Hmph!
Yi Zhonghai sneered.
"What are you daydreaming about? At a time like this, even Zhao Youwei from the Procurement Section can't figure out a way to get meat. Are you out of your mind, expecting an eighteen or nineteen-year-old kid to pull it off?"
Ah!
That seemed to be true indeed.
First Aunt immediately put aside any thoughts of buying meat.
***
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Chen Feng rose early to wash up. He bought soy milk, deep-fried dough sticks, and baked sesame flatbreads from outside, planning to treat himself to a hearty meal before heading out to the countryside.
Even with the Spatial Farm making the mill's assignment completely effortless, he still had to put on a proper act.
Otherwise, if he produced over two hundred pounds of meat out of thin air without lifting a finger, even a fool would know something was wrong.
Besides, he had revenge to carry out; how could he manufacture an alibi without going to the countryside?
The moment he returned yesterday, he had gone straight to the Neighborhood Committee to apply for a travel permit. Backed by the official procurement credentials from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, Chen Feng easily obtained the document.
Everything was ready now, save for the east wind.
And all of this, naturally, had to start with filling his stomach.
Yet the beasts of the Quadrangle Courtyard found Chen Feng's extravagant behavior deeply irritating. Still, remembering what he had done previously, they only dared to grumble to themselves.
"Mom, I want a flatbread too!"
Banggeng, who was only six or seven years old, threw a tantrum the moment he saw Chen Feng eating so well early in the morning.
Oh no!
Qin Huairu's face filled with distress.
Where was she supposed to get a flatbread at a time like this? A single flatbread cost several cents—enough to cover their family's food expenses for two or three days.
"Be a good boy, Banggeng. Let's just drink our porridge; we aren't eating flatbread."
But Banggeng had been thoroughly spoiled by Mrs. Jia and completely ignored Qin Huairu. To get his way, he simply sat down on the ground, wailing and kicking up a fuss.
Seeing her grandson throwing such a fit, Mrs. Jia's eyes were filled with venom.
"That motherless and fatherless bastard Chen Feng is eating so well early in the morning, yet he doesn't have the decency to offer us any! It serves him right that his parents are dead! Old Jia! Open your eyes and look at the life we, a widow and an orphan, are forced to lead!"
The Death Mage had officially logged on.
Qin Huairu, already exasperated by Banggeng's tantrum, felt a flicker of cynical amusement when she saw her mother-in-law pulling this stunt again.
How do you even have the face to say such things?
Ever since Chen Feng's parents passed away, how have you treated the boy this past year?
Not only did you stand outside his door cursing him every single day, but you also tried to steal his house, only backing off when you pushed him to his breaking point, forced him to draw a knife, and completely burned the bridge.
And now you expect him to show you respect and filial piety!
Qin Huairu genuinely wanted to ask where she got the audacity.
Yet she didn't dare voice these thoughts; she had zero status in the Jia family.
Especially after giving birth to Xiaodang.
Discovering the baby wasn't a boy, Mrs. Jia had beaten her more than a few times, and even her husband, Jia Dongxu, had treated her with cold disdain ever since.
Right now, her only goal was to quickly give birth to a son to reverse this unfavorable situation.
Only, the shortage of food made her terrified to conceive again.
As for her current predicament...
Qin Huairu could only silently sit to the side, sipping her cornmeal porridge.
"Enough! Banggeng, get your ass up right now, or I'll beat you to death if you keep crying!"
Jia Dongxu glared at his son in irritation.
Banggeng's howling made him feel completely humiliated.
Among his peers in the entire Quadrangle Courtyard, he was doing the best. He was apprenticed to the level-eight master bench worker Yi Zhonghai, and he was already a level-two bench worker at the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, pulling in a monthly salary of thirty-eight yuan and sixty cents.
His salary was the highest among the younger generation in the entire courtyard.
Yet look at Chen Feng—that bastard who had cursed his own parents to death. With a technical secondary school diploma, he'd entered the mill and landed a job as a procurement officer, earning a salary as high as thirty-seven yuan and fifty cents a month.
Why?
He demanded to know why!
Even though his own wage was slightly higher than Chen Feng's, he had been in the mill for nearly ten years, slogging away from an apprentice just to finally scrape his way up to a level-two bench worker.
And Chen Feng?
Wasn't it just because he read a few more books?!
How could this be fair!
This sent Jia Dongxu, who had always been petty, spiraling into bitter resentment.
The more he looked at Chen Feng, the more his eyes burned with hatred.
However, none of them dared to march over and pick a fight with Chen Feng right now.
That ruthless look in Chen Feng's eyes when he brandished the knife—just thinking about it made his heart race wildly!
With two children to look after, he had no intention of risking his life against an orphan like Chen Feng; it simply wasn't worth it.
Even the unruly Mrs. Jia had become exceptionally well-behaved around Chen Feng lately. Aside from cursing him behind his back to vent her spleen, she didn't dare confront him face-to-face at all.
Bullies feared the fierce, and the fierce feared those who had nothing to lose.
Right now, in the eyes of those beasts in the courtyard, Chen Feng was precisely someone who had nothing to lose.
***
Back inside his home, Chen Feng dug straight into his meal, completely indifferent to the looks of envy, jealousy, and hatred cast by those beasts.
He had to admit, although his predecessor had been young, he was at least smart enough to know how to deal with those jackals.
It was just that, being young and ignorant of the true darkness of the world, he had ultimately lost his life in an unclear manner.
Fortunately, he had arrived!
Perhaps the heavens couldn't stand those beasts feeding on human blood anymore, and had sent him here to properly teach these animals a lesson.
After finishing his breakfast briskly, Chen Feng locked his door and left the Quadrangle Courtyard.
If he was going to the countryside, he first had to stop by the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. With a journey of over thirty miles ahead, he certainly couldn't walk it on foot.
If there were no cars, he at least needed a bicycle!
However, just as Chen Feng locked his door and prepared to leave, he ran right into Liu Haizhong. Seeing Chen Feng actually locking his door, Liu Haizhong's face instantly turned glacial.
"Chen Feng, hold it right there! Who gave you permission to lock your door?"
"Our Quadrangle Courtyard is a civilized community where doors remain unlocked at night! Locking your door like this—what are you trying to imply? Do you think there are thieves in our courtyard?"
Facing the aggressively imposing Liu Haizhong, Chen Feng's expression chilled as well.
"It's my house. I'll lock it if I want to—is that any of your business? Instead of wasting time here, you'd do better to keep a tighter leash on your own sons!"
"Lest you reach your old age with no one to care for you, and end up in the exact same miserable fate as that childless Yi Zhonghai!"
"You... you..."
Liu Haizhong never expected Chen Feng to show him zero respect, let alone curse him with a lonely, childless old age. The words sent him flying into a rage; rolling up his sleeves, he lunged forward to teach Chen Feng a lesson.
"What? Want to use your fists? Come on then! One of us is going down today—whichever one of us chickens out is a bloody coward!"
Seeing Liu Haizhong try to make a move, Chen Feng smiled. His icy gaze locked onto Liu Haizhong's throat; the moment Liu Haizhong dared to reach out, a single punch would shatter his windpipe.
Master-level Hong Quan was equivalent to mastering the Hua Jin realm, further enhanced by the tempering of the Body Cleansing Pill.
Forget a mere Liu Haizhong—even if he were facing a wild boar right now, he was confident he could smash its skull in with a single punch.