Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

Yi Zhonghai frowned, his heart full of helplessness and anxiety, and hurried towards the toilet.

His figure stood out in this relatively quiet alley.

A few sparrows on the branches by the roadside chirped non-stop, as if mocking this chaotic and absurd scene.

At this moment, that crisp cry sounded like a sharp mockery, going straight into Yi Zhonghai's ears.

After finally reaching the restroom, the pungent smell instantly hit him in the face, like an invisible wall that almost pushed Yi Zhonghai back.

He suppressed his nausea, found a tattered container nearby, and took a deep breath.

Then he slowly held his breath, as if to isolate himself from the disgusting smell.

He slowly bent down, staring at the foul-smelling filth without blinking.

The container in his hand was trembling slightly due to his inner resistance and tension. Although the amplitude of the trembling was small, it exposed his difficulty at the moment.

Sweat slid down his forehead, dripped down his cheeks to the ground, and mixed with the dust.

He felt dizzy and his chest felt tight, as if his whole body was protesting against this unbearable environment.

However, he did not stop what he was doing because he knew that he had to complete the task.

No matter how hard it was, no matter how disgusting it was, he couldn't back down.

Just as he slowly bent down, the heart-wrenching scene at the Jia family emerged in his mind clearly, like a movie scene.

Jia Zhang's face was as pale as paper, and she collapsed weakly on the bed. Her forehead was already covered with dense beads of sweat as fine as cow hair, as if she had just experienced a life-and-death disaster.

Jia Dongxu lay there weakly, uttering low and weak groans from time to time. The sound was as light as a candle in the wind, and it seemed as if it would completely disappear into the air in the next second.

As for the young Banggeng, his small body was curled up tightly in the corner beside the bed. His little face, which should have been innocent, was now full of pain and helplessness, which made people feel pity for him.

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and muttered to himself: "In order to save their lives, no matter how disgusting it is, I must persevere!"

At this moment, the Jia family's courtyard was crowded with people, and everyone was waiting anxiously.

Cao Wei stood in the crowd, his eyes fixed on the direction where Yi Zhonghai left.

When he saw Yi Zhonghai really walking towards the toilet to get the golden juice, he couldn't help but curl his lips, still mumbling: "Hey, I didn't expect this old man to actually go there? I was just joking, who knew he would take it so seriously."

As he spoke, there was a disapproving smirk on his face, as if he regarded the matter as a ridiculous joke.

Hearing Cao Wei's words, Xu Damao rolled his eyes at him fiercely, his face full of disgust, and retorted unhappily: "I say, you are a person who takes this joke too far, right? You almost made me vomit my overnight meal out of disgust!"

After saying this, he patted his chest exaggeratedly, as if trying to suppress the discomfort that was surging in his heart.

As he spoke, he fanned his hands in front of him, as if the imaginary stench was already lingering around him.

On the other side, Yi Zhonghai had a solemn expression on his face and clenched his teeth as he struggled to move the foul-smelling container closer and closer to the disgusting pile of feces.

The closer he got, the more resistance he felt, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the filth, he suddenly felt something slippery under his feet.

It turned out that he accidentally stepped on a pool of dirty water hidden in a dark corner of the toilet.

This pool of sewage is difficult to detect due to insufficient light.

In an instant, Yi Zhonghai felt that his body had completely lost balance, as if he was being pulled backwards by an invisible force.

He was terrified and his eyes widened. His pupils, which were already small to begin with, shrank rapidly, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

His eyes were filled with panic and helplessness, and his hands were waving around in the air without any order like a drowning man, trying to grab anything that could support his body and stabilize it.

At this moment, he looked extremely miserable, like a poor man struggling to survive in the endless darkness.

The container he was holding tightly in his hand almost slipped out of his hand due to his body imbalance, and drew a thrilling arc in the air.

He was about to fall to the ground, but fortunately Yi Zhonghai reacted quickly enough. At the critical moment of falling, he used his other hand to support himself against the stained and wet wall next to him.

After some effort, he finally managed to stabilize his shaky body.

However, the terrifying moment he just experienced left him with lingering fears. He opened his mouth and gasped for air, his chest rising and falling violently with his breathing.

Beads of sweat the size of beans kept pouring out from his forehead. These beads of sweat gathered together densely, forming trickles that slowly slid down his cheeks, which turned a little pale due to nervousness.

I don’t know if it was because of the stench or the frightening scene just now.

After calming down a little, Yi Zhonghai gathered himself, gritted his teeth, and looked at the disgusting filth again.

He scooped up the feces carefully, making each movement slow and cautious, trying his best to prevent the filth from splashing.

There was a determination in his eyes, a determination to overcome all difficulties in order to save people.

After finally filling the container, he straightened up, his face full of fatigue and disgust. That disgusted expression seemed to tell of the difficulty and ease of the process.

Just as Yi Zhonghai was about to leave the toilet, an elderly man walked in from outside.

This old man was specially sent by the street to collect feces. In that era of material scarcity, everything was collectively owned, and feces was no exception.

This public toilet was built by the government, so the feces naturally belong to the public.

When the old man saw that Yi Zhonghai's feet were covered in filth and he was holding feces in his hands, he was stunned at first, then his eyes widened, and a look of astonishment and anger appeared on his face, as if he was staring at a heinous thief.

"Hey! What are you doing!" The old man yelled at the top of his voice, and his voice echoed in this small toilet, "Someone is stealing shit!"

The shout sounded particularly harsh in the quiet alley, instantly breaking the tranquility of the night. Even the stray cats in the alley pricked up their ears in alertness.

Yi Zhonghai was so frightened by the sudden shout that the container in his hand almost slipped again.

He hurriedly explained: "Master, you misunderstood, I am trying to save people! The three members of the Jia family are in danger, and they need this golden juice to induce vomiting to save their lives!"

As he spoke, he kept gesturing, trying hard to make the old man believe that what he said was true.

After hearing this, the old man's already frowned brows sunk even deeper into his skin, like two deep grooves.

His weather-beaten face was full of suspicion, and his eyes were staring at Yi Zhonghai like an eagle, without blinking, as if he wanted to see through Yi Zhonghai's skin to the secret hidden deep in his heart.

"Humph! You said you want to save people? How can you save people with this kind of thing? In my opinion, you clearly want to steal this feces and exchange it for money! This feces has always been a good fertilizer and can be sold for a lot of money! Every day, there are people who go door to door to buy it. Do you think you can fool me with a random excuse? No way!"

The old man became more and more excited as he spoke, and he took a few steps forward. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists and raised high, as if he was ready to grab Yi Zhonghai at any time, fearing that Yi Zhonghai would slip away if he was not careful.

Faced with the old man's aggressive questioning and approach, Yi Zhonghai was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. He kept explaining and said all the nice things he could.

However, no matter what he said, the old man remained unmoved and believed that he was a dung thief.

Yi Zhonghai's face turned red, and beads of sweat the size of beans kept oozing out of his forehead, slowly sliding down his cheeks, and falling to the ground drop by drop.

As soon as the sweat beads fell to the ground, they were quickly absorbed by the dry ground without a trace, as if they had never appeared.

"Master, think about it carefully. If I really wanted to steal this feces and sell it for money, why would I choose to do it in broad daylight, in front of everyone?"

"If I really want to do something shameful like this, I will definitely do it in the dead of night, when the moon is dark and the wind is strong, and do it secretly!"

"Besides, look at this small bowl in my hand. Even if it's filled with feces, how much is it worth? If I sell this amount, I'm afraid it won't even be enough to buy a pack of cigarettes!"

Yi Zhonghai said earnestly, his eyes full of anxiety and helplessness.

There was a hint of urgency in his voice, hoping that the old man could understand his difficulties.

The old man listened, his brows still furrowed tightly, and he said cautiously: "Humph, who knows if you came here to scout the place in advance? Check the situation first, and bring big tools to steal next time!"

His suspicion of Yi Zhonghai did not diminish at all, and his eyes were full of vigilance.

Yi Zhonghai was completely helpless. He sighed heavily and said, "Okay, sir, if you don't believe me, just follow me to the Jia family. Seeing is believing. You will know if I am lying when you go there. The three people in the Jia family are still struggling on the line between life and death. This matter cannot be delayed!"

There was a hint of pleading in his tone, hoping that the old man would go with him to find out what was going on.

The old man hesitated for a moment and looked Yi Zhonghai up and down, from his eyes to his clothes, as if weighing the credibility of his words.

Finally, he nodded: "Okay, I'll go with you to take a look. If you dare to lie to me, I won't forgive you!"

There was a hint of threat in his tone, as if telling Yi Zhonghai that he would never let the liar go easily.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai carefully picked up the basin of smelly and disgusting golden juice, his expression nervous and solemn.

The old man followed closely behind him, step by step.

The two men walked hurriedly, as if there was something extremely urgent that needed to be resolved, and trotted all the way towards the Jia family.

Along the way, Yi Zhonghai's feet were flying and his heart was in turmoil - up and down.

On the one hand, he was really worried about the health of the three members of the Jia family, wondering if they could withstand the baptism of the golden juice.

On the other hand, he was afraid that the old man would suddenly change his mind and give up halfway.

Therefore, he turned back from time to time and glanced anxiously at the old man behind him to confirm whether he was still following him.

On the other hand, the old man, although also walking in a hurry, kept muttering to himself.

He just muttered, "Humph, I've been keeping an eye on you, kid! If you dare to play any tricks, I will immediately find someone to take you to the police station and let the police give you a good beating!"

Although the old man's voice is not loud, his words contain an unquestionable majesty and deterrence that makes people shudder.