The Courtyard House: Xu Damao's Aunt is the Queen of Women

Sha Zhu completely broke down. His eyes widened, his fists clenched tightly, and his teeth were grinding together. He cursed Liu Hao in his heart, but his mouth was as if it had been coated with superglue, and he dared not utter a single word.

Xu Damao laughed heartily, his smugness overflowing as he mocked, "Silly Zhu, if I were you, I would have already found a rock and smashed my head against it. Don't live and embarrass yourself!"

Sha Zhu took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing his emotions that were about to spiral out of control.

"Heh, Xu Damao, what right do you have to laugh at me? You were sentenced to twenty years anyway!"

"So what if it's been twenty years? I'll die if I have to. I've lived a worthwhile life. I had Lou Xiao'e to warm my bed at home, and I had wild flowers like Qin Huairu to enjoy outside."

Xu Damao seemed to have thought of something, his eyes darted around, and he delivered a critical hit to Sha Zhu.

"By the way, I've hooked up with quite a few women in the countryside, all kinds—plump and slender!"

"You probably only ever touched Qin Huairu's hand, right? Maybe kissed her once? Hahaha, that's so pathetic, you'll die without ever knowing what it's like to be with a woman, hahahaha."

It's heartbreaking, so heartbreaking, like stabbing Sha Zhu's heart with a sharp iron spike, stabbing him hard.

Sha Zhu felt all the blood rush to his head, his ears were ringing, and his vision went black. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, fell straight backward, and hit the ground with a thud, unconscious.

Ah? ? ?

Xu Damao's laughter stopped abruptly, and he blinked, somewhat bewildered.

"Did she... faint from anger?"

Mu Tianzhu glanced at Xu Damao, then squatted down and checked his carotid artery.

"Yes, he was so angry he fainted. Carry him to the shed, lest he freeze to death."

Xu Damao pursed his lips, called over Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu who were watching the commotion, carried Shazhu back to the livestock shed, put him on the haystack, and casually pulled a tattered quilt over him.

……

Evening, Liu's courtyard.

Liu Hao had just returned from get off work when he reached out and pushed open the gate to the courtyard. He then heard the sound of a car engine coming from behind him.

Turning my head, I saw three jeeps driving towards the gate of the courtyard.

He recognized the license plate of the first car; it belonged to the farm and was used by He Xiaomeng and Ye Xi for commuting.

The two cars behind have special license plates!

From the Malan base?

The three cars pulled up and stopped at the gate. Ye Xi and He Xiaomeng got out of the cars, and six armed guards jumped out of the two cars behind them. Then, Teacher Qian and a middle-aged man got out of the car.

The middle-aged man was not particularly tall, rather thin, and had a very straight back.

He was wearing a gray Zhongshan suit made of ordinary material, the edges of which were worn and soft. The buttons were fastened neatly and there was nothing fancy about it.

His hair was short and neat, his temples were already a little gray, his face looked a little tired, and his skin was dark, making him look like someone who was always traveling.

He has thin eyebrows and eyes, a straight nose, a slightly pointed chin, and a calm gaze. When he is not smiling, he looks very serious, exuding the unique refinement of a scholar, yet also a touch of ruggedness.

He had no airs whatsoever; he looked like an ordinary cadre or technician, with no discernible identity whatsoever.

Teacher Guo!!!

Liu Hao recognized him and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"Uncle-Master, Teacher, what brings you here?"

Teacher Qian laughed loudly, "What, aren't you welcoming us?"

"Welcome, welcome! A warm welcome! You're so kind as to be here!"

Liu Hao looked at Teacher Guo with eager eyes, and Teacher Guo looked back at Liu Hao with equally fervent gaze.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Liu Hao stood at attention, bowed slightly, and greeted him.

"Hello, teacher!"

"Hahaha, great, great, Liu Hao, I've finally met you!"

Teacher Guo stepped forward and firmly shook hands with Liu Hao.

"Teacher Guo, I've always wanted to meet you, but I've just taken office and have been busy with farm affairs, so I haven't been able to visit you. Please forgive me, both of you!"

Guo Yonghuai waved his hand, a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes remained sharp. He looked Liu Hao up and down, then said with a smile, "It's alright. Your senior uncle and I came here for two reasons: first, to see your extraordinary talent, and second, because we need your help to solve some computational problems!"

"Okay, I'll do my best to help. Come on, let's go inside and talk, it's too cold outside."

Liu Hao invited Teacher Qian and Teacher Guo into the courtyard.

In the living room of the small building, Ye Juan was cooking mutton on the stove table. When she heard the door open, she turned her head and blinked her big eyes, looking a little confused.

"Uncle Qian? Teacher Guo?"

Teacher Qian looked Ye Juan up and down for a few moments, then asked gently, "You must be Ye Juan?"

"Hello, Uncle-Master, I am Liu Hao's wife, Ye Xi's younger sister, Ye Juan. Please have a seat."

Ye Juan introduced herself in a graceful manner, pulled out chairs for Teacher Qian and Teacher Guo to sit down.

Teacher Guo praised, "I've heard Xiao Xi say that her younger sister is dignified and elegant. Seeing her today, I can confirm that she lives up to her reputation. She is well-mannered, generous, and sensible. Liu Hao is so lucky."

Ye Juan, her cheeks slightly flushed as she poured water from the kettle, said modestly, "Teacher Guo, you flatter me. I'm just an ordinary girl. You and my senior brother must be tired from your journey. Please have some hot water to warm yourselves up. There's some mutton cooking in the pot; it'll be ready to eat in a little while."

"Okay, okay, it smells really good. We'll try your cooking tonight."

After Guo finished speaking, her gaze swept across the warm living room, then looked at Liu Hao standing to the side. Her expression gradually faded, and she became more serious.

"Liu Hao, we're short on time, let's start now!"

"OK!"

Liu Hao turned and went to the storage room, took out a solid wood round table with detachable tabletop and legs, and set it up next to the stove table.

He Xiaomeng and Ye Xi placed the two large metal briefcases on the table and entered the mechanical combination to open them.

Teacher Guo and Teacher Qian pulled up chairs and sat down, letting Liu Hao sit between them.

Liu Hao called out, "Xiao Meng, go to the desk in the bedroom and get some paper and pen!"

"OK."

He Xiaomeng jogged into the bedroom, carrying a thick stack of woodfree paper and three smooth iridium fountain pens, which she gently placed on the table.

Ye Xi walked to the window and drew the curtains tightly. The six guards outside had already dispersed and were on guard at the gate and the four corners of the courtyard.

The coal in the stove was burning brightly, crackling softly from time to time, while the mutton soup in the pot bubbled and simmered, filling the entire living room with a rich aroma of meat.

Liu Hao sat upright, his expression calm, his gaze fixed on the two open metal briefcases on the table.

The box contained neatly stacked documents, each page stamped with a dark red top-secret seal. The papers had been repeatedly examined, and some corners were slightly curled, clearly indicating that they had been studied and calculated countless times.

Professor Guo reached out first, picked up a stack of documents from the top shelf, and gently pushed it in front of Liu Hao. His tone was no longer as gentle as before, but only the rigor and solemnity unique to researchers.

Without any unnecessary preamble, it went straight to the core.

"Time is of the essence, so we're not going to beat around the bush. What we've brought this time are all the most difficult computational problems that are currently causing problems. Each one is related to the key national scientific research process. Only you can quickly crack these tough nuts."