The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu Returns with Boundless Hatred for Revenge

Xu Damao was furious to see He Yuzhu barge in so brazenly and act as if he owned the place. Even if his father had specifically instructed him to do so, it wouldn't do. Master Mao's pride wouldn't allow him to back down. "Silly Zhu, don't go too far! Let me tell you, now that my father and the others have moved out, I'm the one in charge here..."

Before he could finish speaking, He Yuzhu grabbed his neck and shoved him uncontrollably into a chair, his head hitting the back of the chair so hard that his vision blurred.

"Idiot... He Yuzhu, no, Brother Zhu, brother, you're my own brother, okay? Let's talk this out! Don't hit me!" Faced with He Yuzhu's violent hostage-taking, Xu Damao gave in without hesitation. Dignity? What's dignity worth? He didn't want to be beaten, and besides, He Yuzhu was here with his father's permission; beating him would be pointless.

He Yuzhu loosened his collar, but didn't step back completely, remaining tall and imposing in front of Xu Damao, creating an invisible deterrent. The Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) slammed onto the table with a thud.

"Da Mao, come to my house for dinner tomorrow night. I'll cook some good dishes to treat you. But tonight, I won't say anything else. All you have to do now is finish this bottle."

Xu Damao stared at the bottle of strong liquor, which must have contained at least half a jin (250ml), and swallowed hard. "Brother Zhu, if I finish this bottle, I..."

"Drink it all, and you'll acknowledge me as your brother. Don't drink it, and you'll acknowledge my fist, which is as big as a clay pot. The choice is yours." After saying that, he waved his fist in front of Xu Damao.

"Do I even have a choice?" Xu Damao cursed inwardly, but dared not show it on his face. He knew He Yuzhu meant what he said, and he didn't want to experience that feeling of being punched again.

Before he could react, He Yuzhu had already picked up the bottle, pried open his chin with one hand, and shoved it into his mouth.

"Oh, gulp, gulp, cough cough..."

The spicy liquor was forced down his throat, burning all the way down to his stomach. Xu Damao tried to struggle, but the hand pressing on his shoulder made him unable to move an inch. He could only swallow passively, almost choking on tears and snot.

After a while, He Yuzhu checked and saw that about half the bottle was gone, so he stopped. At this point, Xu Damao's face was red, his neck was thick, and his eyes were glazed over; he was clearly starting to get drunk.

"Brother, this...this wine is alright. How about...we cook a couple more dishes? Let's have some together, brothers."

He Yuzhu looked at his behavior, her lips twitched, and she put the remaining half bottle of wine on the table. "Alright, you can drink it slowly by yourself. I have to go back to sleep. Remember, come to my house for dinner tomorrow night."

After saying that, he patted Xu Damao on the shoulder, turned around and left, closing the door behind him.

Inside the room, Xu Damao slumped in a chair, his mind a complete mess. The alcohol was taking effect, everything in his vision was blurry, and he was starting to ramble incoherently.

"Call me brother? There's nothing wrong with that. We're brothers-in-law, and we're kindred spirits. We're blood relatives, no doubt about it..."

"Damn it, I've only eaten a few dishes and I'm already this drunk. I'm not even married yet, how could I be related to Sha Zhu by marriage?" This was Xu Damao's last shred of lucidity. Thinking this, he slumped onto the table and fell asleep.

Outside, He Yuzhu, who hadn't walked more than a few steps, heard this and his face darkened. "Damn it, no way! I'm going to ruin this ill-fated relationship with Lou Xiao'e in this lifetime! Even a god couldn't stop me..."

As soon as I entered the courtyard, I saw that the east wing was bustling with activity again. Good heavens, I didn't even bother to cause trouble for the old man without a heir, and trouble came knocking on my door.

The deaf old woman was still wearing the same clothes she had on the day she was arrested. She was greasy and slovenly, and smelled strange. She was leaning on her cane and blocking the door of Yi Zhonghai's house, wailing and cursing.

"Yi Zhonghai... My son! You heartless wretch! You don't want to take care of your godmother anymore, do you? Don't forget that on the first day of the Lunar New Year in 1953, you and your husband knelt down and kowtowed to me in front of many people in the courtyard, calling me your godmother! You kowtowed, you offered tea, that was a lifetime of mother-son bond! Now that you see this old woman is useless, you don't want to acknowledge her anymore? You unfilial son, may you be struck by lightning! Your conscience has been eaten by dogs! Everyone, come and see, unfilial, unfilial..."

Crying and wailing, she repeatedly pounded on the door of Yi Zhonghai's house with her cane, making a loud banging sound. Two windows were already broken, with debris scattered all over the floor. At this moment, the door to Yi Zhonghai's house was tightly shut, and there was no sound from inside.

After the deaf old woman was released, the government only returned two hundred yuan in cash; all her other property was confiscated, including valuable furniture, clothing, bedding, and even porcelain bowls and chopsticks, which were taken because they had some value. At this point, even a mouse would cry if it entered the deaf old woman's house; she truly had nothing left. All her benefits were canceled, and she was burdened with such a heavy label. The government leaving her with so little money was clearly an order to leave her to fend for herself.

The old woman, used to being waited on hand and foot her whole life, now suddenly has nothing left. No one empties her chamber pot, no one cooks, and the house reeks. She herself is completely unproductive, only able to make gruel to barely keep herself afloat. After these past few days, she's long since given up.

Seeing that he had nowhere to retreat, he decided to completely cling to Yi Zhonghai. The old deaf man was terrified of death and thought he had to rely on Yi Zhonghai; he couldn't afford to starve to death at home. Better to live a miserable life than die, hence the scene of him coming to Yi Zhonghai's door to cause trouble.

He Yuzhu sneered inwardly. These two old, childless children, one seeking fame and the other seeking to serve, hit it off immediately and put on a show of maternal love and filial piety for years. Now look what's happened, the tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered. That false affection is worthless in the face of reality.

Seeing that there was still no response from inside the house, and noticing that a crowd of onlookers had gathered around, the deaf old woman cried even harder.

"Yi Zhonghai! Open the door! Come out here! I've lived for decades, and in my final days, you, this heartless bastard, have deceived me! What did you say back then? You promised to take care of me in my old age, to see me off in my death, you said I was your own mother! And now? I can't even get a hot meal, and you're hiding inside pretending to be dead? You damned childless wretch! You deserve to be childless! Heaven is blind, why didn't it take you away sooner, you beast! You and your husband are so heartless, you'll both be eaten alive, driven out of your home, and freeze to death on the streets..."

These words were incredibly vicious, hitting the couple inside where it hurt. Now, those inside couldn't remain calm. The door creaked open, and Yi Zhonghai walked out, his face ashen.