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

Yi Zhonghai was so angry at He Yuzhu's profound remarks that he almost fainted. In his mind, he subjected He Yuzhu to a full cycle of the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty, and it took him a long time to stammer out a single sentence.

"Director He, this...this is my family matter. Although I've been labeled, you can't push my family to the brink of despair. I'm working myself to the bone at the steel mill every day, exhausted by the end of the day, and my salary is so meager. I really, really can't afford it. I'd accept if you asked my family to take care of my mother every day and give her some food, but to have both families help out is something I simply can't do. Wouldn't that be the death of my family?"

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai didn't care about anything. Face, dignity—those were all bullshit! Ever since that day when he knelt on the ground and was slapped by Zhang Guifen, Yi Zhonghai had long since lost all sense of shame. Now, all he wanted was to hold onto the last bit of his possession: the retirement money he had painstakingly saved over the years. Putting aside the deaf old woman, there wasn't a single easy person in the Jia family.

He had seen through Qin Huairu's true nature over the years. Once she got involved, she wouldn't stop until she had completely drained him of his resources. And what was that little beast Jia Dongxu looking at him like now? Did he really think he was blind? And if he added to that the scene when Jia Zhangshi returned in a couple of years, Yi Zhonghai trembled at the thought. He couldn't agree, absolutely couldn't agree.

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's excuses, Jia Dongxu's eyes blazed with almost palpable resentment. "You, Yi Zhonghai! When you needed me to support you in your old age, you called me your own disciple, like a son. Now that you see I'm useless, you claim to be powerless? You truly are a complete hypocrite!"

He lay on the ground, making strange, cacophony laughs, as if mocking Yi Zhonghai's hypocrisy.

The deaf old lady didn't react much. Since Zhang Guifen had promised to give her food, there was nothing to worry about for the time being. If things went well, all the better, and she could get even more benefits. Feeling much more at ease, she leaned on her cane and continued watching the show.

"Heh, Yi Zhonghai, I was being nice to you just now, wasn't I? What, you're asking for it?"

As soon as He Yushui finished speaking, her smile immediately turned completely cold. "Don't you even know what you are now! A spineless dog, you dare to bark and howl at me like that?"

Yi Zhonghai trembled with humiliation at these words, but gritted his teeth and remained silent. He had only one thought: play dead and endure it. He Yuzhu couldn't possibly beat him to death in public, could he?

"Do you think I don't know how much money you've saved over the years? Do you think I don't know how much you earn a month? Why don't you ask the neighborhood committee to search your house and find out how much money you have?"

How could Yi Zhonghai dare let them search his house! The amount of money he had saved was enough to kill him, not even counting silver dollars and croakers—he had a little of all of those. If they found it, what if they said, "What do you, a rightist, need so much money for? This isn't good for your rehabilitation!" and then confiscated it all? Then Yi Zhonghai would truly be destitute like the deaf old woman. Would Zhang Guifen still be able to continue living with him?

That's it, even the last shred of hope has been shattered. Yi Zhonghai completely collapsed, and in the end, he could only nod resignedly, "I understand, I will follow Director He's arrangements."

"Hmph, you're smart to know what's good for you. It's settled then! Starting tomorrow, the three of you—the Yi family, the Jia family, and the deaf old lady—will share a kitchen and live together! As for the details..."

After a moment's thought, he continued, "How about this, Qin Huairu and Zhang Guifen will take turns taking care of her. This way, we can take care of the old lady and save Zhang Guifen from working herself to the bone serving both families, which will lighten her burden. Qin Huairu has also been resting for so many days, it's about time she got moving around."

These words infuriated Qin Huairu, who had silently come over to observe the situation, but she dared not object. She had finally managed to secure a connection with the Yi family; she couldn't let it fall into her hands. However, her resentment towards He Yuzhu only intensified. "Just you wait," she thought, "I'll definitely use you to help the Jia family. When you're old and useless, I'll kick you out and let you freeze to death on the street."

The turmoil subsided abruptly thanks to He Yuzhu's forceful intervention. Some were happy, some were sad, but this was merely a spur-of-the-moment act by He Yuzhu. Whether Old Jia's death was related to Yi Zhonghai was of little concern to He Yuzhu, aside from a bit of curiosity; after all, it was all pre-liberation history, and there were countless unsolved cases like this, which no one bothered to investigate. However, Yi Zhonghai's good days were numbered. During the New Year holiday, he and his sister would go to Baocheng to find He Daqing. That would be the time when the beasts would completely fall apart, their families destroyed.

The next afternoon, seeing that there was nothing to do in the canteen and no food to serve as a welcome meal, He Yuzhu left work early. He bought a lot of groceries, planning to treat his sworn brother Xu Damao to dinner that evening.

With less than two years to go until 1959, the market supply of goods was still quite abundant. He was also making preparations, casually browsing state-run vegetable markets and grocery stores, and moving some food from his spatial storage to prepare for those three years. He didn't move much each time, but with so many places he visited, the little by little added up to a considerable amount.

Another advantage of this space is its preservation; anything put inside remains intact. The downside is that it's too small; even if you fill it up completely, there's not much left. However, He Yuzhu was quite satisfied. Just what was inside was enough for him and his sister to get through those three most difficult years.

Xu Damao has one advantage: once he agrees to something, he will generally stick to it unless it touches on his core interests. In his past life, when he was desperate, He Yuzhu took him in and taught him cooking. From the next day on, he called him "master" more frequently and naturally than anyone else, and he never hesitated to give He Yuzhu instructions, just like a second Ma Hua.

However, this man had absolutely no talent for cooking, nor was he interested in it. Later, he became restless again, and the two parted ways. But for many years afterward, whenever they met, Xu Damao would still address him as "Master," and he would always visit him during holidays. In this respect, he was far better than those hypocritical beasts in the courtyard, and it was one of the reasons why He Yuzhu finally agreed to Xu Fugui's request and recognized him as a brother.

Sure enough, when He Yuzhu returned with the groceries, Xu Damao was already chatting with He Yushui, who had just come home from school. Two packets of pastries and a bottle of wine were on the table, clearly brought by Xu Damao. Seeing He Yuzhu push open the door, Xu Damao immediately stood up, a smile spreading across his face. His "brother" was delivered crisply and naturally, as if it weren't something he'd only agreed to say the night before, but rather a habit formed over many years.