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

Everyone was shocked by He Yuzhu's actions. Their eyes widened in disbelief at what they were seeing.

He Yuzhu... hit Qin Huairu?

In their minds, for men to beat women, especially women who had recently given birth, was a blatant breach of basic human decency, an act worse than that of beasts. No matter the magnitude of the conflict, no matter how despicable the Jia family was, this behavior was considered extremely vile and unforgivable within the prevailing ethical framework.

However, after the initial shock, silence followed. No one stood up to condemn He Yuzhu, nor did anyone advocate for Qin Huairu, including Yi Zhonghai, who had previously been fiercely opposed to evil. Even the most normal behaviors, such as whispering and pointing fingers, were ignored.

These people were already terrified of He Yuzhu, knowing they would only get nowhere if they went out. Every time they clashed with He Yuzhu, they were the ones who ended up suffering. At best, they would be demoted or have their wages reduced; at worst, they would face labor camps, being blacklisted, or even the destruction of their families. Furthermore, now that He Yuzhu was a cadre in the steel rolling mill, the natural fear of superiors wasn't unique to Liu Haizhong.

Yi Zhonghai was torn between two conflicting emotions. Instinct told him to rush out and confront He Yuzhu for assaulting women and children, but his legs remained rooted to the spot. His sixth sense told him that going out would be handing He Yuzhu a knife! Going out would give that scoundrel a reason to continue tormenting him!

Qin Huai looked at He Yuzhu in disbelief. Those eyes that used to look at him with flattery and strange intentions were now filled with only indifference and hatred!

How could this be? Why would Sha Zhu look at me like that? It shouldn't be like this! Even if I had schemes against Sha Zhu, I hadn't taken any action. Why is he looking at me like I have a deep-seated hatred? I've never looked at Yi Zhonghai or Jia Zhangshi like that! What's going on...?

"You, Pillar, you..."

"Qin Huairu, have you no shame? Your man, Jia Dongxu, isn't dead yet! Look at what you're dressed like! Your collar's practically ripped open to your belly button. What are you trying to do, come to a bachelor's house like this?"

"Trying to seduce me? Or are you trying to seduce Xu Damao? You've completely disgraced the Jia family! What, now that Jia Dongxu's finished, you're already eager to find someone else?"

"It seems that words alone are no longer effective against your thick skin. Today, I will teach you a lesson for the sake of the Jia family and for Brother Dongxu, you shameless slut!"

Before he finished speaking, his arm swung up again.

"Clap clap clap!..."

Five or six rapid and brutal blows followed in quick succession, leaving Qin Huai dizzy and disoriented. The large bowl in his hand finally clattered to the ground (though it didn't break). He could only desperately protect his head and face with his arms, retreating repeatedly while screaming, "Stop hitting me! He Yuzhu, you're not human! Help!"

He Yuzhu had thoroughly satisfied his urge to masturbate, feeling completely refreshed, even his obsession with his soul had dissipated considerably. Looking at Qin Huairu, who was disheveled and had lost all her charm, he felt nothing but pleasure.

"Get out! If you ever dare to come to my house and flaunt your body again, I'll beat you up every time I see you! You don't believe me? Just try me! Should I go and call the Women's Federation right now and let them judge this? What exactly do you want, a woman who just gave birth, coming to my door in such disheveled clothes late at night?"

Upon hearing the words "Women's Federation," Qin Huairu trembled. Forgetting all her crying, she picked up the bowl, turned around, and stumbled back to the Jia family home, slamming the door shut behind her.

He Yuzhu felt refreshed and clear-headed. He turned to Xu Damao and He Yushui, laughing heartily, and waved his hand, "What are you looking at? Keep drinking! We're having a good time today, let's drink until we drop! Yushui, close the door!"

Seeing there was no more excitement to be had, the neighbors dispersed. Tonight's events had once again shattered the villagers' perception of He Yuzhu; if he wouldn't even beat a woman, what else was he incapable of? From now on, they'd better stay as far away from him as possible.

Inside the Yi family home, Yi Zhonghai's face was grim. He Yuzhu's hostile and resolute attitude towards Qin Huairu completely shattered his illusions about getting Sha Zhu to join his scheme.

"What? Feeling sorry for him?" A mocking voice sounded behind him.

Zhang Guifen was seen leaning against the doorframe of the inner room with her arms crossed, her face full of mockery.

"Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror? You're just an old castrated donkey, destined to be childless, and you still have the mind to think about those frivolous things? You're eyeing Qin Huairu? You think you're worthy? Even if she wants to remarry, would she want someone like you, a bastard who's already been cuckolded? Give up on that idea! If I find you spying on her again, I'll gouge your eyes out! Don't forget, who's in charge of this house now!"

Yi Zhonghai trembled with rage, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. These words were taboo for him. In the past, let alone the submissive Zhang Guifen, he would have made anyone who uttered them face a life-or-death situation. But now, he dared not. Like a tiger fallen into the plains, he was bullied by dogs. With the Women's Federation backing him up, he was powerless against Zhang Guifen, instead being controlled at every turn. He had only three cents of pocket money left, utterly devoid of dignity.

He could only suppress his overwhelming anger and humiliation, forcing out a few words through gritted teeth, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Whether I'm lying or not, you know perfectly well!" Zhang Guifen snorted coldly, too lazy to look at him anymore, and turned to go back into the house. "You should be thinking about how to deal with that old geezer and that bottomless pit of the Jia family! Useless!"

Yi Zhonghai stood alone in the dimly lit main room, speechless, questioning the heavens. Why? Why had he fallen to this state? It was all He Yuzhu's fault! It was all that beast who deserved to be torn to pieces!

Inside the Jia family's house, however, lay a completely different scene.

Qin Huai rushed into the house, slammed the door shut, slid down to the floor against the door, covered her face, and burst into tears. After all, she hadn't yet evolved into the ruthless widow she became after Jia Dongxu's death; she still had some sense of shame.

Lying on the bed, Jia Dongxu turned his head and looked at his wife's disheveled appearance. Instead of comforting her, he let out a series of strange, mocking laughs, his tone full of sarcasm and glee. "Oh, you're back? What, your silly little brother Zhu didn't give you any good food? And he slapped you a few times? Hahaha, that's satisfying! That's fucking satisfying! Serves you right for going to seduce some random guy!"

Qin Huairu's crying stopped abruptly. When she looked up at Jia Dongxu again, her features were distorted, her eyes were extremely sharp, and her voice was frighteningly calm.

"Jia Dongxu, say that again."

"I told you you deserved it! You slut! Getting beaten up by Sha Zhu in front of the whole hospital, you've lost all face, haven't you? And you still want to seduce him? You think he's still the same stupid Sha Zhu? Dream on! Someone like you, thrown out in the street, is only fit to serve a cripple like me... Ah!"

Before she could finish speaking, Qin Huairu grabbed a feather duster, rushed to Jia Dongxu's bedside, and started whipping him without warning!

"I'll teach you a lesson for your foul mouth! You useless piece of trash! A bedridden limp mush! If it weren't for me, you'd have starved to death long ago! You dare to curse me? I'll show you! I'll let you curse me!"

Although the feather duster wasn't heavy, it hurt terribly when it hit you. Qin Huai showed no mercy, attacking almost the entire body indiscriminately. Jia Dongxu howled in pain, trying to dodge but unable to move his lower body, and trying to block but his arms and hands were also stinging from the blows.

"Ouch! That hurts! Qin Huairu, are you crazy! How dare you hit me! I'm your man! Ah! Stop hitting me! Help!"

"A man? You call yourself a man?" Qin Huairu shouted as she hit and cursed, seemingly insane. "A cripple with a broken leg, besides needing to be waited on hand and foot, what can you do? You can't even support your family, you can barely raise your son, and you still have the nerve to talk back to me? I gave birth to two children for you, took care of your whole family, and now I have to put up with your nonsense? I'll beat you to death, you useless piece of trash!"

"Stop hitting me! Huai Ru! Wife! I was wrong! I was wrong, okay?!" Jia Dongxu finally broke down, crying and begging for mercy, "I won't do it again! I'll never say anything like that to you again! Please forgive me! Waaaaah..."

Qin Huairu slapped him a few more times until Jia Dongxu curled up in a ball, only able to cry, before she stopped. Pointing the feather duster at Jia Dongxu, she shouted sternly, "Listen to me! I'm the one who calls the shots in this house now! If you dare cause trouble again, I'll starve you for three days! You'll see!"

After saying that, she threw down the feather duster and went to check on her baby, who was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) and had started to cry. Meanwhile, our young master Jia buried the quilt over his head, two streams of tears flowing down his face, filled with endless sorrow: "Mom, when are you coming back? Your baby is being bullied to death, waaaah..."