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

The two men watched He Yushui ride away on her bicycle until her figure completely disappeared, at which point their expressions turned serious. One of them took a few steps forward and grabbed the street urchin who was still whimpering and pretending to be dead.

"Hey hey hey! What do you want to do? I just accidentally rode my bike and the girl is already gone. I haven't even settled the score with you for pulling me down and getting hurt!" The street thug struggled in terror as his neck was choked and his feet left the ground.

"An accident while riding your bike?" The other man sneered, pulling out his badge and flashing it in front of him. "We're from the Municipal Public Security Bureau. You called that an accident? Should we call over your accomplices hiding in that corner over there too, and ask them how you 'accidentally' did it?"

The street thug cried out in alarm, "This is bad!" Just as he was about to make a move, he was completely subdued by the two men and several others who came up behind him. His hands were handcuffed behind his back.

Not far away, Wang Tiedan and his two accomplices witnessed this scene and were terrified. "Run!" They turned and fled for their lives into the depths of the alley, not daring to look back.

"Boss, those guys ran away, should we give chase?"

"Hmph, he may be able to run away, but he can't hide. Let's take this kid back and interrogate him first."

Wang Tiedan stumbled and crawled home, still shaken. He pushed open the courtyard gate and rushed into the house, his movements so forceful that the door slammed shut, startling Wang Jinshan and his mother, who were in the living room preparing dinner.

"Tiedan? What happened to you? Did you get into a fight?" The Queen Mother greeted him with concern.

How could Wang Tiedan dare to tell the truth in front of his father? His eyes darted around, and he stammered, "No, no fighting, I just starved to death and came back for dinner." After saying that, he slumped into a chair and grabbed a glass of cold water from the table and gulped it down.

Seeing his son's pathetic state, Wang Jinshan was even more furious. This good-for-nothing youngest son had been a headache for him since childhood. Although his eldest son, Wang Tiejun, wasn't exactly successful either, he at least got into the public security system, which was considered a decent path. But this second son, after graduating from junior high school, refused to continue his studies, spending his days hanging out with a bunch of bad friends. He complained that working properly was too tiring and difficult, and just stayed at home, wasting his life. Before he knew it, he was over twenty years old, and still a complete waste of time.

"I think you're just bored to death! You idle around all day, doing absolutely nothing! Look at your brother, and then look at yourself! You've made me lose all face! Starting tomorrow, you're getting out of here and finding a job! Even if it's sweeping the streets or cleaning latrines, you have to do it! If you don't earn any money, you can forget about eating! This family doesn't support idlers!"

Upon hearing this, Wang's mother immediately became displeased. "Old man! Why are you criticizing Tiedan? He's still young and doesn't know any better. We can teach him slowly! Besides, can you blame him? If it weren't for that brat He Yushui's ungrateful behavior, Tiedan would be working for the railway bureau! Are you even a good deputy director? You can't even handle a little girl!"

So how could she say something so unreasonable and brainless, like "a virtuous wife brings less trouble to the family"? Sure enough, Wang Jinshan was provoked by these words and showed signs of losing his temper.

"You know nothing! You're all talk and no action! Just because you're the bureau chief doesn't mean you can do whatever you want! What era are we living in? We're supposed to follow rules and policies! He Yushui is a formal employee of the railway bureau. The railway system and the local system are two separate systems. No matter how far my reach extends, I can't get there! Do you think this is still the old society, where a little power means you can do whatever you want? I'm trying to figure things out, aren't I? We have to take it slow and find their weaknesses!"

"Take your time, take your time! When will we ever get there? I think you're just incompetent! You're a bully at home! Outside, people point fingers at you and call you trash, your son gets beaten up, and you don't dare utter a sound! I'm so unlucky to have married you! Look at Old Li, he's a deputy director too, his son has such a good job, and his daughter has such a prestigious marriage. And look at our family..."

"Enough!" Wang Jinshan stood up abruptly and slammed his hand on the table. "Stop making a scene! If it weren't for me holding this family together, would you all be living so comfortably? You ungrateful wretch!"

Wang Tiejun silently ate his rice, not uttering a sound. The spot on his face where He Yushui had slapped him still seemed to throb, and he was seething with anger. Hearing his parents arguing, especially his mother mentioning He Yushui, made him grit his teeth in hatred.

Just as the family was arguing and the atmosphere was becoming increasingly tense, footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate, followed by several people walking in quickly. The group was led by several people in plainclothes, followed by two uniformed police officers.

The Wang family was startled by the unexpected guests. Wang's mother was the first to react, asking in a shrill voice, "Who are you? How dare you barge into my house?"

"We're from XX Police Station. We need to take Comrade Wang Tiedan back for investigation regarding a case." Without waiting for a reply, they stepped forward and grabbed Wang Tiedan, who was still in a daze.

"Ah! What are you doing? Let me go! Dad! Mom! Help me!" Wang Tiedan suddenly realized what was happening and was terrified. He struggled desperately.

Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, Wang's mother bristled and pounced on the two policemen, trying to tear them apart. "This is outrageous! Do you know whose house this is? This is the home of Wang Jinshan, the deputy director of the district public security bureau! Your police station chief, Lao Liu, is Lao Wang's subordinate! You dare to come to my house to arrest someone? You've got some nerve! Let go of my son! Or I'll have your chief fire you both!"

Wang Jinshan's face was also extremely grim. Suppressing his anger, he stepped forward, standing between his wife and the police officers, adopting the air of a bureau chief. "I am Wang Jinshan, Deputy Director of the District Public Security Bureau. Comrades, is there some misunderstanding? Besides, did your station chief know you were at my house? Isn't there a problem with your procedures?"

He thought that if he revealed his identity, the other party would at least be more polite, and even if there was something wrong, they would have to communicate with him, the deputy director, first. After all, the police station was under the jurisdiction of the branch bureau, and he, Wang Jinshan, was one of the leaders in charge.

However, the plainclothes officer in charge merely glanced at him indifferently. "Deputy Director Wang, we are performing our duties according to the law. If you have any questions, you can report them directly to our director. Please do not obstruct us from performing our duties." Having said that, he completely ignored Wang Jinshan and waved to the colleague holding Wang Tiedan, "Take him away!"

"Stop!" Wang Jinshan finally snapped, feeling his authority had been challenged like never before. "I order you to explain yourselves! What case is this? What evidence do you have to arrest my son? You've barged into a leader's home and arrested him without cause—do you have any sense of discipline? I'm going to see your director!"