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

Before lunchtime, Wang Jinshan received two phone calls, both of which resulted in him being harshly scolded.

"Wang Jinshan! Look what you've done! I really didn't expect that I'd misjudged you all these years; you're this kind of person! Your whole family is no good! For your own selfish reasons, you indulged your son's misbehavior, and even dared to abuse your power to bully young women? Do you have any sense of Party principles? Do you have any awareness of being a people's police officer?!"

Wang Jinshan was stunned by the scolding, cold sweat instantly pouring down his face. He still tried to argue, "Old leader, please let me explain, there must be some misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding! Your youngest son, Wang Tiedan, ordered street thugs to deliberately harm women. Is he some kind of tyrant from the old society? And you, you used your position to pressure women through your superiors, trying to force them into submission! Wang Jinshan, you're committing a crime! You're tarnishing the reputation of the police force! You almost dragged me into this too. Today, when I went to inquire, the bureau chief almost mistook me for your lobbyist. What grudge do I have against you?"

The former boss grew increasingly angry. "Let me tell you, from this day forward, don't call me 'boss' anymore! I don't have a subordinate like you! And don't come looking for me again! You'd better watch yourself!"

"Old leader! Old leader! Feed? Feed?!" Wang Jinshan shouted into the microphone several times, but all he heard was a busy signal. His hand holding the microphone trembled uncontrollably, and his face was ashen. His old leader was his greatest support, and now even he was distancing himself from him. This was a disaster.

Before I could even catch my breath, the phone on the table rang again. This time, it was Liu Dahai calling.

"Wang Jinshan! I'll fucking kill your ancestors!" Liu Dahai roared hysterically from the other end of the phone. "You fucking ruined me! Because of your family's petty affairs, I've been suspended from my post and am under investigation! I'm gone! All my decades of hard work are gone! You bastard! Wang Jinshan, you just wait! This isn't over! From now on, I'm cutting ties with you! You won't get away with this either! We'll see!"

"Bang!" The phone was abruptly hung up.

Wang Jinshan stood frozen, phone in hand, his mind buzzing. Those two phone calls had completely explained things; He Yushui's background was far more terrifying than he had imagined! This time, he had truly kicked a hornet's nest—no, not just a hornet's nest, but a furnace!

The next two weeks were like hell for Wang Jinshan. He was like a frightened bird, going to work in fear, constantly worried that the organization would talk to him. When he got home from get off work, he had to face his weeping wife who kept asking about the whereabouts of their youngest son, and the whole family was shrouded in gloom.

His situation at work also changed drastically. Many of the tasks he was in charge of were directly transferred to him by the director and secretary, and he quickly became a commander without any real power or influence. His former trusted subordinates avoided him like the plague, and Wang Jinshan sensed that his good days were coming to an end, living in constant anxiety.

But what was bound to happen eventually did happen. One evening two weeks later, the director of the neighborhood committee and the head of the police station came to Wang Jinshan's house and announced the results of the investigation into Wang Tiedan.

"An investigation revealed that Wang Tiedan gathered unemployed individuals and premeditatedly and systematically attempted to harm female comrade He Yushui. His actions constitute the crime of organized anti-Communist bullying of women. As required by higher authorities, he is hereby sentenced to eat peanuts, to be carried out immediately."

"What?! Eating peanuts?" The Queen Mother let out a shrill scream, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted instantly.

Wang Jinshan was thunderstruck. Although he had a premonition that his youngest son would be sent to a labor camp, he never expected him to be eating peanuts. This was his most beloved youngest son, gone just like that?

After reading the document aloud, the group said no more, placed the relevant documents on the table, and turned to leave, leaving the Wang family in deathly silence.

Wang's mother was revived by Wang Tiejun pinching her philtrum. Upon waking, she burst into tears, pounding her chest and stamping her feet, crying, "My Tiedan! My son! Give me back my son! Wang Jinshan! It's all your fault! You're useless! You couldn't even protect your son! Give me back my son!"

Wang Jinshan stood there blankly, ignoring his wife's cries. When he came to his senses, he slapped Wang Tiejun, who was standing next to him.

"Snapped!"

"It's all your fault, you bastard! You've ruined our whole family!"

The slap stunned Wang Tiejun and startled his wailing mother into silence. Wang Jinshan trembled all over, filled with unknown fear. He knew the organization hadn't yet reached a decision on his punishment. He was filled with remorse; if he had known He Yushui had such a background, he would never have let his son provoke her, much less have been so foolish as to try and use his power to intimidate others.

But in this world, there's no medicine for regret. The wheel of karma turns, and no one escapes its judgment.

The next day, as soon as Wang Jinshan arrived at his workplace, he was summoned to a small conference room where the branch bureau chief and secretary were present. Without any pleasantries, the leading official from the municipal bureau read out the preliminary decision.

"Comrade Wang Jinshan, after investigation and verification by the organization, it has been found that during your tenure as deputy director, you experienced a decline in moral character, exhibited serious bureaucratic tendencies, indulged your children's misconduct, and abused your position to interfere in the normal lives of others. Your actions have severely damaged the image of the public security force and deviated from the Party's principles and the duties of the people's police."

"After investigation, it has been decided that you are hereby ordered to immediately cease work, hand over all relevant documents and certificates, and return home to await further processing by the organization. We hope you will deeply reflect on your mistakes and recognize their errors."

Wang Jinshan's face was ashen. Trembling, he placed his office keys, identification, and service pistol one by one on the table. Each item he placed was like a knife twisting in his heart. Decades had passed; from the military to civilian life, he had climbed step by step to this point, and it was all over.

A few days later, the final punishment was announced. It was more lenient than expected, but it also completely cut off all possibilities for the Wang family in Beijing.

"Given Comrade Wang Jinshan's early contributions to the revolution, after deliberation, he is hereby given a severe warning within the Party and demoted. Effective immediately, he will be dispatched to the XX Forest Farm in Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China, to support its construction efforts, serving as a staff member in the Forest Farm's Security Section. His family will relocate with him."

Wang Jinshan's hands trembled so much he could barely hold the transfer order. From a powerful deputy director in the city center to a lowly clerk in a forest farm in the harsh northeast, the difference was like night and day. This wasn't a transfer; it was exile!

But what could he say? What dare he say? His youngest son's affairs, his eldest son's affairs, his own affairs—none of them could withstand scrutiny. The fact that he managed to keep his public office and wasn't completely stripped of his position was already a sign of leniency from the organization.

Wang Tiejun's punishment came almost simultaneously; due to issues with his conduct and ideology, he was deemed unsuitable to remain in the police force and was dismissed. After moving to Northeast China with his parents, he was assigned work by the local authorities based on the circumstances.

A few days later, the family of three, without any relatives or friends to see them off, boarded the train heading north, looking utterly dejected. Wang Jinshan's hair was almost completely white, making him look twenty years older, and he was completely devoid of energy. Equally listless were Wang Tiejun and his mother beside him. They had been too clever for their own good, but they didn't realize that this was already the best possible outcome. If the organization hadn't exiled them to the Northeast and had instead kept them in Beijing, He Yuzhu would absolutely not have allowed such an unstable element to exist for long.