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

In the evening, Yi Zhonghai brought food to the deaf old woman's room in the backyard: a bowl of cornmeal porridge, two cornbread buns, and two eggs that an older woman had specially fried for her.

Inside the room, the deaf old lady sat in her armchair like an empress dowager. She glanced at the bowl that Yi Zhonghai had placed on the table by the light, snorted, raised her droopy eyelids, and her face was full of displeasure.

"Zhonghai, you're getting better and better at fooling me. When Sha Zhu was obedient, this old woman could at least get some meat every now and then. Now, you're just going to fob me off with a scrambled egg? This bland soup, is it cat food?"

Yi Zhonghai was already feeling frustrated by the rumors circulating outside, and hearing the old woman's words almost made him lose his temper. He forced a smile and said, "Grandma, don't be angry. There have been a lot of things going on at home these past few days, and I haven't had time to buy meat. These eggs were specially fried for you, so please make do with them for now."

The deaf old woman tapped the ground with her cane. "Too much trouble? I think you've been scared out of your wits by Sha Zhu! You can't even get a little meat? What use is your filial piety to me?"

The old woman was furious. Lately, every night, the aroma of various meats wafting from He Yuzhu's house was driving her crazy; it was pure torture. Before, wouldn't He Yuzhu always eagerly share some with her? Now, forget about meat, she couldn't even get a sip of soup! That He Yuzhu, he has absolutely no filial piety, a heartless bastard!

Yi Zhonghai was hit where it hurt, and cursed inwardly, "That old bastard, he's been completely useless, all he does is hide behind and point fingers, and now he's being picky and wants to eat meat? My face is still swollen!"

She couldn't help but hate He Yuzhu even more. Before, all she had to do every day was deliver cornbread and cornmeal; everything else was handled by the idiot. Now, he wasn't even satisfied with just an egg; he wanted meat too. Even with eggs, her family could only afford to eat two every few days.

Damn it, is this old codger even useful anymore? If all my plans over the years have really gone to waste, and I've lost all my prestige, and all those methods are useless, then what's the point of keeping this old codger around?

He was constantly weighing the pros and cons in his mind, but he didn't show it on his face. He knew it wasn't time to turn against him yet, so he could only lower his head and pretend to be humble and receptive to instruction.

The deaf old woman vented her anger, and seeing Yi Zhonghai's pathetic state, she knew now was not the time for infighting. Suppressing her rage, a hint of resentment flashed in her eyes: "Speak, what brings you here? Did that brat bully you again?"

Yi Zhonghai sighed and recounted the rumors he'd heard at the factory, embellishing the story of their current awkward situation both inside and outside the factory and the yard. Finally, he gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, saying, "Grandma, that Sha Zhu is a menace now! He's unreasonable and a real fighter, completely impervious to both soft and hard approaches. Grandma, do you think... do you have any manpower to find a few people to teach him a lesson? Let him know what's what!"

Upon hearing this, the deaf old woman's eyes snapped open, then slowly narrowed again. She shook her head. "Foolish! The situation outside is so tense right now, the risk is too great! If we fail, the trail will lead back to us... I, an old woman, still want to live a peaceful life. We can't use this method unless absolutely necessary."

Yi Zhonghai knew this method was risky, but he was truly frustrated and unwilling to accept it, so his words became a bit harsher, "Are we just going to let him continue to be so arrogant? Did we just take all that beating for nothing? If we can't even subdue a simpleton like Sha Zhu, then the banner of respecting the elderly and caring for the young in this courtyard will have completely fallen. I, Yi Zhonghai, am incompetent; I'm afraid I won't be able to organize everyone to show filial piety to you in the future. You know, these days, everyone's struggling to make ends meet..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already crystal clear: if he couldn't control He Yuzhu, then you, the deaf old lady, could forget about comfortably enjoying my filial piety any longer.

The deaf old woman's droopy eyelids suddenly opened, and her eyes fixed on Yi Zhonghai for a fleeting, sharp glint. How could she not understand the unspoken meaning?

There was no affection between these two widows; it was always about endless interests and calculations, mutual exploitation, and collusion.

After a long pause, the deaf old woman slowly said, "What's the rush? There's still a long way to go. Everyone has weaknesses. Even the hardest stone can't withstand constant dripping water. If open methods don't work, can't we try covert ones? If the hard methods are too much, can't we try softer ones? If we can't deal with him, someone else will!"

"Grandma, do you have a solution?"

"Isn't he arrogant? Isn't he good at fighting? Let's let his bad reputation spread even further! Go back and talk to Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and those guys from the Jia family. Tell them to mobilize everyone in the courtyard, to spread the word to the neighbors, to the steel mill!"

"Just tell them how He Yuzhu disrespects the elderly and children, how he beats up neighbors, and how he acts like a tyrant in the courtyard! Exaggerate his beatings of the old and the young and spread the rumors! The worse the better! It would be best to portray him as an utterly wicked villain!"

Yi Zhonghai hesitated for a moment: "Is it useful to just talk about it? Didn't we use this tactic at the college-wide meeting a few days ago?"

"What do you know!" the deaf old woman interrupted him. "Many voices can melt metal, and accumulated slander can destroy a person! If one person says it, no one will believe it; if ten people say it, some will doubt it; if a hundred people say it, even a lie can become the truth! Once this rumor spreads throughout our area, He Yuzhu's reputation will be ruined! At that time, we won't even need to lift a finger; people will naturally start to dislike him!"

She paused, a smug look on her face: "When that time comes, I, this old woman, will have a reason to personally go to the neighborhood office to find Director Wang, and to the steel mill to find Director Yang to complain! How can the neighborhood office ignore someone with a bad reputation, who is not tolerated by the neighbors, and who is morally flawed? How can the steel mill not deal with him? As long as the higher-ups put pressure on him, are we afraid he won't obediently comply? Let's see how long he can be so arrogant!" Once he's been dealt with enough, won't he be completely under our control in the yard, obediently following orders?

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up as he listened, as if he had seen a beacon in the darkness! That's right! They had been limiting themselves to confronting He Yuzhu head-on within the courtyard, forgetting they could use public opinion to pressure him! These days, a person's reputation is incredibly important! Once labeled, one's job and future could be affected!

"Brilliant! Grandma, your move is truly brilliant!" Indeed, having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. I, Yi Zhonghai, have learned a lot!

Yi Zhonghai bowed deeply to the deaf old woman, his gloom vanishing instantly. "That's settled then! I'll discuss it with Lao Liu and the others later, and we'll mobilize everyone in the hospital to spread the word! We have to ruin Sha Zhu's reputation!"

The deaf old woman snorted and tapped the rim of the bowl. "I'm an old woman, how many more years do I have left? What's the use of these empty things? Everything I'm doing is for your sake."

Yi Zhonghai immediately understood. "What the old lady says is true. I was being presumptuous. Don't worry, I'll go and buy half a pound of meat tomorrow—no, a whole pound! To satisfy your craving!"

The deaf old woman finally showed a hint of satisfaction, waved her hand, and said, "Go on, and do a good job. I want to see who reigns supreme in this courtyard land!"