I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

He Yuzhu clutched the hem of his clothes, his eyes reddening, his voice trembling: "Grandpa, you've really misunderstood, that... this... Oh dear! We were just joking, it's all a misunderstanding!"

The officer stepped forward, his gaze sharp yet reassuring: "He Yuzhu, right? Let me tell you, don't be threatened. We're all here. Just tell us what's wrong."

He Yuzhu's body was covered with belt marks, and every movement made him gasp in pain. He was so anxious that he kept pacing around in place, hissing as he gasped for breath. The more anxious he became, the less he could speak clearly.

Seeing this, Zhou Weiguo frowned and interrupted, "Alright, alright, stop spinning! Do you think you're a spinning top, with a voiceover?"

He turned to the police officer and said sincerely, "Officer, my name is Zhou Weiguo. I just graduated from Harbin Institute of Technology and will be going to Tsinghua University for graduate studies in September."

In an era when college students were as rare as treasures, postgraduate students were even more unheard of. Seeing the officer's expression soften, Zhou Weiguo continued, "Officer, I'm He Yuzhu's maternal uncle. I slapped him because he made a mistake, definitely not for fighting."

Yi Zhonghai's scrutinizing gaze instantly turned to shock, his eyes widening as he exclaimed, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Where did He Yuzhu get a maternal uncle? I think you're talking nonsense! Yuzhu, quickly tell the police officer, who exactly is he?"

He Yuzhu recovered his senses and, grimacing in pain, waved his hand somewhat embarrassedly: "Uncle, he really is my uncle, and my mother is his older sister. I was indeed wrong this time; I shouldn't have hit him. I was just a little embarrassed to say it because my uncle isn't much older than me."

Yi Zhonghai's face flushed and paled alternately. After adjusting his expression for a while, he turned around and said with a forced smile, "I'm sorry, Zhuzi's uncle. I was just concerned about Zhuzi. Please continue. I'll treat you to a meal later!" After saying that, he hurriedly left.

The officers looked helpless. It was understandable for an uncle to discipline his nephew, but judging from the tone, the nephew had even laid a hand on him. He deserved to be beaten. The officers grumbled and left the house.

After everyone left, He Yuzhu slumped in his chair, wincing in pain, and asked weakly, "Uncle, why did you say I gave the house to the Jia family, that I was supposed to be cared for by Yi Zhonghai in my old age, and that I would freeze to death under the bridge when you hit me? Strangely, when you said those things, I think those images actually flashed through my mind."

Zhou Weiguo's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted out, "Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger!"

He Yuzhu instinctively replied, "A pagoda to suppress the river demon?"

Zhou Weiguo's eyes sharpened instantly, and a storm raged in his heart: Could this kid also be a reincarnation or transmigrator? Two male protagonists? Wow, that's going to be interesting.

He lowered his voice tentatively: "Imperial Jade Liquor?"

He Yuzhu looked completely bewildered: "???"

"Sledgehammer 80?"

"???"

"Odd changes, even remains the same?"

"???"

Zhou Weiguo sighed deeply, his expression a mix of joy and sorrow: "Pillar, oh Pillar, I thought you were a king, but it turns out you're still just a bronze."

He Yuzhu was completely bewildered. He scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Oh no, is my uncle sick? Seriously sick! He keeps talking about 'King of Bronze,' but they haven't used bronze for ages. They use porcelain now."

At this moment, He Yushui timidly walked over and pleaded softly, "Uncle, please don't hit Brother Sha anymore, he looks like he's in a lot of pain..."

Looking at his sister, He Yuzhu recalled his earlier attitude and felt deeply ashamed. He slapped himself hard: "Yushui, you're still the best to your brother!"

He suddenly remembered something and turned to Zhou Weiguo, pressing him for an explanation: "Uncle, you still haven't explained clearly what those words meant! Don't try to fool me!"

Zhou Weiguo hesitated for a moment, gritted his teeth, and said to the two of them, "Zhuzi, if I told you this is a recurring nightmare I've been having lately, would you believe me?..."

He Yuzhu, standing to the side, looked utterly incredulous. His throat tightened as if a stone was stuck in it, and he spoke with difficulty, "Uncle, I don't know why, but hearing you say this gives me a feeling that what you're saying will come true sooner or later. The whole compound is watching us now, and I'm getting chills down my spine. Maybe... we should move out?"

Zhou Weiguo looked at his nephew and couldn't help but chuckle: "What's the point of moving things? Isn't life all about fighting against heaven, earth, and people? You can't just run away over something so trivial! We need to take our time and teach all those people in this yard who've been scheming against us to a pulp. That'll be what makes it interesting!"

His expression suddenly turned serious. "And Zhuzi, I feel something's off about your father. Even if he was unreliable, he wouldn't have left you without a backup plan. You two should act normal in the yard these days. I'll investigate what happened back then. If all else fails, I'll go to Baoding to find He Daqing and get to the bottom of it. Yushui is meticulous and keeps her mouth shut, so I'm not worried. But you, you better keep your mouth shut! If you dare let out even a whisper, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

He Yuzhu shrank his neck, recalling the horrible thud of his backside from the beating he'd just received, and nodded hastily, even making a zipping-up motion as if to say, "Uncle, don't worry! My mouth is as tight as a sealed gourd, not a single word will slip out!"

This comical appearance made He Yushui burst into laughter through her tears.

He Yuzhu suddenly remembered something and said expectantly, "Uncle, why don't you live with us from now on? It's just me and Yushui, and people are always eyeing us. We can't do without your protection!"

Zhou Weiguo chuckled and poked his forehead: "You rascal! I bought the central courtyard of the East Wing next door, and I'll go and complete the formalities tomorrow."

He Yuzhu's eyes widened in astonishment: "Uncle, that east courtyard used to be the garden of this courtyard house, but it was abandoned during the war and is now so dilapidated that it's unusable!"

.................

On the other side, after leaving Sha Zhu's house, Yi Zhonghai's face was so gloomy it could wring water out of it. He hurried towards the backyard and pushed open the door to the deaf old woman's room.

Inside the house, the deaf old woman keenly sensed that something was wrong and asked with concern, "Xiao Yi, what brings you here? You don't look well; something's happened?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned deeply and said in a deep voice, "Grandma, a young man claiming to be Sha Zhu's maternal uncle beat him up badly at Sha Zhu's house. The strangest thing is that Sha Zhu actually acknowledges him as his maternal uncle."

These words struck like a hammer blow, startling the deaf old woman so much that her face changed drastically: "Where did Sha Zhuzi get an uncle? Wasn't his mother long ago?"

Yi Zhonghai lowered his voice, his tone full of worry: "I'm completely clueless too, but... I'm worried this is related to He Daqing!"

The deaf old woman was silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head and said, "Xiao Yi, you should quickly find Sha Zhu and have a good talk with him, find out his background. If he's just here to see Sha Zhu, that's fine, but if he plans to stay, and if he's obedient, that's fine too. But if he's disobedient and needs to be disciplined, then don't blame me for being ruthless."