Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

After the plenary session, it was as if a depth charge had been dropped on No. 95. The surface ripples subsided temporarily, but the undercurrents were quietly changing direction.

The Yi family returned home, closed the door, and shut themselves out of the outside world's disturbances. Inside, the light was dim, yet it exuded an unprecedented warmth. Yi Aijia and Yi Aiguo seemed to have been frightened by the tense atmosphere just now, sitting somewhat awkwardly on the stools, afraid to move. An older woman quickly took out the candy that Yi Zhonghai had bought, poured warm water for the children, and gently comforted them.

Looking at the scene before him, Yi Zhonghai was filled with emotion. He walked to the cabinet, took out the small wooden box he had treasured for many years, and retrieved the yellowed family photo. He carefully held the photo, sat down next to Yi Aijia, pointed to the chubby-cheeked little boy in the picture, and said in as gentle a voice as possible, "Aijia, Aiguo, look... this is your father, Yi Zhonghe. This is a photo of your uncle and your father with your grandparents when they were little..."

In the photo, the young parents smiled simply, the boy Yi Zhonghai looked slightly immature, while the young Yi Zhonghe grinned mischievously. Yi Aijia opened her eyes wide, trying hard to make out the blurry figure in the photo, the one referred to as "Dad." Yi Aiguo, being young, didn't quite understand, but simply touched the photo with curiosity.

"Your father... was a hero." Yi Zhonghai's voice lowered, filled with deep remembrance and pride. "He went to fight in a faraway place, fighting bad guys, protecting our country... He never came back. But he was a hero! He's the pride of our Yi family!"

Yi Aijia nodded as if she understood, and asked softly, "Uncle, what about my mother?"

Yi Zhonghai felt a pang of pain in his heart and patted his niece's head: "Your mother... was also a good person. She was a nurse and saved so many people. She... went to find your father." He couldn't explain the cruelty of germ bombs and death to such a young child, so he could only use a white lie.

An older woman listening nearby couldn't help but wipe away tears. She took Yi Aijia's hand and said, "Good child, from now on, with your aunt and uncle, this will be your home. Let's live together, okay?"

Looking at Uncle Yi's reddened eyes, then at the kind face of the older woman, and remembering the delicious candy and meat she had eaten that day, as well as her pretty new clothes (though old, they were very clean), Yi Aijia seemed to feel a long-lost warmth called "home." She nodded gently and nestled into the older woman's arms. Yi Aiguo followed suit, leaning against Yi Zhonghai's legs.

At that moment, Yi Zhonghai felt as if his cold, calculating heart, which had been filled with scheming for half his life, was being filled with something. It wasn't a calculated "retirement security," but a sense of responsibility and warmth stemming from blood ties. He secretly vowed that from now on, he would live an upright life, raise his younger brother's children to be successful, bring honor to the Yi family, and never again engage in those underhanded schemes and plots.

Meanwhile, the other families in the courtyard also had their own thoughts.

In the front yard of Yan Bugui's house, Old Yan Xi lay on his bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He nudged the old woman next to him, "Hey, tell me, how lucky is Yi Zhonghai...? His younger brother died, and he was a martyr! He got two kids for free, and they even have 'honor plaques'! Now, the neighborhood committee is paying attention, and the factory will definitely look at us better! We'd better maintain a good relationship with the Yi family from now on... Maybe we can get Old Yi to put in a good word for Jie Cheng's job..."

At Liu Haizhong's home in the Intermediate People's Court, Liu Haizhong was so angry that he didn't even eat dinner properly. He gulped down a few mouthfuls of cold tea and lashed out at his second aunt: "Hmph! What's so smug about! So what if he has a dead brother? Who knows if it's true or not! Maybe Yi Zhonghai colluded with Director Wang to save face! A martyr? I think he's a coward!" But he only dared to shout at home. Thinking of Director Wang's stern gaze tonight, he felt uneasy.

In the Jia family home, Madam Jia Zhang sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), muttering to Qin Huairu, "See that? Yi Zhonghai's really getting cocky now! The martyr's brother! Won't he be swaggering all the time? Huairu, we'd better be careful from now on, don't mess with him..." Qin Huairu nodded silently, but in her heart she wondered, with a child in the Yi family, would the older woman have less energy to keep an eye on Dongxu? Perhaps... it's a good thing?

In the backyard, Xu Damao lay in bed and said to his parents, "Dad, Mom, do you believe it? Yi Zhonghai's brother is really a martyr? I find it so far-fetched. But then again, if he really is a martyr, those two kids are 'golden nuggets.' Yi Zhonghai has to keep a close eye on them and not let anyone covet them..." He had already started to consider some far-fetched ideas.

In the west wing, Sha Zhu lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling, wide awake. He could almost still feel the tactile sensation of the bankbook in his hand, and his mind replayed Yi Zhonghai's tearful confession from earlier that day. His father's letter, Yi Zhonghai's confession, the truth about Lie Tu's brother… all of this left him in turmoil. For the first time, his opinion of Yi Zhonghai began to waver. Perhaps, this old man wasn't entirely bad after all?

Wang Huanbo, in his study, monitored the situation in the courtyard through Pangu. Yi Zhonghai's change of heart was within his expectations. Blood ties and honor, sometimes, can awaken a person's conscience more effectively than any calculation. He was pleased with the outcome. A relatively harmonious courtyard would allow him to focus on his own affairs. He instructed Pangu to continue monitoring, but not to interfere excessively.

Night deepened, and courtyard number 95 gradually fell silent. But everyone knew that from tonight onward, something in this courtyard was different. Yi Zhonghai had found his path to redemption, a path that would undoubtedly be filled with new challenges and warmth. The future was long. And the story of this courtyard had turned a new page. The moonlight streaming through the window, cool yet bright, seemed to be quietly observing the joys and sorrows, the rebirths and transformations of this world.