Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The green train clattered along the tracks, pierced through the bleak autumn wind, and steadily pulled into Baoding Railway Station.

He Daqing stepped off the platform carrying a simple cloth bag. His feet touched the familiar ground, but his heart felt no warmth of homecoming, only a profound sense of absurdity and desolation. A month had passed, and the small town remained old and dilapidated, just like the eight years he had spent there in a daze—dull, oppressive, filled with unbearable memories of a miserable existence. Walking through the familiar alleyways, the aroma of oil from the breakfast stall next door wafting in the wind, he vaguely recalled the mornings in the hutongs of Beijing—back then, Shazhu was only half a person tall, always leaning over the stove watching him toss the wok, and Yushui, with her pigtails, clutching his clothes for candy.

He kept these images in his heart for eight years, not daring to think about them too much, because thinking about them would make his chest feel heavy.

Outsiders only saw it as a heartless abandonment of his family, a fleeting affair, and a runaway lover. Only he himself knew the agonizing dilemma and helplessness he felt back then. In the years of war and chaos before liberation, he eked out a living with his skills, even cooking for Japanese officers for several years out of necessity. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the entire city investigated past records and cleared up lingering issues; this dark history became a sword hanging over his head.

He had considered other options: running away with his two children? But that would be too conspicuous; if they were caught, the whole family would be ruined, and the two children would be forever stigmatized and unable to hold their heads high. Staying and waiting to be investigated? If he went to jail, Shazhu and Yushui would become orphans, unable to survive.

After much deliberation, he chose the most cowardly yet "safest" path—to leave alone, taking all the trouble with him and letting his children live an honest life. At that time, he was deeply involved with the young and charming widow Bai. In a moment of confusion and lust, he made a rash decision, packed his bags overnight, completely severing his ties to the capital, abandoning his two young children, and settling down in Baoding with the widow Bai, thinking that by living in anonymity, they could settle their scores and live a peaceful life.

But he was wrong.

Guilt doesn't disappear just because you run away; it's like grease on a stove, accumulating and thickening until it can't be wiped off.

These eight years, to put it bluntly, were a transaction in which each party got what they wanted, without a trace of genuine affection.

With his excellent culinary skills and the connections he had built up in his early years, He Daqing successfully entered Baoding Textile Factory No. 2 and secured the position of canteen director. His high monthly salary of 65 yuan was the top salary in those days, enough to support his family's comfortable life.

In order to live a stable life and maintain this fleeting relationship, He Daqing handed over his entire monthly salary to Widow Bai for safekeeping, leaving not a single penny for himself. All the household expenses and the food, clothing and other necessities for his two stepsons were supported by his salary.

But he wasn't completely confused after all.

Relying on his top-notch culinary skills, he would secretly take on various catering jobs for weddings, funerals, and private banquets on his days off. He never gave a penny of the extra money he earned to the widow Bai, but secretly deposited it all into his own little treasury. He never touched this money on ordinary days, as if it were some kind of atonement ritual. For eight years, without fail, he would set aside ten yuan from this money every month and secretly send it to He Yushui, who stayed in Beijing, always signing it as "distant relative." Every time he finished sending the money, he would squat outside the post office for the time it takes to smoke half a cigarette, feeling both bitter and aching—ten yuan couldn't make up for eight years of absence, nor could it replace the word "father," but it was the only compensation he dared to do without disturbing his children's lives.

What he desired was the white widow's youth, beauty, and gentle nature; while what the white widow desired was his stable, high-paying job, his excellent skills, and his steady stream of income. Beyond that, there was no affection whatsoever.

What truly tore down the facade and punctured this veneer of warmth was the letter sent from Beijing a month ago.

That day, the postman delivered the letter. The widow Bai glanced at the handwriting on the envelope and instantly recognized it as being written by He Yuzhu. She was malicious and extremely selfish, and knew better than anyone that He Daqing always longed for his biological children in the capital. She knew that once this letter was opened, it would inevitably stir up years of pent-up guilt in He Daqing, and he might very well abandon them, mother and children, and return to the capital completely.

Upon realizing this, Widow Bai immediately threw a tantrum, clutching the envelope tightly and refusing to let go. She cried and made a scene, refusing to let He Daqing open the letter, attempting to completely extinguish this hope.

For the past eight years, He Daqing has lived in constant self-reproach and torment for abandoning his children. In his midnight dreams, he sees Shazhu and Yushui as helpless children, and the guilt in his heart has piled up like a mountain. He has had enough of this wretched life in Baoding, so how could he allow the widow Bai to manipulate him at will?

Ignoring the white widow's relentless nagging, crying, and tantrums, he forcefully snatched the envelope and resolutely opened it.

The handwriting on the letter was both immature and sharp, with a stubborn, unyielding spirit, much like Sha Zhu's childhood self when he would fight and refuse to admit defeat. He Daqing stared at the words for a long time, until his fingertips went numb, before daring to read them word by word.

The letter was harsh, filled with years of pent-up resentment and heartbreak: He was about to get married and had specifically informed his irresponsible father that he could come if he wanted, or not if he didn't. From this day forward, he, He Yushui, and his new wife would completely disown He Daqing, this selfish and heartless father who had abandoned his wife and children, severing all ties and wishing each other well.

A few words, each one piercing to the heart.

He Daqing held the letter in his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly, his eyes instantly reddening. His first reaction wasn't one of feeling wronged, but rather a sense of relief—if they don't acknowledge it, so be it. It's better that they don't. Without a father with such a dark past, the children's future will be brighter, and they can walk with their heads held high.

But as soon as he breathed a sigh of relief, an overwhelming wave of regret followed.

He remembered when Shazhu was born, a tiny little bundle, so delicate that he was afraid of dropping him; he remembered the first time Yushui called him "Dad," his sweet, childish voice making him laugh out loud even while flipping a ladle; he remembered the early morning of the day he left, when the two children were still asleep, he stood by the kang (a heated brick bed) for half an hour, not daring to wake them, and quietly left.

For eight years, he hadn't watched Shazhu grow up, hadn't sent Yushui to school for a single day, and had only learned about his son's upcoming marriage from a letter of severance.

Hot tears streamed down his face uncontrollably, splashing onto the letter and blurring the ink. The guilt, regret, and self-reproach in his heart erupted completely at that moment, suffocating him and making it hard to breathe. He owed Sha Zhu and Yu Shui things he could never repay in this lifetime.

Seeing him weep and lose his composure, the widow Bai panicked instantly. She knew He Daqing's nature all too well; she knew he was genuinely remorseful and feared he might really abandon her and her two children to return to the capital. In her panic, she completely tore off her pretense, bursting into tears and making a scene, throwing tantrums and hurling insults at him, refusing to give up.

What chilled He Daqing to the bone even more were the two sons that the widow had raised.

These two children grew up eating his food, spending his money, and living off his salary. He took meticulous care of them for years, yet they never felt a shred of gratitude and never regarded him as their adoptive father or elder. In their narrow and distorted minds, their mother only managed to secure a stable life for the family by selling her body to please He Daqing, and He Daqing's existence was a humiliation for the three of them.

Years of exposure and their mother's subtle instigation had instilled in the two young men a deep-seated resentment and contempt for He Daqing. Seeing their mother's incessant crying and commotion, the two not only failed to offer any words of comfort but also joined in the commotion, their eyes flashing with malice, rubbing their hands together in a menacing manner, even pushing and shoving He Daqing, threatening to teach him a lesson.

Looking at the woman throwing a tantrum and the two boys with fierce eyes, He Daqing suddenly laughed, a laugh that was more like crying.

He neglected his two good children in the capital and came to Baoding to work like a slave for outsiders, raising two ungrateful wretches. These past eight years have been a complete joke. He couldn't even raise someone else's son properly, and he broke his own son's heart. The people he felt most sorry for in his life were Shazhu and Yushui.

At this moment, the last bit of affection he had for Widow Bai and his lingering feelings for his family shattered completely. All his hesitation, worries, and reluctance were suppressed by his guilt towards his children—he had to go back to the capital, even if Sha Zhu didn't recognize him, even if Yu Shui hated him, he had to go back and stay by his children's side, making up for what little he could.

He was over fifty years old, but decades of cooking and working in the kitchen had given him a strength far greater than that of an average young man. Faced with three ungrateful and unreasonable widows, He Daqing showed no leniency whatsoever. With a swift and decisive move, he subdued the shrewish widow and her two provocative stepsons, rendering them completely subdued and preventing them from ever daring to cause further trouble.

That night, He Daqing didn't sleep a wink, sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) smoking all night. Cigarette butts littered the floor, and his mind was filled with images of his two children when they were little. He made up his mind: he would go back and apologize to Shazhu first, and he would accept any beatings or scoldings as long as the children would give him a chance.

The next day, just as dawn broke, he silently packed his change of clothes and took with him his entire savings accumulated over many years. Passing the main room, he glanced at the mother and her two children sleeping soundly in the inner room, without a trace of lingering affection or a single word. The moment he closed the door, he felt not relief, but a heavy weight—he had shaken off eight years of mess, but the debt he owed his own children had only just begun to be repaid. He resolutely turned and walked out of the alley, his steps piercing the morning dew, embarking on his journey back to the capital.

When the widow and her two children woke up, the house was empty; He Daqing was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, the white widow completely broke down, sitting in the empty house wailing and sobbing, making a huge fuss that attracted the attention of all the neighbors in the courtyard. The neighbors were already used to it and assumed that the couple who had married later in life were just bickering again. No one knew that this time, the house was completely empty and all ties had been severed.

For a whole month, He Daqing was nowhere to be found.

For the past month, Widow Bai lived in torment and fear every day. At first, she still held onto a sliver of hope that He Daqing would return once his anger subsided, but the repeated disappointments made her fully realize the reality—He Daqing truly didn't want her and her two children anymore.

Without He Daqing's stable, high-paying job and his extra income from taking on side jobs, the family instantly lost all sources of income. The two sons were lazy, good-for-nothing, and only knew how to enjoy the fruits of others' labor and resent others. Now that they had lost their support, they could only complain and curse at home all day, blaming He Daqing for being heartless and ungrateful, without reflecting on their own ungrateful behavior.

Looking at the dilapidated and desolate house, listening to her two sons' blaming and cursing, the white widow was filled with despair and panic. She finally lost her composure, completely panicked.

She spent her whole life chasing money and scheming, using her body and cunning to keep He Daqing in check and live a stable life, only to end up with nothing. Only now did she truly understand that once the man she had controlled for eight years was completely heartbroken, there was no possibility of him turning back.

At this moment, He Daqing, who had returned to Baoding, stood at the familiar alley entrance, looking at the courtyard gate where he had lived for eight years, and felt no longer any attachment in his heart.

Eight years of absurd debts, all cleared up in one day.

He was no longer the coward who ran away and hid, afraid to face his mistakes, nor was he the fool who drifted through life hoping for the best. The guilt was still there, weighing heavily on his heart, but it was no longer a tormenting pain; it had become a thought for the days to come—to make amends to Shazhu and Yushui, to watch them get married and start their own families, and to see the He family flourish.

His return was solely to end this unbearable entanglement, to give his children an explanation, and to find a place to return to in his old age. As for the life or death of the widow and her two ungrateful stepsons, that was no longer of concern to him.