Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

He Daqing, walking in the cool autumn breeze and carrying a simple cloth bag, returned to the old courtyard house in Baoding where he had lived for eight years.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, the neighbors who were relaxing and working in the yard stopped in their tracks and all looked up at him, their faces filled with astonishment and surprise. Their strange gazes were fixed on him.

Everyone in the courtyard clearly remembered that a month ago, one morning, He Daqing vanished without a trace, leaving no word whatsoever. As soon as he left, the courtyard erupted in chaos. Widow Bai cried and wailed, throwing a tantrum, smashing pots and pans, creating a scene so loud that it could be heard throughout half the alley.

Several women who were close to Widow Bai came forward to comfort her. While weeping, Widow Bai had already told everyone what had happened. She said that He Daqing was heartless and cruel, abandoning her and her two children to run away to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury.

For a time, everyone in the hospital assumed that He Daqing was an irresponsible, heartless man who had abandoned his wife and children, and the gossip circulated for a whole month. Everyone thought he would never return to Baoding in his life, but unexpectedly, he returned quietly today.

A barrage of scrutinizing, curious, and disdainful gazes fell upon He Daqing, feeling particularly irritated by them. Yet, He Daqing remained calm, his heart unmoved, completely unconcerned by the gossip and strange looks from his neighbors.

He returns today not to reminisce or cause trouble, but solely to put an end to this absurd and tragic eight-year relationship.

He had already made up his mind. Today, he would confront her and give her only two choices. First, she could leave everything in Baoding, take her two sons, and return to the capital with him to live a peaceful life. He would forgive her past mistakes and have her serve him obediently and protect the family business. Second, if she insisted on not doing so and remained unchanged, then they could part amicably. He would admit his eight years of folly, apologize, sever all ties, return to the capital alone to make amends to his children, and completely cut off all ties with the rotten people and messy affairs here.

Holding onto the last shred of tolerance and hope, He Daqing ignored the gazes around him, strode straight to his rented room, and pushed open the door.

The scene inside extinguished the last vestige of warmth in his eyes.

The room was in complete disarray, with drawers and cabinets all open and clothes scattered on the floor. The white widow was kneeling on the floor, frantically searching through drawers and cabinets, frantically rummaging through wooden chests in the corner and crevices under the bed, her expression anxious and greedy. She was clearly taking advantage of his absence to desperately search for his hidden stash of money.

Over the years, she held onto his full monthly salary of sixty-five yuan, yet she remained insatiable, constantly eyeing the hard-earned savings he made from taking on private jobs. She was always on guard and calculating, never showing him a shred of sincerity.

Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open behind her, Widow Bai turned around abruptly, only to be caught off guard by He Daqing's pair of cold, lifeless, and unfeeling eyes.

Her heart suddenly tightened, and she trembled with fear, instinctively taking a half step back. But this fear vanished in an instant. In a short moment, greed, panic, and resentment surged into her heart. She decided to throw caution to the wind, stood up straight with her hands on her hips, and began to curse He Daqing without restraint.

"You actually came back? I thought you'd already packed up and gone back to the capital, completely forgetting about us!"

The widow's voice was shrill and piercing, every word dripping with selfish calculation. "Let me tell you, He Daqing, you're not going back to the capital! You'll spend the rest of your life staying in Baoding to support us, mother and child! And all the money you've secretly saved over the years, all the extra cash you've earned from odd jobs, you'd better hand it all over! You're mine, and your money is mine too, you're not taking a single penny with you!"

She had a perfectly clear plan in mind, revealing her extremely selfish nature.

She never cared about He Daqing's difficulties, his guilt, or his future. All she knew was that He Daqing was her only support and her only source of income. She was incapable of earning money, and her two sons were lazy and idle; the entire family depended on He Daqing for survival. Once He Daqing returned to Beijing, the three of them would lose all their financial resources, facing starvation and hardship. Therefore, she resorted to tantrums, unreasonable demands, and persistent harassment to keep He Daqing firmly in place, confining him to Baoding to ensure her old age.

Seeing the white widow's greedy, mean, and unreasonable tantrum, He Daqing's last bit of tolerance completely vanished.

To be honest, his return was genuinely intended to provide the mother and children with a way to survive and a future. He had already secured a position as the canteen manager at the Red Star Electronics Factory in Beijing, a well-paid and stable job. He planned to bring the mother and her two stepsons back to Beijing with him, forgiving their past transgressions. By managing the canteen, he could personally teach his two stepsons cooking skills, enabling them to acquire a livelihood and earn a living even without his help, ensuring a comfortable life for the rest of their lives.

This meticulous and thoughtful arrangement was already more than enough from him. But the greedy face of the woman before him completely chilled his heart.

Just as the argument reached its fiercest point, the door to the inner room was suddenly kicked open. The widow's two sons rushed out. Seeing that He Daqing had his back to them and his attention was entirely on his mother, the two exchanged a glance, a sinister glint in their eyes. Without a word, they grabbed a solid wooden stool from the corner of the wall and smashed it hard against his back!

boom!

The bench slammed solidly into his still-healing gunshot wound, the sound dull and jarring.

"hiss--!"

He Daqing convulsed in pain, the throbbing pain of his old wound shooting up his spine to the top of his head. He had initially held back some of his dignity, but this sneak attack shattered the last bit of tolerance in his heart.

He had always been kind to his two stepsons, caring for them diligently for eight years, providing for their basic needs and raising them to adulthood, and even hoping to secure a stable future for them. But these two ungrateful wretches showed him no respect whatsoever, their hearts filled with prejudice and resentment. Now, they had taken advantage of his momentary lapse in attention, viciously attacking his old wounds with cruel and inhuman methods!

At this moment, He Daqing was completely heartbroken and had no more thoughts of taking them back to the capital.

He turned around abruptly, his eyes fierce and terrifying. Before the second stool could even land, he reached out and grabbed the stool leg, snatching it directly from the other person's arms with a forceful pull.

The arm strength He Daqing had honed through years of wok-tossing now erupted. He swung a stool and struck the legs and backs of the two ungrateful bastards. With a few muffled thuds, the two lazy young men, unable to withstand the blows, screamed and ran around covering their heads. In no time, they were beaten to a pulp on the ground, curled up in a ball, groaning, too exhausted to even fight back.

"How dare you hit my son!"

The white widow's eyes turned red, and like a madwoman, she let out a howl and pounced on him, her long fingernails aimed straight for He Daqing's face.

He Daqing had just put away the stool when she suddenly appeared, catching him off guard. Several bloody scratches appeared on his neck and cheek, stinging painfully. His anger flared up completely, and he raised his hand to slap her across the face.

Snapped!

The sharp crack silenced the room for a moment.

The white widow was slapped so hard she staggered half a step, half her face visibly swollen, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. She froze for a second, then went completely berserk, lunging at him again, baring her teeth and claws: "He Daqing! I'll fight you to the death!"

Inside the house, a violent fight broke out, with chickens flying and dogs running wild, creating a huge commotion. Outside, all the neighbors had already gathered at the door and windows, crowding the area and craning their necks to watch with great interest.

No one stepped forward to offer a single word of advice; everyone was just there to watch the spectacle. Some even stood by with their arms crossed, not wanting the situation to escalate, constantly making inflammatory remarks and offering random suggestions, hoping the two would fight even more intensely so they could have a good show.

Looking at the woman in front of him, who was throwing a tantrum, acting crazy, selfish and vicious, and then at his two stepsons who had been beaten to the ground and were heartless and cruel, He Daqing felt nothing but endless absurdity and relief.

I'm glad I came back and confronted them, finally seeing the true colors of this family. Such a selfish, cold-hearted, and ungrateful family, no matter how promising I am, I can never truly win them over.

Eight years of hardship, all for naught.

Today, the break is complete. From now on, Baoding will be no longer a hindrance to him. He Daqing will live only for the people of Beijing.