Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

At Peking Union Medical College Hospital, the doctor's calm yet regretful pronouncement, like a final judgment, shattered the Jia family's last glimmer of hope. Jia Dongxu's right arm was permanently damaged; heavy work was out of the question, and being able to take care of himself was already a blessing. Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi erupted in fury, collapsing to the ground and launching into her traditional art—wailing and cursing.

"Damn it! This is outrageous! These quacks are killing people! They can't even cure my son's arm! You bunch of doctors in white coats are all useless!" She nearly poked the doctor's nose with her finger. "And that old bastard Yi Zhonghai! Heartless and rotten, he deserves to die a horrible death! If he hadn't failed to take good care of my son, would Dongxu be in this state? That little brat Wang Huanbo is no better! He just watched him die! God, open your eyes and strike these wicked devils down!"

Her shrewish outburst might have been intimidating in the courtyard, but this was Peking Union Medical College Hospital! A top-tier hospital in the country, where order and quiet are paramount! Her outburst immediately attracted the attention of the security guard on duty.

"Lady! Please calm down! This is a hospital! Don't disturb the other patients' rest!" the doctor warned sternly.

"Calm down? My son is ruined! What's the point of me calming down!" Jia Zhangshi had completely lost control and jumped up to scratch the man.

"Take her away! Disturbing public order!" The security officer, no longer polite, ordered two members of the security department to step forward and grab Jia Zhangshi. Jia Zhangshi struggled desperately, hurling insults at them. Soon, police officers from the local police station arrived after receiving a report. After verifying the situation, they handcuffed the cursing Jia Zhangshi and took her away, citing a violation of public security regulations. Seven days of detention, no exceptions!

In the ward, only Jia Dongxu, his face ashen, Qin Huairu, clutching the broken arm and silently weeping, and Yi Zhonghai, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, his face grim. Jia Dongxu stared blankly at the ceiling, as if his soul had vanished along with his crippled arm. Qin Huairu looked at her husband and mother-in-law, feeling as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed, her future shrouded in darkness. Yi Zhonghai was filled with anger and shame—anger at Jia Zhangshi's unreasonable demands that had caused him to lose face again, shame at the reality of his apprentice's injury, and even more worried that if this matter got back to the hospital, his authority as the "big boss" would be completely destroyed.

In the end, Yi Zhonghai paid the medical expenses and, together with Qin Huairu, brought the lifeless Jia Dongxu back to the desolate courtyard. With Jia Zhangshi detained, the Jia family was temporarily "peaceful," but a sense of oppressive despair permeated the entire courtyard.

In stark contrast was the Yan family's house in the front yard. The third uncle, holding a newspaper, pointed to the report about Hongxing Automobile's export earnings and gave the Yan brothers, Jiecheng and Yan Jiefang, a "live lesson": "Look! Look at Chief Engineer Wang! He made cars, sold them to foreign countries, and made a lot of money for the country! That's what you call successful! If you two had half... no, even a tenth of his ability, I'd cook you stewed meat every day!" The two sons rolled their eyes, letting it go in one ear and out the other.

The backyard of Liu Haizhong's house was filled with "fatherly encouragement." The second uncle, feeling he was a "meritorious contributor" because of his involvement in the manual hammering of car bodies, harbored an even stronger desire for officialdom. Coming home from get off work, if Liu Guangtian or Liu Guangfu did anything to displease him, a beating with a belt would be immediately arranged! "I sweat for the country at the factory, and when I get home I have to worry about you two good-for-nothings! I'll beat you to death, you useless brats!" Screams became a constant in the backyard. Liu Guangqi, meanwhile, hid in the house, further solidifying his resolve to find a partner, get married, and separate from the family as soon as possible.

The Wang Huanbo family home in the west courtyard was a scene of bustling activity. Technicians seeking instructions, workshop directors reporting progress, and even leaders from the Ministry of Industry coming to conduct research were constantly arriving. Although busy, Wang Huanbo was organized and composed. He had heard about the Jia family's misfortunes, but had no time to pay attention, much less get involved. He had Sha Zhu deliver leftover food from the canteen to the Jia family a few times under his own name (actually, Wang Huanbo had hinted to Sha Zhu to take extra), as a gesture of neighborly courtesy. He knew that outsiders could hardly truly resolve such family tragedies, and excessive intervention might only cause trouble.

Just as the Jia family was shrouded in gloom and the various characters in the courtyard were in disarray, an even greater storm was brewing in the Yi Zhonghai family in the central courtyard.

Ever since his retirement plans were thwarted (Jia Dongxu became disabled, and Sha Zhu became estranged), Yi Zhonghai has become obsessed, pinning all his hopes on "having his own child." He no longer trusts hospitals and begins frantically searching for all sorts of folk remedies and secret prescriptions. One day, he bought a packet of "Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons Pills," supposedly blessed by the "Goddess of Fertility," from some itinerant doctor at a high price, and forced an older woman to take it.

The woman, already in poor health, was further tormented by these various medications. Coupled with her escalating conflict between her desire to adopt a child and Yi Zhonghai's stubbornness, their relationship reached a breaking point. That evening, they had another major argument about adopting a child.

"Adopt? Will an adopted child be close to us? What if his biological parents come looking for him after we raise him? Wouldn't all our efforts have been for nothing?" Yi Zhonghai retorted, sticking out his neck.

"Old Yi! Why are you so stubborn! The hospital said there's nothing they can do! Having a child is better than having none! Besides, the children in the orphanage are all suffering. If we treat them well, how can we be ungrateful?" The old woman pleaded earnestly.

"No! I, Yi Zhonghai, must have my own offspring!" Yi Zhonghai slammed the door and went out to drink alone.

The old woman was heartbroken. Looking at the bowl of dark, pungent-smelling medicine on the table, she felt increasingly aggrieved and desperate. In a moment of despair, she swallowed the whole bowl of medicine in one gulp! Her intention was to spite her and try it one last time, but she never imagined that this strange and potent medicine would be so strong!

In the middle of the night, Yi Zhonghai returned home drunk and went straight to sleep. Just before dawn, he was awakened by a series of suppressed groans and convulsions. He turned on the light and was horrified! An older woman was standing there, her face pale and bluish, foaming at the mouth, and convulsing violently; she was clearly dying!

"Old woman! What's wrong with you! Wake up!" Yi Zhonghai sobered up instantly from the alcohol and scrambled out of the house, frantically banging on doors. "Help! My wife is dying!"