Courtyard House: The Long-Lost Eldest Son Returns with Military Merit

Xiao Dang, clutching a White Rabbit milk candy, ran up to Bang Geng with small steps and said softly.

When Banggeng saw the candy, his eyes lit up, and he instinctively reached out to take it, but then he caught sight of Jia Dongming standing to the side.

Meeting Jia Dongming's ambiguous smile, Banggeng's hand froze in mid-air. He swallowed hard and said to Xiaodang insincerely, "Xiaodang, your brother isn't eating. You can eat it yourself."

Little Dang stuffed the candy into Banggeng's hand and said in a childish voice, "Brother, have some. Little Dang has more."

Seeing Banggeng swallowing his saliva while pushing him away, Jia Dongming found it somewhat amusing, and his impression of Banggeng quietly changed a little.

Seeing that Xiao Dang insisted on giving the candy to Bang Geng, Jia Dongming smiled and said, "Bang Geng, your sister gave it to you, so just take it."

"Next time you have something delicious, remember to share it with your little sister."

Banggeng then took the candy and happily said to Xiaodang, "Thank you, Xiaodang! I'll share my goodies with you next time."

Watching the interaction between the brother and sister, Madam Jia Zhang showed a look of satisfaction and praised, "My good grandson is so sensible, he knows how to... to give way to his sister."

When Jia Dongming heard that Jia Zhangshi almost let something slip again, he knew that changing her mind would not be a matter of a day or two.

Watching Banggeng and Xiaodang happily eating candy, Jia Dongming turned to Jia Zhangshi and asked, "Mom, how have you been all these years since I got lost?"

When asked this question, Jia Zhangshi was reminded of those almost forgotten memories, and a complex and bitter expression appeared on her face.

"Dongming, since you disappeared, your father and I have been searching for you for more than half a month, even turning up all the mass graves outside the city..."

"After that, your father started working at Lou's Steel Rolling Mill, and our family moved from the rented house in the courtyard to where we live now."

Your father never got over your disappearance and passed away from a work injury in 1952.

"After your father passed away, your younger brother Dongxu took over his position and became an apprentice in the steel rolling mill. Later, he became an apprentice of Yi Zhonghai in our institute."

"That old bastard Yi Zhonghai was planning to have Dongxu take care of him in his old age. When he was teaching Dongxu, he deliberately kept his job grade from improving while giving our family small benefits from time to time. As a result, Dongxu was only a low-level fitter until he left."

"Mom! Since Yi Zhonghai is deliberately not teaching Dongxu his skills properly, why doesn't Dongxu find another teacher?"

Jia Dongming knew Yi Zhonghai's character all too well, but he didn't expect that Jia Zhangshi would also understand the scheme, so he asked.

Upon hearing Jia Dongming's question, Madam Jia Zhang recalled the years she had spent raising Dongxu alone in the courtyard, and replied with a face full of resentment, "Dongming! After your father passed away, it was just Dongxu and me left. If we didn't have a powerful backer in the courtyard, we would probably have been taken advantage of long ago."

"Besides, Yi Zhonghai is not only an elder in the compound, but also an eighth-level fitter in the factory. Even if Dongxu really wants to find another master, no one in the factory dares to hire him."

At this point, Jia Zhangshi's face revealed a fierce expression, and she said coldly, "So I thought, since Yi Zhonghai wants to scheme against Dongxu to support him in his old age, then I can also scheme against him, the one who has no descendants."

"Yi Zhonghai is a level eight worker, earning 99 yuan a month, and he also has two rooms in the courtyard."

When he gets old, I'll find a way to take all his money and house, and then kick him out.

At this point, Jia Zhangshi's expression finally softened a bit, and she said to Jia Dongming with an excited tone, "Dongming! After Dongxu left, we two widows raised three children alone. I was always worried that one day we would be bullied and left without an heir."

"So I deliberately became a wicked mother-in-law, constantly beating and scolding Qin Huairu. If anyone dared to take advantage of the Jia family, I would go to their house and make a scene, even if I was wrong, I would make sure to find some reason to be right."

"Now that you're back, Mom no longer has to worry about being schemed against by the people in the courtyard and having no descendants."

"Mom promises you, I will never throw a tantrum in the yard again, and I will never embarrass you."

In the story of the courtyard house, Sha Zhu was completely devoted to the Jia family, but in the end, he froze to death on the overpass.

At first, Jia Dongming couldn't understand how Banggeng could turn into an ingrate, completely disregarding Shazhu's kindness to him; now, after hearing Jia Zhangshi's words, he realized that the root of the problem lay with Jia Zhangshi.

Just as Jia Zhangshi was reminiscing with Jia Dongming about the past, Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, finally returned to the courtyard on his secondhand bicycle.

As soon as the three older women waiting at the courtyard gate saw Yan Bugui return, they hurried to greet him and said mysteriously, "Husband! Something big happened in our courtyard today!"

Seeing the mysterious look on the third aunt's face, Yan Bugui asked curiously, "Wife, what big thing happened in the yard?"

When Yan Bugui asked and saw his curious expression, the old woman quickly replied, "Honey! The little courtyard where Engineer Xue used to live has been divided up today. The new security chief from the steel rolling mill has moved in!"

"What! The courtyard has been separated? And given to the head of the security department? The Jia family has been eyeing that courtyard for a long time. Didn't Madam Jia make a fuss when she found out that new residents had moved in? It seems there's going to be a good show in our courtyard tonight."

Upon hearing this news, Yan Bugui was filled with surprise and blurted out a question.

When Auntie San heard Yan Bugui say this, she thought of Jia Dongming's identity. After Yan Bugui parked his bicycle, she pulled him into the house and said excitedly, "Husband! You guessed wrong this time. Not only did Jia Zhangshi not make a fuss, she was actually very happy."

Yan Bugui looked incredulous and asked doubtfully, "How is that possible? How could someone like Jia Zhangshi, who always makes a scene even when she's being unreasonable, not make a scene?"

The third aunt replied with a smile, "Because the newly moved-in Section Chief Jia is Jia Zhangshi's eldest son, who has been separated from her for many years."

Now that the entire courtyard belongs to the Jia family, how could Jia Zhangshi possibly still cause trouble?

When Yan Bugui heard that Jia Zhangshi actually had a son, he asked his third aunt with disbelief, "Daughter-in-law! How is this possible? We've lived in the same courtyard as the Jia family for so long, and we've never heard of the Jia family having any other sons besides Dongxu!"

When Auntie San heard Yan Bugui ask this, she remembered what happened at noon and explained with a smile: "Honey! When Section Chief Jia came to see the house at noon, I felt that he looked familiar."

Later, upon hearing his name, I guessed he might be related to the Jia family.

"When Jia Zhangshi woke up and went out, she heard that the small courtyard had been divided up. At first, she did make a fuss for a while, blaming the old man for not helping the Jia family get a house, and scolding the old woman as a hen that can't lay eggs, which made the old woman so angry that she almost had to go to the hospital."

"I saw that Jia Zhangshi was making a big fuss, so I told her Jia Section Chief's name."

Upon hearing the name, Jia Zhangshi immediately stopped making a fuss and cried, saying that the newly arrived Section Chief Jia was her long-lost eldest son, and she even told us how her eldest son had gone missing.

After learning the news from the third aunt, Yan Bugui immediately asked anxiously, "Wife, is the newly arrived Section Chief Jia really Jia Zhangshi's eldest son?"

Upon hearing this, the three women immediately nodded and replied, "It is indeed true, but Section Chief Jia couldn't remember many things because of his injury, and he is only now recognizing Jia Zhangshi."

Thinking of the eldest son of the Jia family's status, Yan Bugui couldn't help but say enviously, "The eldest son of the Jia family is the head of the security department of the steel rolling mill. Now the Jia family is going to rise again."

At this point, he suddenly remembered Uncle Yi Zhonghai, and a look of amusement crossed his face as he muttered to himself, "For years, Old Yi has been planning to have the Jia family support him in his old age. Now that the eldest son of the Jia family is back, his plans are probably all going to fall through."

The third aunt remembered that Qin Huairu was Yi Zhonghai's apprentice and reminded Yan Bugui, "Master, don't forget that Qin Huairu is still Yi Zhonghai's apprentice. As long as this relationship exists, can the Jia family get rid of Yi Zhonghai?"

Yan Bugui shook his head dismissively: "Wife, if the eldest son of the Jia family is an ordinary person, then it will indeed be difficult to handle."

But he was the head of the security department, while Yi Zhonghai, an eighth-grade fitter, was nothing in front of Section Chief Jia.

"If the eldest son of the Jia family wanted to change Qin Huairu's position, wouldn't that be a piece of cake?"

Upon hearing this, the three women suddenly understood and said with a hint of anticipation, "Then our courtyard is probably going to become quite lively!"

Yan Bugui smiled and cautioned, "That's a matter between Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family; let's not get involved."

The three women recalled what they had seen that afternoon and said enviously, "Jia Dongming went out this afternoon and came back riding a new bicycle, carrying a chicken and a huge piece of pork belly. The fat was at least three fingers thick!"

Yan Bugui's eyes lit up, and he said, "When Lao Yi and Lao Liu come back, the three of us old men should go and say hello to Section Chief Jia. After all, it's only right and proper to visit our new neighbors."

"We workers have power, hey, we workers have power, we're busy working every single day!"

Ever since Qin Huairu took leave and left the workshop in the afternoon, Yi Zhonghai had been restless, feeling that something bad was about to happen.

Upon hearing the announcement that everyone was leaving get off work, he immediately packed his things and hurried out of the courtyard.

More than twenty minutes later, Yi Zhonghai finally returned to the courtyard house.

Yan Bugui, who was guarding the door, saw him return and quickly went to greet him, saying, "Old Yi, something big happened in the courtyard today, the Jia family—"

"What happened to the Jia family?"

Upon hearing the word "major matter," Yi Zhonghai immediately thought of Qin Huairu's leave request and hurriedly interrupted Yan Bugui before he could finish speaking, asking a question.

Yan Bugui was somewhat surprised by Yi Zhonghai's reaction, but he understood when he thought that the Jia family was the one Yi Zhonghai had chosen to rely on for his old age.

He explained meaningfully, "Old Yi, the Jia family is fine."

"The villa where Engineer Xue used to live has been separated, and the new resident is the head of security from your steel rolling mill."

Hearing that the Jia family was alright, Yi Zhonghai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but then he remembered that Jia Zhangshi had made a scene over the villa, and his heart tightened again. He quickly asked, "Old Yan, Jia's sister-in-law didn't go to the villa to cause trouble, did she?"

Yan Bugui saw Yi Zhonghai's nervousness and thought that his retirement plans were about to fall through. He chuckled inwardly, but calmly replied, "Old Yi, you've guessed wrong this time."

Not only did Sister-in-law Jia not make a fuss, she was actually quite happy!

Confused, Yi Zhonghai pressed, "Old Yan, are you sure she really didn't cause trouble?"

Yan Bugui nodded firmly: "I'm sure."

Because the newly arrived Section Chief Jia is actually Jia's sister-in-law's long-lost eldest son.

"What? Madam Jia has an older son? How is that possible!"

This news was like a bolt from the blue for Yi Zhonghai. He didn't even care that he was still at the gate of the courtyard and blurted out a rebuttal.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's expression, Yan Bugui was secretly delighted, but he said calmly, "Old Yi, why would I lie to you? Just go and see for yourself at the other courtyard."

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's words, Yi Zhonghai immediately thought of his wife, Tan, and said, "Old Yan, I'll go home first and have my wife bring you a few pounds of cornmeal later."

Yan Bugui stopped him, saying, "Old Yi, although Section Chief Jia is the eldest son of the Jia family, he is a newcomer after all."

As the elderly residents of the compound, it's only right and proper for us to visit them.

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's words, Yi Zhonghai paused slightly, then nodded and said, "Alright."

"After Lao Liu returns, we'll go check out the other courtyard together."

After speaking, his expression turned solemn, and he turned and walked towards the central courtyard.

When I stepped into the house, an older woman was preparing dinner by the stove.

Yi Zhonghai immediately asked, "I heard that the new resident who moved into the courtyard is Jia Zhangshi's eldest son, who went missing many years ago. Is that true?"

The old woman recalled Jia Zhangshi's smug look at noon and gritted her teeth as she answered, "Absolutely true."

You didn't see her at noon; Jia Zhangshi looked like she was strutting around with her tail between her legs.

Yi Zhonghai frowned and asked in confusion, "We've lived in the same courtyard as the Jia family for years, and we've never heard of them having an eldest son."

What exactly happened?