Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

He Daqing was grabbing Yi Zhonghai by the collar and cursing him, spittle flying everywhere, when he caught a glimpse of Liu Jianguo pushing his bicycle into the central courtyard and standing by the moon gate, watching coldly.

He immediately released his grip, but his anger remained. He then turned to the growing number of neighbors and raised his voice, as if to announce something important:

"Perfect timing, Director Liu is back too, and all the neighbors are here. Taking this opportunity, I, He Daqing, will make this clear. Because of Yi Zhonghai's despicable act, I no longer trust this neighborhood. I've already sold the old He family's room, and I'm moving out with Shazhu to find somewhere else to live. Why? Because I'm afraid if I stay any longer, my son Shazhu won't be surnamed He anymore, but Yi."

The three words "changed surname to Yi" were like a poisoned dagger, piercing Yi Zhonghai's heart and breaking through the barrier in everyone's hearts.

These words were so vicious and hurtful that a collective gasp and whispers immediately rose from the surrounding area.

Yi Zhonghai's face instantly turned from red to white, then from white to green, and finally to ashen. His lips trembled as he tried to refute, but he couldn't utter a single word. He felt a burning pain on his face where He Daqing had hit him, but what hurt even more was the bloody face that had been torn off in public.

His carefully cultivated image as a moral exemplar and an old man completely collapsed and shattered at this moment.

No sooner had He Daqing finished speaking than Sun Shan, carrying a briefcase, walked into the courtyard from outside.

As if he had found a witness, He Daqing immediately called out loudly:

"Oh, Section Chief Sun, you've come at the perfect time. Please be our witness."

Sun Shan clearly already knew the gist of the matter. He glanced expressionlessly at Yi Zhonghai, whose face was ashen, then nodded slightly to the neighbors around him, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air of authority:

"Yes, the paperwork for the sale of Mr. He's house has been filed. I bought Mr. He's house, and Mr. He and Zhuzi will move away afterward. We're all neighbors, so let's part amicably."

These words, though seemingly polite, actually confirmed the fact that the He family had sold their house and moved, and also cut off any hope that Yi Zhonghai could have of salvaging the situation.

"Alright, that's enough with what you said, Section Chief Sun. I'll pack my things now, so I won't be in your way."

He Daqing cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Sun Shan and Liu Jianguo, then glared fiercely at Yi Zhonghai. He grabbed He Yuzhu, who was still dazed and had a handprint on his face, and gruffly shouted:

"What are you standing there for? You spineless coward! Come back to the house and pack your things! This lousy place is unlucky to stay even a second longer!"

As he spoke, he grabbed He Yuzhu, who kept turning back to look at him, and walked straight towards his own little house.

Liu Jianguo stood under the moon gate, taking in the whole farce, a faint, cold smile always playing on his lips.

Seeing He Daqing and his son return to the house, Yi Zhonghai stood there, looking lost and disoriented. He felt that he had seen enough of the play, so he nodded slightly to Sun Shan.

Then he pushed his bicycle, turned around and walked towards his own east wing in the backyard, ignoring the mess behind him.

Sun Shan understood and immediately followed.

Once the main characters had left and the He family father and son had returned home, the onlookers gradually dispersed in small groups.

But as everyone passed by Yi Zhonghai, they couldn't help but glance at him with a complex mix of disdain, surprise, and schadenfreude, before quickly lowering their heads and walking away, as if he were something unclean.

Yi Zhonghai could clearly feel those gazes piercing his back like needles. He forced his almost collapsing body to stand up, lowered his head, and rushed back to his house as if fleeing. He slammed the door shut behind him, as if only in this way could he shut out those piercing gazes and discussions from outside.

Aunt Yi was sewing shoe soles inside the house when she was startled by the noise outside and her husband's distraught appearance. She quickly put down her work and came over to ask with concern:

"Old Yi? What's wrong with you? What was going on outside just now? It was so noisy, and it sounded like He... He Daqing's voice?"

Yi Zhonghai leaned against the door, panting heavily, his face deathly pale. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth, his voice hoarse and unlike his own:

"He Daqing... that damned He Daqing... is back..."

He looked up at his wife, his eyes vacant, filled with despair and shame.

"He...he revealed...that whole thing in front of the entire hospital...I...I've completely lost face..."

Aunt Yi was struck dumb, took a step back, swayed, and almost collapsed to the ground.

Her face instantly turned even more pale than Yi Zhonghai's, her voice trembling with sobs and fear:

"What...what? Everything...has been revealed? Good heavens! How...how are we ever going to go out in public like this?! The neighbors will gossip about us! I told you back then...I said this wouldn't do, it's immoral! It's against all reason! You said it was okay, that it was all for...for the sake of having Sha Zhu take care of us in our old age...and now...what are we going to do?!"

As she spoke, she weakly pounded the table beside her, overwhelmed by regret and fear.

"Shut up."

Yi Zhonghai suddenly let out a low growl, grabbing his hair in frustration as he said:

"You think I don't know? Huh? Don't I know this is immoral? But what else can I do? What do you suggest?! Our bodies... we can't have a single child! No one will take care of us in our old age, and when we die, we'll rot in the house and no one will even know! What else can I do if I don't plan ahead?"

His words were filled with a sense of utter despair and selfish madness.

Aunt Yi was stunned by her husband's roar, which also touched her deepest pain—infertility.

It was because of this lingering worry that she tacitly approved of and even assisted Yi Zhonghai's plan to withhold the He family's living expenses and win over Sha Zhu.

At this moment, she could no longer utter any words of accusation. She simply covered her face and began to sob softly, tears streaming down her face through her fingers.

After crying for a while, Aunt Yi finally raised her tearful eyes, grabbed Yi Zhonghai's arm in a panic, and asked:

"So...so now...what should we do? We can't...we can't just wait to be drowned in their saliva, can we?"

Yi Zhonghai, panting heavily, forced himself to calm down.

He was ultimately more decisive than his wife; after a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Stay home and don't go anywhere. Don't open the door for anyone. I...I'll go to the backyard to talk to the old lady. She's knowledgeable, maybe...maybe she can find a solution."

After saying that, he straightened his crooked collar, took a deep breath, and as if grasping at the last straw, hurriedly pushed open the door, slipped out of the yard like a thief, and ran quickly toward the deaf old lady's hut in the backyard.