Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

His carefully cultivated image as a moral exemplar and a just and honest old man was completely shattered by Liu Jianguo's words!

In his panic, he stumbled and ran like a headless fly to the old deaf woman's house in the backyard, disregarding all etiquette, and hurriedly said:

"Grandma! Something terrible has happened! Liu Jianguo... Liu Jianguo revealed in front of Zhu Zi that He Daqing had sent money!"

The deaf old woman listened with squinted eyes, her face expressionless. She slowly sipped her tea, then calmly and effortlessly shifted all the blame:

"Sigh, I told you from the beginning that this wasn't the right thing to do, it could easily go wrong. But you insisted that this was the only way to keep him in line and make him take care of you in his old age. Now look at the mess, I don't have any good solutions. You brought this on yourself, so you'd better figure out how to fix it."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run down his spine. He cursed the old fox inwardly, thinking how cunning he was. He hadn't firmly opposed the incident before it happened, but now he was trying to distance himself from it. He was truly a shrewd old man!

He knew he wouldn't get any help from the deaf old woman and would only get angry, so he slunk away from the backyard and returned home dejectedly, his mind blank, not knowing how to clean up this mess.

He Yuzhu and He Yushui returned to their deserted home. The brother and sister sat in silence for a long time.

He Yuzhu's mind was in turmoil, and he had an indescribable feeling towards Yi Zhonghai.

To say he hates him wouldn't be quite right, since Yi Zhonghai had indeed shown him some care and guidance in the past.

He couldn't say he didn't hate her, but the anger and resentment of being deceived and misled were truly gnawing at his heart.

This extremely conflicted and contradictory feeling made him want to escape from this suffocating compound.

Just as he was becoming increasingly agitated, He Yushui timidly suggested:

"Brother... how about we go ask Brother Jianguo? He's knowledgeable and a cadre, maybe he can help us make a decision?"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment. Although he felt a little embarrassed, he was indeed at a loss. The strength and fairness that Liu Jianguo had shown in the afternoon had made him subconsciously dependent on him.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "...Okay, I'll go ask him."

He Yuzhu stood aside, listening to his sister's undisguised intimacy and dependence on Liu Jianguo, feeling a mix of emotions, an indescribable awkwardness.

A sour feeling rushed to her head. Her younger sister, He Yushui, was even more affectionate and trusting towards Liu Jianguo than towards her own brother.

But this feeling of jealousy was quickly overshadowed by an even greater sense of shame. He had to admit that he, as the older brother, had indeed greatly neglected Yushui. If it weren't for Liu Jianguo's help, his sister would have suffered even more.

These two emotions intertwined, causing his dark face to flush red and then pale. He stood there, unsure of what to do with his hands and feet.

The brother and sister finally made up their minds and walked together toward the east courtyard where Liu Jianguo lived.

The two walked to the east courtyard and entered the house.

He Yushui said, "Brother Jianguo, I've brought you money for your meal."

Liu Jianguo was amused by He Yushui's words, laughed heartily, waved his hand, and spoke with an undeniable boldness:

"Alright, little brat, stop talking to me about money! Do you think I'd skimp on your food? From now on, eat here, eat your fill!"

He spoke casually, but a hint of satisfaction flickered in his heart: This little girl does have some conscience. Although he hadn't looked after her for very long, at least she knew who was good to her and knew how to be grateful; she wasn't the kind of ungrateful wretched person who wouldn't be fed. This feeling of being cared for and relied upon pleased him greatly.

He Yushui was very clever. Seeing her brother's embarrassed look, she immediately guessed that he wanted to ask for help but was too embarrassed to ask.

Her eyes darted around, and she ran to Liu Jianguo's side, affectionately hugging his arm. She tilted her head up, her voice a mix of complaint and coquetry, and said:

"Brother Jianguo, you don't know. My silly brother wants you to help him make a decision, but he's too embarrassed to ask. This old man clearly did something wrong, but my brother is acting all fussy, like he did something wrong. Now he avoids the old man whenever he sees him. What kind of situation is this?"

Looking at He Yushui's expectant eyes and glancing at He Yuzhu, who was standing next to her with his ears perked up and a nervous expression, Liu Jianguo immediately made a plan.

He paused for a moment, then said in a seemingly casual tone:

"Since the rain has spoken, I have to help. Here's what we'll do, Zhuzi, after I finish these urgent matters, I'll find some time to go to Baoding with you. Last time you went, you didn't even see a trace of him, right? This time I'll take you to find him and ask He Daqing face to face what he's up to."

Liu Jianguo sneered inwardly: Yi Zhonghai, you think you can rely on fooling Sha Zhu to support you in your old age? I'll get rid of you, my number one target, first, and see how you'll be able to live like a big shot in the future. I need to wake you up and show you who's really in charge here. This thought flashed through his mind, and his eyes sharpened.

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu felt a huge weight lifted from his heart. Although awkward, he still managed to say in a muffled voice:

"Well... thank you, Director Liu."

After saying that, he turned to He Yushui and said, "Yushui, let's go home."

He Yushui pouted, "Go back by yourself! I'll eat at Jianguo's place. Brother, remember to give Jianguo my food money."

He said that with such confidence and conviction.

He Yuzhu felt as if he had been pricked by a needle. His only sister was not close to him, but was closer to outsiders. This feeling was really hard to bear.

He kept his head down, fumbled in his pocket for a crumpled twenty-yuan note, placed it on the table, and said in a low voice:

"That's all I brought today. Eat this for now, and I'll have Rainwater bring more if it's not enough."

Liu Jianguo glanced at the twenty yuan, didn't feign refusal, nodded, and said calmly, "Okay, let's leave it at that for now."

He Yuzhu said no more, glanced at He Yushui with mixed feelings, turned around, lowered his head, and silently left the east courtyard.

As soon as her brother left, He Yushui immediately ran to Liu Jianguo, looking up at him with her small face, her eyes filled with both barely suppressed excitement and a hint of trepidation as she returned home: "Brother Jianguo! Is what you said true? Are you really going to take me to Baoding to find my father?"

Looking at her expectant yet fearful expression, Liu Jianguo softened his tone: "Well, what I promised you, I'll keep my word. I'll try to find a way to get him back."

When He Yushui heard the words "brought back," her eyes lit up, but then a hint of confusion and fear flashed across her face, and she lowered her head with mixed feelings.

At this moment, Qin Huairu came out of the kitchen carrying the prepared food and invited everyone to eat. Liu Jianguo patted He Yushui on the shoulder:

"Okay, stop thinking about it, let's eat first."

At the dinner table, He Yushui was clearly distracted. She ate a few mouthfuls haphazardly and then put down her chopsticks. "Brother Jianguo, Sister Qin, I'm full. I'm going to talk to my brother about something!" With that, she ran out like a little rabbit.