Courtyard House: A Veteran Returns Home and Becomes a Father

The crowd that had been so tightly packed earlier scattered like birds and beasts, retreating into their homes and locking their doors tightly.

No one dared to say another word, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Su Mo's last glance was terrifying.

That wasn't a warning, nor a threat, but rather an indifference as if looking at an inanimate object.

Everyone knew that, starting tonight, this courtyard belonged to the Su family.

In the courtyard, only Qin Huairu, who was slumped on the ground, and Banggeng, who was terrified and had lost his mind, remained.

The night wind blew, swirling up a few fallen leaves on the ground, making a whistling sound, like someone sobbing softly.

Qin Huairu held her son, her body trembling uncontrollably.

She didn't hate Su Mo, nor did she dare to.

She only hated herself, her mother-in-law, and this cannibalistic family.

My mother-in-law has been arrested. She's been branded as an instigator and a thief. With those two labels stuck with her, she'll probably never get out of there.

The man, Jia Dongxu, was a good-for-nothing; he could do nothing but lie in bed groaning.

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are still in school; they are two bottomless pits that can never be filled.

Now, the only pillar of support, that Jia Zhangshi who could throw tantrums and squeeze food out of other people's pockets, has fallen.

God, collapsed.

Qin Huairu's tears fell silently, dripping onto Bang Geng's cold little face.

What should she do?

What will become of this family?

In her despair, a figure appeared in her mind.

An old man, Yi Zhonghai.

He's an old man in the courtyard, a highly respected elder, he... he must have a way!

Qin Huairu grasped at the last straw, struggling to pull the stick off the ground, and staggered toward Yi Zhonghai's house.

"Knock knock knock".

The knocking sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet night.

"Who is it?" Yi Zhonghai's voice, feigning composure, came from inside the house.

"Uncle, it's me, Huai Ru." Qin Huai Ru's voice was choked with sobs, filled with helplessness.

The door opened.

Looking at Qin Huairu outside the door, her face streaked with tears and looking pitiful, Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of joy instantly dispel the resentment he had felt because of Su Mo.

coming!

She did come!

With that old hag Jia Zhangshi gone, wouldn't Qin Huairu be like a headless fly, forced to come to her, her "backbone"?

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!

It's like God is helping me complete my retirement plan!

Yi Zhonghai was overjoyed inside, but his face showed a heavy expression of heartache.

He sighed heavily and stepped aside to let Qin Huairu into the house.

"Huai Ru, come in quickly. Sigh, this whole mess..."

As soon as Qin Huairu entered the room, she could no longer hold back and her legs went weak, almost causing her to kneel down.

"Sir, please, please save my mother-in-law! She's old and can't go to jail!"

"Hey, hey, what are you doing! Get up!"

Yi Zhonghai quickly helped her up, speaking grand and dignified words while secretly plotting something.

save?

Save her? I'd rather she died inside!

That old hag is the biggest obstacle on my path to retirement! She eats my food, drinks my water, and treats me like a fool. Now that she's in jail, won't you, Qin Huairu and the entire Jia family, be completely counting on me?

When the time comes, if I do you a little favor, won't you be eternally grateful to me?

When I get old and can't move anymore, you, Qin Huairu, and your son, Banggeng, will be my ready-made son and daughter-in-law!

This deal was incredibly profitable!

"Huai Ru, don't rush, sit down and talk slowly." Yi Zhonghai pressed Qin Huai Ru down onto a stool, then paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed, looking worried.

"This is a difficult matter!" He sighed deeply, his tone heavy. "You've seen Su Mo yourself; he's a ruthless character. And this time, it was Jia's sister-in-law who... she made a mistake herself. She was caught red-handed, the evidence is irrefutable. This case, no matter how far it goes, we'll still lose."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's tears flowed even more fiercely.

"Then... what should we do? We really have to watch over my mother-in-law..."

"Don't worry!" Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and said decisively, "As the eldest brother in this compound, I absolutely cannot watch the Jia family collapse like this! No matter how wrong your mother-in-law is, she's still one of us!"

His words were spoken with such righteous indignation that Qin Huairu immediately felt a glimmer of hope. She raised her tearful eyes and looked at him expectantly.

Yi Zhonghai walked up to her, lowered his voice, and looked serious.

"Okay, take Banggeng home first and calm down. I'll figure something out. I have some old connections in the neighborhood and the factory. I'll go talk to them tomorrow and see if they can make an exception, at least... at least let your mother-in-law suffer less inside."

After saying that, he took out two yuan from his pocket and forced it into Qin Huairu's hand.

"Here! Buy some food for the child to calm their nerves. Don't be shy! If I don't help you now, who will?"

Qin Huairu held those two yuan as if they were weighing a thousand pounds.

Looking at the old man in front of her who was "worrying so much" about her family, she was so moved that she choked up and couldn't speak, and could only nod repeatedly.

"Thank you... old man... thank you..."

"Go back now." Yi Zhonghai patted her shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Remember, if you ever have any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to me. As long as I, Yi Zhonghai, am here, you and your daughter will never go hungry!"

After seeing Qin Huairu off, Yi Zhonghai arrived at the door. The heaviness and worry on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an irrepressible smugness.

He hummed a little tune, poured himself a cup of hot tea, and took a sip with relish.

Go ask someone for help?

What a load of crap!

He's not going anywhere tomorrow; he'll just stay home and lie down.

Two days later, when Qin Huairu came to ask again, he said, "They didn't give me face," and "This matter is too big; connections won't help."

In any case, he had to make a good impression and let Qin Huairu know that he had "done his best" for her family's affairs.

As long as she develops dependence on and gratitude towards me, my retirement plans will be secure!

Yi Zhonghai's thoughts became increasingly beautiful, as if he could already see his later years, with Qin Huairu serving him tea and water, and Bang Geng massaging his legs.

……

Unlike Yi Zhonghai's triumphant mood, Jia Zhangshi was experiencing the darkest moment of her life in the detention room of Jiaodaokou Police Station.

With a clang, the cold iron door closed behind her.

She was pushed into a small room of about ten square meters, filled with a pungent smell of sweat, foot odor, and mildew, which almost made her vomit on the spot.

There were already seven or eight people locked up in the room, lying crookedly on the communal bed, eyeing her, the newcomer, with hostile looks.

Jia Zhangshi had never suffered such humiliation before.

She plopped down on the ground and opened her mouth, ready to begin her classic rendition.

"Oh dear! I can't live anymore! Is there no justice in this world?! What have I, an old woman, done to deserve this...?"

She had only wailed a couple of times when a sharp voice came from the corner.

"Shut up, you howling 'Shut up!'"

Following the sound, Jia Zhangshi saw a woman with a scar on her face and a green snake tattooed on her arm, glaring fiercely at her.

Having been used to running rampant in the courtyard house, Jia Zhangshi would never take such a threat seriously.

She stiffened her neck and yelled, "Who do you think you are, you piece of trash! I can howl all I want, it's none of your business!"

Upon hearing this, the scarred woman paused for a moment, then grinned, a smile that was somewhat cruel.

She slowly stood up from the communal bed, cracking her knuckles as she walked towards Jia Zhangshi.

"New here, don't know the rules, huh? Fine, I'll teach you today who's in charge here."

Looking at the other person's arms, which were thicker than her own thighs, Jia Zhangshi felt a little intimidated, but she still didn't hold back her words.

"What...what do you want to do! Let me tell you, I'm not someone to be trifled with! You dare touch me and see what happens! Police! The police are hitting people!"

She tried to resort to her old tricks again, throwing a tantrum to solve the problem.

However, this is not a traditional courtyard house.

The scarred woman didn't give her a chance to perform.

She stepped forward, grabbed Jia Zhangshi's collar with her large, fan-like hand, and lifted her up like a chick.

"Snapped!"

A crisp, loud slap landed hard on Jia Zhangshi's other cheek.

The slap was so powerful that it made Jia Zhangshi see stars, her head was buzzing, and the other half of her face quickly swelled up, becoming symmetrical like a pig's head.

"Are you still going to yell or not?" The scarred woman's voice was chilling.

Jia Zhangshi was completely stunned by the beating.

In her entire life, she has always been the one hitting others. When has she ever been slapped so hard in the face?

A surge of humiliation and anger welled up inside her, and she opened her mouth to curse.

"Snapped!"

Another slap landed, loosening all her teeth.

"Still being stubborn." The scarred woman sneered, releasing her grip.

Jia Zhangshi collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud.

Looking at the woman before her, who seemed like a demon, and at the prisoners around her with their arms crossed and smirking as they watched the spectacle, a deep-seated fear gripped her heart for the first time.

She finally realized that all the methods she was so proud of—throwing tantrums, rolling on the ground, cursing, and taking advantage of her age—were useless here.

Here, only one thing matters.

fist.

"From now on, you'll sleep there." The scarred woman pointed to the dampest, dirtiest corner right next to the urinal. "If you dare to fart again, I'll shove you down into the urinal and let you drink your fill."

After saying that, she ignored Jia Zhangshi and turned back to her own bed.

Jia Zhangshi lay on the cold ground, trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.

My face was burning with pain, and my mouth was full of the taste of blood.

But what terrified her even more was the despair of having no one to turn to for help.

She dared not cry anymore, nor dared she curse anymore.

She could only hunch over and crawl, bit by bit, in humiliation, toward that foul-smelling corner, like an old dog whose spine had been broken.