Courtyard House: A Veteran Returns Home and Becomes a Father

The morning sun lazily streamed into the courtyard of No. 95, Nantongluo Lane.

In the east courtyard, a rich aroma of milk and the sizzling of fried eggs filled the air. On the dining table, soft and delicious steamed buns and golden, thick millet porridge were laid out. Su Mo was patiently peeling a hot boiled egg for her daughter, Nian Nian.

However, in the Jia family's courtyard, which was separated by only one wall, the atmosphere was completely different.

In the cold room, Qin Huairu was feeding Banggeng a thin, watery cornmeal porridge, with not a single shred of pickled vegetable in the bowl.

"Mom, I want to eat meat! I want to eat eggs!" Banggeng looked at the porridge in the bowl, which was so thick it reflected his image, and burst into tears, pushing the bowl far away with his little hands.

"Don't cry, my dear son. I'll buy you meat when I get my salary." Qin Huairu hugged her son tenderly, her eyes reddening. Jia Dongxu's salary was deducted by an old man to pay off debts, and her own meager income was simply a drop in the ocean to support such a large family.

Just then, the curtain was lifted, and Yi Zhonghai walked in with his hands behind his back, a compassionate expression on his face.

"Huai Ru, why is the child crying?" He glanced at the porridge on the table and sighed heavily. "Alas, you've suffered so much."

He pulled two dark cornbread buns from his pocket and placed them on the table: "Here, have some for the child. See, I told you, comparisons are odious. We're eating cornbread here, while the neighbors next door have more milk and eggs than they can eat. Huai Ru, for the sake of the child, you can't keep pushing yourself like this."

He leaned close to Qin Huairu's ear and began to spout his twisted logic again: "Listen to me, go! You're not going to beg for food, you're going to help his family save food, you're going to remind him not to engage in that bourgeois extravagance! This is helping him to improve! Go quickly, just say it's my idea, he won't dare to disobey."

Looking at her son, who was crying so hard he was almost unconscious and looked pale and thin, and then thinking about the tempting aroma coming from the neighboring courtyard, Qin Huairu's last bit of shame and hesitation was finally overwhelmed by hunger and jealousy.

She gritted her teeth, as if making a firm decision, and stood up, pulling herself up with the stick: "Uncle, you're right. For the sake of the child, I'll risk everything!"

……

There was a gentle knock on the gate of the east courtyard.

Xia Wanqing was watering several pots of orchids that Su Mo had transplanted from his space in the yard when she heard the sound. She wiped her hands, went over and opened the door.

Standing outside the door were Qin Huairu and her son Banggeng.

Qin Huairu dressed up specially today. Although she was wearing old clothes with patches, they were clean and her hair was neatly combed. She had a fawning, pitiful smile on her face, and her eyes lit up when she saw Xia Wanqing.

"Are you Sister-in-law Su? My name is Qin Huairu, and I live in the middle courtyard. I... I'm just dropping by." She pushed Banggeng forward a bit. "This is my son, Banggeng. Come on, say hello to Auntie."

Banggeng timidly greeted, "Hello, Auntie."

Xia Wanqing nodded politely, but didn't invite them in: "Hello. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Qin Huairu's gaze passed over Xia Wanqing and fell upon the picturesque scene in the courtyard. She saw Nian Nian playing on the lawn with two majestic dogs and smelled the lingering aroma of food in the air. The flames of jealousy in her heart burned even brighter.

She took a deep breath and, following Yi Zhonghai's instructions, put on a show of being a thrifty and kind-hearted person.

"It's like this, sister-in-law. Everyone in our neighborhood says your family is doing well, with no worries about food or clothing. I was thinking, with all this meat and fish, there must be times when we can't finish it all. Now the country is calling on us to be thrifty and oppose waste. It would be such a waste to throw away all this uneaten food. Our family... our family is large, so if you don't mind, could you share some of what you leave with us? It would be helping you save food, wouldn't it?"

Her words sounded "reasonable," as if they were truly for the greater good of the nation and to help the Su family avoid waste.

However, Xia Wanqing's smile froze instantly after hearing this.

As a doctor, she had extremely high standards for hygiene. Eating someone else's leftovers? That was simply unimaginable to her. Moreover, the other party had packaged this begging behavior in such a respectable way.

Xia Wanqing's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but her good upbringing allowed her to remain polite.

"Comrade Qin, thank you for your 'kindness'." She deliberately emphasized the word "kindness," "However, our family does not have the habit of wasting food. Every meal is prepared in appropriate quantities, and there are no leftovers."

The rejection was swift and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.

Qin Huairu's smile froze; she hadn't expected the other party to reject her so directly.

Her eyes reddened, and she was about to use her signature move—playing the victim.

"Sister-in-law, please have pity on us! My Dongxu is still sick in bed, and Banggeng hasn't had a proper meal in days..."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string. She even pinched the stem of the stick, and the little guy immediately started crying in response.

Just then, a cold voice came from behind Xia Wanqing.

"What are you crying about? Are you begging at my doorstep?"

Su Mo had already arrived at the doorway at some point. He stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at Qin Huairu and her son with a blank expression, his eyes showing no sympathy, only cold scrutiny.

Qin Huairu shuddered at his gaze, and her sobs subsided considerably.

"I...I'm not a beggar! I am..."

"You're here to help my family save food, right?" Su Mo interrupted her, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "Did some old man teach you that phrase?"

Qin Huairu's face turned deathly pale instantly.

How...how did he know?

"It seems you couldn't wait to take over Jia Zhangshi's job as soon as she went in? To continue being the hospital's blood bank, only this time you want a different host?" Every word Su Mo spoke was like a knife, precisely stabbing into Qin Huairu's heart.

"Sure, considering how difficult things are for your family, I can help you."

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu thought that things had taken a turn for the better, and quickly raised her head, looking at him with teary eyes.

To her surprise, Su Mo's next words plunged her into an ice cave.

"My yard was just renovated, and I need someone to clean it. It's 50 cents a day, including lunch. Are you interested?"

cleaning?

Qin Huairu was completely dumbfounded.

In the courtyard house, Qin Huairu relied on her pretty face and ability to feign pitifulness to attract people like Sha Zhu who would rush to help her wherever she went. When had she ever done such servant work?

This is an absolute disgrace!

"You...you've gone too far!" Qin Huairu trembled with anger, pointing at Su Mo, speechless for a long time.

"Going too far?" Su Mo laughed, a laugh that was icy cold. "I give you a job, I give you money, I give you food, and you still think I'm bullying you? It seems you're not really hungry, you're just simply lazy, simply wicked, thinking of getting something for nothing and living off other people's charity."

"roll."

Su Mo uttered a single word, his eyes suddenly sharpening as he swept over the terrified Bang Geng, who dared not cry.

"And you, you little brat. Go back and tell your useless father, and that scheming old man, that my Su Mo's home isn't a place anyone can mess with. If there's a next time..."

He didn't finish his sentence; he just whistled.

In the courtyard, Qingtian and Zhuzi, who were playing with Niannian, suddenly rushed to the door like two black lightning bolts, bared their snow-white fangs at Banggeng, and let out a series of low roars from their throats.

"ah--!"

Banggeng, recalling the fear of being dominated that night, screamed and turned to run away.

Qin Huairu was also terrified. She glared at Su Mo with resentment and, no longer caring about saving face, scrambled to follow her son and fled in panic.

Su Mo coldly watched their disheveled figures, then slammed the door shut.

Outside the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai stood behind his window, taking in all of this.

His face was so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

The plan has failed once again.

This Su Mo not only possesses ruthless methods but also an incredibly meticulous mind. He not only saw through her scheme but also used this drastic measure to thoroughly humiliate Qin Huairu, effectively slapping himself in the face.

"Su Mo..."

Yi Zhonghai squeezed out those two words through gritted teeth, his fist clenched so tightly in his sleeve that it cracked.