Courtyard House: My max-level medical skills specialize in treating beasts.

"You idiot Zhu, you son of a bitch, you'll die a horrible death!"

As soon as I opened the door and entered the house, Jia Zhangshi's roar hit my ears.

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu flew into a rage and rushed out the door, only to see Qin Huairu supporting Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng as they walked towards the courtyard, with Jia Zhangshi still cursing incessantly.

He Yudong also came out and saw that Jia Zhangshi and Banggeng looked haggard, obviously exhausted from diarrhea today.

"Jia Zhangshi, are you sick in the head? You spew filth the moment you open your mouth, you're the one who deserves to die a horrible death! Say another word and I'll slap you!" He Yudong roared.

"Mom, say less." Qin Huairu quickly pulled her back. They were here to cause trouble today: Jia Zhangshi would play the bad cop, and she would play the good cop, forcing the Sha Zhu brothers to pay money.

"What's going on? Why is it so noisy?" Uncle Er walked over with his hair in his hair, and Uncle Yi Zhonghai and Aunt Yi were also drawn out by the cursing.

"Uncle, Uncle, you must do us, you widow and orphan, a favor!" Jia Zhangshi immediately started fussing. "Brother Shazhu had no good intentions. He poisoned our pork, causing me and Banggeng to have diarrhea and be hospitalized. The medical bills were fifty yuan!" She said the actual bill was twenty-one yuan, trying to make a profit as a middleman.

He Yudong sneered inwardly, looking at Sha Zhu: "Brother, did you hear that? What did I tell you this morning?"

Sha Zhu thought about it more and more and felt that his younger brother was amazing, able to foresee everything. He was also a little annoyed, realizing that he had been supporting an ungrateful wretch all along.

"Mom, maybe we should just forget about it." Qin Huairu's eyes welled up with tears.

"That can't be counted! The hospitalization cost fifty yuan, and Sha Zhu must pay for it!" Jia Zhangshi insisted.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law started their act. Qin Huairu turned to Sha Zhu and said pitifully, "Sha Zhu, we're a widow and her child, it's not easy for us. Our hospitalization today has something to do with your family, so how about you give us some money?"

"Shazhu, that's wrong of you!" Uncle Er, unaware of the truth, immediately chimed in, "They're an orphan and a widow, how could you do this to them?"

Uncle Yi, not understanding the situation, hurriedly asked, "Zhu Zi, what exactly happened?"

"Let me handle this," He Yudong said. "Qin Huairu, have you no shame?"

"He Yudong, what do you mean?" Madam Jia immediately escalated her tantrum. "You caused us to be hospitalized, and now you want to turn around and bite us? My son died, and I'm left without a man in the house to be bullied by you? I don't want to live anymore!"

The people in the courtyard gradually gathered around. He Yudong scanned the crowd and went straight to the point: "Jia Zhangshi, I'm asking you, when did I give you any meat? The meat I bought yesterday, there are still two or three catties left at home. It was there when I left this morning, but it's gone when I came back. Don't pretend, it was your Banggeng who sneaked into my house and stole it while my brother and I were out!"

"What do you mean by stealing?" Madam Jia retorted righteously. "We are a widow and orphans; our children haven't had meat for months. What's wrong with taking a little of your meat? You're wicked; you poisoned the meat! You'll die a horrible death!"

"Enough!" He Yudong shouted angrily, and the courtyard fell silent instantly. His aura intimidated everyone.

"Everyone heard that clearly, Jia Zhangshi admitted to stealing meat!" He Yudong continued, "What does an orphan and widow have to do with our family? Just because you don't have meat at home means you can steal it? Are you going to steal from other people's houses when you're short of money? What kind of nonsense is that!"

"That's outrageous! Stealing meat, getting sick from it, and then trying to extort money from me—shameless!"

"This little rascal is already stealing; what will he be like when he grows up? A child who steals a needle will steal gold when he's old. What kind of parenting did Widow Qin teach him?"

Seeing the situation turn around, Jia Zhangshi continued her tantrum: "You've ganged up on us, a widow and her orphan! We're not done until you pay fifty yuan for medical expenses!"

"Jia Zhangshi, that's enough!" Sha Zhu was also furious. "How have I treated your Jia family all these years? I've given you plenty of help, haven't I? And now you're trying to extort me? Do you really think I'm stupid?"

Qin Huairu panicked when she saw Sha Zhu was angry. Things weren't going as planned, and if they continued to make a scene, they would be seen as ungrateful. She quickly pulled her mother-in-law aside, saying, "Mom, my brother said some hurtful things. Don't take it to heart. Let's go back."

"Wait, who said you could leave?" He Yudong stopped them.

"He Yudong, what else do you want? Isn't bullying an orphan and a widow enough?" Madam Jia said angrily.

"Since you've admitted to stealing the meat, you should pay compensation." He Yudong had calculated it clearly. "Two jin and fifty cents, eighty cents a jin, that's two yuan. With the meat coupons, I won't make things difficult for you. I'll pay you five yuan."

"What? You want us to pay you back?" Qin Huairu said angrily.

"If you don't want to pay, then call the police." He Yudong sneered. "Theft plus extortion costs fifty yuan. Theft will at most get you locked up for one to three months, but extortion can get you two or three years."

Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi were stunned and truly frightened.

"Anyway, everyone present can testify, so who's going to call the police?" He Yudong asked.

"I'll go!" a young man stepped forward.

"Don't call the police!" Qin Huairu panicked, afraid of losing her job, having no one to raise her child, and her son's reputation being tarnished. "Yudong, I beg you, we were wrong, please pay us back, please pay us back, okay?"

"Don't call me 'sister,' our He family has nothing to do with you!" He Yudong roared. "You bunch of ungrateful wretches!"

Qin Huairu's tears streamed down her face, her acting skills rivaling those of Hollywood: "Silly Zhu, I beg you, please don't call the police... Uncle Yi..."

The old man sighed and looked at He Yudong: "Yudong, forget it. We're all neighbors, we'll run into each other all the time. Qin Huairu's family has had a hard life too, don't call the police."

Seeing Qin Huairu like this, Sha Zhu also felt compassion and looked at his younger brother, He Yudong, who understood his meaning.

"Uncle Yi, didn't you see how they were extorting money from me just now?" He Yudong said. "Fifty yuan is almost two months' salary for my brother, and they just asked for it without thinking!"

"Why don't you just apologize, pay five yuan, and let's call it even?" Old Man Yi mediated.

"Fine, since Uncle Yi is pleading for leniency, I won't call the police," He Yudong said impatiently. "Pay up the money, and your mother-in-law and Banggeng should apologize as well."

"Why should I apologize? You're the one who harmed us!" Jia Zhangshi protested.

"Mom, say less!" Qin Huairu said, afraid of angering He Yudong. "I'm sorry, Yudong, we apologize, but we don't have the money right now. Can we pay you back later?"

"Heh." He Yudong sneered, "No money? You eat my brother's food all the time, and you save your own money, and you still say you have no money? Your husband died, the factory gave you more than a thousand yuan in compensation, did you put it in the bank? You give your mother-in-law three yuan a month for her retirement, and she has saved several hundred yuan by now, don't play the victim! You can fool my brother, but you can't fool me."

"I don't care about five yuan, but if stealing goes unpunished, you'll only get more brazen." He Yudong scanned the crowd. "Tell me, who feels at ease?"

"Widow Qin, hurry up and pay back the money! Keep your hands off the sticks; a small theft will lead to a big one!"

"From now on, we need to lock our doors properly to prevent things from getting stolen!"

"I'll go buy a lock later!"

Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi experienced the feeling of being the "target of public criticism" for the first time. They hated He Yudong so much that they wanted to grind their teeth. If this kid hadn't come back, all this trouble would have happened.

Despite her resentment, Qin Huairu knew she had to apologize now, otherwise it would be even harder for her to maintain her position in the courtyard house.

"Yu Dong, I'm sorry, I apologize to you on behalf of my mother-in-law and Bang Geng."

She quickly spoke, her voice pitiful.

"I really didn't know about the meat theft. Bang Geng is still young, it's my fault for not teaching him well. I will definitely teach him a lesson when we get back."

As he spoke, he looked longingly at Sha Zhu, but didn't mention losing money at all.

Sha Zhu didn't respond to her. Qin Huairu had gone too far these past two days, and his brother's words had come true one by one. He was now more wary of this widow.

"Alright, enough nonsense, pay up," He Yudong interrupted coldly.

"I... I really don't have any money. I'll pay you back when I get paid in a few days, otherwise I won't be able to make ends meet this month." Qin Huairu burst into tears, acting as if she were a bullied orphan and widow.

He Yudong's "Coldness" and Counterattack

"Heh, then call the police." He Yudong sneered, "Uncle Yi, Brother, I've given you face, but Qin Huairu doesn't appreciate it. Look how you've spoiled her."

"Yudong, let it go. Qin Huairu's family has had a hard life." Uncle Yi was soft-hearted and couldn't resist her pitiful appearance.

"Who has it easy? Just because your family isn't well-off doesn't mean you can steal!" He Yudong's tone grew even colder. "If you don't have meat today, you steal from my house. If you don't have money tomorrow, will you steal from yours? If we don't teach her a lesson, she'll steal every day. Today it's my house, tomorrow it'll be yours!"

Uncle Yi usually acts like a nice guy, but he's always overly sentimental and prone to moral blackmail. He Yudong has long looked down on him, and if it weren't for the fact that he used to take care of the three siblings, he wouldn't bother with him at all.

Qin Huairu gritted her teeth, took out five yuan from her pocket, and reluctantly handed it over. He Yudong took the money and sneered, "You have to rely on yourself. If you're always scheming against others, you'll only bring trouble upon yourself. If you dare to steal again, call the police. No amount of pleading will help."

The wisdom of "dividing melon seeds" in a courtyard house

"Liu Zhijun!"

"Brother Yudong!" The child ran over happily.

"Take this five yuan and buy some melon seeds and peanuts to share with the people in the yard." He Yudong handed over the money.

"Alright!" Liu Zhijun turned and ran.

The courtyard instantly became lively:

"Yu Dong is a really good kid!"

"He's handsome, has good character, and is a Party member. If Yuanyuan weren't so young, I'd want her to marry him!"

"Forget it, I haven't even introduced my niece yet!"

Qin Huairu's family turned green with rage. Her mother-in-law and Bang Geng were hospitalized, costing twelve yuan, and they had to pay an additional five yuan. Their hearts were bleeding.

The Qin family's "impotent rage"

Back home, Madam Jia began cursing: "That damned He Yudong, why doesn't he just die out there? Huai Ru, go find Sha Zhu and tell his brother to stop messing around, and get the money back!"

"Mom, aren't you ashamed enough?" Qin Huairu was furious.

"I hate He Yudong so much, I'm going to smash his windows tonight!" Bang Geng shouted.

"It's all your fault!" Qin Huairu scolded angrily. "Where's the rest of the meat?"

"Grandma put it away."

"They must have drugged it, throw it away!" Qin Huairu was heartbroken. Such good pork belly, it gave her diarrhea, it must have been He Yudong who did it!

"Mom, Huaihua wants to eat meat..." "Mom, Xiaodang wants to eat meat too..." the two girls whispered.

"Eat, eat, eat! You good-for-nothing!" Jia Zhangshi cursed. The maid who didn't eat meat today didn't have diarrhea, but she and Bang Geng ate the most and almost got dehydrated. She got angry whenever she saw the maid.

The He family's "warmth and calculation"

In He Yudong's mind, a notification sounded: **"Punish the beasts in the courtyard, reward 100 merit points."** He was overjoyed. He hadn't expected to get so many merit points for punishing Qin Huairu's family. It showed how wicked this family was. He would just use them to accumulate merit points in the future!

"Yu Dong, buying chickens again? You're spending money so extravagantly, how can you manage a living?" He Yu Zhu looked at the rooster in the chicken coop.

"We'll give her some nourishment when she comes back today," He Yudong said.

"I brought one, a whole chicken left over from the factory leaders' dinner. You can kill this one tomorrow," He Yuzhu said. "Make some Dongpo pork too, otherwise it won't be enough to eat."

He Yudong brought out a piece of premium pork belly. The chef had a keen eye; this meat was top-quality, hard to buy even with a ration coupon. "No matter where it comes from, just tell me if you want meat in the future, and I'll get it for you anytime."

"Hey, that's great!" He Yuzhu laughed. In those days, resources were scarce. Workers were lucky to get two catties of meat coupons a month, and ordinary people rarely got to eat meat.

He Yushui's "naiveté" and He Yudong's "clear-headedness"

Soon, the Dongpo pork and braised chicken with mushrooms were ready.

"Wow, it smells so good! Brother, I'm back. What are you making?" He Yushui's voice came from the doorway.

"Second brother, why didn't you tell me beforehand?" He Yushui's eyes lit up with surprise when she saw He Yudong.

"You've only been back for two days, why are you carrying so much stuff?" He Yudong asked, looking at her large bags.

"I'm a senior in high school preparing for the college entrance exam, so I'm going home to study. Hey bro, is that new bike at the gate for me?"

"Your second brother just bought it." He Yuzhu brought out the braised pork. "That one isn't suitable for you. We'll buy a women's model later."

"Really? Second brother, that's so great!"

"By the way, big brother, what's going on in the yard? Sister Qin is crying, did you bully her?" He Yushui asked.

"How did I bully her?" He Yuzhu was about to explain when He Yudong interrupted, "This sister is really unacceptable. She's biased towards outsiders, just like Qin Huairu's own sister."

"What did you say, Second Brother? Did I say something wrong?" He Yushui protested.

"You idiot who's siding with outsiders!" He Yudong leaned the bicycle he'd just finished wiping against the wall, tapping He Yushui's forehead with his knuckles. "What kind of bewitching potion did Widow Qin give you? Did you really think she was 'helping' your older brother out of kindness?"

He Yushui was petting the rooster in the coop when she heard this. She looked up, her ponytail swinging happily, and said, "Sister Qin is so kind! My brother's room is such a mess, she's the one who cleans it all up!"

"Cleaning the room?" He Yudong laughed in exasperation. "She's 'marking her territory'!"

"She's worried about her brother bringing her lunch every day! That widow sneaking into the bachelor's room every few days, isn't everyone gossiping about her? Is Qin Huairu stupid? No, she's shrewd. She's got her brother firmly under her wing, constantly supporting her child and mother-in-law. Don't you understand the 'boiling frog' analogy?"

"Could it be that Sister Qin likes Big Brother?" He Yushui blinked.

"Don't talk nonsense!" Sha Zhu had just come out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of braised pork, his face flushed red. "Sister Qin is a good person..."

"A good person?"

He Yudong glanced at him sideways.

"Would a good person have their older brother bring them lunch every day, then have their own child fight over the food, and then say, 'It's for the older brother'?"

He turned to He Yushui, his tone turning serious, "Do you think it's 'good' for Sister Qin to marry my brother? She has three children and a mother-in-law. If my brother marries her, will he be able to have any children of his own? You want to suffer the pain of having no descendants for my brother?"

He Yushui's smile froze on her face. She remembered when Qin Huairu wiped Banggeng's mouth, her older brother grinning foolishly; she remembered when Jia Zhangshi stood with her hands on her hips and scolded her older brother for being "heartless," Qin Huairu hiding behind her looking "wronged"... It turned out that all those "good deeds" were just "schemes."

"I...I was wrong." Her eyes reddened, and she twisted the hem of her clothes with her fingers. "I just felt sorry for Sister Qin..."

"Pitiful?" He Yudong slammed his hand on the table, making the rooster in the coop flap its wings. "If Qin Huairuo were truly pitiful, why doesn't she remarry with her child? Everyone in the courtyard is gossiping. She's not 'pitiful,' she's 'cunning,' using my brother's lunchbox to fill her family's hole!"

"Brother, don't be mean to me..." He Yushui's tears fell onto the rooster's feathers with a "plop," "I won't help her anymore..."

"It's good that you know you were wrong." He Yudong's tone softened, and he patted her head. "This rooster is for you to nourish your body; I'll stew it tomorrow. But let me make this clear: if you get too close to Qin Huairu's family again, you can forget about the bicycle. I don't earn money easily."

"I don't want the bicycle anymore!" He Yushui wiped away her tears. "I just want my older brother to be alright..."

The aroma of braised pork wafted from the kitchen. Sha Zhu scratched his head and chuckled, "Brother, I'll listen to you. I won't bring lunchboxes to the Qin family anymore."

"Just not bringing a lunchbox isn't enough." He Yudong turned to him, pointing to his old work clothes. "I've bought clothes and leather shoes for you to change into; the watch and bicycle are in the warehouse. If you keep flirting with Widow Qin, you can send these items to the scrap collector!" He lowered his voice. "You're not young anymore. The female workers in Guo Da Piezi's workshop are quite good. I'll keep an eye out for you. Carrying on the family line is important. Don't let that 'bloodsucking parasite' Jia family drain our family dry."

Sha Zhu scratched the back of his head, grinned, and nodded, "I'll listen to my brother, I'll listen to my brother!"

In the old lady's room in the backyard, the air was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The old lady was sewing shoe soles when He Yudong entered. Her wrinkles crinkled into a wide smile: "My dear grandson, you look even more energetic today! Two of your white hairs have even turned black!"

"That's right, I brew you spiritual spring water every few days." He Yudong helped her sit down and took the pulse pillow handed to him by Aunt Yi. "Aunt Yi, please sit down, let me take your pulse."

As soon as Aunt Yi sat down, she sighed, "Yu Dong, I've been feeling tightness in my chest lately, and my heart aches after walking just a few steps. Uncle Yi says I'm faking it..."

He Yudong placed his fingertips on her wrist, his brows furrowing slightly: "This is a precursor to coronary heart disease. Western medicine can't detect it. It will be too late if it gets serious." He wrote out a prescription: "Get the medicine according to this prescription. Don't get angry, and don't overexert yourself."

The older woman wrung her hands nervously, saying, "How can I thank you enough? Yu Dong, please don't hesitate to ask for anything from my family in the future!"