Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Captain Wang frowned after hearing this—with so many people watching, he couldn't show favoritism, nor dared to let them off lightly.

So he led his team to question people door-to-door. Faced with the security department, who in the neighborhood dared to lie? Almost all of them told the truth.

Yi Zhonghai's mouth was so swollen he couldn't close it, and he could barely speak. His injuries were quite serious, so Captain Wang sent two people to take him to the hospital first.

After everyone had gone far away, Captain Wang approached He Yuzhu and said, "Director He, you need to come with us to the security department."

"Okay, Captain Wang, I'll go with you."

He Yuzhu was decisive and had already told Lou Xiao'e that they would just have dinner a little later. Once the matter was reported, the higher-ups would definitely release him immediately.

With a clear case and evidence, and having just made a great contribution, who would dare to treat him as a regular brawler?

And so, He Yuzhu left with the security personnel.

As soon as he left, a buzzing sound arose in the courtyard: Who would have thought that Yi Zhonghai, who usually seemed so honest, could do such a despicable thing?

If anyone speaks up for him, someone else immediately retorts: "If he's truly innocent, why did the factory demote him? He Yuzhu attacked him in the face as soon as he returned—what was his motive?"

The sound abruptly stopped—the accusation of "scheming against his wife and children left behind" had been firmly pinned on Yi Zhonghai's forehead.

Captain Wang took He Yuzhu back to the security department, but instead of putting him in solitary confinement—a place without a stove or bedding, where a night in the cold could be fatal—he had him sit in the duty room with several team members, drinking tea and smoking.

Isn't this a clear case of not treating him as a suspect? The scene was full of familiar faces; could Yi Zhonghai accuse them of favoritism?

An eighth-grade fitter receiving a fifth-grade salary is obviously inferior to a sixteenth-grade cadre; even a fool would know which side to choose.

The head of the security department, Director Yang, and Secretary Wang all have telephones installed at home, so this matter must be reported immediately.

Rumor has it that He Yuzhu had just returned from a top-secret project and hadn't even caught his breath before causing such a commotion. As a division-level cadre, no one at any level dared to suppress him without authorization.

When the call was dialed, Director Yang paused for two seconds upon hearing the name "He Yuzhu," then asked Captain Wang to wait. After hanging up, he immediately picked up another phone and went straight to his superiors.

It was only a little past six o'clock, still a bit before seven, and most of the leaders from the Ministry of Industry were still in their offices. Director Yang made a phone call, and almost everyone was online.

The news of He Yuzhu's assault quickly reached the ears of several high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Industry—including Li Huaide's father-in-law, the influential leader. Director Yang casually mentioned the old grievances between He Yuzhu and Yi Zhonghai, not going into detail, but getting to the point.

"That Xiao He, he's still got such a fiery temper! But anyone in his situation would be furious—his wife and kids have been completely schemed against... Sigh, there really are some wicked people infiltrating our ranks. His wife even called me the other day, her voice full of grievances."

Li Huaide's father-in-law was the first to speak, his tone gentle but his stance clear. He directly characterized the incident as an overreaction due to emotional instability, almost openly defending He Yuzhu and even revealing the implication of "revenge and injury."

"That Yi Zhonghai is indeed of questionable character. But Xiao Yang has already dealt with him; should we impose further punishment?"

"Fine, let Xiao He pay the medical expenses first, let's see how serious the injury is. But this person must be added to his personal file! What good is good technique if his character is flawed? No matter how skilled he is, he won't stand a chance!"

In just a few words, Yi Zhonghai suffered a great loss: he was given a real beating and also had his record tarnished by the organization.

He Yuzhu was released shortly after the phone call ended.

Before eight o'clock, he stepped out of the steel rolling mill's security gate. Captain Wang even offered to take him home, but he waved his hand and declined.

The penalty was decided on the spot: He Yuzhu would bear all of Yi Zhonghai's medical expenses.

This amount of money was nothing to him. He was very careful with his spending—Yi Zhonghai's most serious injury was to his kidneys, which Western medicine couldn't find any clues to; the rest was just two missing teeth and bruises all over his body, which looked scary and were really painful, but wouldn't cost much. A filling would cost three yuan, at most; ointment for the abrasions all over his body, plus the few things that were broken at home, forty yuan would be the most he could afford.

He Yuzhu felt very comfortable spending this small amount of money to let Yi Zhonghai rest in the hospital for a week.

When he stepped into the courtyard, everyone inside was stunned—

The person was just taken away, less than two hours ago, how come they're back already?!

One of the bolder neighbors tentatively asked, "Director He, what's going on here...?"

"The matter has been investigated and it's clear that I was wrong to hit him. I'll just pay some medical expenses, and that's it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards his own courtyard gate. Only after his figure disappeared did everyone come to their senses.

Upon closer examination, he was right: it's only right to pay compensation for assault; but upon further reflection, something seemed amiss—Yi Zhonghai was beaten black and blue, unable to even stand, yet He Yuzhu didn't even give him a warning, just locked him up for two hours and released him? If Yi Zhonghai knew, he'd probably be so angry he'd clutch his chest and gasp for breath!

As soon as he pushed open the door and entered the house, Lou Xiao'e immediately came to greet him, her eyes shining: "You're back? What did the security department say? Are you hungry? I've warmed up your food."

"Have something to eat, it's alright. What trouble could be caused by beating up that old fox? We'll just pay for it when the receipt comes out..."

As he spoke, he glanced at Yu Li—she was still living here. When Lou Xiao'e first mentioned it, he had been quite supportive: having someone with her was better than her being alone.

But now that he's back, Yu Li's room, separated from the living room by two wooden doors, is getting in the way. He still wants to spend some quality time with Lou Xiao'e tonight.

Lou Xiao'e quickly brought out dinner. It had been prepared quite lavishly, but it had gone cold after he was taken away, so it had been reheated.

The meals were still hearty: braised pig's head, glistening roasted chicken, stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and cabbage stalks in chili oil.

He Yuzhu buried his head and ate a few bites, while Lou Xiao'e served him food and talked on and on about what happened after he left.

Actually, it wasn't anything special—the Jia family was even more concerned than the old lady. Qin Huairu carried her clothes and went straight to the hospital to see Yi Zhonghai. The Jia family mother and son didn't stop her, leaving the old lady alone to clean up the mess at the Yi family's house.

Lou Xiao'e couldn't bear to watch and wanted to go forward and apologize. But the old woman didn't care at all about her husband being beaten. Instead, she sighed repeatedly to Lou Xiao'e, saying that if she had known Yi Zhonghai was after her, she should have warned him in advance—the shame on her face was genuine.

Just from that one sentence, you can tell that this middle-aged woman's heart has long since turned cold. How could a marriage of several decades truly be as peaceful and idyllic as the rumors suggest? All that talk of "not minding her inability to have children" and "treating each other with utmost respect" is nothing but a facade. If she truly had any affection for her husband, she wouldn't have remained completely unperturbed when she saw him paralyzed on the floor, unable to get up.

After dinner, it was already dark. He Yuzhu quickly washed up and went back to his room to rest.

Yu Li also tiptoed back to the next room, where even He Xiao was fast asleep.

He Yuzhu felt a surge of warmth in his heart, reached out and pulled Lou Xiao'e into his arms, his hand sliding up her waistline.

She was still somewhat conscious, and quickly grabbed his wrist, her voice soft and urgent: "Our son is next door... Yu Li lives here too..."

"Just pull the curtain closed and keep your voice down..."

"How could I possibly resist..."

She playfully slapped him, but in that brief moment of relaxation, he had already deftly unbuttoned her clothes.

Her body went limp, and she collapsed into the blankets, the feeling of spring spreading silently.

In the next room, Yu Li was already dozing off when she suddenly heard a very faint muffled sound—Lou Xiao'e biting her lip to suppress her breathing, which seeped in through the two thin wooden walls.

Her face flushed instantly, and her heart pounded. But then she thought, this is the He family's house, and she is only staying temporarily. What right does she have to interfere?

But the sound gradually intensified, then abruptly stopped, like a taut string suddenly snapping, buzzing and vibrating in her ears. Involuntarily, she reached down to her lower abdomen.

As the muffled groans grew more urgent, Yu Li reached her climax. Caught off guard, she almost cried out.

But then he started panting heavily. Lou Xiao'e was quiet for a moment, but after catching her breath, the noise started again.

Yu Li, who was dozing off, couldn't help but mutter to herself: How long has this been going on? Why can't it stop?

Later, she couldn't hold on any longer. In her hazy state, she couldn't remember how long Lou Xiao'e had been calling out. She only felt her body sink and she slipped into a dream.

The next morning, Yu Li was still half-asleep when Lou Xiao'e, full of energy, shook her awake. She lay in bed for a while, lost in thought, before suddenly remembering—she had to go to work today!

She barely had time to eat a few bites of breakfast before hurriedly saying goodbye to Lou Xiao'e and heading out. Just before leaving, she leaned close to Lou'e's ear and whispered with a laugh, "Xiao'e, you really weren't lying to me, last night...it really lasted quite a while."

Lou Xiao'e's cheeks flushed instantly. She had tried her best to suppress her voice last night, but in the end, she really couldn't control herself.

As soon as the door closed, Lou Xiao'e blushed and sidled up to He Yuzhu, gently nudging him a few times and whispering a complaint, "You were so noisy last night, Yu Li heard everything!"

He Yuzhu seemed indifferent: "I've endured it for a whole year, and I just got back. Can't I even be affectionate with my wife?" Then, changing the subject, he asked, "When is Yu Li moving out?"

"Who knows... Where can you find a place to rent now? The washing machine factory doesn't have dormitories. If she wants to leave, she can only go back to the Yu family home. But her parents are watching her job closely, constantly scheming to change her position and raise her salary. Do they really want her to go back?"

During the year He Yuzhu was gone, Lou Xiao'e had long regarded Yu Li as a sister she would die for. The two looked after each other, and Yu Li accompanied He Xiao to see a doctor several times. Even when He Xiao had a fever in the middle of the night, Yu Li stayed up all night at the hospital.

"You decide, but tonight—you'd better watch out."

Lou Xiao'e's eyes widened, and she opened her mouth in surprise: "You...you're coming again?"