Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

After saying that, he turned and stared at Li Degan, his face instantly darkening: "Did you hear what I just said? The most important task now is to confirm whether you are a resident at that address. Come with us in a bit. As for your fellow villagers—go home as soon as possible if you have nothing to do. The neighborhood office doesn't have room for so many people."

"Boss, this..."

"What?!" Deputy Director Zhang's voice turned stern. "You want to take him away before you've even investigated the matter thoroughly? Let me tell you, we haven't taken any coercive measures yet because you're not considered a suspect. If it turns out you're not some uncle at all—that's child trafficking, you'll be arrested and jailed!"

He paused, then said in an unyielding tone, "Go or don't, it's up to you. But the neighborhood committee is only arranging for you. If they can find their own accommodation, that's fine too. However, it's getting late, so you must come back with us tonight. We'll go to that address first thing tomorrow morning to verify..."

This is an ultimatum.

Li Degan's throat tightened, and he immediately deflated.

He knew he couldn't turn the tables—he was used to being arrogant, wielding a hoe and cursing in the streets; but when faced with a "government official" who could make even a commune brigade leader obediently stand as punishment, no one dared to really stand up to him.

"Well... sir, I'd like to inform the villagers..."

After receiving permission, Li Degan turned around and whispered to each of the villagers. He had come to the city to retrieve someone, but he was humiliated as soon as he showed up, and now he had to cooperate with the investigation.

If you delay for a day, you'll lose several work points. With so many people flocking to the city, you can barely manage to get by in a day, but if it drags on for two or three days, the team might turn against you—who isn't using their labor force very sparingly?

Deputy Director Zhang waved his hand, signaling the onlookers to disperse. Li Degan and the others immediately gathered around Yi Zhonghai, like a few reeds being pushed by the wind to the shore.

"Master Yi, what do we do now? I came here entirely because you told me to..."

"What's the panic? Aren't you his cousin?"

Yi Zhonghai whispered to Li Degan, "What good will it do to find out? Stick to your guns—the child must be taken away, don't change your mind, even if it's the Emperor himself!"

"See that, Aunt Zhang?"

He Yuzhu turned his head and gestured in that direction. An older woman looked in that direction and saw that Yi Zhonghai was already surrounded by a group of people from Lijia Village; he was gesturing names and whispering, and she heard every word he said.

"You really didn't tell Yi Zhiliang where he used to be? Otherwise, how would Li De have gotten the connections? He even dug up clues about the orphanage registration—what's the point of all this effort? Isn't it just to get the child out of there? How he goes after that is entirely in your hands."

He Yuzhu was also stunned. He had thought Yi Zhonghai would quiet down for a while, but he hadn't expected him to set his sights on Yi Zhiliang and bring such a large group of people, clearly determined to get rid of him. He had personally taken the child from the orphanage, and the two families had a deep-seated feud, so it wasn't surprising that Yi Zhonghai was suspicious.

But this older woman was different. During the years Yi Zhonghai was away from home, Yi Zhiliang stayed by her side every step of the way, bringing her water and medicine, wiping her body and massaging her back. He had warmed her heart long ago; even a biological mother and son wouldn't be treated like this. She would never let anyone take her child away.

"Yuzhu, help me! As long as Zhiliang is safe, I'll do anything for you..."

Before he could finish speaking, the woman was about to kneel down when He Yuzhu grabbed her elbow and stopped her.

"No, that won't do. I helped you find someone back then, and now I have to help you protect that person even more. But in the end, I'm afraid you'll have to divorce Yi Zhonghai—I never expected that he wouldn't even tolerate this child after the family separation..."

He Yuzhu sighed, his tone tinged with regret. That heavy blow last time was meant to leave him bedridden for decades, with his fortune naturally going to Auntie and Zhiliang; but judging from the current situation, he probably wouldn't live to see that day.

A divorce is inevitable. The head of the household is still Yi Zhonghai. If he really makes up his mind to give Zhiliang to Li Degan for adoption, the neighborhood committee will have little say in it—abandoning children is hardly a big deal these days, and even the police station is too lazy to take the phrase "can't afford to raise them" seriously.

The old woman's face turned pale instantly, and her heart felt like it was being squeezed. Although she hadn't said much these days, she kept the house and surroundings clean and tidy, prepared the meals perfectly, and washed the clothes spotlessly. Yi Zhonghai never had to wear a wrinkled piece of clothing when he went out.

Even after going to such lengths, he still found the child an eyesore.

She paused for a moment, then suddenly straightened her back and said in a clear voice, "Zhu Zi, I'm divorcing him! Can the child... stay?"

He Yuzhu nodded: "Absolutely. And they'll even have to actively send Zhiliang back into your arms. By the way, during the years Yi Zhonghai was gone, did you touch the money he left behind?"

"I used it a little at the beginning, but he became more and more resistant to it, so I supported Zhiliang on my own."

The older woman answered decisively, her eyes meeting his without flinching.

"That's enough. You've raised them with such care for almost four years, providing them with eighteen catties of grain every month, totaling over eight hundred catties—if you really want to take them back, you'll have to return those eight hundred catties of grain first!"

In those days, with able-bodied men just receiving their full food rations, Yi Zhonghai had to collect over forty bags of rice, each weighing twenty jin (approximately 30 kg). And that was the equivalent of the entire Li family village's annual harvest. Would Li De dare trade his family's entire food ration for a single child?

"Alright, go back and rest. Zhiliang will always be yours."

He Yuzhu paused, then added, "But if Yi Zhonghai really does remove him from the household registration tomorrow..."

"I'm going to get a divorce right away!"

Before he could finish speaking, the woman interrupted him decisively, without a trace of hesitation in her eyes.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Degan had also finalized the plan: he would stay behind to cooperate with the street office in verifying identities, while the rest of the villagers would return first. Yi Zhonghai would pay for their round-trip transportation.

Seeing that things were in order, Deputy Director Zhang led Li Degan to the guesthouse and booked him a room.

After everyone had gone far away, He Yuzhu urged the older woman to take the child home and settle him in before he himself dragged his feet home, wanting to catch his breath.

"Yuzhu, haven't you eaten yet? I'll heat up a bowl of rice for you!"

Lou Xiao'e saw him slumped in the chair and realized that dinner was still undecided, so she turned around and ran to the kitchen.

He Yuzhu quickly stood up to stop him: "Don't bother, just eat this. I still need to go to the bathhouse to scrub myself afterward—I'll feel all sticky..."

He had just returned from Bai Danyu's place. If he didn't soak and scrub himself, Lou Xiao'e might smell him when he lay in bed at night.

When the food was served, he buried his head in his hands and shoveled down several mouthfuls, finishing the bowl in just a few minutes. He put down his chopsticks, grabbed his bath ticket, and headed straight for the bathhouse.

The next morning, Deputy Director Zhang led Li Degan straight to the address to investigate. Before setting off, he made a special trip to the orphanage to confirm that the address was indeed left by Yi Zhiliang's biological mother. Only then did he follow the map to find the old neighbors who lived in the same alley as Li Degan back then.

After asking several families, it was finally confirmed that Li Degan was indeed Yi Zhiliang's cousin; back then, the child's biological mother carried him all the way to Beijing to seek refuge with this Li family member.

Deputy Director Zhang felt a pang of anxiety, realizing the situation was tricky—this matter involved blood relations, making it inherently difficult to handle; on the other hand, an older woman named Zhang Shufen had already completed the adoption procedures flawlessly, even getting a new household registration booklet.

According to the rules, the subdistrict office can only mediate; if Li Degan insists on the relationship of "nephew", the subdistrict office really can't force the issue - back then, Yi Zhiliang's mother came all the way from her hometown to Beijing to seek refuge with Li Degan, but unfortunately she couldn't find him and ended up in an orphanage.

Back in the office, Deputy Director Zhang immediately invited both sides over. He Yuzhu had taken a day off from work at the steel rolling mill and came with the older woman.

Yi Zhonghai's face was ashen. Leaning on his cane, he slowly made his way to the street office, his mind filled with only one thought: get rid of that brat Yi Zhiliang as soon as possible.

Once inside, Li Degan sat down, a slight smile playing on his lips, looking quite smug.

After everyone was seated, Deputy Director Zhang cleared his throat: "After investigation and verification, Li Degan is indeed Yi Zhiliang's cousin, and his identity is not in question; however, we still hope to resolve the issue of custody through negotiation—after all, the child was adopted through proper procedures, and as you know, when he was in the orphanage, no one took him in, so the child had to stay there indefinitely..."

Before Li Degan could even speak, Yi Zhonghai interrupted, "Deputy Director Zhang, I understand this blood ties. If the neighborhood committee agrees, I'll go and process the paperwork right away to sever Yi Zhiliang's ties with the Yi family's household registration and restore his original name..."

Upon hearing this, Deputy Director Zhang was stunned and remained speechless for a long time.

His original plan was for both sides to back down and at least smooth things over; but unexpectedly, Yi Zhonghai relented first.

Before he could finish speaking, an older woman jumped up, her voice cracking: "Yi Zhonghai! Zhiliang is my son! How dare you just send him away like that? I brought him home with my own hands, I was the one who sent him to school! For the past few years, has he relied on you for anything—food, drink, or even just to get by? I want to live with you..."

"Aunt Zhang, please calm down."

He Yuzhu gently pressed down on the middle-aged woman's wrist, then smoothly took over the conversation, his gaze fixed on Li Degan's face: "Comrade, are you really determined to take the child away?"

Li Degan subconsciously glanced at Yi Zhonghai—the movement was extremely subtle, but it did not escape the eyes of He Yuzhu and the old lady.

He then slowly spoke up: "That's my own nephew. What kind of behavior is it to let an outsider raise him?"

"Alright, since you accept this reasoning, then there needs to be an explanation for the expenses incurred in raising the child over the past few years, right?" He Yuzhu turned to Deputy Director Zhang, "Yesterday, Aunt Zhang and I discussed it: you're willing to take the child in, and she's willing to accommodate you, but the child has truly been raised for four years—you see? He's chubby and healthy, with a rosy complexion, and hasn't suffered any hardship..."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's eyelids twitched violently, and his heart sank.

"Deputy Director Zhang, if you don't believe me, you can go and ask around in the alley—Grandma Zhang herself eats cornbread, but she still steams eggs and stews tofu for her children."

"No need to ask, the child is indeed well raised." Deputy Director Zhang waved his hand, his tone certain, "A fair-skinned, chubby little boy, even stronger than my own grandson."