Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

"Heh." He Yuzhu sneered, his eyes sharp as knives. "You're the one who's treating human life like dirt! I'm not even nineteen yet, I don't even know which street the matchmaker lives on, and you expect me to find you a midwife? Yi Zhonghai, have you lost your mind?"

He took a step closer, his tone suddenly turning icy:

"I've already given you the car, isn't that enough? Do you really want me, someone who's never delivered a baby before, to run errands? Hmm? Are you really in a hurry, or are you waiting for something to go wrong so you can pin the blame on me later?"

"Bullshit!" Yi Zhonghai was sweating profusely, waving his hands frantically. "I just saw you ride the fastest! Others are much slower! I can give you the address! I really don't mean to harm anyone!"

"Does an address guarantee everything will be foolproof?" He Yuzhu retorted. "If I get lost, go to the wrong person, or waste time, will you immediately say, 'It's all my fault, silly Zhu'?"

With that, he snatched the bicycle and slammed it heavily into the center of the yard, the crash echoing throughout the area.

"The bike's right here! If you're really in a hurry, ride it yourself! If you can't get anyone to come, then it's your turn to drag this out, Yi Zhonghai! Don't try to make false accusations later!"

After saying that, he turned and left, his steps crisp and decisive.

He has done everything he could—he gave away the car, absolved himself of responsibility, and shifted the blame back onto the car.

Whether they live or die depends entirely on whether Yi Zhonghai dares to personally take the lead.

But just as he reached out to push the door open, a figure suddenly rushed out of the Jia family's house—

Madam Jia, her hair disheveled and her face ashen, stumbled out, grabbed Yi Zhonghai's sleeve, and wailed and cried:

"Oh no, Grandpa! My Huairu is bleeding! The bleeding won't stop! Save her! My great-grandson can't die! Oh dear—Old Jia, if you're watching over us from heaven, please bless your great-grandson with safety!!!"

The night wind rustled through the green tiles of the courtyard house, making the window paper rattle.

Jia Zhangshi stood at the door with her neck hunched, still habitually calling out "Dongxu's mother," but she had long lost her former toughness.

Inside the room, Qin Huairu was writhing in pain on the bed, her coarse clothes soaked with cold sweat, and blood was flowing down the edge of the bed like a dark red stream, soaking into the muddy floor, a shocking sight.

Yi Zhonghai stood at the doorway, his face pale.

He was a veteran worker in the factory, experienced in the ways of the world, and immediately realized something was wrong—it was massive bleeding! The midwife's arrival would be useless; any further delay and she would die!

"Sister-in-law Jia!" His voice suddenly rose, "Don't just stand there! We need to get to the hospital now! A stroller! Quickly, find a stroller!"

Before he could finish speaking, he abruptly turned around and yelled at He Yuzhu, "Idiot Yuzhu! Are you still squatting there smoking? Go borrow a cart and take Qin Huairu to the hospital! If you dawdle any longer, she'll be dead!"

"roll!"

He Yuzhu suddenly stood up, slamming his cigarette butt to the ground, his eyes blazing like knives: "Yi Zhonghai, are you really that despicable? Jia Dongxu is perfectly fine right here, and you want me, an outsider, to push the cart? What are you up to? Huh?"

He took a step closer, his voice booming so loudly that it could be heard clearly throughout the entire courtyard:

"Qin Huairu is Jia Dongxu's wife! She's your apprentice's wife! What are you pretending to be now? You're not going to see her off? You want me to? Do you have a grudge against Qin Huairu? You wish she'd die on this lousy bed so you could be the hero and show off?"

"If you want to save people, do it yourself! If anything goes wrong, I won't take the blame! You, Yi Zhonghai, will bear the consequences yourself!"

After saying that, he picked up his bicycle without looking back, leaned it against his front door, slammed the door shut, and lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) without even turning on the light.

The room was so quiet that only the crackling of the coal stove could be heard.

Yi Zhonghai was trembling with rage. He grabbed Yan Bugui, who was watching the commotion, and shouted, "Old Yan! Did you hear that? Is that something a human being would say? Standing by and watching someone die! Their hearts are as hard as stone! This kind of neighbor... is a scourge!"

"Exactly!" Liu Haizhong immediately chimed in, already seething with anger—this silly Zhu hadn't even bothered toss the wok when cooking for him last week, clearly just going through the motions. "He won't even help with such a small thing, it's outrageous!"

Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to him, and he felt a little embarrassed after he finished speaking, so he shut up awkwardly.

Yan Bugui, dragged out as a shield, felt a flush rise to his face and quickly waved his hand, saying, "Old Yi, Old Yi, let's not talk about this now, saving lives is the priority! Quickly tell Dongxu to borrow a cart, stop with the idle chatter."

Yi Zhonghai snapped out of his daze and hurriedly slapped his forehead, "Right, right, right! Save them first!" He turned and yelled at Jia Dongxu, "Dongxu! Quick! Go borrow a cart from the Wang family next door! Run fast!"

He then turned to Jia Zhangshi and shouted, "Auntie, go get the bedding! Don't let her get cold on the way! And—bring money! The hospital doesn't accept favors, it only accepts cash!"

Just as Jia Zhangshi was about to go inside and rummage through the house, upon hearing the word "money," she abruptly stopped in her tracks, her plump body stiffening on the spot, her face instantly falling as if she had been slapped:

"His uncle... My family is starving, where would we get the money... Dongxu's three yuan was all used to buy food coupons, and we haven't had a decent meal since..."

Yi Zhonghai felt a lump in his throat and almost choked up.

He cursed inwardly: Poor? Your pot is practically sizzling with oil and you're still pretending to be poor? Jia Dongxu's entire fortune goes to feeding your mouth!

What he hated even more was Sha Zhu—if that guy had agreed to go along, he could have easily gotten him to pay some of the money, making it perfectly legitimate and leaving no room for complaint.

Just as he was gritting his teeth, Yan Bugui quietly took half a step back: "Old Yi, if there's nothing else, I'll head back first. With you and Dongxu, it should be fine..."

"Stop!" Yi Zhonghai grabbed his sleeve quickly, his voice low but threatening, "Third Uncle, if you leave today, who in this courtyard will trust you anymore? It's such a long way, are Dongxu and I supposed to pull the cart together? If we collapse from exhaustion, you'll be held responsible! Don't be like Shazhu, standing by and watching someone die!"

Yan Bugui's heart tightened; he was completely under Yan's control. He forced a smile but dared not break the ice, so he could only feign distress and complain:

"Old Yi... my family isn't getting enough to eat either. Look at my arms, they're as thin as sticks, I can't use them at all..."

"Enough nonsense!" Yi Zhonghai pulled a silver dollar from his pocket and shoved it at him. "Here's a dollar! Have your son, Yan Jiecheng, help pull the cart!"

"Okay! I'll go wake him up right now!"

Yan Bugui took the money, his eyes immediately lit up, and he turned to leave, his mind racing: One yuan, even if you break it down to fifty cents, forty cents is enough! The remaining six cents... Hehe, just by talking, I can earn six cents, it's worth it!

A short while later, Yan Jiecheng ran out wearing a cotton-padded coat, yawning.

Just then, Jia Dongxu returned pushing his cart, the wheels creaking as if pressing down on people's hearts.

The three older women and Jia Zhangshi worked together to lift Qin Huairu into the car, wrapped her in a thick blanket, and she curled up in the car, her face as pale as paper and her lips without a trace of blood.

"Go!" Yi Zhonghai gave the order, and Yan Jiecheng and Jia Dongxu each held one of the handlebars, and the car wobbled onto the road.

Yi Zhonghai followed closely behind—Jia Zhangshi hadn't paid a single penny; he had a few yuan in his pocket, ready to pay the hospital bill.

Jia Zhangshi didn't go; she had a servant boy at home to look after.

She stood at the doorway, watching the cart disappear into the distance. Her shadow was stretched long by the moonlight, and she stood silently like a wooden stake.

The others who had been watching the commotion in the courtyard gradually dispersed after seeing the person off.

But tonight's events have left a mark on everyone's hearts.

Especially He Yuzhu's furious rant—every sentence was piercing, every word was barbed.

Upon closer examination, something does seem a bit off.

Why are you so excited?

Why refuse to help no matter what?

There's probably more to this than meets the eye... than you think.

Even though they had their doubts, no one in the courtyard dared to say a word.

Although Yi Zhonghai has been stripped of his "old man" title, his prestige remains. Just by standing in the courtyard, he still commands respect and prevents people from acting recklessly.

The next morning, He Yuzhu had just finished washing his face and was flipping an egg with a spatula in his hand when he saw Yi Zhonghai stroll in from outside.

His clothes were wrinkled, his eyes were dark, and his beard was unkempt; he looked like he had been dug out of a grave—he had stayed at the hospital all night yesterday.

This old man has been more than kind and righteous to Jia Dongxu.

Even a biological father wouldn't be this good.

Yi Zhonghai glanced up and saw He Yuzhu. He snorted coldly, didn't even lift his eyelids, and turned to go into his room.

He Yuzhu grinned, slamming the spatula in his hand: "Serves you right! You paid the money and didn't get any sleep, who told you to show off like that?"

He deliberately spoke loudly, letting half a sentence slip through the crack in the door. Yi Zhonghai paused, but didn't turn around; he simply slammed the door shut with a deafening bang.

It cost me over twenty yuan last night, including surgery and hospitalization.

Qin Huairu has a rural household registration and receives no reimbursement; she has to pay everything in cash.

When Yi Zhonghai took out the money, his fingers were trembling—that was his savings that he had accumulated over half a year!

He was the only one we could rely on at the time, so we had to grit our teeth and go for it.

He cursed inwardly: If Sha Zhu had gone, he might have been able to get something out of it. That guy has a sharp tongue, but he's very popular. Even the nurses at the hospital laugh when they see him.

But now is not the time to regret.

He didn't sleep a wink all night, and didn't even dare to doze off. He had to rush to the factory to ask for leave for Jia Dongxu and himself.

If I went to work with that deadpan face, I'd probably collapse before I even got into the workshop.

After quickly changing into clean clothes, Yi Zhonghai went straight to the Jia family's house and knocked on the door.

"Thump, thump, thump."

As soon as the door opened, Madam Jia poked her head out, her eyes practically bloodshot: "Old Yi! How is it? Has my grandson been born yet? Is he a big, healthy boy?"

"She's given birth," Yi Zhonghai said calmly. "It's a girl."

The names have been decided: the nickname is Xiao Dang, and the formal name is Jia Dang.

"A girl?!" Jia Zhangshi's face instantly collapsed. "Impossible! I had someone calculate it! This baby is definitely a boy! Did the hospital switch my grandson? Or did they lose him?!"

"Bullshit!" Yi Zhonghai roared, his brow furrowed. "The men are Jia family's offspring, and the women are Jia family's blood! Aren't you afraid of retribution if this gets out? You have a house full of children and grandchildren, yet you're still not satisfied and have to be picky? I don't even have a child, and hearing you say this makes my heart ache!"