Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

12

"Are you in cahoots with the guy who beat me up? After he beat me up, are you going to give him another beating?"

Xu Damao's words were utterly disrespectful, practically an insult directed at someone.

An elderly man named Yi Zhonghai stood there, his face so dark it could drip water: "Xu Damao, what nonsense are you spouting now? I have important business with you, I wanted to take you inside and talk it out, how was I supposed to know you were injured?"

Xu Damao got up from the ground, limping, and stood up while holding onto his bicycle.

"You made my injuries worse by hitting me. This matter won't be over without two silver dollars. If you don't pay, I'll report you to the law enforcement and say you assaulted me."

He's just taking advantage of any opportunity to extort money from people.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes widened in surprise: "Xu Damao, what nonsense are you spouting? There are so many eyes watching in the yard, where did I touch you?"

"Just now! You grabbed me right away and made me fall flat on my face. Now I'm covered in bruises. Everyone in the hospital saw it. You have to pay me back! If you keep dawdling, the price will go up later."

Xu Damao is completely unreasonable.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at the heads peeking out of the yard, not wanting to escalate the situation, and sighed, "Alright, here's two yuan. Can you come inside and say a few words after you take it?"

"become."

Xu Damao took the money and felt a little relieved, thinking that the fall hadn't been in vain.

But the moment he moved, he winced in pain, cursing, "If I find out who did this, I'll make them pay!"

A thought suddenly flashed through Yi Zhonghai's mind: "Xu Damao, I think I know who hit you."

Xu Damao immediately looked up and stared at him.

"Let's go back inside and talk."

As Yi Zhonghai spoke, he helped him push the bicycle under the eaves and lock it. The two of them then entered Xu Damao's house one after the other.

"I suspect that Fang Chengxuan was the one who did it."

"Think about it, Fang Chengxuan usually turns off the lights and goes to sleep by 10 p.m. at the latest when he gets home from get off work. But today it's past midnight and the light in his room is still on."

"You had barely stepped inside when he followed you back in."

It must be admitted that Yi Zhonghai's guess was quite accurate; it was indeed Fang Chengxuan who made the move.

Xu Damao was taken aback, his brows furrowing into a knot.

He recalled the things he had said about Fang Chengxuan to Rong Xinrui, and rubbed his chin with his fingers: "Could it be because I spoke ill of him to his boyfriend, and he found out?"

"It must be because of this."

"In all these years in our compound, besides Sha Zhu beating you up, who else has ever laid a hand on you?"

"Fang Chengxuan is petty and quick to settle scores; it's definitely him, he can't escape. What do you plan to do with him?"

Yi Zhonghai spoke eloquently and even helped with the analysis.

Xu Damao pursed his lips, feeling extremely frustrated. He cursed inwardly: How can I deal with him? Fang Chengxuan is much more ruthless than Sha Zhu, and he's meticulous in his actions. What can I possibly do?

Unable to think of a solution for the time being, Xu Damao was annoyed and couldn't stand Yi Zhonghai either.

"Put that aside for now, sir, what do you want from me?"

Xu Damao lifted his clothes, revealing that his skin, which was fairer than that of an average man, was covered in bruises; there were hardly any unscathed spots on his body.

He unscrewed the bottle cap, poured some medicinal wine into his palm, and rubbed it on his wound.

With a hint of embarrassment on his face, Yi Zhonghai said, "I'd like you to help me find a partner in the countryside."

"What?"

Xu Damao raised an eyebrow and paused, taken aback.

Yi Zhonghai nodded: "I've divorced you, you old lady."

Xu Damao hadn't been paying attention to what was happening in the courtyard these past few days, and upon hearing this, his face showed surprise: "Qin Huairu went in again?"

After saying that, he smirked, looking completely unconcerned, with a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Looking for a partner, sir? What kind of girl are you looking for?"

Yi Zhonghai gradually relaxed: "I want to find someone younger. I'm not that old, and I also want to have a child myself."

"Sure, sure, but I can't expect to be taken care of for free, can I? I'm a bit short on cash right now."

Xu Damao rubbed his fingers together, turning the two yuan he had just received over and over in his hand.

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth: "If it really works out, I'll give you a hundred yuan as a thank you gift."

Xu Damao pursed his lips.

"Sir, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're not exactly old, you're almost fifty. Even though you get ninety-nine yuan a month, at your age, who knows how many more years you can work?"

"What would a young woman want from you?"

"Don't mention giving me another hundred if it works out. How about this, I'll help you connect people, and you give me five dollars for each person you meet, how about that?"

Xu Damao smiled, his eyes narrowing as he darted around, his little scheme in mind.

Yi Zhonghai frowned: "Five yuan? And there's no guarantee it'll work? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Sir, that's not a fair way to put it. At your age, girls under thirty wouldn't even want to show their faces if they heard you were here, believe it or not?"

Xu Damao replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes at the person.

Yi Zhonghai frowned even more: "Five yuan is outrageous, it should be at most one yuan."

"Two yuan, please. I have to treat people to a meal and give them a gift; I can't possibly pay for it myself, can I?"

Xu Damao began to bargain.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath: "Okay, two yuan it is. But I'm telling you upfront, I want someone under thirty, unmarried, and not unattractive."

"Sir, you've got quite a few demands. Hey, I never expected you and I would be kindred spirits. You used to put on such a respectable act, I really thought you were a gentleman!"

Xu Damao looked Yi Zhonghai up and down, and felt a pang of emotion as he recalled the times when Yi had suppressed him.

"What goes around comes around."

"You can know a person's face but not their heart."

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened. He opened his mouth to retort, but took a breath and swallowed his words back, then stood up.

"I'm leaving now."

"If you can really help me find a suitable one, I'll give you a hundred dollars as a thank you!"

After saying that, he turned and walked away without looking back.

Unbeknownst to him, Xu Damao's eyes lit up suddenly behind him.

"One hundred dollars!"

Xu Damao muttered to himself, his mind starting to work.

One hundred yuan is a bit too little.

However, it's not like we can't make something of it.

Xu Damao had just gotten up when his eyelids twitched twice, causing him to wince in pain and gasp for breath before he recovered.

"Fang Chengxuan, you just wait."

"Wait until I marry Shu Qianxue, then I'll see how I deal with you."

He gritted his teeth and shuffled step by step to the bedside, racking his brains for ways to get revenge.

The next morning.

After washing his face, Fang Chengxuan carried the large black cloth bag that his wife had sewn overnight on his back, and with Fang Lianyun in his arms, he left the courtyard and got into the car to go back to Yunlin Village.

The village is not close to the city.

After changing buses twice and walking for almost an hour, I arrived home in the afternoon.

Just as they reached the village entrance, a few old men chatting idly under a big tree called out, "Fang Chengxuan?"

"Oh, Grandpa Fang."

Most of the villagers share the surname Fang. Fang Chengxuan greeted them and carried the child home.

When he arrived at the old house he remembered, his brows furrowed.

The courtyard with five plots of land was gone, replaced by three identical new houses.

"Chengxuan?"

The door opened, and a woman who was taking out the trash froze, her face not looking too good: "What are you doing back here?"

"Didn't we say we'd give you up for adoption to your great-grandfather? Our family has nothing to do with you anymore."

Fang Chengxuan couldn't laugh.

Fortunately, he's not the same person he used to be.

"Mom, I came back this time because I have something to do."

He suppressed his emotions and handed the sleeping Fang Lianyun forward, saying, "This is Lianyun, Grandpa Fang's granddaughter."

The woman's expression softened somewhat, and after thinking for a moment, she said, "Come in first."

Fang Chengxuan carried the person through the door.

The woman walked ahead, muttering, "Chengxuan, don't blame your parents for being heartless. Your great-grandfather gave us the money, and it was agreed that you wouldn't be considered part of our branch anymore. Your father and I have three older brothers; whether they're poor or old, it's none of your business."

"Mom and Dad, don't worry."

Fang Chengxuan put Fang Lianyun on the kang (a heated brick bed) and put the black cloth bundle aside. "Since I have inherited my great-grandfather's lineage, I will definitely support this family. I will also take good care of Lianyun."

"I've started dating someone in the city."

"That's a good thing."

The woman's tone had softened, and she turned to the cabinet to pour a cup of brown sugar water and handed it over.

"My girlfriend's family is well-off. I don't have any elders on my side, and although she's been adopted, you are still my biological parents. To show that we value her, we'll have to trouble you to handle this."

"I've come here to ask you two to come to the city and help me get engaged. The bride's family dotes on their daughter and wants her to stay for a couple more years, so we need to make sure they feel that we understand and are willing to let them spend more time with my parents."

I didn't want to reveal everything so soon, but the original owner's parents were really baffling, so I had no choice but to be frank.

"Father, Mother, all you need to do is show up and show that you like and value the girl. I'll take care of everything else. Just do as I say."

The woman didn't reply, but glanced at Fang Chengxuan and said, "I'll go call your three brothers and your father, and bring them back from the fields."

After saying that, he turned and walked out.

Fang Chengxuan stared at her retreating figure and suddenly chuckled, "It's better that the lines are drawn so clearly."

Not long after, the entire Fang family returned from the fields.

Several of his sisters-in-law went into the kitchen to busy themselves, but Fang Chengxuan didn't join them; instead, he stayed by Fang Lianyun's side.

Several children ran in from outside, looking at him curiously.

"Chengxuan, come out for dinner."

The woman called out.

Fang Chengxuan carried Fang Lianyun out of the house. A table was set up in the courtyard, with a table full of dishes neatly arranged on it, enough to entertain guests normally.

"Father, eldest brother, second brother, third brother."

Fang Chengxuan greeted them one by one, then nodded to his sisters-in-law, "Hello, sisters-in-law."

As soon as they sat down, no one at the table uttered a sound.

Mr. Fang held his pipe, took several puffs, and then slowly said, "Your mother told us about your return."

"Now that you're back, let's get this straight."

Fang Chengxuan glanced at his three older brothers, who all had their heads down and avoided looking at him.

He nodded: "Please go ahead."

"When your grandfather Fang came to us, he said he wanted to choose someone to be adopted. You chose him yourself."

Fang Chengxuan nodded: "Yes."

"Our family also received that money from our great-grandfather. Look at these nine large brick houses; they were built with that money."

Mr. Fang continued speaking.

Fang Chengxuan nodded again.

"So when you were having a hard time in the courtyard house and wrote back asking your family for help, I made it very clear to you—"

Mr. Fang paused, then tapped his pipe against the table leg.

"From the day you were adopted, you were no longer a member of our family."