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

19

Yan Shuzhai glared at him, his temper flaring. "Yang Yuande, you good-for-nothing, you dare touch me!"

"What's wrong with touching you?"

"I thought you were that third uncle from the courtyard?"

Yang Yuande grabbed Yan Shuzhai by the collar, dragged him toward the front yard, and after a few steps to the Yan family's gate, he casually tossed the man inside.

He stood at the door, his voice turning cold, "You two brats from the Yan family, listen up. If your father dares to cause any more trouble for my brother Fang, I'll come after you."

"You know what my fists taste like."

Yang Yuande raised his hand and waved it.

Yan Shuzhai's two sons stood in the room, their faces ashen, looking at the old man who had been thrown in, his face full of resentment.

"Dad, can you please stop making a scene?"

"Exactly, what are you making a scene about? A teacher, stealing other people's things, we're all ashamed of you. Do you know what people outside are saying about our family? They're saying we have a thief in our family."

Their eyes were full of disgust.

Yan Shuzhai was so angry his chest tightened. "What kind of attitude is this? I'm your father!"

"If you weren't my father, I would have kicked you out long ago. You're a disgrace, and you still have the nerve to cause trouble? Are you afraid people won't know you were caught stealing?"

The two sons took turns speaking, their words dripping with displeasure.

Yan Shuzhai's wife and daughter stood to the side, their mouths opening and closing, but they didn't know what to say.

After the two sons finished arguing with their father, they turned around and left, looking disgusted.

Yan Shuzhai sat in the room, slamming his fist hard on the table.

"You unfilial brat!"

"Have you forgotten who fed you and sent you to school? Instead of standing up for me, you take it out on me?"

"What I brought back—you haven't eaten it before?"

As he spoke, he pounded his chest, feeling wronged and increasingly angry. In the end, he blamed Fang Chengxuan for everything.

"It's all Fang Chengxuan's fault!"

He gritted his teeth, his eyes darkening.

308

An elderly man named Yi Zhonghai frowned, his face clouded with worry. He stared at He Yuzhu and Lou Xiao'e, his voice low and menacing: "Silly Zhu, are you really planning to marry Lou Xiao'e? With Xu Damao's temper, will he let you have an easy time?"

Without even thinking, He Yuzhu retorted, "Who does he think he is? Do you think I'm afraid of him?"

Right now, Lou Xiao'e was all he could think about, and his mouth was practically stretched to his ears in a wide grin.

He's got a wife now. His bachelor days are over.

Yi Zhonghai frowned even more, and the words caught in his throat: "Haven't you always been thinking about Qin Huairu?"

It was as if a layer of air had suddenly been sucked away.

He Yuzhu froze on the spot.

Lou Xiao'e's expression changed, and she turned to look at him, her eyes full of surprise: "You and Qin Huairu have something going on?"

She bit her lower lip. "Didn't you say you only helped her out because you felt sorry for her family, a widow and her orphan, and because you'd known Jia Dongxu since childhood?"

She stared at He Yuzhu, enunciating each word clearly: "He Yuzhu, tell me clearly. Do you like Qin Huairu or not?"

He Yuzhu scratched the back of his head, putting on an honest face: "Before... I did have that kind of feeling. You know her, she's good at managing a household and knows how to take care of people. It's just that I've been unable to find a wife."

Lou Xiao'e remained silent. Her expression shifted repeatedly.

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat, and he panicked: "Xiao'e, Qin Huairu is going to marry that old man! I have nothing to do with her anymore!"

Lou Xiao'e's face still looked unwell.

"He Yuzhu, I won't pursue the past. But if you marry me, don't even think about getting entangled with other women."

She paused, then said, "You are not allowed to provide any financial assistance to Qin Huairu from now on."

Lou Xiao'e stared at him, her eyes reddening as she recalled the boast she had made to Xu Damao.

"I really want to marry you and live a good life with you."

"But if you don't want to live a good life with me, then even if we get the marriage certificate, we can still get a divorce."

"Xu Damao's eyes are on us. Do you want him to laugh at us?"

Lou Xiao'e pursed her lips into a thin line.

Having lived in the compound for so long, she wasn't blind. She could see perfectly well what Qin Huairu was thinking by having the three children call Sha Zhu "Silly Uncle."

When children try to get close to adults, it makes it easier for adults to respond.

If you keep talking to them, won't it just start with leftovers and then lead to asking for money?

"And then there's the money—you have to hand over your entire salary to me, not a single penny less."

"If you don't agree, then this marriage is off. You better think it over carefully tonight. Even if we get the marriage certificate tomorrow, we'll still get a divorce without Xu Damao lifting a finger."

After saying that, Lou Xiao'e glared at him, turned around and went into the room of the deaf old lady.

As soon as the door closed, tears started falling.

She felt incredibly wronged: Why am I so unlucky?

Marry Xu Damao, Xu Damao is no human being.

Lou Xiao'e was arranged to marry Sha Zhu, but could she really live a good life with this man?

The deaf old woman heard her crying, so she went over with her cane and patted her on the shoulder: "Shazhu is a bit simple-minded, but he's obedient."

"If you're with him, he'll do whatever you want."

"If you believe the old woman, you and Sha Zhu will definitely have a good life together, and you'll even have a big, healthy son in the future!"

Lou Xiao'e stared at the old lady, and the distress in her heart finally subsided a little.

She left.

He Yuzhu stood there, as if someone had doused him with a bucket of cold water, turned to look at the old man Yi Zhonghai, and said in a very sharp tone: "Hey old man, Qin Huairu is practically your wife, why are you bringing her up for no reason?"

"Are you unhappy about my marriage or what? What are you up to?"

He launched into a tirade.

Little did he know that these words struck a nerve with Yi Zhonghai.

"What could I possibly mean? I'm just afraid Xu Damao will cause you trouble. Have you forgotten how that old man in the courtyard has treated you all these years?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned, his voice filled with anger, as he forcefully suppressed his guilty conscience that had been exposed.

He Yuzhu isn't blind.

He stared at Yi Zhonghai and snorted coldly: "Old man, ever since you said you wanted to marry Qin Huairu at the law enforcement office, I've felt like I've never seen through you at all."

"You two have been together for a long time, but you haven't said a word about it in front of me. I have feelings for Qin Huairu, but you haven't mentioned it once."

"What, you want me to marry her so she can help raise your child?"

He Yuzhu became increasingly angry as he spoke.

He had no idea that his outburst was hitting the nail on the head; he was just venting all the anger he had been holding back.

"Alright!"

"From now on, don't interfere in my affairs. I'm a man in my thirties, and it wasn't easy for me to get married. If you really care about me, then don't cause me any trouble."

"Xu Damao is nothing!"

"Have I ever been afraid of him since I was a child?"

After saying this in a bad mood, He Yuzhu turned around and went home, rummaging through drawers and cabinets.

these years.

He hadn't saved any money at all; his entire salary was borrowed by Qin Huairu as soon as he got paid. Now, he wanted to marry Lou Xiao'e, but he didn't have a single penny to his name.

Scratching his head, he thought to himself with relief, "Luckily, Xiao'e has her eye on me. Otherwise, I might not have been able to marry her."

at night.

Everyone in the courtyard had gone to bed early, leaving only a few people with something on their minds, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

In complete darkness, the gate of the courtyard house was pried open from the outside.

A dozen or so people, each carrying an iron bucket, crept in, following their leader.

"This place dared to rip me off, let them spill their liquid on me!"

"You little brat, you'll take any kind of money!"

The leader was Zheng Feng, whose face was full of malice. He gave a low shout to the people behind him.

Upon hearing this, some people immediately sprang into action.

He listened for a moment, but there was no sound outside. He yawned again, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Early in the morning, the entire courtyard was awakened by a scream.

The walls, windows, and floor of Uncle San's house were covered in blood. The stench was so strong that it made people want to back away.

"Fang Chengxuan, it must have been you!"

Yan Shuzhai's eyes turned red. He rushed to Fang Chengxuan's door and started cursing at him.

"Third Uncle, if I really wanted to splatter blood, I could just pour it all over you in front of you, wouldn't that be enough? Why did I have to climb over the wall in the middle of the night?"

"You know perfectly well what you've done."

Fang Chengxuan sneered and said, "Some money is too hot to handle."

Yan Shuzhai's face stiffened, his eyes darkened, and he asked again, "Really not you?"

"If you think it was me, then go and report it to the police."

"That pool of blood must have come from somewhere. Once the law enforcement officers investigated, the truth immediately came out."

Fang Chengxuan shook his head.

The old man still insists it was him.

Those people are using unorthodox methods; if the money isn't returned, Yan Shuzhai won't have a peaceful life.

Before, in the labor camp, they couldn't lay a hand on those people. After holding back for so long, this time they're going to settle accounts with interest.

Yan Shuzhai's eyes darted around. Upon hearing this, the third aunt's face turned pale, and she quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"Old Yan, could it be that money that caused this trouble?"

She lowered her voice, which trembled.

Yan Shuzhai looked suspicious.

"Don't listen to Fang Chengxuan's nonsense, it's definitely his doing. Go ahead and report it, who's afraid of who!"

Yan Shuzhai glared fiercely at Fang Chengxuan.

He didn't steal that money; it was given to him voluntarily. Why should he return it?

Besides, so much time has passed and no one has come to claim it.

It must be Fang Chengxuan who's sabotaging us behind the scenes, deliberately trying to scare us.

Yan Shuzhai grew angrier the more he thought about it. He turned and headed towards the law enforcement office, cursing as he went, "Fang Chengxuan, you wait! With so much blood, the law enforcement officers can't just ignore it. You're finished!"

Fang Chengxuan stared at that retreating figure, shaking his head for a long time, his toothache throbbing.

"They won't shed a tear until they see the coffin."

He sighed.

Ignoring her, I turned and went to work.

Meanwhile, outside the courtyard house, a figure kept staring at this side.

Seeing Yan Shuzhai leave, the man clenched his ten fingers so tightly they cracked, a fierce look on his face, and quietly followed him.

"Hold!"

The man followed him all the way, intending to find a deserted alley, beat up Yan Shuzhai, and force him to return the money.

As they followed, they saw the old man plunge headfirst into the gate of the law enforcement office.

The man gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath, then turned and ran back to report, "Brother Zheng, it's bad! That old bastard actually went to report it to the police!"

"Oh no, bro, are we really done for?"

Zheng Feng glanced at the man who was panicking like a quail and replied in a low voice, "What's the panic? Since I dared to recruit you, I won't push you into a fire pit."

He took a few steps closer, lowered his voice, and gave a few instructions.

After listening, the man finally nodded.

evening.

After finishing his day's work, Fang Chengxuan followed Leng Si and Yang Yuande back home. Just as they turned into the backyard, they saw Third Uncle Yan Shuzhai with his chin held high, a look on his face saying, "You're finished, kid."

Emoji.