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

24

"Mom, I understand."

Lou Xiao'e responded and gave in, but her heart sank.

Seeing that their daughter had finally stopped being stubborn, Lou's parents breathed a sigh of relief and gently advised, "Don't keep thinking that being divorced makes it hard for you to get married."

"Hong Kong is a very open place. You have fair skin and good looks, and our family is not short of money. What are you afraid of?"

"Once we get there, your dad and I will try to find someone to change your name. Let's pretend that you and He Yuzhu got married never happened."

Lou's mother softened her tone.

Lou Xiao'e nodded: "I know. I left a letter with Director Wang at the neighborhood committee, it's for divorce. He Yuzhu can take that letter and get a divorce himself, then he can marry whoever he wants."

The family fell silent and continued tidying up.

Under cover of darkness, they grabbed their belongings, went out, got in their car, and left that very night.

the other side.

He Yuzhu carried the black wooden box, his steps heavy as he walked back. His ears were filled with Lou's mother's nagging words, repeating themselves over and over.

Completely bewildered, he entered the deaf old woman's room and immediately asked, "Grandma, what did I do wrong? Why do you say I have no sense at all?"

"How come I don't understand anything?"

He Yuzhu felt incredibly frustrated. He couldn't understand what he had done wrong to deserve such disdain from Lou Xiao'e's parents!

After listening, the deaf old lady remained silent for a long time, her brows furrowed in worry.

Suddenly she spoke up: "Shazhu, you go and keep watch downstairs at the Lou family's house right now. No matter what, you have to bring Lou Xiao'e back today. If she doesn't come back, you block the door and don't leave. Go now!"

.

He Yuzhu stood there, dumbfounded, staring at the deaf old woman. Seeing her anxious and somber expression, he was even more confused.

"Grandma, what are you up to?"

"The Lou family elders already look down on me. If I interfere, won't they be even more annoyed with me?"

He Yuzhu didn't move, his face once again filled with worry.

The deaf old woman stared at He Yuzhu, her lips moving slightly. "When you got there, what were Lou Xiao'e's family doing?"

He Yuzhu looked confused and asked, "What can you do? Just stay at home, right?"

The deaf old lady didn't reply. After a pause, she sighed heavily.

"That's enough."

"I guess I'm worrying for nothing."

She muttered to herself, but she couldn't relax. She reached out and nudged He Yuzhu, "Go keep watch downstairs at the Lou family's place for a while longer."

"What are you watching? I just got back from that call."

"Lou Xiao'e's parents look down on me, so I can't take your money. I can't use my hands right now, so I need to think of a way to earn some money."

He Yuzhu glanced down at his right hand, thinking of the thief who stole his bicycle, and gritted his teeth, "That thief."

"If it weren't for him, would my hand be injured? I could have easily booked a couple more tables and made some extra money, unlike now..."

He muttered something under his breath.

After chatting with the deaf old lady for a while, my mind wandered, and I still couldn't figure out why the Lou couple were so angry and looked down on me.

But the frustration I felt had dissipated considerably.

He stood up. "Grandma, I'm leaving now. I still need to go to the factory tomorrow. I can't lose the job at the steel rolling mill, otherwise Lou Xiao'e's parents will look down on me even more."

After saying that, He Yuzhu turned and walked out.

The deaf old lady didn't stop him. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to close her eyes.

"Lou Xiao'e has already registered her marriage with Sha Zhu. Even if her parents look down on Sha Zhu, as long as Sha Zhu is willing to climb the social ladder, they can still make a living."

"I'm probably just overthinking it."

She muttered a few words to herself, closed her eyes, and slowly fell asleep.

the next day.

The courtyard was in a flurry of activity. Fang Chengxuan finished washing up and went out to work, glancing at the courtyard—the third uncle's leg had been broken, and he was as docile as a quail.

Uncle Er doesn't meddle in other people's business anymore, nor does he cause trouble.

Xu Damao, He Yuzhu, and Uncle Yi Zhonghai were all carrying a mess of debts, and it seemed they didn't have time to cause any more trouble.

in the afternoon.

Fang Chengxuan took some time to go to the department store, carrying money and tickets, and picked up a sewing machine, a bicycle, a watch, and a television set, then called a car to bring them all back.

The people in the courtyard were so shocked they almost popped their eyes out.

"Tsk, who would have thought? When Fang Chengxuan first came to our institute, who would have guessed he'd be the first person to buy a television?"

"That's right. Who took him seriously back then? But he turned his life around and became the manager of the steel mill's kitchen. Even Sha Zhu can't compare."

"People are just capable."

A group of people were talking at once.

In the evening, Leng Si returned and immediately shouted to Fang Chengxuan, "Congratulations!"

the other side.

He Yuzhu rushed to the Lou family's house after work. When he entered, he found the house ransacked and the Lou family members were nowhere to be seen.

After asking around, the answer I got was just two words—overseas.

He Yuzhu staggered back to the courtyard house as if he had lost his soul.

The image that kept replaying in his mind was: they had met last night, and Lou Xiao'e had told him to live a good life and not to mistreat himself.

How could someone disappear overnight?

"Xu Damao, did you do this?!"

As soon as He Yuzhu entered the courtyard, his anger flared up. Remembering what the Lou family's neighbor had said, he rushed over to Xu Damao and grabbed the man's collar with his left hand.

"Who else but you could do such a despicable thing? You bastard, you'll be cursed with no descendants!"

Xu Damao sneered.

"I'm childless? Then you, He Yuzhu, can forget about having any descendants in this lifetime!"

Before he finished speaking, Xu Damao raised his hand and slammed it against He Yuzhu's right arm.

My right hand was already injured.

He Yuzhu's face turned pale, and he loosened his grip in pain, allowing Xu Damao to break free.

People from every household in the courtyard peeked out, waiting to see what would happen. Yang Yuande, a smug look on his face, ran towards the backyard, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Master Leng, Brother Fang, come to the middle courtyard quickly! Sha Zhu and Xu Damao are fighting!"

His voice was so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire alley.

The deaf old lady, who was lying down inside, immediately sat up upon hearing this, grabbed her cane, and walked out.

"Yang Yuande, why are Sha Zhu and Xu Damao fighting? What's going on?"

The old lady asked as soon as she stepped out, her face full of worry.

Yang Yuande shrugged. "I don't know the specifics, but it seems Xu Damao got into some trouble and the Lou family went abroad."

Leng Si glanced at the deaf old lady's anxious look and slowly said, "I know what happened. Xu Damao is close to Second Uncle Liu Haizhong and had Liu Haizhong write a letter of complaint. Lou's parents were taken away for questioning for a while, and as soon as they were released, they started making arrangements to leave."

"I heard that when Second Uncle brought people over today, the Lou family's house was already empty. The neighbors said that the people probably ran away overnight."

Leng Si had been in Beijing for so many years and knew people everywhere. He was much faster at getting information than Fang Chengxuan—which was why the Rong family had arranged for him to stay and help Fang Chengxuan.

The deaf old woman's face turned ashen.

She hadn't heard a word about it. If she had known earlier, she wouldn't have urged He Yuzhu to come back last night, and had him stay outside the Lou family's house instead.

The Lou couple can leave, but Lou Xiao'e can't leave!

This girl and Sha Zhu are already married.

The deaf old woman, her face dark, leaned on her cane and headed towards the central courtyard. Upon arriving, she saw Xu Damao and He Yuzhu locked in a tangled mess.

"Stop right there!"

She raised her cane, first striking Xu Damao, then pushing He Yuzhu away.

Xu Damao, after being hit, grinned coldly and glared at the deaf old lady: "Old lady, so what if you brought Sha Zhu and Lou Xiao'e together? I've said it before, I have plenty of ways to make them divorce even if they get married."

"Now you see?"

The deaf old woman was so angry that her chest tightened, and she stomped her cane on the ground twice: "Xu Damao, you've divorced Lou Xiao'e, and you won't let her find someone else to live with? What kind of logic is that?"

"Pah!"

Lou Xiao'e did follow Sha Zhu, but do you really think she'd fall for him? Old lady, you must have pulled a lot of strings behind the scenes, right?

He cheated on me with my wife behind my back; I was still married to Lou Xiao'e at that time.

Old lady, what you did was not right.

Xu Damao's laughter was full of barbs, and he exuded a strange and unsettling aura.

The people in the courtyard were quiet for a few seconds, and when they looked at the deaf old lady again, their expressions changed.

The old lady quickly explained, "I think Lou Xiao'e is a good woman, and she can live a stable life with Sha Zhu."

What kind of good life does Sha Zhu deserve? Does he even deserve to be a father or have a wife? He stole my woman and dared to openly marry her—just wait, Sha Zhu will never see a wife or son again in this lifetime.

Xu Damao's eyes were like a snake, glued to He Yuzhu, but when they swept over the deaf old lady, they showed no warmth whatsoever.

The deaf old lady felt a pang of anxiety.

What exactly is the feud between Xu Damao and Sha Zhu?

Xu Damao, we've lived in the same compound for so many years, how come we're like enemies? You two grew up together, can't you just talk things out? Why do you have to make such a fuss?

She wanted to untangle the knot between Xu Damao and He Yuzhu.

She had a feeling.

If we don't intervene soon, Sha Zhu might suffer a major setback.

Xu Damao glanced at the deaf old woman, then at He Yuzhu's twisted neck and fierce face, and sneered: "My business with Sha Zhu is a big deal. There's no misunderstanding, and it can't be resolved."

The deaf old lady panicked even more. What exactly had Sha Zhu done?

Xu Damao, Sha Zhu isn't a bad person. What could he possibly do? Maybe someone's stirring things up behind the scenes, causing you two to clash.

As the deaf old lady spoke, her gaze drifted towards Fang Chengxuan.

You'd better not have the wrong person in mind.

Fang Chengxuan stood not far away, huddled together with Leng Si and Yang Yuande, a cold smirk playing on his lips: This old lady really treats He Yuzhu like a treasure.

Even at this point, they're still subtly steer the conversation towards him.

His breathing became heavy, and his eyes darkened as if splashed with ink.

Leng Si noticed this, nudged him lightly with her arm, and asked in a low voice, "Fang Chengxuan, when the deaf old lady was speaking just now, she glanced this way. Was she coming for you?"

What else did you think?

Fang Chengxuan's voice was icy cold.

Yang Yuande, who was standing nearby, nearly popped his eyes out when he heard this: "Really? What does this have to do with you, Brother Fang?"

This old lady's favoritism is outrageous.

After saying that, he recalled the past, his face slowly darkened, and he sighed: "Speaking of which, the deaf old lady used to be in charge of things in the compound. Every time, it was Sha Zhu who caused trouble and she had to clean up the mess."

Let's go back, there's nothing to see here.

Fang Chengxuan spoke in a lazy tone, tossing out a sentence.

The deaf old lady wanted to mediate the feud between Xu Damao and He Yuzhu, but she didn't understand that the thorn between He Yuzhu and Xu Damao was impossible to remove.