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

26

"You beat him up like that, making him infertile, and that's why he's taking revenge on you. You idiot, do you even know what your hand..."

The old lady choked up at this point and couldn't continue speaking.

He Yuzhu's eyes widened suddenly.

"Was it Xu Damao who did it? I'm going to skin him alive right now!"

Before the words were even finished, the person had already rushed out.

The deaf old woman called out from behind, "Silly Zhu!"

Without turning his head, He Yuzhu rushed to the front yard and bumped into Xu Damao, who hadn't gone to the factory yet. He raised his leg and kicked him.

"Aww—"

Xu Damao was kicked so hard he bent over, clutching his crotch tightly with both hands, his face turning white with pain.

Xu Damao's eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth.

That kick just now was enough to hurt him. Does he still dare to come back?

He Yuzhu stiffened his neck, his voice even more aggressive than his brother's: "Kicking you is too lenient! Who told you to steal my bicycle and break my arm?"

"I think you deserve a beating. If I don't teach you a lesson, you won't know who you are."

Xu Damao grabbed a nearby stool and held it in front of him, but then shrank back.

He's a coward, but he's resentful inside.

He retreated to the door, slammed it shut, and shouted through the door, "You idiot Zhu, you just wait and see, this isn't over!"

He Yuzhu kicked the door.

"Not over yet? I'm not over it! Give me back the car, and not a penny less!"

"You stole my things, hit me, and even interfered with my relationship with Xiao'e. If I don't teach you a lesson today, I'll change my surname to yours!"

In the courtyard, heads peeked out from each household.

Someone muttered quietly, "What's going on here?"

The person next to him shook his head: "I don't know."

Before he could finish speaking, He Yuzhu kicked the door open, rushed in, grabbed Xu Damao, and started hitting him.

Although his right hand was suspended and unable to move, Xu Damao couldn't hold his own with just his left hand.

Xu Damao was enraged by the beating.

His eyes darted around and landed on He Yuzhu's severed hand. He grabbed a small stool from the ground and swung it around, smashing it down on the wound.

"You idiot Zhu, I'll fight you to the death!"

He cursed under his breath, but didn't hold back at all.

He Yuzhu was hit on the severed hand, and his face turned pale with pain as he clenched his teeth.

"Damn, you dare to lay a hand on me?"

Enraged, he kicked again. Seeing his fierce attack, Xu Damao grabbed a stool and smashed it.

The two of them rolled on the ground and twisted into a ball.

One was injured and stressed, while the other went all out, and they actually ended up in a draw.

The onlookers quickly gathered around, shouting, "Stop fighting! Are you two crazy?"

He Yuzhu roared, "He stole my car, broke my hand, and drove my wife away! If I don't beat him up, who else should I beat up?"

Xu Damao spat, "Shazhu, with your character, you don't deserve a wife, much less a son!"

He Yuzhu sneered, "You can't even have a son yourself, so you're just jealous, aren't you?"

"Xu Damao, Lou Xiao'e doesn't want you, but she wants me. What kind of person are you?"

Xu Damao was so angry his face contorted, and he didn't hold back anymore: "Isn't this all your fault!"

"The doctor said it was your kick that damaged me, that's why I'm childless!"

"Silly Zhu, I've never had a son in my life, and neither have you. This isn't over between us!"

The two started fighting again.

Xu Damao was cunning, specifically targeting He Yuzhu's severed hand and vital points.

He Yuzhu wasn't one for complicated schemes; he just went for it, purely relying on brute force.

The courtyard was in complete chaos, and a group of people tried to pull the two of them apart.

Those who could actually lift a finger were all women and children; how could they possibly move two grown men?

The deaf old woman stood to the side, leaning on her cane. Seeing the two fighting so fiercely, she turned to a boy and shouted, "Kid, go to the steel mill and call your brother Fang Chengxuan back."

Upon hearing this, the boy took off running.

At the steel rolling mill, Fang Chengxuan had just washed his hands when he heard someone was looking for him. He dried them and went out, where he saw the children in the yard.

"Brother Fang, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao are fighting, and nobody can stop them. The deaf old lady told me to call you back."

The child was quick-witted and blurted everything out in one go.

Fang Chengxuan frowned.

This wasn't the first time He Yuzhu had fought with Xu Damao. What's strange is that the deaf old lady actually sent someone to find him.

"Let's go back and take a look."

His face was expressionless, his eyes were cold and devoid of warmth, and he hurried back with the child.

In just a short while, the two were still fighting.

When Fang Chengxuan arrived, He Yuzhu's right hand was hanging limply, clearly indicating something was wrong. Xu Damao's face was swollen like a pig's head, and his eyes were venomous and fierce, staring at people like a snake about to bite.

"Have you hit me enough? If you have, let go!"

Fang Chengxuan glanced at her and then spoke as if his voice were ice shards.

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao stopped. He Yuzhu, however, became enraged and, disregarding everything else, clenched his fists and began punching Xu Damao in the face again.

Fang Chengxuan kicked him in the fist.

"Aww—"

He Yuzhu screamed as he was kicked backward, falling to the ground and landing on his injured hand. The pain jolted him awake. He turned and saw Fang Chengxuan, and his eyes blazed with anger again.

"Fang Chengxuan, I haven't even settled accounts with you yet, and you're helping Xu Damao bully me?"

He Yuzhu roared and was about to kick someone.

Fang Chengxuan is not Xu Damao.

Without saying a word, he kicked out and sent He Yuzhu flying, landing hard on his face.

"Are you awake now?"

"You're not awake yet. I'll kick you a few more times to help you wake up."

Fang Chengxuan's cold expression sent chills down one's spine.

He Yuzhu collapsed to the ground, and the deaf old lady rushed over to check his arm: "Silly Zhu, how's your hand?"

"You're injured like this, why are you still fighting with Xu Damao?"

As she spoke, the deaf old woman turned to glare at Xu Damao and immediately began to curse, "You despicable bastard! Sha Zhu didn't do it on purpose, so why did you steal his bicycle and break his arm?"

Xu Damao sneered, "Deaf old lady, what you're saying is unreasonable. You say it's true, then show me the evidence! I don't care if you protect Shazhu in the yard, but you can't just spout nonsense!"

"No wonder Fang Chengxuan used to bring you food, but now he ignores you completely. An old woman like you deserves to be left unattended!"

After Xu Damao finished speaking, he stole a glance at Fang Chengxuan, then his gaze returned to He Yuzhu, cold and sinister, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.

The deaf old lady was rendered speechless by his words.

Xu Damao was too lazy to argue with her and turned to look at Fang Chengxuan.

Of all the people in the courtyard, the only one Fang Chengxuan really noticed was Xu Damao.

He spoke up: "Xu Damao, Sha Zhu beat me up like this. I won't even be able to leave a child behind. It's a blood feud that will cut off my lineage. This is a matter between him and me. You should stay out of it."

"Whatever grudges we had in the past, let's put them all behind us today."

Xu Damao said this, but his eyes were fixed on Fang Chengxuan, his heart pounding.

He was afraid that Fang Chengxuan would really get involved.

The deaf old woman quickly chimed in, "Chengxuan, you can't just abandon this responsibility. If you don't take care of things in this courtyard, no one can keep them in check."

She then turned to He Yuzhu and shouted, "Silly Zhu, you're not allowed to mess with Chengxuan again!"

The old lady knew perfectly well that as long as Fang Chengxuan was willing to get involved, Xu Damao and He Yuzhu's little troubles were no big deal at all.

"I have no interest in your messy accounts."

Fang Chengxuan shut the deaf old lady down with a single sentence, his eyes as cold as knives as he glanced at her.

Do you really think he's a living Buddha?

Why get involved in the messy affairs of these scoundrels?

"I'm getting married to my boyfriend soon. As you all know, his family is well-off. Don't let your disgusting behavior get in front of her."

"I'm putting this out there today—fight however you want, even if someone dies, I won't care. But not in the compound, don't let my boyfriend see you."

"If anyone doesn't listen, don't blame me for turning my back on them."

Xu Damao felt uneasy under Fang Chengxuan's gaze, and his anger was burning inside. But when he thought of how fiercely Fang Chengxuan had beaten He Yuzhu earlier, he could only mutter, "I know."

Fang Chengxuan turned to look at He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu stiffened his neck and retorted, "I can hit you whenever I want! This courtyard isn't yours, what right do you have to tell me what to do?"

"On what grounds?"

Fang Chengxuan's eyes were so cold they could freeze.

"You think I can send you back to a labor camp again?"

Both were making threats, but looking into Fang Chengxuan's eyes, He Yuzhu felt inexplicably afraid.

When Xu Damao made those harsh words, his eyes were much fiercer than this, but He Yuzhu didn't feel that chill that seemed to emanate from his very bones.

"Alright, I have things to do at the steel rolling mill. I came back to remind you all—if anyone causes trouble in the compound again, report it to the authorities and let the enforcement team handle it."

"If you dare to stick your claws out, it means you haven't spent enough time in labor camps."

Fang Chengxuan glanced at the deaf old lady with a meaningful look in his eyes, then turned and left.

No sooner had he left than all eyes in the courtyard fell on He Yuzhu and Xu Damao.

Xu Damao spat at He Yuzhu.

"Silly Zhu, this isn't over."

He Yuzhu's eyes were bloodshot as he gritted his teeth and retorted, "You think I'm afraid of you? You wait, this isn't over yet!"

Neither of them would back down in their verbal exchange.

But in the end, no one in the courtyard dared to make another move.

He Yuzhu then went to the hospital to have his arm checked.

After looking at the X-ray, the doctor frowned immediately: "If you don't take care of your arm, you'll have trouble lifting heavy objects, let alone carrying a bucket of water."

He Yuzhu gritted his teeth, his face dark and gloomy. He hadn't realized how far things had gotten. He was seething with anger, feeling that Xu Damao had actually dared to fight back, and that he hadn't beaten him hard enough. He gritted his teeth, his whole body brimming with suppressed rage.

The deaf old woman stood by watching, sighed, and shook her head.

As darkness fell, Fang Chengxuan pushed his bicycle into the courtyard. Those in the courtyard looked at him with a hint of apprehension, and no one dared to say a word.

In the backyard, at the entrance of Fang Chengxuan's house, the deaf old lady, who usually didn't show herself after dark, was sitting outside for the first time today, playing with Fang Lianyun.

Upon seeing Fang Chengxuan return, the old lady stood up and walked into the house, bringing out an exquisite openwork dressing box, which she handed to Fang Chengxuan and opened the lid.

The box contained jadeite, gold and silver bracelets, all exquisitely carved and gleaming, clearly valuable antiques.

"Back then, I donated all the things in my family home, including this courtyard house, to the country. These few items are what I've kept privately."

She pushed the box towards Fang Chengxuan.

"I'll give you everything, just help Sha Zhu out, okay? I'm an old woman with no children, I watched Sha Zhu grow up. If his life is ruined, I won't be able to die in peace."