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

Back in the bedroom, looking at the blue brick floor and the large wooden tub, Li Weidong sighed: "I need to think about getting a house, at least one with a bathroom."

Clutching the cardboard box, Xiao Xi skipped and hopped to sit down by the reed mat, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons. The box in her hand was icy cold, and she immediately guessed that it contained something good.

"Wow, this smells so good, it smells like apples!"

Lin Yurou lifted the lid and was stunned when she saw the white stuff inside.

"Mmm, I want to eat!"

Xiao Xi reached out to grab it.

Go get a spoon.

Lin Yurou glared at her, "You can't eat too much, this stuff is too cold, eating too much will upset your stomach."

He Yushui had already brought over the three blue-rimmed bowls and spoons.

The three of them shared the ice cream, and Xiaoxi got the smallest portion. But she didn't mind at all; she scooped up a spoonful and put it in her mouth, humming happily.

"It's so delicious!"

He Yushui also took a bite, and the sweet, smooth, and cool sensation made her feel comfortable all over.

"We need to leave some for Brother Dong..."

Lin Yurou said.

"No need to save it, I don't like sweets."

Li Weidong's voice came from the bedroom, followed by the sound of rushing water.

After he finished showering, put on his clothes, and carried the large bucket outside to empty it. When he returned to sit down by the reed mat, Xiao Xi was still there, slowly scooping out spoonfuls of ice cream.

"Brother, you eat!"

Xiao Xi picked up the spoon and leaned into Li Weidong's arms.

Just then, a pig-like scream suddenly came from ahead.

"It's Jia Zhangshi again. The Jia family never has a moment of peace."

He Yushui said angrily, "My stupid brother is still chasing after me..."

"No, something's wrong with that crying."

Li Weidong stood up abruptly.

All that could be heard was Jia Zhangshi wailing like a pig being slaughtered: "My son, my son, how could you leave me like this!"

"Has something happened to Jia Dongxu?"

Li Weidong was taken aback.

As he walked to the door, he saw that everyone in the backyard and the rear building was running towards the middle courtyard.

"You three stay home and don't come out. I'll go check on things."

Li Weidong said.

"Yes, don't worry, Brother Dong."

Lin Yurou grabbed Xiao Xi, who was trying to run away.

When Li Weidong arrived at the Intermediate People's Court, the moon was high in the sky, illuminating the courtyard brightly.

A simple stretcher, covered with a white sheet, sat at the Jia family's door. Several patches of the sheet were stained red, and drops of blood were still dripping down.

Jia Zhangshi rolled around on the ground, howling in agony. This time, something really had happened; she couldn't fake her pain.

Banggeng stood blankly to the side, staring at the stretcher without saying a word. Qin Huairu had already fainted, and was being held in Shazhu's arms, Shazhu's eyes filled with barely concealed excitement.

Xiao Dang and Huaihua huddled in a corner, and apart from Li Weidong, no one noticed the two children at all.

Yi Zhonghai also squatted on the ground and cried, muttering, "Dongxu, Dongxu, how many times have I told you to be careful, be careful... and what have I done? How am I supposed to explain this to you?!"

"I was counting on you, and now look what's happened—a parent outliving their child!"

Li Weidong was a sharp-eyed man; he could clearly see Yi Zhonghai's barely concealed joy.

Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong stepped aside and stood there, their faces showing bitter smiles, as if they had just eaten a bitter melon.

Several other people in work clothes carried the stretcher without saying a word. Needless to say, they were the ones who brought Jia Dongxu's body back.

Li Weidong spotted the workshop director immediately; it was the same Zhou.

"Director Zhou, what's going on?"

Li Weidong asked, frowning.

"Section Chief Li, oh dear, he's really had the worst luck imaginable."

Director Zhou looked gloomy and lowered his voice:

"Jia Dongxu didn't finish his work during the day, so he stayed behind with several other people to work overtime. It was his machine tool that caused the accident; his neck was smashed through, and he died before he could even leave the workshop."

Li Weidong shook his head and whispered a reminder: "Hurry up and say a few words before you leave, otherwise you won't be able to leave later."

As he spoke, he glanced at Jia Zhangshi, who was still rolling on the ground and howling. Director Zhou, of course, understood, and nodded gratefully to Li Weidong, then turned to Yi Zhonghai and said:

"Old Yi, I'm leaving this to you. I have to go back to the factory; there's a mess to clean up, and the factory manager and the others are all waiting for a meeting there."

After Director Zhou finished speaking, he gave a wink to the four workers in overalls, and the five of them ran into the factory as if they were being chased by dogs.

As soon as Director Zhou left, Yi Zhonghai stopped crying, stood up from the ground, and said to Jia Zhangshi, who was still rolling on the ground, "Sister-in-law, stop wailing and hurry up and set up the mourning hall."

"Dongxu can't just be left like this, it's unbearably hot today."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi sat up abruptly. Seeing Yi Zhonghai approaching, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face: "Yi Zhonghai, why don't you just die! Why don't you just die! My son is gone! What kind of teacher are you?"

The slap was so hard that Yi Zhonghai saw stars. Yu Mei, who was standing next to him, quickly supported him and turned to Jia Zhangshi, cursing fiercely, "Sister-in-law, this is a workplace accident! Who could have predicted it?"

"Which year hasn't there been workplace injuries at the factory? This time it's serious; someone died, and your son just happened to be unlucky enough to be involved. What does this have to do with my husband, Mr. Yi?"

"Dongxu did go to work overtime, but Lao Yi didn't!"

At this moment, Qin Huairu woke up and lay beside the stretcher, crying her heart out. Sha Zhu stood to the side, wringing his hands anxiously, his heart aching terribly.

Yi Zhonghai wiped away his tears and said, "Sister-in-law, you feel sorry for me, and so do I. I'm also counting on Dongxu to support me in my old age."

"But now is not the time to cry. We need to bury Dongxu quickly. Otherwise, by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, it will start to smell."

"Quickly find someone to make a coffin and set up the mourning hall."

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Jia Zhangshi realized that Yi Zhonghai was telling the truth.

"Then...then you're his master, so I'll leave this matter to you."

Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted around, and she had already made up her mind.

Yi Zhonghai didn't mince words: "I'll take care of the coffin. A coffin costs at least twenty yuan, plus other miscellaneous expenses, so you'll need to give me forty yuan, sister-in-law."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. The thought of paying money was more upsetting than having her ancestral graves dug up.

Jia Zhangshi wailed at the top of her lungs, "No money! Where would an old woman like me get money? Qin Huairu, you jinx, you pay up!"

Qin Huairu cried and replied, "Where would I get the money? The little Dongxu gives me each month won't even last until the end of the month."

"Doesn't he give you three dollars a month for retirement? Hurry up and hand it over—"

Before the words were even finished, Jia Zhangshi pounced on Qin Huairu and slapped her across the face: "You jinx! That's my savings for my funeral, nobody can touch it!"

She then turned to Yi Zhonghai and shouted, "You're Dongxu's mentor, shouldn't you be paying for this?"

With Jia Dongxu dead, Jia Zhangshi has completely lost all shame. She used to give him some face, but now she doesn't care about anything anymore.

Yi Zhonghai's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, but he was completely helpless. Ask him to pay? He was unwilling. He looked up and saw Li Weidong.

A thought flashed through his mind: You little brat, I'll drag you down with me. Whether you pay me or not, you're going to be in trouble.

If you pay money for the Jia family, don't expect to get it back. Once this door is opened, the Jia family will only exploit you more.

If you don't contribute money, it will ruin your reputation—if your neighbor dies and you refuse to lend them a little money, are you even human?

After making his decision, Yi Zhonghai spoke up: "Weidong, you're the only cadre in this compound, so I'll lend you the money first—"

"Yi Zhonghai, what nonsense are you spouting!"

Li Weidong retorted directly, "This is a compound, not a factory."

"If anyone should be lending money, it should be you. It's true I earn 300 yuan a month, but I haven't even received my salary yet."

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback: "Then you still have a pension—"

"Are you even speaking human language?"

Li Weidong sneered, "Should I call the neighborhood committee to settle this? Let them see what kind of nonsense it is that you want me to lend my father's martyr's pension to someone else for their funeral?"

"Especially since you're Jia Dongxu's master, earning ninety-nine yuan a month for almost ten years, right? Now you won't even lend your apprentice forty yuan for his funeral. Ha, really something."

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run down his spine and quickly waved his hand, "Wait, I was just too heartbroken and confused. Yes, I'll pay for it."

As soon as he said those words, his heart was bleeding.

Forty yuan, just like that, gone down the drain. No matter how much money you have, you shouldn't waste it like that.

"I'll pay for it. Let's all lend a hand and prepare Dongxu for his funeral."

Yi Zhonghai then turned his attention to Li Weidong, "Weidong, could you wipe Dongxu's body? You're a doctor—"

"Yi Zhonghai, you're still talking nonsense!"

Li Weidong sneered, "Who do you think you are? You dare to order me around?"

"Washing his body is his family's job. By the way, you're his mentor, you can do it too."

"Let me go? Is your brain filled with shit?"

Before the deceased is placed in the coffin, they need to be cleansed. This is usually done by the family members themselves or by hiring a professional earthworker.

Yi Zhonghai's forehead veins bulged from Li Weidong's rebuke, and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself down.

The old fox immediately realized that he had been too hasty in setting a trap for Li Weidong, revealing a flaw that allowed him to be brutally attacked. He couldn't afford to make another foolish mistake now.

"I didn't think things through properly. I'm really upset about what happened to Dongxu."

Yi Zhonghai pounded his chest and said, "Weidong, you can help carry the coffin tomorrow morning, right?"

"This is a huge problem!"

Li Weidong sneered, "You still don't know your own limitations. Do you really think you're the local tyrant of this compound? You think you can take me down with just a word?"

Yi Zhonghai's head was throbbing with pain, and he quickly denied it: "Wei Dong, what are you saying! What do you mean by 'local tyrant'? I'm just discussing this with you."

"If you live in the same compound, even if there were unpleasant things in the past, you should still lend a helping hand when it comes to a funeral like this."

While Yi Zhonghai was using Li Weidong as a moral critique, he was secretly plotting in his mind: I'll definitely kill this brat tomorrow!

If Li Weidong agrees to carry the coffin, he will have the opportunity to team up with Sha Zhu, Yan Jiecheng, and Liu Guangqi to crush Li Weidong to death while carrying the coffin.

"Help? On what grounds?"

Li Weidong snorted. "The Jia family and I are neighbors, and the kind of neighbors with a really bad relationship. Why should I help them?"

"Wei Dong, if you do this, your reputation will be ruined. What girl would dare to marry you then?"

Yi Zhonghai spoke with righteous indignation.

"Tsk, do you think anyone can ruin my reputation just like that? They'd better think twice before trying to damage it!"