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

He Yushui's expression was indifferent: "Brother-sister relationship? It ended five years ago. Otherwise, I wouldn't be starving like this."

"What kind of attitude is this! I said a few words to you, and you're still not satisfied? You want to turn the world upside down?"

The deaf old woman pounded the bluestone slab a few times with her cane.

"You think saying a few words makes you unfilial? That's quite a accusation."

He Yushui sneered, "We were foolish before, letting you lead us by the nose. Now that we've figured it out, you're just an ordinary old lady."

"We're just neighbors, why should I be filial to you?"

The deaf old woman trembled with rage: "This is outrageous! This is complete rebellion! Let me tell you, I am the matriarch of this courtyard, and you all have to be filial to me!"

"Let's go back inside!"

Standing on the porch in front of his house, Li Weidong suddenly spoke up: "Hey, you really think being a recipient of the Five Guarantees is a talisman? Fine, then I'll take that talisman off you today."

The three deaf women paused, then walked into the courtyard without looking back. They knew they wouldn't gain anything by arguing with Li Weidong. Besides, the deaf woman didn't believe deep down that her status as a recipient of government assistance could really be revoked.

He Yushui was still a little worried and asked in a low voice, "Brother Dong, what will happen to my brother?"

Li Weidong said confidently, "It's nothing serious. At most, he'll be locked up for two or three months. Those three will definitely find a way to get Sha Zhu out."

"That's good. Locking him up for a few months is good too, so he'll learn his lesson."

He Yushui breathed a sigh of relief, "So I won't keep causing trouble."

As long as it's not a ten- or eight-year prison sentence, it's not a big deal. Losing a job isn't a big deal either; Sha Zhu can still support himself with his skills.

The three deaf elderly women had just arrived at the Intermediate People's Court when they bumped into Director Zhang and a police officer. Yan Bugui followed behind them.

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill, thinking that Xu Damao had also sued him.

Director Zhang said, "I've come to see Chief Engineer Li to report the case to him."

"Ah, he lives in the backyard."

Yi Zhonghai quietly breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll take you there."

He was anxious to know how the case was going and whether he would be implicated.

Zhang sat at the octagonal table, took the herbal tea handed to him by He Yushui, took a sip, and his eyes lit up.

Li Weidong held Xiaoxi in his arms. The little girl lay on his lap, holding a bowl in her small hands, sipping her cool tea.

"Chief Engineer Li, we followed the clues and found that the one who fired the shot was a Japanese soldier who had been infiltrating before liberation. We arrested a bunch of enemy agents, but we just couldn't find the person who was in charge."

Zhang put down his bowl, his tone turning somber. "It's also possible that he did it himself. After all, you're well-known in this area and have even cooperated with the military."

Li Weidong sighed, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "Then this is the only way. If I find out who's behind this, I'll twist their head off myself."

Yi Zhonghai stood at the door, a chill running down his spine as he listened to these words. The flash of the knife from that night, swift as lightning, flashed through his mind.

Zhang got up to take his leave, and Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui saw him off.

Upon reaching the main gate, Yi Zhonghai casually asked, "Chief Zhang, who shot Li Weidong?"

Zhang frowned and glanced at him: "Old Yi, what you're saying isn't right. Chief Engineer Li is a pillar of the nation; we must take this kind of thing seriously. Your attitude is too flippant."

Yi Zhonghai quickly smiled apologetically, "Yes, yes, I spoke without thinking. We've watched Weidong grow up; in my eyes, he's still a child. Who would have thought he'd be like this now..."

Director Zhang said with a stern face, "This person is a talent that our country is vying for. He was assassinated by spies. This case must be thoroughly investigated."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Yi Zhonghai then turned around, gave Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui a sidelong glance, and said, "See? They're in high demand now."

Liu Haizhong quickly chimed in, "Of course! A level seven engineer, to have such ability at such a young age, you have a bright future ahead of you."

"Old Liu, what's the point of saying all this now?"

Yan Bugui shook his head with a wry smile, "He knows perfectly well what we did to him. He holds grudges a lot. Just wait and see, we'll take care of them one by one."

"Keep an eye on things. Xu Damao got Zhu Zi in there, and we don't even know what happened... Sigh!"

Yi Zhonghai sighed.

Upon hearing the name Sha Zhu, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong turned and left.

Although Sha Zhu never physically assaulted them, he never held back with his words. His two sons received no shortage of beatings from Sha Zhu.

If it weren't for Yi Zhonghai's sake, they would have sent Sha Zhu to jail long ago.

"Don't go, don't go, let's figure out how to get the pillar out."

Yi Zhonghai stamped his feet in frustration.

Just then, the sound of a car came from the street corner.

These days, you don't see many cars with four wheels. In small towns, if a car passes by, there's bound to be a group of curious children following behind.

A jeep pulled up at the gate of the compound, and three people got out—Director Yang, Secretary Zhang, and Li Huaide. Each of them was carrying something.

Upon seeing him, Liu Haizhong's entire body of fat trembled with excitement: "Director Yang, hello, hello!"

He only had eyes for Director Yang; he completely ignored Secretary Zhang and Li Huaide.

Yan Bugui sneered inwardly: "With a brain like that, you think you can climb the ranks? Dream on! All you can see is the one with the highest rank."

After exchanging a few polite words, Director Yang and his two companions went directly into the courtyard.

"That little brat!"

Yi Zhonghai cursed through gritted teeth.

"They've grown too big for their britches now. If I'd known this would happen, I shouldn't have even set my sights on them in the first place."

Yan Bugui looked full of regret.

The regret he expressed was that he had misjudged Li Weidong. If he had known Li Weidong would end up like this, he should have tormented him to death, destroying his family and making things worse.

He's a shrewd strategist, and he never hesitates to do things like this.

Factory Director Yang and his group brought three dishes and drank in Li Weidong's room until eight o'clock in the evening before leaving. Li Weidong saw them off, carrying a bamboo box in his arms, which looked quite heavy.

Factory Director Yang smiled and said, "Chief Engineer Li, then it's settled. If there are any further issues, just let me know."

That thin bamboo box contained a whole box of penicillin.

Li Weidong smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll let you know when I have it."

With one hundred boxes of the special medicine in hand, Li Weidong glanced at the system's inventory, a smirk creeping onto his face. Each box cost 1200 yuan, making this batch alone worth over 100,000 yuan. In this era, that's more impressive than a small goal in later times.

He pushed the empty cart back home, and as soon as he entered the courtyard, he heard a great commotion inside the house. Lin Yurou was chasing Xiao Xi around the house to give her a bath, and the little guy was dodging around the table, laughing loudly.

"Xiao Xi, go take a shower quickly."

Li Weidong shouted into the house, "I have to go out and take care of something."

Xiao Xi immediately ran over, hugged his leg, and tilted her head back, asking in a childish voice, "Brother, will you take me there?"

"not good."

Li Weidong bent down and pinched her chubby cheeks. "Be a good girl, take a bath and go to bed. I'll bring you something delicious when I get back. Tell me, what do you want to eat?"

Xiao Xi twisted her two index fingers together, her face slightly flushed, and mumbled softly, "I want to eat goose... Brother, can you buy one?"

She knew geese weren't cheap, and after saying that, she felt a little embarrassed, blinking as she looked at Li Weidong.

"A goose?"

Li Weidong laughed, "Okay, we'll have stewed goose in an iron pot tomorrow!"

"Brother, you're the best!"

Xiao Xi jumped three feet high, turned around and ran towards Lin Yurou, "Sister, I want to take a bath!"

Lin Yurou lightly flicked her forehead: "Do you know how much a goose costs?"

Xiao Xi tilted her head back and said smugly, "Brother is rich! Brother is capable and can make money! Sister, you said it yourself."

Li Weidong smiled and shook his head, then pushed his bike out the door. Lou Xiao'e had already left with two suitcases, and the courtyard became quiet.

As he passed the Intermediate People's Court, he immediately spotted Yi Zhonghai and Na Yumei sitting by the door enjoying the electric fan. The deaf old woman sat in the shadows beside them; she was too old and her body couldn't withstand the direct airflow from the fan.

"That little beast!"

The deaf old woman stared at Li Weidong's retreating figure, her few remaining teeth grinding together. This young man had just exposed her scheme in public, and the way people in the courtyard looked at her had changed; she wanted nothing more than to shoot him.

Yi Zhonghai sighed, looking dejected: "We can't beat him."

As he spoke, his eyes kept glancing towards the Jia family's house. Only three children were sitting at the door enjoying the cool air, and they didn't see Qin Huairu's plump figure, leaving them feeling empty inside.

The deaf old woman gritted her teeth and asked, "Zhonghai, what should we do about Zhuzi's matter?"

"We could have used money to bribe Xu Damao."

Yi Zhonghai frowned. "But now Xu Damao and Lou Xiao'e are together, and they're not short of money. Unless—we can break them up in the next few days."

The deaf old woman curled her lip, her face full of impatience: "Then what are we dawdling for? Just hurry up and figure out a way to break them up!"

When Li Weidong arrived at the Lou family's house by bicycle, it was almost nine o'clock. Before him stood a garden villa, impressive even at night, its lights shining brightly. This entire area was filled with these villas, inhabited by wealthy families in the past. Back then, that place was the den of rich people.

Just like the area where Li Weidong lives, it's all large courtyard houses, the kind of places where powerful and wealthy people of the Qing Dynasty used to live.

But now, looking at these villas, just like those in Nanluoguxiang, they seem to be on the verge of collapse.

Li Weidong rang the doorbell. Surprisingly, it was Lou Xiao'e herself who opened the door.

"Sister E, why are you the one who opened the door?"

Li Weidong was a little surprised.

Lou Xiao'e smiled bitterly: "What else can I do? We fired all the maids two months ago, and I don't want to live in this house anymore."

"Yes, with three people living in such a big place, it would take a dedicated person just to clean it."

Li Weidong sighed, "Your dad is quite clever; he sensed it before the wind even blew."

"But what's the point of saying all this?"

Li Weidong used his divine sense to probe and immediately detected a person crouching behind the artificial hill in the courtyard. Without a doubt, it was Lou Hongyi. His previous two sentences had probably already stunned the other man.

Lou Hongyi quickly emerged from behind the artificial hill and strode forward to greet him: "Chief Engineer Li, hello! Please come inside and have a seat."

Li Weidong glanced at him. He was tall and had a commanding presence, but his temples were already gray.

"Hello Mr. Lou, excuse me for coming in..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lou Xiao'e grabbed his arm: "You two, stop being so polite. Wei Dong, come in and have some tea. I'll brew you some Da Hong Pao."

Li Weidong was pulled into the living room by her. Inside sat a middle-aged woman, who was smiling and sizing up the three of them.

That was Lou Xiao'e's mother, Tan Yumei. Looking at her still charming appearance, Li Weidong immediately understood why He Daqing had taken a liking to her later. Firstly, Tan Yumei was a widow at that time, secondly, she had money and was not bad-looking.

While exchanging pleasantries with them, Li Weidong thought to himself: Now that I'm here, forget about those things.