Courtyard House: The Frog Boy Brings Back a Genetic Potion at the Start

"You love your children so much, don't you? You're living a wonderful life, aren't you? I'll make sure you're divorced and your family falls apart, and then we'll see if you're still smiling."

A dark storm surged within Qin Huairu's heart, and malice welled up within her.

Fortunately, these thoughts only churned in her mind. If others knew how vicious she was, no one in the compound would tolerate her, and even the Jia family would be driven out.

For several days in a row, Qin Huairu secretly kept an eye on the movements of Hao Jianguo's family.

Little did she know that everything she saw was a deliberate trap set by Hao Jianguo—just waiting for her to walk right into it.

As night fell, Qin Huairu felt that she had finally gotten a rare opportunity.

Seeing that it was dark and deserted outside, she tiptoed and quietly pushed open the door to go out.

Madam Jia was still worried, and before leaving, she pulled her aside and whispered her instructions:

"Be careful, those people from the Hao family are all shrewd, and the slightest movement will alert them."

Remember, be extremely careful.

These words can be considered a lesson she learned from many losses.

Madam Jia was not worried about Qin Huairu's safety, but rather that this mistake might alert Qin Huairu, making it even more difficult to take action in the future.

"rest assured."

Qin Huairu, however, was full of confidence and tiptoed to Hao Jianguo's door.

Unbeknownst to her, Hao Jianguo was already waiting for her inside the house.

Although Hao Jianguo was lying in bed, his senses clearly detected the sneaky figure outside the door.

A mocking smile appeared on his lips; he wanted to see how this woman would court her own doom tonight.

"Jianguo, what are you laughing at?"

Yu Li, who was beside him, noticed his expression and asked softly.

"Nothing, just remembered something interesting."

Hao Jianguo glossed over it without going into details, so as not to make Yu Liping worry unnecessarily.

At this moment, Qin Huairu had quietly pressed herself against Hao Jianguo's door.

The night was as dark as ink, and Qin Huairu stood like a ghost in front of Hao Jianguo's door, holding her breath.

She cautiously looked around, and only when she confirmed that the courtyard was deathly silent did her tense heart relax slightly.

It was getting late, she thought to herself, and the family should already be fast asleep.

If one is discreet enough, it is not impossible to quietly bring those two children out.

Just as I was about to reach out and push the door open, there was a soft rustling sound.

The sound entered my ears without warning.

The sound was dense and incessant, as if many living things were surging in from all directions.

Qin Huairu turned her head sharply, and when she saw the scene around her, her scalp tingled and a chill ran down her spine—she had been surrounded by a dark mass of poisonous spiders, scorpions, and centipedes.

The swarm of insects wriggled and overlapped, and just a glance at them sent shivers down one's spine.

In the past, she would have screamed in terror.

Having experienced so much in recent days, she managed to suppress her fear and tightly covered her mouth before she could scream.

She let out a heavy breath, looking down at the terrifying swarm of insects at her feet, her heart filled with horror.

Yes, how could she forget that the Hao family kept that strange frog?

Now that these poisonous insects have been attracted, it makes sense.

Only then did she realize that she had been far too hasty.

Hao Jianguo's residence was no ordinary place. To sneak in without proper preparation was tantamount to courting death. Recalling her laughable confidence before leaving, Qin Huairu's face flushed.

Sure enough, that old hag Jia Zhangshi remained calm and never dared to underestimate this place.

Each of these insects could easily take her life.

If we linger any longer, the odds are against us.

Run! We must escape immediately!

But these poisonous insects, acting as her guards, wouldn't let her escape so easily. She had barely moved her heel half an inch backward when a scorpion shot up, so fast that it was just a black shadow.

Qin Huairu's pupils contracted sharply, and she turned to run, but it was too late.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through her side, not intense, but with a strange, tingling sensation that instantly drained all her strength.

Her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.

A deeper despair soon overwhelmed her—a black tide of insects surged in, almost swallowing her whole.

"ah--!"

A heart-wrenching scream pierced the night.

The venomous insects showed no mercy, their sharp teeth and stingers falling again and again.

She was limp and unable to move, becoming the most docile sacrifice offered to the insect swarm.

Such a commotion would normally have woken up the entire neighborhood, but tonight the surroundings remained deathly silent, as if isolated by an invisible barrier.

There was one exception.

……

Jia Zhangshi paced back and forth in the room, her shoes scraping against the floor with a soft rustling sound.

Ever since Qin Huairu left, her heart had been pounding inexplicably, and an inexplicable, ominous premonition hung in her chest, refusing to dissipate.

"Mother, do you think Qin Huairu... might have messed things up? Will she be able to bring Hao Jianguo's two babies over smoothly?"

Jia Dongxu finally couldn't hold back and blurted out the question that had been lingering all day.

Not to mention that Madam Jia was unsure of what to do, he himself was also holding his breath and dared not swallow his anger.

The thought that he was about to do something involving secretly hugging someone else's child sent chills down his spine.

He frowned and looked at his mother by the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

Although Jia Zhangshi's previous schemes had chilled his heart, Jia Dongxu knew that in the current situation, his mother was the only person he could rely on.

What's more—if things go well, his crippled body will be fully healed, and he might even be able to stand up again… Thinking of this, Jia Dongxu's heart pounded as if it had been scorched by a flame.

Stealing children or taking lives are no big deal to him anymore.

He only hoped that Qin Huairu wouldn't be so foolish as to make a mistake at the last minute.

When Jia Zhangshi heard her son ask this question, her brows furrowed.

She pondered for a while before speaking in a hoarse voice: "Nothing will go wrong."

Qin Huairu had long since figured out what time the Hao family would turn off their lights and what time they would get up at night.

She's a complete idiot; after taking care of her for so long, she should have figured out how to do it by now."

Although her words were harsh, Jia Zhangshi herself felt as if she had a live frog inside her, making her restless and unable to sit still.

She was genuinely afraid—afraid that Qin Huairu was even worse than a pig.

Jia Dongxu didn't say anything more and went back to sleep, feeling drowsy.

His body was already severely weakened, and now he spends most of the day in a deep sleep; it's obvious to anyone with eyes that he's on his last legs.

This is precisely why Jia Zhangshi was so eager to harm the Hao family's children.

No sooner had she thought of this than a piercing scream suddenly erupted outside the window—it was Qin Huairu's voice!

The scream was as sharp as a knife, making Jia Zhangshi shudder.

"You stupid fool who's asking for trouble!"

She nearly ground her teeth to powder. "What are you yelling about in the middle of the night! Trying to wake up the whole hospital?"

She cursed inwardly, but as she listened, she realized something was wrong—the cries weren't filled with panic, but with genuine pain, each one more chilling than the last.

"Useless thing! Can't even bring a child back, and you're already crying in pain!"

While cursing, Jia Zhangshi tore off an outer garment, intending to drag this shameful daughter-in-law back before she woke up.

She had even planned to drag her inside and slap her twice across the face first.

But as soon as she stepped across the threshold, Jia Zhangshi froze—

Under the dim moonlight, Qin Huairu was rolling around on the muddy ground, like an animal stuck in a quagmire, flailing her arms and legs wildly and gasping for breath.

Old Mrs. Jia's eyesight was failing, and she couldn't see clearly at night. She assumed her daughter-in-law was being foolish again, and scolded in a low voice, "Aren't you coming over here! What are you doing lying there like that!"

Seeing that Qin Huairu still didn't move, her anger flared up and she rushed over to grab her.

But as soon as she got closer, Madam Jia saw it clearly—

Qin Huairu was surrounded by something dark and rustling, which looked like ink spilled on the ground suddenly coming to life in the night.

Her mind went blank.

The ground turned white, and only then did they understand why Qin Huairu had screamed.

escape!

Jia Zhangshi turned to run, but before she could even take a step, the "black tide"...

They had already swarmed to her feet—they were swarms of poisonous insects and rodents, crawling up her trouser legs like a tide, their sharp teeth and claws instantly piercing her flesh.

Jia Zhangshi's wailing continued for a moment in the night before she and Qin Huairu collapsed to the ground one after the other.

They tried desperately to crawl away from this terrifying place, but their limbs felt heavy and numb as if filled with lead, and they couldn't muster any strength at all.

In the end, they couldn't even speak anymore—the poisonous insects were practically blocking their mouths and noses with their bites, and now their lips were swollen like several pieces of dark red sausage hanging from them.

Not long after, the courtyard fell silent.

A deathly silence returned to the surroundings.

But the two unconscious women did not receive the swarm's forgiveness. Even after they lost consciousness, the tiny, ferocious creatures continued to bite and gnaw for a long time before quietly retreating into the shadows.

Hao Jianguo, who was inside the house, heard everything that was happening outside. A cold, mocking smile appeared on his lips.

He didn't care at all why Jia Zhangshi wanted to steal the baby; he only knew that their fate tonight was entirely their own fault.

"There's bound to be some excitement tomorrow."

He muttered to himself.

……

The next morning, a piercing scream, like a poisoned knife, suddenly shattered the usual tranquility of the courtyard.

When Hao Jianguo opened his eyes, he already knew in his heart that the tragic situation of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had been discovered.

Jia Dongxu was the first to witness this scene.

He woke up very early, fully expecting that as soon as he opened his eyes he would see his mother and wife bringing back the "medicinal ingredient," and that he would be able to get rid of his illness.

The house was empty; there wasn't a soul in sight.

For a moment, he even suspected that he had been abandoned, but then he thought: if they really wanted to abandon him, why would they risk doing such a thing?

He limped weakly to the door and saw a sight that made his blood freeze—Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu lay slumped in the courtyard, their bodies swollen and bluish, especially their lips, which were swollen like strangely thick sausages.

Jia Dongxu was terrified; his out-of-control screams pierced the morning mist.

"Jia Dongxu! What are you yelling about so early in the morning? Did someone in your family die?"

Liu Guangfu rubbed his sleepy eyes and pushed the door open impatiently.

He was already seething with anger, and everyone in the yard was giving him the cold shoulder. He had just wanted to catch up on some sleep in the morning, but this scream ruined his dream.

"Your Jia family is never quiet; you've only been peaceful for a few days before causing trouble again?"

Yan Jiecheng also came out, wrapped in a coat, his tone full of annoyance.

Other residents were gradually alerted and gathered in the courtyard, complaining.

But when their gaze fell upon the two horrific bodies, all the cursing stopped abruptly.

After a brief silence, gasps and screams of terror rose and fell.

Many people instinctively took several steps back, not daring to approach.

"This...it's really not breathing?"

Liu Guangfu gasped in shock. Had his casual curse actually come true?

"What's wrong with them? We didn't hear a thing last night."

Yan Jiecheng asked in a daze, his words expressing the confusion in everyone's hearts.

The crowd looked at each other, their faces filled with shock, doubt, and bewilderment as they stared at the two wretched bodies on the ground.

Hao Jianguo stood side by side with Yu Li under the porch, their eyes fixed on the eye-catching farce unfolding in the courtyard.

"In my opinion,"

Some people scoffed and said, "These two just happened to be lying outside Hao Jianguo's house; they're probably plotting some shady business."

Who would have thought that instead of getting things done, he would end up in this sorry state.

Xu Damao emerged from the crowd, looking on with amusement at the spectacle.

Such a lively scene was rare in the courtyard, so he naturally didn't want to miss it.

Hao Jianguo secretly acknowledged that among all the people in the courtyard, only Xu Damao was a sensible person.

"Nonsense, utter nonsense!"

Upon hearing those words, Jia Dongxu became agitated, his face flushed red as he glared at Xu Damao and the others, his eyes filled with resentment.

Xu Damao is an undisguised scoundrel, and now that he is determined to befriend Hao Jianguo, he will naturally not show any mercy to Jia Dongxu.

Seeing the other person's expression only fueled his enthusiasm.

"Hey, Jia Dongxu, what's the rush?"

Xu Damao raised his voice, "Could it be that we were right? Otherwise, tell me, why are those two lying here?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu was speechless, and a hint of guilt flickered in his eyes.

At first, the onlookers didn't think much of it, assuming that Xu Damao was deliberately stirring up trouble again, and that anyone with eyes could see his intentions.

However, Jia Dongxu's hesitant response made everyone's expressions subtle.

Based on their understanding of Jia Dongxu, if there were really nothing wrong, he would have already jumped up and down cursing. According to his past behavior, he would probably have cursed Xu Damao's ancestors for three generations.