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

Banggeng panicked immediately—this table was clearly a meal that Aunt Yushui had treated him to, so why was this person starting to eat? He immediately grabbed his bowl and chopsticks, buried his head in his food, and stuffed his cheeks until they were bulging, afraid that if he ate too slowly, it would all be snatched away.

Little did he know that his gluttonous and possessive behavior only made the coal mine owner feel more at ease: he really was just a silly little fool who only cared about food.

After the meal, the coal mine owner stuffed a wad of banknotes into He Yushui's hand.

Once the money is in his hands, Bang Geng's life is essentially sold to this company.

He Yushui clutched the thick stack of banknotes, her mouth practically stretched to her ears in a wide grin—she had never seen so much money in her entire life.

At that moment, Bang Geng's eyes suddenly lit up. Although he had been very displeased with the middle-aged man, his eyes were still fixed on the stack of banknotes the instant he saw them.

He never expected that this unassuming man would be so wealthy.

Although he didn't understand why the other party was giving He Yushui so much money, Bang Geng was already quickly calculating in his mind: if he could win this person's favor, could he also make a fortune?

Thinking this, a simple, honest smile unconsciously spread across his face as he grinned at the middle-aged man.

"Bang Geng, you can eat here slowly. I've already paid the bill. I'm going out to run some errands."

He Yushui left those words and turned to walk away.

For her, now that the coal gang had been sold, the deal was done, and how to deal with it afterward was entirely up to the coal boss.

Bang Geng only glanced at her back and didn't intend to pay any attention to her.

In his mind, whether He Yushui left or not was irrelevant, as long as the meal bill was paid.

He even thought it was better that she left, so he would have more opportunities to get closer to that rich fat man.

However, neither Bang Geng nor He Yushui noticed that from the moment He Yushui got up, the coal boss's expression gradually became dazed.

Even the middle-aged man himself was now in a state of confusion.

If Hao Jianguo were here, he would immediately see the reason for this change: it was all because that "human trafficking talisman" was quietly taking effect.

At this moment, the coal mine owner could hardly distinguish who was Banggeng and who was He Yushui.

His mind was a complete mess, especially when his gaze followed He Yushui, his eyes were fixed on her.

Bang Geng continued to flatter him from the side, but the coal boss seemed not to hear him at all, his eyes fixed on He Yushui's receding figure.

For a fleeting moment, a strange thought even popped into Bang Geng's mind: Could it be that He Yushui and this coal boss have some shady dealings going on in private?

Just like Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu!

Thinking of this, Banggeng couldn't help but secretly spit out his own saliva.

In his eyes, it's true that like attracts like. Even his mother's bad behavior and association with Sha Zhu were probably due to He Yushui's influence.

He Yushui was completely unaware of all this.

She was happily calculating in her mind, thinking that this deal was really worthwhile: it solved a problem for the compound and made her a lot of money at the same time.

She had even secretly kept 300 yuan for herself, planning to split the remaining 700 yuan with Sha Zhu and the others.

This trip was truly profitable.

He Yushui was feeling smug when, before she even stepped out of the restaurant, a shout suddenly rang out behind her:

"Halt! Send a few men to bring that girl back to me!"

He Yushui trembled and hurriedly turned to look at the coal boss, unable to understand why he had suddenly attacked her.

Not to mention He Yushui, even the henchmen brought by the coal mine owner were stunned.

They heard clearly that the boss had clearly agreed to tie up the stick, so how come the person was changed in the blink of an eye?

"Boss, are you... mistaken?"

One of his men approached cautiously, intending to offer a reminder.

Before he could finish speaking, the coal mine owner glared at him fiercely.

"I told you to do it, so do it. Stop with the nonsense. Who's the boss here, you or me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the subordinate who had spoken earlier fell silent and dared not say another word.

He muttered to himself, then suddenly realized—

He Yushui is indeed very beautiful. It's possible that my husband has some designs on her and wants to get rid of her like before.

In the past, they would at least try to cover it up, but now they're openly robbing people in restaurants.

But since they rely on others for their livelihood, they naturally have to obey their orders.

The group exchanged glances and immediately surrounded He Yushui, trapping her in the middle.

"Boss Wang... what are you doing?"

He Yushui frowned, her gaze towards Boss Wang filled with incomprehension and surprise.

She was, after all, a woman, and when she was surrounded by this group of burly men, her heart began to race, her chest pounding wildly, fearing that she was going to suffer today.

Only then did she belatedly realize that she had practically walked into a wolf's den.

The leader of the henchmen sneered, looking at her as if she were a joke.

"You delivered yourself to our doorstep, and you think you can just leave?"

He Yushui's heart sank, and she immediately understood.

She opened her mouth to shout, but someone covered her mouth, and no matter how she twisted and turned, she couldn't make a sound.

Outsiders only see the crowd, but can't see what's going on inside.

He Yushui struggled desperately, her heart filled with sorrow.

Only then did she regret it—

Originally, the task of trafficking sticks should have been handled by Sha Zhu, but she thought there was money to be made in it, so she took it on herself.

Who would have thought that although he has the money in his hands, he is the one who has to lose it all?

If she had known this would happen, she would never have stepped into this place.

Looking at the group of men in front of her, and recalling Boss Wang's greedy face, He Yushui felt a chill run down her spine.

She knew that once they took her away, her future would be bleak.

But struggling was futile.

She was dragged into a narrow alley, and lost consciousness after a sharp pain in the back of her neck.

The men quickly stuffed her into a sack, hoisted her up, and hurried away.

Although this matter was related to Banggeng, he was kept in the dark from beginning to end and had no idea that He Yushui had been robbed.

He was still sitting at the table, wondering: Why did that middle-aged man leave as soon as He Yushui left? Could it be that, as he suspected, the two of them were having some shady dealings?

Bang Geng curled his lips, thinking to himself that He Yushui and her mother Qin Huairu were cut from the same cloth, neither of them were decent people.

However, he couldn't be bothered to figure out what they were really like.

For him, being able to have a full meal is the greatest satisfaction.

"That feels so good!"

Banggeng patted its slightly bulging belly and let out a contented sigh.

This is the first time he has ever eaten so much since he was born.

Bang Geng had no idea what He Yushui's plans were.

It's too simplistic to think that a single meal can make him forgive and forget.

He secretly thought that he should get a few more good meals before considering whether to forgive the two.

That meal just now introduced Banggeng to quite a few novel dishes.

As he walked, he pondered. Now that he had leverage over He Yushui and that middle-aged man, why not take advantage of it to gain more benefits? Wouldn't it be wonderful if he could extract benefits from He Yushui's pocket for a long time? This thought reminded him of the old days when Qin Huairu made a living off Sha Zhu, and he became even more smug.

Bang Geng walked briskly toward the compound, completely unaware that his scheme had already failed—whether he would ever see He Yushui again was probably beyond his control.

***

Inside the courtyard house, Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu were chatting and laughing inside.

The two stood very close, their intimate posture resembling that of a real married couple.

Although He Yushui took away Qin Huairu's own son, she couldn't find a trace of guilt on her face. Instead, she couldn't hide her smile—she couldn't stop smiling as she thought about the several hundred yuan she was about to get.

"Huai Ru, once Bang Geng is sent to the coal mine, things will be much easier between us."

Sha Zhu held her close and whispered in her ear, his warm breath making Qin Huairu's heart itch.

She leaned against Sha Zhu's shoulder.

As a mother, pushing her own flesh and blood into the grave is indeed ruthless, but Qin Huairu no longer sees the responsibility of pushing the child into the grave as her own.

Now, all she wants is to break free from the shackles of the Jia family.

As for what will become of his son, we'll just have to wait and see.

She raised her eyes and gazed at Sha Zhu with tender affection.

She used that look with practiced ease, always managing to ignite a fire in Silly Zhu's heart. "You're so good to me, Silly Zhu."

She said softly, then frowned, "But Hao Jianguo interfered before, and now he's targeting Jia Dongxu too... Won't that arouse suspicion?"

Sha Zhu grinned, a sly glint in his eyes: "As long as we find a good excuse and gather enough witnesses, it'll just be a show of force on the surface."

Everyone's watching from this courtyard; who can guess our true intentions? Even if I don't kill him, I have plenty of ways to make him suffer—don't you know my methods of dealing with people?

Hearing his assurance, Qin Huairu finally relaxed and nestled into his arms with peace of mind.

The two lingered inside for a long time before finally pushing the door open one after the other and coming out.

Xu Damao and a few others were gathered in the courtyard. Upon seeing this, they glanced at the scene with disdain, pointing and whispering.

But Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu pretended not to see them and walked over on their own.

"Look at him, his shamelessness is unmatched."

Someone chuckled in a low voice.

Yan Jiecheng, with his hands behind his back, imitated his father's expression and muttered something under his breath.

"Now the two of them are completely open about it."

It's truly a tragic situation for Jia Dongxu. Not only is he paralyzed, but his wife is also openly flirting with another man right in front of him.

Liu Guangfu shook his head after hearing this.

Xu Damao, however, looked completely unconvinced and scoffed with a sneer.

"Come on, if you ask me, this is something the Jia family brought upon themselves."

They went too far in the past; now we'll just watch the show and have some fun.

As the group was whispering among themselves, a figure suddenly appeared outside the courtyard gate—Bang Geng had returned.

Upon seeing Qin Huairu and Shazhu cuddling by the door, Banggeng's previously cheerful mood, which had been filled with satisfaction, vanished instantly, and his eyes almost blazed with fury.

He swore a foul language.

Hearing the noise, Qin Huairu and Shazhu turned their heads and noticed Banggeng walking into the yard. The two of them froze at the same time, looked at each other, and saw surprise on each other's faces. According to their expectations, Banggeng should have been taken away by He Yushui at this time. Why did he come back to the yard?

Bang Geng was full and didn't want the two of them to ruin his mood. He just glared at them and turned to walk into the house.

He decided to let it go for now and settle the score later.

Judging from the current intimacy between Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu, they need to provide meals for at least another month to vent their anger.

"Wait, Banggeng, didn't you go out with Yushui?"

Qin Huairu quickly stepped forward to stop him.

Bang Geng only gave him a fierce look, too lazy to reply, and continued walking into the house.

Qin Huairu, left standing there awkwardly, was quick-witted, but she immediately raised her voice and called out:

"Hey Banggeng, have you forgotten how good Rainwater treated you to a nice meal? If you want a next time, you'd better explain yourself properly this time."

It has to be said that the mother understands her son best.

Qin Huairu knew Banggeng's nature all too well—he couldn't move his legs when he saw food.

Looking at his greasy face and the soda he was holding, she concluded that He Yushui had indeed spent money to treat him to a nice meal.

As for what went wrong in the middle, and why He Yushui didn't come back, we can only find out by asking Banggeng.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Banggeng stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes, and reluctantly spoke with a frown:

"Where she goes is none of my business. I'm not even that close to her."

"She did treat me to dinner, but later a middle-aged man gave her some money, and she went with him."

How would I know where she went after that? If you ask me, she probably went off with that guy.

"People like you will do anything for money, right?"

When he finished speaking, Bang Geng's tone was full of malice, and his small eyes swept across Qin Huairu's face like knives, filled with disgust.

Right now, neither Qin Huairu nor Sha Zhu had the mind to care about Bang Geng's expression.

Both of them were still thinking about what Bang Geng had just said—He Yushui had taken the middle-aged man's money and then disappeared.

For a fleeting moment, a thought simultaneously flashed into the minds of Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu: Could it be that this girl ran away with the money?

But the thought was quickly suppressed.

Based on their understanding of He Yushui, especially in Qin Huairu's eyes, that muddle-headed little girl would never do such a thing.

What's even more suspicious is that Bang Geng actually came back on his own.

The rule has always been that money and goods must be exchanged in full. Since the boss had given the money to He Yushui, why wouldn't he take her away?