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

The group fell silent at the same time. Sha Zhu was the first to get up and strode to the door, pulling it open. They thought it was just another opportunist trying to curry favor, but they didn't expect Zhao Hai to be standing outside the door.

Everyone hurriedly greeted him respectfully, but Zhao Hai only raised his hand in a faint gesture, his gaze fixed directly on the deaf old woman in the inner room.

He walked up to the old lady and greeted her respectfully:

"grandmother."

This call warmed the deaf old woman's heart and made her feel especially radiant.

She smiled and took Zhao Hai's hand:

"Good child, is there something you need from your grandmother?"

Upon hearing this, the old lady's face broke into a relieved smile.

How could she not be happy with her grandson's thoughtfulness and consideration?

"My grandson came to visit because he misses his grandmother."

Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Grandmother, please don't think your grandson is bothering you."

Judging from the old lady's expression, he naturally understood that she had no intention of being annoyed.

Although Zhao Hai had many flaws, he was extremely filial to his grandmother—but this filial piety was always mixed with a bit of blind obedience and ignorance.

The old lady patted his shoulder with a smile: "Silly child, your grandmother is overjoyed."

"You've come at the right time; we were just talking about you."

At this point, she glanced lightly at Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu beside her.

The meaning couldn't be clearer: this was a perfect opportunity for the two men to curry favor with her precious grandson.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, being quick-witted, immediately put on smiles and stepped forward to surround Zhao Hai.

"you do not say,"

Yi Zhonghai quickly gave a thumbs up, saying, "We were just saying that the old lady is very fortunate to have such outstanding grandchildren. It's truly a great blessing."

"Leader Zhao, you may not know this,"

He grinned from ear to ear, "Who in the neighborhood doesn't envy the old lady for having someone like you to uphold the family tradition?"

That eager manner was almost like wagging its tail to curry favor.

Fortunately, there was no one else in the courtyard at the moment. If they had seen Yi Zhonghai, who always maintained a haughty demeanor, showing such an attitude, they would have been speechless with astonishment.

Even when he was out of power, he had never been so obsequious to Hao Jianguo.

Upon closer examination, it's not hard to understand: Hao Jianguo's meager influence couldn't compare to Zhao Hai's. Yi Zhonghai was inherently opportunistic, so when faced with real power, he naturally knelt down quickly and readily.

If Zhao Hai needed it right now, he would probably be willing to even massage his feet and back.

However, Zhao Hai's purpose in coming was to maintain the relationship between grandfather and grandson, not to be waited on, so he did not reveal this intention.

Not to be outdone, Sha Zhu squeezed in front and repeatedly clasped his hands in greeting, his face crinkling into deep wrinkles with laughter.

"I had heard the old lady mention her capable grandson before, and seeing him today, I can confirm that he truly lives up to his reputation! Compared to you, I am nothing but an ant in the soil."

"You have incredible abilities; you could get me out of jail with just a word—you're my savior, Sha Zhu!"

Given Zhao Hai's status, he was used to flattery.

He didn't really take Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu's flattery to heart.

But kind words are always pleasing to the ear, especially when spoken in front of his grandmother, which makes Zhao Hai feel even more proud.

He had only recently been reunited with his family and needed to let the old lady know his capabilities.

Seeing Zhao Hai's smile, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu exchanged a glance, secretly pleased.

This look clearly shows that she is enjoying their flattery—finally, there's a way to climb up to this powerful backer in the future.

The two then said a lot of flattering things, and the deaf old lady watched from the side with a big smile on her face.

If anyone else had acted like that in front of Zhao Hai, the old lady would most likely have looked down on them, given her temperament.

But these two were different—in her eyes, Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai's actions showed they were polite and knew how to handle things, which made this old lady proud.

After all, with her grandson being so successful, she, as an elder, naturally felt proud.

They certainly understood what the old lady meant.

"That's right, letting him die directly would be too lenient."

Sha Zhu was the first to react, and he replied viciously, "We have to torture him slowly, make him suffer as much as he can before he dies."

He Yushui, who had been wearing a gloomy face, suddenly brightened up when she heard this.

A thought suddenly popped into her head—this might be the best way to save Qin Huairu.

Since Yi Zhonghai and his group were determined to get rid of Hao Jianguo, once Hao Jianguo fell from power, she would pin the blame for Qin Huairu's actions against Jia Dongxu on Hao Jianguo, claiming that Qin Huairu was acting under his orders.

In this way, Qin Huairu is at most an accomplice, not the mastermind. In He Yushui's opinion, at least she won't have to go to jail.

Just thinking about this made He Yushui feel a sense of lightness in her heart, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.

When He Daqing and the others saw her suddenly become happy, they were all a little confused and exchanged glances.

However, they didn't ask any more questions—as long as their daughter didn't get stuck on something, they were relieved.

"But that kid is meticulous in his work, so it will probably take some effort to deal with him."

Yi Zhonghai sighed and said.

They had tried to scheme against Hao Jianguo before, but he had always managed to defuse the situation easily.

Even trying to outsmart him with technical skills at the factory didn't work—Hao Jianguo's craftsmanship was simply too solid.

Therefore, Yi Zhonghai felt that he had to come up with a safe way this time, otherwise it would be another waste of time and he would only become a laughing stock.

He Daqing laughed when he heard this, and said dismissively, "Old Yi, you've been bitten by a snake, and now you're afraid of even straw ropes."

We've all overcomplicated things; the past has been complicated by too many twists and turns.

"If you ask me, dealing with Hao Jianguo is actually quite simple."

"Now that we have Leader Zhao backing us up, all we need is a pretext, and with Leader Zhao's nod, we can bring him down anytime."

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai and the others were taken aback for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant.

"Yes, yes."

Yi Zhonghai slapped his forehead and said with a wry smile, "I was really confused by Hao Jianguo's previous tricks. I forgot that we now have the old lady's grandson as our backer."

With him around, how could we not bring down Hao Jianguo?

His thoughts suddenly became clear, and he said, "Actually, Hao Jianguo isn't clean either."

Think about it, why did he get promoted so quickly? Couldn't we find something to work out here?

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu slapped his thigh and burst out laughing.

"Hao Jianguo has only been in the factory for a short time, yet he can simultaneously serve as both workshop director and security director? If you say there's nothing fishy about this, I, Sha Zhu, am the first to disbelieve it! In my opinion, he must have bribed the higher-ups and gotten into some shady dealings with those people in the factory."

Sha Zhu was overjoyed. For him, nothing was more satisfying than bringing down Hao Jianguo.

But He Daqing frowned slightly and said, "But Uncle Yi, didn't you mention before that Hao Jianguo's skills are quite remarkable? He even showed off his skills in front of all the workers in the factory before."

If we pursue this matter against him, there's no guarantee that many people in the factory won't come forward to testify on his behalf.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand dismissively and laughed, "What's so hard to figure out? Hao Jianguo's so-called superb skills are just a show for everyone to see—he colluded with certain leaders to deceive everyone."

Otherwise, think about it, how could someone so young really have such amazing skills? Even I wouldn't dare say I could beat an eighth-grade fitter. Did he start learning his trade from birth?

Upon hearing this, smiles returned to He Daqing and the others.

In He Daqing's opinion, Yi Zhonghai's words were enough to bring Hao Jianguo down from his high position.

Sha Zhu nodded repeatedly, eagerly adding, "That's right! That bastard Hao Jianguo must have secretly bribed the leaders... That good-for-nothing dog only knows how to play dirty tricks behind people's backs, and he even made me suffer in the factory! We absolutely have to ask Leader Zhao to uphold justice in this matter!"

As he spoke, Sha Zhu became more and more enthusiastic in his cursing, his indignant appearance suggesting that he himself had come to believe his own story.

Just as they were getting excited, there was a knock on the deaf old lady's door.

The people inside were all stunned. Sha Zhu quickly stepped forward and opened the door—he had originally thought that it was one of the opportunistic neighbors in the courtyard who had come to curry favor, but who knew that Zhao Hai was standing outside the door.

Everyone hurriedly greeted him respectfully, but Zhao Hai simply waved his hand casually, his gaze fixed on the deaf old woman sitting in the chair, where he respectfully called out, "Grandma."

This attitude pleased the deaf old woman greatly, and it naturally made her radiant.

She smiled, her wrinkles smoothing out, and asked gently, "My dear grandson, what brings you to see your grandma today?"

Zhao Hai replied with a smile, "I just missed you, so I came to see you."

Grandma, please don't find me annoying.

He could naturally see that the old lady was overjoyed, so how could she find it annoying?

Although Zhao Hai has many shortcomings, his filial piety towards the deaf old woman is genuine—even if it contains some elements of blind obedience.

The deaf old woman reached out and gently patted his arm, saying, "Silly child, what are you talking about, I'm so happy you came."

Actually, we were just talking about you...

As she spoke, she glanced briefly at Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu.

The two immediately understood that the old lady was telling them to take the opportunity to say good things about Zhao Hai.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu immediately put on big smiles and warmly surrounded Zhao Hai on either side.

Indeed, we were just talking with the old lady, and everyone said she was incredibly blessed to have such an outstanding grandson; it's truly a rare fortune in life.

Yi Zhonghai immediately responded with a smile, his tone full of admiration.

"Leader Zhao may not know, but who in our compound doesn't envy the old lady for having such a person in their family?"

Yi Zhonghai's smile was genuine, and his demeanor exuded enthusiasm.

Fortunately, no neighbors from the neighboring courtyard were present at the moment. If they had seen Yi Zhonghai's current state, they would have been greatly surprised—when had that old man, who used to be aloof and dignified, ever been so attentive and considerate?

Even after losing power in the court, Yi Zhonghai had never shown such an attitude towards Hao Jianguo.

Upon closer examination, it's not hard to understand.

Hao Jianguo was ultimately no more powerful or influential than Zhao Hai.

Yi Zhonghai was always one to treat people differently based on their status. When he met a truly important person, his back naturally went down, and he went down completely.

For example, right now, if Zhao Hai really needed it, Yi Zhonghai would probably be more than happy to give him a shoulder massage or leg rub.

Of course, Zhao Hai had no such intention. He came to visit today to be close to the deaf old lady, not to enjoy these things.

Not to be outdone, Sha Zhu quickly stepped forward, grinned, and gave Zhao Hai a thumbs-up, his eyes crinkling into wrinkles from smiling.

"I had heard the old lady mention that she had a grandson like you before, and seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed extraordinary."

Compared to you, I am nothing more than an ant on the ground.

"Incredible! You have extraordinary abilities. You were able to get me out of there with just a word. You are my savior, Sha Zhu."

To be honest, given Zhao Hai's status, he had already heard far too many flattering words.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu's words didn't really hold much weight in his mind.

But it was still useful in the end.

After all, everyone loves to hear nice words, especially when these compliments are given in front of his grandmother—which makes Zhao Hai even more comfortable.

In his view, the two men's current behavior was actually giving him face in front of the old lady.

He had only recently reunited with his grandmother, so naturally he wanted the old lady to know about his abilities.

Seeing Zhao Hai smile, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu felt reassured and even more motivated, assuming that Zhao Hai was quite satisfied with their performance.

The two men then showered the old woman with flattery, while the deaf old woman watched quietly with a squinted smile.

If it were anyone else who acted so subserviently in front of Zhao Hai, the deaf old lady would most likely look down on them.

But when it came to Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai, it was a completely different story.

The old lady felt that the two of them were very sensible in their actions, which made her proud.

As a grandmother, she naturally felt proud that her grandson was so capable.

When Sha Zhu and the others praised Zhao Hai, the deaf old lady would unconsciously straighten her back and raise her head.

The way she looked made it seem as if those kind words weren't directed at Zhao Hai, but at her personally.

As they were talking, the old lady slowly raised her hand and gently waved to Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai.

The two then stopped talking, but their expressions still held a hint of unfinished business, as if they hadn't praised enough or expressed their feelings fully.

However, they also understood that the old lady had her reasons for interrupting them.

In the hearts of these two men, the old lady held a position comparable to that of the Empress Dowager. Even a burp from the old lady would be considered a delicacy by them.

As for Zhao Hai, he immediately straightened his expression and looked at the old lady with a solemn expression.