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

When Hao Jianguo returned to the courtyard with the heavy bucket of fish, the neighbors who had gathered for the weekend all turned their attention to him.

Upon seeing the bucket teeming with lively, wriggling fish, everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

The second uncle, who was originally lying in the chair sunbathing, suddenly...

He straightened up.

"This kid actually caught so much? Old Yan is quite the expert fisherman in the yard, but I've never seen him bring back such a haul..."

He stared at the fish bucket and swallowed hard. "If I could get one, I could have an extra meal tonight."

Despite his intense craving, his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he didn't move.

For the past few days, Hao Jianguo's house had been filled with the aroma of meat, but everyone could only smell it. The visual impact was far less direct than seeing this bucket of live fish with their own eyes.

Who wouldn't feel a little itchy after seeing that?

"It's all the Jia family's fault!"

After the commotion of the past few days, many people in the courtyard had long harbored resentment towards the Jia family, and this bucket of fish only stirred up that resentment.

Everyone was filled with regret: if it weren't for the Jia family's meddling, they wouldn't have fallen out with Hao Jianguo. Now, they wouldn't even be able to get a free meal or a car, let alone a fish scale.

The more I think about it, the more stifled I feel.

"Grandma, so many fish!"

When Hao Jianguo entered the hospital, a pair of cunning eyes had already been fixed on him.

Banggeng swallowed hard, turned around and rushed to Jia Zhangshi, pointing and shouting, "Grandma, I want to eat fish! I want to drink fish soup!"

Jia Zhangshi had already spotted the bucket in Hao Jianguo's hand. At this moment, her dim old eyes were wide open, almost glued to the silvery fish shadows.

As Hao Jianguo entered the yard carrying his heavy catch of fish, Aunt Jia blocked his way with a sullen face.

She had just had her pay docked that morning and was still fuming. Seeing the lively fish in the bucket, a wave of resentment surged through her.

Why is she so unlucky while this guy is living such a comfortable life? God is so unfair!

"stop!"

Aunt Jia, with her sharp voice, immediately demanded, "Hao Jianguo, tell me honestly, where did all these fish come from?"

She glanced at the fishing rod, completely disbelieving. "Could it be some kind of shady dealing, some kind of speculative trading?"

The courtyard was already quiet, but this shout drew many people out.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu were among them; the two had suffered a setback yesterday and were worried about how to make amends.

Yi Zhonghai, in particular, felt his reputation had been damaged and was eager to find fault with Hao Jianguo.

Liu Haizhong, however, stepped forward, put his hands behind his back, adopted an air of authority, and spoke in a very official tone: "Comrade Hao Jianguo, the matter must be made clear."

If there is indeed speculative activity, the problem could be very serious.

Hao Jianguo raised the fishing rod in his hand and said casually, "I caught it in the river."

"Fished?"

Yi Zhonghai interjected slowly, his mind sharp and his memory clear: "You left home around 7:00, so including the round trip, you didn't even fish for an hour."

"You managed to catch such a big bucketful in such a short time?"

His words sound fair, but in reality, he's set a trap, waiting for someone to jump in.

Aunt Jia immediately perked up, chiming in shrill voice, "Exactly! Nobody believes you! If you can't explain it, we'll go to the neighborhood committee and argue with them!"

She was secretly delighted, finally able to avenge yesterday's humiliation.

Hao Jianguo, too lazy to argue, heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see Yan Bugui. "Don't believe me? Go ask Uncle San."

He finished speaking, picked up the bucket, and went straight back into the house.

The crowd immediately surrounded Yan Bugui.

After figuring out what had happened, Yan Bugui shook his head with a wry smile: "It really was a trap."

Many people on the riverbank saw it and can testify to it.

These words were like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the small flames that had just begun to ignite in many people's hearts.

Those who had been planning to take advantage of the situation were now speechless.

"Dad, that person's work in less than an hour is equivalent to your work in a month!"

The Yan family lad was outspoken, and his words left Yan Bugui speechless and embarrassed.

"Look at that weight, at least twenty or thirty pounds, right? If you were to exchange it for money... tsk tsk."

"Sigh, if we had gotten along better on weekdays, maybe we could have shared a fish."

"There's so much food, how can he possibly finish it all by himself?"

Amid the discussions, envy and frustration were intertwined.

Some people wanted to take a few more glances and feast their eyes, but the door was already tightly closed.

Inside the Jia family's house, Qin Huairu leaned against the door, listening intently to every sound outside.

Her mouth was dry, and a sense of regret crept into her heart like vines.

The image of a fish darted around in her mind, disturbing her peace of mind.

All day long, the people in the courtyard kept talking about Hao Jianguo catching fish, their tone revealing an undisguised sourness.

As the sun set, the torment became increasingly unbearable.

Hao Jianguo made braised fish for dinner.

That captivating aroma wafted out in wisps, permeating the dining tables of every household.

Looking at the bland vegetables or coarse bread in their bowls, and smelling the lingering aroma in the air, the people in the courtyard felt that life was simply unbearable.

Yan Bugui "slap"

He slammed down his chopsticks, feeling a tightness in his chest.

"Where did that kid get such fishing skills? I have to find a chance to learn a few tricks from him."

He may have thought about it, but he knew perfectly well what was going on in his mind.

To learn a skill, you must first strike up a conversation.

But given Hao Jianguo's current situation in the hospital... how do I get close to him?

It's as difficult as climbing to heaven.

Inside the Jia family's house.

"Mom! Grandma! I want to eat fish! I can't swallow this lousy cornbread!"

The stun gun started kicking and thrashing about.

Qin Huairu was already in a bad mood, and when she heard her son shouting like that, her brows furrowed into knots.

She suppressed the surging agitation in her chest and softened her voice:

"Sweetie, eat your food first, and Mom will definitely..."

Before he could finish speaking, Banggeng interrupted him loudly:

"Chinese New Year? That'll be ages before the monkey and the horse arrives! I want to eat now!"

Annoyed by the noise, Jia Dongxu, who was on the bed, started cursing.

Jia Zhangshi took a few deep breaths of the lingering fishy aroma in the air. Although she didn't say anything, her cloudy eyes darted around as she quietly began to consider other ideas.

The next morning, no sooner had Hao Jianguo left the hospital to go to work than Jia Zhangshi became active again.

She pulled the stick to the corner of the wall and lowered her voice:

"My dear grandson, weren't you craving fish yesterday? Grandma has a way to make it for you."

Upon hearing this, Banggeng's eyes lit up, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

He was about to shout when Jia Zhangshi covered his mouth.

"Did you see that? That black-hearted Hao Jianguo caught a whole bucketful yesterday. How could he possibly eat it all? He didn't even share any with the neighbors."

She urged them on, speaking with such conviction, as if they were merely retrieving their own belongings.

Banggeng's little face lit up with excitement.

Stealing? He didn't think so.

In his mind, that was called "taking".

Look at Sha Zhu, he's always so happy when something gets taken from him, isn't he?

Without hesitation, Banggeng slipped out of the house, his familiar and practiced manner suggesting he had undergone specialized training.

"Hmph, Hao Jianguo, you've been bullying my grandma these past few days, while you've been enjoying a life of luxury behind closed doors. It's my fault for coming after you!"

The child's mind has already been led astray.

Thinking of this, he became furious and kicked Hao Jianguo's door.

The door slammed shut.

It crashed open with a loud bang.

Upon entering the room, one immediately notices the shadows of fish swimming in the water tank.

Kebang Geng wasn't in a hurry to make a move.

He first ransacked the house, knocking over tables and chairs and overturning beds. Seeing the mess, he clapped his hands with satisfaction, walked to the water tank, aimed at the fattest one, and scooped it up.

I had originally considered smashing the vat as well, but then I thought: if the vat is broken, there'll be nowhere to "take" it later.

Fish.

They reluctantly gave up.

He swaggered around without any attempt to conceal himself.

Aunt Er saw all of this.

She quickly found Liu Haizhong, who was resting at home, and pulled him up from the recliner.

"Old man, this is outrageous! Those Jia family scoundrels are absolutely lawless!"

Then, he hurriedly recounted everything he had just seen.

"That guy is absolutely lawless. It's one thing for him to be dishonest in the first place, but now he dares to break into Hao Jianguo's house and smash things. What's the difference between that and outright robbery?"

Second Master Er always put on airs, but upon hearing this, his desire for officialdom kicked in, and he slammed his hand on the table in anger.

"What kind of scum has the Jia family raised! No wonder Jia Dongxu is paralyzed in bed—no, I have to go check on him, after all, I'm the second eldest master in the courtyard!"

As Liu Haizhong spoke, he got up and walked out.

……

Bang Geng had no idea that his actions were known to Uncle Er.

After catching the fish, he was satisfied and planned to slip away.

To my surprise, when I turned around, I saw a strange-looking "toad" squatting not far away.

The thing stared at him with bulging eyes, and Banggeng felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

"What are you looking at! I'll stomp you to death if you glare at me again!"

He cursed under his breath and raised his foot to stomp down.

The little poisonous frog got angry too.

This kid not only steals things, but also dares to cause trouble and vandalism here?

Now you actually want to step on it?

That's completely the opposite!

Poison Frog "Gua"

With a shout, it suddenly leaped upwards—

It landed squarely in the crotch of the stick.

Immediately afterwards, a piercing scream echoed throughout the courtyard.

It turned out that the little thing had bitten right into a vital spot...

"Grandma! Help! Something is biting me!"

The frog was writhing on the ground in pain, reaching for its crotch, but the poisonous frog had already escaped.

He felt as if his lower body was being cut with a knife, and the pain made his whole body convulse.

The commotion alerted the courtyard, and many people peeked out to look.

Jia Zhangshi was happily planning to stew fish for dinner when she suddenly heard a scream and rushed out of the house in a panic.

In his haste, he tripped over the threshold and fell hard, getting covered in dust.

Ignoring the pain, she crawled and ran towards Hao Jianguo's house—

Banggeng was seen rolling on the ground, clutching his crotch, his face contorted in pain.

"My dear grandson! What happened?"

Jia Zhangshi cried out and rushed over, picking up the trembling Banggeng in her arms.

"Grandma...it hurts...I got bitten...I..."

Before he could finish speaking, the venom took effect, and Banggeng's eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.

This scene greatly frightened Jia Zhangshi and the neighbors who were watching the spectacle.

"Bang Geng! Bang Geng! Don't scare Grandma!"

With trembling hands, Jia Zhangshi checked the patient's breathing and, finding that he was still breathing, calmed down slightly.

She was so shocked that her back was completely soaked.

Jia Zhangshi looked at the onlookers with a blank expression.

"Don't just stand there, get him to the hospital right away!"

"Yes, it will only get more troublesome if we drag this out any longer."

"Sigh, what a tragedy..."

Only then did Jia Zhangshi come to her senses, and she picked up the stick and ran to the hospital.

Watching her hurried figure disappear into the distance, everyone couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh.

But no one really felt sorry for the plight of the stick-shaped bird.

"I heard it was something that bit her down there..."

"It hurts so much, could it be... damaged by the bite?"

Aunt Er muttered to herself.

"The Jia family only has this one son. If he's really crippled, wouldn't their lineage end?"

There was a lot of discussion around, and Uncle Er nodded with a serious expression: "It's hard to say."

Hearing this, Jia Dongxu, who was peeking out the window, felt a buzzing in his head.

The ground was completely blank.

……

At the Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

These days, Qin Huairu, who has taken over her husband's job, has also entered the factory as an apprentice.

As she was learning the procedures from her mentor, a coworker came panting over and whispered to Qin Huairu about the changes that had happened at home.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu's expression changed instantly. She dropped what she was doing and rushed to the workshop director's office.

"Director Liu, my child has had an emergency and is in the hospital... Could you please grant me half a day off?"

Her voice trembled, and her fingers unconsciously twisted the faded hem of her clothes. "My apprenticeship only pays fifteen yuan a month, and my whole family depends on me... If they deduct any more money, we really won't have rice or flour next month."

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, her fingertips seemingly touching Director Liu's sleeve, and her eyes reddened.

Director Liu was round and plump, and he liked to talk to the female workers.

Seeing her like this, my heart warmed, and I patted the back of her hand: "It's urgent, go quickly, I'll make sure you remember to take attendance."

Qin Huairu thanked her repeatedly, wiped her eyes, and hurriedly left.

As soon as she left, several female workers in the workshop exchanged glances and pursed their lips at her retreating figure.

"Look at that attitude...does he think everyone else is blind?"

In the hospital, Banggeng was lying on the hospital bed, groaning.