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

Liu Guangfu squinted his eyes and slowly replied, "Speaking of which, Uncle Yi is not young anymore, how can he compare to a young man?"

People used to say that not being able to have children was a problem for older women. I think maybe someone was just using that as a shield. The real problem... well, that's hard to say.

Although Yi Zhonghai is fine now, that doesn't stop people from making fun of him.

Suddenly, laughter of varying pitches filled the courtyard, creating a strange yet lively atmosphere.

Just as they were getting into the conversation, someone suddenly whispered, "Uncle Yi is back."

All the laughter and chatter came to an abrupt halt, and everyone turned to look at the courtyard gate—some things are best left unsaid; no one dared to bring them up in public.

Yi Zhonghai and the others did return, but after being detained for so long, they all looked disheveled and haggard.

Yi Zhonghai, in particular, had bruises all over his face, the marks left by Sha Zhu that day.

Now his eyes are empty, as if his soul has been drained, and he walks on the street without saying a word.

The deaf old lady beside them, however, had a beaming smile on her face.

No matter what method she used, as long as her Zhonghai and Shazhu could return safely and securely, and she could have hope for their old age and funeral, she would be content.

When people get old, what they fear most is walking their final journey alone.

He Yushui followed along, a cheerful smile on her face, chattering away next to the old lady, looking carefree.

Judging from this scene alone, many people secretly guessed that the one who gave the deaf old woman advice was most likely He Yushui.

As soon as the old lady entered the courtyard, she saw everyone gathered there looking at them. She immediately walked forward with her cane and asked someone to call the residents who hadn't come yet.

"Neighbors, there's something I need to explain to you today."

As everyone has seen, Zhonghai and Shazhu have been released, which is enough to prove their innocence; they were framed!

"The police station has also investigated and found that Zhonghai and Qin Huairu had no illicit affair at all."

"Now you should believe me, right? I told you long ago, Zhonghai and the others are absolutely innocent!"

The deaf old woman raised her voice to a very high pitch, louder than ever before, clearly determined to save face for Yi Zhonghai and his group.

To her surprise, after hearing these words, the way everyone looked at Yi Zhonghai became even more subtle, as if they were hiding some unspoken smile.

The old lady sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite figure out what the problem was.

He Yushui stepped forward, her voice trembling with emotion, "There's definitely someone behind this, just like with my brother! But we won't let the culprit get away with it for long; we'll find them!"

She spoke through gritted teeth, her gaze shifting to Hao Jianguo, as if she were convinced he was the one behind it all.

"It's easier said than done."

Xu Damao curled his lip in the crowd and muttered in a low voice, "They just didn't manage to do it yet, but who can guarantee they haven't had other ideas? Haven't done anything else?"

When the news spread that Sha Zhu was safe and sound, Xu Damao swallowed back the words he was about to say. He knew that if he spoke carelessly again, he would inevitably get punched again.

Qin Huairu kept her head down and fled back to the Jia family's house in one breath.

Although she appeared to have been cleared of suspicion, she knew that people might still gossip behind her back in the future—such things might go unnoticed if they happened to a man, but for a woman, it was like ink on paper that could never be washed away.

No one can say for sure how outsiders will talk about her in the future.

The deaf old lady watched Qin Huairu leave in a hurry without saying a word. Her gaze then turned to Hao Jianguo and Yu Li, especially staring at Yu Li.

The old lady was still angry about Yu Li's previous retorts.

In her opinion, it was outrageous that a newlywed woman who had just entered the hospital dared to speak like that.

Now that Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu have returned, the deaf old lady feels that she can stand tall again, and all the frustration she has felt in recent days has vanished.

"Hmph, don't think you're so great just because you can talk a good game."

"My old bones aren't even in the grave yet, and no one in the courtyard dares to disagree with me."

These words made many people feel uncomfortable, but everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.

Everyone understood that the deaf old woman was showing off her strength—she could even handle Yi Zhonghai's matter, so who in this courtyard would dare to mess with her?

After the old lady finished speaking, she snorted and thought to herself, "Whether she can stay in this courtyard or not depends on whether I agree or not."

However, she didn't actually say those words out loud.

Although Yi Zhonghai and the others' return made her a little giddy, she wasn't so foolish as to offend everyone.

Yu Li's face turned slightly pale, but she still bit her lip and endured it under the gaze of the deaf old woman.

Hao Jianguo grabbed her hand and shielded her behind him.

The deaf old woman ignored the two of them and turned to the others, saying, "In a couple of days, I'll set up a few tables in the courtyard to welcome Zhonghai and Shazhu back. Everyone has to come."

This "group"

Obviously, this does not include Hao Jianguo and Yu Li.

She deliberately wanted to provoke Hao Jianguo, to make him see who really had the power in this courtyard.

Want to jump around in front of her? You're still a long way off.

Yu Li was both angry and anxious. She didn't care about being wronged herself, but she couldn't stand seeing the deaf old woman targeting Hao Jianguo.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Hao Jianguo spoke softly, gently squeezing her hand.

Yu Li frowned and looked at him.

The coldness in Hao Jianguo's tone just now sent a chill down her spine—something she had never seen before.

She was really afraid that Hao Jianguo might do something impulsive in a fit of anger.

"What are you going to do? You can't do anything, Jianguo, don't do anything reckless."

Hearing the worry in Yu Li's words, Hao Jianguo felt a warmth in his heart.

He smiled and ruffled Yu Li's hair: "Silly girl, don't worry, I won't fight them."

There were some things he didn't say aloud—if they really started fighting, Sha Zhu's physique probably wouldn't even be able to withstand one of his punches.

Since these people want to have fun, he'll play along with them for a while.

A game of chess has already been quietly set up in my mind.

……

Inside the Jia family's house, no matter how noisy it was outside, there was only a suppressed silence.

Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu sat facing each other, neither of them speaking.

Qin Huairu was in low spirits and didn't say a word.

Even when facing Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi's anger still surged.

Although it has now been proven that Qin Huairu, Sha Zhu, and Yi Zhonghai are completely innocent, after this series of events, especially since her son Jia Dongxu was hospitalized because of it, she has become increasingly displeased with her daughter-in-law.

However, Madam Jia knew perfectly well that this family couldn't do without Qin Huairu.

Qin Huairu had threatened divorce a while ago, so we need to calm her down first.

"Let's pretend those messy things from the past never happened."

Dongxu is still in the hospital; go and take care of him.

Jia Zhangshi spoke with a stern face.

Qin Huairu nodded blankly and left the courtyard without saying a word.

In the following days, the courtyard became lively again.

The deaf old lady and Sha Zhu were busy preparing for tomorrow's banquet—they understood that if they wanted to reconcile with everyone in the courtyard, they would have to rely on this welcoming meal.

After all, they knew all too well what kind of people lived in the courtyard: who would bother to get involved if there were no benefits? As long as they could gain an advantage, they would forget about even the biggest holidays in the blink of an eye.

Hearing the commotion during the day, Jia Zhangshi knew they were going to have a feast, and hurriedly went over hoping to take advantage of it.

"Uncle, I heard you're having a welcome banquet tomorrow? That's wonderful news! I'll definitely bring my kids to celebrate."

To be honest, things haven't been peaceful in our hospital lately, so we should have a good get-together to shake off the bad luck.

She talked on and on, as if she had long forgotten that she had not only wanted to send Yi Zhonghai to jail, but also threatened to ruin his reputation.

Yi Zhonghai snorted coldly.

He still held a deep grudge from that day and couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to Jia Zhangshi, though he had secretly cursed her a thousand times over.

That old hag has some serious shamelessness; she still dares to come begging for food at a time like this.

"There's none for your family, get out of here."

From now on, our two families need not associate with each other; we cannot afford to offend your Jia family.

Yi Zhonghai remained silent, but the deaf old lady beside him couldn't hold back any longer.

She was narrow-minded and had long held a grudge against Jia Zhangshi. At this moment, she showed no mercy and immediately kicked people out.

Jia Zhangshi was rebuffed and felt a burning sensation on her face.

Although she was annoyed, she knew the deaf old lady's status in the courtyard and that she wouldn't get away with a confrontation, so she could only shrug her neck and leave dejectedly.

"You old bastards, you childless Yi Zhonghai, and that idiot Zhu, you just wait! What kind of trash dares to invite me to a feast without inviting me?"

"Eat up, and hopefully you'll all get sick from it!"

She walked along muttering curses under her breath, her sourness filling the air.

Night was falling.

Hao Jianguo quietly arrived outside the Jia family's window.

With his current skills, no one in the courtyard could detect his presence.

"Wait a minute, I'm about to give you a big gift."

He quickly changed his mind and immediately adjusted his voice, imitating other people's voices.

……

The anger she felt during the day churned inside Jia Zhangshi, keeping her awake all night.

Just as she was tossing and turning, a low voice suddenly drifted into her ears:

"Oh, sister-in-law, don't you know me? There was something I didn't dare to tell you that day."

Qin Huairu and I really didn't do anything wrong, but she... well, let me be frank, she tried to exchange her body for money and asked me for favors.

That was clearly Yi Zhonghai's voice.

These words pierced Jia Zhangshi's ears like needles, and she immediately sprang up from the bed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

In that instant, Jia Zhangshi almost rushed out to grab Yi Zhonghai and confront him.

But she gritted her teeth and endured it.

At this moment, the deaf old lady's voice also faintly came over: "Hmph, there's not a single good person in the Jia family! They even tried to freeload at the welcome banquet during the day, without considering whether they're worthy."

In my opinion, the Jia family's bad feng shui is why Old Jia died young and Jia Dongxu became disabled.

If this continues, our entire courtyard will be dragged down by his family.

"What you say makes sense; that's what I was thinking too."

"These past few days inside, I've finally come to a complete understanding. The Jia family is the root of all trouble in our courtyard; they absolutely must be driven out."

"Okay, it's settled then."

Oh, by the way, Zhonghai, didn't Jia Zhangshi lose a bundle the other day? I found it.

Hey, that Jia Zhangshi is no pushover; she's got a lot of money hidden inside.

After I'm gone, all of this will be yours.

……

All of these dialogues were performed by Hao Jianguo alone, who lowered his voice and played two different voices.

Once the matter was settled, he left quietly, like a puff of smoke.

Just wait and see, the real show is about to begin.

Each word was like a poisoned needle, piercing Jia Zhangshi's heart and twisting her face in agony.

Especially when she heard where the money had gone, she was so angry she almost gritted her teeth.

"Oh! So that old bastard stole my money! I..."

Jia Zhangshi was furious.

A surge of anger welled up inside her, and she rushed to the door, ready to open it and confront Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old woman.

But as soon as she touched the door latch, she suddenly stopped.

She may be outspoken, but she's not stupid.

He knew perfectly well that what they had just said was merely a private conversation between the two of them, and he had no proof whatsoever.

Rushing out now would not only fail to harm them in the slightest, but would also alert them.

"Endure! We must swallow this insult!"

Madam Jia kept repeating the same thing to herself, as if she were casting a spell on herself.

"Isn't the old lady going to throw a welcome-back banquet tomorrow? Fine, I'll give her a surprise at the banquet! Humph, let's see who gets embarrassed then."

You all have to give me back every single penny of my money!

With that thought, she soon fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

Perhaps they felt relieved to have found some way out of the lost money; or perhaps they were conserving their energy to face tomorrow's "tough battle".

……

the next day.

The deaf old lady still had some influence in the courtyard, and since she was treating everyone to a meal for free, the courtyard suddenly became lively.

Everyone who received an invitation attended.

The old lady really went all out this time, taking out a lot of her savings to have Sha Zhu prepare the dishes.

She had hardly touched the government subsidies she had accumulated over the years, so hosting this banquet was naturally a piece of cake for her.

When people are happy, they are always in high spirits.

The deaf old lady got up early in the morning, changed into a brand new set of clothes, and smiled at everyone she saw, her face full of joy.

She walked up to Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, and noticing the awkwardness between them, she tried to reconcile them: