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

Hao Jianguo stood by like a bystander, secretly sneering to himself, wanting to see if Yi Zhonghai would still dare to show favoritism now that things had come to this.

"Old Yi, I really can't stand it anymore this time."

"It's clearly Hao Jianguo who was wronged, how can you be so biased? This isn't how a grown man should behave."

"We, the elders of this compound, must be fair in our dealings and cannot let personal biases get in the way."

As they were talking, Liu Haizhong strode out with his hands behind his back, speaking in an official tone.

He looked so serious that an uninformed person might have thought a leader had arrived.

He appeared serious, but inwardly he was overjoyed—he was just waiting for Yi Zhonghai's prestige to crumble so that he, as the second uncle, could seize power.

It has to be said that everyone in this courtyard has their own agenda.

"What right do you have to accuse us? My son Banggeng is in the hospital! If it weren't for those junk things of theirs injuring Banggeng, would the child have gotten into this mess? Hao Jianguo has to pay compensation; he has to take responsibility for this!"

Jia Zhangshi was always arrogant and domineering. Especially after she had just lost a hundred dollars, leaving her with almost nothing, she became even more desperate and started biting anyone she saw, throwing tantrums and cursing incessantly.

Hao Jianguo found Jia Zhangshi's appearance absurd and laughable.

Jia Zhangshi, are you out of your mind? Your son Banggeng ran into my house to steal and got injured, and now you want to blame me? Did I beg him to steal from me? Wouldn't that make you a laughingstock?

I can put whatever I want in my own house as I please. Why should I report to your Jia family? Who do you think you are to give orders?

Upon hearing this, the onlookers nodded in agreement.

If this sets a precedent, and a dog sneaks into another's yard to steal and gets injured, does that mean every household will have to pay compensation? What kind of twisted logic is that!

"That's right, Bang Geng is just asking for trouble."

"Jia Zhangshi, you have no shame whatsoever! How can you argue like this?"

"Do you really think we're all fools? This matter clearly has nothing to do with Hao Jianguo; you're the ones who should compensate him for his losses."

Aunt San spoke up first, on the one hand helping Hao Jianguo to rebuke Jia Zhangshi, and on the other hand trying to take this opportunity to ease the tension with Hao Jianguo.

Hao Jianguo then turned his attention to Yi Zhonghai.

"Uncle Yi, please give me a clear answer to this matter."

If you can't handle this, I'd better call the police directly.

He paused, then glanced at his own broken door and ransacked house. "Look at this," he said, "that kid Banggeng is good enough to spend some time in juvenile detention."

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi trembled—if Bang Geng really went to the juvenile detention center, his future would be over.

Yi Zhonghai's face also turned ugly. He really didn't want to get involved in this trouble, but now he was in a bind.

He still has to barely hold up that moral banner.

"Call the police? Sigh, Hao Jianguo, I know you're angry."

But Bang Geng is still young, and we live in the same compound, so let's be tolerant of him as much as possible."

Hao Jianguo shrugged indifferently: "Fine, I've always been soft-hearted."

If you don't want to call the police, then just pay me compensation.

All told, it comes to fifty yuan, not a penny less.

"Fifty? Don't even think about it! You're dreaming!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi almost jumped up. She had just paid out one hundred, and now she wanted another fifty? How could she agree to that?

Sha Zhu immediately stepped forward and blocked Hao Jianguo's path: "What compensation?! Is your house made of gold bricks or something? You want fifty for this little thing? No way! What's wrong with taking some of your things?"

He was naturally dissatisfied, and for Qin Huairu's sake, he had to stand up for Jia Zhangshi this time.

When Yi Zhonghai saw Sha Zhu pop up again, he sighed inwardly and could only try to smooth things over: "Yes, Hao Jianguo, you're asking for too much. The matter wasn't that big of a deal to begin with."

Hao Jianguo didn't care: "Fine, it's fine if we don't compensate."

He pulled a dollar out of his pocket and waved it at the crowd, saying, "I'm too lazy to move around."

"This one dollar, whoever goes to the police for me, keeps it."

Yan Jiecheng, Liu Guangfu and the others' eyes lit up immediately—how could they miss such a good deal to get a dollar for running an errand?

"Wait!"

Seeing that the group was about to make a move, Yi Zhonghai quickly stopped them.

Despite his recent loss of prestige, his influence remained, and Yan Jiecheng and the others were temporarily silenced by his shout. "Hao Jianguo, this... we can't call the police, this kind of thing..."

If he can't even handle such a small matter and the police have to come knocking, where will Yi Zhonghai put his face? He glared fiercely at Jia Zhangshi, that good-for-nothing woman!

"It was indeed Bang Geng who started this."

I think... let's do as Hao Jianguo said and pay compensation."

Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to change his tune.

But he had already made a mental note of this grudge—this feud was now officially settled.

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai wasn't helping her, Jia Zhangshi collapsed to the ground, slapping her thigh and crying out, "Old Jia, open your eyes and see! After you left, everyone in this yard bullies my son and me! Your grandson Banggeng is still lying in the hospital, and these heartless bastards are even demanding compensation from us..."

"Money? Where would I get any money? It was all fined before, and then we paid another hundred yuan for medical expenses. Our Jia family is completely broke!"

Jia Zhangshi cried out that she was poor, and in the past, this behavior might have garnered some sympathy.

But in the past two days, everyone had already seen through her tricks, and now their faces were as cold and hard as stone, unmoved.

"Uncle Yi...why don't we cover the cost for them first? The Jia family's situation is truly pitiful."

Sha Zhu moved closer to Yi Zhonghai and lowered his voice.

Yi Zhonghai was initially unwilling to pay, but he always presented himself as a "moral exemplar."

Having assumed the role and under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

The two of them pooled together fifty yuan and handed it to Hao Jianguo.

Hao Jianguo twirled the banknotes, a smile flickering across his face—it seemed as if the stick was a gift of wealth to him.

"What's so smug about? Hao Jianguo, just you wait and see. I'll remember this!"

Sha Zhu cursed under his breath and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute."

Hao Jianguo called out to him, and the crowd that was about to disperse stopped in their tracks.

"Bang Geng is young, so I can overlook it."

But you're different—everyone saw that punch you just threw.

"You're an adult now, shouldn't you be responsible for your actions?"

He clutched his abdomen, his brow furrowed, and his voice carried a hint of pain.

"What?"

Sha Zhu glared at him angrily, "I didn't even touch you!"

Before Hao Jianguo could say anything more, accusations came pouring in from all directions.

In everyone's eyes, it was an undeniable fact that Sha Zhu punched someone.

"You hit someone and you won't admit it? Sha Zhu, it's one thing for you to be so arrogant in the yard, but now you're too scared to even tell the truth?"

"Exactly! Do you really think this yard is your place to run wild?"

Yan Jiecheng and Liu Guangfu took the lead in shouting, venting their resentment at not earning that one dollar earlier.

Hao Jianguo glanced at them, then turned his gaze to Yi Zhonghai:

"Uncle Yi, you saw it too, didn't you? Unless your eyesight is failing."

Yi Zhonghai's chest heaved, and his breathing became heavy.

He didn't expect Hao Jianguo to press on relentlessly and show no mercy.

"What do you want?"

He practically spat out those words through gritted teeth.

"I won't make things difficult for anyone, but sending them to detention isn't out of the question."

Hao Jianguo said calmly, "Pay for medical expenses, eighty yuan."

"Eighty? Why don't you just rob someone!"

Sha Zhu completely exploded, "I didn't hit you at all! You're trying to extort money from me!"

"Extortion?"

Hao Jianguo chuckled softly, "Uncle Yi might have misjudged, but did everyone else misjudge? Or do you think... everyone is framing you?"

The crowd stirred again, and the pointing and whispering grew louder.

Many people regretted their past falling out with Hao Jianguo, and now was the time to mend their relationship—especially since they firmly believed that what they had seen was true.

"Bullshit! Try talking nonsense again!"

Enraged, Sha Zhu clenched his fists and was about to pounce on Liu Guangfu and Yan Jiecheng, who were jumping up and down the most.

"Zhu Zi, stop! How far do you intend to cause trouble?"

Yi Zhonghai ultimately stood in his way.

He knew perfectly well that if he allowed Zhu Zi to make another move in public, the situation would spiral out of control.

If Zhu Zi really gets locked up, who can he rely on in his old age?

Yi Zhonghai glared fiercely at Zhu Zi, feeling a tightness in his chest.

You think you can't figure out Hao Jianguo's personality? Going head-on with him now is just asking for trouble.

"Zhu Zi, you're in the wrong for resorting to violence."

"In that case, you should apologize to Hao Jianguo."

Yi Zhonghai turned around and tried to smooth things over. After speaking to Zhu Zi, he looked at Hao Jianguo.

"But then again, Jian Guo, Zhu Zi didn't do it on purpose; there's always a reason behind everything."

We're both in the same boat, so I think we should each take a step back.

Eighty dollars is really too much.

Hao Jianguo had long anticipated that Yi Zhonghai would try to smooth things over once Zhu Zi was involved.

He might have fooled someone else, but unfortunately, he's the one who's fooled today.

"You don't want to lose money, huh?"

Hao Jianguo's gaze swept towards the pillar.

Although Zhu Zi is usually quite clever, he has a fatal flaw—once he gets stubborn, not even nine oxen can pull him back.

Upon hearing Hao Jianguo's tone, he stiffened his neck and said in a firm voice, "That's right! I won't pay a single cent!"

Yi Zhonghai glared at him anxiously, realizing that he absolutely could not provoke Hao Jianguo at this moment, so he had no choice but to continue to negotiate.

"That's just how Zhu Zi is. He can't keep his mouth shut, but he's not a bad person at heart."

If you ever run into trouble, he'll definitely lend a hand.

"Jianguo, eighty yuan is almost three months' wages for him. Aren't you making things difficult for him?"

Hao Jianguo narrowed his eyes slightly. "Me, make things difficult for me? Fine, I don't want the money."

Call the police and let the authorities decide.

He pulled out two yuan. "Whoever goes to the police station keeps the money."

Goodness, it was just one piece a moment ago, and now it's doubled.

Liu Guangfu was quick; he rushed over, grabbed the money, and ran—he remembered the lesson clearly from last time, and he was determined not to let the money slip through his fingers again this time.

Watching Liu Guangfu's retreating figure disappear into the distance, Yi Zhonghai finally realized that he had been a step too slow.

"You... Hao Jianguo, you actually called the police!"

He panicked.

Hao Jianguo sneered: "Is that not okay? I gave you a chance, but Zhu Zi himself refused to admit it."

If you can't handle it, let someone who can handle it do it.

Yi Zhonghai was burning with anxiety—Zhu Zi absolutely could not be allowed to go in, and even more so, he could not be allowed to have a criminal record.

"Sigh, Jianguo, you're so inconsiderate of the bigger picture! You're troubling the police with such a small matter...you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hao Jianguo raised his hand to interrupt him.

"I'm curious, sir. What counts as a big deal? Does it have to involve a death in the yard to be considered serious?"

"My house was smashed like this, and Jia Zhangshi even threw stones at me, and you say it's a small matter; I was defending myself and was hit by a pillar, and you still say it's a small matter."

"I've fallen so low, can't I even get justice from the police? Sir, aren't you being blatantly biased? How long are you going to protect these people?!"

Yi Zhonghai was left speechless by the question.

He knew in his heart that he was indeed in the wrong in this matter.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai retreating in defeat, Liu Haizhong, the second uncle standing next to him, rolled his eyes and secretly chuckled.

At the same time, he also felt a bit of admiration for Hao Jianguo—he didn't expect this kid to actually dare to call the police; he's a tough nut to crack.

Liu Haizhong could tell that Hao Jianguo was now going up against Yi Zhonghai and Zhu Zi, and Zhu Zi was likely to suffer a loss.

He didn't mind chiming in with a few words of encouragement, both to curb Yi Zhonghai's momentum and to do Hao Jianguo a personal favor.

Why not take advantage of such a good deal?

So he put his hands behind his back, cleared his throat, and joined in the rant.

Old Yi, you didn't handle this matter very well, I have to say a few words to you.

How can someone so low in their thinking as the head of the institute? Even I, the second-in-command, think that Hao Jianguo did the right thing this time.

Yi Zhonghai was already seething with anger, and now that Liu Haizhong had chimed in, he couldn't argue anymore.

Just then, Mr. Liu Haizhong, an elderly man, returned from school, accompanied by several elderly women from the neighborhood committee.

In previous years, the task of putting up slogans on the streets was always entrusted to this "cultured person".

Organized by them.

Before anyone even entered the courtyard, the laughter and chatter of several middle-aged women could be heard.

As the crowd of onlookers grew larger, the situation became increasingly difficult to control.

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and decided to get this matter settled quickly before the street office officials arrived.

"Eighty yuan it is, pay it to Hao Jianguo and apologize to him."

Yi Zhonghai tugged at Sha Zhu's sleeve and urged him in a low voice.