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

Yu Li snorted coldly, "Can't you even speak properly? What did I say wrong? Don't you listen to your own words? Does it sound like something a human would say? A joke? Yi Zhonghai, were your eyes glued shut last night?"

"Didn't you see the arrogant look on that deaf old woman's face? A bet with her fingerprints on it, written in black and white, and you call that a joke? By your logic, if I scooped a ladle of excrement down your throat now, and then smiled and said it was a joke, would you also wipe your mouth and say it's no big deal?"

Before he could finish speaking, a burst of laughter erupted all around.

Xu Damao's shrill voice interrupted at that moment: "Oh, Yu Li, you're being so insensible."

Our Uncle Yi has a thing for that sort of thing—have you forgotten the wedding banquet? He was sneaking a sip in Madam Jia's room!

This startled even the sparrows under the eaves, causing them to flutter away.

Some people in the crowd laughed so hard they rubbed their stomachs. The absurd scene from that day came vividly back to life in their minds after being brought up again.

Yi Zhonghai's cheeks twitched uncontrollably. This shameful affair was a festering sore in his heart, but now Xu Damao had exposed it all to the public.

Yu Li ignored his ashen face and continued, "You want us to bring fruit to visit her in the hospital? Who caused her to be lying here? Wasn't it her precious grandson who did it? What does it have to do with us!"

"Yi Zhonghai, let me ask you—if we had lost yesterday, would you, the deaf old woman, and Sha Zhu have shown even a shred of the magnanimity you're spouting now? Wouldn't you have kicked us out the door long ago, leaving us not even a roof over your head?"

These words were like a knife stabbing into Yi Zhonghai's ribs, and the color drained from his face instantly.

He knew perfectly well that if they had truly won, Hao Jianguo and his wife wouldn't have had the right to stand here and speak.

But he couldn't utter a single word in response to that question.

A mocking smile appeared on Yu Li's lips: "Look at you, the answer is written all over your face."

"You can't even do what you're capable of, yet you have the nerve to advise us to be magnanimous? There's no room for negotiation today; what's ours, not a penny less."

Cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.

Yan Jiecheng shouted at the top of his lungs, "Uncle Yi, let's settle this at the gambling table! You can't renege on your debt!"

Liu Guangfu chimed in, "There are dozens of eyes watching. Do you think we're blind?"

Yi Zhonghai's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and his molars clenched so hard they made a clicking sound.

The deaf old woman on the bed had already tucked her head into the quilt, wrapped herself up in a ball, and dared not show her face.

Yu Li's gaze swept over the old man and the young man, and her tone rose three points: "Are you mute? Do you think you can get away with it by not saying a word? My man doesn't like to be quick-witted, but I'm not afraid."

If you don't give it to me today, I'll stay here and keep saying it all day; if you don't give it to me tomorrow, I'll come back again tomorrow.

"Grain capital? We really don't care about that."

The money earned after the founding of the nation is enough for us to live a life of luxury.

What we want is fairness, a willingness to accept defeat and acknowledge our mistakes! Why should you be allowed to cheat just because you lost? Do you really think this courtyard is your imperial palace?

She took half a step forward, and the clump of cotton in the quilt twitched slightly. "And there's the debt from last night—the old lady said it herself, as long as she's around, I, the new bride, won't have any peace."

"Wow, quite the show of power! Picking on the newbies, huh? Is that all you're capable of?"

"Just because I just entered this courtyard, does that mean I deserve to be humiliated by you? Old lady, listen carefully: I am not like those who suffered mistreatment before."

Yu Li's assertive speech won the silent applause of many people around her, especially several women in the courtyard, who felt their hearts warm upon hearing it.

When they married into this family, which of them hadn't been lectured by the old lady? It's just that back then, none of them had the courage to talk back to her face.

At this moment, they seemed to see themselves in Yu Li, a person they dared not become, and felt both envy and admiration.

Hao Jianguo remained silent, watching his wife handle the situation efficiently, secretly praising her in his heart.

His gaze shifted to the deaf old woman in the corner. The old woman seemed to have made up her mind to remain silent, no matter how much Yu Li said, she still kept her eyes lowered and didn't move.

It seems we need to add some drastic measures.

"Alright, since the old lady is determined not to speak, then we won't hesitate to go to the trouble."

Hao Jianguo turned and waved to the children playing in the yard, then pulled a handful of milky-white candies from his pocket. "Want some candy?"

The children's eyes lit up instantly.

They recognized the candy wrapper; it was a rare treat they seldom got to taste.

They all nodded eagerly.

"I can give you the candy, but you have to do something for your uncle."

Hao Jianguo lowered his voice and said, "Go to the neighboring courtyards, go in and shout—please come and see how the deaf old lady breaks her word."

Got it?

The children clutched their candies and scattered like little birds.

If the neighbors were really called in to watch the spectacle, what would become of the old lady's "face"?

It will be difficult to postpone it in the future.

The onlookers exchanged glances, none of them expecting Hao Jianguo to pull this stunt.

This is a blatant attempt to expose the matter and make the old lady lose face among her neighbors.

How could the deaf old woman not understand his intention? A breath caught in her chest, and her withered fingers clenched so tightly they trembled.

She's lived to this age and has never been pushed to such a state by a younger generation; it's like being skinned alive in public.

But in the current situation, she couldn't find a single word that could turn the tide.

"You...you all..."

The old woman made a gurgling sound in her throat, then suddenly rolled her eyes upwards and slumped down.

"old lady!"

The elderly woman and several people nearby hurriedly helped him up and reached out to check his breathing.

Thankfully, he was still breathing; he probably fainted temporarily from the shock.

The old lady looked up at Hao Jianguo and his wife, her eyes filled with pleading.

She wanted to persuade them to slow down, because if someone really died, it would be bad for everyone.

But the words caught in his throat—wouldn't it be blatant bias to speak now?

However, seeing Hao Jianguo and Yu Li's nonchalant expressions, Aunt Yi's heart sank.

She understood that even if she talked herself hoarse, these two wouldn't let the old lady off easily—the truth was on their side, and anyone with eyes could see who was right and who was wrong.

Not only Hao Jianguo and his group, but also few of the neighbors who were watching the commotion in the courtyard felt any sympathy for the old woman.

Some even curled their lip and muttered, "He's already so angry? His skin isn't as thick as I thought."

Someone nearby immediately chimed in, "That's right. They were so stubborn when they were being unreasonable earlier. I thought they could take it all, but it turns out they couldn't stand being scolded after just a few words."

"If you still care about saving face, then don't do things you can't afford to lose in the first place."

"If I pretend to faint now, who will believe me?"

The cacophony of voices carried an undisguised sarcasm.

In the eyes of many, the deaf old woman's "coma" at this moment is most likely just a charade for show.

More and more people gathered outside the house, some of whom knew about the previous night, and others who were just there for the fun of it.

The entire courtyard was like a pot of boiling water, filled with noise and commotion.

Those who arrived later, after understanding the whole story, couldn't help but point and whisper about the old lady—such shameless behavior would inevitably annoy anyone.

The old lady was definitely faking it.

She had thought that if she fell to the ground and closed her eyes, people would calm down.

This tactic had always worked before, but today it completely failed.

She quietly opened her eyes a crack, stubbornly holding on, refusing to budge no matter what others said.

When the old lady saw that she was pretending to be unconscious, her initial sympathy faded, and she felt a bit contempt instead.

She could see the situation clearly: if she continued to make a scene, it would only be the old lady who lost face.

After hesitating for a moment, the older woman stood up and said, "Alright, everyone, say less."

I know where the ration book is; I'll go get it for you.

She had intended to smooth things over and leave the old lady some room for maneuver, but she hadn't expected that her words would instead provoke the deaf old woman on the bed to sit up abruptly, her old face turning bright red.

"You dare! No one is allowed to touch my rations! I'll fight anyone who tries! Forget about losing... I haven't admitted defeat, so it's not a loss! You can't take it away!"

This unreasonable attitude stunned everyone in the room.

In the ensuing silence, someone let out a sneer.

Xu Damao slowly said, "Oh, the old lady woke up really quickly."

"Didn't you just faint? You seem to have more energy than many young people."

He had suffered a lot of mistreatment from this old lady before, so he naturally wouldn't let the opportunity slip by, and the mockery in his tone was impossible to hide.

Yan Jiecheng immediately chimed in, "It's not just that he's in good spirits, he's practically made of steel—otherwise, how could he have been completely unharmed after being pinned down like that by Sha Zhu last night?"

These words were like a drop of water splashed into hot oil, immediately eliciting a murmur of laughter and discussion from all around.

The embarrassing scene from last night was brought up again, and the old lady felt all the blood rush to her head, her ears were ringing, and she was so ashamed and angry that she almost trembled.

"Shut up...all of you shut up!"

She yelled in a hoarse voice, "This is my house! Who gives you the right to make a scene here?!"

The deaf old woman was completely enraged this time. She yelled at the top of her lungs, her dim yellow eyes staring intently at the crowd in front of her, almost spitting fire.

In her mind, everyone who was gossiping at that moment was an accomplice of Hao Jianguo's gang.

"What do you want? Just because you outnumber me doesn't mean you can bully an old woman like me! Let me tell you, I've lived this long and seen it all!"

"What good are a lot of people? My dad never blinked at the Japanese devils back then, and he died with honor in the end."

Are you all more ferocious than the Japanese devils? Do you think I'd be afraid of heartless people like you?

The old lady's hoarse voice boomed in the courtyard. As she spoke, her eyes turned sharply toward Yu Li, making it clear that the last few words were directed at her.

"Keep making a scene! If you've got the guts, tear the house down! I have the same backbone my father left me! Unless I die here today, no one is taking my ration book with them. Get out!"

It has to be said that the old lady's desperate stance was truly frightening, and Xu Damao and the others were stunned, their eyes revealing a hint of fear.

The once bustling courtyard entrance suddenly became eerily quiet.

The already domineering old lady became even more arrogant after she managed to control the situation.

She glared at Hao Jianguo, showing no fear whatsoever towards the couple.

"Get out! All of you get out! This is my home! If you make any more noise here, I'll call the police right now and report you for trespassing!"

She was like a mad dog, cursing anyone she could get her hands on.

Some neighbors who had originally joined in the fun found it boring and quietly turned away—they were just watching a show, who wanted to get themselves into trouble.

After this incident, the deaf old lady became famous in the area.

Although she was already famous, it was because she was a recipient of the Five Guarantees and her family had produced heroes, which gave her an air of prestige.

Things are different now; her fame comes entirely from her fierce and domineering nature.

From now on, the old lady's reputation in this alley will probably be completely ruined.

But she clearly doesn't care anymore.

Perhaps because of what happened last night, the old lady was somewhat delirious.

After doing all this, she even raised her chin and gave Hao Jianguo a triumphant look.

Looking at the old lady's smug expression, Hao Jianguo felt nothing but absurdity.

But by this point, he had finally come to a complete understanding.

Hao Jianguo used to think that the old lady's prestige in the courtyard was just due to her status.

Only now do I realize that this prestige was probably something she "fought" for.

It came out.

It's difficult to get this deaf old lady to back down.

Yi Zhonghai is pretty impressive, isn't he?

But in front of the old lady who had completely broken off relations, Yi Zhonghai was no match for her.

Just like now, Yi Zhonghai is still standing by the door, unable to utter a single word.

Hao Jianguo frowned and stared at the old lady, suddenly remembering an old story his parents had mentioned in casual conversation.

They said that this old lady has always had this temperament; she'll fawn over whoever is wealthy, she's very snobbish.

In the past, some people in the courtyard had caused trouble for her, but no one could control her, and in the end, nothing came of it.

As for why Qin Huairu broke off the engagement back then—

These days, no matter how greedy or materialistic a country girl is, she would never dare to break off an engagement and marry someone else the very next day if she didn't have anyone backing her up.

Hao Jianguo had already figured out who that person was relying on from Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady's behavior back then.

Why did no one in the entire hospital speak up for the Hao family afterward, but instead all came to kick him while he was down?

Jia Zhangshi was merely a figurehead; the one truly pulling the strings behind the scenes was this deaf old woman.

Hao Jianguo had already seen through all of this.

"She's really gone too far!"

Yu Li's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Hao Jianguo's thoughts.