Courtyard House: My System - Artificial Human

Two more days have passed.

He Daqing, refusing to believe it, searched all the big hotels in Beijing and contacted a few old friends to inquire. Only then did he learn that the news about him had already spread. He finally gave up and went home to slack off.

With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, Yi Zhonghai was far from having a leisurely time.

He Daqing still has savings, but his family is almost out of money.

The pressure before the New Year left Yi Zhonghai exhausted. What he didn't expect was that he would seek help from a deaf old lady.

The old lady became unusually cold, and when Gao Cuilan went to deliver food today, she found that the deaf old lady had already eaten!

Yi Zhonghai only found out after making some inquiries that the old geezer had asked the Huang family's daughter-in-law in the backyard for help!

Is this a sign that he's trying to sever ties after losing power?

Yi Zhonghai was furious and cursed inwardly.

Since you old bastard are so heartless, don't blame me for being unjust!

After several attempts to test him, Yi Zhonghai gave up and turned around and started publicizing in the courtyard that he had returned the gold bars to the old lady.

The courtyard was immediately in an uproar. At first, no one believed that someone would actually return the gold bars they had already obtained.

But when someone brought back the news that Yi Zhonghai was carrying sacks at the grain store, everyone had no choice but to believe it!

In the evening, Yi Zhonghai slowly returned, rubbing his shoulders and neck, and was stopped at the door by a group of onlookers led by Yan Bugui, who asked him questions.

"Old Yi, why are you really doing hard labor? This can't last!"

Yan Bugui's actions, seemingly concerned but actually playful, made him feel incredibly happy.

Does Yi Zhonghai not know whether this is a long-term solution or not?

However, this was indeed a ruse on his part; otherwise, how could others believe that he was truly broke?

"Sigh! What can we do? The New Year is almost here, and we're starving! You guys keep chatting, I'm going back to my room to rest!"

After his performance in front of everyone, Yi Zhonghai returned home, rubbing his shoulder.

Seeing that he looked unwell, Gao Cuilan assumed that he was really going to risk his life to carry the burden.

Feeling sorry for him, she quickly grabbed a towel to wipe his face, while offering words of comfort.

"Didn't you say you were just going through the motions? How come you're so tired?"

Yi Zhonghai felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this, and seeing that she had misunderstood, he sighed.

"It's all just for show, every penny counts! Our family hasn't had this hardship in years, we can't let you go back to your parents' home empty-handed."

"Oh dear! You can't overwork yourself! You've never done this kind of work before."

After expressing her feelings, Gao Cuilan invited Yi Zhonghai to dinner and couldn't help but ask him about it.

"Do you think that old geezer will really give us money? He seems a bit serious this time."

As if biting off a piece of flesh from a deaf old woman, Yi Zhonghai took a vicious bite of the cornbread and snorted coldly.

"Hmph! If she doesn't know what's good for her, then let her wait to be taken advantage of! Let her see who else besides our family would take such good care of her!"

Just as Yi Zhonghai had suspected, the deaf old lady was inside.

The Huang family's daughter-in-law brought the food, but instead of leaving as quickly as she had the day before, she lingered under the pretense of chatting.

The key point is his expression; when he inspected the furnishings in the room, it was more like he was admiring his own belongings...

The deaf old lady was deeply worried.

She truly hadn't expected the retribution to come so quickly, or that Yi Zhonghai would be so ruthless!

This is driving her to the brink of despair!

The deaf old lady felt heavy-hearted, and upon closer reflection, she felt some regret.

I can only blame myself for being frightened by Xiao Wang's words and breaking off relations with Yi Zhonghai without considering the consequences.

She's now in a real bind.

After painstakingly dealing with Huang's daughter-in-law, the deaf old lady, leaning on her cane, headed towards the central courtyard.

After knocking on the Yi family's door, her displeased expression carried a hint of reproach.

"Zhonghai! Old lady, I've treated you fairly well, haven't I? Both times you were fired, I had to pull strings and ask people to help you. But this time, my influence didn't work. You can't hold a grudge against me for this! Who did I offend this time?"

"Grandma, what you're saying is confusing me. I haven't done anything! I've been carrying grain all day and my back is so sore I can barely stand up straight. I can't accept being accused like this right off the bat..."

Yi Zhonghai pretended to be confused, but the old lady didn't have time to pretend. She wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully until this matter was resolved today.

While pondering, the deaf old lady changed her tone and began to show goodwill.

"Perhaps I misunderstood you. It's like this, Zhonghai, I was thinking of saving you some food because I knew you two weren't well-off. Do you think we should just stick to what we used to do?"

"Oh, ma'am, I'm so grateful to you for saying that. How could I possibly hold a grudge against you? To be honest, we're not exactly well-off, otherwise I wouldn't have had to carry sacks to make ends meet. What's wrong with you that you suddenly offered this help? Tell me, even though I might not be able to help, I can't just stand by and watch you get bullied, can I?"

Can light return to what it was before?

Yi Zhonghai sneered inwardly. The old man used people when he needed them and then turned them away when he didn't. He kept saying he would help him ask for favors.

But was that a favor done for free? Wasn't it an opportunity that I obtained by exchanging three gold bars?

Now that you've taken the gold bars back, you're trying to distance yourself? You wish!

"Oh, Zhonghai, let's not beat around the bush. To be honest, everyone in the courtyard was talking about the gold bars. How about this, I'll keep the gold bars with you. From now on, I'll rely on you two to take care of my food, clothing, and daily necessities. Is that alright?"

Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Yi Zhonghai felt a smile in his heart, but pretended to be annoyed on his face.

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember. Back then, Yan Bugui and a few neighbors stopped me at the door and asked why I was carrying grain like a laborer. They even said, 'I'm taking your gold bars, so why are you still so poor?' I didn't think much of it at the time and just said, 'This isn't my fault, old lady. Those gold bars weren't mine to begin with. Besides, I've already returned them to you. I can't lie to everyone, can I? What kind of person would I, Yi Zhonghai, be then?'"

The deaf old lady was completely defeated by Yi Zhonghai's shamelessness and decided to speak her mind.

"That's something we didn't agree on before. Here's the deal: from now on, these gold bars will be used by both our families. As long as you and Cuilan take good care of my old lady, the money is yours! How about that? Is that acceptable?"

The deaf old lady came to resolve the issue, not to argue about who was right or wrong; she simply spoke her mind.

Yi Zhonghai didn't want to completely antagonize the deaf old lady. He had already achieved his goal, and a smile immediately appeared on his face.

"If that's the case, then Cuilan and I will be happy to benefit from your generosity! Don't worry, since we've already agreed, you can just tell Cuilan what you want to eat!"

"Zhonghai, that's the best way to put it. I'm getting old and sometimes I'm confused, so please don't take it to heart. Come with me to the backyard and take the gold bars so that outsiders won't covet them."