Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): Don't touch my parents!

Upon hearing this, Madam Jia panicked—what if the old lady really kicked her out?

Their entire family would then have nowhere to live.

She plopped back down on the ground, waving her hands wildly in the air and bursting into tears.

Grandma! You can't be so heartless! Our whole family depends on this house for shelter from the wind and rain.

If you kick us out, how are we supposed to survive? In this freezing weather, are you really going to let us freeze to death on the street?

Although her words were pitiful and heartbreaking, not a single tear could be seen on her face.

What, you want to cling to me now? The old lady frowned, her tone growing colder.

What kind of person is this old lady? She's seen all sorts of shrewish and shameless behavior.

Jia Zhangshi's little tricks were completely ineffective against her.

I only took a few eggs from the He family! That stupid guy from the He family yelled like that.

As a result, my son Dongxu has no pants to wear, and I have no cotton-padded coat to wear.

At worst, I'll compensate them for the eggs, and make them compensate us for our cotton-padded jackets and trousers!

Even at this point, Jia Zhangshi still refused to admit that she had stolen it, and instead turned the tables and accused the thief.

Haha, Zhang Ruhua, you're really something. You stole things from my grandson's house and then blamed him for getting your clothes dirty?

You think this is still your Zhangjia Village, and I can't handle you anymore?

The old lady was so angry that she burst out laughing and immediately swung her cane at her.

Murder! Murder! Help! Help!

Jia Zhangshi threw a tantrum on the ground, dodging the canes that kept falling down while desperately crying and screaming.

Jia Dongxu had been hiding in the inner room, secretly peeking out, when he saw his mother being beaten.

He immediately wrapped himself in a quilt and rushed out, throwing himself directly onto Jia Zhangshi.

Don't hit my mother! Hit me if you must, don't hit my mother!

Madam Jia was so angry she almost fainted—how could she have given birth to such a brainless child!

He slammed the blanket down, and it was covered in dirt from the ground.

Won't my hands get cold from taking apart and washing the duvet cover? Is it difficult to put it away? What will I use to cover myself with at night after taking it apart?

There's only one quilt for each person in the family.

He Yuzhu steadily supported the old lady, standing aside and watching coldly, his eyes full of undisguised contempt.

He sneered inwardly, thinking that this Jia Zhangshi was really too clueless about the important things.

The world today is nothing like the peaceful years of the past.

Xu Damao followed behind, so happy he almost jumped for joy, convinced that the old lady was standing up for her mother.

He secretly planned to tell his mother everything that night when he got home, so he could get his revenge.

The old lady showed no mercy to the mother and son, her cane wielding the cane with unwavering resolve.

They landed solid blows on the two of them one after another.

Ouch! Ouch! Cries of pain and wails came one after another from Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu.

Unable to bear the beating any longer, Jia Dongxu hurriedly let go of his mother's hand and rolled awkwardly to the side.

But this roll led to a huge blunder, and he ended up completely naked.

Upon seeing this, Xu Damao immediately started shouting and making a scene.

Everyone come and see! Xu Chuan Dang Xu has now become naked Xu!

Seeing this ridiculous and embarrassing scene, He Yuzhu finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He was secretly puzzled; Jia Dongxu wasn't even wearing a pair of shorts to cover his shame.

Even if the Jia family is in dire straits, they shouldn't be this poor.

Xu Damao, you just wait! This humiliation is not over between us!

Jia Dongxu was both ashamed and angry. He blushed from Xu Damao's shout and was further irritated by the cold wind.

I suddenly felt a chill in my lower body, and I froze on the spot, feeling disheveled in the cold wind.

Immediately afterwards, he couldn't help but shiver.

He didn't care about the blankets scattered on the floor. He hurriedly got up, naked, and rushed into the inner room without a care.

"It's an eyesore for this old lady." The old lady frowned, her face full of disgust.

The old lady glanced at Jia Dongxu, who was as thin and bony as a plucked white chicken, with a look of disgust on her face. She quickly raised her hand to cover her eyes and said with a look of disgust.

At this moment, Jia Zhangshi no longer cared about continuing to throw a tantrum on the ground, nor did she dare to scream and wail anymore.

Her eyes darted around, her mind racing as she considered how to respond.

In the past, when she was in the countryside, her tricks of throwing tantrums and acting shamelessly always worked. She hadn't used them for so many years, but she never expected them to be completely ineffective here today.

The old lady really went all out just now, each blow causing her excruciating pain, showing absolutely no mercy.

However, in an instant, she suddenly came up with another idea and knelt down straight down in front of He Yuzhu with a "plop".

"Zhu Zi, good boy, please have pity on your aunt and say a good word for her!"

"Your family is well-off and you don't need those few eggs. I promise your Uncle Jia will compensate you double. Please, do me a favor and let me have this one, okay?"

He Yuzhu was stunned for a moment, never expecting that Jia Zhangshi would suddenly kneel down in front of him.

He didn't think it was a big deal to be forced to kneel down, but the change came too suddenly.

The old lady, who was standing nearby, witnessed the whole scene and was immediately enraged. She stepped forward and pulled He Yuzhu behind her to protect him.

She pointed at Jia Zhangshi and shouted angrily, "Zhang Ruhua, you heartless and vicious woman!"

"Your kneeling is clearly a deliberate attempt to shorten my grandson's lifespan! Today I will beat you to death, you heartless, rotten-necked slut!"

This time, the old lady slammed her cane down hard on Jia Zhangshi's head, clearly using all her strength.

The cane fell straight down with a sharp whooshing sound, making onlookers tremble with fear.

Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that she screamed "Oh my god!" and collapsed to the ground, too terrified to move.

Immediately afterwards, a pungent and foul stench filled the air, and a particularly glaring puddle of water gradually spread on the ground—she was so frightened that she wet her pants on the spot.

She was just bluffing when she shouted "Murder!" to intimidate the old lady and make her think twice.

But at this moment, the old lady was truly enraged and showed no mercy. She was genuinely terrified and dared not be presumptuous in the slightest.

"Waaah... Grandma, I'll never do it again, I'll never do it again!"

"Zhu Zi, good boy, please plead for your aunt! I beg you!"

"If your aunt's family is evicted and left homeless, they could die on the streets!"

"Please, for the sake of how much Dongxu has taken care of you in the past, lend your aunt a hand, please... sob sob..."

He Yuzhu, his face full of disgust, subtly helped the old lady back two steps, deliberately creating some distance between herself and Jia Zhangshi.

The old lady subtly signaled to him with her eyes not to say anything more, and He Yuzhu understood, giving the old lady a simple and honest smile.

"Zhang Ruhua, you don't need to go to such lengths to plead with my eldest grandson."

"Based on that kneeling you just did, if this were in the old Qing Dynasty, such insubordination would have earned you a death sentence!"

"Enough with the nonsense. Tell me, how do you plan to settle this matter?"

This time, Madam Jia was completely intimidated and dared not try to cheat anymore. She lowered her head and said in a low voice, "Grandma, I accept the punishment. I am willing to accept the punishment."

"Fine, you said it yourself, so don't go back on your word."

The old lady spoke coldly, her voice firm and resolute: "From now on, your monthly rent will be doubled."

"Consider the extra money as compensation for apologizing to my eldest grandson's family."

The word "good" that Jia Zhangshi was about to say was abruptly blocked in her throat, making her face turn red and her eyes roll back.

Double rent? It felt like a piece of her flesh had been ripped out of her!

That could buy so much food and supplies! How could she bear to part with it!

"Grandma... this is too big a deal, I... I'm just a woman, I can't make that decision."

"Let's discuss it when my husband gets back, okay?"

Having no other way to shirk responsibility, Jia Zhangshi could only resort to delaying tactics to get through this immediate predicament first.

"Heh, alright, I'll wait for Old Jia to come over and give me an explanation in person!"

The old lady gave Jia Zhangshi a deep look, her eyes cold and disdainful, and then gave a cold laugh.

"Zhu Zi, help me back home, I'm exhausted from all this."

Before Jia Zhangshi could say another word, the old lady turned to He Yuzhu and whispered her instructions.

"Okay, ma'am."

"Me too! Me too!"

Xu Damao dared not stay there alone, so he hurriedly ran to the old lady's side.

As the three of them passed through the hanging flower gate leading to the backyard, Madam Jia Zhang immediately began to curse through gritted teeth.

"You old codger, you win today. We'll see who has the last laugh!"

After she finished cursing, she was about to prop herself up when she suddenly felt a chill in her lower body.

Her face instantly contorted into a grimace—now she didn't even have a decent pair of cotton pants left.

The mother and son could only huddle in bed, too cold to move.

"That damned old woman, why is she so protective of the He family?"

"Not only did they let them live in the main house, but they also kept calling them 'grandson'!"

"Pah! You childless, long-suffering old man!"

Madam Jia slammed the door shut, muttering curses as she cleaned up the mess on the floor.

Li Guihua saw everything that happened in the courtyard through the crack in the door.