Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

The moment the shovel was swung.

The air seemed to freeze, and time stretched out infinitely.

Xu Zhao's pupils suddenly contracted as she stared intently at the gleaming shovel head that came crashing down with a whistling sound.

She felt as if her legs were filled with lead, her mind went blank, and even her instinct to dodge vanished in that instant.

Just as the shovel was inches from her arm—

With a "whoosh".

A snowball suddenly flew up from nowhere, cutting through the cold air.

"Snapped!"

With a sharp crack, the snowball struck Jia Zhangshi's right wrist, which was gripping the shovel.

Although the force was not great, the angle was extremely tricky, and the timing was just right.

Jia Zhangshi's wrist went numb, and her hand holding the shovel involuntarily tilted to the side.

"Bang!"

The shovel grazed the sleeve of Xu Zhao's cotton-padded jacket and slammed heavily onto the ground, splashing up a cloud of snow and frozen soil.

Xu Zhao stood frozen in place for a full two seconds before she gasped for breath, patting her chest with both hands and panting heavily, her voice trembling.

"My goodness...that scared me to death...it really scared me to death...I almost, I almost lost this arm..."

The immense recoil from the shovel hitting the ground instantly dissipated most of Jia Zhangshi's frenzied energy.

She looked at the shovel on the ground, then at the still-shaken Xu Zhaoshi, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.

just……

She almost caused a real death.

She subconsciously turned her head to glance at her son—only to see that Jia Dongxu had already gotten up from the ground.

He was grimacing and moving his body, seemingly unharmed.

A strong sense of lingering fear welled up in my heart.

We can't make any more noise.

Jia Zhangshi threw down her shovel, rushed to Jia Dongxu's side, grabbed his arm, and whispered, "Come on, come home with your mother!"

She wanted to slip away.

Before Xu Zhaoshi could recover from her shock, they quickly made their escape.

"Zhang Ruhua!"

Just then, the deaf old lady's authoritative voice boomed like a bell, heavy and carrying an undeniable pressure.

"Stop right there!"

Jia Zhangshi paused, her body stiffening. She slowly turned around, her neck stiffening, attempting to argue.

"Grandma, look, they didn't hit him, did they? Besides, it was Xu Damao who struck first, almost crippling my Dongxu!"

"Still dare to be stubborn?"

The deaf old woman, leaning on her cane, took two shaky steps forward, her cloudy eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

"If that blow had landed squarely, it would have been a murder case! If that black dog had come into the yard then, do you think you could have escaped?"

Jia Zhangshi shrank back and dared not utter a sound.

She really didn't dare to offend this old lady.

Firstly, the houses in this courtyard are rented out.

Secondly...

The old lady's godson, He Daqing, was a scoundrel. When he got really angry, he wouldn't care if you were a man or a woman; he'd just give you a good beating.

"From wealthy families,"

The deaf old lady turned her head and looked at Xu Zhaoshi, who was still patting her chest.

"What do you mean? Are you just going to let this go?"

Zhao Cuifeng had also recovered her senses by now.

Although she was still angry and wanted to tear Jia Zhangshi's fat face off, she was still afraid when she remembered the fierce force of the shovel that had just chopped down.

If it really came down to a fight, her small frame might not be a match for that "earth vat".

"Grandma, you are the elder, you have the final say," Xu Zhao said through gritted teeth.

"Young man of the Jia family," the deaf old lady looked at Jia Dongxu, "come here, stretch your arms and legs, see if there's anything seriously wrong?"

"I...I don't hurt as much anymore..."

Jia Dongxu originally wanted to take the opportunity to extort money from Xu Damao, and he was groaning while clutching his crotch. However, Jia Zhangshi pinched his waist hard, which made him shudder and immediately tell the truth.

"Then let's call it a day."

The deaf old lady slammed her cane down heavily.

"What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket so early in the morning? If someone gets killed, it won't do anyone any good! Remember this, if there's a next time, I'll hand you all over to the authorities!"

"Yes, madam..." the group responded in hushed tones, not daring to utter a sound.

"Alright, all of you, go home! You're always causing us so much trouble!"

Madam Jia felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly helped Jia Dongxu walk home.

Xu Zhaoshi picked up the shovel from the ground and shouted at her own door, "Da Mao! Open the door! You brat, get out here right now!"

"Clang—Squeak—"

The door was opened a crack.

Xu Damao poked his head out, looking around furtively. Seeing that Jia Zhangshi had left, he was about to speak when Xu Zhaoshi pushed him back.

"Mom, I want to go out and play with Brother Zhuzi..."

Xu Damao cried out in grievance.

"What are you playing at!"

Xu Zhao slammed the door shut and picked up the feather duster behind it.

"Because of you, I almost lost my life! If I don't skin you alive today, I'm not a Zhao!"

"Waaaaah—help me!"

Suddenly, a pig-like scream came from inside the Xu family's house, accompanied by the muffled "smack smack" of a feather duster hitting the meat, making everyone in the courtyard tense.

"My dear grandson."

The deaf old lady turned her head and looked at He Yuzhu, who was still lying on the snow, a meaningful smile appearing on her lips.

"Everyone's gone, who are you still lying on the ground pretending for? Come over and help Grandma to your house—Da Mao's yelling is giving me a headache."

"hey-hey."

He Yuzhu chuckled, flipped himself up with a somersault, patted the snow off his body, and quickly walked to the old lady.

He first helped the old lady close the back door, then carefully supported her as they walked towards the central courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, Yi Li was standing at the door, peeking out.

The fight outside was so fierce just now, how could she, an honest person, dare to come out and try to stop it?

Both Jia Zhangshi and Xu Zhaoshi were notorious shrewish women, and she couldn't afford to offend either of them. She was afraid that if she tried to mediate the fight, she would end up being attacked by the two women.

She didn't dare to go out until she saw Jia Zhangshi helping her son leave, and just then she ran into He Yuzhu helping the deaf old lady over.

"Hello, madam." Madam Yi stopped in her tracks and greeted her respectfully.

"Okay." The deaf old lady replied casually, glancing at her before continuing to walk into the inner room.

"Hello, Auntie," He Yuzhu greeted her.

"Hmm, Zhu Zi, how are you too?" Yi Li smiled, watched them go into the house, and then turned and went home herself.

Inside the He family's house.

The deaf old lady walked to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), propped herself up with her hands, and slowly sat on the edge of the kang.

"Lanxiang, has your milk come in yet?" she asked Chen Lanxiang, who was sewing shoe soles.

"Not yet, Grandma." Chen Lanxiang put down her needlework and sighed. "I've been so anxious these past two days that I haven't had any appetite."

"Alas... with all this war and chaos, the Qing Dynasty probably can't find any ewes."

The deaf old lady sighed and tapped her cane.

"When he gets back, ask him if he can find some foreign or Japanese baby formula. It's expensive, but it keeps you full."

"That stuff is very precious," Chen Lanxiang shook her head. "I heard that only very wealthy families give that to their children. The Qing Dynasty didn't have the ability to get it."

"Hmph." The deaf old lady scoffed.

"He must have cooked for the Japanese a lot for Fengzeyuan, right? Those Japanese officers must have some at home. If he couldn't find any, he could have asked his employer—didn't he cook for some commander the day you gave birth?"

"Alright, I'll ask him when I get back tonight." Chen Lanxiang nodded, then frowned. "But Grandma, we can accept the favors from their employers, but the favors from those Japanese devils... we ordinary folks can't afford to owe them, much less repay them."

"Yes!" the deaf old woman said through gritted teeth.

"Those heartless Japanese devils, we can't afford to owe them favors. If we really had to repay them, we'd probably have to pay with our lives. We'd rather not get involved with that kind of bad luck."

"Yes, ma'am."

After finishing her business, the deaf old lady turned her gaze to He Yuzhu, who was fiddling with matches, her eyes revealing a hint of inquiry.

"Zhu Zi, why has Da Mao started hanging out with you these past few days? I remember you two used to be at odds the most, always bickering whenever you met."

That grandson of a bitch...

Ever since the day his mother went into labor, she had felt something was wrong.

He used to be silly, but now his eyes have a clever look, and he's become more organized in his work.

"Hehe," He Yuzhu scratched his head, pretending to be stupid, "If I don't beat him up, he'll naturally play with me."

"So what happened between him and Jia Dongxu today? You seem to be on Da Mao's side?" the deaf old lady pressed.

He Yuzhu then recounted how Jia Dongxu wanted him to teach him boxing that morning, how Xu Damao interfered, and how the two eventually got into a fight, omitting, of course, the details of how he secretly fueled the flames.

"Martial arts?" Chen Lanxiang interjected, looking at her son in surprise. "Who taught you? When did you learn it? How come I didn't know?"

"I just... I just randomly hit it," He Yuzhu said vaguely.

"That's not right." The deaf old woman stared at him sharply. "Don't you usually follow that Jia boy around like a shadow? You wouldn't dare go west if he told you to go east. Why are you suddenly unhappy now?"

"Her mother scolded me yesterday," He Yuzhu said sullenly, lowering his head.

"It's that Zhang Ruhua again!"

The deaf old lady got angry as soon as she heard this and slammed her cane hard against the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).

"Her mouth is really foul! I'll have to give her a good talking to later!"

"That doesn't make sense."

Chen Lanxiang frowned, clearly not believing this reason.

"She's insulted you before, but the next day you were still happily playing with her son, weren't you? Why are you holding a grudge this time?"

"I don't want to be corrupted by him."

He Yuzhu raised his head, his eyes clear.

"He always tries to instigate me to beat up Xu Damao, and he often tries to trick me out of food. I'd rather save that food for my sister."

The deaf old lady's eyes lit up, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.

"Wow! My grandson has really come to his senses! He knows how to care for his little sister now!"

She laughed.

"I was wondering why it looked like you were the one causing trouble in the backyard—otherwise, how could that stupid kid from the Xu family have managed to steal the little chicken from the Jia family's son? That 'monkey stealing peach' trick can't be done without some skill."

He Yuzhu: "..."

Grandma... your eyesight is too sharp!

"And then there was your fake fall," the deaf old woman continued, revealing with a smug look on her face.

"Grandma saw it all clearly. Your fall looked pretty bad, but you're actually perfectly fine. And that snowball—it hit you right on the wrist. Zhu Zi, tell Grandma the truth, did you secretly practice?"

Chen Lanxiang was stunned. She turned to look at her son, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion.

She knew none of this.

"old lady,"

She asked hurriedly.

"Tell me, tell me quickly, what happened? I didn't see anything wrong with it at all!"

The deaf old lady got excited and vividly recounted what she had just seen in the backyard, from He Yuzhu taking sides to faking a fall and then to the precise snowball. She spoke with great enthusiasm, glancing at He Yuzhu every now and then as she spoke.

Chen Lanxiang also watched.

The two women's gazes were like needles piercing He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were invisible.

"Um...you two talk."

He quickly stood up. "I'll go check if the stove is out and prepare lunch."

After saying that, he slipped out of the inner room as if he were fleeing.