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

Old Mrs. Zhang, standing at the entrance of the courtyard, had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, and her eyebrows were furrowed in a knot.

He gripped the jujube wood cane so tightly it creaked, and even as he heard the creaking sound of the door opening from inside, the cane still swung with a strong gust of wind, smashing straight towards the back of the door.

"You little brat! You're really pushing your luck, aren't you? This is never going to end!"

As Jia Zhangshi rubbed her sleepy eyes and opened the door, she assumed it was He Yuzhu and Xu Damao, those two nemesis, playing another prank, and was completely unprepared.

As the cane came crashing down on her head, she was terrified and screamed, "Oh my god!" Her legs went weak, and she landed hard on her bottom on the cold bluestone slab, her buttocks throbbing painfully.

The cane grazed her head, missed its target, and slammed heavily against the door frame, sending splinters flying.

A clear hint of regret flashed across Old Mrs. Zhang's face, and the ruthlessness in her eyes sent a chill down Jia Zhangshi's spine.

Behind the wall next to the door, Xu Damao peered through the cracks in the brickwork, his eyes gleaming. Excitedly, he kept poking He Yuzhu's lower back with his elbow, as if he wanted to punch a hole in He Yuzhu's waist.

He Yuzhu turned around and glared at him fiercely, her brows furrowed so tightly they could trap a mosquito, her eyes clearly saying, "Don't cause trouble."

Xu Damao's smile froze on his face, but he was still up to no good. He raised his chin, blinked at He Yuzhu, and his mouth moved as if to say: There's something interesting going on, come and see, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life!

He Yuzhu ignored him and turned his gaze back to the courtyard gate. He saw that Jia Zhangshi had taken a long time to recover before she finally stood up, trembling, leaning against the wall. Her face instantly lit up with a fawning smile, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were squeezed together, and her tone was so flattering that it could drip honey.

"Grandma, it's you! Why did you come all this way in person? You didn't even tell me beforehand so I could have welcomed you."

"What?" Old Mrs. Zhang didn't even lift her eyelids, her cold tone like a winter's north wind, "Do I, an old lady, have to report to you before stepping across this threshold?"

"No, no, how could I dare?" Madam Jia waved her hands repeatedly, her heart pounding, but she hurriedly explained, "My husband just delivered the rent to you a few days ago, not a penny less, have you forgotten?"

"I'm not here for that pittance of rent, old lady."

Grandma Zhang slammed her jujube wood cane down hard on the bluestone slab, making a dull thud that sent a shiver down Jia Zhangshi's spine.

"I'm here to ask you—is your Jia family no longer planning to rent this house?"

"Huh?" Jia Zhangshi's mind went blank for a while, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Grandma, this house is perfectly fine for us. The doors and windows are all intact. Why wouldn't we want to rent it out? Our whole family depends on this house for shelter from the wind and rain!"

"Heh heh." Old Mrs. Zhang let out a cold laugh, the chill in her laughter penetrating straight to Jia Zhangshi's bones.

What I mean is—I'm not renting this house to your family anymore.

These words struck Jia Zhangshi like a thunderbolt. She instantly panicked, raising her voice eight octaves, slapping her thighs, and shouting at the top of her lungs.

"Grandma, this won't do! We don't owe you any rent, and we haven't upset you. How can you just decide not to rent the house anymore? You've been a neighbor for a long time; you have to be reasonable!"

"Reasonable?" Old Mrs. Zhang narrowed her eyes, the cold light in them almost overflowing, and her cane paused again.

"My courtyard house used to be peaceful and harmonious with my neighbors. But now, a thief with a dirty hand has appeared. Who am I supposed to reason with? If this were the old custom, a thief who steals would have his arms broken and be thrown out to feed the dogs! Old lady, I'm already being very lenient by arguing with you!"

Only then did Jia Zhangshi realize that it was all about stealing eggs!

Her face flushed red and then turned pale, her neck stiffened, and she stubbornly continued to curse at the top of her lungs.

"Which gossipy old hag is spouting nonsense in front of you? It's just a few broken eggs from Old He's family, is it really worth making such a fuss about? I think that person is just idle, and will become a gossip sooner or later!"

"You're allowed to steal, but others aren't allowed to talk about it?"

Grandma Zhang was too lazy to argue with her, so she waved her hand and said in a tone that left no room for argument.

"I'm not going to waste my breath on you. Have Jia Dongxu come to my place tonight, and I'll refund the remaining rent. Tomorrow morning, your whole family is packing their bags and getting out of here, and don't get in my way!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi panicked completely.

In the dead of winter, if they are kicked out of the courtyard house, their family will have nowhere to stay. Are they supposed to sleep on the street and starve?

Ignoring her sore bottom, she plopped back down on the ground, waving her hands wildly and wailing at the top of her lungs. Her cries were heart-wrenching, as if she wanted the whole alley to hear them.

"Grandma! You can't be so heartless! Our whole family, the old and the weak, depend 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, with the wind biting to the bone, can you really bear to watch us freeze to death on the street? Please, have mercy on us, have mercy on us this time!"

She cried with genuine emotion, but not a single tear fell from the corner of her eye. Her dry wailing made He Yuzhu and Xu Damao, who were behind the wall, grimac.

"What's wrong?" Old Mrs. Zhang leaned on her cane, looking down at her with disdain in her eyes.

"Are you planning to cling to me, this old lady?"

She's lived most of her life; what kind of people hasn't she seen?

Jia Zhangshi's tantrums and shameless behavior were child's play in her eyes and had no effect whatsoever.

When Jia Zhangshi realized that crying was useless, she decided to act like a rogue, twisting her neck and shouting at the top of her lungs.

"I only took a few eggs from Old He's family. What's the big deal? That idiot He Yuzhu yelled so loudly that the whole alley knew, making my Dongxu lose face in front of everyone. He can't even afford a decent pair of pants, and everyone points and whispers about me. I can't even wear a cotton-padded coat comfortably! If you ask me, I'll compensate them for the eggs, and He Yuzhu should compensate us for a cotton-padded coat and pants! That's called tit for tat!"

"hehe."

Old Mrs. Zhang was so angry at her words that she laughed, her laughter full of sarcasm, and she pointed at Jia Zhangshi's nose and cursed.

"You, Zhang Ruhua, are really something! You stole from my grandson's house and then turned around and blamed him for making your family lose face? Do you think this is still your Zhang Family Village, where you can run wild and act like a bully? Today I'll see if I can handle you, you heartless slut!"

Before she finished speaking, Old Mrs. Zhang swung her jujube wood cane and struck Jia Zhangshi.

The cane, carrying a strong wind, struck my body with excruciating pain.

Madam Jia screamed in pain, yelling at the top of her lungs, "Murder! The old lady has murdered someone! Help! Someone, please help me!"

As she shouted, she scrambled and rolled on the ground to hide, looking like a chased mouse. Her pathetic appearance amused Xu Damao, who was watching from behind the wall.

Jia Dongxu, who was huddled under the covers in the inner room, was peeking through the crack in the door to watch the commotion when he saw his mother being chased and beaten by Old Mrs. Zhang. He immediately became anxious.

He didn't even bother to put on clothes, he just wrapped himself in a thick quilt and rushed out, throwing himself on Jia Zhangshi, using his back to block the cane, and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Don't hit my mother! Hit me instead! If you have a problem, come at me, don't hit my mother!"

Jia Zhangshi was so overwhelmed by his pressure that she could hardly breathe, and she was so angry that she almost fainted. In her heart, she cursed Jia Dongxu to the point of being a brainless idiot!

The perfectly good new quilt was covered in mud and dust from the bluestone slab after he rolled around on it. Wouldn't it be freezing to wash the quilt?

Doesn't it take a lot of effort to remove the quilt cover?

What will the family cover themselves with tonight after all this demolition? There's only one quilt for each person in the family. This idiot is more of a hindrance than a help!

Seeing that Old Mrs. Zhang was tired from hitting her, He Yuzhu quickly stepped forward to support her and help her catch her breath. He looked coldly at the Jia Zhang family mother and son on the ground, his eyes full of contempt.

This Jia Zhangshi is so clueless! Doesn't she know what era we live in? People are starving and freezing, and everyone is living in fear. How dare she act like she does in Zhangjia Village? Does she really think no one can control her?

Xu Damao, standing behind He Yuzhu, jumped for joy, clapping his hands and cheering, feeling very pleased with himself.

That's wonderful! The old lady has avenged my mother!

I have to have a good talk with my mom when I get home tonight, so she can have a good laugh too!

Old Mrs. Zhang had no patience for Jia Zhangshi and her son's behavior. Her cane continued to strike them mercilessly, the crisp, muffled thuds so loud that even the neighbors at the courtyard gate couldn't help but peek out.

"Ouch! Ouch! That hurts so much!"

"Mother, it hurts! Mother, please save me!"

The cries of pain from the mother and son echoed through the courtyard. Jia Dongxu, with his delicate skin, could hardly withstand such a beating.

She soon found the pain unbearable, released Jia Zhangshi, and rolled away to the side. But this roll caused the quilt wrapped around her to slip off and fall to the ground, revealing that she wasn't even wearing a pair of shorts!

Xu Damao reacted quickly, immediately shouting at the top of his lungs, his voice booming and carrying throughout most of the alley:

"Hey! 'Crotch-Crawling Xu' has now become 'Naked-Butt Xu'! Everyone, come and see!"

Upon hearing this, He Yuzhu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

He truly hadn't expected that Jia Dongxu would be so poor that he didn't even have a pair of pants to cover his shame.

Although the Jia family is struggling financially, it shouldn't be this bad, right?

Upon hearing Xu Damao's shout and being hit by the cold wind in the courtyard, Jia Dongxu instantly felt a chill in his groin, froze on the spot, and was completely bewildered in the wind.

He instinctively shivered, then realized he wasn't wearing any clothes. He panicked completely and no longer cared about the blanket on the ground.

He scrambled and crawled, covering his body, and ran into the house. His disheveled appearance drew laughter from the neighbors who were watching.

"This is truly an eyesore for this old lady."

Grandma Zhang glanced at Jia Dongxu's bony, chicken-like body, frowned in disgust, covered her eyes with her hand, and her disdain was almost palpable.

Jia Zhangshi stopped rolling around and crying for help. She slumped to the ground, her eyes darting around as she plotted something.

Her tactic of throwing a tantrum and acting shamelessly had always worked in Zhangjia Village for many years without fail, but unexpectedly it didn't work in this courtyard today.

What alarmed her even more was that the old lady Zhang was really hitting her, showing no mercy whatsoever. Waves of pain washed over her, reminding her that this old lady was not someone to be trifled with.

But she couldn't just give up like that; if she were really kicked out, her whole family would be truly destitute.

In a flash, she came up with another plan. Her eyes darted around, and she knelt down in He Yuzhu's direction. Her knees hit the bluestone slab with a "thud," making her look extremely sincere.

"Zhu Zi! Good nephew! Please put in a good word for your aunt!" Jia Zhangshi grabbed He Yuzhu's trouser leg, crying with tears streaming down her face, but in reality, she didn't shed a single tear.

"Your family is so wealthy, you don't need a few eggs. Auntie knows she was wrong. Auntie will have your Uncle Jia buy double the number of eggs to compensate your family, okay? Just beg the old lady to forgive us this time. Auntie will remember your kindness for the rest of her life!"

He Yuzhu was completely bewildered by her actions, and stood there stunned, his mind filled with questions.

The old lady wanted to chase her away, but instead of pleading with her, she came at me instead.

He didn't think much of being knelt on; after all, he'd seen this kind of scene many times in the courtyard house.

But Old Mrs. Zhang, standing to the side, wouldn't stand for it. She immediately exploded, pulling He Yuzhu aside and launching into a tirade against Jia Zhangshi, raising her cane once more.

"Zhang Ruhua! You heartless slut! What are you trying to do? Making my grandson kneel before you, are you trying to shorten his lifespan? I'll beat you to death today, you ungrateful wretch!"

This time, Old Mrs. Zhang was truly enraged, and she smashed her cane directly at Jia Zhangshi's head.

The force was clearly all-out; the cane whistled through the air, and it looked like it was about to smash into Jia Zhangshi's forehead.

Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that she screamed "Oh my god!" and collapsed to the ground, trembling like a leaf.

Just then, a pungent, foul smell wafted over. Everyone looked down and saw that a puddle of water had spread on the bluestone slab beneath Jia Zhangshi—she had actually wet her pants on the spot in fright!

Her shout of "murder" was just a bluff, meant to make Old Mrs. Zhang wary and prevent her from actually harming her.

This time, however, she saw it clearly: Old Mrs. Zhang was truly intent on killing her. The ruthlessness in her eyes was not feigned; she was genuinely terrified.

"Waaaah... Grandma, I was wrong... I was really wrong..."

Jia Zhangshi finally burst into tears, this time with genuine fear in her sobs. As she cried, she kowtowed to He Yuzhu.

"Zhu Zi, good nephew, please plead for your aunt... If my family loses their home, people will really die... In the dead of winter, we can't even get a hot meal, how can we survive? Please help your aunt out of consideration for how your brother Dongxu has always taken care of you... Waaah..."

He Yuzhu took two steps back with a look of disgust, helping the old lady Zhang away from the puddle of water, his disdain deepening.

Grandma Zhang glared fiercely at He Yuzhu, her eyes clearly signaling: Don't say a word, or I'll teach her a lesson!

He Yuzhu understood the old lady's look, gave her a simple smile, nodded, and stood obediently to the side without saying anything more.

"Zhang Ruhua," Old Madam Zhang's voice turned cold, like a frozen lake, chilling to the bone. She pointed at Jia Zhangshi with her cane and said each word clearly.

"You don't need to play the victim and beg for mercy in front of my grandson. Just for the moment you knelt down to him, if this were in the Qing Dynasty, for such an act of insubordination, you would not be wrong to drag him out and beat him to death."

The jujube wood cane slammed heavily onto the bluestone slab again, making a dull thud.

"So, tell me, how do you want to resolve this? Are you going to pack your bags and get out now, or obediently accept your punishment?"

Jia Zhangshi was completely terrified and dared not resist in the slightest. She shakily got up from the ground, lowered her head, and dared not look into the eyes of Old Madam Zhang.

Her voice was barely audible: "Grandma... I accept the punishment... You can decide how to punish me, and I'll accept it..."

"it is good."

Grandma Zhang nodded, a cold glint flashing in her eyes, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"You said it yourself, so don't come crying and screaming about being innocent later. Since you've accepted the punishment, from now on, your family's monthly rent will double! The extra amount will be considered as apology money for stealing eggs from my grandson's house!"

The word "good" that Jia Zhangshi was about to say was abruptly cut off. Her face turned deathly pale, and she nearly fainted from holding it in.

Double rent?

Isn't this like tearing flesh from her body?

Their family was already struggling financially, barely scraping together enough money for the monthly rent. Now that the rent has doubled, they won't even have enough to eat in the future!

That extra rent could buy so much flour, eggs, and firewood!

Standing there, Jia Zhangshi felt dizzy and filled with remorse, wishing she could slap herself a few times.

If she had known that stealing a few eggs would cause such a big disaster, she would never have done such a stupid thing!