Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

She was slender and walked very lightly, as if stepping on cotton, without making a sound.

Sha Zhu's heart was pounding. Thump, thump, thump, as if it were about to burst out of his throat, as if someone were drumming inside.

The person approached.

It was pitch black, and faces were barely visible. The moon hadn't risen yet, and only a few stars shone dimly, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

But that silhouette, that walking posture—

Sha Zhu took a deep breath and called out in the gentlest voice he had ever used.

"Huai Ru".

The figure paused for a moment, then continued walking without a word. The pace didn't stop; in fact, it quickened, as if rushing to be reincarnated.

Sha Zhu rushed forward and pulled the person into his arms.

A warm body pressed against me. Soft, warm, with a hint of soapberry scent, and another indescribable smell.

In that instant, all the blood in Sha Zhu's body rushed to his head. It made him dizzy, it made him dazed, it made him unable to remember anything.

He lowered his head and kissed her.

Jia Zhangshi kept her eyes closed.

She hadn't been hugged like this by a man in many years.

The last time was when her husband was alive. How many years ago was that? So long ago that she had almost forgotten.

This embrace was warm, smelled of sweat, and carried something she had almost forgotten. Like a jar of wine buried for years, suddenly unearthed, its aroma so strong it made her dizzy and unsteady.

She threw herself into it.

A thought flashed through my mind: This person is Li Jianguo.

This thought excited her even more. Her heart was beating faster, her breathing was more rapid, and her body went limp.

In the distance, Jia Dongxu crouched behind the corner of the wall, gripping the stick tightly in his hand.

He stared at the two figures embracing, his eyes reddening. Red like rabbit eyes, as if they were about to bleed, like glowing red-hot coals.

He had been waiting for this moment all day.

To catch someone in adultery.

Let his unruly wife and Li Jianguo be humiliated in front of the entire hospital. Let everyone see that Jia Dongxu is not someone to be trifled with, and make sure he wears that green hat properly.

He waited for them to hug a little longer, for more people to arrive, before rushing out. He wanted everyone to be there, for them to be unable to escape, for as many people as possible.

But seeing that figure being held by his man, he still couldn't suppress the fire within him. That fire burned so intensely that his chest ached, his mind went blank, and he couldn't care less about anything else.

That stinky old woman.

She really dared to cheat on him.

He stood up and rushed over. His footsteps pounded on the ground, thumping like drums.

"You wretched woman, I'll beat you to death!"

Jia Zhangshi's body stiffened.

She suddenly opened her eyes.

The son's voice?

broken.

She was so engrossed and excited that she forgot about the plan.

If this is seen, how can she face anyone? Where will she put her old face? How can she stay in the hospital after this?

Sha Zhu froze.

Brother Dongxu?

He abruptly released his grip and took a step back. He retreated so suddenly that he almost fell, staggering two steps before regaining his balance.

It’s over.

He was caught cheating on his sister-in-law by the real woman; he's done for. He'll be lucky to escape with his life, or at least lose a chunk of flesh.

As Jia Dongxu rushed over, the flashlight beam shone on him.

Liu Haizhong came out of the house wearing a coat, holding a flashlight and waving it in this direction. He had heard some noise outside and came out to see what was going on.

The light shone on the faces of those two people.

Liu Haizhong was stunned.

Foolish Pillar?

and also--

He moved his flashlight down a little.

Jia Zhangshi?

"Silly Zhu? Sister-in-law...you guys?"

His mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg. His jaw was practically drooping off; if it fell to the ground, it would leave a dent.

What kind of situation is this?

Has Jia Zhangshi, who has been a widow for half her life, finally blossomed again?

Only then did Sha Zhu truly realize who he had just hugged.

Under the moonlight, that face was clearly visible.

It's not Qin Huairu.

It was Jia Zhangshi.

That old face, those wrinkles, that droopy corner of the mouth, those cloudy eyes.

Sha Zhu's face turned deathly pale. As white as lime, as a dead man's face, as if he had just crawled out of a coffin.

The next second, he bent over and started dry heaving. He vomited violently, tears streaming down his face, his stomach cramping. His stomach churned violently, and he vomited up everything he had eaten for lunch, vomiting it all over the floor.

Jia Dongxu was also stunned.

Not Qin Huairu?

Is it his mother?

He almost dropped the stick. Holding it up was awkward, putting it down was awkward, so he just held it in mid-air like a fool.

One by one, the lights around us came on.

Footsteps clattered. The thumping and clattering came from all directions, growing louder and louder.

"What happened?"

"What happened?"

"What's all the noise about in the middle of the night?"

Xu Damao came out of the house rubbing his eyes, yawning as he walked, his jaw almost falling off from the yawns. He froze for three seconds when he saw the scene before him.

Then he laughed out loud.

"Silly Pillar?"

He pointed at Sha Zhu, then at Jia Zhangshi. He moved his finger back and forth between the two of them several times.

"I never knew you had such unusual tastes!"

He laughed so hard he bent over, slapped his thighs, and tears streamed down his face.

"I thought you were interested in Qin Huairu, but I never expected..."

He wiped away the tears that had come from laughing; the tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"I'm just not used to it. Aunt Zhang is this age, how could you bring yourself to bite her? You have some really good teeth, you'll bite into anything."

Sha Zhu straightened up, his face flushed red. It was as red as a boiled shrimp, as if it were about to burst into flames, as if someone had splashed a bucket of red paint on his face.

"Xu Damao, I'm going to beat you to death today!"

He rushed over, and Xu Damao turned and ran.

The two chased each other around the yard twice. They kicked over a washbasin, knocked over a broom, and startled the chickens in the coop, causing them to cluck loudly and flap their wings as they flew around.

"That's enough!"

Yi Zhonghai's voice dropped down, like a muffled thunderclap, as if it had struck down from the sky.

He stood at the front of the crowd, his face ashen. Ashen, like rusty copper, like summer clouds, like moldy plaster.

That roar silenced the crowd.

Sha Zhu stopped, panting heavily. Xu Damao also stopped, hiding behind the crowd, revealing half his face, still smiling.

Jia Zhangshi was the first to react.

She plopped down on the ground and burst into tears. She cried so hard, so hard she could gasp for breath, that the whole yard could hear her.

"God, how can I face my dead man?!"

She cried so hard that snot and tears streamed down her face and down her chin.

"I just came out to use the restroom, saw some people here, came over to check, and then... I was..."

She didn't say anything more, she just kept crying. She cried so hard that her whole body trembled, and her shoulders shook as if she were having a seizure.

She looked so wronged, as if she had been utterly wronged. She acted as if she were a victim, innocent, and someone who had been abused.

The gazes of those around Sha Zhu fell upon him, becoming complex. There was disdain, disgust, schadenfreude, and something else indescribable, like looking at a monkey in a zoo.

Sha Zhu wanted to explain.

He opened his mouth, only to find that he had no idea where to begin. His lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word; his tongue felt like it was tied in knots.

"no……"

He murmured.

"That's not how it works..."

But nobody listened to him.

Jia Dongxu came to his senses.

He realized what was happening and continued acting as his mother had instructed. He rushed forward and punched Sha Zhu in the face.

With a loud thud, the fist slammed into his cheekbone, landing squarely.

"I'll beat you to death!"

Sha Zhu didn't dodge.

The first punch landed squarely. It made his head tilt to the side, his vision went black, and he saw stars.

The second punch landed squarely on my lip. It hit the corner of my mouth, and I immediately tasted blood—salty and metallic.

He wanted to fight back, but with so many people watching, he couldn't explain himself clearly. Besides, he was stunned by the beating; his mind was buzzing, blank, and he couldn't remember anything.

Yi Zhonghai tried to pull him up, but Jia Dongxu pulled him along, and he almost fell. He staggered a couple of steps before regaining his balance and grabbing onto a nearby tree to keep from falling.

"Jia Dongxu!"

He roared.

"Isn't it embarrassing enough?"

Jia Dongxu threw two more punches before being pulled away. Even with his arms held, he struggled to rush forward, kicking his feet wildly on the ground.

Sha Zhu's eye socket was bruised, a purplish-blue color, and swollen very high. His lip was cut, and blood seeped out, dripping down to the ground.

Yi Zhonghai, panting heavily, glanced at Sha Zhu, then at Jia Zhangshi, and finally at the onlookers. His head throbbed; his temples throbbed as if they were about to split open.

"Alright."

He sighed, a long sigh, as if he had sighed out all the anger of his entire life.

"Tell me how to resolve this."

Xu Damao chimed in from the side.

"Of course it needs to be resolved. Tsk tsk, this is truly eye-opening. Aunt Zhang is this age, and Sha Zhu is this age, they're from different generations. If word gets out, our compound will be famous."

Yi Zhonghai was so angry he almost twisted his nose.

"Shut up!"

Xu Damao shrank his neck, but still grinned, took two steps back, and continued watching the show. His expression showed he was even more engrossed than watching a major opera; he didn't even want to blink.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. The anger made his chest ache and his throat dry.

"Listen up, everyone. No one is allowed to tell anyone about what happened today."

He scanned the room, his gaze sweeping across each person's face like a knife.

"They both care about their reputation, and so do we, all from the same compound. You don't want to be laughed at, do you? You don't want people gossiping about you behind your backs, do you?"

No one said a word.

That's considered an implicit agreement.

Xu Damao, not wanting to be left out, chimed in with another comment.

"Aunt Zhang, even if you're lusting after men, you can't just touch any one of them, can you? Even if Sha Zhu is a bit slow, he's still decades younger than you. You're like an old cow eating tender grass, you're taking a bit too far, aren't you afraid of hurting your teeth?"

Jia Zhangshi's crying paused for a moment.

Yi Zhonghai nearly vomited blood. His face turned as white with anger, as white as paper.

"Xu Damao, get back inside!"

Xu Damao shrugged and remained silent.

But he didn't leave.

Jia Zhangshi's crying grew louder, even louder than before.

"I've been a widow for half my life, always afraid of being misunderstood and gossiped about. God is trying to force me to my death—"

She cried uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face, her whole body trembling, and she was breathless from sobbing.

"I shouldn't have come out to use the restroom today! Husband, take me with you! What's the point of me living?"

She was about to bang her head against the wall as she spoke.

People nearby quickly pulled her away. Some pulled, some tugged, creating a chaotic mess, like a scene from a play.

Yi Zhonghai rubbed his temples. His temples were throbbing violently, as if they were about to split open, or as if someone was pounding drums inside.

At this moment, Liu Haizhong spoke up.

"Alright, that's enough. It's the middle of the night, stop making a scene. Nothing serious has happened, so let's get this over with. If this keeps up, the whole hospital will be closed tomorrow, everyone with dark circles under their eyes."

Yi Zhonghai glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He turned to Jia Zhangshi, feeling awkward even speaking. It felt like something was stuck in his throat, something he couldn't swallow or spit out.

"Sister-in-law... no matter how you look at it, it's Sha Zhu's fault. Whether you beat him, scold him, or make him pay compensation, it's up to you. As of tonight, this matter is over, and we'll call it even."

Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu quickly exchanged a glance.

His gaze was as fast as lightning, flashing by so quickly that others couldn't even see it.

"Losing money."

Jia Dongxu spoke.

Sha Zhu breathed a sigh of relief.

But upon hearing the number, he gasped again, the shock lingering for a long time.

"five hundred."

A collective gasp filled the air. A hissing, hissing sound, like a swarm of snakes, like someone drawing in air.

Xu Damao couldn't hold back any longer.

"Aunt Zhang, your mouth is really valuable. More valuable than a young virgin. Is it edged with gold or something?"

The scene became very awkward.

Yi Zhonghai glared at Xu Damao, wishing he could gouge out his eyes and stomp on them. Then he looked at Jia Dongxu.

"Don't ask for an exorbitant amount. Don't go too far."