The entire courtyard is full of villains

Hu Tiehua, who was standing nearby, initially didn't want to get involved, but then she thought, what would happen to her unborn child if Yi Zhonghai really committed a crime? So she forced herself to stand up and tried to pull Yi Zhonghai away. Unexpectedly, Yi Zhonghai was too strong and pulled her down to the ground.

With a "thud," Hu Tiehua rolled to the ground, immediately feeling a sharp pain in her stomach. Having given birth before, she knew this meant she was in labor and had a miscarriage. She quickly cried out, "Ouch... Yi Zhonghai! My stomach..."

Yi Zhonghai finally came to his senses and saw Hu Tiehua lying on the ground groaning in pain. He panicked and, forgetting his anger towards Old Man Yi, quickly squatted down: "Tiehua! Tiehua, what's wrong?"

Hu Tiehua clutched her stomach, wincing in pain: "My stomach hurts terribly, what should I do?"

Yi Zhonghai had never experienced anything like this before, and he was extremely anxious.

"Quick! Get him to the hospital!" Old Yi panicked too—he knew that if Hu Tiehua got into trouble, Yi Zhonghai would definitely fight him to the death, so he quickly kicked Yi Zhonghai: "Go, go, go check if my brother is in the front yard. He has a car, get him to the hospital quickly!"

Yi Zhonghai then realized what was happening and hurriedly ran to the front yard. Just then, Zhang Erhe returned, intending to fetch some things to his father-in-law's house. Before Zhang Erhe could speak, Yi Zhonghai knelt down with a thud: "Uncle Erhe, Tiehua has had a miscarriage attack, her stomach is hurting terribly, please..."

"What are we waiting for? Let's take him to the hospital!" Zhang Erhe didn't ask any more questions, but he was thinking to himself: Let's see if this child is Xu Fugui's.

Inside the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai and his second aunt had already helped Hu Tiehua out. Zhang Erhe got into his car and drove straight to the hospital.

Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctor examined Hu Tiehua and immediately had her led into the obstetrics and gynecology department. Yi Zhonghai paced anxiously back and forth at the entrance, while Zhang Erhe nonchalantly smoked a cigarette.

"Ergouzi, stop shaking me, it's making me dizzy," Zhang Erhe said.

"I'm just worried about Tiehua..." Yi Zhonghai rubbed his hands.

"It's alright, she's had several children already, so even if it's a little early, it shouldn't be a big problem." Zhang Erhe paused, "By the way, why did she have a miscarriage?"

Yi Zhonghai licked his lips, just about to make an excuse, when the delivery room door opened with a "snap." A nurse came out carrying a swaddled baby, looked at the two men in the doorway—one was older, almost like a grandfather, and the other was younger, but judging from his nonchalant expression, he didn't seem like a father either, leaving her somewhat perplexed.

Zhang Erhe noticed her hesitation and nudged Yi Zhonghai: "Ergouzi, what are you standing there for? Hold your own child."

Yi Zhonghai hurriedly stepped forward, and the nurse handed him the baby: "It's born, six pounds eight ounces, it's a boy."

"Son..." Yi Zhonghai was so overwhelmed by the word "son" that he didn't even hear the words "six catties and eight taels".

Zhang Erhe leaned over for a look and muttered to himself: This child was just born, why is his face so long? It's definitely the Xu family's genes.

"I have a son! I have a son!" Yi Zhonghai held the swaddled baby, looking at the child's little face. The more he looked at the child, the more he felt that the baby looked like himself when he was a child. He was so excited that his voice trembled. "Heaven have mercy, I have a son!"

"I know, I know," Zhang Erhe said impatiently.

Unexpectedly, Yi Zhonghai, holding the child, bowed deeply to him: "Uncle Erhe, thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be with Tiehua, and I wouldn't have this child. No matter what happened before, I thank you."

This left Zhang Erhe somewhat at a loss, and he waved his hand without saying a word.

With a bang, the delivery room door opened again, and the doctor wheeled Hu Tiehua out. Hu Tiehua looked weak, but asked anxiously, "Zhonghai, where's our baby?"

“Look, look.” Yi Zhonghai quickly picked up the child and brought her close to her. “Our child is so cute.”

Hu Tiehua looked at the child, her heart sinking slightly—the child's face was indeed longer than other children's. But seeing Yi Zhonghai's happy expression, seemingly unaware of anything, she smiled and nodded in agreement.

Not long after returning to the ward, Old Man Yi arrived with his wife. He had been worried that what happened at dinner might have caused trouble, but seeing that mother and child were safe, he breathed a sigh of relief. However, the more he looked at the child, the more suspicious he became. After a while, he tugged at Zhang Erhe and went outside: "Erhe, why does this child look a bit like Xu Damao, the projectionist in your hospital? Do you think he might have cheated on Er Gouzi?"

“You’re wrong, old brother.” Zhang Erhe grinned mischievously. “It wasn’t Xu Damao who put a hat on Er Gouzi.”

Who is that?

“It’s his father, Xu Damao’s father.”

"Oh!" Old Man Yi suddenly realized, then gloated, "So Er Gouzi is... raising someone else's child?"

"you do not say."

The two men chuckled like foxes who had stolen a chicken. Yi Laonian, deciding to be a good Samaritan, let his wife stay and take care of Hu Tiehua, while the three men took a car back to the courtyard.

Along the way, Yi Zhonghai was so excited he couldn't stop smiling, while Zhang Erhe and Yi Laonian kept exchanging glances, trying hard to suppress their laughter, but Yi Zhonghai didn't notice at all.

As soon as the car reached the alley entrance, Yi Zhonghai couldn't wait to get out and rushed into the courtyard, shouting to everyone he saw, "I have a son! I, Yi Zhonghai, have a son!"

The courtyard wasn't large, so the news spread quickly. Old Mrs. Long and Tan Saihua in the backyard also heard it and exchanged bewildered glances.

Grandma Long asked tentatively, "Saihua, could it be... that there's really no problem with Zhonghai?"

Tan Saihua also began to doubt herself: "Could it be... that there's really something wrong with me?"

Chapter 217 I'm such a good person

Outside the west wing of the central courtyard, Qin Huairu was busy cooking cornmeal porridge when she heard Yi Zhonghai's shouting. Her hands suddenly stopped, and she froze.

If Yi Zhonghai had a son, would he still help her family? There were only four of them, a widow and her two children, in the family. Without Yi Zhonghai's help, could they survive in this courtyard? Especially now that the food rations are so low, life is already tight... The more Qin Huairu thought about it, the more frightened she became, completely forgetting that she was still cooking.

Not long after, a burnt smell wafted over. Jia Zhangshi, who was extremely hungry that afternoon, had drunk a lot of water and fallen asleep. The smell woke her up, and she rubbed her stomach, getting out of bed and shouting, "Qin Huairu, what's burnt?"

"Oh!" Qin Huairu finally came to her senses and hurriedly moved the pot aside, adding some water, but the cornmeal at the bottom of the pot had already turned into clumps.

After finally managing to free herself up, Madam Jia was furious to see the grain she had painstakingly saved being wasted: "Qin Huairu, what are you doing? You're wasting perfectly good grain like this, are you trying to starve your old mother to death?"

Qin Huairu glanced at Jia Zhangshi, quickly pulled her into the house, and whispered, "Mom, Yi Zhonghai has a son."

"What?" Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened. "Yi Zhonghai has a son? When did this happen?"

“Just now,” Qin Huairu said urgently, “there was a fight at his house earlier, and Hu Tiehua seemed to have been pushed and taken to the hospital. I just heard Yi Zhonghai come back and shout that he has a son, and it’s probably Hu Tiehua’s.”

"Something's not right..." Madam Jia fell into deep thought. When Old Jia died, she and Yi Zhonghai had secretly tried many times, but she couldn't conceive. She had always thought Yi Zhonghai was infertile, but she never expected... Could the problem not be him, but herself?

Jia Zhangshi became increasingly angry. Why was it that she had served Yi Zhonghai for so long and hadn't even had a child, while Hu Tiehua had just arrived and was able to give him a son?

"Oh no!" Madam Jia slapped her thigh suddenly, her face pale, and said to Qin Huairu, "Qin Huairu, we're probably going to be abandoned!"

Qin Huairu was somewhat surprised that her mother-in-law, though seemingly a pig, was actually quite perceptive and immediately grasped the crux of the problem.

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's commotion, everyone in the courtyard gathered around. Yi Zhonghai was quite generous this time, handing out cigarettes to everyone—he could finally hold his head high in the courtyard; who would dare secretly whisper that he was a "childless old man" now? "I have a son!"

"Old Yi, did your wife give birth?" Liu Haizhong also came over from behind.

"Yeah, Lao Liu, have a cigarette." Yi Zhonghai handed him the last cigarette in the pack and lit it for him.

"Congratulations." Liu Haizhong took a drag of his cigarette. Perhaps the events at the factory during the day made him feel a sense of kinship with Yi Zhonghai, and his words were more sincere than usual.

"Hey, Lao Liu, when the baby turns one month old..." Yi Zhonghai originally wanted to invite him for a meal, but suddenly remembered that food rations were tight. Instead of wasting money, he thought it would be better to give Tiehua and her baby some extra nutrition, so he changed his mind and said, "I'll get you some candy when the baby turns one month old."

"Okay." Liu Haizhong wanted to say something more, but seeing Yi Zhonghai surrounded by people, he shook his head and went back to the backyard.

After showing off outside, Yi Zhonghai went inside and saw Yi Laonian rummaging through things. "Second Uncle, what are you looking for?"

"Oh, looking for the family tree I brought." Old Yi said listlessly without even looking up.

"Why would you want to find that?"

"What else can we do?" Old Man Yi turned around, his face serious. "Although we don't get along usually, Tiehua is still a member of the Yi family. I was thinking that since you had an heir, I would help you pass on the family genealogy, but I never expected that you would be ruined by that barren Tan Saihua, and you don't even have any descendants, so I put the genealogy away. Now Tiehua has done us proud and continued the bloodline of our Yi family. She is a great contributor to our family. Er Gouzi, you have to treat Tiehua well from now on."

"I know, Second Uncle, I definitely will!" Yi Zhonghai quickly patted his chest and assured him.

"Once I find the family tree, we'll discuss it carefully and give the child a good name."

"That's great!" Yi Zhonghai grinned, not expecting that Old Man Yi was talking about this.

Old Man Yi found the family genealogy, and the two of them huddled together, whispering and studying it for a long time before finally deciding: "This generation is the 'Chuan' generation, so let's call him Yi Chuanzong!"

Zhang Erhe barely managed to suppress his laughter as he drove Yi Zhonghai and Yi Laonian to the alley entrance. The moment they got out of the car, he couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into wild laughter, leaning on the steering wheel—he never expected that Yi Zhonghai, the most cunning man in the compound, would become a father! The child's face shape was clearly the long, slender face inherited from the Xu family, no doubt about it.

When Wu Qian was asked to find Hu Tiehua, he mentioned that she had been impregnated by a projectionist. Later, it turned out that the projectionist was Xu Damao's father, Xu Fugui. This was perfect—a triple win: Yi Zhonghai had a son, Xu Damao had a younger brother, and Xu Fugui wouldn't have to worry about his family line ending. Zhang Erhe was increasingly pleased with himself, thinking he was truly a "great man."

When they arrived at his father-in-law's house, Guan Xue saw his sly look on his face and punched him lightly: "You're so unserious, what's wrong with you?"

Zhang Erhe recounted what had happened in the courtyard, laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight, and ended up sprawled on Guan Xue's lap, giggling. Guan Xue, understanding what was going on, patted him twice on the back. This man was getting naughtier and naughtier.

Three days later, Yi Zhonghai specially ordered a handcart to pick up Hu Tiehua and her son Yi Chuanzong from the hospital. He originally wanted to find Zhang Erhe, but Zhang Erhe was afraid that he would burst out laughing again if he saw him—it had been too difficult to hold back his laughter that day—so he said he was going out to buy some supplies, and Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to find the handcart instead.

It has to be said that Yi Zhonghai's IQ practically plummeted to negative numbers after having a "son." Hu Tiehua tried to reassure him, saying, "The child was premature, but I've had two before, and this pregnancy has been well-nourished, so there's nothing to worry about." He actually believed her, and these past two days at the factory, he couldn't help but laugh out loud. The workers knew how much he had suffered under the stigma of being "childless," so they were all forgiving and didn't say much.

When Yi Zhonghai arrived at the hospital with his cart, Hu Tiehua had already completed the formalities. She was afraid Yi Zhonghai would discover she had a natural birth while completing the paperwork, so she finished early and everything was ready by the time Yi Zhonghai arrived.

Yi Zhonghai picked up his things, and Hu Tiehua carried Yi Chuanzong as they boarded the cart together. Along the way, Yi Zhonghai chatted happily with the cart driver. When they arrived at their destination, he made a point of giving the driver an extra two cents—now that he had a son, he couldn't be as stingy as before; he had to accumulate good fortune for his son.

Just as they were about to enter the courtyard, they saw Xu Damao pushing his bicycle and yawning as he came out. Yi Zhonghai, unusually, took the initiative to greet him: "Damao."

"Oh, Master Yi." Xu Damao was a little surprised. Yi Zhonghai hadn't been very friendly to him before, so why was he making a point of talking to him today? Turning his head and seeing Hu Tiehua holding the child behind him, he immediately understood, "Master Yi, has... had a new addition to the family?"

“Yes,” Yi Zhonghai grinned from ear to ear, “Your Aunt Tiehua gave birth to a big, healthy boy for me!”

Xu Damao, being a man of social standing, immediately cupped his hands and said, "Congratulations, Uncle Yi!" As he spoke, he moved his bicycle closer to Hu Tiehua. A milky fragrance wafted over, making him feel a little envious. "This must be Uncle Yi's son, right? What's his name?"

Yi Zhonghai, who was standing next to him, quickly added, "His name is Yi Chuanzong."

"Hey, brothers who will carry on the family line." Xu Damao reached out and touched the child's little face.

Hu Tiehua, who was standing next to him, felt uneasy, fearing that Yi Zhonghai would notice something. Fortunately, Yi Zhonghai was too happy to notice these details.

Chapter 218 One shout and no one uttered a sound

Xu Damao said a few more words at the door, then pushed his bicycle out the gate. He had borrowed some new film from Xu Fugui yesterday while he was in the countryside, and he had to return it today. He muttered to himself: "That bastard Yi Zhonghai actually has a son! Heaven is truly blind; why doesn't it make him childless? And Zhang Erhe, who's been through the streets, actually introduced a wife to his enemy. Look at that coward."

When they arrived at Xu Fugui's house, Xu Damao's mother was still angry with him. She gave him a hard time and her eyes widened in disapproval. Xu Damao was also annoyed. The father and son exchanged a glance and went outside.

"Dad, I've brought you those rolls of film."

"Okay, you didn't mess it up, did you?" Xu Fugui took the film.

"Of course not, I'm a master craftsman now," Xu Damao said, patting his chest.

"What a disgrace," Xu Fugui said with a laugh.

“Hey Dad,” Xu Damao said, recalling what happened today, “you know what? That bastard Yi Zhonghai has become a father.”

"What?" Xu Fugui panicked, dropping his cigarette without even picking it up. "Da Mao, what did you say?"

“I told you Yi Zhonghai has a son.” Xu Damao was a little surprised, not realizing that his father had this connection with Yi Zhonghai. “It’s the son that widow gave birth to for him last time. It’s really a shame that God is blind.”

Xu Fugui's mouth was slightly open as he cautiously asked, "Have you seen that child?"

"I saw him."

"What does it look like?"

Xu Damao was taken aback for a moment: "Speaking of which, that child looks kind of familiar... He's just a kid, how can you tell if he's good-looking or not?" he said dismissively.

Xu Fugui, on the other hand, was incredibly excited, plotting how he could go and take a look.

“Dad,” Xu Damao suddenly lowered his voice, “that widow had a milky scent on her body after giving birth, it smelled really good.”

Xu Fugui, like a mouse whose tail had been pinched, quickly scolded, "Xu Damao! You have a family now, you're not allowed to mess around outside, especially with that widow Hu, absolutely not!"

"Dad, I was just saying that she smells like milk, which is quite nice."

"You can't even talk about it!" Xu Fugui said seriously, a rare occurrence for him.