The entire courtyard is full of villains

Although Xu Damao was confused, he still agreed: "Dad, I understand."

"Remember this," Xu Fugui said patiently, knowing that making a big deal out of nothing would arouse suspicion. "Outsiders can mess around all they want, but absolutely no one in the yard can be touched. Even a rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its burrow!"

Xu Damao nodded and didn't ask any more questions, but he felt that his father was making a mountain out of a molehill today.

After Xu Damao left, Xu Fugui was filled with anxiety: Was that child really his? No, he had to go and see. But when he reached the door, he turned back—Hu Tiehua had just given birth and was in her postpartum confinement period; it wouldn't be appropriate for a grown man like him to visit. He decided to wait a while. However, the urge within him grew stronger and stronger. If it really was his son, then he would finally have an heir again after all these years.

Xu Fugui knew his family's difficulties. Giving birth to Xu Damao had been incredibly difficult, and after Xu Damao turned ten, they asked Lou Bancheng to find a descendant of the imperial physician. After drinking medicine for almost a year, they finally had a daughter. Could it be that the medicine really cured him? He muttered to himself.

As soon as Yi Zhonghai returned home, groups of women from the courtyard came to congratulate him. Since they were all from the same compound, they had to maintain appearances; some brought brown sugar, others an egg. In those famine years, these things were incredibly precious, and everyone gritted their teeth to bring them, yet still had to appear generous. Only Jia Zhangshi came empty-handed, but fortunately, Yi Zhonghai was immersed in the joy of becoming a father and didn't mind.

"Oh, this child is really strong." The second aunt in the backyard still had some bruises on her face. Looking at the child in Hu Tiehua's arms, she said, "His face is so fair and clean. He's bound to be successful in the future. He's got the makings of a scholar."

“That’s right, that’s right,” Widow Wang chimed in from the main room. “Look at those small eyes, those small eyebrows…” As she spoke of the face, she thought to herself: Why is this child’s face a little long? But she didn’t say it aloud.

After the women finished watching the commotion and dispersed, Hu Tiehua put the child to sleep, then came out, picked up Yi Zhonghai's teacup, and gulped it down in one go.

"Drink slowly, be careful it's hot," Yi Zhonghai said with concern.

“Zhonghai,” Hu Tiehua put down her cup, “I’m in postpartum confinement now, I can’t just eat cornmeal every day, can I?”

Yi Zhonghai was at a loss. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll go to the black market tonight."

That evening, without Hu Tiehua urging him, Yi Zhonghai, who had just become a father, was already out the door early, as if he were wound up. He went to two black markets in a row before he could barely buy half a chicken at a high price.

Back home, before Hu Tiehua could even speak, Yi Zhonghai apologized: "Tiehua, I'm sorry, I went to the black market twice and only managed to buy this half chicken."

Knowing the current situation, Hu Tiehua quickly comforted him, "Zhonghai, half is fine."

Yi Zhonghai hadn't expected her to be so understanding, and he felt even worse—if Hu Tiehua didn't recover well after childbirth, their son wouldn't have enough breast milk, and the baby wouldn't grow fast. He gritted his teeth, wanting to go out again, but Hu Tiehua stopped him: "Don't go. What if you get caught?" She had finally found someone she could rely on, and she couldn't let anything go wrong, so she suggested, "Why don't you go find Uncle Erhe?"

Yi Zhonghai wondered to himself: Would Zhang Erhe help him?

Hu Tiehua noticed his hesitation: "Take your second uncle with you and ask him to say a few words on your behalf. Be sweet-talking and call him Uncle Erhe a few more times, and maybe he will agree to help."

Yi Zhonghai pondered for half the night, but ultimately his son's matter prevailed. Early the next morning, he pulled Yi Laonian aside and found Zhang Erhe, whispering, "Uncle Erhe, could you... do me a favor?"

"What's up?" Zhang Erhe raised an eyebrow.

"As you know, Tiehua is currently in her postpartum period, but these days outside... it's difficult to even buy an egg, let alone a chicken." Yi Zhonghai lowered his tone, "Uncle Erhe, you have a wide network of connections and a lot of influence, could you help me buy some nourishing things so that Tiehua can have a proper postpartum recovery?"

Zhang Erhe deliberately feigned difficulty. Yi Laonian, who was standing next to him, quickly stepped forward and gave him a wink: "Good brother, please help us this time. Er Gouzi's child will have to call you grandpa in the future."

Zhang Erhe still hesitated. Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and knelt down with a "thud": "Uncle Erhe, I know I offended you before, but Tiehua and the child..."

"Alright, alright." Zhang Erhe hadn't expected him to kneel down. This Yi Zhonghai was really willing to go all out for the child, so he went along with it. "Get up. Uncle agrees to this."

"Really?" Yi Zhonghai's face lit up with surprise.

"I only agreed because of my good brother and the child." Zhang Erhe changed the subject, "But Er Gouzi, let me make this clear from the start, you know what the situation is like these days, the stuff definitely won't be cheap."

"Don't worry, Uncle Erhe!" Yi Zhonghai quickly pulled out ten "big black ten" bills from his pocket. "You can use this 100 yuan to buy things first, and I'll make up the difference if it's not enough!"

"Alright," Zhang Erhe cautioned, "but I'm warning you now, if you dare to tell anyone about this, you'll be in big trouble!"

"Don't worry, only our family knows!" Yi Zhonghai assured him, patting his chest.

Zhang Erhe returned to his office, a cold smile playing on his lips: Want to give Hu Tiehua some extra nutrition? Fine, he'll "give her a good boost." He rummaged through his storage space, finding two large, hormone-fed chickens, and also two cans of formula for breastfeeding adults and two cans of infant formula—all from a major Hebei factory before 08. He'd make sure they drank it all without a sound!

Midnight later, Zhang Erhe delivered the goods to Yi Zhonghai's house, handing them over and saying, "There's no other way, I only managed to get two chickens, imported ones, bigger than the ones we have here. Be careful when you cook them."

Yi Zhonghai stared at the two skinned, large white chickens, his mouth agape: "Uncle Erhe, these chickens are so big, they must have cost a lot of money, right?"

“It’s imported, five yuan a pound, so these two will cost 150.” Zhang Erhe pointed to the milk powder. “These two cans are for Tiehua, and those two cans are for the children. Four cans will cost 200.”

"Ah! So expensive!" Yi Zhonghai clicked his tongue, and Hu Tiehua next to him quickly nudged him. Yi Zhonghai instantly realized, "Uncle Erhe, wait for me, I'll go get the money right away!"

"Alright, no rush." ​​Zhang Erhe said, but he stood still until Yi Zhonghai handed him the money, then he turned and left.

As soon as Zhang Erhe left, Hu Tiehua punched Yi Zhonghai: "Are you worried about the money?"

"No, no..." Yi Zhonghai protested.

“Let me tell you,” Hu Tiehua lowered her voice, “Uncle Erhe only helped us because of his own father. With these things, the child will definitely grow up strong, and you can expect to enjoy a life of luxury from now on!”

Yi Zhonghai thought about it and agreed, then carefully put the things away.

Chapter 219 Why can't you control yourself?

Xu Damao's wife, Liu Suying, also went to the Yi family today. But the moment she saw the child, her heart skipped a beat—the child looked exactly like a miniature version of Xu Damao, especially his eyebrows and eyes, they were practically identical.

She glanced at Hu Tiehua, then at herself. Both of them were the type with large breasts and shapely buttocks, the type Xu Damao had always liked. But he was too bold. Hu Tiehua not only lived in the same courtyard, but was also his elder in terms of seniority. How dare he touch her? Liu Suying didn't dare to make a sound, keeping her doubts to herself.

That evening, she prepared dinner, served Xu Damao, washed his feet, and coaxed the little girl to sleep before going into the inner room. Xu Damao was lying in bed when he saw her come in. He licked his lips and patted the bed: "Suying, come quickly."

Liu Suying leaned closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Xu Damao's hands started to wander, but she unusually brushed them away and said seriously, "Damao, let's talk about something important."

"What important matter is it?" Xu Damao asked impatiently. "Nothing could be more important than us having a son?"

Liu Suying sat up straight: "Da Mao, you're too bold."

"What? How did I get so bold?" Xu Damao looked completely bewildered.

“Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their burrows, so why would you…” Liu Suying said earnestly.

"Liu Suying, what nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever eat the grass next to my own nest? Explain yourself clearly!" Xu Damao was annoyed.

Liu Suying gritted her teeth: "Isn't Master Yi's wife from the Intermediate People's Court pretty?"

"Beautiful!" Xu Damao blurted out, then quickly added, "But compared to you, it's still a level below."

"Da Mao," Liu Suying glared at him, "Judging by the timeline, your affair might have happened before mine. I don't blame you, but you have to promise me you'll break up with her from now on. If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet."

"What's broken? What are you talking about?" Xu Damao was even more confused.

"What I mean is, you should stop getting involved with Hu Tiehua," Liu Suying said in a deep voice. "You've already cheated on Master Yi, and now you even have a child. Haven't you thought about what will happen to the child when he grows up?"

"Wait a minute," Xu Damao suddenly jumped out of bed, "You mean, I slept with Yi Zhonghai's wife?"

"correct."

"Hey, how can you say that?" Xu Damao asked, looking puzzled.

"You're still lying to me?" Liu Suying glared at him. Although, chronologically speaking, their affair might have happened first, she still felt a pang of jealousy. "You two even have a son..."

"What? You already have a son?" Xu Damao jumped out of bed. If he had really slept with Hu Tiehua, that would be one thing, but he really didn't do it.

"Look at you, you still won't admit it. That child clearly looks just like you..."

"Wait!" Xu Damao suddenly froze, then tentatively asked, "You mean, Yi Zhonghai looks like me?"

“What do you mean by ‘similar’? It’s clearly a carbon copy of you!” Liu Suying emphasized. “Look at those eyebrows, those eyes, and that face shape. Several women in the courtyard are whispering about it.”

Xu Damao was completely dumbfounded. He admitted that he had been interested in Hu Tiehua before, but before he could make a move, Hu Tiehua became pregnant. Even if he was incompetent, he would not make a move on a pregnant woman. Later, he met Liu Suying in the countryside. She was young, sensible, and more to his liking than Hu Tiehua. They had only been married for a short time, and he was already infatuated with Liu Suying's body. How could he have the energy to look for someone else?

Seeing his bewildered look, Liu Suying was still worried: "Da Mao, why don't we talk to Dad and ask someone to help us move to another courtyard? After all, if we live in the same courtyard for too long, Master Yi will definitely find out. What will we do then?"

Xu Damao didn't hear what she said after that; he only caught the words "finding Dad." Without saying a word, he put on his clothes, went out for a while, and came back with a small photo album. He turned to the last page—it showed a woman in coarse cloth holding a child.

“Suying, come here,” Xu Damao pointed to the photo, “Look at Yi Zhonghai’s son, doesn’t he look a lot like the child this woman is holding?”

Liu Suying leaned closer, examined the photo carefully, and then thought about the child she had seen that afternoon. She nodded vigorously: "Yes, almost identical! Da Mao, who is the woman in this photo? And who is the child? Your other lover?"

"What nonsense about a lover, this is my mother, your mother-in-law, and the one she's holding is me."

Liu Suying immediately covered her mouth.

“But I really didn’t sleep with Yi Zhonghai’s wife, and that child isn’t mine either.” Xu Damao rubbed his head irritably. “The one who slept with Yi Zhonghai’s wife was my father, your father-in-law Xu Fugui!”

"Huh?" Liu Suying's eyes widened. "Our...our dad?"

"No wonder!" Xu Damao said bitterly. "He even lectured me before about not eating the grass near my nest, but it turns out he himself was having an affair with Hu Tiehua! He still has the nerve to say that I can't control my lower body, but how come he can't control himself? He even sent this woman to Yi Zhonghai's side, is he treating him like a fool!"

Xu Damao grew angrier as he spoke, slamming his fist on the edge of the bed: "Fine, very well indeed!"

Liu Suying sat on the bed, her face filled with shock, still unable to believe it. But Xu Damao had no reason to lie. Seeing his furious expression, she leaned over and wrapped her arms around his neck: "Damao, what do we do about this?"

"What else can we do?" Xu Damao said angrily. "I'm going to find Xu Fugui tomorrow morning. If he doesn't clean up this mess, we probably won't be able to live in this yard anymore!"

The couple remained silent all night. The next morning, Xu Damao asked someone from the next courtyard to ask for leave from work on his behalf, and then rode his bicycle to the movie theater—he had been holding this in all night and was really feeling uneasy.

Upon arriving at the cinema, the security guard, seeing it was him, let him in without requiring registration. Xu Damao, familiar with the place, parked his bicycle in the shed, went straight to Xu Fugui's screening room, pushed open the door, and found no one inside. He pulled up a chair and sat down to wait.

It was almost eight o'clock when Xu Fugui finally strolled into the movie theater.

"Master Xu," the gatekeeper called out to him, "your son came early this morning, and he doesn't look well. He might have gotten into trouble again."

"Thank you, Lao Wang." Xu Fugui took out half a pack of cigarettes from his pocket—the one his boss had given him the day before yesterday when he showed a movie to him—and handed it over. "It's just half a pack, don't mind it."

"I'm so sorry," the gatekeeper said with a smile.

Xu Fugui entered the projection room, ignoring Xu Damao, and started packing his things. Xu Damao, holding his anger, remained silent. After Xu Fugui finished packing, he sat down opposite him, lit a cigarette, and slowly said, "So, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?"

Seeing Xu Fugui's appearance, Xu Damao laughed instead: "I didn't cause any trouble."

"If you haven't caused any trouble, what are you doing here so early in the morning? Borrowing film? Need money?" Xu Fugui raised an eyebrow.

"Neither," Xu Damao said through gritted teeth.

"Oh," Xu Fugui said with interest, "You've neither caused any trouble nor are you short of money, which makes me nervous. You never come here unless you need something."

"You should have been terrified long ago." Xu Damao stood up, went behind the table, and whispered in Xu Fugui's ear, "Dad, is Hu Tiehua fun?"

Xu Fugui was smoking when his hand suddenly trembled, and the cigarette fell to the ground. He stared blankly for a while before licking his lips, his voice tight: "Da Mao, what nonsense are you spouting? What iron flowers and silver flowers..."

"Dad, you're not giving up until you're completely convinced!" Xu Damao said, both angry and anxious. "Hu Tiehua is Yi Zhonghai's wife! How dare you! You slept with her and then tried to force her onto Yi Zhonghai. Are you treating her like a fool?"

Xu Fugui bit his lower lip, his face pale: "Who told you this nonsense?"

"Who told me this nonsense?" Xu Damao sneered. "Dad, let me tell you something else—Hu Tiehua is pregnant. He gave Yi Zhonghai a son, a boy. Yi Zhonghai is ecstatic these days, but what if he finds out in a while that the child looks like me... oops, no, I mean, like you? What do you think he'll do then?"

With a "snap," Xu Fugui slumped into a chair as if his bones had been removed, still trying to hold on: "Da Mao, don't... don't talk nonsense..."

"Am I talking nonsense?" Xu Damao said in anguish, returning Xu Fugui's previous admonitions verbatim, "You said it yourself, a man should be able to control his lower body, so why can't you control yourself?"

Chapter 220 Cannot Save a Lifetime

The office fell silent. After a long while, Xu Fugui forced himself to speak and asked with a bitter expression, "Da Mao, how did you find out?"

"How did I find out?" Xu Damao said angrily. "Your good daughter-in-law went to Yi Zhonghai's house to see the child, and when she came back, she was yelling at me, saying that the child looked like me, and she even thought I was having an affair with Hu Tiehua! I dug out our old family photos, and only then did she believe me. Dad, couldn't you have found someone a little further away?"

“Da Mao,” Xu Fugui slapped his forehead, “Do you believe me when I tell you this? Hu Tiehua did have a relationship with me, but later she claimed she was pregnant with my child. I thought she was trying to blackmail me, so I avoided her. Who knew that Zhang Erhe would bring her into the courtyard to deal with Yi Zhonghai.”

He paused, then continued, "Last time you came home and mentioned this, I rode your bicycle out, saying I was going to the movies, but actually I wanted to go back to your compound to find her and get to the bottom of things, but she wouldn't talk to me. I thought she was pregnant with someone else's child, but I never imagined..." He slapped his forehead hard, "How could she really be pregnant with my child, and even give birth?"