The entire courtyard is full of villains

Just then, the door to the west wing opened, and Guan Xue, heavily pregnant, came out: "Erhe, is this the ticket?"

"Yes, it's the one that Director Li gave us."

Yi Laonian, standing nearby, was dumbfounded—this fairy-like woman was his good brother's wife?

“Come here, Guan Xue, let me introduce you,” Zhang Erhe pulled Guan Xue over, “This is my sworn brother, you can just call him ‘Brother Yi’.”

"Brother Yi." Guan Xue nodded and greeted him softly.

Old Man Yi snapped out of his daze and slapped Yi Zhonghai across the face: "What are you standing there for? Go and take the tickets from your aunt! Can't you see she's pregnant and it's inconvenient for her?"

Yi Zhonghai, head drooping, moved closer to Guan Xue and reached out to take the ticket.

"Smack!" I got hit on the back again.

"You ill-mannered child! Is this how you receive something from an elder? With both hands!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai suppressed his discomfort and respectfully accepted the ticket from Guan Xue with both hands, squeezing out a few words through gritted teeth:

"Thank you... thank you, Auntie."

Guan Xue pursed her lips and smiled softly.

Clutching the ticket, Yi Zhonghai turned and fled into the central courtyard. This stunt today will surely be the talk of the entire factory tomorrow—he's really lost face big time!

He gritted his teeth and cursed inwardly:

Zhang Erhe, you'll die a horrible death!

Chapter 157 Uncle is an experienced man

Yi Zhonghai now regretted bringing his two apprentices to the courtyard. He turned around, looked at his two apprentices who were constantly shrugging their shoulders, and said irritably, "Standing there like statues! Come with me." After saying that, he went straight into the next room, tidied up the things inside, and built a bed out of old bricks. Since they weren't going to stay long anyway, Yi Zhonghai thought for a moment and simply built a single bed. He would have Tan Saihua stay with the deaf old lady in the backyard for the time being to avoid any further conflict between the two sides.

Just as Yi Zhonghai finished moving everything and was about to go next door to pack up his bedding, Yi Laonian stood at the door and asked, "Er Gouzi, is this all done?"

"Well, all right."

Old Man Yi walked in, glanced at it a few times, and then frowned: "That's it?"

“Yeah, Uncle, you’re not staying here permanently anyway.”

"Well, Er Gouzi!" Old Yi jumped up suddenly. "So you never intended for us to stay long, huh? You just want to get rid of us like this?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt a headache coming on again and quickly lowered his voice, saying, "Uncle, that's really not what I meant."

“What do you mean, Er Gouzi? Did you get stirred up by that… barren hen? Let me tell you, we’re not on the same page! I came here hoping you could help our family continue its lineage. If you can’t do this, I’m not leaving! I just asked my good brother, and he patted his chest and promised to take care of things at the neighborhood committee.”

Yi Zhonghai was dumbfounded.

—That son of a bitch Zhang Erhe, he really can't stand to see him doing well!

Seeing Yi Zhonghai standing there speechless, Yi Laonian turned and shouted towards the east wing, "Ergouzi's aunt! Hurry up and help Ergouzi pack some bedding! Honestly, we've kept this old hen for decades, and it hasn't laid a single egg, yet it's always running off to other people's houses. It's a good thing she's a woman with bound feet, otherwise I'd think Ergouzi was being cuckolded! What's the point of keeping such a barren hen? It's only because Ergouzi is kind-hearted that he's been kicked out long ago!"

Tan Saihua was being persuaded by the deaf old woman and was about to come over to help Yi Zhonghai tidy up when she heard these words as soon as she reached the middle courtyard. She immediately covered her face, turned around, and ran back to the backyard.

Old Man Yi raised an eyebrow at Yi Zhonghai with a smug look: "See? This kind of barren hen needs to be dealt with like this! Make her too ashamed to stay in our Yi family. What a piece of trash!"

The next morning, Yi Zhonghai was still fast asleep when the door was suddenly pushed open with a bang.

Yi Laonian walked in from outside the gate: "Er Gouzi! Er Gouzi!"

"What's wrong, Uncle? Didn't I give you money last night so you could have breakfast at the alley entrance this morning?"

"Er Gouzi, it's not about that," Yi Laonian waved his hand. "I went to see my good brother again this morning. He's a leader, he has connections, and I wanted him to take me to buy a rickshaw. He agreed, so let's go!"

"Huh? Buy it today?" Yi Zhonghai was dumbfounded. He originally planned to get the tickets first and then return them to Zhang Erhe after Yi Laonian left. Who knew that Zhang Erhe, that bastard, would take revenge so quickly and had instigate Yi Laonian to squander his money early in the morning.

"What's wrong, Er Gouzi?" Old Yi glared at him. "You don't agree?"

"No, no! I... I was still half asleep. Uncle, please wait a moment, I'll wash my face and leave."

"Row."

When Yi Zhonghai finished tidying up and reached the front door, he saw Zhang Erhe, whom he hated with a passion, sitting on the threshold with Yi Laonian, smoking. The two were chatting and laughing, addressing each other as "old brother" and "good brother." Seeing him come out, Zhang Erhe turned his head:

"Er Gouzi, all dressed up? You look quite presentable. My older brother just told me to find some matchmakers to introduce you to a few widows. As your uncle, I have to give you some advice—I've been through this myself, and I can't let you go astray."

"Tomorrow you go to the neighborhood committee and get a divorce certificate from that barren Tan Saihua. Uncle will find you some, guaranteed to be big-assed and fertile! See Jia Zhangshi in our neighborhood? Her ass is definitely bigger than hers!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Laonian quickly chimed in, "Good brother, what's far away isn't as good as what's readily available. How about... we arrange for Jia Zhangshi from the courtyard to marry our nephew?"

"No way!" Zhang Erhe waved his hand dismissively. "No matter what, Jia Zhangshi is my cousin within five degrees of kinship, and Er Gouzi is my nephew. If he marries Jia Zhangshi, wouldn't the generations be all messed up?"

"Oh, oh, that can't be done randomly." Old Man Yi quickly waved his hand, "We need to find someone of the same generation for Er Gouzi."

Zhang Erhe patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, good brother! Once our nephew gets his divorce certificate, you can see what I'll do. We can't let our own family suffer!"

"Zhang..." Yi Zhonghai was about to call Zhang Erhe's name when he caught a glimpse of Yi Laonian's menacing gaze and quickly changed his words: "Uncle Erhe, really, there's no need... Saihua and I have been husband and wife for many years, through thick and thin, even though we don't have children..."

"You've been through thick and thin with him for decades, and how many years has our Yi family line been flourishing? Huh?" Before he could finish speaking, Old Man Yi slapped Yi Zhonghai across the face. "What, now that it's your generation's turn to continue the family line, you're making excuses and playing the 'deep love between husband and wife' card with me? Fine, Er Gouzi, if that's how you're going to put it, then give back your elder brother and nephew's lives! I'll make them carry on the Yi family line!"

"Second Uncle, they're all gone, I..."

"Shut up! If you can't do it, then listen to me!" Yi Laonian turned his head and said to Zhang Erhe, "Good brother, I've taken charge of this! Tomorrow I'll talk to the leaders of the street office—this good-for-nothing who doesn't lay eggs and loses money has committed seven grounds for divorce, how dare he still have the nerve to stay at our Yi family's house?"

"Uncle! Uncle!" Seeing Yi Laonian jumping around at the gate, and several neighbors already gathering to watch the commotion, Yi Zhonghai quickly interrupted, "Uncle Erhe, why don't we go to the department store to buy bicycles first! We can talk about the divorce later."

Zhang Erhe caught sight of Jia Zhangshi walking out of the courtyard, so he deliberately raised his voice, walked over, and patted Yi Zhonghai's shoulder forcefully: "Alright, Er Gouzi! I've got your deal, leave it to me! I know exactly which widows are fertile. As long as you get your divorce certificate by the morning, I'll bring them home tonight—no, this afternoon—so you can check them out one by one! With me and my good brother and I vetting them for you, you'll never run into someone like Tan Saihua... who can't lay eggs!"

He leaned closer, pretending to lower his voice: "You're still young. Uncle will get you some more old-fashioned liquor later to help you recover. Maybe by this time next year, my dear brother will be able to hold his grandson!"

Standing to the side, Old Yi nodded repeatedly: "Yeah! Er Gouzi, look at my good brother, what a guy he is! You even tripped him up before... but he didn't hold it against you at all, and even did his best to help you! You're really biting the hand that feeds you, not recognizing a good heart!"

"Hey, big brother," Zhang Erhe waved his hand in a show of magnanimity, "Er Gouzi is, after all, our junior. As elders, how could we not want the younger generation to do well?"

"That's right, that's right!" Old Man Yi nodded repeatedly. "Good brother, shall we... leave now?"

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Zhang Erhe led the way out, followed by Yi Laonian and Yi Zhonghai, who looked dejected and ashen-faced.

As soon as they left, Jia Zhangshi emerged from the corner of the wall, her eyes shining, and turned to run into the courtyard.

—Tan Saihua used to take advantage of her "old lady" status to give her the cold shoulder a lot. Now look what happened! What kind of "old lady" is she? She can't even keep her man anymore!

She had to let the whole hospital know as soon as possible: what's so great about a hen that doesn't lay eggs!

Chapter 158 Second Brother, Don't Worry

Yi Zhonghai arrived at the department store with bated breath, fearing that Zhang Erhe would cause trouble again. But this time, apart from making Yi Zhonghai pay for a bicycle for Yi Laonian and buying each of the elderly couple a new set of clothes, Zhang Erhe didn't cause any more trouble. Yi Zhonghai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After leaving the department store and going to the police station to get the official seal, it was already noon. As soon as the group returned to the courtyard house, they saw Yi Zhonghai's wife, Tan Saihua, sitting disheveled in front of their door, while Yi Laonian's wife was jumping up and down, cursing loudly:

"You barren old hen! You married into the Yi family and never served my poor brother and sister-in-law, never offered them a stick of incense or burned a piece of paper, you only serve outsiders every day! I could tolerate that... But you shouldn't have done that, you caused the Yi family line to end! Let me tell you, you have committed a great sin and you will be punished!"

She cursed more and more fiercely, spewing out a torrent of foul language, leaving everyone in the courtyard dumbfounded—good heavens, even Jia Zhangshi would have to admit defeat when it came to cursing.

Meanwhile, Jia Zhangshi was completely absorbed, listening intently and diligently memorizing the lines. This was a golden opportunity for her to catch up on her lessons...

Tan Saihua just kept her head down, occasionally sobbing.

"okay!"

The deaf old woman, leaning on her cane, came out from behind, glaring fiercely at Yi Laonian's husband. Startled by her glare, the man shrank back, then turned and saw his husband had returned, immediately regaining his courage.

"Old man! This...this woman yelled at me!"

Yi Laonian's expression was also unfriendly. He pushed his bicycle to the ground and said, "You're that... lonely old lady who's used to being served by this barren man, right?"

The deaf old woman's face darkened: "This brother..."

"Hey, don't call me brother. Look at your bound feet, you must have been a rich family's daughter in your younger days, right?" Old Yi scoffed. "Our Yi family has been peasants for eight generations, we wouldn't dare to associate with someone like you. If you're so polite, call me Old Yi; if you don't feel comfortable, just call me Old Yi!"

The deaf old woman paused for a moment, taken aback, before saying, "Old Nian, there's probably a misunderstanding about Zhonghai and Saihua's matter..."

"Misunderstanding?" Old Man Yi retorted directly, "You're an educated man, you know proper etiquette, you should know that women should follow the three obediences and four virtues. Tan Saihua is occupying the position but not laying any eggs, dragging my Er Gouzi down for most of his life. If she had any conscience, she should have stepped down long ago so my nephew could take a concubine to continue the family line! Now that Er Gouzi is this old, the government won't allow him to take a concubine anymore, so what's wrong with my wife scolding her a few times? -- She deserves it!"

“Old Nian, that’s not how it works.” The deaf old lady softened her tone. “Zhonghai and Saihua have been through thick and thin together for so many years. It’s not right for you to suddenly separate them, is it?”

"Anyway, I don't care!" Old Master Yi retorted, "I only have one thing to say: the Yi family cannot be cut off! Now that we've laid this out on the table, I'll just say it here—this Tan Saihua, the Yi family doesn't want her anymore! If you think she serves you well, then take her back and make her your maid!"

"Old man..." The deaf old lady wanted to persuade her further, but Tan Saihua suddenly stood up:

"Grandma, since the Yi family can't accept me... then I'll go serve you!" She turned her head and glared fiercely at Yi Laonian. "Since you think I can't lay eggs, fine! Tomorrow, Yi Zhonghai will come with me to the neighborhood committee office!"

"Alright!" Old Man Yi quickly gave Yi Zhonghai a push, "Hurry up and agree!"

“Saihua, I…”

"Alright, Yi Zhonghai, stop pretending!" Tan Saihua interrupted him. "Since Jia Zhangshi has already said that you're lusting after the widow... then I don't need to cling to you anymore. Go find whoever you want!"

“Saihua, I really didn’t mean that…” Yi Zhonghai stamped his feet anxiously.

Tan Saihua, however, walked straight to the east wing.

"What are you doing?" Old Yi asked warily.

"Don't worry," Tang Saihua glared at him, "I'll only take my own clothes and bedding, I won't touch a single thread from your house."

"Okay! It's a deal!" Old Man Yi quickly called to his wife, "Go and keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn't take too much!"

A moment later, Tan Saihua came out carrying a bundle. The deaf old lady gave Zhang Erhe a cold look, leaning on her cane, and said, "Saihua, come back with me."

“Saihua…” Yi Zhonghai took a few steps forward, but was stopped by Yi Laonian with a slap:

"Er Gouzi, why are you still chasing after her? Now's the perfect time to get rid of her completely! Tomorrow, as soon as we get the divorce certificate, we'll arrange blind dates for you, and we'll definitely find you a good one!"

Yi Zhonghai felt a pang of sorrow—after all, he had spent so many years with Tan Saihua; even plants and trees have feelings, let alone people. But when he turned his head, he heard Yi Laonian whispering to Zhang Erhe, instructing him to find him a few widows who were "good at bearing children," and a thought suddenly struck him…

If I could really have a biological son, why would I need to scheme and weigh things in the future?

In the backyard, in Old Mrs. Long's room, Tan Saihua had calmed down a bit. Old Mrs. Long glanced at her and asked with some concern:

"Saihua, are you really going to leave Zhonghai?"

"I really want a divorce, ma'am. But after the divorce, I'm afraid I'll have to make do with staying with you for a while... You won't mind, will you?"

“No, I’m actually missing a companion,” Old Mrs. Long sighed. “But Saihua, you two just got divorced like that…”

“Grandma, you're a discerning person. If Zhonghai had been more resolute today, I wouldn't have had to take this step. But the way he acted, sigh…”

After a long silence in the room, Old Mrs. Long finally asked softly:

"Saihua, all these years with Zhonghai... who exactly is infertile?"

Tan Saihua's face was gloomy, and she said in a low voice, "I went to the hospital for a check-up, and the doctor said... it's my problem."