The entire courtyard is full of villains

Outside the ward, Wu Qian looked at Qiqige and asked in a deep voice, "What's wrong, Fourth Brother's wife?"

"Third Brother, I went to visit Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law yesterday. When I came out, I heard people gossiping in their yard." Qiqige paused here, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

Wu Qian frowned. "Fourth brother's wife, what are they saying? Is it about second brother's family?"

“Some women in the courtyard were talking about how my second brother probably wouldn’t wake up… They thought his wife’s family would take over his house.”

"Hmph!" Wu Qian sneered. "I knew there weren't many easy targets in that courtyard. It seems Yan Bugui's lesson wasn't enough to scare them? They actually dare to meddle? What right do they have to interfere in my second brother's affairs? Anyone who dares to covet this house, I'll make them wish they were dead!"

He suppressed his anger and said to Qiqige, "Alright, I understand. I'll discuss it with the boss later and take some men to the yard."

Qiqige nodded, wanting to say something more, when suddenly Ma Yunduo's joyful shout came from the ward: "Mom! Mom! Uncle seems to have woken up!"

Qiqige was stunned at first, but Wu Qian next to her had already pushed open the door and rushed in.

In the ward, Zhang Erhe was stroking Ma Yunduo's little head. When he saw him come in, a faint smile appeared on his lips, and his voice was still a little hoarse: "Qian'er."

"Second Brother!" Wu Qian rushed forward, grabbing Zhang Erhe's arm tightly, his voice choked with emotion, "You're finally awake!"

Chapter 187 I Guarantee You'll Regret It

Sun Xiangdong rushed down the corridor, drenched in sweat. As soon as he entered, he saw Wu Qian standing guard outside the ward. Without asking any questions, he peered through the window—several doctors were busily tending to the bedside. Sun Xiangdong's heart sank. As he approached, his throat tightened, and he managed to squeeze out, "Third brother, your second brother…"

Before he could finish his question, Guan Xue rushed over. She had a headscarf wrapped around her head and staggered into the corridor. When she heard Sun Xiangdong's half-finished question, her legs went weak, and she quickly grabbed the doorknob to steady herself.

Wu Qian was stunned when he saw this: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"

"Didn't you send someone to tell me that my second brother was in trouble at the hospital? As soon as I heard that, I skipped work and rushed back..."

Wu Qian slapped his forehead, realizing he'd made a huge misunderstanding, and quickly explained, "No! I think the person I asked to deliver the message might have made a mistake—Second Brother has woken up!"

"What? Your second brother is awake?" Sun Xiangdong suddenly leaned over.

"Yes! I woke up this morning!"

"Who is the doctor inside...?"

"The doctor said that my second brother's condition is rare and needs to be examined carefully to prevent any long-term effects," Wu Qian explained.

Sun Xiangdong then loosened his grip and let out a long sigh of relief.

After a while, the ward door was pushed open, and several doctors came out. Sun Xiangdong rushed forward, asking, "Doctor, is my brother alright?"

Seeing his anxious expression, the doctor quickly reassured him: "We have examined him carefully. Apart from not eating for a long time and being a little weak, all of the patient's indicators are normal. Don't worry too much, family. Observe him for two more days, and he can be discharged if everything is fine."

"Thank you, doctor, thank you..." Sun Xiangdong finally felt relieved.

Guan Xue, who was standing nearby, couldn't hold back any longer and rushed into the ward. As soon as Zhang Erhe sat up in bed, Guan Xue threw herself into his arms: "Erhe, you scared me to death..." These days, she had been taking care of her newborn while worrying about her unconscious husband, and she couldn't sleep at night. She had obviously lost weight.

"Why are you crying?" Zhang Erhe gently patted her back, his voice still a little hoarse. "I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

“That’s right, Second Brother,” Wu Qian chimed in, his face full of lingering fear. “You were bedridden for almost half a month, your fever would come down and then come back. It scared us to death.”

"Alright, alright, stop nagging," Sun Xiangdong said, trying to smooth things over. "The doctor said Erhe is better now, so the illness is over. Erhe, how are you feeling?"

"I feel fine, but I'm really hungry. Qian'er, go outside and buy me two big pork knuckles, I need to have a good meal!"

Wu Qian quickly waved his hand: "That won't do! The doctor told me this morning that you haven't eaten for a long time, so you need to eat something light first to let your stomach recover. Once you're discharged, I'll definitely get you two big braised pork knuckles from Tianfuju to satisfy your craving!"

"Alright, alright, alright," Zhang Erhe replied, but in his heart he was already making plans. He hadn't felt much time had passed while he was fighting with the original owner in the consciousness space, but in reality, more than ten days had already gone by.

I never expected it to take so long.

Guan Xue's sobs gradually subsided, and Zhang Erhe gently patted her back: "Where's Jiaojiao?"

“Jiaojiao is still at home,” Guan Xue wiped away her tears and said softly, “Third Brother sent someone to deliver a message, but he didn’t explain what it was about. I thought you… so I rushed over by myself.”

Sun Xiangdong raised his hand and punched Wu Qian on the back, saying irritably, "That's right! The third brother is so unreliable. He can't even deliver a message properly, which made me skip work at the factory and run back here. I thought something terrible had happened in Erhe."

Wu Qian scratched the back of his head and chuckled, "I was just confused because I heard my second brother wake up..."

Seeing that Guan Xue's emotions had stabilized, Zhang Erhe said gently, "Go home first. I reckon your parents must be worried about you running away. Go back and have a good talk with them." He then turned to Sun Xiangdong and said, "Boss, you take Guan Xue home later."

"Row."

"Qian'er, stay with me one more night tonight."

"No problem, Second Brother."

"How about I stay here with you and let Qian'er escort Guan Xue?" Sun Xiangdong rolled up his sleeves and volunteered.

"You're going to stay with me?" Zhang Erhe raised an eyebrow. "Last time I asked you to pour me a cup of tea, you smashed my glass to pieces. If you stay tonight, I'm afraid you'll end up in the emergency room with all the trouble you've caused."

"Hey, Zhang Erhe, you've really gone too far? You're lucky that I, Sun Xiangdong, can take care of you!"

"Alright, alright, you can have this good fortune, but I don't want it."

When Wu Qian returned after seeing Sun Xiangdong and Guan Xue off, he saw Zhang Erhe slowly getting off the bed and standing on the ground stretching his neck.

"Second brother, the doctor said you need to rest more..."

"It's nothing. I've been lying in bed for over ten days. If I don't move around, I'll start to atrophy." Zhang Erhe turned his shoulders. "Tell me, has anything happened in the last couple of days?"

"Nothing special..."

Has anyone from the factory come here?

“Li Huaide came on your first day in the hospital.”

Did he say anything?

"From what he said, everything at the factory has been settled. And Lao Si's application to become a martyr has also been approved. He also said that he would like to see Lao Si together as soon as you get better."

Upon hearing "fourth brother," Zhang Erhe's expression changed slightly.

Wu Qian cursed himself for speaking without thinking, and quickly said, "Second Brother, please don't... the doctor said I need to rest..."

"Alright," Zhang Erhe waved his hand. "I know. What about our courtyard? Has anyone come to harass your second sister-in-law?"

"No, not at all. I told my second sister-in-law that if anything happens in the courtyard, we'll take people over immediately. But when Qiqige came to visit this morning, she said that some people in the courtyard are still spreading rumors."

"Hmph, still daring to make sarcastic remarks at a time like this..." Zhang Erhe stroked his chin. "If the Yan couple had any brains, they wouldn't have jumped out at this time. The only ones who would show their faces at this juncture are either Yi Zhonghai's ex-wife Tan Saihua or Liu Haizhong's brainless wife."

"Second brother, what should we do?"

"No rush, I'll have some fun with them after I'm discharged." Zhang Erhe thought for a moment, "Qian'er, go to the steel mill now and ask Lao Li to come to the hospital."

"understood."

As it was nearing the end of the workday, Wu Qian indeed brought Li Huaide back.

As soon as Li Huaide entered, he looked Zhang Erhe up and down: "Erhe, you scared me to death! You're finally awake. What did the doctor say?"

"He didn't say anything." Zhang Erhe smiled.

"They still haven't found the cause of your illness?" Li Huaide frowned. "How about this, after you're discharged, I'll take you to Peking Union Medical College Hospital for a checkup. I have some comrades in the logistics department there, so we can still talk to them."

"Okay, thanks, Brother Li. But what about the factory matter... how was it resolved in the end? What about Old Yang?"

Upon hearing this, Li Huaide immediately beamed with excitement: "This morning, someone from the Ministry of Metallurgy came and announced it—Old Yang has been demoted two ranks. Now he's a deputy factory director, just like me, temporarily in charge of production. Those spies lurking in the factory have already been cleaned up by my father-in-law's side, and several workshop directors have also been dismissed. In a couple of days, at the factory-wide meeting, Old Yang will have to make a public apology!"

He patted Zhang Erhe's shoulder hard: "Erhe, you'd better get discharged from the hospital as soon as possible. You'll definitely regret missing this big show."

Chapter 188 Complaint

Two days later, the smell of disinfectant in the hospital finally stopped.

Guan Linpeng arrived early in the morning. If his father-in-law hadn't let it slip, he wouldn't have known his brother-in-law was hospitalized. His father-in-law had also heard the rumors in the courtyard house. Although he didn't dare to covet Zhang Erhe's house, he didn't tell his son to avoid suspicion.

After Wu Qian finished the discharge procedures, he turned around to help Zhang Erhe, but Zhang Erhe lightly kicked him. "You bastard, I'm not at the point where I need help yet."

As soon as the three men stepped out of the hospital gate, they saw that Li Huaide had already sent a driver to wait at the entrance. After getting into the car, the driver respectfully greeted Zhang Erhe as "Section Chief Zhang" and drove him back to the courtyard house.

As soon as they got out of the car, Zhang Erhe winked at Wu Qian. Wu Qian understood and handed the driver the two cans of food he was carrying: "Thank you for your help today, sir."

"Oh dear, Section Chief Zhang, this won't do, this won't do!" The driver quickly waved his hand, but couldn't hide his smile. "It's my honor to give you a ride, how could I possibly take your things?"

"Take it," Zhang Erhe said calmly.

"Well... thank you, Section Chief Zhang!" The driver no longer refused and happily accepted the gift. In those days, canned food was a rare commodity, and although he worked in the driver's team, he rarely got to taste it.

Zhang Erhe got out of the car, looked up at the familiar courtyard gate, and said, "You beasts, I'm back."

As soon as you enter the courtyard, you can see Yan Bugui slumped on a crudely made cart, squinting in the sun.

"Hey, Lao Yan," Zhang Erhe slowly approached, a half-smile on his face, "Your look is quite unique. Trying to emulate Zhuge Liang!"

Yan Bugui glared at him fiercely, gritting his teeth as he squeezed out a few words: "Zhang Erhe, I've fallen to this state entirely because of you!"

Zhang Erhe, seemingly oblivious to the venom in his words, repeated, "Hey, Lao Yan, you know what, this design is really unique. Did Yan Jiecheng make this little cart? Oh, look, I forgot again, Yan Jiecheng is an idiot now, he probably wouldn't know how to make it. But Lao Yan, you're lucky, you have four sons! Losing one won't matter!"

Yan Bugui stared intently at him, but remained silent. His hatred for Zhang Erhe ran deep, but he knew he had to bow his head when under someone else's roof. Zhang Erhe was now a section chief at the steel rolling mill, a proper cadre, while he himself was nothing more than a cripple. Even with a heart full of resentment, he could only swallow it, his eyelids drooping as he pretended not to hear.

Seeing his self-satisfied expression, Zhang Erhe lost interest in teasing him and walked straight into the courtyard.

"father!"

A clear, childlike voice came from inside the room. Immediately afterwards, Zhang Jiao jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed) like a little cannonball and ran towards him.

Zhang Erhe quickly squatted down, hugged his daughter who rushed towards him, and then lifted her high, asking with a smile, "Did you miss Daddy?"

"I missed you!" Zhang Jiao hugged his neck and answered crisply, then looked up at him with her little face and asked, "Daddy, are you done yet?"

"Okay, all healed."

"That's good!" Zhang Jiao patted her chest, looking terrified. "You scared Jiao Jiao to death that day."

"Oh dear," Zhang Erhe chuckled at her mature-for-her-age behavior, "At such a young age, how many years old are you, and you already know how to say the word 'death'?"

“I don’t care,” Zhang Jiao frowned, her eyes slightly red. “Anyway, I was so scared that day. Jiao Jiao doesn’t want to be like Sister Yun Duo, without a father.”

Zhang Erhe's heart softened, and he quickly hugged his daughter into his arms, gently promising, "Don't worry, Jiaojiao, Daddy promises that I will be good to you from now on and will always be with you."

Zhang Jiao rubbed her face against his and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Guan Baishi also came out of the house to greet him. When she saw Zhang Erhe, her face was full of joy: "Son-in-law, you're finally back!" As she spoke, she quickly stepped forward to take the things from Guan Linpeng's hands.

“Qian’er,” Zhang Erhe turned to Wu Qian and instructed, “My key is still with the eldest brother. Go to his place tonight to get the key, then go to my small storeroom to get some things. Also, invite the eldest brother’s family and Qiqige to come to my house tonight for a family reunion dinner.”

"We're really in love!" Wu Qian grinned, revealing two rows of bright white teeth. "I've been in the hospital lately, and my mouth has been practically tasteless. I've been waiting for this meal to satisfy my cravings!"

After seeing Wu Qian off, Zhang Erhe had just sat down on the stone bench in the courtyard when a loud commotion came from outside.

"Good brother! You're finally back!"