The Courtyard House: He Yuzhu Returns with Boundless Hatred for Revenge

The master and apprentice returned to Workshop One in a fit of rage. Jia Dongxu clutched his face, gasping for breath in pain. He Yuzhu had struck him with extreme force; by the time they reached the workshop, both of his cheeks were completely swollen, and the crack at the corner of his mouth burned with pain, making even speaking difficult. Being slapped in front of everyone in the canteen felt like a humiliation, a complete disgrace to both him and his master. Moreover, many people in Workshop One were already whispering and suppressing their laughter, making it an utter disgrace for Jia Dongxu.

"Master, that Sha Zhu has completely gone mad!" Jia Dongxu's voice was slurred. "He's rebelling! He doesn't even respect you anymore! He dared to hit me today, he'll dare to hit you tomorrow! I can't swallow this!"

As he spoke, he glared at Yi Zhonghai with venomous eyes, deliberately provoking him, "He's already hit me twice in front of you! This guy's gotten so arrogant! If we don't teach him a lesson, who in this compound or factory will listen to you anymore?"

Yi Zhonghai remained silent, his face dark. How could he not be furious? He Yuzhu's words and actions today had utterly shattered the prestige he had built up in the compound over the years. Especially that "old thing"—it seemed this was the second time he'd been called that, and the undisguised threats and insults felt like thorns piercing his heart. He, Yi Zhonghai, was a sixth-grade worker at the steel mill, and a big shot in the compound; when had he ever suffered such humiliation?

"Enough!" Yi Zhonghai snapped, interrupting Jia Dongxu's rambling. "We'll talk about it when we get back tonight. I'm going to team up with Lao Liu and Lao Yan and hold a hospital-wide meeting! I refuse to believe we can't deal with that bastard!"

His eyes were sinister, and he was already plotting how to mobilize the crowd at tomorrow night's meeting, how to criticize He Yuzhu, and how to use the power of the three elders to force He Yuzhu to submit. He would not only make him resume bringing lunchboxes to the Jia family, but also lend them the main room! He wanted to make him know that there would be no good end for those who opposed him! A dog should have the awareness of a dog. If it doesn't obey, tighten the leash until it begs for mercy.

As they were talking, Wang Dachui, another of Yi Zhonghai's apprentices, came over. Wang Dachui was a rather honest person and was one of Yi Zhonghai's earliest apprentices. He was already a level three fitter and was usually quite respectful to Yi Zhonghai.

"Master, I've asked about what you asked me to inquire about." Wang Dachui looked around and lowered his voice. "I asked acquaintances in the second and fifth canteens, and they all said they hadn't heard of any factory notice prohibiting people from taking leftovers home. The canteens are still following the old rules: kitchen staff take their leftovers home themselves, and as long as it's not excessive, the factory turns a blind eye. I even asked someone to inquire at the factory office, and the factory hasn't issued any documents on this matter recently."

"What?"

Jia Dongxu was so shocked that he couldn't feel the pain on his face anymore. "Oh! It really was that idiot Zhu who did it! He deliberately didn't bring it to our family! That bastard, he dared to lie to us!" At this moment, anger made his swollen and deformed face even more distorted.

Yi Zhonghai was also furious, his face grim. He had initially thought He Yuzhu had heard something, but now it seemed that this kid had simply grown too big for his britches and wanted to go solo! He wanted to break free from the control of Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family!

"Fine, well done, He Yuzhu!" Yi Zhonghai spat out the words through gritted teeth. "A traitor! He's forgotten who helped him in the first place! How dare he play such a trick!" He looked at Jia Dongxu, his tone resolute. "Dongxu, don't worry, at tomorrow night's hospital-wide meeting, he must continue to obediently deliver lunchboxes to your family! And the housing issue, resolve it all at once! Let's see if he dares to disagree!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu could almost picture He Yuzhu bowing his head in apology before the entire compound, obediently handing him a lunchbox full of delicious food, and even groveling as he handed over the key to a main room. A glint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes. With the combined pressure from the three old men and the rest of the compound, he wasn't afraid that idiot He Yuzhu wouldn't yield! Then, they'd see how arrogant he could still be!

. . .

In the afternoon, He Yuzhu saw that there was nothing much to do in the canteen. He no longer had the frequent task of preparing dishes for entertaining guests as he did in the 1960s. Most of the dishes for entertaining guests were still prepared by two experienced chefs from other canteens. The factory leaders did not trust him very much.

After informing Liu Lan, he left work early; it was common for cooks to leave a little earlier than other workers.

Instead of going straight back to the courtyard house, he went to a nearby carpentry workshop run by the local street office, found a skilled master carpenter, and told him he needed the doors and windows reinforced. The master carpenter then brought his tools and materials and followed him to the courtyard house.

After experiencing the incidents in the cafeteria last night and today, He Yuzhu felt that this world was even more shameless and treacherous than the beasts in his original world. He had to be on guard, as these animals were capable of anything.

He Yuzhu had the carpenter carefully inspect and reinforce all the doors and windows in the house. Two extra bolts were installed on the inside of the windows, the door hinges were checked, the door bolts were replaced with thicker and harder wood, and two horizontal bolts were added to the inside of the door panels. Once bolted from the inside, it would take a lot of effort to break them open from the outside. In addition, locks were added to the outside of all the doors and windows, so they would be locked when leaving the house.

This commotion naturally attracted the attention of the people in the courtyard. Uncle Yan Bugui, who usually left work early, was guarding the gate. Hearing the noise in the courtyard, he strolled over with his hands behind his back. Watching He Yuzhu busy at work, his small eyes behind his glasses darted around like a yellow wolf.

"Zhu Zi, what are you doing?"

"It's nothing, I just felt the doors and windows weren't very sturdy, so I reinforced them," He Yuzhu replied casually.

"He Yuzhu, our courtyard has been recognized as an advanced and civilized courtyard for three consecutive years. Why didn't you report this to us today, locking up the doors and windows and reinforcing them? Are you treating everyone in the courtyard like thieves? Don't you care about our collective honor? Don't you care about being an advanced and civilized courtyard? This is disorganized and undisciplined; you don't respect anyone in the courtyard."

That's why they're called three old beasts. Don't think that only Yi Zhonghai is good at moral blackmail. Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong are no less capable. Otherwise, do you really think there's no reason why these three were selected as liaison officers?

He Yuzhu didn't even turn his head, and said coldly, "Yan Bugui, I can do whatever I want with my doors and windows. Do I need to report to you when I'm reinforcing my own house? Who the hell do you think you are? Just a small business owner. My family has been farmers for three generations. Do you think I need to report to you? That's really strange. Are you trying to rebel against the Heavenly Gang?"

Collective honors have nothing to do with me! When my dad ran away, Yushui and I went to Baocheng. When we came back, everything was gone. Where did the two hundred yuan go? Where did the hundred-plus jin of grain go? You guys want to create honors and this bullshit civilized courtyard, so what if I lost something? Will you compensate me? If you don't compensate me a single cent, what use is this honor to me? All of you, get the hell out of here and don't interfere with my work!"