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

"Secondly," He Yuzhu continued, his gaze shifting to the lunchboxes in the corner that were usually used to hold leftovers, "from now on, I won't bring any leftovers home, whether they're from a large pot or a small kitchen. After work, everyone can divide them up and take them home. You can decide how to divide them yourselves, just don't argue."

The kitchen fell silent, with only the dripping of water and the faint sound of wind coming from outside the window.

Everyone, including Liu Lan, seemed to have heard something out of a fairy tale. They looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

You see, the leftovers in this cafeteria aren't just ordinary scraps. He Yuzhu's cooking is very oily, and the leftovers every day can save ordinary families a lot of food. This is a real benefit, and many people are eagerly hoping to squeeze some profit out of it. For the past two years, He Yuzhu has been taking the leftovers from the kitchen, especially those from the special kitchens, himself—it's an unwritten rule in the cafeteria.

Although everyone was envious, He Yuzhu was both the head chef and the team leader, so no one dared to say a word.

Now, he's actually saying he doesn't want it anymore.

A young kitchen helper's eyes lit up, and he said in a trembling voice, "Master He, are you sure you don't want it?"

"Really, I don't want it anymore," He Yuzhu said.

The atmosphere in the kitchen changed in the next second. The expressions of shock and confusion were quickly replaced by elation and gratitude.

"Oh, Zhu Zi, you're such a kind person!"

"Master He, you've really helped us a lot."

"Master He, if anyone calls you 'Silly Zhu' again, I'll get angry with them."

He Yuzhu didn't say anything, he just waved his hand lightly.

The resentment on Liu Lan's face had long since vanished. She stared at He Yuzhu, her voice lowered, tinged with uncertainty: "He Yuzhu, are you serious? This isn't like you."

He Yuzhu didn't explain further, only waving his hand: "Alright, that's settled. Hurry up and finish packing, it's time to go home."

Stepping out of the steel mill, the cold wind stung his face like knives, yet He Yuzhu found the chill strangely invigorating. He pulled his cotton-padded coat tighter around himself and took a deep breath of the air unique to this era. Low, gray-walled bungalows lined the streets, their walls adorned with faded slogans. Pedestrians wore monotonous, similarly styled clothing; the era, marked by both material scarcity and spiritual fervor, was rife with contradictions.

He Yuzhu walked slowly, his gaze sweeping over the familiar yet unfamiliar scenes, his heart churning with turmoil. He had truly returned, returned to the turning point of his life, returned to this courtyard surrounded by beasts. In his previous life, he had lived in a daze, blinded by the so-called fame, giving his all only to end up freezing and starving to death. This time, he would settle accounts with those beasts, one by one. They would repay him tenfold for how they had treated him. There was plenty of time in the future; he would slowly torment them until none of them escaped.

Just as he was pondering this, the familiar gate of the courtyard came into view. And there was that familiar figure, Yan Bugui, blocking the entrance like a door god, his small eyes behind his glasses darting around, sizing up every neighbor who came in or out of the courtyard, calculating whether he could squeeze out some benefits.

He Yuzhu felt a surge of disgust and hatred rising from the bottom of his heart.

When He Yuzhu froze to death under the bridge, he initially thought his greatest enemy was the Jia family, a family of ingrates. However, after merging with countless fragments of world soul consciousness and deducing from the intense torrent of information, he suddenly realized that ever since He Daqing fled, he had been caught in the machinations of the entire courtyard. The biggest masterminds were the Jia family, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui.

The answer can be deduced from the final outcome after He Yuzhu was evicted from the courtyard. The so-called most beautiful courtyard nursing home eventually went bankrupt and could not be operated at all. It was only then that it was discovered that Lou Xiao'e's savings had been depleted. All the agreements he had signed back then were just verbal agreements. The houses of the courtyard residents were nominally owned by the collective, but it was only after the bankruptcy that it was discovered that the property certificates were still in the hands of these people.

In the end, the only ones left who lost everything and were drained of all their wealth were Lou Xiao'e, who had been fooled like a fool, and Xu Damao, who kept courting disaster. In the entire courtyard, only the three of them truly had nothing left.

In her memory, He Yuzhu was stubborn and inflexible, and wouldn't listen to reason. How could she possibly listen to Yi Zhonghai's grand principles, and how could she willingly let the Jia family bleed her dry for so many years?

Every time he threw a tantrum, those three old fogies, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, would convene the entire courtyard meeting time and again to repeatedly criticize and "educate" him. Every time he showed resistance, a series of serious accusations would be slapped on him, followed by the other beasts in the courtyard joining in the accusations, day after day, year after year. Even the hardest bones would be slowly worn down.

From the very beginning, these families' goal was to exploit the He family's extinct lineage. The He family occupied the three best main rooms and one side room in the courtyard house; who wouldn't be envious? With He Daqing gone, only He Yuzhu and He Yushui remained, making them a huge piece of meat in some people's eyes. Later, whether it was a dispute over the division of spoils or the interference of the legendary deaf old woman who supposedly coveted He Yuzhu's cooking skills, the final plan didn't lead to an immediate division of the property. Instead, it turned into a more covert and malicious long-term scheme. From then on, He Yuzhu was ensnared in an invisible net. They sucked his blood, and he just stood there like a fool, smiling willingly.

He Yuzhu snapped out of his daze and his gaze fell on Yan Bugui. The old man's small eyes behind his glasses were scrutinizing him. He Yuzhu sneered inwardly, but showed no sign of it on his face, and walked straight toward the courtyard gate.

"Shazhu, off work?" Yan Bugui spoke up as expected, his face plastered with his usual calculating smile. "What good dishes did the cafeteria bring back today?" As he spoke, his eyes darted to He Yuzhu's hands and behind him.

He Yuzhu stopped, his face expressionless, and calmly looked at Yan Bugui. "Teacher Yan, you're a primary school teacher, a cultured person, after all. Do you think it's appropriate to call people by nicknames every day? From now on, if you respect me, call me Zhuzi; if you don't, just call me He Yuzhu. But if I hear you call me 'Silly Zhu' again, don't blame me for turning my back on you."

He Yuzhu didn't give him a chance to reply, and continued, "What do you mean by bringing back good food from the canteen? That's all leftovers from the workers' meals. Originally, it was out of consideration for not wasting food. But ultimately, it's public property. Now that things are getting tense, the factory is cracking down on discipline, so starting today, I won't be bringing it back. After all, undermining the state's resources is no small matter, don't you think?"

Yan Bugui froze for a moment, adjusting his glasses as if he hadn't quite grasped the situation. He Yuzhu didn't intend to linger, finally adding casually, "It's so cold, Teacher Yan, don't keep standing at the door. I'll head back now." With that, he turned and walked past the somewhat bewildered face, brushing past the courtyard gate, and headed deeper into the courtyard without looking back.