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

To be fair, respecting the elderly was not a highly valued topic, at least for the first ten years after the founding of the People's Republic of China; in fact, there was resistance to it within organizations. There are serious historical and objective reasons for this.

When people talk about the old society, they often only know what the "three mountains" refer to. However, many people do not know that throughout the feudal society and before the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were also three mountains in the countryside: landlords, gentry, and village elders' associations.

The first two are easy to understand. In an era when imperial power did not extend to the countryside and rural areas were semi-autonomous, landlords and gentry represented a semi-official status. They either had sons who were officials or had retired from official positions themselves. However, the rulers concluded that this model alone was not stable, so the so-called village elders' association, which governed the people by the people, came into being.

The village elders' association—you can tell what it is just from the name. To put it bluntly, it's a group where the older the elder, the more respected and influential they are. In rural areas, there were not only landlords and gentry, but also clan forces headed by village elders.

A quick look at the historical records shows that throughout history, the older a person was, the more attention they received from the rulers. In some dynasties, even if someone over eighty years old committed murder, their sons or nephews could be used to take the blame. In short, it was about respecting the elderly.

And what were the backgrounds of these elderly people? Think about it: under the social conditions at that time, did the rich or the poor live longer? The answer is obvious.

This pattern continued into the cities from the beginning of the Republic of China era, especially after the surrender of the Kuomintang and during the period from its return to its defeat and demise, when it became even more rampant, particularly in Beijing.

At the time, many novels contained numerous descriptions of various so-called "associations" that, under the guise of respecting the elderly and helping each other, actually engaged in activities such as oppressing neighbors and seizing family property. Therefore, it's no wonder that the new China had no favorable feelings towards these organizations; in fact, they often sought to crack down on them.

Having been reborn, He Yuzhu was fully aware of the ins and outs of this place. He wondered what was going on with this No. 95 courtyard house, that it would tolerate the simultaneous existence of slogans and practices such as "respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and helping each other."

He Yuzhu didn't dwell on it, but he would never tolerate it. No matter how much they relied on their age or seniority, if they dared to act arrogantly, he would dare to retaliate. He Yuzhu refused to believe that the local grassroots organizations would openly favor them. If they did, he would report them directly to higher authorities. As a worker and a third-generation farmer, he was essentially above the law; as long as they didn't openly break the law, no one could touch him.

. . . . . .

The deaf old woman was stunned when He Yuzhu grabbed her and locked her up. She had lived to such an old age and had always been revered as the matriarch in the courtyard. She had never suffered such humiliation. Her face turned red and then purple. She pounded her cane on the ground and cried out in a pitiful voice.

"How unfilial! This is outrageous! How has the world become like this! I've lived most of my life and I've never seen such an unruly beast!"

She could hardly believe her eyes. How could Sha Zhu, who used to call her "Grandma, Grandma" whenever he saw her and would bring her any good food he could find, suddenly become so heartless?

The neighbors who had been watching the commotion gathered around again, pointing and whispering about He Yuzhu's tightly closed door.

"This is outrageous! They even dare to bully an old lady!"

"Exactly, they don't even understand respecting the elderly and caring for the young; they've lived this long in vain."

"To be so disrespectful to our ancestors, this person is absolutely ungrateful."

Upon seeing this, Yi Zhonghai immediately rushed over, grabbed the swaying deaf old woman, and shouted angrily at He Yuzhu's door, "He Yuzhu! You come out here! Look what you've done to the old woman! Do you have any humanity left?"

With a creak, the door opened. He Yuzhu stood in the doorway with a cold face, his gaze sweeping over Yi Zhonghai and the onlookers.

"Yi Zhonghai, what are you barking about again?"

"You! How could you treat the old lady like that? She's so old, all she wanted was some chicken soup, what's wrong with you getting her a bowl? How can you be so selfish and cold-blooded!"

He Yuzhu sneered, "Yi Zhonghai, have you lost your mind? This deaf old woman is just a neighbor in the backyard! Why should I be obligated to do her a favor?"

"The old lady is the oldest in the compound, a highly respected matriarch of our community, and everyone respects her! This is a basic principle of being a decent human being."

"Bullshit! Just because I cook something delicious, does that mean you have to eat it? Why should I? Don't think that just because you're a neighbor, or even if you were a relative, unless you're my own grandmother, it doesn't make sense! Either you two are childless and think that way. Ask everyone here, does that make sense?"

He Yuzhu scanned the room, "Who the hell dares to say that it's only right to be filial to the deaf old lady? Tomorrow I'll go to the nursing home and invite a few old ancestors back for you to take care of. Don't worry, I guarantee they'll be decades older than the deaf old lady, the real, genuine ancestors!"

Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.

The neighbors who had just been criticizing He Yuzhu all shut their mouths now, and some even shrank back quietly, afraid of being targeted by He Yuzhu.

Are you kidding me? Everyone's already struggling enough, who would want to support an elderly person for no reason? In the past, people would just show some respect to the deaf old lady on the surface, since it wouldn't hurt them. If they really wanted to be filial, there was always that idiot Zhu rushing to the front. But to actually ask them to pay for her care, do they think their families aren't miserable enough already?

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai cursed inwardly as a bunch of useless people, none of whom could be relied on in a crucial moment, but on the surface he still forced a smile and said, "He Yuzhu, that's just sophistry! The old lady has made many contributions to our hospital, and it's only right that everyone respects her!"

"Contribution? What contribution?" He Yuzhu mocked. "Is it her greedy mouth that she contributed, or the cost of installing glass in each household? Yi Zhonghai, if you really think she made a big contribution, I'll make the decision. From now on, whenever the old lady wants to eat meat, you'll pay for it. Anyway, your monthly salary of eighty or ninety yuan is more than enough."

Yi Zhonghai was speechless after being rebuked. Damn it, he's scheming to steal his retirement money again! This idiot Zhu is inhuman! If he really does that, with that old gluttonous mouth of his, how much of his retirement money will he be able to save?

He Yuzhu ignored him and turned to the deaf old lady: "Old lady, I advise you to stop with your old-fashioned tricks! They won't work on me, He Yuzhu! If you want chicken soup, have Yi Zhonghai buy it for you! Isn't he your most filial eldest son? What, he's unwilling to spend money on you and only thinking about getting something for free from me?"

The deaf old lady was so angry at He Yuzhu's words that she trembled all over. She pointed at He Yuzhu and kept stammering "you you you" for a long time, but she couldn't say a complete sentence.