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

He Yuzhu laughed when he heard Jia Zhangshi casting a spell. Who said Jia Zhangshi was stupid? Didn't you see that she doesn't even call him "Silly Zhu" anymore? The old saying is true, only a big confrontation can make people face reality.

"Jia Zhangshi, is your brain full of shit? You have your son and grandson right here in front of you, where are you going to find an orphan and a widow in your family? I think you're cursing your son Jia Dongxu to die soon so your daughter-in-law can be a widow. You're addicted to being a widow, aren't you?"

These words were extremely vicious, choking Jia Zhangshi's cries in her throat, making her look like an old hen whose neck had been strangled.

Yi Zhonghai finally found an excuse to lash out. He slammed his fist on the table and roared angrily, "He Yuzhu! You are utterly heartless! You could even lay a hand on a five-year-old child! Do you have any humanity left? You show neither respect for the elderly nor love for the young. You must give us in this courtyard an explanation today! If anything happens to Bang Geng, you must take full responsibility and compensate the Jia family."

"Yes, He Yuzhu, you must compensate our family with 100 yuan, no, 500 yuan for medical expenses! You must also resume bringing us boxed lunches every day, and compensate us with two proper rooms! Otherwise, I'm going to the police station right now to report you and have you arrested and shot!"

The old fat woman's outrageous demands and mindless, filthy words stunned everyone in the yard and on the wall. Was this child made of gold? How could she be worth so much money? You have to understand that in those days, a young, unmarried girl in the countryside was only worth fifty catties of grain, and that was coarse grain.

These words displeased Liu Haizhong. "Both houses have been given to the Jia family, so what am I supposed to get? To be used by you for nothing?" The fat-eyed man glared at Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai cursed Jia Zhangshi inwardly for her insatiable greed and utter failures. She was ruining everything before the matter was even settled, and didn't she see those people sitting on the wall watching the show? Was she trying to openly rob and plunder? He could only return Liu Haizhong's look with a "I'll handle this" expression.

Waaaaah! At this moment, Bang Geng finally woke up after Qin Huairu and Jia Dongxu, who ran over, pinched his philtrum and rubbed his chest. As expected of the chosen one, his cry was loud and full of energy.

Just then, He Yuzhu stood up, dusted off the cigarette ash on his pants, and said in a chilling tone, "Yi Zhonghai, you old beast! Didn't you hear this little bastard cursing people for having no descendants? So vicious at such a young age, what will he be like when he grows up? His parents didn't teach him, so I'll teach him with my slaps! I've already shown mercy by not killing him! If he dares to spew filth again, I'll knock out all his teeth! If you're not satisfied, come and try!"

He Yuzhu was 1.82 meters tall, as strong as an ox, with a face full of fat and a fierce expression. With the dim light and shadows of the night, he took a step forward, and his whole body surged with a murderous aura, like a demon crawling out of hell.

Terrified, Madam Jia dared not throw another tantrum. The Jia family's heir also suddenly stopped crying, hiding tightly in Qin Huairu's arms, while Jia Dongxu lowered his head, unable to look directly at her. Everyone in the courtyard fell silent, trembling with fear. At this moment, even a ghost would be terrified by He Yuzhu's menacing appearance!

Yi Zhonghai was trembling with rage, pointing at He Yuzhu and babbling incoherently for a long time. He realized that in just two days, his status with He Yuzhu had plummeted exponentially, from "Grandpa" to "Master Yi," then to "Old Guy," and now he was being called "Old Beast"! This He Yuzhu was utterly disrespectful and had no regard for his elders whatsoever!

"He Yuzhu, even if Bang Geng did something wrong, that's no reason for you to hit him! He's still a child. Don't you ever reflect on why a child would curse at you? Putting aside the facts, aren't you also at fault?"

The old man was so overwhelmed by He Yuzhu's imposing manner that he started to ramble incoherently. He could even utter such thoughtless words because he realized that he really had no way to deal with He Yuzhu now. He couldn't beat him in a fight, he couldn't win an argument with him, and moral blackmail was completely useless. He had no weaknesses whatsoever, so there was simply no way to get to him.

Cough cough cough! The old man on the wall almost choked to death on his smoke when he heard Yi Zhonghai's words. Luckily, someone nearby caught him in time and helped him up, otherwise he would have fallen down.

He Yuzhu was also somewhat shocked. Although he already knew that Yi Zhonghai in his past life was a hypocrite, he was nowhere near as outrageous as this. The most shameless thing he ever said was that one shouldn't be too selfish, so what was going on today? Had the dungeon become more difficult? Or had the big boss mutated and leveled up again?

"Damn it, ignoring the facts and convicting someone is just making things up. Isn't this just fabricated charges? Yi Zhonghai, you old beast, you want to be Qin Hui?"

"No, I didn't! He Yuzhu, don't slander me. I admit I said the wrong thing because I was emotional just now, and I apologize."

Yi Zhonghai broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly denied it, cursing himself for being so foolish as to say such a thing. If he didn't deny it quickly, his mortal enemy on the wall would spread the word tomorrow, and his reputation would be completely ruined.

Just as Yi Zhonghai was suffering repeated defeats and unable to fight back, the deaf old lady, who had been sitting upright in her armchair watching coldly, finally slammed her yellow pear wood cane heavily onto the ground.

"Knock knock knock!"

The dull thumping sound was particularly jarring in the quiet night, instantly drawing everyone's attention.

"He Yuzhu! Look at what you've done these past few days!"

"That brat from the Yan family called you, and you beat him up like that! You even had the heart to hurt Jia Jiabang, a five-year-old kid! And Jia Dongxu, Yan Bugui, Jia Zhangshi, and even this old woman who's almost in her grave—which one haven't you cursed? Which one haven't you beaten? It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you bully men and women."

At this moment, the deaf old woman looked heartbroken and indignant: "Outrageous! This is simply the behavior of a tyrant from the old society! Our No. 95 courtyard has always been a well-known civilized courtyard on the street, with harmonious neighbors and respect for the elderly and care for the young! But ever since you, He Yuzhu, started causing trouble, this courtyard has become a mess, a place of chaos and unrest! If you continue to act so recklessly, none of us in the courtyard will allow you to run rampant!"

"He Yuzhu, I'm telling you this now: you only have one way out. From now on, you must abide by the rules set by the courtyard, and you can't shirk your responsibility to help your neighbors! Otherwise... hmph!"

The deaf old woman's eyes were vicious, fixed on He Yuzhu's face: "Otherwise, this old woman will go to the street office and have a good talk with Director Wang! I'll report everything you've done these past few days! You should know that the street office has the power to punish bad elements in its jurisdiction who have bad character and disrupt the unity of the people! In serious cases, it's not impossible that they'll send you to a cowshed or a labor camp!"

Upon hearing this, not only did the faces of those in the courtyard change, but even the onlookers on the wall gasped in shock. The deaf old woman's move was absolutely vicious. Anyone in this era, even someone like Sha Zhu who hadn't experienced later generations, would ultimately have to submit and compromise in the face of such a tactic.

The deaf old woman was telling the truth, but she completely twisted the key points. People in this era had absolutely no way to deal with it. If it were reported to the neighborhood committee, they would be the ones to suffer and be punished—a near-unsolvable problem. Later, when Yi Zhonghai was an eighth-level fitter, he did exactly that. By then, Sha Zhu's strength was insignificant to Yi Zhonghai; he had reached the point where his words carried the weight of law. If it weren't for those ten years that shattered everything, Yi Zhonghai could have truly become a local tyrant in the courtyard house at number 95.

(I was so excited typing today that I overdid it a bit, please don't mind.)