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

He Yuzhu pushed open the door, and a wave of warmth washed over him. He Yushui was sitting at the table, reading by the lamplight. Hearing the noise, she immediately looked up, a smile spreading across her face. "Brother, you're back!"

"Hmm, are you hungry? I bought half a roast duck, eat it while it's hot." He Yuzhu placed the roast duck wrapped in oil paper on the table. The golden and shiny duck skin gleamed temptingly under the light, and the aroma instantly filled the air.

He Yushui swallowed hard, but still obediently went to get the bowls and chopsticks. "Brother, I stir-fried some cabbage, and the cornbread and porridge are also ready. They're all warming up in the pot."

"Okay, let's eat together." He Yuzhu washed his hands and sat down. Watching his sister's busy little figure, the resentment in his heart subsided considerably. When did the simple scenes of sitting and eating together with his sister in his past life begin to disappear? It seems that it all stopped after Qin Huairu made him call her "Sister Qin." He was so greedy for that widow's body; his eventual fate was no injustice.

While slicing the roast duck, he asked his sister what was happening in the yard lately, mainly asking if she had been bullied by anyone in the yard.

He Yushui shook her head and whispered, "No, it's just that I feel like everyone is still looking at me strangely. My old friends don't play with me anymore."

"If you don't want to play, then don't. When I have time, I'll take you to the overpass and see a movie. Let's just live our lives well. By the way, how's your homework going? Final exams are coming up soon."

"Great! Brother, I feel like my mind is especially clear lately, and I can remember what I read after just one reading!" He Yushui's eyes lit up when she talked about studying, and her face gained a bit more confidence. This was naturally thanks to the spiritual spring water that he had secretly given her.

The rich and delicious roast duck made He Yushui squint her eyes as she ate, her enjoyment comparable to that of someone smoking opium. This younger sister was also pitiful; she too grew up in a pampered environment. When He Daqing was alive, he often took He Yushui to eat roast duck, sometimes just the two of them going to Quanjude alone. Back then, He Yuzhu seemed more like an adopted child.

But everything changed after He Daqing ran away. He Yushui's living conditions deteriorated drastically; the first year was practically hell. However, she managed to survive on her own. He Yuzhu felt a sense of accomplishment. Although influenced by the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai, most of the good food went to them, but at least his sister didn't go hungry. Later, he even sent her to high school and bought her a secondhand bicycle. He did all this despite being repeatedly scolded and even verbally abused by Yi Zhonghai.

This was probably the first time He Yushui had eaten roast duck in five years. He Yuzhu watched his sister enjoy the meal, and the idea of ​​plotting against the Jia family became clearer in his mind.

In their previous lives, both Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu owned land in the countryside. If they moved their household registration to the city, they would lose their land. Therefore, neither Qin Huairu nor Jia Zhangshi moved their household registration to the city. In this way, they let their family members cultivate their land and received about a hundred catties of grain each year. In addition, Jia Dongxu earned a monthly salary of just over thirty yuan. As a result, the Jia family lived a very comfortable life at least until 1959.

Even if Jia Zhangshi ate a lot, there was always a safety net. However, everything changed drastically in the latter half of 1958. The rural areas implemented a system of communal dining and work points, all of Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi's land was reclaimed, urban rations were strictly controlled, and rural residents were strictly prohibited from moving to cities. This completely blocked the Jia family's path.

The entire family of five relied on Jia Dongxu's ration. Even if Jia Dongxu went to the pigeon market to buy expensive grain, it would still be far from enough, not to mention that there was also Jia Zhangshi, that old fat pig, who could eat so much.

In the end, they barely managed to survive until 1961, relying on their savings and the help of Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai. However, these two years completely drained Jia Dongxu's vitality, and he was eventually distracted and caught in a machine, dying. Unexpectedly, Jia Dongxu's death actually helped the Jia family escape the crisis. Qin Huairu took over, and her household registration was automatically transferred, along with her children. Thus, the entire Jia family, including her posthumous son Huaihua, had a ration of four people, and their lives actually improved.

Furthermore, the situation improved after 1961, and food was no longer so scarce. Later, Qin Huairu cried to the idiot at the factory, complaining that her family couldn't make ends meet, which was truly laughable. By then, the wicked widow had resorted to all sorts of methods; she didn't care about ordinary coarse grains at all, and the family survived entirely on the various meats and vegetables that the bloodsucking idiot Zhu managed to scrape together from hospitality.

Thinking of this, He Yuzhu made a plan in his mind. He couldn't let Jia Dongxu die like this in this life. It would be best if Jia Dongxu became a burden to the Jia family. He wanted to see how this family of beasts would get through those three years. Perhaps he could even drag that old beast Yi Zhonghai down with them.

That old widower Yi Zhonghai, didn't he always claim he'd take care of his apprentice's family? Didn't he always talk about helping each other? Didn't he always complain about how difficult things were for the Dongxu family? We'll see how he uses his retirement money to fill those gluttonous mouths of the Jia family! I'll just stand by and watch the show, watching them tear each other apart, bite each other, scheme against each other, until they all make a fool of themselves.

Of course, if given the chance, he wouldn't mind stomping on it a few more times. He Yuzhu was also secretly calculating, wondering where the limit of his seemingly inexhaustible strength lay. He planned to find an opportunity to test it out, at least to see how long it would take to get from the public toilet outside to his own house by climbing over the wall, and whether there would be any difficulties or obstacles, so as to prepare for his later plans.

He didn't want these culprits to die immediately because he didn't want to let them off too easily, but he hadn't said he wouldn't charge interest. He'd settle the minor scores first, making things more difficult for the beasts and adding some fun for himself. Revenge was a slow and painstaking affair; it was more interesting to watch his enemies suffer a fate worse than death.

At this moment, He Yuzhu's face kept changing into various ferocious and evil smiles. He Yushui was gnawing on a duck leg, and had been cautiously watching He Yuzhu staring blankly for a while. Her heart couldn't take it anymore, so she timidly asked, "Brother, are you okay? Your face looks scary, I'm so scared."

He Yuzhu snapped back to reality, immediately composed himself, and forced a gentle smile. He reached out and ruffled He Yushui's hair. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about things at the factory and got a little distracted. Eat up, the duck won't taste good if it gets cold."

He Yushui breathed a sigh of relief and continued munching, but she was still a little uneasy. She felt that her brother's appearance just now was too terrifying, almost like the evil ghosts in comic books. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but shudder.