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

"Bang!"

The door to the He family's house was slammed shut again—a familiar scene, a familiar outcome. The residents of the courtyard were speechless. How many times had this happened already? The three old men always arrived with great fanfare, only to leave defeated, ultimately ending up utterly humiliated and slapped.

In the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui stood motionless, the cold wind whistling and blowing up a few withered leaves, creating a desolate atmosphere. Wang Xuemei's smugness upon arrival had vanished, replaced by endless frustration.

Seeing the three men in their current state, the onlookers felt a pang of sympathy. After all, anyone who had been repeatedly humiliated and beaten like this would indeed be pitiful. This strangely rekindled the already elusive prestige of the three old beasts in the hearts of the crowd; at least they had tried their best, it was just that their opponents were too strong.

"Heavens above!" Liu Haizhong suddenly knelt down with a thud, looked up at the sky, and let out a long roar, tears of resentment streaming down his fat face. "Even this can't bring him down! Why is this happening?! Is there no justice in this world? Is the sky dark in this courtyard?!"

At that very moment—

"Boom!"

A loud bang suddenly exploded, blinding lightning ripped through the winter sky, followed by rolling thunder, which terrified everyone present!

It was winter thunder!

The courtyard erupted in chaos. Why was there thunder in the dead of winter? This was highly unusual!

"My God! Thunder in winter! This is terrible!"

"This is bizarre! I've lived for over fifty years and have never seen thunder and lightning in the twelfth lunar month!"

"Could it be... could it really be..."

All eyes turned to the tightly closed door of the He family's house. Something was definitely amiss. Considering He Yuzhu's recent drastic change in personality—from the easily fooled, simple-minded Yuzhu to this powerful, sharp-tongued, and ruthless figure—all these changes were utterly unbelievable!

"Could it be that Zhu Zi is really possessed by something?" an old woman guessed, which was immediately echoed by the others.

"I think so! Otherwise, how could someone suddenly become so powerful? Look at his strength, is that something a normal person should have?"

"And that mouth of his, he used to be so quiet you couldn't utter a word after three blows, but now he can drive the neighborhood committee director crazy!"

"I think it's because Lao Yi and his gang have done too many despicable things that they've attracted the wrath of Lao He's ancestors! This is retribution!"

The murmurs grew louder, and all sorts of speculations emerged, spreading throughout the courtyard. Many people subconsciously distanced themselves from Yi Zhonghai and his companions, as if they carried something unclean about them.

As Yi Zhonghai listened to the murmurs of these troublemakers, his face grew increasingly grim. Suddenly, he let out a sharp shout.

"What nonsense are you spouting! What demons, what retribution? Is this a place for you to indulge in feudal superstition? I think your good days are over! How dare you say such things in public!"

After being reprimanded by Yi Zhonghai, the residents all shut up and dared not say another word.

Yi Zhonghai took several deep breaths to make sure his mind was clear and that he wouldn't lose his composure; he had to maintain his image in the hospital.

"I, Yi Zhonghai, have only ever believed in myself; I have never believed in anything like karma or retribution!"

In an instant, Yi Zhonghai's moral golden body was restored, and he suddenly became righteous and imposing, inspiring a sense of reverence in people.

"Throughout my life, Yi Zhonghai has only believed in the power of human will to overcome fate. What is there to fear from mere demons and monsters! I am upright and honest, and no evil can harm me!"

Only he himself knew that he had dreamt many times of gathering with a group of gods and demons whose faces he could not see but whose aura was awe-inspiring. The banner of righteousness stood tall, they swore an oath of brotherhood, ate meat in large chunks, drank wine in large bowls, and the brothers called him "brother" one after another, vowing to follow him to the death and to make a name for themselves in this world... Those dreams were so real and so heroic that he was convinced that he was no ordinary person and that he was protected by the mandate of heaven. What did he have to fear from mere ghosts and monsters!

No matter how much luck he had, he was helpless against the insignificant He Yuzhu. Furious, he gritted his teeth, suppressed his anger, and whispered to the two beside him, "Let's go back first! We'll discuss this further!"

"We can't count on Director Wang for now, but don't forget about Factory Director Yang! Factory rules and regulations can keep him in check! I refuse to believe that He Yuzhu can act so lawlessly in the factory! Let's see what he can do when the factory's punishment is handed down!"

. . . .

Meanwhile, Wang Xuemei fled the courtyard like a stray dog, running frantically towards the neighborhood office. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes were rumpled, and she looked like a madwoman.

"Boom!"

Halfway through her run, a sudden clap of thunder boomed overhead! The shock jolted her awake, jolting her to her feet and bringing her to a complete stop as her mind cleared considerably!

She stopped and leaned against the wall by the roadside, panting heavily. A cold wind swept by, and she realized what a sorry sight she looked like—a complete mess, utterly devoid of the dignity one would expect from a neighborhood committee director.

"Miss, are you alright? Do you need any help?" A middle-aged man passing by saw her miserable state and kindly stepped forward to ask.

Wang Xuemei snapped out of her daze, instinctively ran her fingers through her hair, straightened her clothes, and forced a smile. "It's nothing! Thank you for your concern, comrade. I had an emergency at home, so I rushed off a bit."

The passerby was skeptical, glanced at her a few more times, and then nodded and walked away.

After the passersby had gone far away, Wang Xuemei leaned against the wall, slowly slid down to the ground, clenched her fists tightly, and all sorts of negative emotions exploded in her heart.

"He Yuzhu. 'Good, very good! I'll remember you! We'll meet again someday.'"

Having weathered many storms, she quickly regained her composure after a brief moment of lapse in composure, reverting to her usual strong and calm demeanor.

However, perhaps due to the great shock she experienced today, in her dazed state, she completely forgot that she had previously taken the initiative to call Director Yang of the steel rolling mill to report the investigation results and make recommendations on how to deal with He Yuzhu! She had long forgotten that she had already given Director Yang a fact beforehand.

The neighborhood committee had already given up and hadn't issued any penalty decision, so what was the point of telling them it had been dealt with? Meanwhile, at the steel rolling mill, Director Yang was preparing to take action. This sowed the seeds for what would happen later.

Seeing that she had tidied up enough, Wang Xuemei took a few deep breaths, trying to look as normal as possible, before getting up and walking towards the neighborhood office. She planned to go back and stabilize the situation, making sure that today's events didn't spread.