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

He Yuzhu looked at Qin Huairu's outstretched hand, took a step back, and said in a fierce voice, "Get out! Take your dirty hands off me! You filthy bitch, stay away from me, I find you disgusting!"

The undisguised disgust and humiliation, like knives, slashed directly at Qin Huairu's despicable face.

Qin Huairu's smile froze instantly, her outstretched hand hanging awkwardly in mid-air, and she stood frozen in place, staring at He Yuzhu in disbelief. In the eyes opposite her, there was only endless disgust and contempt.

What's going on? Didn't Dongxu say that Shazhu had been punished and was going to back down? Didn't he say he would be obedient like before? How dare he still curse her like that? And with such vile language? Qin Huairu's mind was buzzing, and her face burned. She watched as He Yuzhu, carrying his things, walked towards his house without looking back, while a group of residents watched the commotion. At this moment, she felt utterly humiliated.

He Yuzhu ignored her completely, telling Yushui to open the door and come inside, then slamming the door shut with a loud bang. The noise finally woke Qin Huairu. Looking at the closed door of the He family home, her eyes instantly reddened—from anger and the shame of being scolded. She bit her lip, feigning the wronged look of a wronged wife, and slowly walked back to the Jia family home with her head down.

As soon as she entered, Jia Zhangshi, who had been peering out the window, eagerly came to greet her. Her triangular eyes were fixed on Qin Huairu's hands, and when she saw they were empty, her fat face instantly turned long.

"Where's the roast duck? Did Sha Zhu give you the roast duck?" The voice was shrill and sharp. The old fat woman had a nose like a dog's; she could tell from the window that Sha Zhu had brought back the roast duck today.

Looking at her mother-in-law's face, Qin Huairu felt a surge of resentment welling up inside her, and a few tears streamed down her face. "Mom! Don't even mention it! Sha Zhu, not only did he not give it to me, but he also cursed at me! He said some really nasty things!"

"What? You useless piece of trash! You can't even handle a hapless fool like Sha Zhu. Tell me, what use are you? You're all pregnant and can't even get a bite to eat. Our Jia family is incredibly unlucky to have married you."

The old fat woman only cared about the roast duck in Sha Zhu's hand. She didn't care about Qin Huairu being scolded or anything. She just thought that this country woman was good for nothing except crying.

Jia Dongxu was sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) smoking when he heard the noise. He frowned, his face darkening. "What did he say to you?"

He called me a filthy bitch and said I was dirty.

"He's gone too far!" Jia Dongxu jumped up. "This idiot Zhu won't learn his lesson until he's faced with death! He's already been relegated to the foundry workshop, and he still dares to be so arrogant."

"Hey, Lao Jia! Open your eyes and take a look! That little bastard Sha Zhu is going to drive me crazy! He bought roast duck and is eating it all by himself behind closed doors. He doesn't know how to respect his elders at all. He deserves to be childless."

"I want to eat roast duck! I want to eat roast duck! I don't care, Grandma, go to Sha Zhu's house and bring the roast duck back!"

The duet of grandparents and grandchildren causing trouble has begun.

No, we can't just let it go like this! The old fat woman suddenly jumped half an inch high.

"Dongxu! Go! Go ask your master what's going on! Why is Shazhu still acting like this? No way, I'm going with you! I'm getting to eat this roast duck today, no matter what!"

As she spoke, Madam Jia pulled Jia Dongxu out of the house and headed towards the east wing.

Meanwhile, at Yi Zhonghai's home, the scene was quite different. The house was filled with smoke, and Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and even the deaf old woman from the backyard had been invited over. The group sat together, all wearing smug expressions.

"Old Yi, are you sure Sha Zhu is really done for this time?" Yan Bugui asked. After all, he wasn't at the steel rolling mill and didn't know the real situation, so he was still a little apprehensive.

Yi Zhonghai nodded confidently, as if he had everything under control. "It's been announced to the entire factory, how could it be false? After this whole ordeal, what will that idiot Zhu have left to do? What kind of place is the foundry workshop? It'll exhaust him to death! If he wants to have an easy time from now on, he'll have to behave himself. Otherwise, we'll just threaten him, and if he dares to act recklessly again, we'll have him fired!"

"That's it! I saw him come back today carrying a lot of good stuff, especially that roast duck; the aroma could be smelled from far away. He knows he's in trouble and is preparing to pay up to avoid further disaster, to apologize to us gentlemen!"

The deaf old woman sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and snorted, "That little brat does have some sense! He knows he'll get what's coming to him if he offends us! When he comes, we'll make him apologize properly!"

Just then, Madam Jia Zhang, dragging Jia Dongxu along, burst in. Before they could even stand properly, they started yelling, "Dongxu's master! What happened? That idiot Zhu not only didn't give Huairu the roast duck, but he also cursed at her, saying some really nasty things! Does your method even work? How dare he be so arrogant?"

Upon hearing this, the old bastards present all looked displeased. They were waiting for Sha Zhu to come and treat them to a meal as an apology, but the damn people took all the food. What were they going to eat tonight? The entire Jia family was no good! They didn't know what had made Yi Zhonghai so blind as to choose Jia Dongxu as his caretaker.

Even Yi Zhonghai looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment upon hearing this, but he quickly regained his sanctimonious demeanor, waving his hand and saying, "Young people are like that. It's normal for them to be angry and lose their temper after suddenly receiving such a severe punishment. We should understand that as long as they admit their mistakes and correct them, they are still good kids."

He paused, then continued, "Look at all the food he bought today, including roast duck. I think he's showing his sincerity. When he cooks and comes over, we'll have a good talk. As long as he sincerely admits his mistake, we'll welcome him back to our big family."

Liu Haizhong immediately chimed in, "Old Yi is right. Leaders should be magnanimous and not hold a grudge against a young man who made a mistake. He's a good comrade for admitting his mistake and correcting it!"

The deaf old woman closed her eyes, as if she had everything under control, and slowly uttered, "Hmm, Zhonghai is right. Young people, we just need to give them a little nudge, we can't just kill them off with one blow."

The group chatted amongst themselves, encouraging each other, and indulging in the wonderful fantasy that He Yuzhu would soon back down and admit his mistake, and that they would regain control of the situation.

But as darkness fell, the tea on the table went cold and was refilled repeatedly. The group was growing increasingly impatient. However, the door to the He family's house remained closed even once; only the sounds of stir-frying and the increasingly rich aroma of food wafted over, seemingly mocking their waiting.

The apology banquet I had imagined never materialized.

"Wait a little longer, wait a little longer. Maybe Zhu Zi will come to invite us after he has finished cooking all the dishes." Faced with the restless crowd, Yi Zhonghai could only force an explanation to encourage everyone.