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

On the other side, Secretary Tan Jin and Secretary Li from the district were also on the phone.

Secretary Li didn't hide anything and reported the whole story of the "Great Good News" to Tan Jin. "Old Tan, this matter has caused quite a stir, even reaching the city level. The district has formed a working group for this, and Wang Xuemei has been placed under quarantine for investigation. Based on the content of the 'Great Good News' and the information we have gathered so far, the problems in that courtyard house are probably more complicated than we imagined."

Tan Jin was somewhat shocked as he listened to Secretary Li's account. He knew He Yuzhu had been wronged, but he hadn't expected the kid to be so troublesome, almost causing a major incident. This was going to embarrass many people! Despite his thoughts, deep down he didn't feel much resentment towards He Yuzhu.

He grew up in poverty; his family's land was seized through cunning and force, leading to their ruin and death. Otherwise, he wouldn't have embarked on this path at such a young age. The pain he felt was still vivid in his memory. You never know how much it hurts until you experience it yourself. In his opinion, He Yuzhu's extreme reaction, though ill-advised, was understandable given the circumstances.

"Old Li, I understand the situation. To be honest, regarding Comrade He Yuzhu and the courtyard house, our factory's security department conducted a preliminary investigation at my request yesterday after Yang Weiguo issued the punishment."

He then briefly told Secretary Li the contents of the report obtained by the security department after questioning several residents of the courtyard, and emphasized that the security department had jointly investigated the root cause of the rumors against He Yuzhu with the local police station.

Secretary Li on the other end of the phone gasped in shock. He hadn't expected the situation inside the steel mill and that courtyard to be so much more complex than he'd imagined! Such an organized, oppressive clique had formed within a courtyard—it was a malignant tumor in grassroots governance!

"Old Tan, since both sides are investigating, and the incidents are interconnected, I suggest we handle it collaboratively. Your factory should primarily focus on investigating the issues concerning Comrade Yang Weiguo and the workers at the steel rolling mill in the courtyard. Our district committee's working group should thoroughly investigate Wang Xuemei's issues and the street office's dereliction of duty in managing courtyard number 95. As for the overall situation within the courtyard, which involves factory workers and ordinary residents, we will conduct a joint investigation. Two days later, I will send a working group to the steel rolling mill. We will combine the information and jointly study a solution. What do you think?"

"Yes, I completely agree." Tan Jin readily agreed. "I will also immediately report this matter to the ministry's leadership team."

After hanging up with Secretary Li, Tan Jin didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately called the relevant leaders of the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry. Now that the district had officially set up a working group, there was no room for negotiation; they had to report the matter truthfully to the higher authorities. Yang Weiguo could only leave it to fate.

As evening fell, He Yuzhu and his younger sister He Yushui finished their dinner. He Yushui cleared away the dishes, while He Yuzhu lit a cigarette, leaned against the window, and watched the sky gradually darken and the snowflakes fall in scattered drops.

His gaze casually swept across the yard, and suddenly he saw Jia Dongxu wrapped in a cotton-padded coat, his face beaming with excitement, walking briskly outside.

Jia Dongxu is probably out drinking and playing cards at his cronies' houses again. Almost every Saturday night, Jia Dongxu goes out around this time and doesn't come back until one or two in the morning.

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't this his chance? He told He Yushui that he was going out for a walk to digest his food, and then immediately followed her out. With his current abilities, following an ordinary person without being detected was a piece of cake. So he easily located where Jia Dongxu was drinking, and then returned to the courtyard house.

At 11 p.m., He Yuzhu, who was lying in bed, opened his eyes, got up and changed into a set of casual clothes. Instead of going through the door, he gently pushed open the window, nimbly climbed out, landed silently, and then gently closed the window.

Like a ghost, he quickly arrived outside the courtyard where Jia Dongxu's cronies lived. Finding a secluded corner, he leaped up, placed his hand on the wall, and silently flipped himself over.

A light was still on in one of the rooms in the courtyard, and the faint sounds of men's boisterous laughter and curses could be heard. He Yuzhu reached for the window and, through the crack, could see Jia Dongxu sitting at the table, his face flushed, gesturing wildly as he spoke, with some money piled up in front of him. Judging from his expression, he was having an exceptionally good night's gambling.

"You won money? Great..." He Yuzhu was also happy for Jia Dongxu. "Perfect, now you have a reason to get your leg broken."

He then waited for nearly two hours in a secluded corner on the wall. In the dead of winter, anyone else would have been frozen solid. He Yuzhu, however, felt no cold at all; wearing only a single layer of clothing, he felt nothing in the sub-zero temperatures. His only problem was the cigarette consumption; he had already smoked dozens, throwing the butts into his spatial storage to avoid leaving any trace.

It wasn't until around 1 a.m. that the door was opened, and Jia Dongxu walked out with a big smile on his face. He had obviously won money and might have even had a few drinks.

The winter night in Beijing was bitterly cold, and the streets were deserted. Jia Dongxu was clearly in high spirits, humming a tuneless little tune, completely unaware that someone was following him. "Today is truly, truly joyful! I won over thirty yuan in one go, which is equivalent to a month's salary. This has never happened in so many years; it must be a miracle from our ancestors!"

He was still planning to buy a roast duck for his family during the day to satisfy their cravings, so his mother and son wouldn't keep asking for meat. If he could win money like this regularly, why would he need to rely on any mentor or "Silly Pillar"? He wasn't comfortable with his wife constantly hanging out with other men. Humming a little tune, he turned into an alley he always took home. It was pitch black, and he could only see the way by the moonlight.

Just as he reached the middle of the alley, he was suddenly struck on the back of the neck. Jia Dongxu didn't even utter a sound before his vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness.

He Yuzhu emerged from the shadows, his face expressionless. With a thought, a cast iron rod as thick as a child's arm appeared in his hand. He had taken it from the scrap warehouse of the steel mill and put it in his spatial storage, specifically for times like this. Afterwards, he couldn't even determine what kind of weapon it was.

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised the iron bar, gathered all his strength, and smashed it down on Jia Dongxu's lower body more than a dozen times!

"Snap! Snap..."

With He Yuzhu's current strength, one can easily imagine what would happen if he slammed those dozen or so blows with all his might. In any case, Jia Dongxu's knees and below were practically ready to be used as dumpling wrappers.