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

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, He Yuzhu sneered: "Old man? You're considered old if you're not even fifty? At that age, you're the main workforce in the factory. How come you're considered old just because you're in a courtyard house?"

And Yi Zhonghai, I remember you and Liu Haizhong aren't even as old as Jia Zhangshi, right? These past few years I've often heard you spouting nonsense about respecting the elderly and caring for the young. Whenever any of the younger folks in the compound talk back to you old guys, you accuse them of disrespecting their elders. What, do you think you're about to be buried yourself?

"You!" Yi Zhonghai was speechless, choked with embarrassment.

"And stop bringing up elders all the time." He Yuzhu's voice was even colder. "What's my relationship with the Jia family? Just ordinary neighbors! My father, He Daqing, is still alive, and my master is still alive too. The people buried in my family's ancestral graves are my elders. Who does Jia Zhangshi think she is? How dare she act like an elder in front of me? If she does it again, I'll beat her up!"

"How dare she curse my parents and sister! I've been lenient by not beating this fat old hag to death! If she does it again, I'll knock all her teeth out! Madam Jia, if you don't believe me, just try again."

Faced with He Yuzhu's blatant threat, Jia Zhangshi dared not resist. Normally arrogant and domineering, she only encountered those who were all talk and no action, and her greatest source of strength was this foolish He Yuzhu, who was now threatening her with his fists. She could only try to hide her fat face behind Qin Huairu's back, avoiding He Yuzhu's murderous gaze.

"And you too," He Yuzhu pointed at Yi Zhonghai, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. All that bullshit about being an elder, you just want to control me and make me listen to you. Let me make this clear: my father, He Yuzhu's father, ran away, not died. Anyone who dares to act like a big shot in front of me, I, He Yuzhu, will respect your fists, not yours! You old geezer, if you ever let your guard down, I'll beat you up too!"

Alright, now Master Yi can save himself the trouble and just call him "Old Man".

This made Yi Zhonghai so angry that his heart was trembling.

"He Yuzhu, you're blatantly breaking the rules of the courtyard! This is utterly lawless!"

"Screw the rules, I don't respect them! You can do whatever you want from now on, just don't drag me into it. Let me tell you, Yi Zhonghai, I, He Yuzhu, am a respectable steel mill worker. You may be a level six fitter, but don't forget you're just an ordinary worker. We're all working class, and nobody should try to be superior to anyone else. To put it bluntly, everyone in our Xinhua Country is equal."

"How dare you speak to me like that? It seems I need to teach you a lesson on behalf of He Daqing, you disrespectful and ill-mannered brat."

"What, you want to fight?" He Yuzhu looked at him coldly. "I advise you to think carefully. Are you sure you can beat me?"

Yi Zhonghai glanced at the two men on the ground and swallowed hard. Although he was furious, he hadn't lost his temper. He Yuzhu's skills were unmatched in the entire courtyard; after all, he had relied on He Yuzhu to establish his authority there over the past few years.

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai suddenly realized that he didn't seem to have a good way to deal with He Yuzhu. At this time, Yi Zhonghai was only a level six fitter. Although he had some prestige in the courtyard, he was far from having the power to control the entire courtyard later on. After all, the one behind him was a level eight fitter, who also served as an assessment judge for the steel rolling mill's employee grading system. Most people in the courtyard worked at the steel rolling mill, and very few dared to offend him.

Now, he relies more on a partnership with Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui to manage the courtyard, supplemented by the military support of Sha Zhu at crucial moments. At least outwardly, no one in the courtyard dares to oppose him. But now, his biggest military supporter has turned against him, and he suddenly finds his rule in the courtyard severely shaken.

"If you have nothing else, I'm going back to my room for dinner. Also, don't try anything funny with me again. He Daqing ran away, and I, He Yuzhu, am the head of the He family! Legally speaking, you and Yi Zhonghai are of the same generation. If we're on good terms, I'll politely call you Master Yi; if not, you're nobody! I'm making this clear to you today. If you dare to scheme against me again, or spend money or effort helping any Tom, Dick, or Harry, you'd better watch out for my fists!"

After saying that, he turned around and went back into the house, slamming the door shut and leaving the courtyard in complete silence.

Yi Zhonghai stood there, his expression shifting repeatedly. He hadn't expected things to turn out this way. He Yuzhu's words had completely shattered the prestige he had built up over the years in the courtyard house.

What angered him even more was that, although He Yuzhu's words were harsh, they were irrefutable. He had never genuinely helped the Jia family much; he had always made He Yuzhu do the work. He genuinely wanted to use He Yuzhu as a tool to gain favor with the Jia family.

Now that the tool has been turned on its own, he is at a loss for what to do.

"Old Yi, this matter can't just be left like this." Liu Haizhong walked over at some point, acting like the leader of the courtyard. "This Sha Zhu is too arrogant. We have to teach him a lesson."

"Yeah, Lao Yi," Yan Bugui chimed in, "That kid was pretty rude to me today too. If we don't teach him a lesson, how will there be any order in this courtyard?"

The two old men had been hiding behind the crowd, mainly because they were furious that Yi Zhonghai had helped the Jia family borrow a house. They had agreed to share the spoils of the He family's extinction, but this old man dared to hog the spoils alone. So when they saw Yi Zhonghai being confronted by He Yuzhu, they didn't stand up to say anything, preferring to sit back and watch the fight.

Seeing that He Yuzhu's personality had changed drastically and that he completely disregarded Yi Zhonghai, appearing to be out of control, they naturally felt a sense of crisis. After all, they were all on the same side when it came to exploiting the He family's extinction.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath. "Zhu Zi has been bewitched by someone and his mind has been clouded. I can't let him make the same mistake again! I'll go find the old lady right now and ask her for advice. I hope she can help Zhu Zi see the error of his ways. It's not terrible for young people to make mistakes, but we should give them a chance to realize their mistakes and correct them. Our No. 95 courtyard must never let down the banner of respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and helping each other."

In an instant, he was blessed with a moral golden body, which blinded the eyes of the surrounding beasts, who couldn't help but shout their approval and praise the old man for his benevolence and righteousness.

Liu Haizhong was filled with envy and anger. Why couldn't he learn that hypocritical, sanctimonious manner? If he had that kind of air, wouldn't he be able to easily become a powerful figure? Why would Liu Haizhong be able to put on such a show? It really infuriated him!

"Everyone, disperse and get some rest." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand slightly, then walked towards the depths of the backyard. Everyone followed suit and dispersed.

This infuriated Liu Haizhong. What happened to the three elders? Why should we listen to only you? I'm the second elder, and you bunch of troublemakers just left without me saying a word! Don't you have any manners? Don't you respect your superiors? This is outrageous!