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

Winter in Beijing is unpredictable; it can change in an instant. The sun shone brightly for a while in the morning, but by noon the sky darkened, turning a hazy yellow—a sign of impending heavy snow. At this point, snowflakes began to fall, swirling and dancing in the cold wind, creating a desolate and chilling scene.

In the obstetrics and gynecology ward of the district hospital, Qin Huairu lay there, pale-faced and half-conscious. Yesterday's emergency treatment had exhausted most of her energy, but she had ultimately given birth to a daughter without serious complications. The baby was currently wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed beside her pillow. Perhaps because the resuscitation had taken so long, the baby was meowing weakly, clearly not going to survive.

Fortunately, he wasn't short of money; he had the money he'd stolen from Jia Zhangshi on him, and the nurses brought him some food, so he wasn't hungry. However, Jia Dongxu in the other ward wasn't having such a good time.

Since Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi left yesterday, no one has stepped into this ward. No one pours water, no one brings food, and he even has to beg the nurses to help him with his bodily functions, which makes the female nurses roll their eyes at him.

"Mom! Huairu! Where the hell have you been?!" I'm crippled, a burden, so are you abandoning me? That old bastard Yi Zhonghai, always talking about master and disciple, father and son, now he doesn't even show his face! And that stupid old woman, always causing trouble and making a scene, she's more trouble than she's worth! That bitch Qin Huairu, did she start having other ideas now that I'm crippled?

The resentment in his heart was slowly eroding his remaining rationality. "You think you can just abandon me? Dream on! Nobody's going to get away with this! Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu, and Zhang Xiaohua, you just wait, I'll drag you down with me!"

At this moment, Jia Dongxu's face was contorted with rage, and he let out a series of strange laughs, occasionally shouting "Good!" His personality had completely turned dark, and he even showed signs of splitting and becoming abnormal. The patient next to him was so frightened that he sat up abruptly, leaned on his cane, and limped off to find the nurse to report the situation.

In the end, neither side had any other options. They couldn't expect the nurses to keep taking care of them forever, could they? They were already complaining a lot. Upon further inquiry, they discovered they were a married couple, both in hospital beds – quite unusual. And then they found out there was an elderly woman at home. Having no other choice, they called the local neighborhood committee to report the situation and ask them to resolve it.

The neighborhood committee was also at their wits' end. When they went to the courtyard to find Jia Zhangshi, they learned she had been taken away by the Women's Federation, and there was even a starving, crying child locked up in her house. This family—the elderly arrested, the disabled, the weak, and the infants—left the neighborhood committee staff who came to resolve the issue completely bewildered. But these were residents of the jurisdiction, and the neighborhood committee couldn't simply ignore it.

The deputy director rubbed his temples and instructed his subordinates, "Go back to courtyard number 95 and ask around to see if anyone is willing to temporarily go to the hospital to help take care of the patients. The neighborhood office can provide a small subsidy, about 50 cents a day. Talk to them nicely; this is a time to show neighborly assistance." These days, grassroots organizations are still quite humane and genuinely serve the people.

. . . . . .

In the alley, the wind whipped up snowflakes that stung people's faces, chilling them to the bone. Zhang Guifen and Yi Zhonghai walked home, one after the other.

Zhang Guifen walked ahead, head held high, her stride imposing and full of spirit. The biting wind, sharp as a knife, stung her face, but she paid it no heed. At that moment, she felt a surge of warmth and even found the wind exceptionally refreshing.

How many years has it been? Her inability to have children became the root of all her suffering. Her husband's scolding, the neighbors' gossip, and the endless guilt and inferiority in her heart, day and night, were like a mountain pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe. She could only become more and more hunched over and more and more silent.

But now, this mountain has been shattered by a single report!

Yi Zhonghai followed not far behind her, hunched over, looking forlorn and helpless, like a lost old dog. He clutched a report in his hand, but the expressions on their faces after seeing it were completely different.

"Heaven is unjust! Is this world all black? Why? Why is it so hard for good people to survive? It's true that good people are bullied by others, and even Heaven bullies them!" Yi Zhonghai roared madly in his heart, accusing Heaven of being heartless.

Zhang Guifen completely ignored the man behind her and headed straight for the market after leaving the alley. She was going to buy extra groceries to cook for herself today—for so many years, she had never eaten anything good, always saving it for Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old woman, who had no descendants. Today, she was going to be herself and have a proper meal.

Yi Zhonghai watched as Zhang Xuefen silently abandoned him and walked in another direction. At this moment, the balance of power between the two had reversed, and he didn't dare to call out to Zhang Xuefen. He could only walk towards the courtyard alone, feeling that the road home had never been so long in his life.

"Comrade Yi Zhonghai, according to the test results, well, your sperm motility is extremely low, and the quantity is also severely insufficient. Simply put, in your case, the chances of your partner conceiving are essentially zero..."

He didn't hear a word of what was said after that. He only felt as if the ceiling of the entire consultation room had collapsed. He was the one who "couldn't lay eggs"! He was the culprit who caused the Yi family line to end! He dared not imagine what he would become once this result spread. A complete joke! Even the last shred of human dignity would be stripped away!

He stumbled aimlessly to the entrance of the courtyard house. The front yard was quiet; the snow had fallen heavier and accumulated in a thin layer on the ground. As soon as he appeared, the doors of the houses opened immediately, and the elderly men and women who had stayed at home came out smiling, showing Yi Zhonghai the utmost enthusiasm.

"Hey, Lao Yi's back. It's cold outside, why don't you come in and sit for a bit?"

"Why are you the only one who came back? Where is Aunt Yi?"

"Have the test results come out yet? Tell us what happened, so we can all take a look and offer some advice. Neighbors should help each other out!"

Every question was like a whip lashing at his soul, like a knife cutting into his heart. Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth, head bowed, ignoring everyone else, and walked straight towards the central courtyard. Little did he know, the front courtyard was merely an appetizer; a far greater ordeal awaited the old man without descendants in the central courtyard.

"Oh, isn't this our old, respected elder, the last surviving member of our household? You're back from your checkup so early? So, whose fault was it? I took the day off specifically to wait for you here, paying such a high price, just to find out the truth. You absolutely can't let me down!"

Yi Zhonghai froze, his blood rushing to his head. He knew who this person was without even looking up.

Despicable, shameless, treacherous, vicious, heartless, utterly devoid of conscience, insidious, and cunning—the worst of the worst. —He Yuzhu.