Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

Sha Zhu and He Yushui ate and drank their fill at Cheng Shuhai's house and returned home satisfied.

After seeing them off, Cheng Shuhai tidied up a bit and looked at his sleeping sister, feeling a sense of peace.

As for the chaos and commotion in the courtyard, he had long since become accustomed to treating it as a spectacle.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking.

Yi Zhonghai got out of bed. He looked in the mirror at his face, which was covered in bruises and swollen like a pig's head. His eyes were filled with resentment that almost overflowed.

He dared not delay for too long; he had already taken several days off from the factory, and if he didn't go soon, he might lose his job.

He put on a hat, covering most of his face, and then, like a thief, hurriedly left the house with his head down.

Upon entering the courtyard house, even early in the morning, you're bound to run into a few early-rising neighbors.

"Oh, Master Yi, off to work?"

"Your face... haven't you had a good rest?"

The teasing, though the question was obvious, was mixed with suppressed giggles, like tiny needles pricking at Yi Zhonghai's pride.

He dared not look up or retort, and could only quicken his pace, almost fleeing the courtyard.

But he didn't expect that the courtyard house was just the beginning; the real "show" was yet to come in the steel rolling mill.

The moment he stepped into the fitter's workshop, the previously noisy workshop fell silent for a moment, and then countless eyes turned to him.

"Hey, Lao Yi's here!"

"Look, look! This is our factory's newest celebrity!"

An old master craftsman who didn't usually get along with Yi Zhonghai approached him in a strange voice, looking him up and down and clicking his tongue in amazement: "Old Yi, I heard you're like someone from the palace now? Really? Let me see for myself?"

"Hahaha!"

A burst of laughter erupted in the workshop.

Another younger worker chimed in, "Master Yi, what happened to your face? It looks like a palette of colors. Did you fight with your wife last night?"

"Go to hell! What nonsense are you spouting!" Yi Zhonghai was so angry that he trembled all over. He wanted to lash out, but when he met those dozens of mocking eyes, all the words stuck in his throat.

He's now the laughingstock of the entire factory.

"What are you all doing! Don't you have to work?"

Just then, the foreman of the fitter's workshop came out with a dark face and shouted a reprimand.

The workers then reluctantly dispersed, but their suppressed laughter was even more unpleasant than direct mockery.

The director walked up to Yi Zhonghai, looking at his face with a complex expression. He sighed and patted Yi Zhonghai on the shoulder: "Old Yi, don't overthink it. People can talk, we can't control them. Just focus on your work, do it well, that's more important than anything else."

These words, though meant to be comforting, sounded no different from charity to Yi Zhonghai.

He nodded sullenly with a dark expression, walked to his workstation, picked up his tools, but couldn't concentrate for a long time.

The probing glances and hushed whispers from his colleagues made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Have you heard? Yi Zhonghai from courtyard number 95 has really become a eunuch!"

"That's not all! Look at his face. I heard he was beaten up by Cheng Shuhai from the same courtyard. He beat up the old people, then the young ones, and even sent a deaf old lady to the hospital. He's ruthless!"

"My God, that's amazing! Who is Cheng Shuhai?"

"He runs a small restaurant, but his cooking is amazing, and he has a good relationship with the factory leaders..."

These fragmented discussions pieced together a fact that filled Yi Zhonghai with despair: he, Yi Zhonghai, had become nothing more than a stepping stone for Cheng Shuhai's rise, a clown for others to laugh at.

……

Meanwhile, in the ward.

"Ouch...it hurts! It hurts so much!"

Liu Haizhong slowly woke up from his coma, and the excruciating pain in his limbs made him scream like a pig being slaughtered.

"Honey! You're awake! You're finally awake!"

Upon seeing this, Sun Dali, who was guarding the bedside, burst into tears of joy and rushed over to him.

"Dad's awake!"

Liu Guangqi also showed a complex expression, a mixture of relief and an indescribable heaviness.

The two brothers, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, exchanged a glance and both saw a fleeting look of disappointment in each other's eyes.

How did I wake up?

"Water...water..." Liu Haizhong's throat was so dry it was practically burning, and he called out hoarsely.

Sun Dali quickly poured some water and carefully fed him with a spoon.

After drinking some water, Liu Haizhong finally felt a little better. He tried to move and sit up, but found that his body was completely unresponsive. Even the slightest movement caused excruciating pain.

"What...what's wrong with me?"

Liu Haizhong looked at his wife in horror.

Sun Dali's tears welled up again. She choked back sobs and repeated the doctor's words: "Honey... the doctor said... your hands and feet... the bones are... all broken... in the future... I'm afraid..."

"What?!"

Liu Haizhong was stunned, as if struck by lightning, his eyes wide with disbelief.

All four limbs are broken? He's crippled?

Is his life over?

The thought made his vision go black, and he almost fainted again.

"Who! Who did this?!"

Liu Haizhong snapped out of his daze and roared wildly, his voice shrill and piercing.

Just then, the ward door was pushed open, and two police officers walked in.

They are here to give a statement.

"Liu Haizhong, it's good you're awake." The police officer then opened his notebook. "Think carefully, before and after the incident, did you see what the person who attacked you looked like? Or did they have any distinctive features?"

Upon seeing the police, Liu Haizhong clung to them like a lifeline, wailing, "Officers! You must help me! I've been beaten into a cripple!"

"We know, that's why we're asking you for clues."

The police officer nodded and then gestured for him to explain what had happened.

Liu Haizhong tried hard to recall, but his mind was blank. At that time, his head was covered by a sack, and he could not remember anything except the pain.

"I...I didn't see it..."

Liu Haizhong shook his head in despair.

Suddenly, he remembered what he was supposed to do before he was beaten.

Yes! Report it!

His eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had grasped at his only hope. He excitedly shouted at the police officer, "Officer! I know who it was! No, I don't know who hit me, but I want to report it! I want to report someone!"

"Who should we report?"

The police officer's pen stopped moving.

"I want to report Cheng Shuhai! That Cheng Shuhai from courtyard number 95! He's definitely a spy!"

"His restaurant was a liaison point for spies! That watch of his was..."

Liu Haizhong was like a madman, shouting with spittle flying everywhere. He felt that as long as he dragged Cheng Shuhai down with him, he could turn his life around.

However, before he could finish speaking, a hand suddenly covered his mouth.

It's Liu Guangqi!

"Dad! What nonsense are you talking about!" Liu Guangqi covered his father's mouth tightly, his face ashen, and forced a smile that looked worse than crying at the two police officers. "Officers, I'm sorry, my dad... he just woke up, his mind is still unclear, he's talking nonsense."

"Relax!" The policeman frowned and shouted sternly.

Liu Guangqi dared not disobey and had no choice but to release his grip.

He knew he had to do something, or his whole family would be ruined by this stupid father!

He gritted his teeth, pulled the two police officers outside the ward, lowered his voice, and said with anxiety and pleading, "Officers, let me tell you the truth."

"My dad had a grudge against Cheng Shuhai from before, and he's always been thinking about revenge."

"He has absolutely no evidence; he's just trying to frame Cheng Shuhai and get him arrested... He's gone mad!"

"Please, please don't believe him! Our family can't afford any more trouble!"