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

As Yi Zhonghai stepped out of the police station, the cold wind outside made him realize that his soaked clothes were sticking to his body, chilling him to the bone.

The factory issued a notice, and the military control commission kept a record; this stain was now firmly established. The "highly respected" image he had painstakingly built up in the factory and the compound had largely collapsed today.

He quickly forced himself to calm down.

It's good that everyone is safe. As long as they are still out there, there is still hope for things to be salvaged.

Although Jia Dongxu was foolish, he was at least obedient and took all the blame. Although his reputation was damaged, his foundation remained intact.

As for that house... well, it's gone, it's gone.

He walked along, making plans in his mind.

Not long after, they returned to the courtyard house.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, there were still some neighbors who were still awake. As soon as they saw him return, all their eyes turned to him.

In those eyes, there was curiosity, inquiry, and quite a bit of schadenfreude.

"Hey, Grandpa Yi's back!"

"How are you, Uncle Yi? Are you alright?"

Xu Damao was the first to crowd around, his face beaming with excitement, as if he loved watching the drama unfold.

Yi Zhonghai ignored him, his face dark, and walked straight towards the Intermediate People's Court.

Tan Zhaodi and Qin Huairu had been guarding the courtyard gate. When they saw Yi Zhonghai return alone, their hearts were in their throats.

"Old Yi!" Tan Zhaodi rushed over, her face full of worry.

"Master! Where's Dongxu? How is he?"

Qin Huairu was so anxious that tears were about to fall, and her voice was trembling.

She is now pinning all her hopes on Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at Qin Huairu, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, then looked at the neighbors around him who were listening intently. He sighed and put on a sorrowful yet reliable expression.

"Sigh, let's go inside and talk."

He led the two women into his house, closed the door, and blocked their view from the outside.

"Old Yi, what exactly happened? Where is Dongxu?" Tan Zhaodi poured him a cup of hot water and asked anxiously.

Qin Huairu looked at him nervously, her hands clenched together.

Yi Zhonghai took a sip of hot water to warm himself up before slowly saying, "Dongxu... won't be coming back for the time being."

"What?!" Qin Huairu's vision went black, and she swayed, almost losing her balance.

"The police said he hired someone to injure someone and caused trouble, which is illegal and he will be punished." Yi Zhonghai's tone was heavy. "But don't worry too much. I've already pleaded with the police, and we've also compensated Cheng Shuhai. The final sentence shouldn't be too severe, it's just... he'll have to go to a farm for labor reform for a period of time."

"Labor reform..."

Qin Huairu murmured to herself, tears streaming down her face again.

She had never been to that place, but she had heard of it. It was a tough and tiring place. Once you went in, your life would be stained. How could you ever hold your head up in the factory again?

Is it possible to return to the steel rolling mill?

"Huai Ru, don't cry." Yi Zhonghai looked at her, his tone softening like a kind elder. "Things have come to this point, crying won't solve anything. The most important thing now is to handle the situation at hand and wait for Dong Xu to return."

He looked at Qin Huairu and Tan Zhaodi and said, word by word, "Tomorrow, I'll have your master's wife find someone to help you move all your things over there."

"From now on, you can stay at my place. I won't charge you rent; consider it my way of atoning for that brat Dongxu's sins as his master."

"Huai Ru, you've suffered so much and been wronged so soon after you married into the family. But you have to hold on, this family is counting on you now."

"But don't worry, with my help, nothing will happen."

Yi Zhonghai was genuinely worried that Qin Huairu might run away, so he had to appease her.

Tan Zhaodi listened from the side, nodding repeatedly, feeling that her old man was kind-hearted and responsible.

Qin Huairu was also stunned.

Looking at her master, whose face was filled with grief, she felt a mix of emotions.

There was emotion, gratitude, but more than anything, there was an indescribable sense of frustration and the sorrow of being dependent on others.

The house was gone, the man went inside, and the mother-in-law was inside too. As a new bride, she could only live in the small house at her master's house.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

But did she have any other choice?

No more.

In this unfamiliar courtyard house, she could rely on no one but Yi Zhonghai.

"Thank you, Master..." Qin Huairu lowered her head, squeezing out these words through clenched teeth, tears dripping onto the ground.

"Oh, silly child, don't thank me. We're family now."

Yi Zhonghai patted her shoulder with "gratification," finally feeling a huge weight lifted from his heart.

The plan is a success!

He turned to Tan Zhaodi and said, "Zhaodi, it's settled then. Tomorrow morning, go find two porters and move all of the Jia family's things to our little house. The sooner we finish moving them, the sooner Huairu can settle down."

"Okay, I understand," Tan Zhaodi quickly agreed.

At this moment, the crowd that had been peeking through the window at Yi Zhonghai's door immediately dispersed and went home.

Yan Bugui's wife, Yang Xiulian, whispered, "Do you think Yi Zhonghai is stupid? That little house, it would cost tens of thousands a month to rent out, right? Giving it to the Jia family for free, how much money will they lose in a year? He's just being stubborn and suffering for it!"

"What do you know!" Yan Bugui glared at his wife. "They're playing the long game! The Jia family eats their food and lives with them; won't Jia Dongxu be their slave in the future? This is a shrewd business!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiulian was stunned for a long time before finally shaking her head: "Old Yi is the one who's really shrewd. I'm calculating about money, but he's calculating about people!"

The backyard, Xu Damao's house.

He was excitedly telling his father, Xu Fugui, about what had happened in the courtyard.

"Dad, you didn't see it. When that old bastard Yi Zhonghai announced this, Qin Huairu's face turned deathly pale!"

"Hahaha, that's so satisfying! The Jia family is completely finished this time; they'll be Yi Zhonghai's dogs from now on!"

Xu Fugui, smoking a cigarette, snorted, "Don't be too happy yet. Yi Zhonghai is a shrewd man. By doing this, he's completely tied the Jia family to him. From now on, his words will carry even more weight in this courtyard."

"So what? He's already lost face today! Let's see who believes his hypocritical nonsense from now on!"

Xu Damao said dismissively.

Throughout the courtyard, people have different opinions.

Some sympathized, some mocked, some plotted, and some watched the show.

Cheng Shuhai, the mastermind behind all of this, had already shut himself off from the outside world's disturbances.

He sat leisurely at the table, watching his younger sister Ling'er draw, feeling completely at peace.

Yi Zhonghai's scheme was obvious to anyone.

But so what?

He dug the pit.

He buried the mine.

Whether Yi Zhonghai was willing to jump in voluntarily and even saw himself as a savior is his own business.

Cheng Shuhai's only expectation now is the day Jia Zhangshi returns from the farm.

When that old shrew discovers that not only has she lost her home, but her entire family is also forced to live under someone else's roof, having to depend on Yi Zhonghai's whims, the scene will surely be incredibly interesting.