The Beginning of a Courtyard House: Sixty Years of Internal Strength

"That's right. Back then, Yi Zhonghai and He Daqing were very close to the Japanese."

He Daqing had cooked for the Japanese officers, and Yi Zhonghai had trained under the Japanese technicians for quite some time; otherwise, how could he have become a senior technician? The Jia Zhang family proudly revealed another big secret, dropping another bombshell.

"Mom, He Daqing and Yizhonghai are so close to the Japanese. We can use this to threaten them and get a lot of money." Jia Dongxu's eyes gleamed with greed.

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up when she heard this. "That's right, with leverage over them, we can at least extort a large sum of money from them."

Jia Zhangshi looked at the two of them awkwardly. "Don't think about it. Back then, countless people in Beijing were working for the Japanese."

"The situation is different. Aren't they getting along well? You traitors of Tie Gan." Jia Dongxu persisted, blinded by money, and failed to see Jia Zhangshi's helpless expression.

"Hey, let me tell you both the truth. Your father also worked in a steel rolling mill back then. He even learned the technology from the Japanese. But he wasn't satisfied and died in an accident." Seeing that she couldn't persuade Jia Dongxu, Jia Zhangshi had no choice but to tell the truth.

Jia Dongxu was speechless after hearing his mother's words; he hadn't expected his father to be a traitor as well. "Fine, then forget it."

The next day, Jia Dongxu went straight to the steel rolling mill without waiting for Yizhonghai, and had to ask his master for leave.

He Daqing led his children out the door.

"Zhu Zi, I'll take you to the steel mill to buy a job, then we'll buy some grain and leave you some money. That way you'll have an income. With your skills, you can practice for a few more years and become a chef." He Daqing instructed the silly Zhu Zi beside him.

"Okay, Dad." He Yuzhu was quite happy to hear that he was going to get a job. At least he wouldn't have to pick up trash anymore, and having a formal job would make it easier to find a wife.

He Daqing then led He Yuzhu to the canteen manager of the steel plant and bought him a job cooking large-scale dishes in the kitchen. Although He Yuzhu's cooking skills were still a bit lacking in stir-fries, he was more than capable of cooking large-scale dishes.

At courtyard house number 95, Li Jianguo arrived at the Yi family's door carrying an unopened bottle of white wine.

She knocked on the door, and Li Cuilan opened it shortly after. She was surprised to see Li Jianguo carrying a bottle of wine; she never expected him to come to see Lao Yi.

"Aunt Li, I heard that Uncle Yi had some trouble yesterday. I came today to see Uncle Yi and see how he is doing, whether he is feeling better. Secondly, I want to apologize for what happened back then. After all, I am still young and I went a bit too far." Li Jianguo looked at Li Cuilan with a big smile.

Li Cuilan couldn't figure out what Li Jianguo meant. Not knowing whether she should let him into the house, she turned to look at Lao Yi, who was sitting at the table eating.

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback. He didn't believe Li Jianguo would be so kind, but he really didn't know what this kid was up to. Nevertheless, he let him in, wanting to see what he had to say.

"Cuilan, let him in," Yi Zhonghai called out towards the door.

When Li Jianguo entered the house, he saw Yi Zhonghai with a black eye and a face full of injuries, and found it quite amusing. He thought to himself that this old bastard deserved it; why wasn't he beaten to death?

But what he said was, "Uncle Yi, He Daqing went too far. He really hit hard. Are you alright?" As he spoke, Li Jianguo put the wine on the table.

"Oh, it's nothing, just a misunderstanding. Jian Guo, what brings you here? Is there something you need?" Yi Zhonghai looked at Li Jianguo curiously.

"Oh, nothing much. I just went home and talked about what happened in the yard."

"My dad gave me a beating and told me I had to bring a bottle of wine and apologize to you. Here I am, isn't that right?" Li Jianguo sat to the side, smiling apologetically.

Yi Zhonghai only believed it to a certain extent. This kid had been so harsh in his insults back then, he didn't know if his apology was sincere.

"Alright, just leave it here. I'm fine. I accept your apology and I didn't take it to heart. After all, you're still young and don't understand. You can go back now," Yi Zhonghai said magnanimously.

Li Jianguo quickly stepped forward and patted Yi Zhonghai on the shoulder, saying with a serious expression, "Uncle Yi, you must take care of yourself. If you really can't manage, rest for a few more days and take good care of your health. If there's any problem, we'll call the police. We absolutely can't let He Daqing get away with this."

While patting Yi Zhonghai's shoulder, Li Jianguo secretly left a trace of internal energy within Yi Zhonghai's body.

This internal force didn't have much effect at first, but it would gradually damage the pulse points on Yi Zhonghai's hands. There wouldn't be any problems for several months.

In about two years, Yi Zhonghai's hands will definitely be shaking like he has Parkinson's disease.

At that point, let alone eating with chopsticks, they'll probably have trouble even wiping their bottoms.

"Okay, I understand. It was just a misunderstanding between us, and there's no need to bother the police. He Daqing paid some medical expenses, and I've already forgiven him," Yi Zhonghai explained, feigning generosity.

"Alright, since that's the case, I won't bother you any longer. Please take good care of yourself at home." With that, Li Jianguo left.

After Li Jianguo walked away, Li Cuilan looked at Yi Zhonghai with suspicion: "Old Yi, what exactly does Li Jianguo mean? He actually came to apologize; could he have poisoned the drink?"

Li Cuilan took the wine and examined it closely. "It's unopened, so it shouldn't be poisoned."

"I won't drink this wine either; I'll give it to someone else. I don't understand what he means either; maybe his father really did say something to him." Yi Zhonghai was also a little puzzled.

If it really was his family who said this, an apology is still possible. After all, older generations hope for harmonious relationships between neighbors, and his parents may think the same way.

"In that case, should we still find someone to teach him a lesson?" Li Cuilan hesitated before continuing.

"Old Yi, the other party has already backed down. If we still send someone to teach him a lesson, won't things just get worse? If he hasn't offended anyone else, he'll be the first to suspect us. At that point, his family might not be able to sit still either."

Yi Zhonghai frowned at this moment, realizing his wife was right. The apology meant his family knew about it. If anything else happened, it would easily be linked to him.

He wasn't afraid of the people his apprentice had found, because there was no evidence. What he feared was that Li Jianguo's family might secretly harm him, and he probably wouldn't be able to defend himself against that.

"How about this, let's go talk to the old lady and ask her what we should do about this?" For a moment, Yi Zhonghai was also undecided.

"Okay, Lao Yi, are you coming with me or will I go by myself?"

"Let's go together, you can help me." After saying that, Li Cuilan helped Yi Zhonghai walk with difficulty towards the old lady's house.