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

He muttered to himself beside Li Cuilan, "Why does Master Yi seem even more nervous than Jia Dongxu? Could this child be Yi Zhonghai's?"

These words immediately exploded in Li Cuilan's heart, and she immediately turned her gaze to Yi Zhonghai.

Looking at the man covered in sweat and looking anxious, Li Cuilan wondered if what Li Jianguo said was true.

Li Cuilan knew that Qin Huairu was the one Yi Zhonghai lent money to Jia Tongxu, and that Yi Zhonghai had even said that he had carefully selected her.

Li Cuilan knew perfectly well how beautiful Qin Huairu was, and the more she thought about it, the more anxious she became, and the paler her face grew.

I lost my balance and almost fainted, but luckily I managed to grab the wall next to me.

"Aunt Li, are you alright?" Li Jianguo quickly asked, relieved that she hadn't fainted.

"It's okay, I'm fine," Li Cuilan said, shaking her head with a forced smile.

Li Jianguo was overjoyed at having sown discord, never expecting Li Cuilan to be so composed.

Li Jianguo didn't go home afterwards either; it seemed quite lively.

He already regretted missing out on Yan Bugui's spectacle; they probably secretly discussed it last night and missed it. He'd better keep a close eye on this good show.

Watching Yi Zhonghai directing Sha Zhu to do everything he could, it became impossible to tell who Qin Huairu's husband was.

As expected of the female lead of the courtyard house, she seduced so many people and was busy until nightfall. Sha Zhu paid the fee.

After settling in, the group slowly walked back to the courtyard house. When they got home, Li Jianguo saw that it was already dark.

There was no rush to sleep; instead, I focused my attention on listening to the movements of the Yi family.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the room, Li Cuilan couldn't hold back and slammed her hand on the table.

"Yi Zhonghai, tell me the truth, what exactly is your relationship with Qin Huairu!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat. How could this be? Could it be that Li Cuilan had discovered it? That shouldn't be the case. Yi Zhonghai was an old fox; he remained calm and composed.

"What relationship? She's my apprentice's wife. What are you talking about?"

"Yi Zhonghai, we've slept together for half our lives, what kind of person are you? I don't even know you."

Your behavior at the operating room entrance today—do you dare say you two have nothing going on? If you'd just admit it so readily.

"We can still go on, but if you dare to tell me another lie, we'll fight to the death. Others may not know the shady things you've done, but I know everything."

When Yi Zhonghai heard Li Cuilan's serious tone and the threat she was using, he had no choice but to lower his head and admit it.

"That's right, the child in Qin Huairu's belly is mine. I found someone in Qin Family Village to give birth to my child."

After she became pregnant, I didn't want to divorce you and remarry, so I had no choice but to marry her off to Dongxu.

Upon hearing this truth, which she had already guessed, Li Cuilan was unable to accept it. She staggered and almost fell to the ground, stammering out a few words.

"Fine, Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai, you're truly something else. You're capable of doing something like this."

Yi Zhonghai was also afraid that Li Cuilan would fight him to the death, so he quickly tried to appease her.

"Cuilan, don't worry, we still have feelings for each other."

I will take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die. At that time, I, your own son, will also recognize you as my godmother.

"Yi Zhonghai, stop trying to fool me. I know who you are."

Because you're the breadwinner, you've done all this, so whether you admit it or not, I have to accept it. Isn't that what you think?

But Yi Zhonghai, you better remember this: I've already sent your incriminating evidence to my nephew.

"If anything happens to me, he'll report you immediately. You'd better think carefully."

Li Cuilan glared fiercely at Yi Zhonghai. She knew how ruthless this man was, and she trembled with anger.

Li Cuilan had already threatened Yi Zhonghai several times with the matter of his incriminating evidence.

If he weren't afraid she would use the evidence to report him, he would have dumped Li Cuilan long ago and married Qin Huairu.

If he weren't forced into this situation, why would he keep the beautiful Qin Huairu instead of marrying her?

"Okay, okay, I understand. Drink some water and calm down. Don't be angry. There's still a long road ahead."

Seeing that Li Cuilan's lips had turned purple, Yi Zhonghai quickly comforted her, worried that her heart condition might have relapsed.

Her nephew still had leverage over her, and if Li Cuilan really died, her nephew would indeed report her.

"Your behavior at the operating room door today was too obvious; Li Jianguo has already noticed it."

He deliberately whispered a couple of things in my ear, saying that I was even more nervous than Jia Dongxu, and that's how I guessed it.

He probably figured something out too. You'd better be careful; there are plenty of smart people in the neighborhood.

Li Cuilan glanced at her with disdain.

Yi Zhonghai was also stunned after hearing this. He didn't expect it to be Li Jianguo, that brat. He had already stopped paying attention to him, but Li Jianguo still dared to sow discord here.

However, he was also wondering to himself. Was Li Jianguo just making a joke to stir things up, or was he genuinely suspicious?

"Cuilan, do you think I should test him to see if he's just stirring things up or if he really knows about me and Qin Huairu?"

Unable to make up his mind, Yi Zhonghai quickly asked Li Cuilan for advice.

"You'd better not try to test him. Now, if anyone tries to test him, given Li Jianguo's intelligence, he will definitely find out that the child is yours."

The best course of action for you and Qin Huairu is to wait and see. If Li Jianguo tries to test you or Qin Huairu, it means he is genuinely suspicious.

If there's no reaction after I get down there, it means he was just saying it casually, trying to provoke me into fighting you, just wanting to see some excitement.

"Alright, Cuilan, talk to Qin Huairu about this in the next couple of days, so he can be on guard."

Li Cui felt a wave of dizziness. This Yi Zhonghai was truly a scoundrel, actually sending her to deliver a message.

After thinking it over, Li Cuilan agreed. After all, Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu had very few opportunities to be alone together, and that old hag Jia Zhangshi was keeping a close eye on them.

Then the room fell silent, with only the sound of their breathing remaining.

After eavesdropping at home, Li Jianguo was stunned. Brilliant, truly brilliant! No wonder the original drama featured someone sneaking into a cellar and delivering cornmeal in the middle of the night.

So it turns out the bastard really is Yi Zhonghai's. Could it be that Li Cuilan's inability to get pregnant is truly her problem? I must find a way to verify this when I have the chance.

Li Cuilan is quite ruthless; she actually dared to let outsiders hold leverage over her, probably because she was afraid Yi Zhonghai would kill her.

I originally had some feelings for Qin Huairu, but just like in the original drama, she only started exchanging steamed buns for steamed buns and sneaking into the small storeroom after Jia Dongxu was embarrassed.

I didn't expect it to be a bus so early in the morning. I felt nauseous just touching it, so I decided to pass.

And then there's Li Cuilan, who's so clever. She just stirred things up and she immediately became suspicious. But it's also because her intentions were too obvious at the time.

I should have just spoken to Jia Zhangshi at the operating room door. If I had stirred things up a bit, it would have been much more interesting. And instead, I ran into a cunning one. I'm just incredibly unlucky.