The Courtyard House: The story begins with He Yuzhu beating up the White Widow.

Yi Zhonghai returned home, increasingly feeling something was amiss, and also harboring some resentment. So, he went straight out the door. A short while later, he arrived at the deaf old woman's door and knocked.

The deaf old lady, who was reclining on the bed with her eyes closed, heard the knock on the door and replied, "The door is unlocked, come in!"

Yi Zhonghai pushed open the door and entered the house. He closed the door, walked up to the deaf old woman, and said, "Something has happened to the old woman."

"Zhonghai!" The deaf old woman looked Yi Zhonghai up and down, gestured for him to sit down, and asked, "What happened?! Why do you look so pale?!"

Yi Zhonghai said, "Grandma, something went wrong with Widow Bai. She told He Daqing and He Yuzhu about our scheme."

"What?!" The deaf old woman's expression changed slightly. "Zhonghai, didn't you say the person you found was absolutely reliable? How could this happen?!"

Yi Zhonghai replied, "Grandma, this is also something I can't figure out. Just now, that brat He Yuzhu asked me for the things his father left behind. As you know, I've already used my connections to get that letter of introduction."

The deaf old woman asked directly, "Sha Zhu is asking you how much money?!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes darted around, and he replied, "1200."

The deaf old woman sneered and said, "This kid really dares to ask for a high price." Then she pulled out a wad of cash from under her pillow, counted out five hundred yuan, and placed it on the edge of the bed, saying, "I'll cover five hundred yuan for you; you can take care of the rest yourself. Also, find another opportunity to find out about that woman. As for getting Sha Zhu to support us in our old age, don't rush it. Take it one step at a time. Remember, Sha Zhu is a stubborn mule; he's easily swayed. You know how to deal with a stubborn mule, right? Since the original plan of walking the dog isn't working, change your strategy. Slowly, as long as you make him dependent on you, things will be settled. This process will be very long, so you absolutely mustn't rush it."

Yi Zhonghai nodded and echoed, "Grandma, don't worry! I know what I'm doing." Then Yi Zhonghai took the money, put it in his pocket, and continued, "Grandma, He Yuzhu broke the rules of the courtyard today. After he brought He Yushui back last night, he found that the house had been burgled. He went straight to the police. The police took Jia Zhangshi away."

"Oh?!" The deaf old woman showed a hint of surprise on her face, and then said, "Zhonghai, since you treat Jia Dongxu as someone to take care of in your old age, now is a great opportunity. You're not trying to get Jia Zhangshi out of jail right now, but rather to find a way to keep her from ever getting out. As long as Jia Dongxu doesn't have Jia Zhangshi by his side, given his temper, it will be very easy for you to control him."

Yi Zhonghai said with some worry, "Grandma, I'm afraid this matter won't be easy to handle!"

The deaf old lady gave Yi Zhonghai a look of disappointment, took out a wooden bookmark from the bedside table drawer, and said, "Take this to No. 17 Fuxiang Hutong and find a man named Menfu. Give him this and tell him what you need to do."

Yi Zhonghai took the bookmark and said, "Grandma, don't worry! I will definitely handle things well!"

The deaf old lady nodded slightly and instructed, "Zhonghai, you know what to do next, right? Don't make any more mistakes this time!"

Yi Zhonghai assured her confidently, "Grandma, don't worry! I know what I'm doing!"

The deaf old lady nodded and continued, "Zhonghai! I have you and your husband to take care of me in my old age, so I don't need to worry about my future. What I've always worried about is you and your wife. Your old age! I didn't agree with you considering Jia Dongxu as your caregiver before. Although Jia Dongxu is a good person, he's easily influenced and listens to his mother, Jia Zhangshi, in everything. I saw through Jia Zhangshi the first day she moved into this courtyard. With her around, your plan to rely on Jia Dongxu for your old age would never succeed. Now that Jia Zhangshi is in jail, there's no one around Jia Dongxu to cause trouble. If you and your wife handle things well, he's a good candidate to take care of you both. However, we can't give up on Shazhu as a backup option. Otherwise, if something goes wrong with Jia Dongxu, you might be caught off guard."

Yi Zhonghai stared at the deaf old woman for a few seconds, nodded silently, then greeted her, stood up, and left her house.

The moment the door closed, a strange, fierce glint flashed in the deaf old woman's eyes, and she muttered to herself, "Truly more trouble than she's worth!"

"Brother! What are you thinking about?!" At the same time, He Yushui noticed that He Yuzhu was in a daze and couldn't help but reach out and push He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu took He Yushui home and, while tidying up, dispersed his divine sense. Therefore, everything Yi Zhonghai said to the deaf old woman didn't escape He Yuzhu's divine sense. He Yuzhu was stunned because he discovered through his divine sense that there was something wrong with the deaf old woman. The skin on her face was different from the skin on her hands. The old woman's face looked over sixty, but the skin on her hands made her look only forty. There were only two explanations for this. One was that the old woman was very good at maintaining her appearance. The other was that she was disguised. In the former case, the old woman might be like those described in some novels—a concubine of an official or a wealthy man. Such people are relatively easy to deal with if one is careful. In the latter case, she was most likely an enemy agent. As for whether she was a Japanese soldier or a bald man, that was uncertain.

He Yuzhu snapped out of his reverie and said, "I was thinking of going to see my master later."

He Yushui, putting on a mature air, chimed in, "You really should go and see."

"You little rascal!" He Yuzhu reached out and gently stroked He Yushui's nose, then said, "Yushui, you're not a little kid anymore. It's time to start school. I'm planning to find an opportunity to ask around at a nearby school. If it's possible, you can start school after the New Year!"

He Yushui looked surprised and asked, "Brother, are you really planning to let me go to school?!"

"Yes!" He Yuzhu nodded heavily and said, "Of course it's true! How could I joke about something like this?! As long as you're willing to study, I'll support you even if I have to sell everything I own. If you get into university, it'll be a great honor for our He family. I can finally face our late mother with a clear conscience."

"Oh!" He Yushui responded obediently, snuggling into He Yuzhu's arms, and said, "Brother! Why are you so good to me?!"

He Yuzhu replied, "You are my sister, and before Mother died, I promised her I would take good care of you." Saying this, He Yuzhu crawled under the bed and took out a small iron box. He Yuzhu opened the box, took out a photograph, looked at it for a while, and asked, "Yushui, do you remember what Mother looked like?!"