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

"Old Yi, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" After saying that, Zhao Shufen grabbed Yi Zhonghai and walked outside without saying another word, as if she was afraid that if she was late, she would lose her head.

The neighbors who were gossiping about the deaf old woman fell silent when they saw Yi Zhonghai and his wife walking away. After they passed by, they resumed their gossip.

Zhao Shufen was used to the neighbors gossiping about her inability to have children; she had long since grown accustomed to their idle chatter. But Yi Zhonghai was different. Hearing the neighbors talking about him behind his back made him uneasy. At that moment, the deepest scar in Yi Zhonghai's heart seemed to be ripped open again.

Just as Yi Zhonghai and his wife arrived at the entrance of the Military Control Commission, Wu Jiangyong and Wang Xia returned. Yi Zhonghai hurriedly called out, "Director Wu!"

Hearing the shout, Wu Jiangyong turned to look at Yi Zhonghai and his wife, and asked, "Is something wrong?!"

Yi Zhonghai said, "Director Wu, my name is Yi Zhonghai. My husband and I have been taking care of the deaf old lady in the backyard of No. 95 Nanluoguxiang. We really didn't know she had a problem. If we had known, we would have reported it long ago."

Wu Jiangyong and Wang Xia exchanged a glance. Wu Jiangyong said, "Even if you hadn't come, we would have come looking for you. Let's go inside and talk!"

Wu Jiangyong and Wang Xia led Yi Zhonghai and his wife into the military control commission. They took them to a meeting room. After gesturing for them to sit down, Wu Jiangyong and Wang Xia also sat down. Wu Jiangyong said, "Yi Zhonghai, things don't seem as simple as you say, do they?!"

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Director Wu, would I lie to you?!"

Wu Jiangyong said, "It's possible your wife was deceived. It's absolutely impossible for you to be. Or should I give you a heads-up?"

Yi Zhonghai feigned innocence and protested, "Director Wu, I really didn't lie to you!"

Wu Jiangyong sighed and said, "Yi Zhonghai, oh Yi Zhonghai! You really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin! Do you even know Jiao Laosan?!"

Upon hearing the name "Jiao Laosan," Yi Zhonghai initially tried to feign ignorance and deceive them. However, when he saw Wu Jiangyong and Wang Xia looking at him with mocking eyes, he knew he couldn't fool them anymore. Yi Zhonghai replied, "I know him! The deaf old lady asked me to find him."

Wang Xia asked, "Why did the deaf old lady want you to go find Jiao Laosan?!"

Yi Zhonghai replied, "The deaf old lady felt that He Yuzhu had changed completely after returning from Baocheng. He was difficult to control. She couldn't let him continue to stay in the courtyard. You all know that He Yuzhu's house is private property, so it's impossible to kick him out. That's why she asked Jiao Laosan to kill He Yuzhu." Then Yi Zhonghai argued, "I didn't want to kill He Yuzhu. It was entirely the deaf old lady's idea."

Wu Jiangyong said, "Yi Zhonghai, now that you're here, don't hold back anymore. Tell us everything that's related to the deaf old lady! We'll try to get leniency."

With a sob in his voice, Yi Zhonghai said, "Director Wu, you have to believe me! I only made this one mistake."

Wu Jiangyong then asked, "Yi Zhonghai, we have plenty of time. What about you?! Think about it carefully today. Once you've figured it out, we can talk about it slowly."

At this moment, two comrades from the military control commission who were waiting at the door came in and took Yi Zhonghai out.

Zhao Shufen was stunned when she saw Yi Zhonghai being taken away. A look of panic crossed her face. Wang Xia comforted her, "Don't be afraid! We won't wrong an innocent person, nor will we let a bad person go free. We know about your situation in courtyard number 95. Now tell us about the deaf old lady."

Zhao Shufen said, "I moved into courtyard number 95 after I married Yi Zhonghai. The deaf old lady was already living there then. As you know, the whole courtyard originally belonged to the deaf old lady..."

In truth, Zhao Shufen knew nothing about the deaf old lady. To her, Zhao Shufen was less than a servant, responsible for taking care of her basic needs like eating, drinking, and toileting. She knew nothing else.

Zhao Shufen told him everything she knew, and she felt much relieved. Finally, she asked, "Director Wu, how long will my husband, Lao Yi, be detained?!"

Wu Jiangyong said, "How long he will be detained is not something I can decide. As long as he has a good attitude and explains everything clearly, we will definitely treat him leniently. If he resists to the end, then the outcome is hard to say."

Wang Xia continued, "Zhao Shufen, go back and think it over carefully. If you remember anything about the deaf old lady, come back to us."

"Yes!" Zhao Shufen responded and left the conference room.

After Zhao Shufen left, Wu Jiangyong asked, "Old Wang, what do you think?!"

Wang Xia said, "This letter of complaint is suspicious in every way."

"Yes!" Wu Jiangyong echoed, saying, "I suspect that this letter of denunciation was most likely written by one of those old-fashioned remnants."

Wang Xia immediately realized what was going on and asked, "If the last information in the whistleblower letter is true, what was the person's motive for writing it?!"

Wu Jiangyong retorted, "Could it be a case of using someone else to do the dirty work?!"

Wang Xia sighed and said, "It's really hard to say. Let's wait for news!"

After leaving the military control commission, Zhao Shufen returned home dejectedly and went straight to bed. She stared blankly at the ceiling. At that moment, she felt that she had lived such a stifled life all these years. If she could have a second chance, she would never marry Yi Zhonghai.

As time went by, the story of the deaf old lady spread like wildfire throughout Nanluoguxiang in just one afternoon. By six o'clock in the afternoon, people were gradually returning from work. Yan Bugui, the "gatekeeper" of the courtyard house, saw Liu Haizhong enter and immediately pulled him aside, asking, "Old Liu, something big has happened in our courtyard this time."

Liu Haizhong said, "Yes! I never expected that the deaf old lady who doesn't usually go out would actually be an enemy agent."

Yan Bugui asked, "Old Liu, you live right next to the deaf old lady. Didn't you notice anything unusual at all?!"

Liu Haizhong said, "Yi Zhonghai and his wife are taking care of the deaf old lady every day! And they didn't even notice."

Yan Bugui said with a smile, "Old Liu, you probably don't know. Yi Zhonghai and his wife went to the Military Control Commission this afternoon to explain the situation. And guess what?!"

Liu Haizhong understood that Yan Bugui had deliberately stopped halfway through his speech, and very cooperatively took out a cigarette case from his pocket, pulled out one, and handed it to Yan Bugui.

Yan Bugui took the cigarette, smelled it under his nose, then smiled and tucked it behind his ear, saying, "The couple went to the Military Control Commission, but only Zhao Shufen came back. Yi Zhonghai was kept there by the Military Control Commission."