Courtyard House: I fish in the heavens, a professional bird abuser.

"What? Feeling guilty after being called out? Want to make a move?"

Yan Jiefang immediately stepped in front of his brother, glaring defiantly at Sha Zhu, "Come on! Afraid of you? Let everyone see what else you, Sha Zhu, can do besides licking widows and hitting people? You know best whether Bang Geng is your son or not! Stop pretending!"

The Yan brothers' words were like two poisoned daggers, precisely stabbing Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu in their most sensitive and irrefutable sore spots! They also completely stripped away the last bit of dignity that Yi Zhonghai was trying to maintain!

"puff--!"

Listening to the Yan brothers' extremely malicious remarks, seeing the complex looks of contempt, disgust, and schadenfreude from the neighbors around him, and feeling the burning pain on his face and Jia Zhangshi's shrewish insults and physical attacks...

A tremendous surge of humiliation, injustice, anger, and despair overwhelmed his taut nerves like a tsunami!

He felt a sudden darkness before his eyes! His chest felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer! A metallic taste shot straight to his throat!

"Uh...you...you guys..."

Yi Zhonghai pointed at He Yuanchao, the Yan brothers, Liu Haizhong, Jia Zhangshi... his fingers trembled violently, his face turned from blue to purple, and then from purple to gold! A strange "hoarse" sound came from his throat, like a broken bellows.

"Old Yi!"

An older woman let out a piercing scream.

"An old man!"

Sha Zhu panicked and, disregarding the Yan brothers, rushed to help them up.

However, it was all too late.

"puff--!"

A large mouthful of bright red blood gushed from Yi Zhonghai's mouth like a fountain! Under the cold moonlight, it drew a horrifying line of blood! His body felt as if all the bones had been removed; he suddenly leaned back and fell straight down, crashing heavily onto the cold, hard blue brick floor with a loud thud! His eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness!

"Old Yi!!!"

An elderly woman let out a heart-wrenching wail and threw herself onto Yi Zhonghai. Seeing her husband's blood-covered face and unconscious state, she completely broke down.

The scene fell into a deathly silence!

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events! The excitement of watching the spectacle was instantly replaced by fear.

No one expected that Yi Zhonghai, a seemingly aloof and dignified old man, would be so angry that he vomited blood and fainted!

Startled, Jia Zhangshi stopped fighting. Seeing Yi Zhonghai's bloodied mouth and unconscious state, she instinctively took two steps back, a flicker of panic crossing her face, quickly replaced by resentment. She muttered a curse, "Serves him right! Playing dead! Karma!"

Qin Huairu was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, her body ice-cold, and she even forgot to cry.

It's all over... It's all over... Bang Geng's medical expenses... If something really happens to Yi Zhonghai... She didn't dare to think about it anymore.

Sha Zhu frantically pinched Yi Zhonghai's philtrum, sweating profusely, "Grandpa! Grandpa, wake up! Don't scare me!"

"Make way! Don't crowd around!"

Just then, an old and dignified voice rang out.

The deaf old lady, supported by her neighbor and leaning on a cane, walked over shakily.

Her wrinkled old face was terribly gloomy. Her cloudy old eyes swept over the unconscious Yi Zhonghai, the weeping old woman, the limp Qin Huairu, the resentful Jia Zhangshi, the panicked Sha Zhu, and the silent neighbors around them. Finally, her eyes lingered for a moment on He Yuanchao, who was watching the show with his arms crossed and a cold expression. A deep sense of fear and resentment flashed in the depths of her eyes.

"Have you made enough of a scene?!"

The deaf old woman slammed her cane down heavily, making a dull thud. Her voice carried an undeniable air of authority. "Look at you all! What kind of behavior is this! Making such a racket in the middle of the night! And even causing someone's death!"

She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping across the room, pausing especially on Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui's faces, before finally saying in a deep voice, "I, an old lady who has lived for over eighty years, have seen through Zhonghai's character very clearly."

He is absolutely not the kind of morally corrupt and shameless person! Tonight's incident is a huge misunderstanding! Someone is deliberately causing trouble and spreading rumors!

She pointed to the withered branch stuck at the cellar entrance, now broken by someone's foot:

"See? It was this dead branch that got stuck on the lid, which caused all this trouble! It was purely an accident!"

As for lending money... Zhonghai is kind-hearted; he saw Banggeng was pitiful and, out of consideration for Huairu's feelings, he helped him privately. What's wrong with that?! On the contrary, it's certain people!

Her gaze, like a cold knife, pierced fiercely towards He Yuanchao and the Yan brothers: "They thrive on chaos! Spreading rumors! Stirring up trouble! Maliciously slandering! Their intentions are despicable!"

The deaf old woman's voice suddenly rose, carrying a resolute determination: "I, an old woman! I'll risk my old life!"

I vouch for this with my old face, which I've lived in a courtyard house for sixty years!

Zhonghai and Huairu are completely innocent! If anyone dares to spread rumors or gossip about what happened tonight, ruining the reputation of our courtyard and the honor of Zhonghai and Huairu, I, the old lady, will be the first to object!

"Even if it costs me my life, I'll drag him to the neighborhood committee office and the police station to have a word with him!"

Her words were delivered with resounding force, filled with the grief and indignation of an "ancestor" and an unquestionable "authority."

The phrase "I'll guarantee it with my life" in particular shocked many people.

After all, the deaf old lady's special status in the courtyard and her relationship with the neighborhood committee were real.

Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and others, who were originally indignant and ready to kick someone when they were down, immediately quieted down under the deaf old lady's shameless intimidation and threat of "going to the street office and police station".

They might secretly enjoy watching Yi Zhonghai's misfortune and even try to bring him down, but if they really escalate the matter and bring it to the official level, they themselves might not be clean either, and they're even more afraid of getting themselves into trouble.

Under the strong pressure of the deaf old lady, the atmosphere in the courtyard finally cooled down and solidified from its boiling point.

All that remained were the suppressed sobs of an old woman, the bewildered and lost Sha Zhu, and the resentful expression of Jia Zhangshi.

There was also Qin Huairu, filled with despair, Jia Dongxu, lush and green, and the lingering whispers of the onlookers.

He Yuanchao watched the deaf old lady's performance with cold eyes. He watched her jump out at the crucial moment and forcefully suppress the storm with her "old life" and "prestige", thus preserving Yi Zhonghai's shaky "persona". He sneered even more in his heart.

That old hag is definitely no good! She's cunning and scheming! She pretends to be deaf and dumb most of the time, but when it matters, she comes out as the "pillar of stability," all to maintain her status as the "ancestor" and the superficial balance of the courtyard house.

To keep Yi Zhonghai as her "retirement partner," she even went so far as to say she'd "guarantee it with her life"! Truly... hypocritical to the core!

The deaf old lady seemed to sense He Yuanchao's cold gaze, and her cloudy old eyes looked over as well.

Their eyes met briefly in the air. They didn't speak, but their gazes were filled with a cold confrontation and undisguised hostility.

He Yuanchao's lips curled into a faint, cold smile, and he let out a silent snort.

The deaf old woman's eye twitched suddenly, and the veins on the back of her hand gripping her cane bulged, but in the end, she said nothing, only waving her hand wearily but authoritatively: "Everyone, disperse! Those who need to be taken to the hospital, go to the hospital! Those who need to sleep, go to sleep! If you keep making a scene, it'll be dawn! What kind of behavior is this!"

Under the forceful suppression of the deaf old lady, this thrilling and chaotic "cellar adultery catching" farce finally came to an abrupt end.

Sha Zhu and several neighbors hurriedly lifted the unconscious Yi Zhonghai, whose mouth was still bloody, and rushed him to the hospital.

An older woman followed behind, sobbing.

Qin Huairu, distraught, was half-helped and half-carried back to the Jia family home by her neighbors.

She was greeted by Jia Dongxu's dead fish eyes, filled with resentment, suspicion, and humiliation, and Jia Zhangshi's cold, viper-like curses: "You jinx! You cursed woman! You wretched woman who brings misfortune to your husband and children! I'll settle the score with you tomorrow! Go to sleep!"

Yan Bugui's family, having thoroughly enjoyed the performance, but still shaken by the old deaf woman's threat, returned to the front yard. Before closing the door, Yan Bugui even gave He Yuanchao a fawning smile.

With his belly protruding and a look of lingering regret at not being able to completely defeat Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong also went home.

Xu Damao, on the other hand, was very excited, whispering to his wife. Clearly, the "juicy tidbits" of the night were enough for him to savor and embellish for quite some time.

The backyard finally became completely quiet.

Only Sha Zhu remained standing there, completely bewildered; he simply couldn't understand...

His head was buzzing, filled with the resentful look in Qin Huairu's eyes before she left.

When did I shout "scratching shoes"?