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

The moonlight was cold and clear in the courtyard.

The moon tonight is exceptionally bright, yet exceptionally cold. Its clear light, like mercury spilling onto the ground, illuminates every gray tile and every bare branch in the courtyard, making the shadows on the ground appear even deeper and darker.

The cold wind of late winter swirled through the yard, swirling up a few withered leaves on the ground and making a "rustling" sound, like a series of silent sighs.

The deaf old lady sat in the cool moonlight, sitting upright on a small, dark stool.

She didn't seem to feel cold; her thick, faded cotton-padded coat wrapped her up tightly. In her hand, she gripped the old cane that had been with her for decades; the tip of the cane was worn smooth and shiny by the years and the sweat from her palms, as if coated with a thick layer of paste.

Her face, like a piece of dried old tree bark, was deeply lined with wrinkles, each one seemingly concealing decades of weathering and scheming in this courtyard. Her pair of cloudy old eyes, which should have been dim and dull, gleamed with a shrewdness and sharpness completely out of place for her age under the dim light of the 15-watt bulb shining from under the eaves.

It was the gaze of a hawk, scrutinizing, judging, and waiting for the best opportunity to strike.

Behind her, like the most loyal guards, stood several elderly women, including Aunt Li and Aunt Liu, who were highly respected in the courtyard and were known for their gossip and moral blackmail.

They stood with their hands tucked into their sleeves, their faces stern, their lips pressed tightly together, forming an invisible, oppressive "elderly group." They didn't need to speak; just standing there represented the oldest and most unquestionable "rules" and "human relationships" of the courtyard.

The atmosphere in the entire courtyard became heavy and oppressive because of their presence, as if an invisible net had been quietly spread out, its target the person leaning against their own door frame.

He Yuanchao leaned casually against his door frame, arms crossed, one leg straight and the other bent.

He was only wearing a thin work uniform, seemingly oblivious to the biting cold. His expression was as calm as a deep pool, without the slightest ripple, as he quietly watched the scene before him, resembling a "tribunal hearing," with even a faint hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth.

He is waiting.

Wait for this old fox, who has been lurking behind the scenes for a long time, to personally reveal her trump card.

The courtyard was eerily quiet, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional bark of a dog in the distance.

Finally, the deaf old woman moved. She straightened up slightly, cleared her throat, and her sharp eyes locked onto He Yuanchao.

"Little Hezi."

She finally spoke, her voice not loud, but hoarse, carrying the condescending, unquestionable "preaching" tone characteristic of someone long accustomed to a position of power.

"You've been making quite a commotion in the yard lately."

He Yuanchao didn't even change his posture, merely raising an eyebrow and gesturing for her to continue her performance. This nonchalant attitude made the carefully crafted sense of oppression from the deaf old woman seem like a punch landing on cotton.

The deaf old woman's heart sank slightly, but she remained expressionless and continued in her slow, leisurely tone: "You are young and promising. You are an eighth-grade fitter at the steel rolling mill. You are skilled and capable. Everyone who sees you gives you a thumbs up. Logically speaking, this is a good thing and an honor for our yard."

She first gave a thumbs-up, which was her usual tactic: to elevate you to the position of a "good kid" and then use that position to occupy the moral high ground.

"But," she changed her tone, her voice turning serious, "young man, the tallest tree in the forest catches the most wind. Too much rigidity leads to breakage. Look at the mess you've made of this yard!"

She seemed heartbroken, and gently tapped the bluestone slab with her cane.

"Uncle Yi Zhonghai, a kind old man in the courtyard for decades, has always been dedicated to this courtyard and to everyone. And now? He's been so angered by you that he's been hospitalized and hasn't recovered yet."

"The Jia family is even more pitiful, with only orphans and a widow! Now, Qin Huairu's mother-in-law has been sent to a labor camp by you, her life is ruined. As for Banggeng, it's true that he's immature, but why are you, an adult, arguing with him? Now he's lame, and he'll be disabled for the rest of his life!"

"And then there's Sha Zhuzi, my poor grandson. He's a bit of a rascal, but he has a good heart. And now? You've ruined his job too, and he's stuck at home all day, practically a useless person..."

With each word she spoke, the "elders" behind her let out a sigh of agreement, as if He Yuanchao were the eternal sinner of this courtyard.

Her voice suddenly rose, and she slammed her cane down heavily on the ground with a dull thud.

"Living in the same courtyard, seeing each other all the time, what a coincidence! What's that old saying? A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative! Now you've offended everyone, they all keep their distance from you, some even resent you. In the future, if something happens to you, if you get sick and have a fever, who will bring you a bowl of hot water? Who will call a doctor for you? Who will take care of you?!"

Her voice echoed in the night sky, carrying a sense of world-weariness and a heavy-hearted reproach.

"Can you support the whole world on your own?"

He Yuanchao finally responded.

He chuckled softly, as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. The laughter wasn't loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear and jarring in the quiet night.

"Grandma, just say what you want to say. Aren't you tired of going through all this trouble? Stop beating around the bush and just tell us your plan."

The deaf old woman's cloudy eyes narrowed into slits instantly, and from those slits shot out two beams of light sharper than moonlight.

"Good! You're a straightforward person! Quick-witted and outspoken!" As if she had been waiting for He Yuanchao to say this, she leaned forward abruptly, her demeanor changing abruptly, "Then this old lady will take advantage of her age today, risking her reputation, to give you a heads-up and point you in the right direction!"

She paused, took a breath, and made her voice sound more solemn and authoritative.

"You may be successful and earn a high salary now, which everyone envies. But you're like a big tree, with lush branches and leaves, but unstable roots! What are you lacking? You lack a home! You lack a wife who understands your needs, helps you with laundry and cooking, manages household chores, helps you maintain good neighborly relations, and helps you integrate into our big family!"

He Yuanchao raised an eyebrow, his eyes filled with even more mockery, and he sneered inwardly: Finally, the true colors have been revealed.

"Why do you think these people in the courtyard are targeting you? Why do they dislike you?" The deaf old woman lowered her voice, carrying a shrewd and seductive air that seemed to understand human nature.

"To put it bluntly, it's jealousy! It's envy! They just think, 'Why should you, a single man, live a better life than those of them who have families to support and work themselves to the bone!' That's just human nature; they can't stand seeing others do well!"

"If you want to truly gain a foothold in this community, brute force alone won't work; you also need to be gentle. You need to start a family, have a woman, and have children! You need to make everyone feel that you're part of this community, a decent person living a normal life, not an 'outsider' who can just pack up and leave at any time! Do you understand?"

As she spoke, her tone abruptly changed, her cloudy old eyes fixed intently on He Yuanchao, her burning gaze seeming to see right through him.

"Grandma, I'll play matchmaker for you today! What do you think of... Huai Ru?"

"puff--!"

No sooner had this earth-shattering statement been uttered than Yan Jiecheng, who had been eavesdropping behind the moon gate not far away, could no longer hold back the mouthful of cold water he had just swallowed due to nervousness and spat it out with a loud thud.

He quickly covered his mouth, then shrank back in fright.

Meanwhile, inside her own house, He Yushui, who had been anxiously peeking through the crack in the door, turned deathly pale with rage. She clenched her fists so tightly her nails almost dug into her flesh, silently cursing, "You old bastard! Shameless!"

The entire courtyard seemed to freeze in shock at those words.

The mockery on He Yuanchao's face finally transformed into a real, cold, and undisguised sneer.

"Grandma, are you really hard of hearing due to your age, or are you just confused?"

This statement, without a single dirty word, is the most direct and merciless insult.

The deaf old woman's face instantly darkened, her wrinkled features stretching into a long, drawn-out expression, and her voice became stern: "Little He! What are you saying! I'm doing this for your own good!"

"For my own good?"

He Yuanchao's smile widened. He finally stood up straight, and his lazy posture leaning against the door frame disappeared, replaced by a sharpness like a drawn sword.

He walked slowly and deliberately to the deaf old lady.

His tall figure cast a long shadow under the dim light, completely enveloping the deaf old woman who sat upright.

He looked down at her, his once calm eyes now filled with coldness, like icicles hanging upside down from the eaves in the dead of winter, sending chills down one's spine.

"For my own good, you mean I should marry a widow who killed her husband, has an unlucky birth chart, and has three children to support?"

"For my own good, you mean I should marry into a family where the mother-in-law is a convict who ate cornbread on a farm, a family that has brought shame upon us?"

"Does 'for my own good' mean I have to support a petty thief who grew up stealing chickens and dogs, ended up limping, and is destined to be a good-for-nothing?"

"For my own good, you mean you want me to take on a woman who's promiscuous, flirts with men in the neighborhood, and whose reputation is already ruined?"

With each word he spoke, he moved one step closer.

With each question he asked, his voice grew colder.

The powerful and cold aura emanating from him exerted a tangible pressure, causing the several previously aggressive old ladies behind the deaf woman to involuntarily take a half-step back, not daring to meet his gaze.

The deaf old woman's face changed from gloomy to ashen, and then from ashen to purplish-brown, following He Yuanchao's words.

"Old lady, you've got a really clever plan!" He Yuanchao's voice was full of undisguised sarcasm, like a knife chilled to the bone.

"You see, with Uncle Yi Zhonghai down and Sha Zhu crippled by me, they can no longer provide financial support to the Jia family. This 'fruit' you carefully cultivated, intending to leave for your 'good grandson' Sha Zhu to enjoy at his leisure, is now rotting on the tree and in your hands, with no one willing to take it on. So, you're eager to find me, this 'sucker,' to force it onto me, isn't that right?"

"You want to use Qin Huairu as a rope to tie me down, and use those three burdens from the Jia family to drag me down, so that I'll be drained of my blood and energy like Sha Zhu was before, and never be able to jump around again. I'll just have to obediently and willingly be your slave, a long-term laborer for the Jia family for the rest of my life, and then take care of you in your old age and see you off when you die?!"

He Yuanchao's words were like daggers to the heart!

Every word was like the sharpest, coldest scalpel, mercilessly and precisely dissecting the darkest, most sordid, and most shameful schemes in the deaf old woman's heart, layer by layer, and then cruelly exposing them to everyone!

"You...you...you're talking nonsense! You're slandering me!"

All pretense was torn away, all scheming was exposed, and the deaf old woman's secrets were completely laid bare. Her wrinkled old face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, her body trembled violently, and her hand holding the cane shook as if she had Parkinson's disease. Pointing at He Yuanchao, her lips trembled, and she was so angry that she couldn't utter a complete sentence.

"Am I talking nonsense?"

He Yuanchao let out a cold laugh filled with utter contempt.

He stopped looking at the old woman who was already furious, turned around abruptly, and his gaze swept across the center of the yard, over the faces of those peeping from behind doors and curtains, faces that were either shocked, fearful, or gloating.

His voice suddenly rose eight octaves, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, echoing throughout the deathly silent courtyard!

"I, He Yuanchao, am laying my cards on the table right here and now!"

"I'd rather be a bachelor my whole life! I'd rather die an old, rotting man in my room than lay a finger on a woman like Qin Huairu!"

"From now on, if anyone dares to make a move on me again, or tries to seduce me with their shamelessness, don't blame me, He Yuanchao, for turning my back on them on the spot!"

After saying that, he didn't even look at the deaf old woman who was trembling all over and almost fainted on the spot from his words.

He turned around and, amidst the horrified gazes of everyone, strode back to his hut.

"Bang!"

A loud bang.

He slammed the door shut!

That door was like an insurmountable chasm, completely isolating him from all the filth and scheming in this courtyard.

All that remained was the silhouette of the so-called "ancestor," whose disguise, dignity, and scheming had been torn apart in public, swaying precariously in the cold moonlight and wind.

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Even the wind seemed to have stopped.

Everyone was stunned by He Yuanchao's earth-shattering, merciless, and resounding declaration, which was like a slap in the face.

This...this is a complete breakdown of all pretense!

He Yuanchao has truly gone mad! How dare he speak to the ancestor like that!

The Jia family.

Qin Huairu hid behind her dirty door curtain, listening clearly to everything that happened outside.

When she heard He Yuanchao say, "I would never lay a finger on a woman like Qin Huairu," she felt an indescribable sense of humiliation and despair, like the most potent poison, instantly shattering all her psychological defenses.

A fishy, ​​sweet taste suddenly surged into my throat.

Her vision went black, and she could no longer hold on. Her body went limp and she collapsed, completely unconscious.

At this moment, the sky above the courtyard seemed... to have truly changed.