Uncle Shazhu, a simple-minded man in a courtyard house, persuades people with reason.

Tonight, the courtyard is filled with wails of agony...

Of the twenty-odd households, except for the Xu family who remained uninvolved, almost every other household had someone taken away, and these were mostly the breadwinners of their respective families.

The worst off was the Jia family… leaving Qin Huairu alone, heavily pregnant. She barely managed to fill her stomach with leftover cornbread and cold water. At that moment, Qin Huairu had no interest in what she was eating.

Her mind was now filled with thoughts of Jia Dongxu with his broken arm and Yi Zhonghai with his broken finger. As for who she worried about more, it was naturally herself.

Her main worry was how she would live without Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu. Even if she remarried, as a widow with a baby who hadn't been weaned yet, she couldn't expect to find a good family.

Thinking about all this, Qin Huai cursed Yi Zhonghai in her heart all night. Why did he have to provoke the He family in the first place?

The reason Qin Huairu instigated the Jia family mother and son to fight over the house was because Yi Zhonghai was behind it... saying that He Daqing had run away, He Ping'an was dead, and only He Yuzhu was left, and no one was taking care of him.

The more she talked, the more her thoughts became complicated, which led to today's tragedy.

"Damn old bastard..." Qin Huai swallowed the cornbread angrily, his throat sore from the spitting it out.

If Qin Huai wasn't wrong in his insults, then Yi Zhonghai truly deserved to die. In fact, he not only instigated the Jia family mother and son to fight over the house, but he was also the one who spread the rumors about the He family. His purpose was to retaliate against the He family for the insults they had inflicted on him years ago.

To be honest, the old man in charge of the courtyard house, whom He Daqing didn't want, couldn't afford to offend He Ping'an. However, this old fellow was quite lucky; on the day he was elected as the head of the courtyard house, he went to the neighborhood office to register and ran into an old acquaintance…

Wang Yiqin! This is the source of his confidence and backing that allowed him to scheme against the He family.

In the hospital, Wang Yiqin's icy gaze was almost tangible. "Yi Zhonghai, do you know how much trouble you've caused me this time? If you really want to die, I can grant your wish!"

After treatment, Yi Zhonghai is no longer in excruciating pain. However, the doctor also told him that his finger was severely injured and although it would not be amputated, it would be difficult to heal properly and his finger would be unable to bear weight in the future.

With a wry smile, Yi Zhonghai chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Director Wang's reprimand is justified. Don't worry, this will only happen once. From now on, we'll have nothing to do with each other..."

"Hmph!" Wang Yiqin's expression softened slightly. "That had to be... Also, He Ping'an needs an explanation for what happened today, or we won't be able to get away with it! Think it through and give me your answer!"

"Jia Zhangshi!" Yi Zhonghai blurted out almost without thinking.

"Okay!" Wang Yiqin's face showed an expression of smug satisfaction, her eyes filled with disdain. "Later, I'll lock you all in a room. You go and tell them yourself!"

"Thank you, Director Wang!" Yi Zhonghai wanted to say a few more polite words, but seeing that the man was about to leave, he quickly spoke up. "Wait, Director Wang, I have another request."

"You want to die!" A 35-year-old veteran revolutionary—if he hadn't killed someone, he wouldn't be a veteran revolutionary. His gaze, fixed on Yi Zhonghai, was filled with murderous intent.

"I...I just don't want to lose my job!" Yi Zhonghai managed to utter a sentence under pressure.

"Tap...tap...tap!" Footsteps echoed in the distance, but Wang Yiqin ultimately didn't agree. Sometimes, not objecting is consent!

Compared to Yi Zhonghai, Jia Dongxu was more seriously injured. After He Ping'an broke his arm with a stomp, he met Jia Zhangshi's hateful gaze and chased him back and forth a few times in anger, aggravating his injury.

Now Jia Dongxu's arm is even worse than Yi Zhonghai's severed finger; he can't lift anything heavy. Fortunately, he's awake now, lying on the hospital bed next to Yi Zhonghai.

It's a coincidence, purely a coincidence!

Time was of the essence, so Yi Zhonghai began to brainwash Jia Dongxu...

What… He Ping'an is sticking to his guns, putting Director Wang in a difficult position. This time, you and your son are likely doomed. He, as an accomplice, might also get a few years in prison. From now on, may they, master and apprentice, take care!

Yi Zhonghai's "open window" theory, which seemed to sever ties with the Jia family, immediately terrified Jia Dongxu, leaving him completely bewildered. He scrambled off the bed, knelt on the floor, and kowtowed repeatedly, just like Jia Zhangshi begging for He Ping'an.

Finally, Yi Zhonghai put on another nauseating performance, promising to plead for leniency. Then, quite naturally, he proposed that someone must take the blame to shut He Ping'an up.

Jia Dongxu was indeed filial. After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and offered to take the blame.

How could Yi Zhonghai agree to let Jia Dongxu take the blame and leave behind the lazy and good-for-nothing Jia Zhangshi? He, a half-crippled man, was unwilling to support the Jia family of three—a losing proposition for him.

Most importantly, if something happens to Jia Dongxu, he will lose his leverage over Qin Huairu. And if Qin Huairu remarries, he will have gained nothing.

Of course, despite his disagreement, Yi Zhonghai was pleased with Jia Dongxu's filial piety. However, this meant he couldn't directly advise Jia Dongxu to abandon his mother. Otherwise, what if Jia Dongxu abandoned him again like he did today?

The old man was quick-witted; he lied and said that he needed to discuss the matter with Jia Zhangshi to get a statement, which temporarily calmed Jia Dongxu down.

Yi Zhonghai's plan was also very simple...

Repeat what you just said to Jia Zhangshi, and let her choose. That old hag Jia Zhangshi probably won't just stand by and watch her son get shot. Then he can use that as an excuse to refute Jia Dongxu's decision.

After calming Jia Dongxu down, Yi Zhonghai was taken back to the police station by the police. With Wang Yiqin's help, seeing Jia Zhangshi was a piece of cake.

Jia Zhangshi only fainted briefly due to being unable to bear the pressure. She woke up before even entering the hospital and was immediately taken to the police station.

In the detention cell, Jia Zhangshi paced back and forth anxiously, worried about He Ping'an's retaliation one moment and unable to let go of Jia Dongxu at the hospital the next. Just then, Yi Zhonghai walked in and pounced on him.

"Old Yi... Old Yi, where's Dongxu? How's my son?"

The country is facing difficulties, and electricity is already insufficient, yet industrial development is prioritized. The detention cells rely on a small light bulb outside the door for illumination. Late at night, just as Yi Zhonghai entered, a fat pig lunged at him, startling him.

If she hadn't been familiar with Jia Zhangshi's voice, she probably would have screamed for help.

"Cough cough..."

Yi Zhonghai had originally intended to feign a distraught appearance to frighten Jia Zhangshi, making it easier to persuade her later. Now, unable to continue playing dumb, he immediately repeated the same words he had used to fool Jia Dongxu to Jia Zhangshi…

Jia Zhangshi was no Jia Dongxu; her eyes, swollen to slits in the darkness, darted around. She plopped down on the ground.

"Dongxu... my poor son, he lost his father so young, and now that he's grown up, he's married to a jinx..."

Madam Jia Zhang gave a long speech, implying that the whole house-grabbing thing was something Qin Huairu forced her and her unborn child to do!

"Officer, I'm reporting, I'm exposing... it's all Qin Huairu..."

Yi Zhonghai, hidden in the shadows, watched Jia Zhangshi performing by the doorway, his fierce eyes filled with mockery… So what if he understood? Even better…