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

Children from poor families mature early, which simply means they have more ways to make a living. Mental maturity requires learning and life experience.

No matter how hard he tries, Jia Dongxu is just a 15-year-old kid. He can't possibly understand his mother's intentions.

"Mother, since you know He Ping'an won't retaliate, why have you been letting him make a fool of you these past few days? Making yourselves a laughingstock among the neighbors!"

Madam Jia gave a self-deprecating laugh, stared into Jia Dongxu's eyes, and earnestly advised him:

"Dongxu, we're just small fry! Big shots might overlook the offenses of small fry, but we small fry have to show our attitude. Otherwise, we're ungrateful! Understand?"

Jia Dongxu pointed to the opposite side, "What does that mean? Then why should we listen to him...?"

Jia Zhangshi, however, gave an irrelevant answer.

"Yi Zhonghai is only fooling us to exploit our status as an orphan and widow and to ruin He Ping'an's reputation. Doesn't he even know who he is?"

He's always scheming and plotting behind people's backs. Little does he know, in other people's eyes, he's nothing but a nobody!

As she finished speaking, her voice grew increasingly low and barely audible: "We, mother and daughter, are just objects in other people's eyes!"

Madam Jia was worried that Jia Dongxu, being young and impetuous, wouldn't be able to keep secrets. In the end, she still didn't explain why she risked offending He Ping'an to listen to Yi Zhonghai's nonsense.

However, after the last grain incident, she learned a lesson... In He Ping'an's eyes, she, Yi Zhonghai, and even everyone in the courtyard were just playthings, like cats and dogs. The louder they barked, the happier he was!

It's meant to amuse people, make them happy, and help them vent their anger. It can also be used to trick Yi Zhonghai into bringing his son into the factory. And incidentally, it's a way to outsmart Yi Zhonghai!

Killing three birds with one stone, there's no reason not to do it!

In fact, Madam Jia was right. Not only He Ping'an, but even the simple-minded He Daqing saw through the trick...

At the He family home, He Daqing was getting anxious and agitated at He Ping'an's indifferent expression.

"It's true that Jia Zhangshi is greedy for money, but Jia Dongxu is more important to her. Now that Jia Dongxu is of age to find a job and get married, she should focus on building a good reputation."

Didn't you see she doesn't even swear in her everyday family chatter anymore? How could she possibly be putting on a show like this? The only explanation is that this could get her son a job, or even help him get married!

"There's only one person in the entire courtyard who has a grudge against you, ruins your reputation, and can also help Jia Dongxu find a job!"

After speaking, He Daqing glanced in the direction of the Yi family, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. He absolutely could not let these underhanded schemes ruin his brothers' future!

He Ping'an smiled casually as always, even picking up where He Daqing left off and adding:

When people see a monkey performer, they cheer, give money, and envy the performer's earnings. But at the same time, they also feel sorry for the monkey being performed on, especially when that monkey is one of their own kind!

The saying goes, "When one's own kind grieves, the fox mourns the death of its kin"—this is exactly what it means! This is Yi Zhonghai's scheme; he wants me to bear the reputation of bullying an orphan and a widow, and he wants to isolate our He family.

He Ping'an knew all this better than anyone, but he really didn't care at all. It was all just entertainment; what difference did it make which one he watched? Right now, what attracted him most was Jia Zhangshi's diving performance. He'd watch her first!

As for Yi Zhonghai, who's stirring up trouble behind the scenes? He's just a nobody struggling to survive, nothing more than a self-serving prankster. Ruining his reputation and isolating the He family?

Those who remain in the courtyard are all shrewd and calculating; who can't see through them? They're all playing the same game as Jia Zhangshi, cooperating with her as monkeys to make him watch more comfortably, just to apologize!

He Ping'an noticed the cold glint in He Daqing's eyes and couldn't help but offer his advice:

"Brother, we're just spectators, we can't get on stage ourselves, it'd be beneath us! If you really feel the urge, just give us a tip or two after the show is over."

He Daqing was only worried that his brother, focused solely on his studies, wouldn't understand the cunning and calculating nature of ordinary people. Now that he understood his brother's meaning, he wasn't in a hurry anymore. (The cheerful straight man continues...)

"Yes, watching the show! Old Yi has lost his mind this time, catching himself in his own trap. He thought those people, feeling sorry for us, would isolate our family. But he forgot that small fry are best at... taking their anger out on others!"

"Big Brother is wise!"

"My brother is even more brilliant!"

The two brothers exchanged a perfunctory bow, laughing heartily!

Li Dagang and Jia Zhangshi, who caused trouble for the He family, were both punished. Even Liu Haizhong, who was just humming along, got slapped. Trying to escape punishment by feigning unconsciousness? Ugly as he is, he's got quite the dream!

It's just that it's not his turn to appear in the scenes yet...

The inhabitants of the courtyard house have always been bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong; they dare not retaliate against the powerful He family. But they still need to vent their anger on He Ping'an; who can they turn to?

Yi Zhonghai first instigated everyone to rob the He family's grain, and then unintentionally forced everyone to play the fool with Jia Zhangshi. Moreover, judging from the situation, the deaf old woman wouldn't help him. Therefore, he is the culprit who caused everyone to lose face… a heinous crime!

In the backyard, in the deaf old woman's room...

Ever since Yi Zhonghai instigated the crowd to loot grain, and He Ping'an publicly revealed that she was infertile, Li Guifen packed her bags and moved into the home of the deaf old woman in the backyard. The mother and daughter were eating, and the scene was quite heartwarming.

"Girl, Yi Zhonghai is hopeless... He's been causing trouble for He Ping'an time and time again, thinking he's being discreet. He's just become a clown for everyone's amusement without even realizing it. Girl..."

"I understand what my godmother means. This scoundrel who only stirs up trouble behind people's backs is not only unrepentant, but also wants to use his wife's power to show off! There's nothing to miss about him. I'm divorcing him tomorrow!"

Li Guifen blew on the spoonful of porridge to cool it down before carefully bringing it to the deaf old woman's lips. Her eyes revealed undisguised disgust when Yi Zhonghai's name was mentioned.

The deaf old woman nodded in satisfaction and sighed:

"It would be best if you could come to terms with it yourself. There's no rush to get a divorce. I was originally thinking of stabilizing things for a while before arranging for you to get pregnant. Even if the child isn't Yi Zhonghai's, it will still be his support in the future. No matter how unwilling you are, you'll just have to accept it."

Even after I'm old and buried, with him around, I can keep others from coveting my possessions. I never imagined that my momentary kindness would give him the opportunity to have inappropriate thoughts!

Li Guifen took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the deaf old woman's mouth. She spoke with deep emotion.

"Godmother, it's not your fault, it's just my bad luck... I ran into such a useless guy as Yi Zhonghai. He can't have children and all he does is cause trouble. He's let you down!"

"Don't worry, this old woman still has a few years left to live. I'll make sure you're taken care of, and you'll have children! As for your matter with Yi Zhonghai, let's put that aside for now!"

The deaf old woman comforted Li Guifen for a few moments, then suddenly asked a strange question:

"Girl, what do you think of He Daqing?"