Courtyard House: Starting by inheriting the tradition and suppressing the barbarians.

The next day.

The western suburbs of Beijing, the western suburbs prison.

This is another world completely isolated from the bustling city of Beijing.

The towering walls, the electrified barbed wire, and the ever-present chilling atmosphere.

In a public toilet in a corner of the prison area.

An old prisoner who was so thin he was skin and bones, with a back like a shrimp.

He was kneeling on the wet cement floor, struggling to scrub the toilet bowl with a brush that was almost completely worn out.

"Old Xu! Clean it thoroughly!"

"If there's even the slightest smell, you can skip dinner!"

A young prisoner with a burly face walked by, covering his nose in disgust.

He even kicked the old prisoner.

The old prisoner was kicked and stumbled, his head hitting the partition.

Da didn't dare utter a single word, only bowing and scraping humbly, revealing a mouthful of gums with only a few teeth left.

"Yes, yes, yes... I'll swipe it, I'll swipe it right now..."

This person was none other than Xu Damao, who was rotten to the core in the Hongxing Courtyard back then.

Years of imprisonment had long since worn away his pride.

Now, he has lost all his hair, and his face is covered with wrinkles and age spots, making him look like he is in his seventies or eighties.

"well..."

Xu Damao dipped his hands into the icy water to wash the rag, but his heart was bleeding.

Back in the day, he was a respectable man who wore leather shoes, drank foreign liquor, and showed movies!

How did things end up like this?

"Qin Jingru...you bitch!"

"You stole my money...you'll die a horrible death!!"

As Xu Damao cleaned the toilet, he habitually cursed.

This was his only motivation to live.

He always fantasized about one day getting out, finding Qin Jingru, and stealing the gold bars back.

And that son...that son in Hong Kong...

"Xu Damao! Step forward!"

Suddenly, the voice of the correctional officer rang out at the door.

Xu Damao was startled and dropped the brush in his hand into the toilet bowl.

He hurriedly got up, not even bothering to wipe the dirty water off his hands, and ran over with a hunched back.

"Reporting to the government! Xu Damao has arrived!"

The guard gave him a disdainful look and pointed outside: "Someone's visiting."

"Pack your things and come with me."

"Visit...visit?"

Xu Damao was stunned.

He's been here for so many years, and apart from the first time the neighborhood committee came to visit, no one has come to see him since.

He has no descendants; his parents died long ago, and his wife ran away. Who in this world still remembers him?

Could it be... that bitch Qin Jingru had a change of heart and came to give him money?

Or is it...?

Xu Damao's heart, which had long been ashen, suddenly pounded violently.

Could it be that someone from Hong Kong has come?

"Yes! Yes! Thank you, government!"

Xu Damao was so excited that he trembled all over.

Urged on by the guards, he hastily wiped his face and straightened his smelly prison uniform.

Dragging his old, severely rheumatic leg, he limped after them.

......

Visiting room.

This place is separated by a thick glass wall.

Li Xuan sat in the chair, his expression calm.

He was wearing a black trench coat, and time seemed to have left few traces on his face.

This only made him seem more unfathomable.

A young man sat next to him.

Lou Xiao was wearing a well-tailored, high-end gray suit.

Her hair was neatly combed, and she wore an expensive Swiss watch.

He sat upright with his hands folded on his knees.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, the slight trembling of his fingertips betrayed the turmoil in his heart.

He stared intently at the tightly closed iron gate, waiting for the "truth" to emerge.

"Click."

The iron gate opened.

Escorted by two prison guards, a hunched, old figure with an unpleasant odor walked in.

Lou Xiao's pupils suddenly contracted.

This is... Xu Damao?

Is this his biological father?

How could it be such a sleazy, dirty old man?

Xu Damao kept his head down until he sat down in the chair, at which point he timidly raised his head.

Through the glass, his gaze first fell on Li Xuan.

"Li...Li Xuan?"

Xu Damao's cloudy old eyes widened instantly.

It was filled with shock, fear, and a hint of barely concealed hatred.

This enemy who sent him to prison and ruined his life!

Why did he come?

Are you here to see a joke?

"Xu Damao, it's been a long time."

Li Xuan spoke calmly, his cold voice coming through the microphone.

"What...what are you doing here...?"

Xu Damao gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, "Did you come to see if I'm dead or not?"

"Let me tell you, I'm doing just fine!"

"I'm going out to find my son and enjoy a good life!"

Upon hearing the word "son," Li Xuan's lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

"You want to see your son?"

Li Xuan leaned back slightly, revealing the young man sitting next to him.

"Let's see who he is."

Xu Damao was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously turned his head to look at the young man who had been silent all along.

Upon seeing this, Xu Damao was completely stunned, as if struck by lightning, and froze in his chair.

boom!

It felt like a million bombs were exploding in my head at the same time.

The young man in front of me was in his early twenties, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

That signature long face, those slightly cunning yet noble-looking eyes...

How can this be a stranger?

This is clearly Xu Damao himself, twenty years younger, wearing a suit, and a hundred times more handsome!

Xu Damao's hands trembled as he tried to touch the glass, his lips quivering like leaves in the wind.

He pulled out a photograph wrapped in layers of plastic from the innermost pocket of his prison uniform.

The photo shows a little boy riding a rocking horse.

He looked at the photo, then at the young man across the glass.

Like.

so similar.

They're practically identical!

"You...you..."

Xu Damao's tears welled up instantly, washing over his filthy face.

"Are you my son?"

"You are my son!!!"

Xu Damao has gone mad.

He endured more than a decade in this dark and hopeless prison, suffering endless bullying and despair.

The only belief that kept him going was this photo, of his son who was far away in Hong Kong!

Now, my son is right in front of me!

Live and alive!

So dignified! So wealthy!

"Son! It's your father!"

"I am Xu Damao!"

Xu Damao lunged at the glass, pressing his entire face against it, squeezing and deforming it, and desperately pounding on it.

"I'm your own father! I have money! I have gold bars! I've saved them all for you!"

He was already out of his mind, had forgotten that the gold bars had been stolen, or subconsciously still felt that they could be found.

On the other side of the glass.

Lou Xiao looked at the man who seemed to be insane, with yellow teeth and black dirt under his fingernails.

Looking at that face that bore a seven-tenths resemblance to his own, yet was utterly hideous.

His stomach churned, and a feeling of nausea welled up inside him.

Is this his root?

Is this his father?

No.

no way!

Lou Xiao clenched his fists tightly on his knees, his nails digging into his palms, but this only made him more alert.

He turned his head to look at Li Xuan, his eyes filled with pleading and determination.

"Uncle Li... let's go."

"I don't want to watch anymore."

......