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

This farce.

With Jia Dongxu's incompetent rage and Yi Zhonghai's disheveled escape, the matter temporarily came to an end.

But the aftershocks of this turmoil have only just begun.

The atmosphere in Yi Zhonghai's home was oppressive and suffocating.

Yi Zhonghai sat in the chair, blood still seeping from the scratches on his face.

He sighed as he applied the mercurochrome in front of the mirror.

"That crazy woman! She hit me so hard!"

"How am I supposed to go to the factory to see people tomorrow?"

While Yi Zhonghai was cursing and swearing.

An older woman sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), her back to him, without saying a word.

She was holding an old piece of clothing that was being mended; it was Yi Zhonghai's work uniform.

The needle and thread moved nimbly in her hands, but her eyes were empty.

Tears silently streamed down her face, soaking her clothes.

"Oh, old woman, don't be angry."

Yi Zhonghai glanced back at her, trying to explain, "I really went to deliver corn noodles."

"You know the Jia family has it tough..."

"Besides, you saw it yourself, Jia Dongxu is right inside. What could I possibly do?"

"It's all that old senile Jia Zhangshi's nonsense!"

"That's enough!"

The middle-aged woman suddenly turned around, and her usual timid and submissive expression disappeared.

Instead, there was a sense of resolute determination and desolation.

"Yi Zhonghai, how long are you going to keep lying to me?"

"Do you really think I know nothing?"

"Over the years, you've been giving more than half of your monthly salary to the Jia family!"

"You even secretly took the family savings to help Jia Dongxu settle things!"

"You've almost emptied your retirement savings!"

"I tolerated it before because I felt that we didn't have children, and you wanted someone to take care of you in your old age."

"But what about now? You're touching someone else's wife's hand in the middle of the night!"

"Are you planning to retire in your old age? You're planning to support a mistress!"

"You...what nonsense are you talking about!"

Yi Zhonghai's expression changed drastically, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I was just concerned about my apprentice! Concerned about the younger generation!"

"Concerned? Why don't you care about me?"

An elderly woman pointed to her hands, deformed from years of hard work, and cried out:

"I've been married to you for thirty years, washing your clothes, cooking for you, and taking care of your every need!"

"Because I haven't had children, I can't hold my head up in this courtyard and I suffer endless scorn!"

"I've given you my whole heart for this family!"

"But what about you? Your heart only belongs to Jia Dongxu! Only to Qin Huairu!"

"What am I to you? A slave?"

"You're absolutely unreasonable!"

Yi Zhonghai was hit where it hurt, and enraged, he shouted, "I have no descendants!"

"If I don't rely on Jia Dongxu, who else can I rely on? You?"

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be without children!"

His words were like a sharp knife, piercing the old woman's heart.

This completely disheartened the older woman.

"Okay...okay...okay."

The old woman gave a bitter laugh, dropped the needle and thread in her hand, and stood up.

"Since you think I'm useless, then let's not continue this relationship!"

"Go find your good apprentice to take care of you in your old age!"

"What...what are you going to do?" Yi Zhonghai panicked.

"I want to go back to my parents' home! I want a divorce!"

After the woman finished speaking, she turned around and began packing her bags.

"divorce?"

Yi Zhonghai was struck dumb.

In this day and age, divorce is a huge scandal!

And if the old lady leaves, who will take care of him?

Who will cook and do his laundry?

"Old woman! Don't be impulsive! I was wrong!"

"Fine, I won't go anymore, okay?"

Yi Zhonghai rushed over and grabbed the old woman.

It was at this time that...

"Knock knock knock".

There was a gentle knock on the door.

"Uncle, aunt, I'm Li Xuan."

Li Xuan's voice came from outside the door.

Yi Zhonghai was startled and quickly let go of her hand.

He wiped the sweat from his face and, trying to appear calm, opened the door.

"Little...Little Xuan, what's the matter so late?"

Yi Zhonghai now both hates and fears Li Xuan.

Li Xuan stood at the door, carrying a small cloth bag in his hand.

He ignored Yi Zhonghai's ugly old face.

Instead, he looked at the middle-aged woman inside the house who was wiping away tears.

"Ma'am, I'm here to see you."

Li Xuan walked up to the old woman and handed her the cloth bag he was carrying.

"What is this?" The middle-aged woman was a little stunned.

"My mom asked me to bring this."

"They said your heart hasn't been feeling well lately, so here are some traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions to help regulate your body."

Li Xuan spoke a few words in a gentle voice.

He then lowered his voice and said in a volume that only an older woman could hear:

"Auntie, you can actually live for yourself for once."

"I heard that the neighborhood committee is currently recruiting caregivers for orphanages."

"Not only do they provide food and lodging, but they also offer the opportunity to adopt homeless children."

"You're so kind and love children..."

"Rather than keeping an old, childless man who doesn't care about you."

"Why not raise a grateful child and earn a proper old age and funeral for yourself?"

These words were like a bolt of lightning in the darkness, instantly cleaving through the fog in the old woman's mind!

Adopt a child?

To support yourself in your old age?

Yes!

How could she not have thought of that!

She has hands and feet, why does she have to hang herself on one tree?

Why should you be someone's slave, only to be disliked in the end?

An older woman suddenly looked up.

An unprecedented glimmer of light suddenly burst forth in his previously dull eyes.

She looked at Li Xuan, her lips trembling, and after a long while, she managed to squeeze out a sentence.

"Xiao Xuan... thank you... thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome. We just couldn't bear to see good people being bullied."

Li Xuan smiled and turned to look at Yi Zhonghai, who looked completely bewildered.

"Uncle, I heard you arguing with an older woman at the door just now."

"Actually, there are some things you shouldn't jump to conclusions about too early."

"You can go to a major hospital for a checkup to see who has the problem."

After saying that, Li Xuan gave Yi Zhonghai a meaningful look, then turned and left.

Yi Zhonghai was left standing there, his body ice-cold.

an examination?

Is it my fault?

No! That's impossible!

I'm in such good health!

However, before he could figure it out...

A determined voice came from behind: "Yi Zhonghai, you don't need to stop me."

"I'll go to the neighborhood office first thing tomorrow morning."

"From today onwards, you will cook your own meals and wash your own clothes."

"Let's sleep in separate rooms!"

"Once I've made up my mind, let's go get the paperwork done!"

"What? You old woman..."

Yi Zhonghai turned around and saw an old woman carrying the cloth bag walk into the inner room without looking back.

And sure enough, they locked the door from the inside.

At that moment, Yi Zhonghai felt dizzy and disoriented.

His apprentice turned against him, his wife filed for divorce, and his reputation was ruined.

Everything he had painstakingly built up in his life slipped through his fingers like quicksand.

"How...how could this happen..."

......