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

In the spring of 1964, the weather was still chilly despite the warming trend.

In the courtyard house, the Jia family had lost all hope because of Jia Dongxu's paralysis.

Qin Huairu did this to support her three children.

They could only work part-time at the factory, earning very low wages.

On the one hand, she shamelessly continued to flirt with Sha Zhu.

Yi Zhonghai's life was also not easy.

Since the older woman divorced him, he has become a truly lonely man.

No one cooks, no one does laundry, and the house is a complete mess, like a pigsty.

What terrifies him most is that as he gets older, he starts to experience a host of minor health problems.

Whenever I cough incessantly late at night, I can't even get a sip of hot water.

The fear of "having no descendants" clung to him like a venomous snake.

"No! I can't just wait to die like this!"

Yi Zhonghai sat on the cold kang, a hint of madness flashing in his cloudy eyes.

Jia Dongxu is ruined, and Sha Zhu is completely infatuated with Qin Huairu and harbors resentment towards him, so he can't be relied on at all.

The only way out is to find another "son"!

An obedient, easy-to-control son who can take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days!

He thought of adoption.

Should we go to a proper orphanage?

The procedures are too complicated, and it's easy for them to investigate the details. Even the neighborhood committee knows about his petty affairs.

So he turned his attention to the homeless children on the street.

These days, many children are homeless due to natural disasters.

As long as they give me food, they're like my second parents!

After several days of searching, he found a boy who looked about twelve or thirteen years old in a dilapidated temple outside Dongzhimen.

This child is called Gou Dan (Dog Egg), and he's so thin he's practically skin and bones.

But his eyes darted around, revealing a cleverness.

Most importantly, this child has no parents and is an orphan.

And he seems very honest; he'll kowtow and call you "father" if you give him a steamed bun.

"Okay! He's the one!"

Yi Zhonghai was overjoyed, feeling that he had struck gold.

He took Gou Dan to the bathhouse for a bath, bought him a new set of clothes, and then took him out for a nice meal.

Seeing Gou Dan wolfing down his food, Yi Zhonghai affectionately patted his head.

"Child, from now on you will take my surname and be named Yi Qiude."

"As long as you take care of me in my old age, my house and money will all be yours!"

"Thank you, Dad! You're so kind! I'll definitely be filial to you from now on!"

Dog Egg's words are as sweet as honey.

......

Yi Zhonghai led his godson back to the courtyard house, feeling incredibly proud and elated.

"Look everyone! This is my son! I'll have an heir now!"

He took a detour around the yard to check on his neighbors, especially Li Xuan's expression.

However, Li Xuan simply stood on the second-floor balcony and glanced indifferently at the boy named "Yi Qiude".

Li Xuan was delighted after scanning with his mental energy.

"Tsk tsk, this is hardly an honest kid!"

"This is clearly a habitual thief!"

"His eyes were darting around, constantly glancing into the windows of various houses."

"This hand, seemingly in its pocket, is actually unconsciously making a 'clamping' motion."

"Yi Zhonghai, Yi Zhonghai, you've let a wolf into the house!"

Li Xuan did not expose him.

What's the point of such a good show if we expose it?

"Congratulations, sir, on having a child late in life."

Li Xuan smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"snort!"

Yi Zhonghai proudly raised his head, "That's right! It's God's mercy on me!"

"From now on, I'll have a son too!"

In the following days, Yi Zhonghai treated his godson with utmost sincerity.

Not only did I buy him new shoes and clothes, but I also cooked him different delicious meals every day.

Even to show trust.

He even deliberately took money from a hidden compartment under the bed in front of Gou Dan, telling him, "Son!"

"This will all be your family fortune from now on!"

Dog Egg stared wide-eyed at the thick stack of ten-yuan bills.

He swallowed hard and nodded obediently, "Father, don't worry, I will definitely protect our family's wealth!"

However, the good times did not last long.

That day, Yi Zhonghai went to work at the factory.

Dog Egg was home alone.

Once he was sure Yi Zhonghai was far away, the honest look on his face vanished instantly.

Instead, a sophisticated cunning emerged.

"Pah! You old codger! You think I'll take care of you in your old age?"

"Keep dreaming!"

"When I was making my way in the world, you were still wearing open-crotch pants!"

He skillfully rummaged through the hidden compartment under the bed and retrieved Yi Zhonghai's retirement savings, which he had accumulated over most of his life.

He stuffed all the money, more than two thousand yuan, into his pocket!

That wasn't all; he also took two bottles of fine wine and a watch that Yi Zhonghai had treasured.

They even packed up and took the newly bought radio with them!

Before leaving, he left a pee on the table.

This was done to mock the old man who wanted to take advantage of him.

......

evening.

Yi Zhonghai hummed a little tune as he returned home.

He was also carrying half a pound of pig's head meat, ready to have a couple of drinks with his son.

"Son! Dad's home!"

I pushed open the door; the room was quiet.

"Got it? Where did you go for fun?"

Yi Zhonghai didn't pay any attention and put the meat on the table.

Suddenly, he smelled a strong odor of urine.

Looking down, I saw a pool of yellow liquid on the table!

"Why did this child wet the table?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned, just about to pack up.

But then they discovered the radio was gone!

His heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition instantly exploded within him.

He rushed to the bedside like a madman, crawled on the floor, and pulled open the hidden compartment.

air!

Empty!

Not a single coin was left!

"My money! My retirement savings!"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed once again throughout the courtyard.

Yi Zhonghai's vision went black, he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the bedsheet, and collapsed straight down.

"Grandpa! What's wrong?"

The neighbors came running when they heard the noise.

Yi Zhonghai was lying on the ground, foaming at the mouth.

He clutched the empty money box tightly in his hand, muttering incoherently:

"Son... what a load of rubbish!"

"Liars...they're all liars..."

Li Xuan stood at the door, watching this scene, and shook his head.

"That's fate."

"Yi Zhonghai, you tried to scheme against others to support you in your old age, but you ended up being schemed against and losing everything."

"This time, you're truly childless."

[Ding! Detected that the villain Yi Zhonghai has reaped what he sowed, suffering a major blow (financial loss + mental breakdown), and will face a miserable old age!]

[Merit Points Gained: 1000!]

......