Courtyard House: I, the eldest son of the Jia family, have returned from the battlefield.

As Qin Huairu was pondering Jia Dongming's whereabouts, she suddenly heard a soft, rustling sound coming from Xu Damao's house.

She recognized the voice.

She had no intention of prying into other people's privacy and turned to leave.

"Dongming-ge...why are you being so fierce today..."

Lou Xiao'e's trembling whisper drifted out of the room, like a fine needle piercing Qin Huairu's ear.

She stopped walking, feeling a sudden tightness in her chest.

Jia Dongming, inside the room, was completely unaware that someone was outside the window.

Lou Xiao'e's pleas for mercy emboldened him, and he replied with a low laugh, "You're begging for mercy today."

Lou Xiao'e slumped weakly against the table, her whole body numb and powerless, only able to breathe softly: "It was my fault... Brother Dongming, please forgive me this time."

"Crack."

A soft sound came from outside the window.

Jia Dongming paused, then abruptly raised his hand to cover Lou Xiao'e's lips, staring intently out the window—in his eagle-eye view, Qin Huairu's figure standing motionless by the window was clearly visible.

He was startled at first, but then his heart settled down, and a certain thought quietly took root in his mind.

Qin Huairu looked down and saw a piece of broken tile next to her shoe.

The room fell silent instantly.

She panicked, turned around hastily, and hurriedly left through the moon gate.

Lou Xiao'e sensed something was wrong. She opened her eyes and saw Jia Dongming looking wary. Startled, her face turned from red to white, and her voice trembled: "Did...did someone see us?"

Jia Dongming watched the figure disappear before turning his gaze away and patting the bare shoulder of the person in his arms: "Don't be afraid, it's Qin Huairu."

"Huairu?"

Lou Xiao'e was taken aback, then panicked and said, "If she tells anyone..."

"What's there to be afraid of?"

A smile appeared on Jia Dongming's lips. "If you're really worried, we'll go find her."

If you include her in the conversation, she naturally won't say anything.

Lou Xiao'e looked up at him, the panic in her eyes gradually turning into realization, then tinged with a hint of reproach: "What do you mean by bringing her in... You probably already had this in mind, just using me as an excuse."

With his secret exposed, Jia Dongming feigned innocence: "Isn't this all because I was worried about you? Why are you blaming me?"

Lou Xiao'e gave a soft snort, her bare feet touching the ground. Looking up at his firm waist and abdomen, she said sourly, "Tell me honestly, when did you and Huairu get together? You even have me... and you still dare to be greedy? Does Mingri not want to get up?"

Jia Dongming laughed loudly and reached out to pull her back into his arms: "Useless people like Xu Damao are no match for me."

Even if you and Huairu were together, you probably wouldn't be a match for me.

Lou Xiao'e had been harboring resentment towards Xu Damao for a long time.

That day, she specially brought back a jar of aged medicinal wine from her parents' home, and used it as an excuse to ask Xu Damao to invite her to his home for dinner.

After a few rounds of drinks, Jia Dongming was already somewhat tipsy. Lou Xiao'e's eyes sparkled, and her soft words and several intentional or unintentional attempts to get closer to him made him lose his sense of propriety—a mistake that many men have made.

Later, Qin Huairu brought up the matter in front of Jia Dongming, her words revealing concern.

Jia Dongming could tell from her voice that he hadn't heard her. He first moved to a chair next to him, then reached out and pulled Qin Huairu over to sit on his lap. Only then did he lower his voice and say, "Huairu, my affair with Lou Xiao'e... was really an accident."

He paused, then said, "To tell you the truth, the problem isn't with Lou Xiao'e, but with Xu Damao himself. He and Lou Xiao'e have been married for years without having children."

"Is that really true?"

Qin Huairu's eyes widened. "Isn't the blame for not being able to have children always placed on the woman? How could it be Xu Damao?"

Her face was filled with surprise and doubt as she stared straight at Jia Dongming.

Jia Dongming smiled and explained slowly, "It's like farming in the countryside. If the seeds are bad, even the most fertile soil won't grow any seedlings."

Lou Xiao'e had gone to the hospital for a check-up earlier, and the doctor said there was nothing wrong with her body; on the contrary, she was very fertile.

The doctor also mentioned that the problem lay with Xu Damao and advised him to get checked out as well.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu suddenly understood and couldn't help but gasp: "Brother Dongming, if that's the case... Lou Xiao'e is looking for you, could it be that she wants to borrow...?"

He didn't say everything he wanted to say, but the shock in his eyes said it all.

Looking at her expression, Jia Dongming nodded silently. "Lou Xiao'e used to think it was her own fault. She endured the mistreatment she received at the Xu family's house, and even when Xu Damao had someone else outside, she pretended not to know."

Ever since she received confirmation from the hospital, she had been determined to take revenge on Xu Damao, which is why she arranged a banquet to invite me.

What happened next...you can probably guess."

Qin Huairu suddenly realized why Jia Dongming had gotten involved with Lou Xiao'e so soon after returning home.

Her mind raced, and suddenly she thought of someone else, hurriedly asking, "Brother Dongming, isn't there an old man in the courtyard who doesn't have children either? Since it's not entirely because of women, could it be that the old man... is like Xu Damao?"

When Yi Zhonghai was mentioned, a faint smile appeared on Jia Dongming's lips.

That person appeared respectable on the surface, but deep down he was all about scheming and control; he was a complete hypocrite.

He looked at Qin Huairu and asked in return, "Huairu, in your opinion, what kind of person is Yi Zhonghai?"

Qin Huairu paused for a moment, then lowered her head and thought carefully about her interactions with Yi Zhonghai over the years since she married into the family. She slowly said, "At first glance, Uncle Yi seems like a kind-hearted old man, but after spending more time with him, I realized that was just an act he put on."

Actually... he's quite self-centered.

That's a fair point.

Recalling the undercurrents and entanglements within the courtyard, Jia Dongming interjected, "Your assessment is accurate, but not entirely so."

The more upright and honest Yi Zhonghai appears on the surface, the more sinister he is underneath.

He truly deserves the title of "petty person."

Since moving into this courtyard house, I have secretly investigated the details of each household.

If we're talking about the most wicked person in this courtyard, the deaf old woman in the backyard is the first to come to mind, followed by Yi Zhonghai.

I heard that Yi Zhonghai frequented the Eight Great Hutongs in his youth, which left him with a host of unspeakable illnesses, ultimately leading to the extinction of his lineage.

He pinned the blame for his infertility on an older woman, partly to cover up his own shame and partly to appear as a kind and compassionate person in front of others.

There's something even more horrifying—Sha Zhu's father, He Daqing, didn't leave Beijing voluntarily back then; he was forced to leave by Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old woman.

"Brother Dongming, what did you say? Uncle He was tricked and driven away? This... why would that happen?"

Qin Huairu's eyes widened as she listened, her voice trembling.

Jia Dongming smiled, but his eyes were devoid of warmth: "What else could it be for? To provide for someone's retirement."

"Elderly care"

Two words pierced Qin Huairu's heart. She suddenly remembered Yi Zhonghai taking Jia Dongxu as his apprentice, and her brows furrowed even more: "But when Yi Zhonghai took Dongxu as his apprentice, wasn't he relying on our family to support him in his old age? Mom has already agreed, so why would he want to mess with the He family again?"

Jia Dongming reached out and gently brushed his index finger across the tip of her nose: "The crux of the problem lies with our mother."

"You and I both know what kind of temper Mom has."

Dongxu always listens to his mother, and Yi Zhonghai is afraid that his mother will change her mind in the future, so he keeps Shazhu as a backup option.

As for the deaf old woman, she was greedy and short-legged, and seeing that Sha Zhu's features resembled her deceased son, the two teamed up to set a trap for He Daqing.

"It's rumored that He Daqing abandoned his children and ran off to Baocheng for a widow."

In reality, he fell into a trap set by Yi Zhonghai and was forced to leave, abandoning his two children behind.

Qin Huairu had long known that Yi Zhonghai was no ordinary person, but she never expected him to be so ruthless in order to secure his own retirement.

Recalling her interactions with Yi Zhonghai over the years, a chill ran down her spine, and she whispered, "Thank goodness you came back, Brother Dongming."

Otherwise, our Jia family... I'm afraid he'll devour us until there's nothing left but bones."

Looking at her pale face, Jia Dongming slowly added, "Huai Ru, forcing He Daqing away isn't even the most vicious thing you can do."

"In order to make Sha Zhu hate his own father so that he would wholeheartedly support him in his old age, Yi Zhonghai even swallowed the two hundred yuan living expenses that He Daqing entrusted to him before he left."

And the work permit from the steel rolling mill, and all the letters and money He Daqing sent to He Yushui over the years—he intercepted them all.

"What?!"

Qin Huairu abruptly stood up from Jia Dongming's lap, her voice trembling, "He even stole the money meant to save the child's life? Is that true?"

Jia Dongming reached out and pulled her back to his side, his palm resting on her trembling waist: "Could a normal person do something like this, severing blood ties and cutting off family ties?"

Qin Huairu trembled involuntarily as she listened.

She recalled her mother-in-law's scheming towards Yi Zhonghai over the years—wanting his family's wealth and wanting Bang Geng to recognize him as his godfather.

A chill ran up her spine. She grabbed Jia Dongming's sleeve, her voice weak, "Brother Dongming... if Yi Zhonghai finds out about Mom's intentions, won't he... turn against us?"

Standing in the courtyard bathed in the soft morning light, Madam Jia grabbed her son's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Dongming, what's the truth about your affair with the Xu family's daughter-in-law? How did you end up getting involved?"

Jia Dongming paused, turning his head to look at his mother.

The old locust tree in the corner of the courtyard filtered down dappled sunlight like scattered gold, which danced on his shoulders.

His Adam's apple bobbed, his voice hoarse from just waking up: "Mom, where did you hear this rumor from?"

"Does anyone even need to tell me?"

Madam Jia gestured toward the tightly closed window of the west wing, her brows furrowed. "Last night, I got up to use the bathroom, and the noise from your room... Luckily, this courtyard is deep, and the neighbors are all separated by walls."

If this were in an old-fashioned tenement courtyard, someone would have been peering out the window long ago.

As she spoke, she took another half step forward, her breath brushing against her son's ear, "Tell me honestly, when did you get involved? You know Xu Fugui, he's fiercely protective of his own, like he's protecting his own eyes. If he catches a whiff of something, do you think he'll let you off the hook?"

These words were like a bucket of cold water, suddenly waking Jia Dongming from his remaining drowsiness.

Only then did he belatedly realize that he had been so carried away with his success that he had forgotten what year it was.

This courtyard with its blue bricks and gray tiles, its walls so thin they couldn't even conceal whispers, how could it compare to the fortresses built of reinforced concrete in later generations? A trace of annoyance crept into his heart, and he subconsciously looked up at the wooden door of Xu Damao's house, its paint peeling—the door was tightly closed, as quiet as an ancient well.

The morning breeze swept through the alleyways, carrying the acrid smell of coal stoves being lit in the distance.

Jia Dongming looked away and saw the deep worry in his mother's eyes.

He pursed his lips, and finally only vaguely replied, "I know what I'm doing."

Even so, a thin layer of sweat quietly seeped into my palms.

In the end, this game was played too aggressively.

At this moment, the winter sky is beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

The entire alley was still in a state of half-awake daze, with only the pigeons under someone's eaves making cooing, sleepy noises.

Madam Jia's narrow eyes were fixed on her son, as if trying to dig out some secret from his face.

Jia Dongming felt uncomfortable under his gaze and could only lower his voice to say, "Xu Damao has a health problem and can't have children."

Lou Xiao'e wanted a child, so she came to me.

"oops!"

Jia Zhangshi nearly dropped the broom in her hand. She took half a step forward and asked, "You mean, Xu Damao, like Yi Zhonghai in the courtyard, is childless?"

Jia Dongming quickly put his index finger to his lips: "Keep your voice down! Lou Xiao'e went to see a doctor, and he said she's very healthy and the kind of person who gets pregnant very easily."

She was seething with anger and wanted to embarrass Xu Damao, which is why she came to me.

He paused, then, remembering that Lou Xiao'e was already pregnant, added, "Mom, no matter what, Lou Xiao'e is still Xu Jiaming's wife in name only."

But if she really is pregnant, then she will be the root of our Jia family.

You must not utter a single word about Xu Damao's matter.

Jia Zhangshi's eyes darted around, and suddenly a light appeared on them.

She rubbed her rough hands together, her voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement: "What kind of family is the Lou family? If she gets pregnant with the Jia family's child, won't Lou Bancheng's enormous fortune all flow into our family's bowl through his bloodline?"

Thinking of this, she grabbed her son's arm and said confidently, "Don't worry, Mom's mouth is sealed tight."