Courtyard Houses: Longevity Since the War of Resistance

The last needle was twisted and pulled out from the acupoint on Yi Zhonghai's waist and abdomen. Li Feng's movements were smooth and precise. After putting away the needle kit, he calmly said to the elderly couple, whose faces were full of tension and anticipation, "The meridians have been completely unblocked. From now on, drink the medicine I prescribed every day, once every three days, for three weeks to strengthen your body and nourish your vital energy. You can start trying to have a child while you are taking the medicine."

These words were like heavenly music, striking the hearts of Yi Zhonghai and the elderly woman. Tears streamed down the woman's face; she covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

Even Yi Zhonghai, the usually dignified and composed eighth-grade worker, instantly had tears welling up in his eyes. His lips trembled, and he suddenly grabbed Li Feng's hand, holding it tightly. He covered it with his other hand, and was so excited that he was incoherent: "Section Chief Li, my benefactor! My great benefactor! I, Yi Zhonghai, I ...

I stammered for a long time, but couldn't utter a complete sentence. I just shook Li Feng's hand vigorously, my gratitude so strong that I felt like I could tear my heart out.

An older woman stepped forward and grabbed Li Feng's other arm, her voice choked with emotion: "Section Chief Li, you are our Yi family's savior! We will remember this kindness for the rest of our lives!"

Li Feng let them shake him for a moment before calmly withdrawing his hand. "Alright, you're an elderly couple, relax and take good care of yourselves. I'll go back now, you two can talk."

He gave the elderly couple a meaningful look, then turned and left the Yi family home, leaving them some private space.

As soon as the door closed, the sound of an old woman's suppressed sobs and Yi Zhonghai's long sigh of relief immediately came from inside. The elderly couple must have been embracing and crying, celebrating the dawn they had been waiting for for half their lives.

Standing in the courtyard, Li Feng could feel the joy surging from the house behind him, but his gaze was fixed on He Yuzhu's tightly closed door.

"Qin Huairu has put things on the right track, and Yi Zhonghai's obsession has been resolved. It's time for you, Sha Zhu, to take over."

He knew the people in this courtyard well. Xu Damao was a real scoundrel, Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was all bark and no bite, and Jia Zhangshi was all bark and no bite. Reforming these people was simply a matter of finding their weaknesses and putting pressure on them, which was not a difficult task.

The only exception is He Yuzhu, who is not a bad person by nature. He even has a rare kindness and warm heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been manipulated by Qin Huairu for so many years.

But his personality was stubborn and inflexible, he was sharp-tongued, and he had a slight weakness for beautiful women. In addition, he was favored by Yi Zhonghai, used by Qin Huairu, and targeted by Xu Damao. As a result, he became somewhat twisted and distorted, with good and bad mixed together.

But now that Li Feng has arrived and possesses the ability, he cannot stand idly by and watch these people, who could have walked towards the light, sink deeper and deeper into the quagmire, ultimately leading to tragedy.

The first step of breaking the deadlock has been completed, dismantling the two most critical influencing factors around Sha Zhu. Now it's time to take the second step, directly targeting him as a stubborn rock.

The opportunity came soon.

News came from the factory that Director Yang was hosting a banquet for the top leaders, so the task of cooking naturally fell to He Yuzhu, the head chef of the steel rolling mill canteen. The honorable task of showing the movie, however, was assigned to Xu Damao.

Given Li Feng's current status and background, it's only natural that he would receive an invitation.

On the evening of the banquet, the atmosphere in Director Yang's small living room was very harmonious. Xu Damao had set up the projector early, and his words were as sweet as honey. He kept calling the leader's wife "sister-in-law" and "sister-in-law" to her, making her beam with joy and praising him for being good at handling things.

In contrast, Sha Zhu, busy in the kitchen, seemed out of place. He cooked entirely based on his mood and skill, and although no one dared to say it was bad, you could feel his "take it or leave it" attitude even through the kitchen door.

Out of politeness, the leader asked his secretary to ask Chef He if he needed anything. Sha Zhu, on the other hand, casually replied, "Tell the leader not to worry about the kitchen, just wait to eat!" The secretary frowned upon hearing this.

Xu Damao seized the opportunity, taking advantage of the moment when he was pouring water for the leader's wife, to sidle up to her and whisper, trying to sow discord between them: "Madam, please don't mind him, that's just how Sha Zhu is, all he's good for is his stubbornness, he doesn't think before he speaks, he's like that at the factory too, it's only because Director Yang and Director Li are lenient with him."

Before he could finish speaking, the top leader came out from the inner room and heard everything clearly.

The leader frowned immediately; he detested this kind of backstabbing and sycophancy. His face darkened, and without even glancing at Xu Damao, he waved his hand at his secretary: "The movie's over. Tell him to pack his things and leave immediately."

Xu Damao's fawning smile froze instantly, turning deathly pale. He wanted to explain, but was stopped by the secretary's stern gaze. He could only sheepishly begin packing up the equipment, cursing Sha Zhu in his heart.

When Sha Zhu in the kitchen heard that the leader wasn't going to see the movie, he put in all his effort and busied himself with cooking. He quickly prepared several home-style dishes that were excellent in color, aroma, and taste. The leader nodded frequently as he ate, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

"Great! This dish is authentic!" The leader rarely showed an appreciative smile. "Go, invite the chef over, I want to meet him."

Sha Zhu was led to the living room, his apron still on, a hint of smugness on his face typical of a chef after finishing his specialty dish. But when he looked up and saw Li Feng sitting next to the leader at the dining table, eating, his face instantly darkened, his smugness replaced by anger.

He stiffened his neck, snorted, and didn't even offer a smile.

This attitude instantly froze the previously harmonious atmosphere, and both Director Yang and Deputy Director Li looked rather unpleasant.

Li Feng saw everything, put down his chopsticks, and took the initiative to speak, his voice calm, breaking the awkward silence.

"Boss, factory director, it's nothing serious. Comrade He Yuzhu and I had a small misunderstanding in the yard before. Young people are hot-tempered. Today, with this good drink from you, boss, we can talk it out and it's all over." He said this to both He Yuzhu and the factory leaders to save face.

Unfortunately, He Yuzhu was nicknamed "Silly Pillar" because of his stubbornness. He was convinced that Li Feng was an enemy who had come to cause him trouble and cut off his access to Qin Jie's aid. Seeing Li Feng pretending to be magnanimous in front of the leader only fueled his anger, making him feel that Li Feng was hypocritical.

Instead of taking the opportunity presented to him, he stubbornly retorted, "Who has a misunderstanding with you? Don't give me that!"

This completely ruined the leader's good mood and the factory director's pride. The senior leader's face darkened again, and Factory Director Yang was so angry that his hand trembled as he pointed at Sha Zhu: "He Yuzhu! You…"

Just as the atmosphere at the banquet reached its lowest point, Qin Huairu, far away in her courtyard house, was worrying about the letter she had just received from her hometown.

The work of the Women's Committee is getting busier and busier, and she is determined to do it well. However, she is also struggling to manage her three children and her increasingly difficult mother-in-law.

After much deliberation, she decided to bring her younger sister over.

"Jingru, I'm doing quite well in Beijing. It's just that I have a lot of work, and my children and mother need constant care at home, so I'm really overwhelmed. You're not young anymore, and it's not good for you to stay in the village all the time. If you have some free time, come and stay in Beijing for a while, help me take care of the house, and look after the children. Besides, Beijing is a big place with many opportunities. Maybe you can find a suitable job or a good family. It's better than staying in the countryside."

After writing the letter, Qin Huairu carefully folded it, put it in an envelope, and placed it in the mailbox. Meanwhile, Xu Damao's bad luck was about to begin.

He was rudely kicked out by the senior leader, utterly humiliated, and felt so frustrated he was about to explode. Pushing the projection equipment, he didn't even return to the factory to return it, but went straight into a small tavern on the street.

The more he thought about it, the angrier and more frustrated he became. Fueled by alcohol, he drank a whole pot of cheap liquor until he was completely drunk, then staggered back to his courtyard house.

Upon entering and seeing Lou Xiao'e lying there, Xu Damao's anger flared up instantly. He threw his canvas bag on the ground, pointed at Lou Xiao'e, and began to curse: "It's all your fault! You, the daughter of a capitalist, have been of no help to my career. I should have married a country girl back then; at least she could cook."

Lou Xiao'e was born into a wealthy family and had never been treated like this before. She had tolerated Xu Damao's sarcastic remarks before, but she was not about to stand up to him by pointing his finger at her and cursing her.

He stood up and retorted, "Xu Damao! You're incompetent and embarrassed in front of the leaders, so why are you trying to act tough with me? If you're so capable, go and reason with the leaders!"

"Hey! You dare talk back!" The drunken Xu Damao was enraged, and with the alcohol taking effect, he raised his hand to hit someone.

As soon as Qin Huairu entered the Intermediate People's Court, she heard a loud argument erupting from Xu Damao's house, interspersed with Lou Xiao'e's tearful rebukes. Since mediating family disputes was part of her job as a member of the Women's Committee, she quickly went over.

As soon as the door was opened, Xu Damao was seen raising his hand to hit Lou Xiao'e.

Qin Huairu's heart tightened, but remembering her current identity and responsibilities, she immediately shouted sharply, "Xu Damao! Stop! What do you think you're doing?"

Interrupted, Xu Damao turned around with red eyes and saw Qin Huairu. He became even more furious: "Qin Huairu? Who do you think you are? How dare you meddle in my family's affairs? Get out!"

"I'm from the Women's Committee! I have to intervene if you hit someone!" Qin Huairu straightened her back. Although she was a little nervous, she still stepped forward and shielded Lou Xiao'e behind her. "Xiao'e, don't be afraid."

When Xu Damao saw that Qin Huairu dared to stop him, he cursed her rudely and reached out to push her away.

But he had drunk too much, his legs were unsteady, and he had no strength in his hands. When Qin Huairu saw him make a move, she subconsciously pushed him away. Lou Xiao'e, who was next to her, also mustered up her courage and kicked Xu Damao.

In their desperation, the two women combined their strength and pushed the drunken Xu Damao backward like a wild goose landing on a sand dune, sending him flying back onto the kang (a heated brick bed) and knocking him unconscious.

The room fell silent instantly.

Lou Xiao'e looked at Xu Damao lying on the ground, feeling both angry and scared, and tears finally fell down her face.

Sobbing, she said to Qin Huairu, "Sister Qin, thank you. I can't stay here for another day!" After saying that, she wiped away her tears, quickly packed a few personal belongings, and ran out of the house without looking back, seemingly heading back to her parents' home.