Courtyard House: From Deputy Division Commander to Civilian, Progressing All the Way

He Daqing's voice was somewhat dry, and he nervously rubbed his hands on his apron.

He Yuzhu frowned slightly: "Private matter? Please speak."

"Um..." He Daqing swallowed hard, gritted his teeth, and said, "Father has taken a fancy to a woman and wants to live with her."

He Yuzhu's hand holding the teacup suddenly paused, causing ripples to spread across the water's surface.

He didn't immediately get angry, but calmly looked at He Daqing: "Who?"

"She's...she's a female worker from the machine tool factory outside Qianmen. Her surname is Bai, and she's a widow with two teenagers." He Daqing lowered his head, not daring to look He Yuzhu in the eye.

White Widow!

Upon hearing those three words, He Yuzhu's face instantly darkened, and an uncontrollable look of disgust and anger flashed in his eyes.

In the original course of his life, He Daqing abandoned his two children because of this widow, Bai, and ran away to Baoding with her, leaving He Yuzhu and his sister to suffer all kinds of bullying from the beasts in the courtyard.

Although in this life, thanks to Lin Yang's appearance, He Daqing didn't run away but instead lived a life of luxury and comfort with the Lin family, this didn't mean that He Daqing's inherent peculiar preference for widows had changed.

More importantly, what He Yuzhu hates most now is widows!

Look at that old hag Jia Zhangshi, and then look at that scheming vampire Qin Huairu. He Yuzhu had seen enough of the widows' tricks in the courtyard. He had an instinctive aversion and disgust towards these women who had children to support and were only looking for a long-term meal ticket.

"Bang!"

He Yuzhu slammed the teacup heavily on the table, splashing tea everywhere.

"No! I absolutely disagree!"

He Yuzhu suddenly stood up, like an angry lion, staring down at He Daqing.

"Dad! Have you lost your mind?! Is our He family lacking food or clothing? I, He Yuzhu, am now the captain of the criminal investigation team at the Public Security Bureau, a section-level cadre! Yushui is studying at school, and her grades are outstanding!"

"Our family's current lifestyle is quite impressive, even in Beijing! If you're looking for a partner, you can easily find a decent, unmarried woman or a childless, virtuous woman. I, He Yuzhu, will wholeheartedly support you and give you a grand and dignified wedding!"

He Yuzhu pointed towards the door, his voice hoarse with anger.

"But you insist on finding a widow! And with two children in tow! What are you after? Are you raising someone else's sons? Do you think our family life is too peaceful now, and you have to bring a vampire home to cause chaos?!"

He Daqing blushed with embarrassment at his son's harsh reprimand, slammed his hand on the table, and stood up.

"Zhu Zi! How can you say that! Your Aunt Bai isn't that kind of person! She's kind-hearted and hardworking. These past few days, my back has been hurting, and she's been running around taking care of me!"

He Daqing, his neck stiff, tried to defend his love: "I've raised you and Yushui with all my life's hard work, what have I gotten in return? Now that I'm old, I just want to find someone who cares about me and talk to me, is that not allowed?!"

"They care about your well-being? That's because they're after your meager salary, and they're after the He family's powerful backing by Chief Lin!"

He Yuzhu ruthlessly shattered He Daqing's illusions.

"Father, don't be naive! Widows always attract trouble! If you really bring her into the family, all the money we earn will go into the bottomless pit of her two sons! I, He Yuzhu, can't bear the shame!"

The father and son were locked in a fierce standoff, neither willing to back down. The atmosphere in the room was tense, as if a single spark could ignite a complete explosion.

"Fine! You insist on marrying her, don't you?" He Yuzhu gritted his teeth, his eyes icy cold. "If you dare bring her through this door, I, He Yuzhu, will move out tomorrow! You can pretend I'm not your son for the rest of your life!"

After saying that, He Yuzhu grabbed his coat, slammed the door, and strode out into the vast darkness.

……

Yuquanshan Military Region Compound.

Building No. 6, Class A.

It was late at night, but the lights were still on in the living room on the first floor.

Lin Yang was sitting on the sofa, using the light of the table lamp to review the production capacity reports of several large steel plants under the Ministry of Heavy Industry.

Tian Yu walked over with a bowl of warmed bird's nest porridge and said softly, "Yangzi, don't stay up too late, it'll hurt your eyes."

Lin Yang closed the document, took the bird's nest porridge, and held Tian Yu's hand: "It's alright, these reports are crucial. Several large military projects will be launched next year, and there's still a significant shortage of special steel. I need to make arrangements in advance."

Just as the couple were talking, the sound of guard Xiao Li reporting came from outside the door.

"Sir, Comrade He Yuzhu from Jiaodaokou Branch is waiting to see you outside. He says... he says he has something urgent to discuss with you."

Lin Yang raised an eyebrow. What was He Yuzhu doing here in the middle of the night? Had some major case broken out in Beijing?

"Let him in," Lin Yang said in a deep voice, putting down his bowl.

A moment later, He Yuzhu walked into the living room, radiating a chill.

He had lost his usual imposing demeanor as a criminal investigation captain, appearing somewhat dejected and irritable. Upon entering, he stood stiffly before Lin Yang, head bowed, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Commander..." He Yuzhu's voice was a little dry.

Lin Yang keenly sensed his unusual mood and gestured to the sofa opposite him: "Sit down and talk. What happened? Is there a tricky case in your jurisdiction?"

He Yuzhu plopped down on the sofa and scratched his hair in frustration.

"It's not about the case. The division commander... is my father."

He Yuzhu sighed and recounted to Lin Yang the whole story of how He Daqing had taken a liking to Widow Bai and how the two had a big argument at home.

"Commander, you be the judge! Has my father gone senile? With our family's current circumstances, he could marry anyone, but he has to find a widow with two sons! Just thinking about the faces of women like Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu makes me sick! I will absolutely never let a woman like that into our He family!"

He Yuzhu became increasingly angry as he spoke, and his eyes turned red.

Lin Yang listened quietly without immediately expressing his opinion.

He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and his deep gaze swept across He Yuzhu's face like an X-ray.

"Pillar."

Lin Yang put down his teacup, his voice calm yet possessing a penetrating power that struck straight to the soul.

"What is your current status?"

He Yuzhu paused for a moment, then instinctively straightened his back: "Reporting, Commander, I am the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the Dongcheng Public Security Bureau, a section chief!"

"Since you know that you are a section-level cadre and the wielder of the law, you are the one who enforces the law."

Lin Yang's gaze suddenly turned stern.

"Then why are you still using that kind of street-smart, thuggish mentality from your traditional courtyard house to handle family problems?!"

He Yuzhu trembled from Lin Yang's reprimand, his face filled with astonishment.