I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

Jia Zhangshi was a tough nut to crack in the courtyard, and after suffering such a great loss today, she dared not let it go when all the neighbors came!

"Look at this, everyone! This old man is being a lewd scoundrel! My lifelong innocence is ruined! Waaah! You all have to stand up for me!"

Liu Haizhong glanced at Jia Zhangshi's appearance and felt a strange sense of nausea. The neighbors in the courtyard were all shocked by Jia Zhangshi's appearance and looked at each other in disbelief.

"You old bastard, look at yourself! You're like a three-year-old sow, and you expect me to grope you?! You'd better have the means to do so!"

Pfft! Several women in the neighborhood couldn't help but interrupt when they heard this, and this interruption changed the tense situation completely.

Yan Bugui coughed a few times, forcibly suppressing his smile. "He Daqing, I know you're upset that you're back, but don't you know what time it is? If you keep making a scene, the neighbors have to go to work tomorrow! Why don't we just let it go tonight and talk about it tomorrow?"

"No way! I've suffered such a huge loss, and if we don't get an explanation today, nobody's going to sleep!"

"Fine, you want an explanation? Then let's have a proper discussion! I remember clearly when I left, I left over 200 jin of grain for my two children in the cellar. Why didn't my children get any? And why is my cellar now yours?"

As soon as He Daqing finished speaking, all the neighbors fell silent. Only the few newly moved-in families, unaware of the inside story, stammered when asked by their neighbors.

"Why isn't anyone saying anything?" He Daqing glanced disdainfully at the neighbors around him, then looked at Jia Zhangshi lying on the ground. "I was blind to trust that bastard Yi Zhonghai. Now that he's gone, you all know perfectly well whether you had anything to do with it!"

As He Daqing finished speaking, he got angry again at Jia Zhangshi and kicked her in the chest, making her cry out in pain.

"I don't know about others! Don't I know you? You old woman, how could you be left out of this whole 'eat-the-children' business' thing? You want to call for help? Speak up! Today it's not you who wants an explanation, it's me who wants an explanation!"

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi had fallen silent and was pretending to be dead again, He Daqing squatted down and grabbed her collar. "Weren't you screaming quite loudly just now? Scream now, the security personnel are right outside!"

Sha Zhu was lost in memories after his father's words. When his father left, he was in a state of utter confusion and had not paid any attention to the food in the cellar. When he thought about how the cellar had become a public facility, a figure appeared in Sha Zhu's mind: Yi Zhonghai!

All the events of the past years began to flood Sha Zhu's mind again. His eyes started to lose focus, and his lips trembled. "Could it be! Could it be that he's been lying to me all along?"

Yu Shui stood by and sighed as she watched her distraught brother walk back into the house. In the end, she did not stop him. Some things you have to get through on your own; other people's advice is useless!

He Daqing's anger continued. Many neighbors who had participated in the incident back then stood in the courtyard and watched He Daqing beat Jia Zhangshi, all of them remaining silent!

"Oh! Daqing, stop! Even if you beat her to death, what's done is done!" The old lady, leaning on her cane and supported by an older woman, slowly walked into the middle of the crowd.

"Great Qing, I know you are furious right now, but the events of that year are impossible to investigate. If you really cause any serious harm to Jia Zhangshi, you will have to pay with your life!"

After venting his anger, He Daqing had calmed down considerably. "Grandma, it's good that you're here! What happened back then can't be investigated, but I can't swallow this insult of those two widows who have been scheming against my son!"

"Let her go! You've vented your anger enough. There's no point in continuing to fight; it won't change anything. Come to my room to talk! Making things too tense isn't good for your children either. After all, they still have to live here. Some things should just be left in the past!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when He Daqing was called away by the old lady. Even Jia Zhangshi, who was always unreasonable, didn't dare to ask for an explanation. She scrambled to her feet, which amazed Uncle San. This old woman was really tough! He Daqing's punches and kicks were no joke! Plenty of flesh makes you strong!

"Daughter-in-law, you can't stay here any longer! Come with me to the countryside for a few days! Take the children with you!"

"It's too late, Mother-in-law!"

"You're such a whine, woman. Listen to me first. Do you think I deserved this beating? Let me tell you, He Daqing will not only beat me, but you won't fare any better. Yi Zhonghai is gone, but there's no one to protect you. If you don't leave, I'll take my grandsons and leave."

Qin Huairu watched her mother-in-law pack her things, and hurriedly picked up some things as well. A little while later, the two widows, with their three children, quietly left the courtyard under the cover of night.

Inside the old lady's house, an older woman stood beside him wiping away tears, but He Daqing remained unmoved. "What did you call me here to say?"

"It's true that Lao Yi was wrong back then, and I won't defend him. You've been back for a while now, and I'm sure the children have told you. I, the old lady, have never wronged them."

He Daqing raised his eyelids slightly. "If it weren't for this, do you think I would have come in with you? Old lady, just say what you have to say!"

The old lady sighed. "We've had some past connections, and I want to ask you something: is there any way to salvage Xiao Yi's situation?"

"Grandma, you're fine with saying anything else, but you'd better not bring it up regarding Yi Zhonghai. That old man is aiming to wipe out the He family line. Do you think there's any possibility of reconciliation between us?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's tears flowed even more freely, and she stood there sobbing uncontrollably. He Daqing frowned in annoyance. "Let her go rest. Let's talk business. Women shouldn't be standing around! They're too distracting!"

The old lady patted the middle-aged woman's hand. "Shufen, go and rest now! I'll write to you again tomorrow!"

The old woman wiped away her tears and nodded. She watched as He Daqing's lips moved, but He Daqing turned his head away. The old woman sighed, turned around, and left the house.

"You've just come out of the police station, ma'am. I just want to ask you some questions. What kind of sentence will the police likely give him?"

"A minimum of 1000 yuan, and a minimum term of 10 years! This is what the police captain told me personally! It's useless against anyone else!"

He Daqing's words struck the old lady like a bolt from the blue, nearly causing her to faint. "Ten years! Yi Zhonghai, are you out of your mind..."

The old woman was overcome with emotion, tears streaming down her face, and it took her a long time to calm down. "He Daqing, I'm not afraid to tell you, all these years I've treated your son like my own grandson, and I've taken good care of him in this courtyard. Do you acknowledge this kindness?"

He Daqing was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I admit it!"

"It's good that you admit it! I don't expect you to forgive Yi Zhonghai. He deserves to be punished for what he did. But I hope that, for the sake of our past relationship, you can plead for leniency during the sentencing and reduce his punishment! For you, whether he gets 10 years or 8 years, it won't make much difference!"

He Daqing suddenly slammed his hand on the table. "No way! This is not negotiable!"

"What if you add my house and property? I can draw up a contract right now, stipulating that all of these things will go to your son after I die!"

"this...."