Courtyard House: The Frog Boy Brings Back a Genetic Potion at the Start

Several days later, Sha Zhu was finally released from the detention center.

After days of ideological education and labor reform, he lost a lot of weight and had dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating that he hadn't rested well.

When Yi Zhonghai came to pick him up, he almost didn't recognize him.

"That place is no place for a human to live."

Sha Zhu followed Yi Zhonghai, cursing and swearing, and also cursing Hao Jianguo—if it weren't for Hao Jianguo, he wouldn't have gone in.

"Wait a minute... something's not right."

Sha Zhu suddenly sniffed, and a familiar stench wafted into his nostrils.

"Sir, why do you smell like a latrine? Did you go to the outhouse before you came?"

He has always been outspoken, and these words hit Yi Zhonghai where it hurt.

Yi Zhonghai's face darkened instantly, and he wondered: so many days have passed, why is that smell still lingering?

"It must have been Hao Jianguo who did this!"

He gritted his teeth and managed to squeeze out a non-sequitur.

Sha Zhu was taken aback and immediately realized that it must have been hot in the yard while he was away.

"Uncle, what happened? What happened in the yard while I was away?"

He pressed for details, especially after hearing that the matter involved an "enemy."

The connection with Hao Jianguo has energized me even more.

Yi Zhonghai didn't hide anything from him and recounted the whole story.

"I think it must have been Hao Jianguo who did it. He's the only one in the compound who doesn't get along with me."

The strange thing is that Hao Jianguo was fishing with Yan Bugui that night, and Yan Bugui can vouch for him.

Sha Zhu said indignantly, "If you ask me, it must be Yan Bugui currying favor with Hao Jianguo and conspiring to commit perjury!"

The two chatted all the way back to the courtyard house.

As soon as she entered, Qin Huairu approached Sha Zhu, feigning concern and asking about his well-being.

Sha Zhu never used his brain in front of her, but after being coaxed by her sweet words, he immediately became arrogant.

"It's Qin Wo again! Don't worry, I'm fine!"

Even though he looked haggard, a single greeting from Qin Huairu made him feel like he'd been injected with adrenaline.

Upon hearing his words, Qin Huairu immediately adopted a wronged expression.

"Sigh, you're alright now... but do you know, while you were gone these past few days, I... never mind, it's no use saying anything, it would only drag you down with me."

She hesitated, her eyes slightly red, looking pitiful.

Sha Zhu couldn't stand this and immediately started scratching his head in frustration.

Seeing Qin Huairu's red-rimmed eyes and her silent, aggrieved expression, Sha Zhu stamped his feet anxiously, "Sister, who upset you? Say something! Staying silent like this is just making me worry!"

He slapped his thigh suddenly, his voice rising: "Could it be that bastard Hao Jianguo?"

Qin Huairu remained silent, only lowering her head to wipe the corner of her eye; her hesitant expression was more effective than any words.

Sha Zhu flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table with a loud thud: "That bastard! Don't be afraid, sister, I'll teach him a lesson!"

Seeing her reaction, Qin Huairu was secretly pleased, but she frowned and worriedly tugged at Sha Zhu's sleeve: "I understand your feelings... but you've only been out for a few days. If you go and provoke him again, what if you cause trouble again? How can I be at ease?"

These words made Sha Zhu feel both bitter and soft-hearted. He quickly lowered his voice and said, "Sister, I won't confront him directly. I'll use some underhanded methods to make him suffer in silence!"

……

The next morning, Hao Jianguo walked briskly to the factory.

I talked with Yu Li for a while yesterday, and I felt really relaxed.

However, this joy was particularly jarring to some people.

In the workshop, Yi Zhonghai, Qin Huairu, and Hao Jianguo were all working together.

In the past, this place was always crowded with people seeking advice from Yi Zhonghai—an eighth-level fitter, who wouldn't want to get his guidance? But the situation has changed drastically in the last few days.

Yi Zhonghai always carried a lingering foul odor, and people avoided him as much as possible, not daring to get close.

As a result, things became lively around Hao Jianguo.

He was a straightforward person who was happy to help his fellow workers, so everyone naturally wanted to be close to him.

Yi Zhonghai looked at Hao Jianguo, who was surrounded in the middle, from afar, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

Qin Huairu quietly moved to his side and whispered, "Uncle, please don't worry."

That man's smugness won't last long.

Now, she's the only one in the entire workshop who doesn't mind the smell on Yi Zhonghai and is willing to get close and talk to him.

"How so?"

Yi Zhonghai listened intently.

Qin Huairu then explained Sha Zhu's plan in detail.

Upon hearing this, a hint of pleasure flashed across Yi Zhonghai's eyes: "Sha Zhu has quite a few crooked ideas for messing with people, and Xu Damao has suffered a lot at his hands."

If it really works out, then I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

……

After a while, Hao Jianguo got up to go to the restroom.

As soon as I entered, I caught a glimpse of a piece of clothing flashing furtively in the corner of the wall—who else could it be but Sha Zhu? His attempt to hide was truly clumsy.

Hao Jianguo pretended not to see him and slowly strolled to the front of the pit.

Sure enough, a shadow suddenly darted out from behind and shoved him in the back! Sha Zhu, harboring a fierce determination, was secretly overjoyed: Now you'll taste what it's like to fall into a cesspool!

But just as his hand reached out, Hao Jianguo suddenly swayed and nimbly dodged to the side.

Sha Zhu couldn't stop in time, and his whole body lurched forward with the momentum—

"Oh!"

A scream mingled with the muffled thud of a heavy object falling into the water, all at once.

Sha Zhu fell solidly into the deep pit, splashing excrement high into the air.

Hao Jianguo had already stepped back a few paces and was watching the people struggling in the pit with a leisurely air.

This is called reaping what you sow.

"Help! Help me! Pull me up! Please pull me up!"

Sha Zhu screamed incessantly.

These days, the latrines are dug extremely deep, filled with thick layers of filth. He couldn't touch the bottom with his feet, so he could only fumble around in the sticky sludge to barely avoid sinking.

Hearing the commotion, the workers outside rushed in to see what was happening, and soon the toilet entrance was crowded with people.

When the workers arrived, they were speechless with shock at the sight before them—He Yuzhu was struggling in the cesspool, looking utterly wretched.

"What are you waiting for! Pull me up... I don't have the strength..."

The person in the pool spoke in a trembling voice, clearly exhausted.

This shout caused more filth to splatter, some of which splashed into his mouth.

"vomit--"

Upon seeing this, the onlookers covered their mouths and felt nauseous.

The scene was truly appalling.

"He Yuzhu, you tried to push someone down, but you slipped and fell in instead. Who can you blame? If you want to get back up, figure it out yourself. We're not going to lend a hand."

Some of the workers who had just entered witnessed what had happened and raised their voices to defend Hao Jianguo.

Upon hearing this, his fellow workers, unaware of the situation, began to criticize him.

"It's retribution. You brought it on yourself. Climb up here yourself."

The stench was overwhelming, and no one would want to help—who would want to get covered in filth?

Hearing what the insider said, everyone was even more indignant.

Rescue?

Impossible.

He Yuzhu was almost in tears when his apprentice Ma Sheng arrived.

Seeing his master trapped in the cesspool, Ma Hua felt disgusted, but ultimately remembered their teacher-student relationship and remained loyal to He Yuzhu.

He gritted his teeth and, amidst the curious stares of onlookers, laboriously dragged He Yuzhu up.

Even so, many of his coworkers still pointed at He Yuzhu and whispered curses at him.

In their view, he deserved to fall—he had gone too far this time.

In these days devoid of fun, such news is a huge joke and should naturally be shared with others.

The news of He Yuzhu falling into the cesspool quickly spread throughout the entire factory.

At the other end of the workshop.

After listening to Qin Huairu's words, Yi Zhonghai was still looking forward to what good news He Yuzhu could bring.

Who would have thought that such absurd news would arrive?

"What?! I fell... fell into a cesspool?! What the hell is that bastard doing?!"

Yi Zhonghai's mind was in complete chaos.

This is no surprise, it's downright horrifying.

He rushed over and witnessed He Yuzhu being pulled up.

The sight was truly pitiful: the face and body were covered in filth, and the stench was overwhelming.

Looking at He Yuzhu's appearance, Yi Zhonghai suddenly recalled the experience of that night, and the shadow in his heart surged up.

After the factory leaders learned of this, they had someone call He Yuzhu, who had been washed clean, to their side.

A faint stench still lingered in the air, causing the leader to frown.

"He Yuzhu, we have already understood what happened."

Although you are the one who ultimately suffers, the cause is that you intended to harm others.

"You just got out of the police station and caused this kind of trouble again, which shows that you have a serious problem with your ideological awareness."

The factory has decided to take this matter seriously.

The leader's tone was crisp and decisive.

He Yuzhu's act of personal revenge made the factory wary of whether anyone else would follow suit.

Hearing about the subsequent disciplinary action from his superiors, He Yuzhu's face grew increasingly pale.

Falling into a cesspool might have earned some compensation, but now, because of his own misdeeds, he received no compensation whatsoever, instead faced severe criticism and even had his wages deducted.

What he found most unbearable was having to apologize to Hao Jianguo in person.

Seeing the smile on Hao Jianguo's face, He Yuzhu felt that it was mocking him.

This……

Why is it always him who's unlucky!

"Also, He Yuzhu, you don't need to go to the kitchen today."

"In your current state, who would want to eat your cooking? You're off today, but your wages will still be deducted."

Before leaving, the leader seemed to suddenly remember something and turned back to add this sentence.

He Yuzhu wanted to cry but had no tears.

Despite the strange looks and whispers from his coworkers, Sha Zhu slunk back to the courtyard house in a disheveled state.

As dusk deepened, inside the Jia family's house.

The bland and watery dishes on the table made Jia Zhangshi repeatedly grimace.

Thanks to Sha Zhu's help these days, her appetite has become quite picky.

"You can't even see a speck of oil, how can anyone put their chopsticks down?"

Jia Zhangshi's face fell, her tone filled with a matter-of-fact complaint, "Qin Huairu, why didn't Sha Zhu bring any food today? Didn't he go back to the factory to work? There should be leftovers."

She wouldn't let go of even the slightest advantage, treating other people's help as her own due share.

Sitting in his wheelchair, Jia Dongxu stared at the food, his face equally pale. "I'm weak and need some nourishing food."

Is that all you've got? Hurry up and go to Sha Zhu's place and get back what's rightfully yours.

The mother and son urged her on, one after the other, and Qin Huairu felt utterly exhausted looking at their greedy faces.

She sighed deeply, a profound sense of regret welling up inside her.

If it weren't for her three children, she would have almost wanted to escape this suffocating home immediately.

"We can't count on Sha Zhu for now."

She spoke wearily, briefly recounting what had happened at the factory during the day.

Hearing "cesspool"

At those two words, Jia Zhangshi wrinkled her face in disgust, but after hearing the whole story, she felt a surge of hatred that made her teeth itch. "It's Hao Jianguo again! That bastard's luck is amazing, how come he didn't fall in?"

Just as he was cursing, that familiar, domineering fragrance wafted over again.

"Braised pork...and fish? How come he doesn't eat himself to death?!"

Madam Jia's voice trembled with jealousy, but saliva involuntarily welled up inside her.

This fragrance tormented more than just the Jia family.

The entire courtyard was filled with unease.

Yan Bugui was pondering fishing tips when he was suddenly interrupted by this smell, and his stomach immediately rumbled.

Liu Haizhong stared blankly at the scrambled eggs on the table, feeling that what used to be a delicious snack was now as bland as wax.

Hao Jianguo didn't care at all about the neighbors' reactions.

Living his life well is his most practical pursuit.

Just as he picked up his bowl and chopsticks, a cheerful melody that only he could hear rang in his mind.

"Master, your little frog is back from its trip!"

"It brought back many gifts; please check them!"

Hao Jianguo skillfully opened the system interface, his heart filled with anticipation.

Having learned from his previous experience, he was even more curious about what new and exciting things he would gain this time.

"Congratulations, Master, you have obtained: a personal storage space, a bicycle ticket, a sewing ticket, a serving of fresh mutton, a box of face cream, and... a cultivation scroll from the world of 'Covering the Sky'."

When Hao Jianguo saw the last reward, his eyes suddenly lit up.

A fragment of a cultivation manual? Could it be that he too might have a chance to touch that mysterious world? He immediately shook his head, shaking off certain ominous thoughts.

Then, with a slight thought, he activated the newly acquired storage space.

The interior is much more spacious than I imagined, and what's even more amazing is that time seems to stand still there, and the things stored there never decay.

The various supplies that the little frog brought back were piling up at home, which was inconvenient. Now they can all be stored here, saving a lot of trouble.

He smiled slightly, reached out and grabbed—and a glistening, fragrant, steaming hot roasted lamb leg appeared out of thin air on the table.