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

Only then did the people around dare to step forward and hurriedly take the deaf old lady and others to the hospital.

The old lady's leg bone was broken by Sha Zhu. If she hadn't received timely treatment, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

The mess in this courtyard is truly an eyesore.

When the frantic activity came to a halt, it was already nearly dusk.

Several elderly people, who finally had some free time, gathered in the courtyard. Reflecting on the day, they felt as if it were all a dream.

"Sha Zhu has truly gone mad, to treat the old lady so cruelly. Who would have dared to do that in the past!"

Aunt San shook her head repeatedly, her voice trembling.

Aunt Er sighed and said, "Who says it isn't true?"

Although the old lady was indifferent to us in the past, she treated Shazhu with the utmost kindness, as if he were her own grandson.

Who would have thought that instead of receiving a loving care in his old age and a proper farewell, he would kick her and break her leg.

"He even dared to lay a hand on his own father, let alone an old lady with whom he has no blood relation? Look at Yi Zhonghai, wasn't he beaten into submission by him? In the past, when Sha Zhu was short of money, Yi Zhonghai always lent him money. He can forget that favor just like that."

Everyone chimed in with their own comments, sighing with emotion.

When talking about Sha Zhu, one cannot avoid mentioning Jia Zhangshi.

In everyone's eyes, Jia Zhangshi was a bewitching old witch who could make Sha Zhu so infatuated.

This absurd farce, along with the fact that Sha Zhu was fighting in the yard, quickly reached the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill.

Especially with Xu Damao's exaggerated words, the story spread like wildfire, and everyone knew about it.

During breaks, everyone was talking about the entanglement between Sha Zhu and Jia Zhangshi.

The men who had previously tried to trip up Sha Zhu were now sweating profusely—they never expected Sha Zhu to be so ruthless when he took action.

If they had known this would happen, they wouldn't have dared to provoke them in the first place. If Sha Zhu had lashed out at them back then, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Thinking about this, the group felt uneasy, fearing that the madman might retaliate.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the kitchen was so shocked that they were speechless.

They had spent the most time with Sha Zhu and believed they understood him best.

"Impossible... How could my master do such a thing?"

Ma Hua stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief.

In his memory, his master clearly preferred young women.

When did they change their tastes?

Liu Lan swallowed hard and lowered her voice, saying, "I think Sha Zhu must have suffered something to suddenly change his personality."

Think about it, during the time he was transferred away from the kitchen, didn't he seem a bit eerie?

Ma Hua paused for a moment, then nodded.

Several middle-aged women picking vegetables nearby curled their lips, clearly disagreeing with Liu Lan's guess.

Hey, saying you were wronged, I think you're just making excuses.

That's right. In my opinion, Sha Zhu is rotten to the core.

I had already figured it out. Before, he always looked at us older women with strange eyes. Now I finally understand. It turns out that this wicked boy has been harboring filthy thoughts all along.

Several middle-aged women huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, and many of them wore expressions of relief.

They felt fortunate that Sha Zhu had been transferred away from the kitchen; otherwise, who knows when his wicked intentions might have fallen on them.

If that were the case, where would I put my face?

Standing to the side, Liu Lan and Ma Hua listened to these gossips, exchanged glances, and both saw a hint of helplessness on each other's faces.

They opened their mouths, but ultimately said nothing.

Only one thought remained in my mind: These aunties are thinking way too much.

Meanwhile, in the first workshop where Sha Zhu used to work, the topic of conversation inevitably revolved around this matter.

Master Yi Zhonghai injured his hand and took leave, leaving the workshop short of experienced eye-observation masters, so Liu Haizhong was temporarily assigned to take care of him.

But when he arrived at the workshop, instead of doing anything important, he was busy stirring up trouble among his coworkers.

"If you ask me, a black sheep like Sha Zhu shouldn't have stayed in our workshop in the first place."

Liu Haizhong put on a worried look and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone around to hear, "Think about it, we do have female colleagues here. What if that scoundrel Sha Zhu gets angry one day and can't control himself? Wouldn't our female coworkers suffer?"

His words were like a drop of water splashed into a hot oil pan, instantly adding to the already noisy atmosphere in the workshop.

Many people are prone to believing rumors, and Liu Haizhong's serious explanation amplified their unease.

Several middle-aged female workers, especially those who considered themselves to be of decent appearance, were so angry that they cursed aloud. Recalling the past, they realized that Sha Zhu's gaze towards them was indeed not clean.

"That's right! This kind of person must be fired, otherwise we won't be able to work in the workshop with peace of mind."

"Why don't we write a joint letter together and report this to the factory?"

For a moment, the crowd seemed somewhat agitated, and no one was willing to take this potential risk.

At this moment, in everyone's mind, Sha Zhu's image was almost no different from that of the villain lurking in the shadows.

At this moment, Hao Jianguo is sitting in his small office.

He could vaguely hear the noise outside, and couldn't help but shake his head, a faint bitter smile appearing on his lips.

In his opinion, these middle-aged women had an excessively rich imagination.

If it weren't for that "matchmaking charm"

How could Sha Zhu possibly have gotten involved in such an absurd affair with Jia Zhangshi?

Of course, Hao Jianguo would never reveal the reason behind this.

The fact that Sha Zhu and his gang ended up in this predicament is ultimately their own fault.

If they hadn't always been so smug and boastful in front of him, he probably wouldn't have resorted to that special method.

Now, he just wants to live his life peacefully.

These days, Hao Jianguo's life can be described as smooth sailing.

Workshop Director Niu was on sick leave, and after discussion, the factory leaders decided to have Hao Jianguo take over as acting director ahead of schedule.

Although the official appointment document has not yet been issued, everyone in the workshop knows that Hao Jianguo's promotion to director is a foregone conclusion.

Therefore, nowadays, whether in the workshop corridor or next to the machines, whenever people meet Hao Jianguo, they will rush to call out "Director Hao" and offer a few words of congratulations with a big smile, trying their best to express their closeness.

Everyone had their own opinion: Hao Jianguo was so young to become a director, a first for the factory, and his future prospects were undoubtedly limitless.

If you can establish a connection with him before he becomes fully successful, you might be able to benefit from his influence and receive some support in the future.

With this in mind, the flattering words became even more sincere and enthusiastic.

Not only in the factory, but even when he returned to that courtyard house, Hao Jianguo could feel obvious changes.

Many neighbors were more polite to each other than before, and their words conveyed a sense of closeness.

His significantly improved life was noticed by everyone in the courtyard, and while they envied him, some couldn't help but also harbor some thoughts of climbing the social ladder.

"Sigh, look at how well the country is doing after the founding of the nation. It's so enviable."

The three women sat on their doorstep, gazing at Hao Jianguo's increasingly tidy house, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Hao Jianguo was the first person in the compound to buy a car, and he was also the second and third to buy one.

Not only that, he can eat meat every day.

Who wouldn't be envious of this lifestyle?

"That's right, getting promoted so quickly in the factory is simply amazing."

However, Hao Jianguo is indeed capable; he easily solved problems that even Yi Zhonghai couldn't handle.

"It's only natural that they get promoted so quickly."

Aunt Er chimed in, but a wave of regret washed over her—why hadn't she realized earlier that Hao Jianguo was so promising? If she had gotten closer to him sooner, she wouldn't be stuck watching him like this now.

Aunt San's eyes darted around.

Having spent most of her life with Yan Bugui, she had learned a thing or two about his shrewdness and calculating nature.

"It's not too late to get along with him now."

At least Hao Jianguo still nods and says a word when he sees us now.

As she spoke, she gestured towards Hao Jianguo's country with her lip.

"Our opportunity lies with his wife, Yu Li."

Yu Li is pregnant with twins and will give birth in the second half of the year.

Hao Jianguo is a man; how could he possibly manage everything? If we can help him out, he'll definitely remember our kindness.

Upon hearing this, Aunt Er's eyes lit up immediately.

"That makes sense! You've thought of everything!"

She slapped her thigh and nodded repeatedly.

The two were discussing the details in hushed tones when a sudden wail came from outside.

Looking up, I saw Jia Zhangshi walking by again, wiping away her tears.

The two middle-aged women frowned in unison.

"That's strange. Sha Zhu and Jia Zhangshi never really had any contact before, so how come they're suddenly so close?"

Aunt San curled her lips, feeling disgusted by Jia Zhangshi's tearful appearance.

Aunt Er could only shake her head.

Now, this Jia Zhangshi has become the biggest trouble in the courtyard.

She hasn't stopped crying ever since Sha Zhu was taken away by the police.

Especially at night, the wailing sounded like ghosts howling and wolves howling, disturbing the peace of the entire courtyard.

Some people tried to persuade her to calm down, but Jia Zhangshi wouldn't listen and continued to cry.

Sometimes, when they get annoyed by being advised, they simply start yelling and cursing all night long, leaving everyone exhausted and unable to concentrate at work the next day.

It must be said that when it comes to causing trouble for people, Jia Zhangshi is truly skilled.

It's one thing to just cry, but these past few days she's been going to the detention center every day to bring food to Sha Zhu.

Every time she saw Sha Zhu, she would beat her chest and cry out, repeatedly saying that the police had wronged an innocent person.

When the police forbade her to visit again, she sat down at the entrance of the police station and burst into tears.

If someone who doesn't know the situation sees her like this, they might point and whisper about the police station, and really think that some kind of wrongful conviction has occurred.

The police did consider detaining her as well, but she was crying and making a scene at the door and hadn't broken any laws. Forcibly arresting her would only give them grounds for criticism.

More importantly—if we really lock her up, wouldn't she be able to stay with Sha Zhu? We've already had enough of a headache these past few days, who would dare invite such a powerful figure into the house?

With no other option, the police allowed her to visit again, with only one request: "Don't cry."

But how could Jia Zhangshi bear it? As the days went by, everyone at the police station looked worried and distressed.

The police had no choice but to consult with the elderly men in charge of the courtyard, such as Liu Haizhong, asking them to stop Jia Zhangshi from going to the police station again.

"If this continues, our office won't be able to operate anymore."

Before leaving, a young policeman angrily uttered these words, which made Yi Zhonghai and the others feel somewhat embarrassed.

But when it comes to dealing with Jia Zhangshi, no one dares to act rashly.

No one in the courtyard could handle her tantrums and suicidal threats.

Yi Zhonghai and his colleagues were also feeling troubled.

The one who is currently facing the biggest headache is probably Qin Huairu.

She is now in an awkward situation, with almost no one caring about her – He Daqing was badly beaten by Sha Zhu a while ago, and He Yushui has to take care of her father, since the incident was also caused by her; Uncle Yi has to take care of the deaf old lady who has difficulty walking, and she can't be without someone by her side after being discharged from the hospital.

Qin Huairu had originally been staying at He Yushui's house, but now that He Yushui had left, she felt embarrassed to stay any longer and had to move to Aunt Yi's place to squeeze in, since Uncle Yi hadn't been home these days anyway.

On the surface, Aunt Yi didn't say anything, but she was already getting impatient inside.

Having an extra mouth to feed and having to share a room with it is a real blow. If it weren't for Auntie Yi's relatively mild temper, anyone else would have lost their temper long ago.

Qin Huairu was incredibly astute; how could she not see the annoyance in the old woman's eyes?

But she was shameless and pretended not to notice, stubbornly refusing to leave.

What she fears most now is being kicked out of the compound one day.

This concern is not unfounded.

These days, many people in the courtyard are giving her sidelong glances—after all, many of the upsetting things are somehow related to her.

Even Aunt Er couldn't resist whispering in her ear while pulling at her bangs at night, giving her a whispered message in her pillow.

"Old Liu, Qin Huairu can no longer stay in our compound."

"What kind of situation is this, with no official title or status?"

"She has no house or allowance in the compound, and she eats and lives there for free. If this continues, outsiders will laugh at our compound for having no rules."

"Auntie Er said with a frown."

There was naturally some personal motive behind those words.

Ultimately, Hao Jianguo and Qin Huairu had never gotten along. Seeing her coming and going all the time, even Aunt Er found it an eyesore.

If they could get rid of the people, Hao Jianguo might even remember their kindness.

Liu Haizhong understood the meaning, and his eyes lit up.

"She can't go back to the Jia family now, and for the time being she can only squeeze in with Aunt Yi."