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

"But...but I can't be with someone like that..."

Qin Huairu's lips trembled, and her voice grew weaker and weaker.

Yan Laoxi waved his hand repeatedly: "You just haven't read enough books."

The logic is clear: if you don't live with the Jia family, where will your household registration be? You can't just drift aimlessly, can you? If you don't marry, your household registration will be a dead end.

He took a half step forward and lowered his voice: "Besides, your reputation has already spread throughout the surrounding alleys."

Want to stay in Beijing? Difficult! If anyone asks, everyone knows your past. With current policies so strict, moving to another city to settle down is out of the question.

The color drained from Qin Huairu's face.

She had thought about these things, but she kept her head down like an ostrich all day long.

Now, exposed and bloodied in broad daylight, shame mixed with despair made her feel pain in her very being.

"I...I..."

She opened her mouth several times, but couldn't utter a single coherent sentence.

"Give me back what?!"

Yan Laoxi lost his patience. "Right now, the only one willing to take you is probably that one-eyed old man Jin on East Street."

I've given you an idea; it's up to you whether you choose it or not.

However, your time in the hospital is running out. If a decision isn't made before sunset tomorrow, you'll have to pack your bags and leave.

After saying that, he grabbed his son Yan Jiecheng and turned to leave.

As he was leaving the hospital, Yan Laoxi glanced back at Hao Jianguo, a fawning smile plastered on his face.

He thought his little scheme was brilliant—that Comrade Hao would be pleased to play tricks on Qin Huairu like this.

This favor should always be attributed to Yan Laoxi.

Hao Jianguo took everything in, smiled faintly, and said nothing.

He secretly gave this old man a thumbs up: ruthless and vicious.

However, he only watched the performance and did not participate; whether Qin Huairu lived or died was no longer his concern.

The whispers of onlookers in the corner drifted over:

"Third Uncle is really ruthless; he's practically driving Qin Huairu to the brink of despair."

"Having made things so clear, does she still have a way out?"

"Let's go back to the countryside!"

"Dream on! Have you forgotten what happened with Qin Jingru? Her hometown's reputation is ruined long ago; there's no way she could go back."

"That's why she's been refusing to leave..."

A murmur of conversation began to rise from all around.

People whispered among themselves, their gazes occasionally drifting to the corner where Qin Huairu stood. The words weren't deliberately lowered; every single one clearly reached her ears.

Xu Damao crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips. "Look at this," he said.

He shouted loudly, "Back then, someone was arrogant and looked down on everything, but look what happened? He's ended up like this today—he has to live with old man Jin."

Tell me, what's going on here?

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Jiecheng chimed in, "What else could it be? He brought it on himself."

Most of the people in this courtyard were just there to join in the fun.

As for whether Qin Huairu will suffer or enjoy life in the future, no one really cares.

Liu Haizhong glanced at Yan Bugui not far away, and was secretly surprised.

Old Yan is usually quiet and unassuming, but he never expected him to make such a cunning move. Even he was a little surprised.

It seems I need to be more careful in the future, lest I unknowingly fall into a trap.

He had long noticed the obsequious look on Yan Bugui's face when he looked at Hao Jianguo.

Thinking about it this way, his mind suddenly became clear—Yan Bugui wasn't the only one who wanted to curry favor with Hao Jianguo; Liu Haizhong certainly did too.

His eyes darted around a couple of times, and Liu Haizhong put his hands behind his back and swaggered over to Qin Huairu.

Her face was already ashen, and her lips were pressed tightly together.

"Qin Huairu,"

Liu Haizhong adopted a serious posture and drew out his words, "Old Jin may look a bit shabby, but Old Yan was right about one thing: right now, this is probably the only path you can take."

"You should carefully consider your own situation."

If you're willing, I'll go talk to Old Man Jin and persuade him to agree.

Don't think this is easy—given your current reputation, they might not be willing to take on this project. I'll have to go to great lengths to mediate for you.

He shook his head as he spoke, looking extremely troubled.

Some people nearby couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Hao Jianguo watched quietly from the side, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: There really isn't a single person in this courtyard who can be easy to deal with.

"Of course, you can refuse."

Liu Haizhong changed the subject, his tone turning colder, "That's even simpler. Tomorrow morning, you can pack up and go back to the countryside."

These words pierced Qin Huairu's heart like needles.

There are two paths laid out there, but they only lead to one ending.

She understood it all, but the more she understood, the more suffocated she felt.

Marry? She was a thousand times unwilling.

But if she goes back to her hometown... she already has a bad reputation there. If she really goes back, she'll probably be talked about behind her back every day.

She raised her head, her gaze sadly fixed on Xu Damao and the others, a last glimmer of hope still lingering in her eyes—perhaps someone would suddenly take pity on her and lend a helping hand?

However, those people all turned their faces away, and no one met her gaze.

Qin Huairu finally gave up.

She gritted her teeth and forced out a sound from her throat: "...I'll marry him."

Regret washed over her like a tidal wave, almost overwhelming her.

If only I had known this would happen, why did I break off the engagement? Now Hao Jianguo is living a successful life, while I am despised by everyone. This contrast is enough to drive anyone crazy.

Even more tragically, when she was begging Xu Damao to take her in, she secretly harbored some disdain, feeling that he was not good enough for her.

But reality is what it is, and even someone like Old Man Jin has become someone she has no choice but to accept.

How could she accept such a sudden change in circumstances?

Unfortunately, the world is cold and indifferent, and even though she had a thousand reasons not to, she could only grit her teeth and silently agree.

Everyone in the courtyard understood that Qin Huairu would eventually agree, but when they actually saw her give her consent, a sense of contempt still rose in their hearts.

"Alright, I'll go ask Old Man Jin what he thinks."

As Liu Haizhong spoke, he lifted his foot and walked towards the backyard.

Upon meeting Old Man Jin, he recounted the entire story.

"Old Jin, what do you think? You've seen Qin Huairu's appearance before; she's quite pretty."

Although there are many rumors circulating about her in the hospital, those gossips should be taken with a grain of salt; who really has any evidence?

"I'll be frank with some things, don't take offense—given your current circumstances, it's already a miracle that you've managed to find a wife."

"Once this opportunity is gone, it may be difficult to find another one. You should think it through carefully."

Old Man Jin was still in a daze.

He had long since given up on the idea of ​​getting married, and he knew his own situation all too well.

Who would have thought that something like this would happen at my age?

Although he wasn't familiar with Qin Huairu, he knew about this woman.

Compared to ordinary women, Qin Huairu was indeed quite beautiful.

Old Man Jin had heard the rumors about her, but he didn't care.

Having lived to this age, having a companion is a great blessing; who cares about her past?

Old Man Jin nodded hastily: "I agree. We won't talk about the past. Just live a peaceful life with me from now on."

"So...can I go see her now?"

Seeing how lustful he was at his age, Liu Haizhong looked down on him from the bottom of his heart.

Especially since they haven't even registered their marriage yet, he keeps calling her "wife," which is really shameless.

But on second thought, Qin Huairu wasn't someone who cared much about appearances, so the two of them actually made a good match.

Liu Haizhong did not refuse, but simply instructed, "Okay, come with me."

But be careful, don't scare them.

Of course, he knew that Qin Huairu had nowhere to go now and it was impossible to scare her away, but he still had to get to the point first.

Old Man Jin readily agreed.

Now, he's willing to agree to any condition as long as he can get married.

A short while later, Liu Haizhong brought Old Man Jin back to the central courtyard.

Upon seeing Old Man Jin's thin, dark-skinned, hunched-over appearance, many people around turned away.

Several women standing on the side shook their heads secretly—if it were them, they would rather go back to their hometown and be criticized than spend their lives with such a person.

"You must be Qin Huairu? Oh my, my wife, she's so beautiful and lovely!"

No one expected that Old Man Jin would be so direct.

He started shouting as soon as they met, and even Liu Haizhong was stunned by his shouting, and all the instructions he had given earlier went in one ear and out the other.

What made Liu Haizhong frown even more was that if he hadn't reached out to stop him, Old Man Jin's hands would probably have already reached out.

Looking at the person in front of him grinning, with gleaming eyes and even drool dripping from the corner of his mouth, Liu Haizhong felt nauseous.

For a fleeting moment, a thought popped into Liu Hai's mind—he should just kick this old bastard surnamed Jin out the door too.

Qin Huairu was startled by the old man's appearance.

Looking at his expression, she felt a wave of nausea and disgust wash over her.

In the past, if such a filthy old hag dared to give her that look, she would have already grabbed a rolling pin and beaten him up.

But she had no other choice but to grit her teeth and endure it.

Old Man Jin's eyes were squinting with a sticky smile, which made Qin Huairu's heart burn with anger, and a surge of resentment rushed to her head.

She hated Hao Jianguo for stabbing her in the back, hated Jia Dongxu for showing no lingering affection, and hated Sha Zhu, that heartless bastard, for being so ungrateful.

She hated everyone, but she never considered that—after things had come to this point, was she truly innocent and without any fault whatsoever?

"Hey, Uncle, what are you being so arrogant about? This is my wife, can't I even touch her? Hehe, let alone touch her a couple of times now, even tonight... Okay, okay, I won't say anymore! Honey, let's go, let's get our marriage certificate right now! Didn't you want to stay in this courtyard?"

"Don't worry, once the certificate is issued, who would dare to kick you out? I'd like to see who has the guts to say 'no'!"

Old Jin grinned so wide his eyes disappeared, and he flung Liu Haizhong's hand away, heading towards Qin Huairu.

At this moment, in Qin Huairu's eyes, the old man looked like a wrinkled mangy dog, and his impatient manner made her feel a chill down her spine.

She wanted to hide, but then she thought again that hiding would anger Old Man Jin, and he might refuse to marry her.

For the sake of household registration, so that I can stay.

Just bear with it!

In the end, she could only force herself to suppress the nausea in her throat and let that rough, chapped hand grip her.

The moment their skin touched, Qin Huairu shuddered violently, and the hairs on her body stood on end.

"Haha, so young, so incredibly young... Let's go register right now!"

Old Jin smacked his lips and pulled her outside, Qin Huairu was practically dragged along.

A group of people in the courtyard watched the two figures disappear into the distance, their brows furrowed, exchanging bewildered glances, and remained silent for a long while.

"I thought Qin Huairu would run away, but I didn't expect she would put up with even an old man like this just to stay."

Xu Damao smacked his lips, his eyes flashing with undisguised contempt.

Yan Jiecheng rubbed his nose and chuckled, "Old Jin is lucky. In his old age, he can still find someone so fresh and tender."

"Heh, let's hope he's tough enough to kick the bucket on his wedding night."

Liu Guangfu, being a bit cheeky, chimed in.

Liu Haizhong glared at him fiercely, but didn't reply.

The others also shook their heads.

In their eyes, Qin Huairu's behavior was really too low-class.

In the past, who would have believed that she would agree to live with Old Man Jin?

The elderly women working at the street-level marriage registration office were equally incredulous.

Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they stared blankly at the "newlyweds" who had come to complete the paperwork.

-

The main problem was that Old Man Jin's appearance was too "outstanding," while Qin Huairu's appearance was fairly decent. The two of them standing side by side looked jarringly out of place.

"You...you two are really sure you want to register your marriage?"

The woman in charge of registration held back for a long time, but finally couldn't help asking the question.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Jin was so happy that his face wrinkled up.

The more surprised others were, the more proud he felt—to be able to marry such a beautiful wife at his age, didn't that just prove he was capable?

"Of course! Today is my big day, Lao Jin! How about it, aren't I awesome?"

Old Jin patted his chest triumphantly, his voice so loud that it could be heard throughout the entire office.

Old Jin's appearance was truly repulsive. The old woman turned her head away in disgust, her gaze falling directly on Qin Huairu's face.

"Qin Huairu, are you really going to marry this man? Nobody's forcing you, is he?"

Her tone was concerned, "If you've been coerced, just say so, and we'll back you up."