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

Logically speaking, the old woman meant well—judging from Old Man Jin's appearance, anyone would suspect that the girl had been wronged.

In truth, Qin Huairu could be considered to have been "forced" into it.

Yes, but the person forcing her wasn't the one in front of her.

Old Man Jin immediately flew into a rage: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I, Old Man Jin, returned her to her? Couldn't she have come to me willingly?"

The older woman glanced at him sideways, her eyes clearly saying: Don't you know what you look like?

"Wife, tell her,"

Old Man Jin hurriedly tugged at Qin Huairu's sleeve, "Is this something you wanted to do?"

Qin Huairu suppressed the churning in her stomach and forced a slight smile: "Auntie, it's my choice. Please help us with the paperwork."

These words startled the older woman. She looked the disparate couple up and down, unable to understand the reason behind it.

But since the parties involved had said so, she couldn't interfere any further, so she shook her head and registered the two of them.

As soon as they left, the office erupted in chatter.

"I just found out that Qin Huairu just divorced Jia Dongxu, and then she married this old man... It's really surreal."

"Wasn't Jia Dongxu paralyzed? It's not surprising he got divorced, but why did he end up with this guy?"

"Speaking of their courtyard... wasn't that old couple with a younger husband also from that courtyard?"

"Yes, yes, Sha Zhu and Jia Zhangshi! Qin Huairu was originally Jia Zhangshi's daughter-in-law."

"This courtyard is really chaotic..."

Meanwhile, Old Man Jin had already led Qin Huairu back to the courtyard.

Xu Damao and the others immediately surrounded him, all saying "Congratulations" in unison.

Qin Huairu understood the sarcasm in these words, but Old Man Jin happily took it all as a sign of goodwill.

Yan Jiecheng winked and teased, "Old Jin, you're quite something! At your age, you've managed to find such a beautiful wife!"

To everyone's surprise, Old Man Jin took it seriously, staring at him nervously: "Yan Jiecheng, don't you dare get any funny ideas! This is my wife!"

Yan Jiecheng was so choked up that his eyes rolled back.

He felt a sense of helplessness. If he really had even the slightest thought for Qin Huairu, Old Man Jin wouldn't be able to gloat here.

"Don't worry, we wouldn't dare to covet your precious daughter-in-law."

Yan Jiecheng quickly responded.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Jin seemed to have received some kind of praise, and he grinned happily.

Little did he know that, in the eyes of others, his appearance made him look like a fool who was being played without even realizing it.

"Old Jin, your wife is so young, and you're already so old. Can you still keep up?"

Xu Damao's eyes darted around, and he blurted out another malicious remark.

The men around him understood the implied meaning in his words and chuckled ambiguously.

Whether Old Man Jin was genuinely confused or pretending, he wasn't annoyed after hearing the story. Instead, he winked at Xu Damao, as if they understood each other perfectly.

"Hey, Xu Damao, you don't understand. We have an ancestral recipe, what are we afraid of?"

He said this with his head held high, his expression full of pride.

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted all around.

That "secret recipe"

Whether it was true or just made up, Qin Huairu had no way of knowing, but upon hearing Old Man Jin's words, she felt dizzy and her chest tighten.

The thought of having to share a room with this old man at night made her feel as if she were covered in filth.

At this moment, Qin Huairu felt a lump in her throat and almost burst into tears.

For a moment, she really wanted to turn around and leave, even if it meant going back to her hometown.

Ultimately, however, she couldn't muster that courage.

"It's all Sha Zhu's fault... It's all his fault!"

Qin Huairu bit her lip, her heart churning with hatred, wishing she could make that fool disappear completely.

***

After several days of turmoil in the detention center, that inexplicable obsession finally dissipated.

Sha Zhu squatted in the corner and suddenly shivered. His previously chaotic thoughts about Jia Zhangshi suddenly cleared up.

"ah--"

Recalling his absurd words and actions of the past few days, he couldn't help but let out a low growl.

The commotion alerted the police officers on duty, who quickly approached, fearing he might cause trouble again.

But when they got closer, they saw Sha Zhu curled up on the ground, retching incessantly, his face deathly pale.

Before anyone could ask, he suddenly collapsed to the ground and began to wail loudly.

Thinking of his previous actions, especially his intimate entanglement with that old woman Jia Zhangshi, his stomach churned, and he felt so nauseous that his internal organs were twisted together.

"What on earth have I done... How could I possibly marry Jia Zhangshi? I'm insane, I must be insane!"

He cried and screamed as he slapped himself several times.

The burning pain on his face was a clear reminder that those things were real, not a dream.

"I must have lost my mind. I actually said those awful things to Qin Huairu and even hit the old lady... I'm not human, I'm not human..."

The police officers nearby exchanged glances, all somewhat surprised.

Unexpectedly, the person suddenly realized his mistake, saving a lot of effort in persuading him.

Actually, Sha Zhu's problem isn't difficult to solve.

He Daqing and He Yushui are, after all, his family. If the family matter has escalated to this point, as long as they are willing to forgive and let Shazhu give a serious self-reflection, it will all be over.

As for the old lady and Yi Zhonghai, they probably still think that Sha Zhu was just confused for a moment and that they still expect him to support them in their old age. They came to the bureau a long time ago to express their willingness to reconcile.

The police officers were also hoping he would leave soon, as he had been causing them a real headache these past few days.

Just then, He Daqing and He Yushui walked in from outside, having come to visit Shazhu.

At first, He Daqing was filled with anger, but after calming down, he still cared about Shazhu—after all, he was his son, and the argument had indeed started with him.

After Sha Zhu had been detained in the detention center for several days, He Daqing finally decided to go and see him.

When they met, He Daqing originally wanted to scold him a few times to vent his anger, but to his surprise, Sha Zhu knelt down on the ground as soon as he saw him.

"Father, I know I was wrong. I've been acting like I'm possessed these past few days, doing all sorts of foolish things... I shouldn't have hit you, I really didn't mean it, but I just couldn't control myself back then! Even marrying that wicked woman, I can't explain what happened..."

After saying that, Sha Zhu burst into tears, his face full of regret.

Hearing these words, He Daqing and He Yushui were first stunned, then relieved—they understood that the old Sha Zhu had finally returned.

"It's good that you're awake. Just don't make any more foolish mistakes in the future."

He Daqing's tone was much more comforting.

In his view, as long as his son was of sound mind, the beating he had received earlier was nothing.

He Yushui also smiled, as if the grievances of being pushed and beaten by her brother earlier had vanished.

"Brother, it's good that you're awake! If Uncle Yi and the others knew about this, they would definitely be happy for you."

I'm certain that old hag used some insidious trick to bewitch you.

As soon as He Yushui finished speaking, Sha Zhu's face immediately darkened.

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that Jia Zhangshi was behind all of this; otherwise, there was no way to explain those absurd actions.

I especially remember the first time I saw Jia Zhangshi, I felt an overwhelming urge to marry her—now I realize that was definitely not my true intention.

"That wicked woman! She used such a despicable method to harm me! I will never forgive her!"

Sha Zhu was so angry that he almost wanted to rush back to the courtyard to settle accounts with Jia Zhangshi.

He Daqing, however, was calmer: "The most important thing right now is to quickly sever ties with that Jia Zhangshi."

"If I really spend my life with her, the He family line will probably end."

These days, He Daqing has lost his appetite and can't sleep at night, fearing that the bloodline passed down from his ancestors will be lost before his eyes.

Now that Sha Zhu has regained his senses, his heart finally settled down, and even the places on his body that were sore from his son's beating felt much lighter.

He even planned to go to the ancestral graves to offer a proper sacrifice after returning to his hometown, asking his ancestors to continue to bless his son.

"Yes, I have to get a divorce! This wicked woman has ruined my life..."

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth and cursed.

Thinking that his first marriage had fallen into the hands of Jia Zhangshi, Shazhu felt a surge of anger.

What should have been the most precious memory of a lifetime has now become an inescapable nightmare.

After this ordeal, he felt his self-worth had plummeted—he not only wanted a divorce, but he practically wanted to tear that old hag to pieces.

"She must have given me soup to make me look like that."

Sha Zhu squeezed out these words through gritted teeth. Thinking of the advantage that Jia Zhangshi had taken from him, his stomach churned again, and he almost vomited.

There is no doubt that the pillar is not dull-witted.

While in detention, he knew perfectly well what he could and could not say.

If one speaks carelessly, one may only get into bigger trouble.

Both Yu Shui and Da Qing breathed a sigh of relief, their faces showing expressions of satisfaction.

The two nodded in unison.

"Brother, you did the right thing."

That marriage should have ended long ago.

I'm on your side.

Yu Shui gripped Zhu Zi's hand tightly, her voice filled with excitement—this was the brother she had known since childhood.

"Brother, it's good that you've come to your senses."

Once we get back to the courtyard, I'll help you deal with that old woman from the Jia family.

She actually dared to use underhanded methods to harm you; she's utterly vicious!

As Yu Shui spoke, she grew angrier and angrier. All the grievances and resentment she had felt from being beaten earlier were now directed at Jia Zhangshi.

If it weren't for that old hag's wicked schemes, why would my brother treat me like that?

Da Qing frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Zhu Zi, Yu Shui told me about everything that happened in your courtyard."

In my opinion, Jia Zhangshi did this most likely to get revenge on you.

"revenge?"

Zhu Zi was taken aback at first, but after his father's reminder, he suddenly understood.

"That's right! That must be it! Huai Ru left Jia Dong for my sake, and that old vicious woman is holding a grudge, so she used this insidious method to control me."

Following his father's train of thought, Zhu Zi found his father's words increasingly plausible. "She wants me to be ostracized by everyone, to cut off all ties with those close to me... What a ruthless scheme!"

After this process of sorting things out, Zhu Zi felt as if the fog before his eyes had cleared and everything had become clear.

Afterwards, Daqing and Yushui expressed their willingness to forgive the police officers.

After Zhu Zi received some further reprimands, the police, as if sending away a plague god, hurriedly let him go.

Keeping people like this in detention is actually annoying.

Stepping out the door, the fresh air outside fills your mouth and nose.

Zhu Zi let out a long breath of stale air, and for a moment he felt a sense of rebirth.

"Huh? Where's Huairu?"

He suddenly remembered something and turned to Yushui, asking, "Yushui, why didn't Huairu come today?"

Logically, Qin Huairu should have come to visit with them.

Although Zhu Zi knew that his previous words had hurt her deeply, recalling her reaction at the time, it was clear that she still had feelings for him.

She should try to wake herself up if there is even the slightest possibility.

Upon hearing this, Yu Shui immediately rolled her eyes at her brother, annoyed: "Brother, how dare you mention Sister Qin? Don't you realize how hurtful your previous words were! Why should Sister Qin come to see you?"

Zhu Zi panicked and scratched the back of his head: "Hey, I... I was tricked by Granny Jia! If I go back and apologize to her now, do you think she'll forgive me? Once I divorce that old hag, I'll marry her."

As he spoke, he began to chuckle to himself, as if the good thing had already come to pass.

Rain's face darkened.

"Brother, stop dreaming."

Her voice lowered, and she stammered, "After you were locked up here, the people in the compound discussed kicking Sister Qin out... She was divorced and had no household registration, so she couldn't stay."

But Sister Qin couldn't bear to part with her child and insisted on keeping the baby...

"Then, what happened next? Did she stay?"

Zhu Zi's heart tightened, and he stared intently at his sister, afraid of hearing the answer he didn't want to hear.

"...I stayed."

Rain hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Second Uncle and Third Uncle came up with an idea to marry her off to Old Man Jin."

In this way, she would have a registered residence and could continue to stay in the compound.

These words struck Zhu Zi like a thunderbolt.

He stood frozen in place, his face filled with disbelief.

"Wait! You mean that one-eyed, wrinkled old man with the golden head? Huai Ru wants to marry him? I will never agree to that!"