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

"Hao Jianguo!"

Sha Zhu immediately roared in a rough voice.

What infuriated him even more was that Hao Jianguo remained seated as still as a mountain, not even lifting an eyelid.

"Hao Jianguo, I'm calling you! Are your ears stuffed with donkey hair?"

Sha Zhu shouted, barely containing his anger, his eyes practically spitting fire.

Hao Jianguo slowly turned his gaze, his eyes looking as if he had seen some rare, stupid creature. "Are you out of your mind? Who do you think you are? Do you think I have to respond just because you call me? Don't you know your own worth?"

He spoke without any mercy, showing no intention of saving face whatsoever.

What a joke! This idiot Zhu came looking for trouble on his own; are we supposed to give him a friendly face?

Sha Zhu was so angry that the veins on his forehead throbbed. Just as he was about to explode, Yi Zhonghai tugged at his arm.

Yi Zhonghai gave him a wink, signaling him to "put the bigger picture first."

Sha Zhu snorted, suppressing his anger, and said, "Hao Jianguo, I'm too lazy to beat around the bush with you."

I'm telling you right now, you'd better move out of this house, or don't blame me for being rude.

He rolled up his sleeves as he spoke, striking a very imposing pose.

The onlookers, who were watching from a distance, exchanged bewildered glances, each with a strange expression.

"Did I hear that right? Sha Zhu wants to kick Hao Jianguo out? What gives him the right?"

Someone muttered in a low voice.

Only the older generation knows the stories from back then; the younger generation naturally has no idea.

No wonder they all thought that Sha Zhu was probably having another episode of hysteria.

"What are you saying? When has Sha Zhu ever been normal? Could a person with a clear mind do something like marrying Jia Zhangshi?"

"Didn't we hear a while ago that he was cured? Looks like he still needs to continue treatment."

"But Sha Zhu is crazy, surely Yi Zhonghai and the others aren't confused too? Why are they joining in this fun?"

Whispers rang out all around, as soft as the buzzing of mosquitoes.

Hao Jianguo glanced at Sha Zhu indifferently, but didn't respond at all.

Sha Zhu was no longer in a hurry—in his opinion, Hao Jianguo could only show off his power now. Once he laid things out clearly, Hao Jianguo would probably have to kneel down and beg him.

Thinking of this, a sense of pride welled up in his heart.

After hearing Sha Zhu's rapid-fire accusations, many of the young people in the courtyard were stunned, exchanging glances and wondering to themselves—he was making such a fuss about it, could it really be true? The older folks, on the other hand, seemed to have a sudden realization, as if his words had stirred up old memories.

Unable to contain himself, Liu Guangfu leaned close to his father, Liu Haizhong, and asked in a low voice, "Dad, what he said... is it true? Was Hao Jianguo's house really sublet by the He family?"

Liu Haizhong frowned, pondered for a long while, and then sighed heavily: "If he hadn't brought it up, I would have almost forgotten about this old matter."

That house was indeed given away by He Daqing back then.

"This is terrible!"

Liu Guangfu also frowned. "If that's the case, then Hao Jianguo is in the wrong. He might really have to move out."

Liu Haizhong had a thought: if Hao Jianguo had nowhere to stay, inviting him to stay at his home temporarily would be a good opportunity to get closer to him.

After all, he's in charge at the factory now, so I have to be polite to him.

But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shook his head—the house was already cramped, how could it fit two more people? Besides, Yu Li was also there, so it wouldn't be convenient.

"He has nowhere to go? That can't be."

Liu Haizhong muttered to himself, "At worst, the young couple can go back to Yu Li's parents' house for a while."

Being kicked out like that is really embarrassing.

Liu Guangfu disagreed: "Dad, I don't believe Hao Jianguo will suffer this in silence."

Knowing his temperament, he won't easily admit defeat. I bet there's more to the show coming soon.

As the father and son were talking in hushed tones, Sha Zhu, who had been waiting impatiently, raised his voice to urge them on.

At this moment, he straightened his back, raised his chin high, and looked at Hao Jianguo with an uncontrollable sense of pride, as if victory was already in his grasp.

In Sha Zhu's view, Hao Jianguo's silence at this moment was clearly a sign of guilt and cowardice—the calmer he appeared on the surface, the more panicked he was inside.

"Hao Jianguo, stop pretending to be tough here!"

Sha Zhu became even more imposing, "This matter must be settled today."

You absolutely have to vacate this house! If you don't move out, we'll go to the neighborhood committee and settle this matter, and see who's in the right!

Thinking about how he always suffered losses in the past, and even being taken away by the police called by Hao Jianguo, Sha Zhu felt a surge of resentment in his chest that he was finally about to vent.

He had been waiting for this chance to turn his life around for far too long.

"I'm telling you this now, the house is a matter of utmost importance, there's no room for discussion!"

He put his hands on his hips and said decisively, "We've been more than kind to let you live in our property for so many years without paying for it."

Now that you want it back, that's perfectly reasonable! Do you really think our family is easy to talk to, and that you'll keep taking advantage of us forever?

His sister, He Yushui, chimed in, her voice shrill: "Yes! Move out now! If you don't, we'll call someone to kick you out!"

Her face was filled with undisguised excitement, a sense of triumph washing over her. "Hao Jianguo, you never thought this would happen, did you? You've finally met your match! Don't think you're so great just because you're a minor official in the factory. In the end, you can't even keep your place. We'll kick you out!"

She even felt that this wasn't enough to vent her anger—if it weren't for Hao Jianguo's interference, Qin Huairu would have become her sister-in-law long ago, and she would never forget this "great grudge".

Hao Jianguo originally just wanted to bask in the sun peacefully for a while and didn't want to bother with these jumping "grasshoppers" so as not to spoil his rare good mood.

But these people in front of me have absolutely no self-awareness.

Especially Sha Zhu, seeing that Hao Jianguo remained silent, was even more convinced that he had shown weakness and had no way out. His smugness was practically overflowing from his pores.

In the courtyard, before Hao Jianguo could utter a sound, He Yuzhu had already pressed forward like a hungry wolf, his eyes wide open, as if he were about to pounce and tear him apart at any moment.

"Hao Jianguo, stop playing dumb!"

He Yuzhu's voice was rough and hoarse, "You've been occupying this house for free all these years, there's no such thing as a free lunch! I'm telling you right now—the rent must be paid in full!"

He stretched out his rough fingers and gestured vigorously in the air: "I've calculated it carefully; over the years, it's accumulated to at least eight hundred yuan!"

These words were like a stone thrown into a calm pond, and a collective gasp immediately rose from all around.

Eight hundred dollars—in this era where every penny is precious, it's an enormous sum that's enough to terrify anyone.

The neighbors who had been watching the spectacle exchanged bewildered glances, none of them expecting that the usually simple-minded He Yuzhu would offer such an astonishing amount.

Someone in the crowd muttered, "That attitude is just like that of the Jia family's son..."

These words drew nods of agreement from many people.

Jia Zhangshi's face, which always seemed to be trying to take advantage of everyone, now overlapped with He Yuzhu's fierce appearance.

Some people exchanged glances, wondering to themselves: Could it be that they've been around the Jia family for so long that they've even picked up their money-giving ways perfectly?

Yan Bugui, who had been silent all along, suddenly cleared his throat.

This shrewd schoolteacher keenly sensed an opportunity—speaking up for Hao Jianguo now was the perfect chance to curry favor.

"He Daqing!"

Yan Bugui ignored the younger generation and pointed his finger at the head of the He family standing behind him, "Don't you have any shame? You personally gave this house to the Hao family back then. It was clearly written in black and white that it was to repay the life-saving grace and would never be taken back."

This was even commended by the neighborhood committee; everyone in the hospital knows about it. Now that time has passed, are you just going to throw away your promise from back then like a fart?

These words stirred up a hornet's nest, and the crowd immediately became agitated.

Yan Bugui brought back the previously vague memories, and the whispers and pointing fingers gradually grew into a chorus.

"How ungrateful!"

Yan Jiecheng chimed in, echoing his father, "When they saved your life, you didn't say you'd want the house back!"

"Exactly! If it weren't for Old Master Hao's help back then, you, He Daqing, would be buried somewhere long ago!"

"No wonder the youngest member of the He family behaves like this; he's fundamentally flawed!"

A barrage of accusations came flooding in.

Everyone in the courtyard had their own calculations: if they kept Hao Jianguo, they might benefit from his success in the future; if he moved away, where would they find such a capable neighbor again? This shared calculation brought everyone together on the same side, which was rare for them.

The He family members turned pale and then flushed as they were being talked about.

He Yuzhu gritted his teeth, his cheeks taut, but he pretended not to hear those unpleasant words.

He was determined today, no matter what others said, he was determined to force Hao Jianguo to leave.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

He Yuzhu, his neck stiff, roared at Yan Bugui, "What promises? I've never heard of them! You're just trying to curry favor with Hao Jianguo, that's why you made up these lies!"

His chest heaved violently, his gaze sweeping over everyone else, fixed fixedly on Hao Jianguo, who had remained silent the whole time.

The old locust tree in the yard rustled in the wind, and a few withered leaves swirled and fell into the open space between the two people.

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui flew into a rage, his eyes blazing with fury.

"You...you bastard! He Daqing, are you afraid to admit your mistakes?"

He demanded an answer in a stern voice.

However, He Daqing didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, completely ignoring his question.

At this moment, several elderly residents in the courtyard also stepped forward, clearly intending to uphold justice for Hao Jianguo.

"We all witnessed what happened back then and can testify to it."

"Silly Zhu, stop your nonsense. Is this kind of flip-flopping acceptable?"

"You clearly agreed not to take the house back, but now you're going back on your word. Does the He family have no conscience at all?"

"Hao Jianguo deserves an explanation. That house rightfully belongs to him. What right do you have to come and ask for it back?"

Everyone chimed in, recounting the past events clearly, and the entire courtyard was instantly filled with commotion.

The younger generation, being naturally hot-blooded, became even more indignant upon learning the reason, joining the older generation in condemning the incident.

The spittle nearly drowned the He family members.

"You...you guys are just..."

He Yushui was, after all, a young girl. Even if she was unreasonable, she couldn't withstand such a scene of being condemned by everyone, and her face turned pale and then red.

Sha Zhu, however, remained full of fighting spirit.

In order to get rid of Hao Jianguo, he had long since disregarded everything and started lying through his teeth.

"Get out! Stop putting on airs like an elder in front of me! Don't think I don't know what you're up to—aren't you just trying to curry favor with Hao Jianguo? You're willing to throw away all your dignity just to suck up to him?"

He launched into a tirade of insults without any restraint, showing no respect whatsoever to the elderly.

The elders were furious and turned ashen-faced after being contradicted by a junior.

Even He Daqing secretly applauded in his heart—some of these people were even someone he had to be wary of, but Sha Zhu was going all out.

"Silly Zhu, don't go too far!"

Liu Haizhong shouted loudly.

Seeing the situation getting increasingly out of control, he knew he couldn't delay any longer. Besides, Sha Zhu had even included him, his second uncle, in his insults, which only made him angrier.

"So many eyes witnessed what happened back then, how could we possibly wrong you?"

"Besides, these are all your elders. What right do you, a junior, have to speak like that?"

Liu Haizhong put his hands behind his back and adopted a leader's posture to reprimand the man.

Sha Zhu, however, didn't buy it at all.

"Uncle Er, don't forget, you are only an 'uncle Er' after all."

Why haven't you been promoted to the highest rank? It's because you're too cunning and self-serving, unfit for important tasks!

"You're now helping them lie through their teeth, aren't you just trying to curry favor with Hao Jianguo? How are you any different from those senile old fools?"

His ability to turn the tables on others is unparalleled; whoever brings up the past, he accuses them of flattering Hao Jianguo.

Liu Haizhong and the group of old men were trembling with anger, wishing they could rush up and tear Sha Zhu's mouth apart.

"You...you..."

Liu Haizhong pointed at Shazhu, but before he could finish speaking, the deaf old lady next to him slowly walked out, leaning on her cane.

She glanced coldly at Liu Haizhong and slowly said:

"You just said that the older generation are all witnesses."

I'm an old woman too, but how come my memory of what happened back then is completely different from what you're telling me?