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

After this incident, both Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong will become the biggest laughing stock in the factory.

Going forward, when I walk around the factory area, I'm afraid I'll inevitably be pointed at and talked about.

Liu Haizhong, in particular, was filled with grievances—he was just a follower, yet he had been dragged into this mess by that scoundrel Yi Zhonghai and completely ruined.

Yi Zhonghai's face was so gloomy it was almost as if you could wring water out of it.

He had planned to slip away quietly while everyone's attention was focused on Hao Jianguo's displayed skills; as for the bet and compensation, he would try to renege on it if possible, and if he couldn't, he would resort to delaying tactics.

Two-word formula.

But his wishful thinking turned out to be a complete failure.

All eyes turned toward him, filled with undisguised ridicule and coercion.

Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong's faces turned from red to green, then from green to white, their chests heaving violently as if they were about to explode.

Liu Haizhong was especially agitated, his eyes glaring bloodshot as he stared intently at Yi Zhonghai—his gaze almost radiating murderous intent.

Previously, when the He family father and son lost to Hao Jianguo, Liu Haizhong even smirked and mocked Yi Zhonghai for being as stupid as a pig.

Who would have thought that fortunes would turn so quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it would be my turn.

Thinking of this, Liu Haizhong felt a lump in his throat and almost burst into tears.

Yi Zhonghai felt a chill run down his spine from that gaze and hurriedly lowered his head to avoid it.

Paying the bet is a principle everyone understands.

But that's a whole year's wages, over a thousand yuan.

Yi Zhonghai isn't exactly a wealthy man. If he really had to pay this money, or work for nothing for the next year, it would be like scraping flesh from his bones.

Regret washed over me like a tidal wave.

If only they had known this would happen, why did they do it in the first place? They only wanted to trip up Hao Jianguo and prevent him from becoming the workshop director, but they insisted on making trouble and betting so heavily on the outcome.

Now look what's happened; we've lost face, and we have to pay a heavy price for what we've lost.

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth, scanned the crowd that was closing in, and finally, out of a sense of "face"...

With "money"

Between the two, I gritted my teeth and chose the latter.

"This...this was just a joke, wasn't it?"

He chuckled dryly, his voice weak. "A month's wages? Who wouldn't think that's a joke? How could anyone take it seriously..."

When he first opened his mouth, he felt his ears burning, but once the words were out, the embarrassment completely disappeared.

Anyway, I've already lost all my image in their eyes, so why should I care what they think?

As soon as he finished speaking, an uproar broke out around him.

Everyone knew Yi Zhonghai was hypocritical, but no one expected him to go this far.

"Hao Jianguo, you're a leader now, surely you can tell the difference between a joke and a joke?"

Yi Zhonghai then turned the conversation to Hao Jianguo, his tone carrying a hint of admonishment and amusement, "If you take this seriously, your subordinates will think you're easy to fool... Haha, never mind, let's just consider it a misunderstanding."

His distorted and contradictory statements drew angry murmurs from those around him.

He was the one who started the problem, but in the blink of an eye, he became someone else's "unable to take a joke".

"Hao Jianguo, we're all adults. How about this—I'll apologize to you, and from now on, Liu Haizhong and I will never object to you being the workshop director again. We'll even fully support your work."

Yi Zhonghai, with a fawning smile, spoke slowly and deliberately, "To be a leader, you need to be broad-minded, otherwise how can you command respect? Don't you think so?"

His tone now made it sound as if Hao Jianguo had gotten a great deal.

Even Deputy Factory Director Liu, who was listening in, found it hard to bear.

"You're not convinced? Then tell me, who else besides you is not convinced?"

Hao Jianguo immediately scoffed and retorted, clearly not intending to show Yi Zhonghai any leniency.

"Besides, whether others accept it or not has nothing to do with me or you. All you have to do is honestly admit your mistake."

"Stop with the nonsense about being generous or petty. I, Hao Jianguo, will be clear today—I'm serious, and I keep my word."

Now, give it to me.

Hao Jianguo dropped this sentence decisively, and Yi Zhonghai's face instantly turned ashen.

He clearly hadn't expected the other party to be so ruthless.

"You, you..."

Not only Hao Jianguo, but the surrounding workers also couldn't stand it anymore.

"Yi Zhonghai, stop talking nonsense and hurry up and pay the money."

"Exactly, we all admire Hao Jianguo, but with your behavior, who can respect you?"

"When you demand generosity from others, are you generosity yourself? If you were truly so, what are you dawdling for? Paying back debts is a matter of course!"

Immediately, the workers started criticizing him.

To everyone present, Yi Zhonghai's words were utterly shameless.

"That's my money! I can give it to you if I want, and I can't give it to you if I don't want to. You can't force me to!"

Yi Zhonghai roared in almost exasperation.

At this moment, Deputy Factory Director Liu stepped forward, looked at Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, his eyes filled with disappointment.

He shook his head: "What you're doing is truly disheartening."

Since they're unwilling to pay voluntarily, that's easy—I'll inform the finance department shortly that starting this month, your salaries will be directly deposited into Hao Jianguo's account.

As soon as he finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai nearly collapsed.

Liu Haizhong, who was standing next to him, screamed in agony, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

This farce finally came to an end with the two of them looking rather pathetic.

However, the impact of the incident has not dissipated.

The workers were always looking for something to talk about, and the matter involving Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong immediately became the topic of conversation among them.

Almost the entire factory was talking about what the two of them had done, and everyone who knew the inside story ridiculed them for overestimating their abilities.

It could be said that Yi Zhonghai's outburst ultimately benefited Hao Jianguo.

Although Hao Jianguo had been promoted to workshop director, he was still young, and some people in the factory inevitably had their doubts.

After this incident, all doubts vanished.

In everyone's eyes, Hao Jianguo's position is a testament to his real ability.

"Director Hao, congratulations on your promotion!"

Nowadays, everyone who sees Hao Jianguo greets him with clasped hands and congratulations.

In everyone's hearts, Hao Jianguo is already a role model and a benchmark worthy of learning.

He became the youngest director in the steel rolling mill, and everyone could see that his future prospects would be much more than that.

If you don't quickly build rapport and say a few nice things now, it may be difficult to regain this friendship in the future.

Even back in the courtyard house, Hao Jianguo became the object of everyone's admiration.

As soon as the neighbors saw him, they surrounded him, showering him with auspicious words, creating a lively and festive atmosphere.

In contrast, Liu Haizhong's family was in a much worse situation.

After learning the whole story, Aunt Er chased after Liu Haizhong, cursing and crying. In her opinion, Liu Haizhong had completely lost his mind to provoke Hao Jianguo, and was simply asking for trouble.

"You...sigh, I really don't know what to say about you."

Our relationship with Hao Jianguo was gradually improving, but now you've pulled this stunt, aren't you pushing the whole family to the brink? Now that he's in charge, do you think he'll let you have an easy time in the future?"

"You actually believed all that nonsense Yi Zhonghai spouted? I think you're completely blinded by folly, utterly unable to distinguish right from wrong!"

The second aunt's cries were filled with despair.

What upset her even more was that since her falling out with Hao Jianguo, many people in the courtyard had become cold towards them, and even their greetings were distant.

The distance they maintained, whether intentionally or unintentionally, was clearly out of fear of being implicated—everyone worried that if Hao Jianguo were to settle scores in the future, it would affect those of them who were close by.

These kinds of days almost made it hard for Aunt Er to breathe.

Liu Haizhong was already upset, and after hearing her sobbing, his heart was filled with even more regret.

If he hadn't known he was in the wrong, he would have almost yelled at his second aunt.

"Alright, that's enough."

Liu Haizhong frowned, his tone somewhat heavy, "The family still has some savings. If we tighten our belts this year, we can get through it."

"As for Hao Jianguo... I will go and apologize."

"As long as I'm sincere enough and he sees that I genuinely apologize, he... he should be able to forgive me."

He spoke with difficulty, and even he himself wasn't very confident about it.

He did go to see Hao Jianguo later, but the result was not satisfactory.

The other party didn't give him a chance to speak at all, as if he were just an insignificant passerby.

Liu Haizhong had no choice but to leave awkwardly, his face burning with embarrassment.

……

That day, Hao Jianguo was resting in his room when a familiar melody suddenly drifted into his ears.

He instantly perked up.

"The little guy's back?"

The moment that thought crossed my mind, that familiar figure came into view.

Having not seen each other for so long, I felt a sense of warmth, as if we were old friends reuniting.

The frog hasn't returned for quite some time since it left.

To Hao Jianguo's dismay, the little guy seemed to be having a very comfortable time outside, and had even gained some weight.

He couldn't help but wonder what it had gone through during the time it had been away from him.

The frog brought back quite a lot of things this time.

Besides rice, flour, and cooking oil, there were even children's clothes, toys, and picture books—it seems the store knew that Hao Jianguo had two more children.

[Ding-dong, congratulations on the addition of a new member to the family.]

Even though the baby frog isn't with its owner, it still misses them.

These are just a small token of my appreciation for my little master.

Hao Jianguo noticed that after not seeing him for a while, the little guy had become much more fluent in his speech than before.

He felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at the system notification.

These aren't just "little gadgets"; the froglets have practically brought a children's playground.

Of course, along with the surprise came caution—besides toys, the frog also brought back quite a few poisonous creatures: poisonous spiders, scorpions, centipedes… nothing was missing.

Fortunately, Hao Jianguo had storage space; otherwise, if these things were just lying around in the house, Yu Li would be terrified.

"Why did you bring so many poisonous creatures back? You can't keep them as pets."

Hao Jianguo muttered helplessly.

[Ding-dong, the owner can place them near their residence; they will always come in handy.]

Rest assured, they all obey your commands and will not harm anyone unnecessarily—unless someone threatens you or your home.

The frog seemed to sense his concerns and immediately explained.

Hearing this, Hao Jianguo finally felt relieved.

He knew that the frog cub would never harm him.

Since the frog has already spoken up to warn us, something must be brewing soon.

Hao Jianguo had always firmly believed in the frog's precognitive abilities, but he didn't press the matter further—he knew perfectly well that even if it did exist, it was mostly those few insidious characters in the courtyard causing trouble in the shadows.

On this return trip, the frog carried not only poisons and contraptions, but also a variety of talismans: kidnapping talismans, lameness talismans, fist and foot talismans... with strange names and bizarre functions.

Hao Jianguo inspected it and was quite satisfied.

These talismans alone are enough to give Yi Zhonghai and his gang a run for their money.

He reached out and patted the frog's head, praising it with a smile: "You're really capable."

The baby frog held its head high and puffed out its chest, looking rather smug.

[Ding-dong—Master, rest assured, the frog is incredibly capable! Once it levels up, it will definitely find you a secret cultivation realm to help you undergo a complete transformation.]

After leaving those words, the little frog hopped on its journey again.

The lingering sound remained in Hao Jianguo's ears.

He smiled to himself, feeling a genuine sense of anticipation for the little guy's future.

The factory hosted a celebratory banquet for Hao Jianguo.

The leaders took turns offering toasts, their praise interspersed with encouragement, and the clinking of glasses also carried a lot of insincere politeness.

Hao Jianguo handled the socializing with ease, and by the time he returned from the banquet, it was already dusk.

The room was warm and cozy, and a pair of children were playing and babbling.

With his wife by his side, his mother-in-law and sister-in-law chatted about everyday things, their laughter filling the room with warmth.

Such a sight, as seen by outsiders, undoubtedly aroused much envy.

Yan Jiecheng leaned against the door, gazing into the distance, and couldn't help but sigh, "This is what life is all about... this is what it means to live."

Just as I was feeling sentimental, I saw Liu Guangfu hunching his shoulders and shuffling into the courtyard.

At this time of day, he would usually be chatting and laughing with Xu Damao and the others, but now he was all alone—since Liu Haizhong offended Hao Jianguo, who would dare to get close to him?

When everyone caught sight of him, they all turned away and scattered as if avoiding a plague.

Liu Guangfu stood frozen in place, his face flushed and paled, his lips moved but he couldn't utter a single word.

Who can be blamed? The road was cut off by his own father.

He lowered his head, a bitter taste rising in his throat: "The Liu family... I'm afraid it's really over."

The whispers and glances drifting from the courtyard felt like needles pricking his back.

In everyone's eyes, the Liu family and Yi Zhonghai's gang were nothing short of fools who didn't know what was good for them—they actually went against Hao Jianguo, who was at the height of his power, weren't they just courting disaster?