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

When Yu Haitang turned to Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu, the two of them almost simultaneously shrank back, hurriedly lowered their eyes, and dared not meet her gaze.

Their bullying nature was on full display at this moment—this girl dared to lay a hand on Sha Zhu, so how could they possibly dare to provoke her?

"Jia Zhangshi, is that you?"

Yu Haitang raised her chin, "Try gossiping about my brother-in-law again? I'll remember if you wrong him."

Don't assume I have a good temper like my sister.

"Slandering my brother-in-law?"

She sneered and shook her fist. "Watch out, or I'll tear your mouth off."

Jia Zhangshi was so frightened that she took several steps back, wishing she could hide in the crowd.

Many people around secretly shook their heads, thinking to themselves: Yu Li is easy to talk to? Who in the courtyard hasn't experienced Yu Li's sharp tongue? Even the deaf old lady has been humiliated by her. It's really ironic to say that.

The old lady's face was ashen, and she was cursing inwardly, thinking that none of the Yu sisters were easy to deal with.

Yu Haitang, however, didn't care about what others thought. She turned around and skipped to Hao Jianguo's side, her eyes sparkling with pride: "Brother-in-law, how did I do just now? Wasn't I pretty impressive?"

Hao Jianguo reached out and ruffled her hair, smiling gently: "Very good, our Haitang is indeed amazing."

Even though she knew these words were somewhat like coaxing a child, Yu Haitang still smiled broadly, her cheeks flushed with satisfaction.

Hao Jianguo looked up at Jia Zhangshi and the others, his voice deepening: "Today is just a small reminder."

If you harbor any further malicious intentions, you will bear the consequences yourself.

Later, He Yushui accompanied Shazhu, and Jia Zhangshi also went to the hospital.

Although Sha Zhu was extremely reluctant to travel with Jia Zhangshi, he had to treat his injuries; otherwise, it would only cause more trouble.

What made him extremely uncomfortable was that even when he tried to avoid it, he could still sense Jia Zhangshi casting unsettling glances at him from time to time.

"It's all Hao Jianguo's fault!"

Sha Zhu cursed inwardly, blaming all his misfortunes on Hao Jianguo.

After seeing the doctor, he fled the hospital as if he were about to be swallowed up by Jia Zhangshi's gaze if he stayed even a moment longer.

But the troubles weren't over yet.

As soon as he stepped back into the courtyard, Xu Damao and the others crowded around him, their laughter rising and falling as they looked him up and down as if he were a fool.

Looking at Sha Zhu's disheveled appearance, Xu Damao couldn't help but sneer: "Oh ho, Sha Zhu, why do you look like you've been hollowed out? Did Jia Zhangshi break you down last time? You can't even handle a little girl?"

Xu Damao was happy to add fuel to the fire whenever something could make Sha Zhu feel frustrated.

Sha Zhu's face turned pale with anger. Just as he was about to retort, Xu Damao interrupted him, speaking sarcastically, "What, you want to hit me? Try touching me and I'll immediately go tell Yu Haitang and have her teach you a lesson again!"

These words struck a nerve with Shazhu.

He had already suffered a terrible beating at the hands of Yu Haitang last time, and he really didn't want to experience it a second time.

With nowhere to vent his anger, Sha Zhu could only glare fiercely at Xu Damao before turning around and slamming the door as he went inside.

But after closing the door, he couldn't hold back any longer and growled in a low voice, "You bastard... just you wait... Xu Damao, don't get too cocky. If you're so capable, don't go out alone at night!"

He Yushui continued to curse, her face still red and swollen, feeling both angry and panicked—if this injury left a mark, it would be even more difficult to find a spouse in the future.

Not long after, there was a knock on the door.

Yi Zhonghai helped the deaf old lady into the house.

Having lived most of their lives, the two immediately noticed that something was wrong with the silly siblings.

The old lady sighed first: "Don't say you feel aggrieved, I feel suffocated too."

There are no rules in the compound now, and the root of the problem lies with Hao Jianguo.

Now, no matter what happens, the first person the deaf old lady mentions is Hao Jianguo, as if it has become a habit.

He Yushui, as if she had found someone to rely on, hurriedly asked, "Grandma, do you have any way to deal with Hao Jianguo? I get angry just looking at him."

Despite suffering such a huge loss, she hasn't learned her lesson at all.

The deaf old woman shook her head, her expression somewhat somber.

She certainly wanted to outdo Hao Jianguo, but that was no easy task.

The feng shui incident had severely damaged their spirits, and they no longer spoke with the same confidence in the courtyard.

Who could have predicted that that one move would backfire and cause him such a huge setback?

Ultimately, she brought this trouble upon herself, and she had no reason to blame others.

Hao Jianguo was already difficult to deal with, but now there's the addition of the formidable Yu Haitang, making things even worse.

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu even felt a little scared – luckily he didn't really do anything to Yu Li back then, otherwise, given Yu Haitang's personality, who knows what kind of revenge she would have taken.

Everyone in the room looked dejected, but the old lady suddenly raised her cane and slammed it on the ground twice: "Cheer up, everyone! If you ask me, this situation might not be a bad thing."

Sha Zhu suddenly looked up: "Something bad? Grandma, are you out of your mind?"

Before he could finish speaking, the injury on his forehead aggravated his pain, causing him to wince and gasp for breath.

In He Yuzhu's eyes, if this can be considered a happy event, then wouldn't the beating he suffered today have been for nothing?

Naturally, he had long forgotten the source of the matter—it was clearly him who provoked Yu Li first, and he was the one who struck first.

He Yushui, standing to the side, looked at the deaf old lady with the same confusion. Knowing the old lady's temperament, she was sure that her brother was right: the old lady was probably really out of her mind from anger.

Feeling scrutinized by those two gazes, the old lady glared at them irritably.

"What nonsense! Think about what happened today carefully—if you ask me, Jia Zhangshi was right, the root of the problem probably lies with Yu Li's family."

The deaf old lady immediately began to analyze the situation logically, "Think about it, how docile Yu Li used to be? And look at Hao Jianguo's recent domineering behavior, in my opinion, Yu Li's family must be backing him up."

What does this mean?

Hearing her reasoning, He Yushui and the others frowned in unison.

"What does that mean?"

He Yushui couldn't understand it and pressed for more information.

The old lady didn't keep her in suspense and said bluntly, "It means Hao Jianguo himself isn't very capable at all! Otherwise, given his past temperament, why would he have refrained from taking action when Sha Zhu was making such a scene and Jia Zhangshi was throwing dirty water?"

Upon hearing this, He Yushui and the others nodded as if they had just realized something.

Upon closer examination along this line of thought, the group suddenly realized that there seemed to be some truth to it.

"The old lady is right."

If it were based on Hao Jianguo's usual temperament, he probably would have already turned on everyone and overturned the table. His behavior today is indeed strange.

He Yushui quickly echoed.

Seeing this, the old lady continued:

"I watched Hao Jianguo grow up. Do you think I don't know what he's capable of? I don't believe he's achieved what he has today."

"Zhonghai, you've practically watched him grow up."

Given how he was as a child, who could have predicted he'd become so powerful and imposing?

Yi Zhonghai shook his head almost immediately.

This is utterly absurd—if they truly believed Hao Jianguo would amount to something, why would he and the deaf old lady have turned a blind eye to Qin Huairu's affair and sided with her, forcibly breaking off the engagement?

"So, Hao Jianguo's current success is probably due to Yu Li's family putting in a lot of effort behind the scenes."

Yi Zhonghai and his companions wholeheartedly agreed with this assessment.

From beginning to end, they neither saw reality clearly nor were willing to admit that Hao Jianguo was far more capable and had a brighter future than they imagined.

After all, admitting this is tantamount to admitting that you were blind and made the wrong choice before.

Although he found the deaf old lady's analysis quite reasonable, Yi Zhonghai still felt a sense of helplessness.

Now, Hao Jianguo not only carries weight in the courtyard, but also wields considerable power in the factory.

Especially in the workshop, everyone was eager to curry favor with this newly promoted junior leader, which made Yi Zhonghai feel very uncomfortable.

The previous bet had caused him to lose face and lose a full thousand dollars.

Because of this, Aunt Yi has been making a fuss about it endlessly, driving Yi Zhonghai crazy and making him very upset.

Of course, he wasn't the only one with worries.

Liu Haizhong also complained bitterly—

Because of Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong lost such a large sum of money, and Aunt Er keeps nagging about it every day, almost suffocating him.

Yi Zhonghai sighed deeply and said in a low voice, "Everything is already set in stone."

There's no point in us saying anything more about Hao Jianguo here.

If Hao Jianguo can be recognized as an advanced worker in the district, his status in the factory will surely rise accordingly, and he may even be able to join the ranks of middle and senior management.

Although Yi Zhonghai is now being looked down upon in the workshop, he still has a keen eye and some connections within the factory. Therefore, he vaguely heard that the leaders intend to recommend Hao Jianguo for the election.

With the factory's full support, Hao Jianguo has a very high chance of receiving this advanced title.

Seeing his brother rise through the ranks while he, an eighth-grade fitter, was repeatedly demoted, Yi Zhonghai felt heavy-hearted.

What worries him even more is that once Hao Jianguo gains power, he will probably be the first to be targeted, and life in the factory will be really difficult then.

Putting yourself in their shoes, if Yi Zhonghai were in that position, he would certainly not let the other party off easily either—this kind of speculation truly reflects the saying "judging a gentleman by the standards of a petty person."

When Sha Zhu and He Yushui learned of this, their faces were clouded with worry.

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth, filled with resentment.

In his opinion, if it weren't for Hao Jianguo, he would still be a highly regarded chef in the kitchen, instead of ending up in such a state.

The people in this courtyard share a common problem: they never reflect on themselves when things go wrong, and always subconsciously shift the blame to others, as if all the misfortunes were caused by Hao Jianguo.

They fail to consider that all that is happening today is the result of their own past actions.

Unlike their worried faces, the deaf old lady's expression was somewhat more relaxed.

She was about to speak when He Daqing interrupted her.

Looking at his two children, He Daqing was really worried—if he left, Shazhu and Yushui would probably be purged by Hao Jianguo.

He immediately suggested, "Why don't you leave with me now?"

"From now on, your father will find you better jobs and more suitable marriages."

After all, Sha Zhu's current situation is bad enough. He could get better treatment anywhere else.

Before Sha Zhu could respond, Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady became anxious.

Whether He Yushui leaves or not is not of great concern to them, but Sha Zhu absolutely cannot leave—they have spent so much effort on Sha Zhu over the years, and they are counting on him to take care of them in their old age and in death.

If He Daqing really takes him away, wouldn't all the effort he put in before be wasted?

The two were anxious, but knew they couldn't stop them.

In any case, He Daqing is Shazhu's biological father, and it is perfectly legitimate for a father to take his son away; if they rashly stop him, it would seem strange.

To say that Sha Zhu wasn't tempted would be a lie.

The future here is bleak; a change of scenery might allow me to start over.

But when he thought of Hao Jianguo's smug look—at least that's how he saw it—Shazhu couldn't swallow his anger.

"Dad, let me think about this some more."

Sha Zhu muttered, "Right now, Hao Jianguo and I are at such a bad point. If I just slink away like this, what will outsiders think of me? They'll definitely think that I, Sha Zhu, am afraid of him and have run away with my tail between my legs."

Where do I put my face now?

He Daqing shook his head helplessly.

His original intention was to keep Shazhu away from this place of trouble, but the child didn't seem to have seen reality clearly.

Since Sha Zhu had already made up his mind, He Daqing didn't say anything more—his children were grown up and would have their own ideas.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing that He Daqing was about to speak again, the deaf old lady quickly interjected, "Daqing, don't worry too much."

Although Hao Jianguo is now pleased with himself, I think most of Zhonghai's concerns were unfounded.

"You should know how many people are eyeing that spot for outstanding worker.

Hao Jianguo wants to win this honor, but his performance in the factory alone is far from enough.

"Given the current situation, it's easy for you to just leave, but it will be difficult for you to ever step into this courtyard again."

Moreover, have you considered that if you really leave, you'll become the biggest joke on the neighborhood dinner table?

The old lady clearly didn't want to see He Daqing take Sha Zhu away, and she kept talking, trying to dissuade He Daqing from his idea.

She gave He Daqing a deep look, her tone reassuring: "Don't worry, Hao Jianguo's smug look won't last long."