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

"Hao Jianguo, what nonsense are you spouting! Sister Qin and I are completely innocent!"

Hao Jianguo didn't reply, only staring at him with a mocking smile, a gaze that made Sha Zhu feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Huh? Hao Jianguo didn't say it explicitly just now, so why is Sha Zhu arguing so frantically?"

"If you have nothing to hide, why are you panicking?"

"They must have been right, that's why they're jumping up and down."

Everyone in the courtyard was shrewd. Hao Jianguo's few seemingly obvious words immediately sparked whispers among the crowd.

Especially with Sha Zhu's appearance, it's as if his worries are written all over his face.

Even Jia Zhangshi's gaze towards Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu held a hint of wariness.

Sha Zhu's face grew increasingly grim. "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Seeing this, Xu Damao, who was standing to the side, rolled his eyes.

He had always been at odds with Sha Zhu, so how could he let go of such an opportunity to kick someone when they were down?

"Silly Zhu, Hao Jianguo's intention is simply to make you avoid suspicion and prevent gossip."

Your anxiousness makes you seem guilty—could it be that you've really fallen for Qin Huairu?

"Tsk tsk, no wonder they were sending food and organizing donations, so that's what they were thinking."

Jia Dongxu, who was already simmering with anger, suddenly turned cold upon hearing these words.

"You idiot Zhu, if you dare to have any wicked thoughts, I... I'll never forgive you!"

A weak yet fierce growl came from his sickbed.

"Xu Damao, I'll tear your dog mouth apart!"

Enraged, Sha Zhu charged forward, but Xu Damao had anticipated this move and turned to run away, giving him no chance to get close.

The courtyard immediately erupted into chaos and noise.

"Enough! What kind of noise is this? Are you trying to make a fool of our hospital in front of outsiders?"

A hoarse, aged voice suddenly rang out to stop them.

Hao Jianguo looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old woman with a cane, walking slowly out.

The deaf old woman is a recipient of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans) in the courtyard. She is a descendant of three generations of martyrs and is highly respected in the courtyard. Everyone says she is a kind-hearted person.

But Hao Jianguo knew in his heart that the old lady's "kindness" was only directed at Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai.

When it comes to these two people, she cares more than anyone else; but with others, she becomes "sometimes deaf, sometimes sharp."

The deaf old woman.

After all, her hopes for the rest of her life depended entirely on these two people.

Just now, with a little provocation, Sha Zhu's little schemes were almost laid bare.

If the deaf old lady doesn't show up soon, Sha Zhu's reputation will be ruined throughout the entire hospital.

As soon as she spoke, the surroundings fell silent.

Sha Zhu cleverly caught up and helped the deaf old woman to Hao Jianguo. As if he had found a support, he looked at Hao Jianguo with a hint of smugness in his eyes.

"Hao Jianguo, I never thought you'd be the first person in the compound to buy a bicycle, and now your life is getting better and better."

Your parents in the afterlife would be so relieved to know this, you…”

Hao Jianguo's words caused the deaf old lady to let out a long sigh, but before she could finish speaking, Hao Jianguo interrupted her directly.

"Grandma, let's be frank and speak openly. You don't need to beat around the bush."

I still have meat stewing in the pot; I don't have time to waste here.

His tone was calm, yet every word was clear: "Instead of wasting time arguing with certain people, why not go home and tend to the fire—isn't the aroma of the meat there more appealing?"

He paused slightly, then looked calmly at the other person: "As for my parents... you don't need to mention them anymore."

If they knew what you had done in the past, how do you think they would feel?

These words were so blunt and sharp that the deaf old woman's face immediately turned ugly.

She could certainly understand what Hao Jianguo meant—back then, the Jia family was well-off, and she had helped them a few times. Now, bringing up the past was clearly a way of putting her down.

In just a few words, the subtle momentum from before weakened.

The old lady glanced in the direction of the Jia family and sighed again: "Jianguo, I know you've always harbored resentment towards the people in the courtyard."

But in the end, you are also a part of this community.

"Today, for the sake of this old woman, and considering the Jia family's current predicament, please donate something. It will also benefit your reputation if word gets out."

Hao Jianguo laughed upon hearing this.

Resentment? Do the people in this courtyard even deserve his attention?

As for his reputation—Hao Jianguo's reputation is much cleaner than some people's.

"Madam, please forgive my bluntness,"

His voice wasn't loud, but it silenced the surroundings. "Your face means nothing to me."

"Whoever wants to donate can donate, but I have money to buy a bicycle, so why should I give money to the Jia family? What kind of logic is that?"

"I saved my money penny by penny, and how I spend it is my business. Who has the right to tell me what to do?"

This cold tone sent a chill down the spines of many around them.

Everyone could tell that Hao Jianguo's words were tantamount to slapping the deaf old lady in the face in public.

The old lady's face darkened completely.

She felt she had already humbled herself, and the other party should have accepted the situation gracefully, but she never expected Hao Jianguo to be so ungrateful.

"Hao Jianguo!"

Her voice suddenly rose, "Is this how you talk to your elders? Don't think that just because you bought a car you're something special and can look down on everyone! Let me tell you, as long as I, this old woman, am alive, you have no right to point fingers at this yard!"

All was silent.

Everyone held their breath, wanting to see if Hao Jianguo would bow down to the old lady's imposing presence.

Hao Jianguo simply shook his head slightly.

He had thought that the old lady was getting on in years and he didn't want her to suffer in her later years.

But since the other party insisted on interfering, he couldn't be blamed for making his point clear.

"Pointing fingers? You must have misunderstood, ma'am."

His tone remained calm. "I can't be bothered with the trivial matters in this courtyard."

"You're the ones who insist on dragging me into this, what can I do?"

"But it's strange, I always thought you were like me, someone who didn't like to meddle in other people's business."

Why are you so concerned about this particular matter?

His gaze flickered slightly. "Or is it that as long as Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai are involved, you will blindly side with them and be unprincipledly enthusiastic?"

These words were like a needle, gently piercing a thin veil that had long shrouded people's hearts.

Whispers gradually rose from all around.

"It's true... The old lady is usually hard of hearing, but she becomes very perceptive when it comes to Sha Zhu."

"Whenever Sha Zhu got into trouble before, wasn't it always the old lady who covered for him?"

"I've never seen her this proactive when we were in trouble."

"I used to think she was so fair, but it turns out she's not all that great."

Xu Damao added fuel to the fire, shouting that the old lady always favored Sha Zhu when she and Sha Zhu had conflicts.

Hearing these comments, the deaf old woman felt a sudden sinking feeling in her heart.

Hao Jianguo's words seemed calm, but they were sharper than a knife.

A casual remark caused her prestige in the courtyard to waver somewhat.

"You...you..."

She was so angry that her fingers trembled, and for a moment she couldn't utter a complete sentence.

Madam Jia watched anxiously from the side.

Seeing Hao Jianguo turn to leave, it seemed the donation was completely ruined.

In her anxiety, she blurted out without thinking:

"Hao Jianguo, stop right there! How dare you speak to the old lady like that! Uncle Yi and the old lady only helped us out of pity. Is that wrong?"

Hao Jianguo didn't care at all and said in a calm tone, "Since those people are so enthusiastic and willing to donate, let them donate. There's no need to include me."

To his surprise, Jia Zhangshi stepped forward and blocked his way.

"Hao Jianguo, what's the panic? Are you hiding something and afraid we'll find out?"

Jia Zhangshi stared intently at him, her voice suddenly rising, "I've been wondering for a long time how someone who used to be so frugal can suddenly have meat at every meal, and now he's even bought a bicycle."

In my opinion, your money didn't come from clean means; you probably got it through shady dealings!

In her heart, she didn't believe Hao Jianguo had such ability to both eat meat and buy a car.

She suspected that the money had been there for quite some time.

"This car and this money of yours definitely didn't come from legitimate sources! If you don't pay this donation today, this matter is far from over! Do you believe I'll report you to the neighborhood committee right now? If the neighborhood committee can't handle it, I'll go straight to the police station!"

……

The number of review votes has reached 5,000. With 500 more reviews, I will definitely add an extra chapter tomorrow!

This is clearly unreasonable and a deliberate slander.

Many people around immediately frowned, showing displeasure, and began to whisper among themselves about Jia Zhangshi.

Hao Jianguo gave a cold laugh and turned his gaze to Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady beside him.

The two of them didn't look too good either, and their eyes showed a hint of disgust when they looked at Jia Zhangshi.

But at this moment, they remained silent as if it were none of their business.

Hao Jianguo let out a deep breath.

He could easily see through their intentions.

"Donations should be made if they are for those who truly need help."

Hao Jianguo changed the subject, "But—"

Before he could finish speaking, Madam Jia impatiently interrupted, "What 'but'?! Doesn't our Jia family need help? Hao Jianguo, we've already said all that, hurry up and hand over the money!"

Seeing her like this, Hao Jianguo almost laughed in anger.

"Does your Jia family even deserve to donate?"

His tone turned cold. "Before you ask me to donate money, tell me first, how much compensation did your Jia family actually receive this time?"

After saying that, he turned his gaze to Yi Zhonghai.

"Uncle Yi, before you called on everyone to donate, did you check how much money the Jia family had? Are they poor? The compensation Jia Zhangshi received a few days ago was a full four hundred yuan! And yet they come to us crying poor?"

"Jia Dongxu's work injury was fully covered by the factory's medical expenses, and he also received an extra subsidy every month."

"Looking around this courtyard, besides your First Uncle and Second Uncle, the Jia family is probably the wealthiest, right?"

These words caused an uproar in the room.

Seeing Jia Zhangshi's face turn deathly pale, everyone immediately understood that everything Hao Jianguo said was true.

"Four hundred? Good heavens, that's a huge sum of money!"

"We couldn't earn that much even if we worked ourselves to the bone for a year, and the Jia family still has the nerve to ask for donations? Pah! They've lost all their conscience!"

Immediately, there was much discussion.

The thought that Jia Zhangshi had just been acting pitiful in front of everyone made them feel even worse.

Yi Zhonghai also harbored a burning anger within him.

He knew he had been outmaneuvered by Jia Zhangshi this time.

He knew the Jia family had asked for compensation, but he never expected to receive so much money.

Hao Jianguo coldly stared at Jia Zhangshi, whose face was deathly pale.

"Weren't you just saying you were going to report me to the neighborhood committee? What a coincidence, I was just thinking of reporting you too."

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback: "Hao Jianguo, what...what do you want to do?"

"What are you doing?"

Hao Jianguo's tone was sharp, "You call yourself a senior member of this compound? Don't you realize there's something wrong here? Let me tell you, there's a huge problem!"

Yi Zhonghai's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

Seeing Hao Jianguo so full of vigor and completely in control, he felt a pang of displeasure, as if his authority as an elder had been completely undermined.

"What's the problem?"

Yi Zhonghai asked in a deep voice.

Hao Jianguo stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Jia Dongxu is disabled, so in principle, the maximum compensation should be a hundred yuan or so."

On what grounds should Jia Zhangshi receive four hundred yuan in compensation?

Following his line of thought, everyone frowned and immediately realized the strangeness behind the matter.

The compensation standards are clearly written in black and white, and the factory would never distribute them arbitrarily.

The only explanation for Jia Zhangshi receiving that sum of money, which far exceeded the stipulated amount, is that someone falsely reported her injuries or even fabricated facts to fraudulently claim four hundred yuan!

These words exploded like a thunderclap in everyone's heads.

Everyone stared at Madam Jia in shock; no one had expected her to have such audacity.

"Grandpa, Grandma, I'll ask you one last question—even now, are you still going to continue protecting Jia Zhangshi?"

Hao Jianguo's calm voice rang out at just the right moment.

To shield someone? That would be to disregard the law.

Who has the right to defy the law?

Even if she was a deaf old woman who received special care and support, and even if he was Yi Zhonghai, the factory's top-level eighth-grade fitter, he could not bear this crime!

Get ready to go to jail!

The deaf old lady was so startled by these words that she swayed and almost fell, but fortunately Yi Zhonghai caught her in time.

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu beside him had ashen faces. They knew perfectly well that if the fraud was investigated, none of them could escape responsibility.

Hao Jianguo glanced coldly at the group, too lazy to waste any more words, and turned to leave, pushing his bicycle.

The situation no longer required his intervention.