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

Afterwards, the relevant authorities conducted ideological education for the residents of the courtyard, and Er Da Ye and others were required to make profound self-criticisms.

As respected elders in the community, they failed to set a good example. Instead of stopping superstitious activities in time, they almost became accomplices and were therefore punished accordingly.

Liu Hai was filled with anxiety, fearing that he, the "second uncle," would be...

His official position was completely stripped away, but fortunately, he only had to make a public apology, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune for him.

The deaf old woman and Wang Daoren were paraded through the streets for three consecutive days. When they were sent back to the courtyard, the old woman had been tortured beyond recognition, her spirit was low, and her body was covered with rotten vegetable leaves and broken eggshells.

Her reputation, like those rotten eggs, was completely ruined.

As for Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, although they did not participate in the parade, they were identified as accomplices in the deaf old woman's spread of superstition. They received serious warnings from the street office and the civilization office and were required to submit written self-criticisms.

The punishment did not end there—after returning to the factory, the two were summoned by the factory leaders for a severe reprimand, and then the incident was publicized throughout the factory, making them a negative example for all their fellow workers to learn from.

For a time, Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai became the laughing stock of the entire factory.

The two were already in a difficult situation at the factory, often suffering from the cold looks of others. Now, with this additional incident, they were so ashamed that they wanted to disappear.

To everyone else, everything they were suffering was simply the result of their own actions.

In contrast to the miserable state of these people, Hao Jianguo's life remained smooth sailing.

For him, this was just a minor episode in his peaceful life.

Especially with his technical rating rising again, Hao Jianguo became even more famous in the factory.

Nowadays, everyone who mentions him shows admiration and gives him a thumbs up.

In his workshop, there were discussions about his "future".

Discussions about it have become increasingly frequent.

"I heard that our Deputy Director Hao is going to be nominated as an outstanding worker."

Some people spoke with an air of admiration.

"What's so surprising? There were rumors before that he would soon be promoted to director. In my opinion, it's almost certain, and he might even go further up the ladder."

"I'm just wondering, if Deputy Director Hao is this capable, are the people in the hospital out of their minds? They don't even bother to curry favor, they keep doing it again and again, they're just incredibly stupid."

These comments reached their ears, and not only Yi Zhonghai and his group, but even the other residents in the courtyard felt ashamed and couldn't hold their heads up.

Everyone harbored deep resentment, but this resentment was directed at the deaf old lady and her group—if they hadn't repeatedly caused trouble for Hao Jianguo, this courtyard house wouldn't have lost face to such an extent.

Nowadays, the entire courtyard has become a laughing stock among factory workers and neighbors. People who live here always feel that they can't stand up straight when they go out.

Originally, the fact that such an outstanding person as Hao Jianguo had emerged from the institute should have been a source of pride for everyone, but things didn't go as planned.

A few days later, Yu Li returned from her parents' home.

Upon hearing about what had happened during her time away from the hospital, she immediately flew into a rage. If Hao Jianguo hadn't stopped her in time, she probably would have stormed into the deaf old lady's room to demand justice. "Don't worry, they don't have the ability to make things difficult for me."

But you, please take good care of yourself.

Hearing Hao Jianguo's gentle and caring words, Yu Li felt a surge of warmth in her heart.

The next day, Hao Jianguo took a day off to accompany Yu Li to the hospital for a check-up.

Because he had some acquaintances in the hospital, he asked around and received an unexpected surprise: Yu Li was pregnant with twins.

Upon hearing the news, the couple were overjoyed and quickly relayed the message to Yu Li's family, sharing the joy with the elders.

After returning to the courtyard house, many neighbors pretended to be concerned and inquired about Yu Li's condition.

After the incident involving Wang Daoren, there was still some awkwardness between everyone and Hao Jianguo.

Now, many people in the hospital are eager to repair their relationship with him, and after learning that he might be a twin, congratulations have been pouring in.

Of course, some people hated them to the core—for example, Sha Zhu and the deaf old lady.

Upon hearing the good news, the two were so indignant that they almost rushed out to hurl insults, but were ultimately stopped by Yi Zhonghai.

Although Yi Zhonghai also disliked Hao Jianguo, he understood that now was not the time to cause trouble, otherwise things might get out of hand. "Damn it all, why is it that while we're struggling so much, Hao Jianguo is having it all, even expecting twins? It's infuriating!"

The deaf old woman clenched her teeth in anger, and she almost fainted when she thought of the humiliation of being paraded through the streets for three days.

This time, it was only thanks to her status as a descendant of a martyr and her advanced age that she was allowed to return to the hospital.

Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to stay in the detention center and continue to be "educated."

As for Wang Daoren, he wasn't so lucky—after the parade, he was sent directly to the cowshed.

Yi Zhonghai was equally furious.

He had no children in his life, while his enemy Hao Jianguo was about to have offspring, twins at that. To say that he felt no jealousy would be a lie.

However, he was more patient than Sha Zhu and the deaf old lady. "Alright, let him be smug for a while."

We've just caused trouble; if we push our luck again, the higher-ups won't let us off easily.

Yi Zhonghai sighed bitterly, but in his heart he kept thinking about how to pave his way out.

A few days later, Qin Huairu was also released from the mental hospital.

Despite the investigation, Jia Zhangshi insisted that Qin Huairu stole the money, but she could not produce any concrete evidence.

Moreover, the police searched the house thoroughly but couldn't find where the money was hidden—logically speaking, if Qin Huairu really stole it, she couldn't have transferred the money in such a short time.

The police ultimately decided to release him.

More importantly, after these days of observation, the hospital doctors determined that Qin Huairu was mentally normal and met the discharge criteria.

Otherwise, no one would dare to call a "madman" a madman.

Return it to the neighborhood.

In fact, Qin Huairu was able to come out so quickly thanks to one person—Jia Zhangshi.

Jia Zhangshi was still convinced that Qin Huairu had stolen the money, but she really had no other choice—even the police couldn't find any clues, so what else could she do but accept the outcome?

Now that Qin Huairu is no longer managing the household, all the housework has fallen back on her shoulders, and she also has to keep an eye on several children. For Jia Zhangshi, this is like being slowly tortured by a dull knife.

Although she loathed this daughter-in-law, she had to admit that the family couldn't function without Qin Huairu.

After Qin Huairu returned, she was unusually sensible.

In front of Jia Zhangshi and her family, she appeared exceptionally diligent and obedient. Not only did she tidy up the house and yard in silence, but she also seemed to have had her edges smoothed out. No matter how her mother-in-law scolded her, she would just lower her head and listen without uttering a word in return.

As time went on, Jia Zhangshi became somewhat at a loss because of this submissive attitude.

Of course, this old woman would never let Qin Huairu off the hook because of this.

No matter how hard Qin Huairu tried, Jia Zhangshi still treated her like a punching bag, hitting her and cursing her whenever she was unhappy.

In the past, Qin Huairu would have made a scene long ago, but now her face is blank, as if she has completely resigned herself to her fate.

When she had free time, Qin Huairu would often sit quietly by the door, her eyes fixed on the direction of Hao Jianguo's house.

During her time in the mental hospital, she realized that her current predicament was entirely Hao Jianguo's fault.

If she's not having a good time, he absolutely cannot be allowed to have one either.

Especially after hearing that Yu Li was pregnant with twins, the jealousy almost burned through her chest—in her eyes, Yu Li was not worthy of being a mother, let alone having everything she had now, which should have been hers.

Outsiders naturally cannot see through the complexities in her heart.

Seeing Qin Huairu sitting blankly all day, the neighbors in the courtyard were even more convinced that there was something wrong with her mind.

Even if he's not crazy, he's definitely not normal.

So everyone avoided each other whenever possible, and if they did run into each other, they would quickly steer clear as if avoiding a plague.

Who can say for sure when someone with a distorted mind will go crazy? If something goes wrong, the Jia family will be a real handful.

Unbeknownst to her, Qin Huairu had become an isolated island in this courtyard.

This isolation fueled her growing resentment towards Hao Jianguo's family.

Qin Huairu is now completely ruthless, but she is different from the deaf old woman—she won't act recklessly like that old woman.

Qin Huairu understood from the superstitious trick the deaf old woman had pulled a while ago: trying to bring down Hao Jianguo with such a stupid method was simply a pipe dream.

Things didn't take her too long to wait.

A few days later, an opportunity came knocking on my door.

My cousin Qin Jingru from the countryside suddenly sent a letter saying that she wanted to go to the city to broaden her horizons, and that it would be even better if she could find a man in the city to marry like her older cousin.

This news made Qin Huairu's eyes light up—her cousin hadn't seen much of the world, and although she usually liked to scheme, her little tricks were nothing in Qin Huairu's eyes, and she could use her as a tool.

After Jia Zhangshi and the deaf old woman suffered repeated setbacks, Qin Huairu realized one thing: when dealing with Hao Jianguo, she must never rush to the front herself.

Otherwise, if something goes wrong, she will be the only one who suffers.

When Qin Huairu brought Qin Jingru back to the courtyard house, it was already close to dusk.

Qin Jingru was simple-minded and fearful of the vast city of Beijing, so she naturally took her cousin's words to heart.

With Qin Huairu's embellished description, Hao Jianguo had long since become a wicked scoundrel in her mind—driving the Jia family to the brink of despair, suppressing the entire courtyard so that no one dared to utter a sound, and even ruining Qin Huairu's reputation by turning it into "crazy talk" in everyone's mouth.

"Sis, that guy surnamed Hao is a real scoundrel!"

Qin Jingru was so angry that she rolled up her sleeves, as if she was about to rush out the door to argue. "I'll get revenge for you!"

Seeing how easily she took the bait, Qin Huairu was secretly delighted, but quickly stopped her. "With your physique, can you really go toe-to-toe with him? Even Sha Zhu, the strongest fighter in the courtyard, has suffered at his hands."

She sighed, lowered her eyes, and said, "I know you mean well, but... I can't drag you into this."

Qin Jingru became even more anxious upon hearing this. "You're my only family in this city. If I don't help you, who will?"

She took Qin Huairu's hand, her tone earnest, "Please tell me if there's anything I can do!"

Qin Huairu hesitated, declining several times before finally relenting as if she couldn't resist any longer. "Actually... there really is a way."

She lowered her voice, but her eyes secretly scanned the other person, "It's just that you'll have to suffer."

"Forget about feeling wronged, as long as I can help!"

"We women can't use our hands, we can only use our minds."

Qin Huairu pretended to speak with difficulty, "Go and get close to Hao Jianguo, and make him have designs on you."

"We'll figure out what to do next later..."

Qin Jingru was stunned, her face flushing red and then pale.

She never expected her cousin to come up with such an idea.

"See, I knew you weren't happy."

Qin Huairu immediately put on a sorrowful expression, her eyes slightly red, "It was my mistake."

You should go back to your hometown quickly, so you don't get involved with me.

That person is ruthless. If I were to hate you too, I would never be able to live with myself for the rest of my life.

She turned her face away as she spoke, her shoulders trembling slightly, making her appear to anyone who saw her as a desperate and miserable person with nowhere else to turn.

Looking at her cousin's slender back, Qin Jingru felt a surge of warmth in her heart, and her hesitation was instantly dispelled by her sense of loyalty.

"Sister, don't say that."

She bit her lip. "I...I'll do as you say."

These words, on the surface, seemed to be for Qin Jingru's sake, but beneath the surface lay an unyielding coercion.

If Qin Jingru dared to shake her head, her "older sister" would...

They would no longer lend a helping hand—a country girl with no one to rely on in Beijing, without help, how could she possibly settle down and take root?

Qin Jingru was young after all, and could not withstand the scrutiny of Qin Huairu, who was so experienced.

Her eyes met for a fleeting moment, and she panicked.

Gritting her teeth, she nodded hastily, "Sister, don't say that... You're my only family here. How can I not help you when you're in trouble? It's just... I'm just from the countryside, and I'm afraid I'm clumsy and will hinder your work."

He spoke in a hurry, afraid that if he spoke too slowly he would be chased away.

As for whether it should or shouldn't be done, right or wrong—since my sister said she didn't really want her to do anything with Hao Jianguo, then let's not worry about that for now.

"I...I only have one thing to worry about."

Her voice trailed off, revealing hesitation.

Hearing this, Qin Huairu felt relieved.

It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but at least for now, this little girl is in my grasp.

"What are you worried about? Tell me."

Qin Huairu softened her tone, "I will arrange everything that I can for you."

In her view, as long as Hao Jianguo could be brought down, nothing else mattered.

"No matter how hateful Hao Jianguo is... he is still a person of some standing."

"Looking at me like this, so rustic and unsophisticated, why would he even give me a second glance? Let alone... let alone try to lure him in."