Courtyard House: She got anxious when He Yushui wasn't licked.

Wang Lin, who was eating beef, froze. Why was He Yushui asking him this question out of the blue? Could it be that she had managed to escape Yi Zhonghai's brainwashing?

Seeing Wang Lin's action, He Yushui realized that her guess had come true; Wang Lin did indeed know something she didn't.

Since He Yushui could still be saved, Wang Lin naturally wouldn't just stand by and watch her become a pitiful person who lost her brother.

Amidst the sizzling hotpot, Wang Lin asked He Yushui a question in return: "Do you think there are any good people in this courtyard?"

When asked about this, He Yushui instinctively wanted to say that everyone in the courtyard was a good person and that everyone helped each other. But when she got to the point, she realized that it seemed that people weren't helping each other; rather, it was the families in need who were asking others for help, the most typical example being Qin Huairu's family.

Seeing He Yushui deep in thought, Wang Lin slowly picked up a meatball, popped it into his mouth, and said, "Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, these three old men seem to be solving problems for the people in the compound, but have you seen how they solve these problems? They run their own one-man show, favoritism, and brainwashing."

He Yushui had been brainwashed by Yi Zhonghai for many years. She retorted to Wang Lin, "The old man was a very good person. After my father ran away with the widow, he took care of my siblings and me like a father."

Looking at He Yushui, whose poisoning wasn't too severe, Wang Lin asked with a smile, "Do you think Yi Zhonghai is good to you and your siblings, or only to your brother, Sha Zhu?"

Upon closer reflection, what Wang Lin said seemed to make a lot of sense. From childhood to adulthood, Yi Zhonghai had been genuinely good to his brother, while she herself didn't seem to have done anything particularly good.

Wang Lin continued, "Do you know why Yi Zhonghai is only nice to your brother?"

He Yushui couldn't understand and asked, "Why?"

“Because…” Wang Lin said mysteriously, “Because he is childless! He has no children.”

Everyone in the compound knew that Yi Zhonghai had no children, and many people envied the old woman because Yi Zhonghai stayed by her side even though she couldn't have children.

But the secret behind it is probably only known to Yi Zhonghai himself: he has a health problem and cannot have children.

He Yushui seemed to have discovered something, but couldn't quite grasp it yet. She said in a silly and naive way, "Could it be that Uncle Yi is planning to make my brother his godson? If Yi Zhonghai said this, my brother would definitely agree!"

Wang Lin shook one finger and said, "No, no, no! You're overthinking it. Yi Zhonghai wouldn't take Sha Zhu as his godson."

Now it was He Yushui's turn to be dumbfounded. What did Wang Lin mean by that? Did Yi Zhonghai not want to take Sha Zhu as his godson, but still want to take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days?

Yi Zhonghai knew that if he adopted He Yuzhu as his godson, his house would eventually belong to He Yuzhu. Given He Yuzhu's sycophantic nature, he might be completely controlled by Qin Huairu in the future, and the house would eventually become Qin Huairu's possession. Therefore, in order to protect his house and property, he would never do it openly. He only needed to brainwash He Yuzhu and control his life.

"Is this old man really that kind of person?" He Yushui was even more confused. What exactly was Yi Zhonghai after?

"They're hypocritical and adept at using moral blackmail," Wang Lin said with a smile.

“I think Brother Lin is right about that. That old man in your department, he seems like a good person, but he has been biased and brainwashing you several times during department-wide meetings.”

Fang Yue wasn't part of the group and couldn't join the conversation, but there was one thing she was most qualified to say: "Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly."

If it were just Wang Lin saying this, He Yushui would think that Wang Lin was prejudiced against Yi Zhonghai, but with Fang Yue, an outsider, added, the credibility increased considerably.

He Yushui found it hard to accept that the people who had always been kind to them were actually scheming against them; anyone else would have found it difficult to process this quickly.

Wang Lin didn't just focus on Yi Zhonghai; he turned his criticism to Liu Haizhong, commenting, "Liu Haizhong, the second uncle in charge of the courtyard, is also a beast. He had been plotting to take my place in the factory for a long time, but he didn't succeed. He has no connections in the factory, he's stingy and lacks a sense of the big picture, and he's even more mean to his children. Let's see how his children will be filial to him when he gets old (laughs)."

Liu Haizhong's second uncle, He Yushui, wasn't particularly fond of him, and they didn't interact much on a daily basis, at most exchanging greetings when they met.

Wang Lin took a sip of cola and continued, "Yan Bugui is an interesting person. He is shrewd and calculating, and he plans everything. He loves to take advantage of others, and he is shameless. He even schemes against his own children. Once the benefits are big enough, he will take risks, such as helping Yi Zhonghai to do evil."

"No way! The Third Uncle even schemes against his own children."

He Yushui's understanding of Yan Bugui was still limited to his identity as an elementary school teacher. She never expected that he would even scheme against his own daughter at home. Are there really such parents in the world?

Wang Lin said with a smile, "Take your time to see. If you pay close attention, you'll find that Yan Bugui is no good person either, and he has no bottom line."

In just a short while, He Yushui heard another side of the story about the three old men in the courtyard.

He Yushui thought of someone, "What about Sister Qin? She always washes my brother's clothes and cleans the house. I think she's a really nice person."

Upon hearing that Qin Huairu was a good person, Wang Lin couldn't help but laugh. He wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes with a tissue and said, "You think Qin Huairu is a good person? Sorry, I don't usually lose my composure like this unless I hear something really funny, hahaha."

He Yushui didn't expect Wang Lin's reaction to be so strong. She frowned slightly and asked, "Is it that funny? I think Sister Qin is a nice person, but she has a very hard life. Her husband died, and she has to raise three children. The worst part is that she also has a wicked mother-in-law."

Wang Lin nodded, but he didn't think Qin Huairu was a good person. He slowly said, "You're overthinking it. Qin Huairu has her own reasons for cleaning your brother's room and doing his laundry."

He Yushui disagreed, finding it impossible, and said, "What purpose could there be in washing clothes or sweeping the floor? Wang Lin, do you have some kind of paranoia?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Yue couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Wang Lin's lips twitched. He Yushui really dared to speak her mind!

He Yushui looked at Wang Lin and asked, "Isn't that right?"

Wang Lin pointed to the boiled eggs on the table and said to He Yushui, "What you see is only the surface. Just like this boiled egg, does it look good from the outside?"

He Yushui looked at the boiled eggs that Wang Lin was pointing to, and indeed, from the outside, the eggs did not show any signs of being bad.

Wang Lin picked up a boiled egg, peeled it open, and showed it to He Yushui. He said earnestly, "Some things can't be judged by appearances. Just like this boiled egg, you might think it's a good egg, but the yolk inside is already black."

Fang Yue gave Wang Lin a thumbs up; this lecture was textbook-worthy.

He Yushui took the egg from Wang Lin's hand in disbelief. Just as Wang Lin had said, the inside of the boiled egg was black; it was a rotten egg.

Wang Lin hoped He Yushui would understand, but he underestimated the extent of Qin Huairu's brainwashing over the years.

He Yushui placed the boiled eggs on the table and said, "An egg is an egg, and a person is a person. They cannot be confused."

Seeing that He Yushui wouldn't admit defeat until she was faced with the truth, Wang Lin had no choice but to reveal Qin Huairu's true purpose: "You think Qin Huairu is so diligent every time because she's grateful to your brother for helping her family? You're wrong. When she helps your brother clean, she always loses things, whether it's a few cents or a few dollars. In all those years, can you honestly say that there wasn't a single piece of clothing your brother took off that had money inside?"

He Yushui fell silent, because what Wang Lin said was true.

Wang Lin continued, increasing the dosage, "Do you know why she always carries a basin into your brother's room to wash his underwear? Qin Huairu just doesn't want your brother to succeed in his blind dates, so she sabotages them every time."

"I really want to argue with you! But you're absolutely right!" He Yushui felt like the sky had fallen. She didn't understand why Qin Huairu would do this.

Chapter 78 Locust Flowers Spread the News

After hearing Wang Lin's words, He Yushui also began to suspect Qin Huairu's family.

Did Qin Huairu do all this so that her brother would raise her child for free?

If Qin Huairu really likes Sha Zhu, then being with Sha Zhu doesn't seem so bad, since Sha Zhu would get three children for free.

Wang Lin was afraid that He Yushui was being too optimistic, so he said ruthlessly, "If you really want to help your brother, then advise him to break things off with Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai and find a wife to settle down with."

That's all I have to say. As for whether He Yushui will help her brother Shazhu, that depends on her own thoughts. After all, saying more is useless; we still need to see He Yushui's actual actions.

He Yushui sat in the chair, lost in thought.

Wang Lin did not disturb He Yushui's contemplation.

Outside the door, the deaf old woman stared at Wang Lin's window for a long time. Then, as if struck by a thought, she leaned on her cane and ran to He Yuzhu's house in the front yard to complain.

At this moment, in He Yuzhu's house in the front yard, he and Yi Zhonghai had both drunk quite a bit of wine, and their faces were slightly flushed.

Yi Zhonghai didn't say anything bad about He Yuzhu at the dinner table, but he subtly reminded He Yuzhu that when looking for a wife, he should find someone who is thrifty and hardworking, like Qin Huairu, a virtuous wife and loving mother.

Because He Yuzhu had been drinking, he spoke highly of Qin Huairu.

Ran Qiuye was embarrassed. She was going on a blind date with Sha Zhu tonight, but Sha Zhu was praising a widow. Wasn't that a slap in the face?

So, feeling that she had eaten enough, Ran Qiuye said she had to leave because it was too late.

As Ran Qiuye was about to leave, He Yuzhu instantly sobered up considerably.

"My dear grandson!"

Outside the door, the deaf old woman knocked on He Yuzhu's door.

Upon hearing the deaf old woman's voice, He Yuzhu quickly got up to check on her.

As soon as the deaf old woman entered He Yuzhu's house, seeing so many people and so many dishes, she immediately forgot about her intention to complain.

He Yuzhu helped the deaf old woman to a chair and asked, "Grandma! What brings you here?"

Normally, the deaf old lady would only come to He Yuzhu's house for minor matters; it was always He Yuzhu who visited her.

The deaf old woman stared at the chicken soup and said, "I saw He Yushui go to the backyard to find that boy from the Wang family."

Sure enough, when He Yuzhu heard that He Yushui had gone to the backyard to find Wang Lin again, he slammed his fist on the table in anger and said, "How could Yushui be so stupid! She just can't forget that brat Wang Lin!"

Qin Huairu stepped forward to comfort He Yuzhu, saying, "Don't be angry, silly Zhu! I think Yuzhu is just temporarily infatuated with Wang Lin. Once we introduce her to a few more potential partners, she won't be so hung up on Wang Lin anymore."

Yi Zhonghai originally didn't intend to meddle, but since it involved Wang Lin, he felt it wasn't impossible to get involved, so he said, "There are many great young men in the factory. I think we can help connect Yu Shui with them."

When He Yushui heard that Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu were willing to introduce her to potential partners, her expression brightened. She even thanked Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai, saying, "Thank you so much, Sister Qin and Uncle Yi. Yushui is so lucky to have you two as her elders."

"This is what we should do as neighbors in this compound," Yi Zhonghai said, still maintaining a sanctimonious facade. His selfless attitude was truly disgusting.

"That's right, that's right, the old man should really think of a good place to find rainwater." Qin Huairu's words sounded reasonable at first glance, but whether she really thought that way was something only Qin Huairu herself knew.

"Is this Wang Lin you're talking about a bad person?"

Ran Qiuye was curious about what heinous things Wang Lin had done to cause so many people to dislike him and gossip about him behind his back.

"Teacher Ran, you don't know, this Wang Lin relies on his good connections to live his own little life behind closed doors! He never cares about the difficulties of his neighbors and is very uncooperative."

"Yes! And this kid has become extremely arrogant lately. He doesn't respect anyone, he's all talk and no action, and he refuses to be disciplined at all."

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu started talking badly about Wang Lin.

"I didn't expect there to be such a person in the courtyard." After hearing their evaluation of Wang Lin, Ran Qiuye also felt that this person seemed a bit bad.

"No, I'm going to teach that brat Wang Lin a lesson and make him stay away from my sister." The more He Yuzhu thought about it, the more he felt he couldn't swallow his anger.

"No rush, let's go after we finish eating." Yi Zhonghai felt that using He Yushui to teach Wang Lin a lesson was a good opportunity.

“Okay, I’ll listen to Uncle Yi. After we finish eating, we’ll go and teach Wang Lin a good lesson.” He Yuzhu, this sycophant, was very obedient to Yi Zhonghai and actually agreed.

Yi Zhonghai thought to himself that Wang Lin had been disrespecting him, an old man, for the time being, and he felt uneasy because he couldn't vent his anger.

Bang Geng was filled with hatred at the mention of Wang Lin. He had recently secretly learned a martial arts manual, which was a crucial moment. Otherwise, he would have gone to the backyard to seek revenge on Wang Lin.

Xiao Dang didn't like Wang Lin at all; she only cared about eating the meat in front of her, stuffing herself with as much as she could until she couldn't eat anymore.

"I'm going to pee."

Although Huaihua was small, she overheard them talking about Wang Lin and remembered the big meat buns Wang Lin had given her. So, she decided to go to the backyard to spread the word and repay Wang Lin for the meat buns.

"Huaihua, do you want your sister to take you?" Xiao Dang asked, a little worried.

"No need, sister eats." Huaihua turned around and shook her little head.

When Xiao Dang heard that Huaihua didn't want her to go with her, she continued eating. So many delicious foods weren't something you could come across just once in a day, so she simply let Huaihua go alone.

Huaihua opened He Yuzhu's door and went out.

Fortunately, all the houses in the courtyard had their lights on, so it was quite bright.

As Huaihua walked to the backyard, she didn't forget to quietly look back to see if anyone was following her.

Despite her young age, she already possesses a considerable amount of cunning.