1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

Yi Zhonghai had been feeling heavy lately, as if a huge stone was weighing on his heart. This heaviness only intensified whenever he saw his adorable son. For some reason, he felt an indescribable aura of danger lingered around him, like an invisible dark cloud looming overhead, filling him with inexplicable fear and worry.

This ominous premonition made Yi Zhonghai restless and uneasy all day long. After careful consideration, he finally made up his mind to find out what was going on. So from that day on, he became extremely vigilant and paid even more attention to his son.

On this bright and sunny morning, warm sunlight filtered through the dense, mottled leaves, scattering like fine gold dust across the courtyard grounds. Yi Zhonghai, as usual, appeared nonchalant as he walked out of his house. But in reality, he had already made a plan—he was only pretending to leave, while in reality, he had quietly retreated to a corner of the courtyard, where no one would notice him. His piercing eyes, like those of a hawk, were fixed intently on the direction of his house, not missing a single movement.

Sure enough, not long after, a furtive figure crept into the yard. Yi Zhonghai quickly focused his attention and took a closer look. He was shocked: the person who sneaked in was actually the deaf old lady who usually looked amiable and kind! The deaf old lady was completely different from her usual self. She was holding a package tightly in her hand and looked around panickedly. Then, like a guilty thief, she took small steps and cautiously approached the water tank where the children usually drank water.

Seeing the deaf old woman tremblingly stretching out her hand, about to throw the mysterious and disturbing unidentified object in the package in her hand into the water tank, Yi Zhonghai, who had been silently observing all this in a dark corner not far away, finally could no longer suppress his inner anger and anxiety.

His originally calm face instantly became distorted and hideous, and the rage burning in his heart seemed to burst out of his chest, like a long-dormant volcano suddenly erupting violently, its force unstoppable and surging!

In the next second, Yi Zhonghai's tall and strong body shook violently, and like a completely enraged cheetah, he rushed towards the deaf old woman at an astonishing speed. His figure was as fast as lightning, and in the blink of an eye he had rushed to the deaf old woman.

With a resounding thud, Yi Zhonghai launched a powerful kick, striking the deaf woman's hand as she clutched the package. The immense force of the impact sent the package careening through the air before crashing heavily onto the hard ground several meters away.

Immediately afterwards, Yi Zhonghai reached out without hesitation, grabbed the deaf old woman by the collar, and lifted her up. Yi Zhonghai's eyes widened, blazing with anger as he stared at the deaf old woman, who had already lost all color in fear, and demanded, "You ungrateful old thing, what on earth do you want to do? Why did you pour this inexplicable stuff into the water tank?"

The poor deaf old woman was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that she lost all her soul. Her already pale face now lost even more color, turning as pale as a sheet of paper. Her lips trembled, and she couldn't form a complete sentence for a long time. Her entire body was shaking violently and uncontrollably with extreme fear. However, she still tried to defend herself, saying, "I... I just saw that the child was weak, so I gave him some tonic!"

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai sneered. He loosened the deaf woman's collar, pulled out a stack of papers from his bosom, and slammed them to the ground, saying, "You still dare to be so stubborn? These are the evidence I've collected of your secret evil deeds! Don't think I don't know what you're up to!" A dull, loud bang was heard, as deafening as thunder from a clear sky. Yi Zhonghai flashed and kicked out with such speed and force that he hit the package tightly held in the deaf woman's hand with incredible precision.

The package flew through the air like a cannonball, tracing a graceful and sharp arc, whirring away into the distance. In the blink of an eye, it landed heavily on the hard ground in the distance, sending up a cloud of dust.

Almost at the same moment, Yi Zhonghai took a step forward and stretched out his right hand, like an iron clamp, to firmly grasp the deaf old woman's collar. His eyes, which were not big to begin with, were now wide open, as if about to spit fire. He angrily questioned the trembling old woman in front of him: "You ungrateful old man, what on earth are you trying to do?"

Frightened by Yi Zhonghai's sudden and aggressive appearance, the deaf old woman's face instantly lost all color, turning pale as paper. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, as if a candle in the wind could be extinguished at any moment. Despite this, the deaf old woman forced herself to remain calm and stammered in an attempt to defend herself, "I... I really didn't mean any other thing. I just saw that the child was too thin and weak, so I kindly brought him some tonic!"

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's mouth curled up slightly, revealing a hint of disdainful sneer. He snorted coldly and slowly loosened his grip on the deaf old woman's collar. Then, he calmly took out a thick stack of papers from his arms, and slammed it hard on the cold ground under his feet, and shouted loudly, "Humph! At this point, you still dare to speak sweet words and deny your mistakes? Open your eyes and take a good look! These are all the ironclad evidence that I have painstakingly collected about your evil deeds in secret! Don't think that your little tricks can be hidden from my eyes!"

At that moment, the other residents of the courtyard also rushed over after hearing the noise. They quickly gathered in a circle, curiously watching the scene unfold before them. In front of everyone, Yi Zhonghai recounted the deaf old woman's various evil deeds in detail. After hearing this, everyone was filled with righteous indignation and pointed fingers at the deaf old woman, accusing her of being too cruel.

At this time, the deaf old lady was ashen-faced. She knew that she was completely exposed this time. Faced with the condemnation of the crowd and Yi Zhonghai's unforgiving attitude, her legs softened and she collapsed to the ground, crying and begging: "I know I was wrong, please forgive me..." However, it was too late. Yi Zhonghai had made up his mind. He glanced coldly at the deaf old lady lying on the ground and said mercilessly: "Come on, follow me to the police station!" After that, he grabbed the deaf old lady and walked out the door. What was left behind was a sigh and a voice of contempt for the deaf old lady's actions. Yi Zhonghai held his son and walked firmly towards the police station.

Yi Zhonghai supported the deaf old lady and hurried to the police station. Along the way, both of them were in a very heavy mood, filled with anxiety and uneasiness.

Arriving at the police station, the police officers who greeted them were friendly and professional. Yi Zhonghai explained the entire incident in detail, including the time, location, and people involved. The officers listened attentively, occasionally taking notes on important details.

After understanding all the circumstances, the police quickly got to work and followed the procedures to file the case. Although the process was tedious, the police were skilled and methodical, which made Yi Zhonghai and the deaf old lady feel a sense of relief.

Finally, all the formalities were completed. Yi Zhonghai slowly walked out of the police station, took a deep breath of the fresh air outside, and then let out a long sigh. At that moment, he felt as if a huge stone that had been weighing on his heart for a long time had been lifted off his shoulders, and he suddenly felt much more relaxed.

When Yi Zhonghai returned to the courtyard, the neighbors who had been waiting there immediately gathered around him, eager to inquire about the outcome. With a smile on his face, Yi Zhonghai calmly recounted his experience at the police station and the current status of the case. Everyone gave him a thumbs-up, praising him for upholding justice and bringing justice to the victim.

From that day on, Yi Zhonghai put more energy into taking care of his son. He would carefully prepare nutritious meals every day, give his son medicine on time, and chat with him to relieve his boredom. Under his meticulous care, his son's health gradually improved, and his old smile reappeared on his face. Seeing his son getting better day by day, Yi Zhonghai was so happy.

But the matter did not end there. The atmosphere of the courtyard changed because of the incident of the deaf old lady. The atmosphere of being harmonious on the surface but calculating each other behind the scenes gradually faded away. Everyone began to supervise each other, help each other, and anyone who had bad thoughts would be reminded and stopped by others in time. Yi Zhonghai became the representative of justice in the courtyard. Whenever there was a dispute, everyone would ask him to preside over justice. His son thrived in this healthy and positive environment, and grew up to be an upright and kind person. Yi Zhonghai looked at his son with satisfaction, and felt that his decisive handling of the matter of the deaf old lady was absolutely correct.

Years later, Yi Zhonghai's son grew up and started his own family. One day, he stumbled across the stack of papers his father had used to expose the deaf woman's evil deeds. The papers were yellowed, the writing blurred, but the descriptions of the crimes were still shocking. With reverence, he approached Yi Zhonghai, and the two discussed the incident again.

Yi Zhonghai was filled with emotion and said, "What I did back then was not only for you, but also for the atmosphere of the entire courtyard." The son nodded deeply, expressing his understanding of his father's righteousness.

The son then carefully restored and framed the papers, hanging them prominently in the living room. Whenever someone visited, he would recount this story, admonishing his family to be upright and kind, and avoid harboring evil thoughts. This became a family tradition passed down through generations.

Neighborhood relations in the courtyards grew increasingly harmonious, and people lived and worked in peace and contentment. Yi Zhonghai enjoyed a happy old age, often sitting in the courtyard, basking in the sun and reminiscing about the past. Children gathered around him, listening to his stories, each one revealing a valuable lesson from life.

One day, a stranger arrived at the courtyard. He claimed to be a descendant of a distant relative of the deaf woman. He explained that while the deaf woman had been punished, he hoped no further mention of the incident would tarnish the family's reputation. Yi Zhonghai stepped forward and said sternly, "If you do something wrong, you must bear the consequences. If you're afraid of shame, you shouldn't have done it in the first place. This is also a warning to future generations." Seeing this, the man left in disgrace.

Time flies, and several years have passed in the blink of an eye. The courtyard house, once a treasure trove of memories and stories, now faces demolition and reconstruction. However, the greedy developer, hoping to maximize profits by lowering the compensation, resorted to various despicable means to coerce and bribe the residents, forcing them to quickly sign and agree to the demolition plan.

Faced with such unfair treatment, Mr. Yi Zhonghai, who has always been a man of justice and courage, once again stepped forward. Knowing that he could not fight the situation alone, he worked tirelessly visiting each neighbor's home, calling on everyone to unite and jointly defend their legitimate rights and interests.

Inspired by Yi Zhonghai, many residents of the courtyard responded and worked together to collect evidence of the developer's illegal activities. After a lot of hard work, they finally got enough strong evidence and resolutely reported the developer to the relevant authorities under their real names.

Initially, the developer ignored the residents' resistance and continued as usual. However, as relevant authorities investigated, the truth gradually surfaced, and the developer's misdeeds could no longer be concealed. Ultimately, under strong legal and public pressure, the developer was forced to bow its pride, compromise, and provide the residents with reasonable compensation as required by law.

At the same time, with the continuous progress and development of the times, the younger generation of Siheyuan residents has also embarked on different life paths. Some bravely leave home with their dreams in mind, venturing out into the wider world; while others choose to stay in their familiar hometowns and start their own businesses, hoping to contribute to the development of their hometowns through their own efforts.

Yi Zhonghai's grandson is one such example. After graduating from university, unlike most of his peers, he didn't rush for a stable job. Instead, he keenly grasped the opportunities presented by the internet boom. Leveraging his expertise, he skillfully used various social media platforms to promote the unique historical and cultural heritage of the Siheyuan courtyards, successfully attracting large numbers of tourists.

Gradually, this once ordinary courtyard house became renowned for its profound cultural heritage and unique architectural style, becoming a shining cultural landmark for the region. Whenever Yi Zhonghai sees the endless stream of tourists wandering through the courtyard, soaking in the rich traditional cultural atmosphere, he feels a surge of pride.

He knew that it was the tireless efforts of everyone in the courtyard, as well as their mutual care and support, that kept the harmonious, positive atmosphere alive. And this beautiful atmosphere, like an inexhaustible fire, would be passed down from generation to generation, forever and ever.