He Daqing, do you know how I've lived these past years?

"Jia Zhangshi, you stop right there!"

Yan Bugui grabbed Jia Zhangshi's clothes and shouted loudly:

"You almost knocked my wife over today, you need to give me an explanation."

The disheveled Jia Zhangshi was stunned to see Yan Bugui lying on the ground, still clutching her clothes.

"Hmm, was anyone at the door when I went out today? I don't think I saw anyone."

"You filthy scoundrel, if you pull on my clothes again, you believe I'll scream for help? You know what my uncle Jia Gui, Dongxu's uncle, does, right?"

"If you don't pay me 10 silver dollars today, I'm telling you, you can forget about living in this courtyard house forever."

Upon hearing Jia Gui's name, Yan Bugui slapped his thigh. He'd been so focused on eating during their last meal that he'd completely forgotten they were relatives.

He quickly got up from the ground, dusted off his robe, and said:

"Haha, we're on the same side. Jia Gui and I are friends too. It's alright then. Just remember to watch where you're going next time you go out, or someone might try to rip you off."

Seeing Yan Bugui about to leave, Jia Zhangshi chuckled and grabbed him, saying:

"You say it's nothing, but you're just being unreasonable and trying to make trouble for me. If you don't give me 10 silver dollars today, you can expect to be in jail."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bugui hurriedly pried open Jia Zhangshi's hand and shouted:

"That's really a refined way to masturbate."

"Let go of me!"

Madam Jia Zhang also sat down on the ground, pounding her hands on the ground and crying out:

"Old Jia, why did you leave so early? Jia Gui, look at your friends, they're even bullying your own widow and her orphan!"

Just then, a fat man walked in from outside and, seeing Jia Zhangshi's actions, asked with concern:

"What's wrong with Sister Jia? Tell me what happened, and I'll teach her a lesson with my bangs."

Madam Jia Zhang immediately followed up:

"This filthy scholar assaulted me! If he doesn't pay me 50 silver dollars today, I'll have Jia Gui come and settle this matter!"

Yan Bugui was furious. This was outrageous! It was clearly her fault. First, she asked for 10 silver dollars, and now she wanted 50! It was utterly outrageous!

So he hurriedly cupped his hands and said to Liu Haizhong:

"Manager Liu, you be the judge. Today, this Jia Zhangshi almost bumped into my pregnant wife on her way out. I asked her to apologize, but she accused me of molesting her and demanded compensation."

Liu Haizhong was so excited when he heard Yan Bugui call him "manager" that he didn't listen to anything else he said afterward.

Haha, I'm a manager at the factory, and I'm still a big shot back in this courtyard house. Outsiders still call me manager.

Seeing Liu Haizhong holding his head high and remaining silent, Jia Zhangshi also took a moment to spit out a mouthful of saliva.

That fat pig is unreliable; I have to do it myself.

Then she started crying and wailing, wiping her snot on her pants through her bangs.

Liu Haizhong also roared in fury:

"Jia Zhangshi, you're such a pervert! You're a complete pervert, opening the door for her father! You're a total pervert!"

Yan Bugui, standing to the side, also spoke up:

"Hmph, he's a complete pervert opening the door for his father, utterly depraved."

Ignoring everything else, Jia Zhangshi grabbed Liu Haizhong's leg and wiped her tears and snot on it.

With veins bulging on his face, Liu Haizhong growled in a low voice:

“Mrs. Jia, you know I’m the manager of the steel mill. Don’t think I’m disrespecting Master Jia. If you continue like this, your son Jia Dongxu will be in for a world of trouble.”

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately released her hands, stopped crying, gave an awkward smile, and immediately got up and ran home.

Yan Bugui also pulled Liu Haizhong and said:

"When Manager Liu comes to my house for dinner, I'll have my eldest son get you a pair of pants, and then I'll have my wife wash them for you."

Liu Haizhong immediately put his hands behind his back, raised his head, and began to speak in a loud voice:

“Serving you common folk is also in response to General Yue’s call. Since you’ve asked me to take charge, I’ll definitely help you make the decisions. Whether we eat or not doesn’t matter; we’ll treat you to a meal at the Emei Hotel next time. I’m heading back now.”

Yan Bugui watched Liu Haizhong walk away with a measured gait, and angrily muttered under his breath:

"Who are you? Setting up a whole table? Are you going to eat human venom?"

He stormed home.

A man with slightly curly hair walked in from outside. He nodded and smiled when he saw Yan Bugui:

"Haha, you must be Teacher Yan Bugui from the front courtyard, I'm Yi Zhonghai from the middle courtyard."

Yan Bugui tilted his head slightly and said, "Hmm."

The door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Yi Zhonghai, his face ashen, stared at the closed door and muttered curses under his breath:

"You unruly wretch, if this were before, I'd be doing myself a disservice if I didn't get some men to beat you to death!"

"Hmph, and that old hag, why did she sell the perfectly good yard? Otherwise, I would have taken over my father's job as a housekeeper too,"

He walked inside cursing, but when he saw his wife coaxing the neighbor He Daqing's daughter to walk, his anger flared up like oil being poured on it.

"This hen that can't lay eggs is taking care of other people's daughters every day. Am I, Yi Zhonghai, really destined to be childless?"

"No, could it be because all the good ones there have already had children, so they're useless? We've tried so many and none of them worked. Does that mean we can only look for virgins? But Huai Ru is still so young."

"Go to that old woman and ask for a fertility-enhancing soup. Try again, and if that doesn't work, we'll find another way."

So he ignored his wife calling him and went straight into the backyard.

"Madam, your servant Yi Zhonghai has something to report to you."

"Come in"

Yi Zhongguan closed the door, then knelt on the ground, his head touching the ground, and said:

"Madam, this servant wishes to request a fertility-enhancing soup for my daughter-in-law. Please grant me permission."

The wealthy old woman, toying with two walnuts, sneered:

"Go find it yourself in the fourth book from the second shelf down in the cabinet."

Yi Zhonghai immediately kowtowed three times, stood up, walked to the cabinet, opened it, and began searching for books.

But then I noticed a small, slightly ajar drawer on the third shelf below, and it looked like it contained small yellow croakers.

So he glanced sideways at his wife, who was still playing with walnuts with her eyes closed, slowly pulled open the small drawer with one hand, and held it underneath with the other.

Good heavens, a drawer full of silver dollars, mixed with three or four small yellow croakers.

Yi Zhonghai swallowed hard, then slowly pushed the drawer back.

He hurriedly pulled the book out from the second shelf and said:

"Madam, could you allow me to take the recipe back with me and bring it back?"

The wealthy old woman nodded in agreement.

"You're Old Yi's son, you can take it, no need to return it."

Yi Zhonghai also bowed as he left the room.

The wealthy old woman also sat up from her chair, looked at the closed door, and said with amusement:

"If you hadn't been adopted late, and if the emperor hadn't fled to the Northeast, your father would have castrated you back then. Drinking the 'infertility potion' and still wanting to carry on the family line? That's like a little cow trying to fly to heaven!"

As Yi Zhonghai walked out, his mind was filled with a drawer full of silver dollars and small yellow croakers.

"No, that old hag definitely has more money than that. She's the mistress, and her two sons are high-ranking military officers. She must have hidden it."

Looks like I need to find a chance to do some serious research. Hehe, thank goodness the dynasty has changed, otherwise I'd still have to be her dog.

……