Siheyuan: Reborn Silly Pillar, Taking Control of the Entire Courtyard

As night deepened, the hutongs of Beijing were shrouded in darkness, and even the streetlights at the alley entrances emitted a dim, yellowish glow.

He Yuzhu moved nimbly, slipped into the old eunuch's empty courtyard, closed the gate behind him, and gently pressed the door knocker with his knuckles without making a sound.

He stood in the center of the courtyard and glanced around. The doors and windows of the main house were tightly closed, covered with a thin layer of dust, clearly indicating that no one had lived there for a long time. He Yuzhu stroked his chin; this was a rule he had thoroughly figured out.

Regardless of whether things are useful or not, put them all into the space first. After clearing out the house, those hidden compartments and secret rooms will be more likely to be exposed.

Over the years, this method has proven effective time and again, without ever going wrong.

Stepping into the main room, he didn't hesitate at all. His hands moved quickly, and he put everything that could be moved—the porcelain bowls on the table, the old clothes in the cabinet, the clutter in the corner—into his personal space.

In just a moment, the room, which had been crammed full, became spacious and bright, and even the cracks between the bricks on the floor were clearly visible.

"There's definitely something fishy going on." He Yuzhu's eyes narrowed, and he tapped the west wall with his fingertip, producing a muffled hollow sound, completely different from the sound of solid walls elsewhere.

He tapped lightly with his fingers, three quick taps followed by two slow ones, and a crack appeared in the wall, revealing a hidden compartment. An ordinary person would never discover this mechanism if they entered rashly.

He reached into the hidden compartment and pulled out a sandalwood box. His fingertips caressed the carvings on the box's surface. He opened it casually, and inside were stacks of brand-new silver notes, each worth one hundred taels. A rough count revealed a total of ten thousand taels.

He Yuzhu glanced at it, his lips drooped, his face full of disappointment, and he casually tossed the silver note aside.

"What's the use of this old geezer hiding this junk?" he muttered under his breath, his tone full of disdain.

"In this day and age, money shops are either collapsing or closing down, and banknotes are no different from waste paper. You can't even redeem them anywhere; they're just taking up space."

Despite his complaints, he continued to open the remaining hidden compartments. This time, the disappointment in his eyes finally dissipated, replaced by a glimmer of light.

In the second box, golden yellow croakers of various sizes were neatly arranged. The large yellow croakers were heavy and weighty, while the small yellow croakers were round and shiny, gleaming with an alluring golden light in the dim room. When the third box was opened, even He Yuzhu couldn't help but be amazed. It was full of house deeds.

He picked up the property deeds and examined them one by one, growing increasingly alarmed with each reading. Then he grinned, exclaiming, "Good heavens, this old eunuch really knows how to hoard!"

The property deeds in his hand clearly stated that all five houses in this alley, from No. 1 to No. 5, were under his name. They were all single-courtyard houses. Although they were not large mansions, the five houses connected together were a real bargaining chip in Beijing.

He Yuzhu then realized that he had made quite a commotion in the courtyard earlier, but no one had come out to ask about it. It turned out that these courtyards were all empty houses and no one lived there at all.

"We made a profit, this was a real steal."

He Yuzhu touched the property deeds with great affection, carefully storing the gold and deeds into his spatial storage. He was thinking that whether he lived in these properties himself or rented them out in the future, they would be a sure-fire way to make money.

After collecting the items from the hidden compartment, his gaze fell on the corner where the wooden box had been. The floor tiles there were smoother and the gaps between them were narrower than elsewhere.

He Yuzhu squatted down, picked at the brick seam with his fingers and gently lifted it. A floor tile moved away with a sound, revealing the entrance to a small, half-person-high secret room.

He bent down and crawled into the secret room, where there were five or six camphor wood chests. When he opened them, he found piles of white silver dollars, as well as a lot of official kiln porcelain and calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, with bright glazes and exquisite brushwork.

He glanced at them and immediately determined that these were all rare treasures that had come from the palace.

He has handled countless valuable items over the years, so he has a good eye for quality.

After taking all the valuables from the secret room, leaving the room completely empty, He Yuzhu had no intention of leaving. He stroked his chin and thought to himself: "This old eunuch has spent his whole life in the palace. He must have amassed far more treasures than this. There must be more hidden away."

He patiently searched the yard, checking every corner, under the trees, and by the stove, but found nothing. Finally, his gaze was fixed on the old well in the center of the yard.

The well's edge was smoothed by time and covered with a little moss. He Yuzhu took out a flashlight from his waist, turned it on, and the beam shone straight into the well. The well water was clear, and you could see the stones underwater. It looked like an ordinary well.

He frowned, bent down, picked up a fist-sized rock, and threw it forcefully into the well.

"Thump—plop!"

The sound of a stone falling into water was heard, but the subsequent echo was unusually hollow, unlike the sound of an ordinary well. Instead, it sounded like there was a hollow passage hidden in the well wall.

"There's hope!" He Yuzhu's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled out a thick hemp rope from his spatial storage and tied one end tightly around his waist.

He wrapped the other end around the edge of the well three times, tied a knot, grabbed the protruding stones on the well wall with both hands, and pushed off the slippery well wall with both feet, sliding down little by little.

The well wall was slippery and steep. He used both his hands and feet to slide down about two meters. When he was only half a meter away from the water, the flashlight suddenly shone on the side of the well wall, revealing a hidden opening about half a person's height.

He Yuzhu stopped what he was doing, took out a flint and steel from his pocket, struck it, and held it to the cave entrance. The flame flickered gently but did not go out; instead, it burned steadily, indicating that there was air in the cave and it wouldn't be stuffy.

He was relieved, untied the hemp rope from his waist, secured it to the edge of the well with a stone, and carefully crawled into the hole.

The passage was short, only three or four meters long, narrow but flat, clearly carved out by hand.

He Yuzhu walked forward with the flint and steel in hand. At the end, the space opened up into a secret room, each five meters long, wide, and high. It was filled with wooden crates, leaving almost no room to put his feet down.

Judging from the size of these boxes, they could not have been brought in through that small hole; there must have been another passage.

He casually opened a few boxes, and the treasures inside were even greater than those in the previous secret room. In addition to gold and silver dollars, there were all kinds of goldware, white jade, and bronze artifacts, all exquisitely crafted and in perfect condition. There were also several boxes of thread-bound ancient books, all of which were rare and unique.

He Yuzhu accepted everything without hesitation and moved it all into his space. Once the boxes were emptied, a 1.5-meter square hole was revealed in the wall of the secret room. It had been hidden by the boxes and had not been noticed at all.

Following the opening of the cave, there was a set of steps leading upwards. He Yuzhu climbed the steps and pushed the stone slab cover at the top. To his surprise, it opened easily with a gentle push.

He peeked out and looked around, finding himself in a woodshed, half-filled with dry firewood. It was quiet outside the window, without a sound of human voices.

He closed the cover and walked out of the woodshed. In front of him was a neat little courtyard, with a layout almost identical to that of Courtyard No. 5.

He leaped onto the wall, looked around, and immediately understood. He couldn't help but think to himself, "Isn't this Courtyard Number One? This old eunuch actually connected the secret passage to Courtyard Number One; he hid it far too well."

He jumped down from the wall and searched the No. 1 courtyard carefully. Finding no more hidden goods, he turned around and climbed over the wall into the No. 3 courtyard.

As soon as I pushed open the door of a side room, a fresh aroma of grain wafted out. The room was filled with rice, millet, flour, and boxes of dried meat and canned goods, all neatly stacked, enough to feed dozens of people for more than half a year.

Nowadays, supplies are scarce in Beijing. Even with money, it's difficult to buy food. These things are much more valuable than gold and silver.

He Yuzhu's eyes lit up. Without thinking, he put all the supplies into his spatial storage, thinking that his family would have enough to eat and drink in the future, and that they would also be able to handle emergencies.

After finishing all that, he climbed back over the wall to courtyard number five and retrieved the rope from the well.

I glanced down at my watch; the hour hand was pointing to 11 p.m., it was getting late. "I'll come back to the rest of the courtyard another day. I'm going home now."

He muttered something to himself, then jumped over the courtyard wall, mounted the old-fashioned bicycle leaning against the alley entrance, its bell jingling, and sped off towards the courtyard.

On the other side, Yi Zhonghai was so frightened that he ran faster than a rabbit. As soon as he left Nanluoguxiang, he frantically waved and shouted.

"Rickshaw! Quick, rickshaw!"

In the darkness, a rickshaw sped up. The driver wiped his sweat and asked, "Sir, where to?"

"Wei Yidao's shop, hurry up, I'll give you more money!" Yi Zhonghai's voice trembled as he scrambled onto the rickshaw, his body shaking uncontrollably. His mind was filled with He Yuzhu's cold gaze. He knew that if he fell into He Yuzhu's hands, he would definitely suffer a terrible fate.

After a bumpy ride to Wei Yidao's shop, Yi Zhonghai rushed in, grabbed Wei Yidao who was doing the accounting, and burst into tears, wiping his eyes and sobbing.

"Brother Wei, you have to save me! I've accidentally offended the officials, and they're going to arrest me and punish me. If I get caught, I'm dead!"

Wei Yidao was taken aback by his reaction. Looking at his tearful appearance, he frowned and asked, "Uncle Yi, who have you offended? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Don't even mention it, they're too powerful, I can't afford to mess with them!"

Yi Zhonghai cried even harder, deliberately concealing the truth and only saying that he had offended powerful people.

"Lend me a few large yellow croakers and a few silver dollars first. I'm going to hide in the south for a while. Once things have calmed down, I'll come back to pay you back, double the amount!"

Wei Yidao had some acquaintance with Yi Zhonghai. Seeing his pitiful state of mind and being deceived by his tears, he softened and turned around to take out a cloth bag from the inner room. Inside were three large yellow croakers and five silver dollars, which he handed to Yi Zhonghai.

"This is all my savings. Take it, be careful on the road, and don't cause any more trouble."

"Thank you so much, Brother Wei! Words cannot express my gratitude!" Yi Zhonghai snatched the cloth bag, clutching it tightly to his chest. Without even a proper thank you, he turned and ran, flagging down a rickshaw as he hurriedly called out, "South Gate, quickly take me out of the city! Money is no object!"

He slipped two extra silver dollars to the driver, who then ran with all his might and quickly reached the south gate. Just as the city gate was about to close, Yi Zhonghai gave more money to the guards, and only then was he able to leave the city smoothly.

In fact, he and He Daqing left the courtyard almost one after the other. He Daqing chased after him all the way to the city gate, but seeing the tightly closed gate, and thinking that it was late at night and there were many bandits and outlaws outside the city, he was worried about his own safety, so he turned around and went home.

If he had persisted a little longer and chased after Yi Zhonghai out of the city, he might have been able to capture him.

Yi Zhonghai left the city without stopping. He hitched a ride on a donkey cart halfway south, but the cart only traveled twenty li before reaching its destination. The driver waved his hand and said, "Sir, this is the farthest I can go. I won't go any further."

Yi Zhonghai got off the bus with no other choice. After asking for directions, he walked along the main road alone, hoping to hitch a ride.

But his luck had already run out. He walked two or three miles without seeing a single person, let alone a vehicle. The surrounding area was deserted, with no village or shop in sight.

A night breeze blew, and he shivered. His stomach growled with hunger, his mouth was parched, and his legs felt like lead, each step a struggle. "That damned He Yuzhu, it's all your fault!"

Yi Zhonghai cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do. He could only drag his tired body toward the desolate wilderness by the roadside, hoping to find a family to beg for food and drink.

After walking about two more miles, under the moonlight, the outline of a house could be vaguely seen in the distance. Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up, and he instantly regained his strength. He staggered over and muttered, "Finally, someone lives here. We're saved!"

As he got closer, he realized that it was not a house at all, but a dilapidated mountain god temple. The temple door was crooked and the roof was drafty, but there were lights on inside and the sound of men talking and laughing could be heard.

Yi Zhonghai, who had been living in a courtyard house for years, was completely unaware of the martial arts world's rule of "better to sleep in a desolate grave than a dilapidated temple." He only thought about finding a place to rest and get some water, so without a second thought, he pushed open the temple door and went inside.

As soon as the door was pushed open, the sounds inside the temple stopped instantly. Yi Zhonghai looked up and was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.

A dozen burly men stood or sat in the temple, all with fierce expressions. Some had scars on their faces, and they all held long guns and short cannons, their dark muzzles pointed at him. The atmosphere instantly froze.

Yi Zhonghai was terrified and turned to run away. He had barely taken a step when a cold gun barrel was pressed against the back of his head. A rough, hoarse voice shouted menacingly, "Stop! Try to run and I'll shoot you!"

He froze on the spot, his hands raised high, his whole body trembling like a leaf, unable to even finish his sentence.

"Gentlemen, I...I was just passing by. I meant no offense. Please let me go..."

"Let you go? Not so easy!" The scarred leader walked over, snatched the cloth bag from his arms, opened it, and saw the large yellow croaker and silver dollars inside. His eyes lit up and he grinned maliciously.

"I didn't expect him to be such a fat sheep. He looks so ordinary, yet he's hiding so much money. Tell me, what do you do for a living?"

Yi Zhonghai was so frightened he almost lost his mind. He dared not hide anything and confessed everything before the other party could even hit him: "I... I'm a worker at the steel rolling mill. The money was borrowed. I was going to hide from the disaster..."

Upon learning that he was just an ordinary worker with no powerful connections, Scarface immediately lost interest. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Since he's just a poor worker, he's useless. Brothers, finish him off and don't delay things!"

Upon hearing this, the man next to him immediately raised his gun and aimed it at Yi Zhonghai. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Yi Zhonghai had a flash of inspiration and shouted at the top of his lungs: "It's done!"

"Don't kill me! I can fix guns! I can fix broken guns!"

Scarface was taken aback, raised his hand to stop his men, and looked at him suspiciously: "You can fix guns? Don't try to fool me. If you do, I'll make sure you die a much worse death!"

"I'm not lying to you! I'm an eighth-level fitter at the steel rolling mill. My machine repair skills are top-notch. Guns are made of iron, so I can definitely fix them!" Yi Zhonghai tried his best to explain, afraid that the other party wouldn't believe him.

Scarface, half-believing, half-doubting, picked up a rusty, worn-out, empty Mauser pistol from the side and threw it in front of him: "Fine, you fix it. If you can't, I'll kill you right now!"

Yi Zhonghai picked up the gun with trembling hands, but he suppressed his fear and groped to disassemble it. After examining it carefully, he pointed to the parts inside and said, "Good man, the spring in this gun is broken, and the firing pin is bent. As long as you give me the tools, I guarantee I can fix it!"

The men brought some simple tools, and Yi Zhonghai lay on the ground, carefully polishing and assembling the gun. His movements were skillful, and in less than half an incense stick's time, he had repaired it.

Scarface took the gun and tried it out. Although it was out of bullets, the gun was flexible and usable, which made him overjoyed.

"You're not bad, kid. I'll spare your life!" Scarface kicked him, tossed him a piece of dry rations and half a jug of water, and said, "Eat this, then come with us. From now on, you'll be our gun repairman!"

Yi Zhonghai dared not resist. He wolfed down his dry rations, drank some water, and then the men tied his hands and led him up the mountain.

He only remembered traveling westward for three days and three nights. The mountain roads were rugged and bumpy. No one told him the exact location, and he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He felt a chill in his heart.

Once on the mountain, he was thrown directly into a rudimentary blacksmith workshop, which was filled with broken guns, broadswords, spears, daggers, and several other craftsmen who had been captured like him.

Yi Zhonghai learned after making inquiries that these people were bandits reorganized by the Kuomintang, and this was a remote mountain stronghold in the Fangshan Mountains.

His heart sank to the bottom, and his face turned ashen. These past few days in Beijing had shown him clearly that the world would eventually belong to the Communists, and following the Kuomintang and bandits was simply courting death!

He never intended to become a bandit, much less follow them to their deaths. From that moment on, he began to plan how to escape.

To lull the bandits into a false sense of security, Yi Zhonghai worked exceptionally hard at the beginning, meticulously repairing many broken guns and weapons. His superb skills pleased the bandits, who would occasionally reward him with a few hearty meals with plenty of oil.

He took the opportunity to secretly hide the dry rations and loose silver he had been rewarded with, preparing for his escape. He also used the pretext of testing a gun to disassemble parts and secretly assemble a simple pistol, hiding two bullets, which was his only means of escape.

But before he could find a chance to escape, fierce gunfire erupted from the foot of the mountain as the anti-bandit troops attacked.

Chaos erupted in the mountains, with gunshots and shouts of killing echoing everywhere. Bandits scattered in all directions. In the midst of the chaos, Yi Zhonghai pulled out a hidden pistol, closed his eyes, and fired a shot. He didn't even know who he hit. He then immediately dropped the gun and ran desperately down the mountain.

But after running a few steps, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his thigh. A bullet had hit his leg, hitting the bone directly. He screamed, lost his balance, and tumbled down the steep cliff, losing consciousness.

Perhaps he was lucky, he didn't die from the fall. After an unknown amount of time, he vaguely woke up, endured the excruciating pain and crawled forward a few meters, but finally couldn't hold on any longer and fainted again.

When he was fully awake, he found himself lying in a cramped and dimly lit wooden cabin, filled with the smell of herbs and mildew. His whole body ached as if his bones were falling apart, and his mouth was extremely dry.

He opened his chapped lips, his voice hoarse, and shouted with all his might, "Is anyone there? Could I have some water...?"

The sound was faint and echoed in the room. Soon, the door of the wooden house creaked open, and the blinding sunlight shone in. Yi Zhonghai subconsciously shielded his eyes with his hand.

Suddenly, the sunlight was blocked by a tall figure, and a rough, hoarse voice boomed in his ear, making it ring: "You're awake? Want some water?"

Yi Zhonghai slowly lowered his hand, looked up, and was so frightened that he almost fainted again.

Standing before him was a burly man, a full nine feet tall, with a robust build, broad shoulders and a thick waist. His large face was almost twice his size, with a bulbous nose, triangular eyes, thick lips, and a pair of prominent ears. He had an extremely rugged appearance.

If it weren't for the very obvious outline of her breasts, he wouldn't have been able to tell that this was a woman at all.

"I'm talking to you, are you stupid?" When he didn't speak, the woman shouted again in a gruff voice, her tone full of impatience.

Yi Zhonghai swallowed hard, and spoke with difficulty, his voice hoarse: "This...this young lady, did you save me?"

"You speak so elegantly. I didn't save her; my father did. He went up the mountain to gather herbs. I'm bringing you some water."

After the woman finished speaking, she turned around and strode out of the wooden house, her footsteps making a slight sound as they hit the ground.

After the woman left, the oppressive feeling in the wooden house lessened considerably. Yi Zhonghai let out a long breath and tried to sit up, but as soon as he moved, a wave of excruciating pain swept over him. He couldn't help but gasp, hissing as cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

He looked down and saw that his face was covered in abrasions, his head was wrapped in tattered strips of cloth, and his legs were in makeshift splints. His wounds were still throbbing, and he looked utterly disheveled.

Not long after, the woman brought in a bowl of water. Yi Zhonghai took the bowl, ignored the heat, and gulped it down in one go, only then did he feel a little better.

He paused for a moment, then looked at the woman and asked, "Miss, where is this place?"

"Fangshan? Where else could it be? Did you fall and get stupid?" The woman's voice grew louder in her anxiety, making Yi Zhonghai's eardrums ache.

"My dad found you in the Wild Boar Forest. You rolled down such a high cliff, you're lucky you didn't die. If you had been a step later, you would have been eaten by the wild boars in the mountains."

Yi Zhonghai's heart sank; he hadn't expected to still be in Fangshan and unable to escape.

He quickly asked, "When will your father be back? I must thank him in person for saving my life."

"My dad went hunting. You should lie down and rest to recover. Don't move around too much. I'm going to chop wood."

After speaking, the woman picked up the empty bowl and strode out.

More than an hour later, a burly, middle-aged man with a full beard entered the wooden house. Upon seeing him, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly struggled to express his gratitude: "Thank you, brother. I will never forget your life-saving grace."

Upon hearing this, the man grinned and waved his hand, "You've got the wrong name. I'm only in my forties. You should call me Uncle."

Yi Zhonghai was stunned. Since his castration, he had never grown a beard, and his skin was more delicate than that of ordinary people, making him look younger. But the man in front of him looked to be only in his forties. He was clearly older than him, but he had to call him uncle. He felt very aggrieved.

But now he was living under someone else's roof and needed their help, so he had no choice but to swallow his pride and say respectfully, "Thank you for saving my life, sir. May I ask your surname?"

"My surname is Shi, and my name is Shi Hu. The one who takes care of you during the day is my daughter, Shi Yan," Shi Hu introduced with a smile, his tone full of affection for his daughter.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai felt nauseous and barely managed to hold it in. He thought to himself, "With looks like that, she doesn't deserve to be called Shi Yan? What a waste of that name."

And so, Yi Zhonghai recovered from his injuries under the care of the Shi family father and daughter, enduring discomfort every day and having to talk to the rough and burly Shi Yan, making his days extremely difficult.

Ten days later, Yi Zhonghai was covered in sweat and grime, so smelly that it was hard to get close to him.

Despite his extreme shame and resistance, Shi Yan disregarded everything and stripped him down to only his underwear, forcibly wiping him down. Yi Zhonghai could not resist and could only endure it silently, feeling utterly humiliated.

Every ten days thereafter, Shi Yan would wipe his body like this, and Shi Hu never said anything. Yi Zhonghai was full of doubts. Shi Yan looked to be under twenty years old and an unmarried girl. How could she not understand the principle of men and women not touching each other?

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye, and Yi Zhonghai's injury has mostly healed, allowing him to walk with difficulty.

That day, as soon as he stepped out of the wooden house, he saw the largest house on the mountain, with red candles and the character for "double happiness" pasted on it, a scene of a wedding.

As he was wondering what was going on, Shi Hu and Shi Yan approached and, without a word, had him dragged into a rough wedding outfit. Yi Zhonghai panicked instantly, struggling and resisting desperately, shouting, "What are you doing? I have a wife! I'm not getting married!"

He desperately tried to hide the secret of his castration, fearing that it would be discovered, but his resistance was utterly insignificant in the face of Shi Hu and his daughter.

The two of them forced his head down, made him bow to heaven and earth, and got married.

That night, Yi Zhonghai suffered humiliation and was forced to have sex with his wife. He was filled with hatred and gritted his teeth, but he was powerless to resist.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye, and Shi Yan's belly still showed no signs of pregnancy. Shi Hu became suspicious and questioned his daughter privately. After some questioning, he couldn't get the reason, so he led his men into Yi Zhonghai's house and forcibly pulled down his pants to check.

Upon seeing clearly, Shi Hu's face turned ashen. Pointing at Yi Zhonghai, he shouted angrily at Shi Yan, "Yan'er, we've been fooled by this brat! He's a mule, a eunuch!"

Shi Yan looked blankly at him, tilting her head as she asked, "Dad, what's a mule?"

"A mule is a man who can't have children, just like a eunuch in the palace, understand?" Shi Hu jumped up and down in anger, explaining loudly.

Shi Yan then realized what had happened, and immediately sat down on the ground, wailing, "Dad, I've been tricked! I can't have children anymore..."

That very night, Yi Zhonghai was violently beaten by the Shi family father and daughter, leaving him covered in injuries; and this was just the beginning.

He tried to escape several times afterward, but Shi Hu caught him each time. Each time he was caught, he was beaten even more severely and suffered endless torture.

In the end, Shi Hu simply found an iron chain, locked him in the house, and chained him up like a dog, not letting him leave even a step.

Yi Zhonghai's hatred reached its peak. He wanted to kill the father and daughter every moment. He was forced to go through the wedding ceremony. Why should he be treated like this?

After some time, the Shi family father and daughter went out together. Yi Zhonghai took the opportunity to try his best to break the chains and ran down the mountain in a panic. However, the mountain roads were complicated and he could not tell which way to go. He got lost after running for a short time and was caught by Shi Hu when he returned.

This time, Shi Hu completely lost his patience. He put heavier shackles on him and drove him outside. He built a simple shack out of tree branches, like a doghouse, and made him live there, giving him only scraps of food each day.

A few months later, Yi Zhonghai was surprised to find that Shi Yan's belly had grown bigger. He immediately realized that the father and daughter had borrowed someone else's sperm while they were out, and that the child was not his at all.

Yi Zhonghai was so angry that he trembled all over and was furious. He cursed at the Shi family father and daughter, but was rewarded with an even more severe beating and was bedridden for several days.

After he recovered from his injuries, he was treated like a servant, serving the pregnant Shi Yan all day long, doing everything from serving tea and water to washing clothes and cooking.

Not long after, Shi Yan gave birth to a boy, and Yi Zhonghai's work became even more arduous. He went from serving one person to serving the father, daughter, and child. He lived just like a eunuch in the palace, suffering endless humiliation and never having a chance to rise again.

His miserable end was the retribution for his many evil deeds; from now on, he could only spend his days in endless torment.

Leaving aside Yi Zhonghai's tragic fate, let's turn our attention back to the courtyard houses in Beijing.

He Yuzhu returned home from the old eunuch's residence laden with spoils that night. After resting briefly at home, he quietly went out again in the middle of the night to settle accounts with Bai Yanlang.

At this moment, Bai Yanlang's home was in complete chaos. His wife, upon learning that he had offended someone and was planning to abandon the family and flee Beijing, exploded in anger, pointing her finger at Bai Yanlang and yelling, "Bai Yanlang, you heartless bastard! You caused trouble and now you want to run away, abandoning us mother and child? Let me tell you, no way!"

Without saying a word, she went straight back to her parents' home and called her brothers. They emptied the Bai family's possessions. When Bai Yanlang tried to stop them, he was severely beaten by his parents' brothers, which aggravated his leg injury.

As if things weren't bad enough, his greedy cousin, while the doctor was examining Bai Yanlang's leg, secretly stole the fifty silver dollars that Yi Zhonghai had given Bai Yanlang for his services, and ran away overnight, disappearing without a trace.

Bai Yanlang looked at his empty home. His wife had left with the children, and all the money was gone. He was left with nothing but injuries and sat on the ground, wailing loudly.

He knew in his heart that if he didn't leave, He Yuzhu would never let him go. But he had no money and couldn't run far. He could only use a broken wooden stick to limp towards the city gate, planning to leave the city after dawn, hide in the countryside, and come back after He Yuzhu calmed down.

But as soon as he moved to the alley entrance, he was blocked by He Yuzhu, who had been waiting for a long time.

Seeing He Yuzhu's icy gaze, Bai Yanlang's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, repeatedly begging for mercy: "Uncle He, I was wrong, I'll never dare to do it again, please forgive me..."

He Yuzhu's eyes were icy cold, showing no mercy whatsoever. He sneered, "When you were helping Yi Zhonghai harm me, why didn't you think about today?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took a few steps forward and, without giving Bai Yanlang any chance to resist, took him away.

From then on, no one in Beijing ever saw Bai Yanlang again. He vanished without a trace and received the punishment he deserved.

After dealing with Bai Yanlang, He Yuzhu turned his attention to Yi Zhonghai. He obtained the account book from Wei Yidao and followed the clues in the account book to find all of the old eunuch's former associates. He didn't let any of them go, and he exposed them all. He not only eliminated a scourge for the people, but also made a fortune.

After doing all this, He Yuzhu was still worried that Yi Zhonghai might be hiding in Beijing. So, through Wang Cuiping's connections, he contacted the Military Control Commission and asked them to help him track down Yi Zhonghai on charges of framing an innocent person and organizing retaliation.

Despite extensive searches, there was still no news of Yi Zhonghai. Only then did He Yuzhu realize that Yi Zhonghai had truly left Beijing and would never return to cause trouble.

He chuckled inwardly. If he knew the humiliation and misery Yi Zhonghai had endured in the mountains, he would have taken his whole family to watch. He would have also given the Shi family a set of even stronger handcuffs and shackles, ensuring that this hypocritical and scheming old man would never find peace.

Days passed peacefully, and before they knew it, it was February. Xiaoman was of school age, and He Yuzhu personally tutored her and helped her with her studies. In the end, she successfully enrolled in the second grade. Although her grades were not top-notch, she was able to keep up with the curriculum.

In mid-April, Wang Cuiping gave birth to a daughter. The child took Wang Cuiping's surname and was named Wang Siyu.

Wang Cuiping doesn't know many characters. She originally wanted He Yuzhu to name the child, but due to seniority, she asked Grandma He for help.

After much deliberation, the old lady settled on the name "Siyu". In fact, it was He Yuzhu who secretly suggested the name, and only the grandmother and granddaughter knew the deeper meaning behind it.

The moment Wang Cuiping heard the name, she burst into tears, tears streaming down her face. She silently repeated "Siyu" in her heart, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at the old lady. The old lady simply smiled at her, her expression calm and without the slightest hint of anything amiss.

Wang Cuiping smiled through her tears, repeatedly calling out her daughter's name, her heart filled with warmth.

During this time, many changes also occurred in the courtyard. Li Guihua learned that Yi Zhonghai had run away and searched everywhere but to no avail. Knowing that he would never come back, she took the initiative to suggest to Old Madam He that she move out of the east wing.

The old lady readily agreed without any objection and rented the east passageway to her. As for the east wing, the old lady specially reserved it. In her heart, He Yuzhu was the eldest son of the He family, and the east wing should rightfully be occupied by him. This was the eldest son's dignity.

After Li Guihua moved out, He Daqing immediately found someone to clean up the east wing. He Yuzhu took out a batch of fine solid wood furniture from his space. The furniture was exquisite in design and made of solid materials. He asked He Daqing to find someone to transport it into the courtyard.

He Daqing's eyes widened when he saw the furniture, and he exclaimed repeatedly, "Wonderful things, truly wonderful things! Zhu Zi, where did you get such fine furniture?"

"Dad, don't worry about where it came from, just use it well." He Yuzhu smiled and didn't explain further.

He Daqing loved the furniture so much that he simply replaced all the old furniture in his main house, giving the entire He family a brand new look.

He Yuzhu moved into the east wing smoothly, and the east side room where he originally lived was given to his younger sister He Yushui.

He Yushui, in the prime of her youth, was overjoyed and pestered He Yuzhu for a dressing table that also served as a desk. He Yuzhu naturally agreed and immediately made one for her, both exquisite and practical.

He Yuzhu didn't show favoritism; he sent dressing tables to his own grandmother, Chen Lanxiang, Wang Cuiping, and even the Xu family next door. He just made some distinctions based on the quality of the wood, so as to both save face for his own family and maintain good neighborly relations.

The He family's grand gesture—changing furniture and acquiring many fine items—was met with envy and resentment from Madam Jia Zhang in the front courtyard.

She shamelessly went to the He family's house, pointed at the old furniture that He Daqing had replaced, and said with a grin, "Brother He, your old furniture is useless anyway, so why don't you give it to me? It's a waste to throw it away."

He Daqing had long disliked Jia Zhangshi's usual greedy and mean-spirited manner. His face darkened, and he coldly refused, "These old furniture pieces, even if we burn them for heating, I won't give them to you. Don't even think about it."

Jia Zhangshi was rebuffed and unwilling to accept it, but she didn't dare to offend He Daqing, so she could only leave dejectedly. In the end, Jia Laonian couldn't refuse and paid for the old furniture to be bought back. He Daqing accepted the money and didn't say anything more.