Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 47 The Ancestor Returns and Trouble Arises

While Lin Yan was indulging in the beauty of the mountains and rivers deep in the Yanshan Mountains, experimenting with magic and having a great time, the scene at the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office was quite different.

Director Wang was working on documents at her desk in her office when the old-fashioned hand-cranked telephone on her table suddenly rang urgently. She put down her pen, picked up the receiver, and asked, "Hello, who is this?"

"Is this the Nanluoguxiang Subdistrict Office? This is the district hospital. I'd like to report that the deaf elderly lady your subdistrict sent here has regained consciousness this morning! The doctor did a full examination, and she is conscious and her cognitive function is not found to have any major problems. However, she is very weak and needs to recuperate. When would be a convenient time for you to pick her up from the hospital?"

Upon hearing this, Director Wang was both surprised and delighted, finally feeling much relieved. "Oh! That's wonderful! Thank you, doctor! You've worked so hard! We'll arrange for someone to go right away!" Hanging up the phone, she immediately stood up and called out to the outer room, "Xiao Zhang, Xiao Li! Put what you're doing down and come with me to the hospital. The old lady has woken up; we need to pick her up for discharge!"

The group rushed to the hospital, the smell of disinfectant hitting them. Entering the private room, they found the deaf old woman leaning against the pillows, half-sitting on the edge of the bed. Her cheeks were thin and sunken, her eyes deep-set, and her wrinkled skin appeared even more sallow. But at least her old eyes were no longer tightly closed; she was looking around at the white walls with a somewhat bewildered expression, seemingly not quite understanding the situation.

"Grandma! You're finally awake! We were so worried about you these past few days!" Director Wang rushed forward, sat on the edge of the bed, and grasped the old lady's thin, cold hand, his voice filled with genuine concern.

This care wasn't entirely out of professional duty; it also stemmed from a deep-seated personal gratitude. In the snowy winter of 1947, when she was an underground courier delivering vital intelligence, she was discovered and pursued by the enemy. Shot and nearly killed, she was rescued by this quick-witted, deaf old woman who, despite her still relatively agile legs, risked her life to hide her in her sweet potato cellar. The woman secretly brought her thin porridge and pickled vegetables daily and treated her wounds with traditional remedies, allowing her to evade the rigorous search and save her life. Director Wang has always remembered this life-saving grace.

The deaf old woman blinked, her cloudy eyes slowly moving before finally focusing and recognizing the person. Her voice was hoarse and dry, like a broken bellows: "It's...it's Director Wang...Where am I? How long have I been asleep?"

"You're in the hospital! You suddenly fell into a coma and have been unconscious for quite some time now! Everyone was worried sick." Director Wang gently patted the back of her hand, trying to offer some comfort. "How are you feeling? Is there anything else that's bothering you? Are you dizzy? Is your chest tight?"

"I'm old... I'm useless... My whole body feels like it's falling apart, I have no strength at all..." The old lady shook her head weakly and gasped for breath: "Is everything alright in the courtyard? How about Zhonghai?" Subconsciously, she still relied on Yi Zhonghai, this "big tree".

Director Wang's smile faded slightly. She sighed, her tone becoming heavy: "Madam, since you've asked, I can't not tell you the truth. Your illness has caused a huge uproar in the hospital." She carefully chose her words, slowly recounting the events, trying to keep it as calm as possible: "That child, He Yuzhu, somehow went to the police station to report a case, and the investigation uncovered something terrible. Yi Zhonghai... for years he's been secretly withholding the child support money He Daqing sent to him and his sister, and he even illegally sold the job quota that the factory had designated for He Yuzhu. To cover it up, he bribed the postman... Multiple crimes, with conclusive evidence, the court sentenced him to five years and he's already been sent to a labor camp."

The deaf old woman's eyes widened suddenly, her breathing became rapid, her chest heaved violently, and she repeated incredulously, "Five...five years? Labor reform?! Zhonghai, how...how could he?!" This news was like a bolt from the blue, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.

"Sigh, yes, nobody expected this." Director Wang nodded, his expression grave, and continued, "Moreover, during the investigation, it was discovered that Yi Zhonghai... he had been falsifying medical records for a long time, insisting to the outside world that Comrade Tan Jinhua was infertile, pushing all the responsibility for her inability to have children onto Comrade Jinhua, causing her to suffer so much injustice and gossip for so many years. Comrade Jinhua is completely heartbroken this time and has filed for divorce from Yi Zhonghai. The judgment has already been issued. Now, everyone in the hospital calls her by her real name, Tan Jinhua."

"Divorced...divorced?! Jin Hua...she got divorced?!" The deaf old woman was struck dumb, her whole body stiffened, her lips trembled, and her face instantly became even more ashen, all the last bit of color drained from her. These two bombshell news items were like two heavy clubs, hitting her already weak heart hard.

Her heart was already in turmoil, with all sorts of thoughts churning wildly:

【It's all over! It's all over!】 Her first thought was of her and Yi Zhonghai's scheming. Initially, she was just greedy, hoping Yi Zhonghai would control the simple-minded cook, Sha Zhu, so he would regularly prepare delicious meals for her, serve her comfortably, and incidentally, help Yi Zhonghai keep Sha Zhu around to care for her in her old age. She had even vaguely felt that Yi Zhonghai was too harsh on He Yushui, and privately advised him to be nicer to Sha Zhu and not be so heartless. Who would have thought that Yi Zhonghai would dare to do such a heartless thing as embezzling child support payments! 【Zhu Zi… Zhu Zi must hate me now! He thinks I'm an accomplice! Will he still acknowledge me as an old woman? Will he still cook me a hot, soft meal like before?】

What followed was a surge of anger and utter disappointment towards Yi Zhonghai: [That idiot Yi Zhonghai! Useless! A piece of trash who's more likely to ruin everything than accomplish anything! He had a perfectly good hand, with skill, status, and manpower, how did he manage to turn things into this?! He's utterly hopeless! He's destroyed all my years of planning!]

When she heard the news of Tan Jinhua's divorce, she felt dizzy and panicked to the extreme! [Jinhua is divorced?! Then...who will take care of me now?!] She knew better than anyone who had truly worked tirelessly for her all these years, rain or shine, cooking, washing clothes, mending clothes, attending to her needs, serving her tea and water at her bedside, emptying her chamber pot, and wiping her body! It was the taciturn, submissive Tan Jinhua!

At most, Yi Zhonghai would just talk a bit, hand over some money and tickets, and put on airs like an old man. [Without Jinhua, how will I, an old woman with bound feet who walks with a trembling gait, survive? Who will feed me three meals a day? Who will do my laundry and mending? Who will stay by my bedside when I have a headache or fever? Will I rely on those calculating neighbors in the courtyard? Or will I rely on Shazhu, who already hates me to the core?] A huge, chilling fear instantly gripped her, making her feel even more desperate and helpless than hearing that Yi Zhonghai was in jail.

However, being an old woman who had weathered the storms of the old society and possessed a deep and unfathomable mind, after the extreme shock and panic, a doubt suddenly surfaced in her heart, sending a chill down her spine: [No… this is too coincidental! Absolutely bizarre! How could I have suddenly fallen unconscious at that crucial moment? The moment I collapsed, trouble immediately followed in Zhonghai, one thing leading to another, swift and ruthless, leaving no chance for pleading or private maneuvering! It's like… like someone calculated the timing, deliberately striking at the exact moment!] A sharp glint flashed deep within her cloudy old eyes as she tried to recall if there had been any abnormalities before she lost consciousness, or if she had come into contact with any special people or things, but she had no clue; that memory was hazy and indistinct.

The deaf old woman gasped for breath, forcibly suppressing her turbulent emotions and the inexplicable chill, and forced a weak smile. Her voice grew increasingly hoarse and feeble: "Sigh... I understand... Thank you for your concern, Director Wang... I'm sorry to have troubled you..." She obediently let Director Wang and the staff member help her out of bed, her steps unsteady and weak.

Lin Yan indulged himself in the depths of Yanshan, feeling indescribably relaxed and happy, until the sun began to set and the sky was bathed in the glow of the sunset, before leisurely returning to the courtyard.

As soon as he stepped into the front yard, he heard faint voices coming from the middle yard, mixed with a woman's low, deliberately suppressed sobs. He looked up and saw two people blocking the hanging flower gate: Qin Huairu and Sha Zhu, who had just returned from get off work and was carrying a lunchbox and net bag.

Qin Huairu reached out with one hand and took the aluminum lunchbox net from Sha Zhu's hand with perfect ease. With her other hand, she wiped away non-existent tears with the back of her hand. She leaned forward slightly, almost resting on Sha Zhu's arm, her voice soft and aggrieved, tinged with a sob:

"Zhuzi... Sister... Sister really can't live like this..." She sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes, looking pitiful and as if she had suffered a great injustice. "You don't know, ever since that old man... oh no, ever since Yi Zhonghai had that accident, Dongxu has had it even harder in the workshop... Those snobs, they always disliked him, and now they're finding all sorts of ways to ostracize him, make things difficult for him, and make him do all the dirty and hard work..."

As she spoke, her emotions seemed to grow increasingly "aggressive," her fingers "unintentionally" gripping Sha Zhu's elbow tightly, shaking it slightly, their physical contact almost imperceptible: "Today... today he was caught by the workshop foreman again for not doing his work properly, he got a good scolding, and they even deducted his bonus and part of his salary for this month... We only have so little income at home, and my mother-in-law..." She trailed off, subtly shifting the focus to Jia Zhangshi's harshness and difficult nature, her tears falling even more fiercely, as if she had suffered a great injustice, "We're about to go hungry, Bang Geng and Xiao Dang are crying so hard at night, howling for meat... My heart... feels like it's being stabbed..."

How could Sha Zhu resist this? His beloved Sister Qin took his arm, her soft body almost touching his, the scent of face cream in her hair filling his nostrils, her teary eyes telling him of her grievances and hardships, greatly satisfying his vanity and protective instincts.

He suddenly felt a surge of excitement rush to his head, and his heroic sentiments and those inexplicable feelings completely took over. The slight estrangement and wariness he had developed towards the Jia family because of the Yi Zhonghai incident were instantly thrown to the winds, and all that remained in his mind was the overwhelming sense of accomplishment that Sister Qin needed and relied on him.

Looking at Qin Huairu's tear-streaked face, he felt both heartache and anxiety, and awkwardly comforted her, "Sister Qin, Sister Qin, don't cry! Look how red your eyes are! It's okay! It's okay! Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you!"

He thumped his chest loudly, his voice booming, as if he wanted the whole courtyard to hear his righteous indignation: "I can't really help Dongxu much with things, but my family is in trouble, and I can't just stand by and watch! Here," he unconsciously touched the "huge sum" he'd just received yesterday, the solid feel of it bolstering his confidence, "I have some money here, take it and get through this! Buy some meat and grains for the kids, don't let them go hungry!"

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up almost imperceptibly, like a hungry wildcat spotting a fish. Her sobs became even more pitiful and melodious, but she gripped the net tighter: "How...how can that be...Zhuzi, you've had it tough too...you're saving up money to find a wife...how can I always take your money...the food in this lunchbox is enough for the kids to enjoy..." She used a retreat as a tactic, her methods shrewd and experienced.

"Hey! Don't be so polite with me! Stop talking nonsense!" Sha Zhu, emboldened by this coy attitude, became even more conceited and his vanity soared. He pulled a wad of crisp ten-yuan bills from his inner pocket, grabbed two without even looking, and shoved them forcefully into Qin Huairu's empty hand. "Take this! Use it first! If you need more, just let me know! I'll figure it out!"

Qin Huairu was overjoyed, but on her face she pretended to be panicked and tried her best to refuse: "Too much! Zhuzi, this is too much! Ten yuan is enough to last for a few days... This..." Her hands were like glue, tightly gripping the money, showing no intention of actually returning it.

"Just take it! What are you dawdling for!" Sha Zhu waved his hand, feeling incredibly tall and radiant, as if he could illuminate the entire courtyard. "Don't be so formal with me! If you push me again, I'll get angry!"

Just as the two were pretending to refuse while the other insisted on being generous, one secretly pleased while the other acted foolishly, neither of them noticed that behind the Jia family's window, a pair of gloomy and twisted eyes were staring intently at this scene.

Jia Dongxu's face was ashen, his lips bitten until they turned white, almost bleeding. Watching his wife cry to another man about their family scandals, about his incompetence, and even actively pulling at him until their bodies were almost touching, watching that stupid cook he had always looked down on casually pull out the equivalent of several months' wages and stuff it into his wife's hands like a beggar's handout, while his wife half-heartedly resisted, her eyes darting around... an extreme sense of humiliation, the shame of being cuckolded, and an unventable rage almost completely ignited and overwhelmed him.

At the same time, seeing that money, a sliver of despicable relief welled up from the depths of his heart... [With this money, at least this month will be a little easier, and I can explain things to my mother...] This contradictory feeling of anger and humiliation, coupled with the inability to rely on this "handout," made him feel so stifled and humiliated that he was about to explode. Yet, like a rat in a gutter, he could only clench his fists tightly, hiding in the shadows behind the window, without even the courage or confidence to go out and stop it.

Lin Yan, who had just returned to the backyard gate, took in the entire scene of this "willing buyer, willing seller" transaction and the twisted, pained husband behind the window. In his divine sense, the complex emotional fluctuations were like a beacon in the darkness. A very faint, almost invisible hint of mockery and indifference flashed in his clear, deep eyes.

He sneered inwardly: [This Qin Huairu, greed and hypocrisy are truly ingrained in her bones. Her husband is still alive, and just a window away, yet she so shamelessly uses her looks and tears to leech off others, fattening her own children. Her acting skills are becoming increasingly refined.]

His gaze swept over the idiot Zhu, who was grinning foolishly, lost in the illusion of being needed, as if he had done something extraordinary. He shook his head slightly: "This Zhu is pathetic, pathetic, but utterly unworthy of sympathy. He lusts after a married woman, willingly playing the role of a sycophant, completely manipulated, and yet he's self-satisfied. I helped him before because Yi Zhonghai's actions were too despicable, crossing moral boundaries, and Zhu himself was oblivious, so there was still a sliver of value in helping him. Now that the truth is out and the money is in hand, he still willingly wallows in this false warmth and heroic fantasy. What can anyone do? Should we always have to clean house for him?"

Lin Yan withdrew his gaze, his face expressionless, calm and undisturbed, devoid of any trace of the youthful exuberance and joy he had displayed while experimenting with magic in the mountains and roaming freely. He turned and silently pushed open the door to his house, gently closing it behind him, shutting out the irritating performance and scheming in the courtyard.

This time, he chose to remain a bystander.

If mud refuses to climb a wall, even the strongest force from others will be futile. Ultimately, one must walk the path beneath their feet, step by step. Everyone must bear the consequences of their choices.