novelslam Chapter 117 Growth
Chapter 117 Growth
He Yuzhu was even more frustrated. After he grew up, he relied on his bravery and fighting spirit, and no one in or outside the courtyard dared to bully him. He was regarded as the war god of the courtyard.
Now, they have suffered two defeats at the hands of Jia Dongjin. Last time, it could be said that they were caught in the crossfire, but this time they were truly beaten badly.
That elbow strike was so powerful that it instantly rendered He Yuzhu unable to move and rendered him unable to fight.
He still feels a pang of pain from that excruciating agony and would never want to experience it again.
Standing hunched over in the courtyard, He Yuzhu witnessed Jia Dongjin slaughtering everyone in sight, one punch after another without any fancy moves. He was clearly skilled in martial arts, yet he never showed it off.
Once regarded as a good-for-nothing street urchin by the courtyard, he turned out to be a hidden fighting master, which was unacceptable and unbearable for He Yuzhu, the war god of the courtyard.
Thinking of his younger sister He Yushui kneeling down to plead for him, He Yuzhu was filled with anger and bitterness, but he couldn't tell anyone else.
During police questioning, He Yuzhu made numerous excuses, claiming that he was only trying to break up the fight and was simply doing a good deed at Yi Zhonghai's suggestion.
He Yuzhu would never forget the way that old policeman looked at him, as if he were a fool.
The old policeman spoke very directly, "So many people from the Liu family beat up one person, and everyone warned you, but you wouldn't let go of Jia Dongjin. Anyone can see that you were taking sides and harming people. It's not unjust for you to beat and arrest you. It's a good thing that Jia Dongjin is alright, otherwise you, He Yuzhu, would be an accomplice without a doubt! Just looking at the punch you got on the head, you can tell that the other party used a lot of force. You still dare to say that you're doing a good deed? If you dare to talk nonsense again, I'll want to beat you up."
Actually, the old policeman was right; He Yuzhu did have something to hide.
He Yuzhu really wanted to make Jia Dongjin suffer, but this idea was too despicable, and he himself dared not admit it, nor was he willing to admit it.
The old policeman simply thought that he was misled by Yi Zhonghai, but that's not the case. He Yuzhu just wanted to see Jia Dongjin suffer, that's all.
In the dead of night, he asked himself honestly if he really wanted to take sides, the reason being envy.
Since Jia Dongjin married Qin Huairu, the two have been deeply in love, a fact that everyone in the courtyard has witnessed, making He Yuzhu feel very uneasy.
If He Yushui hadn't urged him to marry Qin Huairu, He Yuzhu wouldn't have been envious. Unlike Liu Haizhong, he had no interest in Jia Dongjin getting a raise and becoming the electrician team leader.
but,
After He Yushui reminded him, He Yuzhu suddenly realized that Qin Huairu should belong to him, but now she had become Jia Dongjin's woman.
He Yuzhu will never forget how Qin Huairu, at the age of 18, amazed and impressed him with her gentle grace beneath her radiant beauty when she first entered the courtyard house.
However, the woman was someone else's wife, and He Yuzhu kept reminding himself subconsciously and suppressing this feeling, but his eyes could not hide it from his close friends, and his sister He Yushui casually revealed it.
The bright-eyed, beautiful girl who was once recognized as a good wife and woman in the courtyard was married off to two brothers from the Jia family in succession, causing He Yuzhu to toss and turn at night.
Yes, He Yuzhu was envious of Jia Dongjin; he was very resentful.
Human nature is sometimes strange. Liu Hong is a cadre. If Liu Hong marries Qin Huairu, He Yuzhu will not be jealous. But Jia Dongjin is different, even though Jia Dongjin has also become a cadre.
In He Yuzhu's eyes, Jia Dongjin had always been a street urchin, whose status was far inferior to his own. He couldn't even afford oil back then, and was so poor that he was practically exposing his backside. He only managed to become an electrician by sheer luck, which allowed him to wear work clothes and barely look like a human being.
Therefore, in He Yuzhu's mind, Liu Hong could marry Qin Huairu, but Jia Dongjin could not.
"Why should a street thug like her be allowed to have her? Why?"
He Yuzhu suppressed his inner gloom and turned to Yi Zhonghai on the hospital bed next to him, saying, "Uncle Yi, don't say anything more. We've already suffered at Liu Haizhong's hands this time. When Director Li from the canteen came to see me, he mentioned that the medical expenses can't be reimbursed. Liu Haizhong and the others will be discharged tomorrow, and Yushui still has to go to school. I want to go back to the courtyard house. Why don't you come back with me?"
"Okay, I'll ask the doctor later."
He Yuzhu spoke respectfully, and a glimmer of light appeared in Yi Zhonghai's eyes. He nodded in agreement.
The patients were reluctant to pay their medical bills and requested to be discharged early. This kind of thing is common in hospitals. Doctors don't have a good attitude towards people who are hospitalized for fighting. Given the severity of their injuries, they agreed to observe and treat them for another week. If everything is fine, they can be discharged.
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When did I owe you money?
To Yi Zhonghai's surprise, in order to save on medical expenses, when he and He Yuzhu returned to the courtyard, he was greeted neither with ridicule nor sympathy.
To Yi Zhonghai's surprise, debt collectors arrived!
"Uncle Yi, the steel mill said they can't reimburse these kinds of medical expenses. This time, Brother Sha's medical expenses are all because of you, so you have to take care of them. It's 35.6 yuan in total, plus nutrition expenses, lost wages, and compensation. I estimate it won't be less than 70 yuan. What do you say, Uncle Yi?"
These past few days, He Yushui had been racking her brains, and finally she remembered Jia Dongjin's words: "At critical moments, don't worry, and don't be afraid. Be brave enough to fight for your own interests."
Therefore, to the astonishment of all the members of the courtyard, and in front of the once imposing Grandpa Yi, He Yushui's little hand appeared.
"Rain, what did you say?!"
Gao Cuilan could hardly believe her ears. The young girl stood in front of her husband, her body trembling slightly, but her expression was firm and she did not flinch.
"Cuilan, give it to her, get her the money!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yi Zhonghai felt so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood, but unfortunately he couldn't. He was lying on the door panel and couldn't move much, so he could only tremble and instruct his wife, Gao Cuilan, to get the money.
"Uncle Yi, you can't bear to give me seventy yuan after my brother was beaten like that? Look at the big bump on his head, it's been over a week and it hasn't gone down. And his genitals, they're swollen like eggplants, how will he ever get married? The doctor said he needs at least a month to recover and needs to supplement his nutrition. Now that the rationing has been reduced, I don't have any money or meat coupons, where am I, a young girl, supposed to buy nutritional supplements?"
Seeing Yi Zhonghai back down, He Yushui's heart stirred. Now was a crucial moment, and she couldn't help but raise her offer, hoping to gain more benefits.
Following He Yushui's directions, everyone saw a large bump on the head of the Courtyard War God. This bump was caused by Liu Haizhong's apprentice, and it hadn't completely subsided even after almost half a month. This showed how powerful and fierce the punch was, almost like a fatal blow. Liu Haizhong's apprentice was too ruthless, which made everyone's hearts pound.
This is also important evidence for the police to determine the nature of the crime. If this punch had landed on Jia Dongjin's head, Jia Dongjin would have basically lost the ability to resist and fallen into a miserable situation where he would be at the mercy of others.
"This was done by Liu Haizhong's apprentice. Why should my family pay for it? Go find Liu Haizhong for the one above, and Jia Dongjin kicked the one below. You should go find the Jia family."
Gao Cuilan was unconvinced. She still had a psychological advantage over He Yushui. The old woman was heartbroken about losing money and publicly dropped her veil of kindness.
He Yushui tried hard to control her nervousness. She dared not look at Gao Cuilan and Yi Zhonghai anymore, and turned to the neighbors around her, saying, "How can Uncle Yi be like this? He always relies on Brother Sha to cheat him. I let it go last time, but not this time. Brother Sha is easily fooled. The He family still has me, He Yushui. As the old folks say, women can hold up half the sky these days."
"That's enough, Cuilan, give her 80 yuan, hurry up!"
Yi Zhonghai glanced at He Yuzhu beside him and saw that He Yuzhu did not scold He Yushui, so he knew that He Yuzhu was also dissatisfied with him. For the sake of his face, Yi Zhonghai could only choose to pay money to settle the matter.
While the iron was hot, He Yushui became increasingly angry. He Yuzhu's genitals were swollen like an eggplant, and she was worried that it would affect her brother's ability to have a son.
A large piece of cured pork, weighing a full two pounds, was hanging in Yi Zhonghai's kitchen. He Yushui, being tall, easily reached out and picked it up. She waved the cured pork at Yi Zhonghai and said, "With this piece of meat, I'm not going to buy any more meat for my silly brother."
"Take it! Take it!"
He Yushui demanded payment in public, causing Yi Zhonghai to lose face completely.
Yi Zhonghai had already paid 80 yuan, so he didn't care about adding an extra piece of meat. He waved his right hand, wanting only to get rid of this annoying girl as soon as possible.
Gao Cuilan was heartbroken, but since Yi Zhonghai had spoken, she dared not disobey and could only swallow her anger. Yi Damao also looked distressed, but his eyes were somewhat unfocused.
Overjoyed at her initial victory, He Yushui had secured benefits for the He family at a crucial moment. Indeed, Jia Dongjin was right: "Where there is oppression, there is resistance," and "All reactionaries are paper tigers!"
In fact, He Yushui did not realize that her first battle took place on New Year's Eve last year.
On New Year's Eve, she successfully secured some good food for herself, instead of having to cower in the corner of the table like a little girl, waiting for Gao Cuilan's charity, as she had done in previous years.
In the animal kingdom, as lion kings age and their bodies weaken, they often face challenges from younger male lions; this is a normal form of competition.
The same applies to the courtyard house. Three stewards had been in charge of the courtyard house for many years, but so far, they have all been defeated by the young Jia Dongjin.
Unlike lion prides, courtyard houses belong to the human realm, and the losers are not killed or driven out.
As the three elderly men grew older and the younger generation matured, they finally began to show their strength. This was true for Jia Dongjin, and it was also true for He Yushui.
Another person from the courtyard house also experienced growth.