Liu Haizhong's Embarrassment, Yi Zhonghai's Setback

Lin Zhen had already returned home and taken a nap.

Liu Haizhong finally returned, huffing and puffing.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he quickly moved his bicycle, afraid that someone in the courtyard would hear the sound of a bicycle.

Liu Haizhong turned on the light when he got home.

He was startled when he looked in the mirror, his face covered in blood.

The bright light woke up Second Aunt.

She mumbled, "Why did you take so long to go to the outhouse?"

"Don't make a sound, I fell!"

"Fell? What did you fall on, you... Ouch! What happened?"

Seeing Liu Haizhong's face covered in blood, Second Aunt was so scared she screamed.

"Shut up!"

Liu Haizhong hurriedly went to cover his wife's mouth. Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, in the other room, were also awakened.

They were all startled when they came over to see.

"Dad, what happened to you?"

"I fell in the outhouse, don't make a fuss, it's embarrassing if people find out. Honey, bring me a basin of warm water to clean up, do we have any medicine to put on it?"

"Oh, when would we have medicine at home? Let's go to the clinic?"

"No! I'm telling you, I fell at the public restroom, it was because it was dark. Don't spread it around. Guangtian, Guangfu, go back to sleep quickly!"

"Okay, we got it."

The two sons really didn't feel sorry for their father who had fallen and was covered in blood. They went back to their rooms to sleep and were soon snoring.

Liu Haizhong was so angry he wished he could drag his two sons out and beat them.

Second Aunt was very concerned.

While cleaning Liu Haizhong's wounds, she quietly asked, "What exactly happened?"

Liu Haizhong sighed deeply.

"Sigh! I was being stubborn, just my bad luck. I originally went to Lou Xiao'e's old house to find evidence of her contact with her parents, but when I got there, I remembered that the old house had already been confiscated."

"Ah? You went there in the middle of the night for what?"

"Sigh... it would have been fine if I had just come back, but then I wanted to go to Lou Xiao'e's former servant's house. As a result, at a corner on the street, the wheel got stuck in a wooden stake in the green belt, and I fell so hard I almost passed out!"

"Oh my heavens, why are you so unlucky? You shouldn't have gone out!"

Liu Haizhong said dejectedly, "What's the use of saying this now? I have insomnia and can't sleep, I was suffocated by that breath, I just can't get past that hurdle!"

"Speaking of Lin Zhen and Lou Xiao'e, you really can't mess with them. Some things aren't about superstition. Look at Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu, they curse him every day and ended up like that. You went to cause trouble in the middle of the night and almost died. Maybe his family has something protecting them."

"You shut up! What nonsense are you talking about? That's just a woman's opinion. Who believes in that superstitious stuff anymore?"

Second Aunt said disapprovingly, "Then we have to avoid them in the future. Even if Lin Zhen becomes the First Elder of the courtyard, you shouldn't try to cause trouble anymore."

"Shut up! What trouble did I cause? Can't I just go for a walk in the middle of the night? I didn't really find any evidence to report to the neighborhood committee, and now you're scolding me!"

"Alright, alright, don't move. Sigh... the people in the courtyard will definitely laugh at you tomorrow!"

The next morning, the courtyard was indeed lively.

Silly Zhu still wanted to beat up Xu Damao.

But he was scared off by the sight of Second Elder Liu Haizhong.

"Oh my! My Second Elder! Who are you holding a grudge against? What happened to your face?"

Xu Damao was also surprised, "I said I heard Second Aunt shouting something last night?"

Silly Zhu laughed, "Could it be that Second Aunt scratched you?"

Liu Haizhong's face turned ashen, "Get lost!"

Second Aunt said awkwardly from the side, "Went to the public restroom in the middle of the night and fell on the way..."

Silly Zhu laughed, "You must have been running really fast!"

Lin Zhen also came to watch the commotion.

Seeing Liu Haizhong's face, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

He was already fat, and now he looked even fatter with his face swollen.

He looked like a watermelon, with a large scrape on his nose, a lump on his forehead, and half a front tooth broken.

Half of his face was injured, and his left eye was squinted shut.

He looked like he had just come off a boxing ring.

"Oh! Second Elder! Do you have a grudge against the ground? Did you ram your face into it?"

Liu Haizhong's face was grim. He didn't argue with them and quickly waved them away, leaving.

Silly Zhu asked curiously, "Second Elder, why aren't you riding your bicycle today?"

Second Elder's wife replied, "He's all banged up like this, what's the point of riding a bike?"

Lin Zhen chuckled, "Then why didn't you call in sick? Why go to work?"

"Alas... it's just my face that's injured, it doesn't affect my work."

Lin Zhen and Silly Zhu chuckled and left.

Xu Damao curled his lips, also finding it amusing.

Yi Zhonghai, however, frowned, feeling that something was not right.

Going to the toilet in the middle of the night, even if he had to run, he wouldn't have gotten hurt like this.

And someone who rode his bicycle every day, not riding it today, there must be something fishy.

Before leaving, Yi Zhonghai specifically went to the bike shed to take a look.

As expected, he found something amiss.

Liu Haizhong's bicycle had several broken spokes on the front wheel, and the handlebars were also crooked.

"Old Liu really fell while riding his bike? He rode his bike just to go to the toilet at the door?"

Yi Zhonghai muttered to himself, planning to ask Liu Haizhong about it when he had the chance.

Coincidentally, Second Elder's wife came to the bike shed to push the bike, intending to get it repaired quickly.

"Mrs. Second Elder, Old Liu fell while riding, didn't he?"

Second Elder's wife retorted impatiently, "Old Yi, that's none of your business!"

"I... I'm just concerned!"

"No need. If you're really concerned, go send Qin Jingru off on the long-distance bus. She's at the Jia family's door and refusing to leave."

Yi Zhonghai was rebuffed and had no choice but to leave.

In the middle courtyard, Qin Jingru was sulking.

Qin Huairu told her to leave quickly so as not to delay her trip to the hospital, saying that her mother-in-law would rush her away even more when she returned.

Qin Jingru wanted to stay in the courtyard, but Xu Damao was afraid of Silly Zhu. Since they weren't married yet, he didn't dare to let Qin Jingru stay.

With Xu Damao refusing, Qin Jingru had to leave.

Now, her sulking wasn't about insisting on staying at the Jia family's, but about demanding the 30 eggs Xu Damao gave back from Qin Huairu.

"Sister! I came to help you watch the kids for a few days, and all I did was the hard work, with no benefits. You have to let me take the eggs Xu Damao gave me, they were bought for me!"

Qin Huairu said angrily, "How long have you been with Xu Damao? Have you already learned to be so heartless?"

"I'm heartless? You were the one who asked me to come, and you're the one pushing me away, hmph! What do you take me for!"

"Fine, fine, fine! Take them. Go home and tell Third Uncle that your man bought them for you!"

"I will tell him. I'm just going back to deliver the news, and I'll be back to marry Damao in a while!"

Yi Zhonghai frowned, "Alright, take your things and hurry to the station. Don't delay Huairu going to the hospital."

Qin Jingru glared, "Hmph! I'm not part of this courtyard anymore, so you can't control me!"

Yi Zhonghai was rebuffed again, thinking to himself, what's going on? Why is my prestige in the courtyard getting lower and lower?

He wanted to scold Qin Jingru, but she was indeed a guest of the Jia family, and he couldn't control her. He could only leave with a dark expression.

After Qin Jingru left, during the day, Jia Zhangshi only slept and didn't care about Bang Geng and Xiao Dang. The two children ran around the courtyard every day.

Time flew by, and it was Monday of the following week.

Lou Xiao'e, along with her four sons, went to the neighborhood office with Aunt Liu.

Most of the people in the courtyard had gone to work. The quadrangle courtyard was very quiet in the morning.

Suddenly, a mournful cry came from the front courtyard.

Bang Geng had an accident.