bioinnovel Chapter 249 Yi Zhonghai's Repentance, His Retirement Plans Ultimately Fail
Chapter 249 Yi Zhonghai's Repentance, His Retirement Plans Ultimately Fail
The three uncles and two uncles in the courtyard fell from grace one after another. One paid compensation and pretended to faint, while the other was kicked out of the house by his son. They both became complete jokes.
All of this was silently observed by one person.
This man was Yi Zhonghai, the old man who used to be the undisputed leader in the courtyard.
Through the crack in his window, he watched Liu Haizhong bark and curse in the yard like a stray dog, eventually crouching dejectedly in the corner. He felt no schadenfreude, only an indescribable sadness and loneliness.
Once upon a time, these three "uncles" were the core of power in this courtyard. Although there was scheming and disdain among them, they ultimately maintained order in the courtyard.
But now, everything has changed.
It became something that made him feel strange and afraid.
All these changes stemmed from one person—He Yuzhu.
Yi Zhonghai's thoughts drifted back to the past.
He recalled how he had planned it all along. He had no son, which was a lifelong regret for him. So he set his sights on Sha Zhu, the most honest, kind-hearted, and easiest to manipulate person in the courtyard.
He wanted to raise Sha Zhu to be his "son to take care of in his old age".
He did so much for this purpose.
He repeatedly took sides at hospital assemblies, causing Sha Zhu to suffer losses. He repeatedly used phrases like "consider the bigger picture" and "you should be forgiving" to morally blackmail Sha Zhu.
He even went to great lengths to matchmake Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu. In his view, Qin Huairu's family was a bottomless pit; once Sha Zhu married Qin Huairu, it would be like taking on a heavy burden, and he would never be able to escape that courtyard for the rest of his life. In the end, wouldn't Sha Zhu, whose edges had been worn down by life, have to obediently take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days?
His plan was incredibly shrewd.
He once thought he had succeeded. Sha Zhu obeyed Qin Huairu's every word and treated her words as gospel.
But he never expected that everything would change overnight.
After that mysterious Mr. Lin moved in, Sha Zhu seemed to have been reborn. He was no longer foolish, no longer easily manipulated. He became powerful, indifferent, and even somewhat terrifying.
He used swift and decisive methods to subdue Jia Zhangshi, Bang Geng, Xu Damao, Yan Bugui, and Liu Haizhong, making them all completely obedient.
His retirement plans were overturned and shattered by He Yuzhu.
Yi Zhonghai let out a long sigh.
He knew he was wrong, terribly wrong.
His mistake was treating people's hearts like beads on an abacus that could be manipulated at will. He was wrong to underestimate the bottom line of an honest person and overestimate his own cunning.
"Old man, have some water."
An older woman walked over, shakily carrying a glass of water. Her health had been deteriorating lately; she was sick every few days, and her face was deathly pale.
Yi Zhonghai took the water glass and looked at his wife's haggard face, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart.
I'm getting old, really old.
In his youth, he was a skilled fitter, a pillar of the factory, and a respected elder in the neighborhood—a man of great prestige. But now, he is just a lonely old man whom no one cares about.
He didn't even dare to get sick. He was afraid that one day he and his wife would be bedridden, with no one even to bring them tea or water.
His gaze involuntarily drifted back to He Yuzhu's house.
A thought popped into his head: I should apologize.
Go and apologize to Sha Zhu. I don't expect him to be like before, but I just hope he can remember the favor I did for him in the past and, if my wife and I become unable to move around, at least give us a hot meal.
The moment this thought crossed Yi Zhonghai's face, it began to burn.
He's always been a strong-willed person, always considering himself an "elder" or "benefactor." Asking him to bow down and apologize to a junior is worse than killing him.
He hesitated for a long time, sitting from dawn till dusk.
Ultimately, the fear of the future triumphed over that pitiful sense of self-esteem.
He changed into clean clothes, walked out of his house shakily, and came to He Yuzhu's house.
This short distance of a few dozen meters felt like an eternity to him.
He stood at the door, raised his hand, but hesitated to knock.
What should he say?
Saying, "Silly Zhu, the old man is wrong"?
Or is it saying, "Silly Zhu, look how old I am, you'll take care of me in my old age"?
He couldn't utter a single word. His entire life's pride was stuck in his throat.
Just when he was caught in a dilemma, sweating profusely with anxiety.
With a creak, the door opened.
He Yuzhu stood at the door, holding an aluminum lunchbox in his hand.
He saw Yi Zhonghai standing at the door, but his face showed no surprise, as if he had known he would come all along.
"Uncle," He Yuzhu called out calmly.
Yi Zhonghai's body stiffened, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He Yuzhu didn't wait for him to speak and handed him the lunchbox directly.
"This was a gift from Mr. Lin; I can't finish it all by myself. Please take it back and give it to your aunt to try; it's good for her health."
The lunchbox was still warm, and a strange, invigorating aroma wafted out from the cracks in it.
Yi Zhonghai instinctively reached out and took the lunchbox.
The lunchbox was so heavy that he could barely hold it. He felt as if he was receiving not just a meal, but a crushing burden that would break the last shred of his dignity.
He looked at He Yuzhu, that face that was once so familiar, yet now felt utterly foreign to him. He tried to find a trace of the past, a hint of resentment, or perhaps a hint of triumph on that face.
But he found nothing.
Only peace.
Calm as the sea.
"Silly...Zhu Zi..." Yi Zhonghai's voice was hoarse and choked with sobs.
He wanted to say thank you, and he wanted to say sorry.
But in the end, he said nothing. He simply held the lunchbox and bowed deeply, deeply to He Yuzhu.
Then, he turned around and walked home with heavy steps.
Finally, he couldn't hold back his tears, which rolled down his face along the wrinkles.
He knew that He Yuzhu was still the same kind-hearted, silly Yuzhu.
But he himself could never go back.
He Yuzhu's kindness was no longer a bargaining chip that he could manipulate and exploit at will.
This is a kind of "charity" from a higher level, from a superior position, a true act of "giving".
This act of charity caused him more pain than any beatings or retaliation.
Because it completely destroyed his dignity as an "elder," making him clearly realize that in front of He Yuzhu now, he, Yi Zhonghai, is nothing more than a pitiful wretch who needs pity and assistance.
This is the cruelest punishment for someone who has spent his entire life scheming.