Chapter 400: Yi Zhonghai Breaks the Stalemate

In the Central Courtyard, the Yi household, the kerosene lamp's flame flickered in the night wind, casting Yi Zhonghai's stooped shadow on the mottled wall.

He sat beside the old Eight Immortals Table in the main hall, with that stack of remittance slip receipts spread before him.

The paper had yellowed, the edges worn, yet the handwriting remained clear.

He Daqing.

He Yuzhu.

Month after month the same, year after year without cease.

First Elder carried in a bowl of hot noodle soup, gently placing it on the table.

"Have something to eat, you haven't eaten all day."

Yi Zhonghai didn't move.

His eyes stared fixedly at those slips, as if staring at his own evidence of guilt.

First Elder sighed and sat opposite him.

The lamp light fell on her graying hair, revealing the wrinkles across her face.

She too was old.

"Zhonghai," she said, her voice soft, "we have no children, saving so much money—what good is it?"

Yi Zhonghai jerked his head up.

His eyes were bloodshot.

"What do you know! That is…"

"That is the money Sha Zhu's father sent to his son," First Elder continued, her tone terrifyingly calm, "We intercepted it, concealed it, hid it for thirteen years. Now retribution has arrived."

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Xu Damao is what kind of person, you know better than I," First Elder went on, "Today he can use this to blackmail you, tomorrow he can blackmail you even more. At our age, how many more upheavals can we endure?"

She reached out, gripping her husband's icy hand.

Those hands trembled.

"I've thought all night," First Elder said, looking into her husband's eyes, "Perhaps we should… perhaps lay our cards on the table with Sha Zhu."

Yi Zhonghai shivered all over.

"Are you mad?!"

"I'm not mad," First Elder shook her head, "Sha Zhu, that child, we watched him grow up. His temper is explosive, but his heart isn't bad. Over these years, whatever we did to him, he knows it in his heart."

She paused.

"The Jia family can't be relied upon. Qin Huairu, that daughter‑in‑law, has her mind only on the child. And Jia Zhangshi—let alone mention him—he'd rather squeeze the marrow from our bones. If we truly count on them for our old age, we'd be better off jumping into the moat now."

Those words were harsh.

But Yi Zhonghai knew it was true.

"But Sha Zhu… could he forgive us?" his voice was hoarse.

"Speak openly, return the money, and add a bit more."

First Elder said, "We'll draft a will, leaving this house and all we've saved to Sha Zhu. Ma Dongmei, that daughter‑in‑law, is sensible; she has two children to raise, she won't be unmoved."

Yi Zhonghai fell silent.

He stared at the receipts on the table, at those cold numbers.

Thirteen years.

One thousand five hundred sixty yuan.

This is the debt he owes Sha Zhu.

It is also a stone weighing on his heart.

"Xu Damao's side…" he murmured.

"Return the money, speak openly with Sha Zhu, what could Xu Damao still use to blackmail you?" First Elder stood up, "If he dares to spout nonsense, we'll take him to court. Keeping the remittance was wrong, but we can return it, even double it; if Sha Zhu is willing to forgive, who can say anything?"

She walked to the cabinet, opened a drawer, and took out an Iron Box.

She lifted it and placed it on the table.

She opened it.

Inside was a thick stack of money.

There were ten‑yuan notes, five‑yuan notes, and one‑yuan notes.

And a few bankbooks.

"These are what we've saved over the years," First Elder said, "Add the money on the remittance slips, we add another five hundred. Round it up to two thousand, all for Sha Zhu."

Yi Zhonghai looked at the money.

He stared for a long time.

Finally, he slowly nodded.

"I'll follow your lead."

The next morning, a fire broke out at Sha Zhu's home.

Ma Dongmei was simmering porridge in the kitchen, while Sha Zhu squatted at the doorway brushing his teeth, foam filling his mouth.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai come over carrying a bulging cloth bag, Sha Zhu was startled.

"First Elder, so early?"

Yi Zhonghai stood at the doorway, his lips trembling.

"Zhuzi, I… I have something to tell you."

Sha Zhu rinsed his mouth and dabbed his lips.

"Come inside and say it."

In the hall, Ma Dongmei brought over two bowls of hot water.

Yi Zhonghai did not sit.

He stood there like a criminal awaiting judgment.

"Zhuzi, Dongmei," he began, his voice trembling, "I'm sorry to your family."

Sha Zhu and Ma Dongmei exchanged a glance.

"First Elder, what are you…"

Yi Zhonghai placed the canvas bag on the table.

He opened it.

First, he took out the stack of remittance slips.

He spread them out one by one.

Yellowed paper, blurred postmarks, familiar handwriting.

He Daqing's handwriting.

Sha Zhu's eyes widened.

He picked up one, his hand beginning to tremble.

"This… this is my father…"

"From April 1953 onward, there was one every month," Yi Zhonghai's voice was low, "sent from Baoding, to be handed to you. I've taken them all, the money… is all here."

He pushed the bundle of money over.

A thick stack, striking to the eye.

Sha Zhu's eyes reddened.

It wasn't moved, it was anger.

"Yi Zhonghai!" he shouted, standing up abruptly, the table clanged, "Are you still human, damn it?! The money my father sent me, you dare intercept?!"

Ma Dongmei quickly grabbed him.

"Zhuzi, don't act rashly!"

"How could I not act rashly?!"

Sha Zhu roared, pointing at Yi Zhonghai, "Over a decade! More than a thousand yuan! How the hell could you swallow that?! Did you let your conscience be eaten by a dog?!"

Yi Zhonghai lowered his head, not daring to look at him.

"Zhuzi, I… I was deluded at the time. Thinking your father was gone, you were still young, I feared you'd spend it recklessly. I… I saved it, for later…"

"Later what? Later to support your retirement?!" Sha Zhu's eyes stared like copper bells, "Yi Zhonghai, you really are something! Driving my father away, swallowing his money, now pretending to be a good person? I damn…"

He lifted a stool, ready to smash.

Ma Dongmei held him tightly.

"Zhuzi! Listen to First Elder finish speaking!"

Yi Zhonghai thudded down on his knees.

His knees hit the floor with a dull thud.

Sha Zhu was stunned.

"Zhuzi, I was wrong," Yi Zhonghai said, tears streaming, "I'm not a human, I'm a beast. All these years I've had nightmares daily, dreaming that your father is after my life. This money, I haven't dared to spend a single cent, I've kept it all."

He, trembling, took out the Cloth Bag again.

"These five hundred yuan are my addition. Count it as interest, as compensation. Zhuzi, considering the decades of friendship between me and your father, and… considering that my and your First Elder have no children, forgive me this time."

Sha Zhu slowly lowered the stool from his hand.

He stared at Yi Zhonghai kneeling on the ground.

The person he had called "First Elder" for over a decade now looked like a bereaved dog.

Ma Dongmei released her grip, walked over and helped Yi Zhonghai.

"First Elder, please stand up. The floor is cold."

Yi Zhonghai refused to stand.

"If Zhuzi doesn't forgive me, I won't get up."

Sha Zhu's chest rose and fell violently.

After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence through his clenched teeth.

"…stand up."

Yi Zhonghai lifted his head, his face full of tears.

"Zhuzi, you…"

"I've taken the money," Sha Zhu turned his face away, "This matter ends here. Don't bring it up again."

Ma Dongmei helped Yi Zhonghai to his feet.

The old man's legs grew weak, and he almost knelt again.

"First Elder, please go back and rest first," Ma Dongmei said, "You know Zhuzi's temper. He said it's over, it's over."

Yi Zhonghai expressed endless gratitude, walking away while looking back every three steps.

His hunched silhouette resembled a dead tree.

The door closed.

Sha Zhu plopped onto the stool, staring at the pile of money on the table.

Ma Dongmei cleared the dishes in silence.

After a while, Sha Zhu finally spoke.

"Tell me… why did he return the money today?"

Ma Dongmei put down the bowl.

"What do you think?"

"Conscience found out?" Sha Zhu sneered, "If he had a conscience, could he have done this?"

Ma Dongmei walked over and sat opposite him.

"Yesterday Xu Damao looked for Yi Zhonghai, did you know?"

"I don't know." Sha Zhu frowned, "What did Xu Damao want from him?"

"I guess Xu Damao found those remittance slips." Ma Dongmei lowered her voice, "Using this to blackmail Yi Zhonghai, forcing him to support his own bid for First Elder."

Sha Zhu stared blankly.

Then he realized.

"No wonder Xu Damao has been so smug these past two days!"

"Yi Zhonghai came today to return the money, just so he wouldn't be caught by Xu Damao." Ma Dongmei analyzed, "As long as we take the money and forgive him, Xu Damao loses his leverage."

Sha Zhu stared at the pile of money, his expression complex.

"So… we're just going to forgive him like that?"

"We've gotten the money back, and even an extra five hundred." Ma Dongmei sighed, "Zhuzi, show mercy where you can. Yi Zhonghai is so old—if we really push him to the brink and something happens, we won't feel good about it."

Sha Zhu remained silent for a long time.

Finally he nodded.

"Alright, I'll listen to you."

That evening, the courtyard meeting was held again.

It was still the same Eight Immortals Table, still the same three chairs.

But the atmosphere was even stranger than the night before.

When Yi Zhonghai stood up, everyone thought he was going to nominate Xu Damao again.

Xu Damao sat in the front row, back straight, a confident smile on his face.

But when Yi Zhonghai spoke, he said something else.

"Fellow neighbors, I said last night I would step down, and I meant it. But after thinking it over, I feel Comrade Xu Damao still needs more training."

Xu Damao's smile froze on his face.

"So I've decided not to step down for now." Yi Zhonghai's voice was steady, "When the courtyard finds a more suitable candidate, I'll yield the position."

Whoa—

The courtyard erupted in an uproar.

Xu Damao jumped up.

"First Elder! What do you mean?! Didn't we agree on this last night?!"

Yi Zhonghai looked at him, his gaze calm.

"Damao, I said I'd consider it. Now I've thought it through, and you're still not up to the task."

"You!" Xu Damao's face turned liver-colored.

He suddenly pulled out that stack of remittance slip copies from his pocket—of course, they were transcribed copies.

"Yi Zhonghai! Don't think you can shame me into silence! Do you think I wouldn't dare expose the things you've done?"

He held up the copy and waved it.

"Everybody look! What is this?! All the money He Daqing has been sending Sha Zhu over the years was intercepted by Yi Zhonghai! Over a thousand! He embezzled it!"

The courtyard fell silent in an instant.

Everyone stared wide-eyed.

Sha Zhu sat there, motionless.

Ma Dongmei tightly gripped his hand.

Yi Zhonghai closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, his eyes were clear.

"Damao is right." He spoke slowly, "I did intercept the money He Daqing sent to Zhuzi. In total 1,640, plus the 500 interest I added—I've already returned it all to Zhuzi this morning."

He turned toward Sha Zhu.

"Zhuzi, in front of everyone in the courtyard, I'll say it again: I, Yi Zhonghai, am sorry to the He family. I'm not human, I'm a beast."

Sha Zhu stood up.

"First Elder, this is over. I've got the money back, and I've forgiven you."

The courtyard burst into an uproar.

"Good heavens, there's still something like this?"

"Over a thousand! Yi Zhonghai really dared!"

"But he returned it, and Sha Zhu also forgave him…"

Xu Damao was dumbfounded.

He never expected Yi Zhonghai would voluntarily confess.

Nor did he expect Sha Zhu to forgive him.

"Sha Zhu! Are you addled?" he shouted, "He stole your father's money for over ten years! And you just forgive him like that?"

Sha Zhu looked at him and sneered.

"Xu Damao, this is our family's affair—it's none of your business. As for you, using someone else's leverage to blackmail them, wanting to be First Elder? Do you even deserve it?"

Xu Damao trembled with rage.

He pointed at Yi Zhonghai, then at Sha Zhu.

"Good! Good! You all team up to mess with me! Yi Zhonghai, just you wait! This matter isn't over!"

He turned and left, limping, his back a pitiful sight.

Yi Zhonghai watched him depart and let out a long sigh.

Then he faced the entire courtyard.

"I, Yi Zhonghai, am unworthy of the position. From today, I resign from the role of First Elder. From now on, regarding the affairs of the courtyard, you should choose other capable people."

Having finished, he sat down slowly.

It was as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

After the meeting, Sha Zhu and Ma Dongmei went home.

The two remained silent.

Only after washing up and lying down did Ma Dongmei speak softly: "Tomorrow, invite Yushui back for a meal. This matter must be told to her."

Sha Zhu let out a "Hmm".

In the evening of the next day, He Yushui returned with her husband Zhang Weiguo and their two children.

Zhang Weiguo is a precinct police officer, dressed in uniform, looking very energetic.

At the dining table, Sha Zhu recounted the matter.

He placed the 820 yuan—splitting it in half—pushed in front of He Yushui.

"This is the money Dad sent; the two of us each get half."

He Yushui stared at the stack of money and did not move.

Her hand trembled.

"Brother." She lifted her head, eyes blood‑red, "Yi Zhonghai… does he just get away with it?"

"The money's returned, I've forgiven him." Sha Zhu said in a low voice.

"You forgave him, I haven't!" He Yushui sprang to her feet, "Did you forget how we got by back then? If it weren't for Brother Ping'an's help, you entering the Steel Rolling Mill, we would have starved! I thought Father had abandoned us, but it was Yi Zhonghai's scheming. On what grounds? What right does he have?"

Zhang Weiguo pulled her.

"Yushui, sit down and speak."

"I won't sit!" He Yushui's tears fell, "Brother, you're too soft‑hearted! Someone like Yi Zhonghai should be sent to prison!"

Sha Zhu lowered his head.

"He's already that old…"

"Just because he's old gives him the right?" He Yushui hissed, "I hate him! I'll never forgive him in my life!"

She grabbed the stack of money and slammed it hard onto the table.

The banknotes scattered across the floor.

The two children, frightened, began to cry.

Ma Dongmei hurried to coax the children.

Zhang Weiguo pulled He Yushui out of the house and entered the small room He Yushui had once used.

Inside the small room, He Yushui was still crying.

The sobbing was harrowing, like a wounded beast.

In the main room, Sha Zhu crouched, picking up the money from the floor one by one.

His hand also trembled.

Ma Dongmei, holding a child, watched him.

"Zhuzi…"

"I'm fine." Sha Zhu stacked the money neatly, placed it on the table, "Yushui's hatred is justified. I… I'm too soft‑hearted."

Outside the window, night deepened.

He Yushui's sobbing gradually faded.

But that hatred, like a thorn,

was lodged in the hearts of the He Family.

and also embedded in this Siheyuan night.

It could not be pulled out any longer.