thefictionvixens Chapter 121 Analysis
Chapter 121 Analysis
The midday sun was so intense it made people drowsy, but thankfully there were occasional gentle breezes that made it easier to walk in the scorching sunlight.
The commotion and buzzing from the courtyard were still penetrating my ears, with Sha Zhu's angry questioning and Qin Jingru's hysterical shouts.
There was also the chatter of neighbors, making it a complete mess.
Lin Zhou left the courtyard, which was known throughout the heavens as being filled with birds, with a smile on his face.
Just as he was about to leave, he gently tugged at Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe's arms, signaling them to follow him.
Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe watched the chaotic scene and tacitly refrained from interfering or making a sound.
They were just staff members accompanying the Hong Kong boss; as long as they didn't do anything illegal or criminal.
They have no right to interfere; they can just report it when they get back.
Seeing Lin Zhou signaling them to leave, they could only turn around and follow behind Lin Zhou.
Although the two walked steadily, there was still a hint of astonishment between their brows—what had just happened in the courtyard was simply too unbelievable.
They had lived in Beijing for so long and seen many storms, but they had never seen such a courtyard full of people who had absolutely no bottom line.
Moreover, Lin Zhou could easily throw the entire courtyard into chaos and cause everyone to lose face with just a few words.
The three of them left the courtyard silently without making a sound. No one around them paid any attention to them; they were all just watching Sha Zhu and Xu Damao make fools of themselves.
Who told them to be the most high-profile people in this courtyard? Now that they have a chance to embarrass themselves, they'd be more than happy to fight.
Lin Zhou and his group passed through the moon gate, walked through the front yard, and headed towards the main gate of the courtyard house.
Those neighbors who had gathered at the entrance to watch the commotion from courtyard number 95 instinctively stepped back when they saw Lin Zhou and his two companions emerge, casting curious yet respectful glances at them.
Lin Zhou ignored him and continued walking.
A faint smile lingered at the corners of his lips, but his eyes held a sense of satisfaction, a solace for his pent-up resentment. Although there were still many things left unsaid, too much time had passed to make it meaningful to say them anyway.
Even so, what I said in the courtyard earlier was enough. Every word precisely hit their sore spots, and every word was like a sharp knife, tearing away their hypocritical masks.
Seeing Yi Zhonghai looking distraught, Sha Zhu filled with grief and indignation, Xu Damao utterly humiliated, and Qin Huairu speechless, he felt no ripples in his heart, only a sense of satisfaction.
They were a group of people with ulterior motives, a bunch of calculating and selfish "beasts." Their dignity was built on the grievances and sacrifices of others. Now that they've been exposed in public, they're just reaping what they sowed.
Once outside the courtyard gate and into the alleyway, the noise behind me was finally shut out by the courtyard wall, leaving only the sound of footsteps and cicadas.
Wang Jianguo, who had been on edge the whole time, finally breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but turn his head to look at Lin Zhou beside him, his tone full of barely suppressed curiosity: "Mr. Lin, you seem to know everything about what's going on in this courtyard."
He paused, then added with a hint of puzzlement, "Didn't you just come back from Hong Kong? How do you know so much about the everyday life of an ordinary courtyard house in Beijing? You can even tell me those old stories that you've kept buried in your heart without any error."
Li Jianshe also slowed down, turned to look at Lin Zhou, his eyes filled with the same curiosity.
Although he was a man of few words, his doubts were no less than those of Wang Jianguo.
What Lin Zhou said just now was spot on; it didn't sound like hearsay, but rather like he had seen it with his own eyes.
Lin Zhou kept walking, his gaze fixed on the winding alleyway ahead. Sunlight fell on his profile, outlining a soft contour.
Hearing Wang Jianguo's words, the smile on his lips faded slightly. "How could it not be detailed? If you had also watched this TV series and read many fan fictions, you could describe it perfectly."
However, he couldn't say what was on his mind, so he simply said in a flat tone, "I know someone who came from this courtyard, the one I just mentioned, Lou Xiao'e."
He paused, then added, "Back then, I left the mainland with her and went to Hong Kong. She told me all these things."
This sounded perfectly reasonable and flawless. Upon hearing this, Wang Jianguo and Li Jianshe nodded as if they had just realized something, and most of the doubt on their faces instantly disappeared.
So that's how it is. No wonder Mr. Lin knew so much about what happened in this courtyard; it was Lou Xiao'e who told him herself.
But only Lin Zhou himself knew that these words were just an excuse he made up on the spot.
He chuckled inwardly: How could Lou Xiao'e have told me? That woman, in this courtyard full of beasts, is a complete fool.
Despite having a good family background and good looks, she was naive and easily tricked by a deaf old lady, ostracized by the people in the courtyard, and finally left in a sorry state.
They probably haven't even fully figured out why they ended up in such a state.
How could she possibly know about these sordid things hidden in people's hearts?
He learned these things from TV dramas and fan fiction in his later life.
Those novels thoroughly exposed the background, the filth, and the depravity of everyone in the courtyard.
He simply revealed those long-buried secrets at this opportune moment, without altering them.
Lin Zhou remained outwardly calm, but a thousand thoughts were already racing through his mind.
After listening to Lin Zhou's explanation, Wang Jianguo couldn't help but sigh, his tone tinged with regret: "Oh, I see."
I said, "How come you know so much about what's going on in this courtyard? You even know the hidden details that they themselves don't know."
He shook his head and said as if talking to himself, "It's strange, how come there are several families in this courtyard without children?"
Yi Zhonghai had no offspring his whole life, Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu had been married for many years without any children, Xu Damao married two wives but had no children, and even Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li were childless.
This is really a strange thing, really.
Li Jianshe listened from the side and nodded slightly, clearly also finding the matter somewhat strange.
In a courtyard, it's highly unlikely that several families in a row would be childless; such a situation inevitably raises suspicions.
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhou paused slightly, then resumed his normal pace, his tone remaining calm as if stating a perfectly ordinary fact: "Yes, this matter does indeed seem somewhat strange."
As far as I know, Xu Damao is 100% infertile.
He recalled the novels he had read in his previous life, some of which said that Xu Damao had been too reckless in his youth, damaging his very foundation.
Others say that he was kicked in the groin by Sha Zhu multiple times, which damaged his vas deferens and caused infertility.
Another story says that when Xu Damao was riding his bicycle to the countryside to show movies, the bicycle seat hurt him because the journey was too long.
Regardless of the speculation, he could never have children in his life. Lou Xiao'e's later remarriage and the birth of her son further confirms this.
He paused, then continued, "As for Yan Jiecheng, he was probably infertile because his family was poor and he suffered from malnutrition when he was young, which damaged his health."
This wasn't entirely unfounded. Yan Bugui was stingy his whole life, always trying to stretch every penny, and his children rarely had a proper meal. Yan Jiecheng, as the eldest son, had parents to care for and brothers and sisters to support.
Meals were always divided equally, and he also had to go out to take odd jobs, and occasionally he had to do heavy physical labor such as carrying large bags. He suffered a lot of grievances at home because of this problem of food, so it was only natural that he was malnourished.