Volume 1, Chapter 53: Shatian became a barren cripple incapable of bearing children.

Just at that moment, a neighbor who was rushing to the latrine shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Come quick! Silly Zhu is taking a 'bath' in the outhouse!"

At this cry, every single man in the courtyard except Su Jianshe swarmed toward the public toilet.
"Where is Silly Zhu? Since when did he pick up such a bizarre hobby?"
"The outhouse reeks to high heaven, yet he actually dares to bathe in there."
"Stop gawking, hurry and fish Silly Zhu out!"
"He's not bathing, he was kicked in!"

Among the onlookers were sharp-eyed men who saw through the truth at a glance.
Silly Zhu was hardly bathing; he had clearly been ambushed!

He clutched his stomach like a curled-up, braised prawn, half-lying in the outhouse trench with filth staining half his trouser leg.
His face was twisted and distorted, mottled with red and white like a face-changing performer in a Beijing opera.
With facial expressions shifting that fast, anyone claiming he was currently normal would surely be met with disbelief.
"Silly Zhu, what on earth is going on here?"
"I've never heard of him having any such illness."
"Stop dilly-dallying, saving him comes first! It's freezing out; we don't want him catching something worse."

Yi Zhonghai had just arrived at the entrance of the public toilet and had yet to step inside when he heard the hubbub of discussion.
"Enough! Stop bickering and get Silly Zhu out of there first!"

Yi Zhonghai ordered several strong young lads to forcibly drag Silly Zhu out of the outhouse.
The three young men were so nearly overcome by the stench radiating from Silly Zhu that they almost vomited.
"Uncle, where are we supposed to carry Silly Zhu?"
As part of the group carrying Silly Zhu, a young man glanced at Silly Zhong's agonizingly distorted face and called out to Yi Zhonghai in the distance.

"Silly Zhu! Where is Silly Zhu? I'm going to settle scores with him!" Xu Damao roared as he charged toward the public toilet.
His good time had been ruined by Silly Zhu, and on top of that, he felt as though something was amiss with his own body.
He deliberately positioned himself close to Yi Zhonghai.
"Silly Zhu, you just wait for me. The moment you crawl out of that toilet, I'll strike. If you dare fight back, I'll go straight to Yi Zhonghai! If you cross the line, I'll have you thrown into the police station. This weather should be punishment enough for you!"
Imagining the sweet taste of impending revenge, Xu Damao felt a slight lift in his spirits.

Right at that moment, a sudden, heavy stench drifted from the outhouse, as if someone were vigorously churning the waste inside.
Before the smell could even give Xu Damao a chance to hurl his insults, he saw three young men hoisting a familiar figure out of the outhouse.
"Silly Zhu!"

Xu Damao stood frozen in sheer astonishment, completely forgetting to mind the foul odor clinging to Silly Zhu.
He stared at Silly Zhu's contorted visage, his complexion abnormally flushed and beads of sweat covering his forehead.
He watched the scene unfold with utter disbelief.
Although the Silly Zhu before him was curled up like a shrimp, a far cry from his usual arrogant and domineering self in the courtyard, Xu Damao could tell that Silly Zhu had indeed taken a severe beating this time.

"This... No, Uncle, what on earth happened to Silly Zhu?"
Xu Damao opened his mouth, initially intending to grumble a bit about Silly Zhu and hopefully seize the opportunity for payback.
Yet seeing Silly Zhu in such a wretched state, a wave of cowardice suddenly gripped him.
"How should I know?"
Yi Zhonghai's face was as dark as the bottom of a cooking pot.

Not long ago, he had been chewed out by the police, and he had barely recovered his wits upon returning home when Silly Zhu's blood-curdling scream jerked him outside.
He was already racking his brains for an outlet for his own pent-up fury!
While Yi Zhonghai had originally intended to scold Silly Zhu a bit to vent his anger, seeing him now, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of shock.

"Never mind that now. Get Silly Zhu over to the old lady's place first; it's warm in there, and Silly Zhu's house is as cold as an ice cellar!"
"Damao, run and fetch a flatbed cart!"
"Xiao Li, strip Silly Zhu's pants off later and hang them right on his front door!"

At Yi Zhonghai's command, the courtyard instantly sprang into a flurry of motion.
"Alright, I'm on it!"
Knowing full well this was no time to pick a fight, Xu Damao followed Yi Zhonghai's instructions and sprinted off to find a cart.

The moment Xu Damao left, Yi Zhonghai directed several robust neighbors to carry Silly Zhu toward the old lady's quarters.
Before entering the room, someone thoughtfully stripped off Silly Zhu's pants—stained with unidentifiable yellowish blotches—and hung them directly over his doorway.

With everyone entirely focused on Silly Zhu, nobody noticed Xu Damao stealthily slipping back to his own home.
"I've got to hide the knife quickly. If anyone suspects it was me, I'm done for!"
Clueless as to the whole story, Xu Damao leaned against his front door, swallowing hard in sheer nervousness.
"That unlucky bastard Silly Zhu, who on earth backstabbed him? Serves him right!"
Making sure nothing was left out of place, Xu Damao hurried out of the courtyard to hunt for a cart elsewhere.

"Old lady, quickly find something to cover the bed!"
Deaf Old Lady, who had been sitting dazed on the heated brick kang, suddenly heard Yi Zhonghai's call.
She was inclined to ignore it, but then she saw several men already carrying Silly Zhu through the doorway.

"Zhuzi? What on earth happened? Why does it smell so awful?"
Deaf Old Lady wanted to step closer to take a look, but she was driven back by the overwhelming stench.
"Old lady, it's an emergency. Please find something to line the bed with; we have to lay Silly Zhu on your kang!"
"The handcart will be here any second, and we'll send him straight to the hospital so we don't put you out too much."
A young man hurriedly explained to Deaf Old Lady, pitching his voice intentionally high, practically shouting to ensure she could hear him clearly.

"Quick, quick, lay him on the kang!"
Deaf Old Lady gazed at Silly Zhu with eyes full of distress, using a yellowish handkerchief to gently dab the sweat from his forehead.
However, Silly Zhu's condition grew increasingly alarming as he slipped close to unconsciousness. The old lady anxiously questioned the people around her:
"What is the meaning of this? He was fine just a moment ago, how did he end up like this so suddenly?"
"We really don't know!"
The men who had just carried Silly Zhu in replied hastily, "He let out a sudden yell that startled us into running to the outhouse, and when we got in there, he was already like this!"
These men prudently omitted the detail about Silly Zhu lying flat in the toilet trench.

"The cart is here! Someone grab some quilts and clothes to cover Silly Zhu up!"
Xu Damao shouted at the top of his lungs from the front yard as he hauled the wooden cart.
"Quick, lift Silly Zhu onto the cart!"
Before long, everyone pitched in to settle Silly Zhu onto the vehicle.

Back at his own house, Second Uncle Liu Haizhong calmly watched the bustling crowd outside, not a hint of anxiety on his face.
Second Aunt was busy preparing dinner and, seeing Liu Haizhong sitting leisurely by the door without the slightest concern for Silly Zhu's plight, asked curiously:
"Silly Zhu has ended up in such a state, why aren't you going over to take a look?"
"That's just typical short-sighted woman's talk, you haven't the slightest grasp of the principles at play here!"
Liu Haizhong reproached his wife, then continued, "What good would it do for me to go out there? He must have simply tripped and fallen clumsily of his own accord, what's such a big deal about that? Right now, the most important thing for me is establishing my authority within the courtyard!"

At this, a smug smile crept across Liu Haizhong's face, as if he could already foresee himself stepping into Yi Zhonghai's shoes as the First Uncle of the courtyard.
"Once Yi Zhonghai is out of the picture, I'll step forward. By then, won't every major and minor affair in the compound be up to me?"
The thought of serving as acting First Uncle warmed Liu Haizhong's heart, and he instructed his wife:
"Fry me an egg and warm up half a pot of wine! Even though our grain reserves are running low, we've got to celebrate properly today!"
Humming a little tune, Liu Haizhong peered through the gap in the window as medical personnel departed the courtyard alongside Yi Zhonghai, secretly gloating to himself.
"A little later I'll step outside and rally the residents, reminding them to mind the freezing weather and prevent slips, let's have a good laugh first!"

Over at Yan Bugui's place, an unusual silence reigned.
As it turned out, Yan Bugui had concocted a foolproof strategy to save grain—sleeping!
Yan Jiedeng was tormented by hunger, and the commotion outside finally prompted him to ask:
"Dad, aren't you going to go out and take a look? I heard Silly Zhu took a tumble in the latrine!"
Yet Yan Bugui remained comfortably sprawled across the bed, waving a dismissive hand in response:
"Go out for what? Silly Zhu once bankrupted himself trying to secure Su Qingyang's forgiveness. If he's hospitalized, who's going to foot the bill? It'd fall on us senior uncles!"
"That's why I'm turning a deaf ear. As long as I don't step outside, what can he possibly do to me?"
With a crafty expression, Yan Bugui flipped over, burrowed deeper into his quilt, and resumed his heavy slumber, his momentary cunning vanishing in an instant.
Yan Jiedeng, who had hoped to coax his father out and secure a decent meal, let out a long sigh of despair and crawled back under the covers.

...

At the hospital.
"Doctor, how is he?"
Yi Zhonghai anxiously gazed at the male doctor who had just stepped out of the operating room.
"The patient's current condition is deeply concerning. Firstly due to recent malnutrition, and secondly due to severe trauma!"
"Who is the family member?"
Seeing a cluster of people blocking his way, the doctor couldn't help frowning.
"I am!"
The doctor led Yi Zhonghai aside into the duty room next to the ward.

"How is Silly Zhu holding up?"
A creeping sense of unease washed over Yi Zhonghai; the doctor's deliberate choice to bring him here rather than announcing it publicly made his heart skip a beat.
"Family member of He Yuzhu, I'll speak plainly. Based on the surgical findings, I'm afraid he will find it difficult to perform marital duties in the future!"

What?!
Yi Zhonghai felt as though he had been struck by lightning, staring at the doctor in sheer disbelief.
"Due to the severity of the trauma and the delay in getting him to the hospital, there's nothing more we can do. We hope you can accept reality and grieve appropriately."
In this era, for an unmarried young man to lose his reproductive capacity was equivalent to the sky collapsing.
It signaled the agonizing grief of dying without a lineage!

In an instant, both the doctor and Yi Zhonghai fell into a heavy silence inside the duty room.

...

Inside the ward, Silly Zhu roared, "Bangeng, I am not finished with you!"
"You just wait for me, the moment I discharge from this hospital, I'm going to make you pay!"
Silly Zhu's frenzied shouts echoed through the ward, yet those around him showed no sign of annoyance, instead casting gazes filled with profound pity his way.
He had been reduced to a broken man stripped of his manhood.
For the rest of his life, this label would cling to him like a shadow.
Taking a wife and raising children had become a pipe dream, and whether he could even live to a ripe old age remained an open question.

In the hospital room, several patients recovering from severed limbs leaned back in their chairs, gazing listlessly at the falling leaves outside, their spirits originally crushed.
Yet upon seeing Silly Zhu, they actually felt a shred of consolation—at least they still had descendants.
Some even turned around to offer words of comfort to Silly Zhu:
"Young man, don't lose heart. So what if you might not have a wife? You've got to keep forging ahead!"
"Right, look at me. My arm is broken, but I can still work hard, and you can too!"
"My arm is packed full of steel plates, and the doctor says they might never come out, but I'm still optimistic!"

Though seated on the opposite side of Silly Zhu, these resilient fellow patients continuously showered him with positive energy.
Yet upon hearing this, far from feeling comforted, Silly Zhu silently averted his face and buried himself deep within the blankets.
"Bangeng, you remember this. The moment I walk out of this hospital, I'm going to make you pay!"
At that moment, Silly Zhu still felt a burning, agonizing pain radiating from his lower body.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his fingernails dug deep into his flesh, utterly insensible to the physical pain.

Yi Zhonghai had already departed.
The visitors from the courtyard, upon learning that hospitalization required cash payments, hastily pooled together a meager handful of loose change before scattering immediately, unwilling to linger a moment longer.
"Sister Lanhua, if I can no longer fulfill a husband's duties, will you still accept me?"
Tossed about by inner torment, Silly Zhu slowly drifted off to sleep.
In his dream, Li Lanhua glided toward him just as she had in days past. Her gaze was seductive, her fingers lightly brushing against him...

"Ah!!!"
"Doctor, the surgical stitches on Bed Number Six He Yuzhu have split open!"
The doctor behind the thick-framed glasses wore a puzzled expression, hurrying along briskly while still managing to ask:
"Didn't he lose all functionality?"
"He... he mumbled something about discomfort in his dream, couldn't help lashing out with his fist toward the bedside table, and ended up..."
The young nurse stammered, too embarrassed to finish.

"Bangeng! Bangeng!"
Qin Huairu had deliberately avoided the crowd when sending Silly Zhu off to the hospital.
To prevent the residents of the courtyard from noticing her connection with Xu Damao, she had delayed her return home.
"Mom, big brother went out!"
Xiaodang trotted over obediently to deliver the news.
"Out? It's freezing enough to catch a chill, did he mention where he was heading?"
Recalling her pact with her brother, Xiaodang shook her head in response.
"He didn't say. Big brother just walked right out without mentioning where he was going!"
"Then stay home and keep an eye on your father, don't run around, you understand?"
After settling Xiaodang, Qin Huairu scoured the courtyard for Bangeng.
On her way back, Second Aunt had mentioned that temperatures tonight might drop even further.
"Bangeng! Bangeng!"
Her calls echoed repeatedly across the compound.
"Where on earth could this child Bangeng have run off to?"
Having searched the entire courtyard from end to end, Qin Huairu cast a frantic look around her.
"This compound is only so big, where could he possibly hide?"
She nervously smoothed down her hair, wondering if she had missed any hidden corners.
If she failed to track down Bangeng before Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu woke up, she was bound to face their relentless wrath.
"Maybe he went out of the courtyard to play, I'll go look outside!"
Just as Qin Huairu readied her stride to step past the courtyard gates,
Thud!
Not far away, the sound of a wok heating up with oil and colliding with meat and vegetables drifted from Su Jianshe's house.
Immediately following, the rich aroma of stir-fried pork with green peppers wafted across the entire courtyard.
"Gurgle!"
Having gone the entire day without food, Qin Huairu instinctively swallowed a mouthful of saliva, her gaze drifting toward Su Jianshe's house filled with intense envy.

Yet the moment that thought crossed her mind, her eyes abruptly lit up.
She quickened her pace and walked straight up to Su Jianshe's front door.
"Su Jianshe! Su Jianshe!"
Qin Huairu's hand hovered as if to knock, but recalling the distinct fist imprint deeply dented into the old locust tree by the doorway, her gesture instantly shrank back.
In the kitchen, Su Jianshe, who was busy tossing pork in the pan, couldn't help but furrow his brow.
"Here to cadge food again?"