Dare to shirk responsibility? This adorable little one will tear down your military district!

Amidst shouts and curses from outside, the two newly painted red doors were kicked open from the outside.

The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang, startling the bricklayer who was mixing cement in the yard.

A dozen or so burly men rushed in, carrying pickaxe handles and rusty iron pipes, each one looking like a thug.

The leader was a thin man in his thirties, wearing an old jacket with a mink collar despite the cold weather, and a shiny melon-shaped hat on his head. He was holding a pipe and spat a thick wad of phlegm on the ground as he entered.

"Put down whatever you're holding! Anyone who dares to touch a brick, I'll break their legs today!" The skinny man roared in a hoarse voice.

The carpenters and bricklayers in the courtyard were honest men who made a living by their skills. When they saw the local bullies' posture, they all threw down their trowels and saws and retreated to hide under the covered walkway.

Hearing the commotion in the main room, Lin Wanrou slammed the account book down on the table.

She straightened the hem of her grey wool Lenin suit and walked down the steps in her black leather shoes.

Ya Ya was sitting in the armchair cracking sunflower seeds when she heard someone making a fuss. She patted the sunflower seed shells off her hands and followed her mother with her short legs.

As soon as the backyard door opened, the large wolfhound Black Wind barked and rushed out, barking its white fangs as it lunged forward. Niu Dan grabbed the thick hemp rope around Black Wind's neck, tucked the cast iron boning knife into the tattered cloth belt at his waist, and stood like a black iron tower beside Lin Wanrou.

Jiang Guo also strolled out of the east wing carrying an abacus, his brows furrowed in a deep frown.

"Who's in charge?" Lin Wanrou stood up straight, her back ramrod straight. "I bought this house from the housing management office with my own money; all the paperwork is in order. What do you want by bringing people to break down the door?"

The gaunt man sized Lin Wanrou up and down, sneered, and tapped his pipe on the doorframe.

"Bought it? Did you even ask Bao Shun?" The gaunt man pointed his thumb at his nose. "Let me tell you, my great-grandfather was a legitimate prince back in the day! This three-courtyard mansion is our family's ancestral property! A few years ago, the government borrowed it to use as a warehouse, which was none of my business. Now, Old Ma from the housing management office, while I was out of the capital, sold this treasure trove for a pittance of fifteen gold bars! You're all robbing us!"

Lin Wanrou understood immediately upon hearing this.

These are the remnants of a once-impoverished family. Hearing that the house sold for a high price, they became envious and gathered a group of thugs to come and extort money from the family.

Lin Wanrou calmly took out the house and land deeds stamped with bright red ink from her canvas bag, raised them high and shook them twice.

"It's all written clearly in black and white, and the official seal is right here," Lin Wanrou said in a clear voice. "Our transaction was legal and legitimate. If you feel you overpaid, go to the housing management office to talk to Old Ma. Coming to our yard to act tough? You've got the wrong door!"

When Na Baoshun saw the big red seal, his eyelids twitched twice, but he quickly returned to his rogue-like demeanor.

He tucked his pipe behind his back, put his hands on his hips, and started playing with the dead dog.

"Don't try to blackmail me with that piece of paper! Old Ma took your bribes, of course he'll speak up for you!" Bao Shun yelled, straining his neck. "Fifteen gold bars for a three-courtyard house on Wangfujing Back Street? You think you can fob me off?! This isn't over yet. If you want construction to proceed peacefully, you'll have to give me another twenty thousand silver dollars, or twenty more large gold bars! Otherwise, for every brick you lay, I'll have my brothers smash one. Let's see how you do business!"

Old Li, the foreman standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward, rubbing his hands together.

"Brother, let's talk this out. This widow and her child are struggling to make ends meet, and you're asking for 20,000 yuan right off the bat? That's practically killing them! Let us finish the job..."

Before Old Li could finish speaking, a thug with a fierce face next to Bao Shun kicked him hard in the groin.

Old Li cried out and fell into the lime trough next to him, getting covered in white lime.

"What right do you have to speak, you peasant? Get out of here!" The burly thug raised the cast iron pipe in his hand, pointing it at the remaining workers. "None of you are allowed to work! Pack your bags and get out!"

The workers were so frightened that they shrank back, and none of them dared to step forward and risk getting into trouble.

Lin Wanrou's temper flared up instantly.

Over the past few years, she has followed Gu Changfeng all over the country and has been the shopkeeper in Nanluoguxiang for so long. She has seen all kinds of storms.

"You assaulted someone in broad daylight! Have you no regard for the law?!" Lin Wanrou pointed at the door. "Get out of here right now, or I'll call the police and report you for disturbing public order!"

"Call the police? Go ahead!" Bao Shun laughed loudly, emboldened. "I'm a local resident of Wangfujing. Which alley in Beijing doesn't have my brothers? The police can arrest me and detain me for a couple of days, but when I'm released, I'll still come and smash your windows! The barefoot aren't afraid of those wearing shoes. Let's see how long your medicinal cuisine restaurant can last!"

Jiang Guo fiddled with the abacus beads a couple of times on the steps, the crisp sound echoing clearly in the courtyard.

"That's Bao Shun, right?" Jiang Guo's voice wasn't loud, but his reasoning was exceptionally clear. "Extorting 20,000 yuan, plus trespassing and vandalism. According to current regulations, that's enough for you to spend ten years in jail. Let me remind you, the owner of this house is a relative of the Chief of Staff of the Beijing Garrison Command. Are you sure you want to cause trouble here?"

Jiang Guo invoked the military's name, hoping to put down the arrogance of these local bullies.

Little did they know that Bao Shun didn't believe in that at all.

He glanced at Lin Wanrou, then at Ya Ya, who was only five and a half years old, and Niu Dan, who was wearing a tattered cotton-padded jacket, and his mouth pursed in disapproval.

"Chief of Staff? What nonsense! If he were truly a high-ranking military commander, would he need to run errands himself to buy a house? Would he need to hire these amateur bricklayers?" Na Baoshun waved his hand. "Stop trying to fool me with empty promises! I won't retreat until I see real money!"

As Na Baoshun spoke, his gaze swept toward the east wing, and his eyes lit up.

The door to the side room was open, revealing antique Ming and Qing dynasty furniture that had just been brought back yesterday. A whole array of huanghuali armchairs and zitan canopy beds, the patina on the wood gleaming with a warm, lustrous sheen.

Although Na Baoshun was a spendthrift, he grew up in the Prince's mansion and knew how to appreciate good things.

"Good heavens! So this rich lady is really well-off!" Bao Shun swallowed hard, his eyes gleaming with envy. Pointing at the furniture in the room, he shouted to his henchmen behind him, "Go! If they don't pay, take those sets of huanghuali chairs to pay off their debt! Each set is worth several thousand dollars!"

Upon hearing this, the thugs grabbed their sticks and rushed towards the east wing.

"Stop right there!" Lin Wanrou took two steps forward, blocking the doorway. "This is my private property. Anyone who dares to touch it will be disappointed!"

"Get out of my way!" The thug with a face full of scars strode forward and reached out to grab Lin Wanrou's shoulder.

Ya Ya stood silently to the side, savoring the last bit of sweetness from the milk candy.

The little girl looked at these bastards, who not only interrupted her family's progress in building a house and making big money, but also dared to hit her mother.

Do you really think Meng Yaya's 500-pound superhuman strength is just for show?

Ya Ya shoved her chubby little hands into the pockets of her tactical vest, then suddenly pushed off with her feet, ready to rush forward and throw the burly guy like a sandbag.

But someone was faster than her.