Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

The doctor frowned and quickly added, "Family members, please don't get agitated. The child is young, and the eardrum has a certain ability to repair itself. As long as there's no infection, there's a high chance of hearing recovery later. But during this time, it's absolutely crucial to keep the eardrum dry and avoid any stimulation."

Although the doctor said he could recover, Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi wouldn't listen at all; all they knew was that Banggeng was now deaf.

Sha Zhu slammed his fist against the wall, gritting his teeth: "Xu Damao! I'll fucking kill you!"

Yi Zhonghai said irritably, "Get busy, get busy! Lou Xiao'e is still alive, we don't even know if she's dead or alive, and all you know is how to get busy?"

"You came back and started acting immediately? Didn't you know to find out what was going on first? Things that could have been discussed are now ruined. What are we going to do about it?"

"Let me tell you, if anything really happens to Lou Xiao'e, even if it's not Xu Damao, the Lou family won't let you off the hook."

"You silly Zhu, and Jia Zhangshi, Bang Geng, especially Bang Geng—none of them will escape!"

"They all have to die!"

Yi Zhonghai is also a little flustered. He didn't expect it to escalate so much. Fortunately, he was just talking and didn't actually do anything. It was Sha Zhu who started the beating, and Bang Genggan who pushed people in the end.

If Xu Damao suffers a minor loss, Xu Fugui usually won't step in. Everyone here has been involved in the underworld before the founding of the People's Republic of China; as long as things don't go too far or escalate, everyone just lets things slide.

But you got involved with Lou Bancheng's daughter?

Does your family have a death wish?

Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Putting everything else aside, someone could just offer a few thousand or ten thousand to buy the lives of your whole family. Wouldn't that be enough?

This is also why Yi Zhonghai didn't want to clash with Zhang Dabiao. Yi Zhonghai was broke, while Zhang Dabiao had hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars. How could they possibly compete?

We can't beat them.

Just then, two uniformed police officers walked over from the end of the emergency room corridor.

Leading the group was Lao Mo, an experienced officer from Jiaodaokou Police Station, followed by the young and clever Xiao Li.

"Who are Jia Geng's family members?" Lao Mo asked in a deep voice.

Qin Huairu wiped away her tears and quickly went to greet them: "Officers, I'm his mother. You must help us! That heartless Xu Damao beat my son so badly he's deaf!"

Old Mo glanced at the medical record and said expressionlessly, "We've already gone to the courtyard house to find out what happened. Now, you'll come with us to the police station. We've also sent people to summon Xu Damao. This matter needs to be clarified at the station."

"You broke into a house, Xu Damao's mousetrap broke Banggeng's finger, and today Shazhu hit someone, and Banggeng pushed someone—"

"Handle the cases together!"

------------

9 pm.

The atmosphere in the mediation room of Jiaodaokou Police Station was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Xu Damao sat at one side of the long table. He had already settled Lou Xiao'e in, and Lou Bancheng, Tan Yali, and his own parents were also there. Lou Xiao'e and the child were safe. Zhang Dabiao, acting as a witness, was beside them.

On the other side of the table sat Qin Huairu, her eyes swollen like walnuts, and Jia Zhangshi, her face contorted with rage and her eyes filled with resentment. Sha Zhu, the one who started the fight, stood behind Qin Huairu, glaring at Xu Damao.

In addition, Yi Zhonghai and others, as well as the steward of the courtyard, were also present.

Old Mo and Little Li sat in the main seats, with several transcripts on the table.

"Alright, stop staring at each other. We've already interviewed the residents in the courtyard and have a basic understanding of what happened." Old Mo tapped the table, breaking the silence.

He looked at Xu Damao: "Xu Damao, there's nothing wrong with you putting mousetraps in your house to keep mice out."

"But in a moment of impulse today, you slapped Jia Geng, causing a perforated eardrum. That constitutes intentional assault. Do you admit it?"

Xu Damao sneered, his back ramrod straight: "Officer, I admit I hit him. But it was self-defense! No, it was an act of heroism! He broke into the house with a stick first, and his hand got caught. Today at the meeting, not only did he not admit his mistake, but he also teamed up with his grandmother and Sha Zhu to beat me up!"

"The most crucial thing is that he deliberately pushed my pregnant wife! If it weren't for Brother Da Biao helping her up, my wife and child would be dead today!"

"What's wrong with me slapping him? I didn't chop him with a knife, so I'm already obeying the law!" Xu Damao became more and more agitated as he spoke, his eyes turning red.

Upon hearing this, Qin Huairu immediately burst into tears: "Brother Da Mao, you have to speak with conscience! Bang Geng is only 9 years old, what does he know? He just accidentally bumped into Xiao'e. You hit him so hard, you've even made him deaf! You're ruining his life!"

"Bullshit!" Xu Damao slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, pointing at Qin Huairu's nose and yelling, "So what if he's 9? At 9, he already knows how to climb through windows and steal things? At 9, he already knows how to push pregnant women? What a fine son you've raised! He's a thief! He's a thief! Your Jia family is a den of thieves!"

"I'm telling you, Qin Huairu, I won't accept mediation today! I'm going to send that little bastard Bang Geng to a juvenile detention center!"

Upon hearing the words "juvenile detention center," Jia Zhangshi immediately flew into a rage.

"You dare! Xu Damao, you damned, childless bastard! You beat my grandson deaf, you have to pay compensation! You have to go to jail! Police officers, arrest him and shoot him!" Jia Zhangshi twisted her fat body in the chair and shouted loudly.

"Quiet!" Xiao Li slammed his hand on the table, pointing at Jia Zhangshi and sternly warning, "This is the police station, not your private quarters! If you make any more noise, I'll report you for obstructing official business!"

Jia Zhangshi was frightened by Xiao Li's gaze, shrank back, and shut her mouth.

Sha Zhu, unable to hold back any longer, interjected, "Officer, that bastard Xu Damao is ruthless. He was deliberately retaliating! Even if Bang Geng is wrong, he doesn't deserve this, does he?"

Zhang Dabiao sat down next to him and slowly took a sip of water from his teacup. He frequented Jiaodaokou Police Station, and it felt like coming home to him.

"Shazhu, you're wrong about that." Zhang Dabiao put down his teacup and looked at Shazhu, saying, "What do you mean by 'not deserving such punishment'? So Xu Damao's wife and children deserved to be pushed? That's easy for you to say when you're not the one suffering the consequences."

"Let's imagine you married Qin Huairu, and today, while Qin Huairu is pregnant with your child, she was pushed down by Xu Damao, or by some other kid. Could you speak calmly and rationally here?"

Sha Zhu was speechless, his face turning red. He opened his mouth, but didn't know how to refute it.

Old Mo glanced at Zhang Dabiao and nodded. He opened the record and looked at Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi with a serious expression.

"Qin Huairu, Jia Zhangshi, don't always think of yourselves as victims. We've investigated, and it's true that Jia Geng committed burglary. Although he didn't succeed, the nature of the crime is still very serious."

"And you, Jia Zhangshi." Old Mo's sharp gaze pierced Jia Zhangshi. "There are reports from the public that you instigated Jia Geng to steal malted milk powder from Xu Damao's house. Instigating a minor to commit a crime is an even greater offense!"

"Have you forgotten the time you were sentenced to six months in a labor camp for instigating minors to commit crimes?"