Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Lin Jianjun stopped and said with a sneer, "It was Jia Dongxu who came to hit us first with a carrying pole. Besides, Jia Zhangshi only fell down because she lunged at Dongzi herself. It has nothing to do with us!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Madam Jia Zhang also ran over and pointed at Lin Weidong, cursing him.

"He's the one who pushed me down! You and your son ganged up on us, a widow and her orphan, has no justice left?"

Yi Zhonghai looked at the injury on Jia Zhangshi's forehead, then at Jia Dongxu on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Lin Jianjun, no matter what, this person was beaten in your home. You must give the Jia family an explanation! Compensate them for medical expenses and nutritional costs, and apologize to Jia Dongxu!"

Lin Weidong stepped forward and said, "On what grounds? Jia Dongxu attacked first. We acted in self-defense. Why should we apologize and pay compensation? Third Uncle, aren't you showing favoritism towards the Jia family?"

Yan Bugui's expression changed: "How dare you speak like that, child? We're handling this fairly!"

Lin Weidong scoffed, "Fair handling? Yi Zhonghai, you sided with the Jia family when you broke up the fight yesterday, got kicked and knocked out of your teeth, and now you still want to side with the Jia family? Liu Haizhong, all you do is think about is becoming an official, all you do is curry favor with Yi Zhonghai and the Jia family, you don't care about right or wrong at all! Yan Bugui, you've held a grudge because I reported you, and now you're taking this opportunity to get revenge on our family, is this your fair handling?"

His words hit the nail on the head, exposing the three men's thoughts, causing Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui's faces to turn red and white in turns.

Just then, Qin Huairu walked over, arms crossed, and said coldly, "Uncle Yi, Uncle Liu, Uncle Yan, you can't favor the Jia family."

"I saw everything that happened this morning. Jia Zhangshi cursed at me first, and then tried to hit Weidong. That's why Weidong pushed her down. That's what I mean, self-defense!"

"This afternoon, Jia Dongxu stormed into the Lin family home with a carrying pole and started beating people. Brother Lin and Weidong only fought back because they had no other choice. This has nothing to do with the Lin family; the fault lies entirely with the Jia family!"

Qin Huairu's words made Yi Zhonghai and his two companions' situation even more awkward. They hadn't expected Qin Huairu to stand up and testify against the Jia family, especially since she had almost married Jia Dongxu before.

Yi Zhonghai coughed lightly: "Qin Huairu, you...you must have seen wrong?"

"I didn't see wrong! Many neighbors saw it. If you don't believe me, you can go ask them!"

Madam Jia Zhang became anxious: "Qin Huairu, you ungrateful wretch, how dare you take the side of outsiders?"

"I'm helping outsiders? What's my relationship with your family?"

Yi Zhonghai and his two companions were rendered speechless by Qin Huairu and Lin Weidong's words, unsure how to end the situation. Just then, the deaf old woman, leaning on her cane, walked over shakily, muttering, "Oh dear, what's going on? Why is it so lively?"

As if seeing a savior, Jia Zhangshi hurriedly said, "Deaf old lady, you must stand up for us! The Lin father and son beat me and Dongxu. Uncle Yi and the others want to handle this fairly, but Qin Huairu and Lin Weidong are just being unreasonable!"

The deaf old woman squinted, looked at Jia Dongxu on the ground, then at the wound on Jia Zhangshi's forehead, and slowly said:

"Jianjun, we're all neighbors, we see each other all the time, why make things so tense? Dongxu was beaten quite badly, just pay some medical expenses and let's call it even."

"Why should we pay compensation?" Lin Weidong immediately retorted.

"Deaf old woman, are you senile? It's clearly the Jia family's fault, why should we compensate them? Last time you tried to freeload off our meat, and I shut you down. Now, are you trying to side with the Jia family and get revenge on us?"

The deaf old woman's face changed. She hadn't expected Lin Weidong to be so disrespectful. She put on a stern face and said, "You child, how can you be so ill-mannered? I'm just trying to mediate, and you talk to me like that!"

"Trying to reconcile? This isn't trying to reconcile, it's taking sides! I think you're just trying to help the Jia family bully our family!"

The deaf old woman was so angry that she trembled all over. Suddenly, she closed her eyes, her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, muttering, "Oh dear, my heart condition is acting up... Please help me..."

Jia Zhangshi immediately shouted, "The deaf old lady has fainted! Quick, help her!"

Yi Zhonghai and the other two panicked and rushed forward to help the deaf old woman. Lin Weidong, however, saw through her act and shouted, "Stop pretending! You didn't faint at all; you're just faking it to frame our family!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward and gently pinched the deaf old woman's arm. The deaf old woman couldn't help but cry out "Ouch!" and opened her eyes. Realizing that her trick had been exposed, her face flushed red and then turned pale.

"You...you child, you've gone too far!" The deaf old woman was so angry she couldn't speak.

Lin Weidong sneered, "You faked fainting first, so you can't blame anyone else. Our family did nothing wrong today, and we will absolutely not offer compensation or apologize! If you dare to cause trouble again, we'll call the police station and let the officers handle it!"

Just then, Zhao Xiulan walked in and immediately became furious upon seeing the scene before her.

"What are you doing? Are you bullying Jianjun because he's honest? Or are you bullying Weidong because he's young?"

When Yi Zhonghai and the others saw that it was Zhao Xiulan, they were somewhat afraid, after all, their courtyard was under the jurisdiction of the street office, and they were the ones who were being unreasonable.

The group quickly waved their hands, saying, "It's alright, it's alright."

"Alright, alright, since everyone's alright, let's leave it at that." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand and pulled Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui to leave.

Jia Zhangshi wanted to say something more, but Jia Dongxu stopped her. Jia Dongxu knew that they wouldn't get anything out of it today, so they could only swallow their anger, but in their hearts they hated Lin Weidong and Qin Huairu to the core.

The deaf old woman was too ashamed to stay any longer, so she leaned on her cane and went home in a sorry state.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, the onlookers dispersed, still gossiping about the Jia family's predicament and Lin Weidong's prowess.

Lin Jianjun patted Lin Weidong on the shoulder and said with satisfaction, "Dongzi, you did a great job today. You didn't let your dad down."

Qin Huairu also laughed and said, "Weidong, you're really amazing. You even managed to see through the deaf old lady's trick."

"Alright, stop being so smug, you two. Go back and cook dinner," Zhao Xiulan said as she entered the house.

Lin Weidong smiled, but in his heart he was waiting for the system's reward.

Sure enough, the system's mechanical voice sounded on time: [The host has repeatedly thwarted the Jia family's attempts to obstruct them, exposed the deaf old woman's pretense, and protected their own rights. Reward: Physical Enhancement +10, overall improvement in all bodily functions.]

A warm current instantly flowed through his body, and Lin Weidong felt that his strength, speed and reaction ability had improved a lot, and he was full of energy.

The Jia family, including Jia Zhangshi and Jia Dongxu, were facing the Lin family and Qin Huairu, gritting their teeth and vowing to take revenge.

At Yi Zhonghai's house, Yi Zhonghai clutched his still throbbing tooth, his eyes filled with malice, plotting how to suppress the Lin family.