I painted an aircraft carrier on the courtyard house for Dongda University.

The next second, everyone saw that a patch of water gradually spread on the ground where she was standing, and pale yellow liquid kept flowing down her trouser legs, quickly accumulating into a small puddle.

Jia Zhangshi felt weak all over, and her legs trembled uncontrollably.

Seeing that she had completely lost her aggressiveness, the guards slowly withdrew the pistol they had been holding to her head.

When Jia Zhangshi saw the guards' pistols being put away, her tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and the strength that had been supporting her vanished instantly. She collapsed onto the ground with a thud, ignoring the pain in her buttocks.

The pent-up fear and grievances instantly erupted into a wail. She slapped her thigh, sobbing and crying, "Old Jia! Please crawl up from the field and come see! Our family is finished! Dongxu has been beaten into a cripple, and I almost got shot! Why won't you protect us, mother and son! That Zhou Weiguo, that heartless bastard, may he die a horrible death!"

The crying and screaming had barely begun, and before she could continue cursing Zhou Weiguo, it abruptly stopped with a "crack".

She stared in terror at the guards raising their guns again, the dark muzzles pointed at her once more. Terrified, she frantically waved her hands, pleading, "No, I won't say it! I won't call him Old Jia anymore! I'll never call him that again! I won't curse him anymore! Please don't shoot! Please, please don't shoot!"

Seeing that she had calmed down, the guards slowly lowered their guns, their eyes still cold and devoid of any warmth.

Seeing the two guards lower their guns, Jia Zhangshi's eyes suddenly lit up. Her gaze swept over the two policemen beside her, and an idea instantly formed in her mind.

She suddenly raised her voice: "Zhou Weiguo! This matter cannot be left like this! My Dongxu was beaten like this by your men, you must take responsibility! If you don't, I will sue you!"

She paused, wiped the snot and tears from her face, and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "Indeed, my Dongxu did threaten you just now, but he didn't actually do anything wrong! He was just talking! But your men beat him so badly he can't even get up. You have to pay for this today! This isn't over until you pay!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu, who was lying on the ground, suddenly raised his head, and the veins on his neck bulged.

He glared at Jia Zhangshi through gritted teeth, his teeth grinding together, his eyes filled with disbelief and raging fury, as if he were about to breathe fire.

Jia Dongxu felt a sharp, piercing pain in his lower back, while his legs remained numb.

Just now, when he saw Jia Zhangshi rushing forward with a knife, a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart. He wished that Jia Zhangshi could really kill Zhou Weiguo with one blow and avenge him.

He had even decided that as long as Jia Zhangshi could harm Zhou Weiguo, it would be worth it even if he were crippled.

But he never expected that even though he was injured so badly, his mother wouldn't think about revenge, but instead wanted Zhou Weiguo to pay her money!

A wave of despair and humiliation washed over him, making him wish he could faint on the spot.

At this moment, the neighbors hiding behind the moon gate saw what was happening and began to whisper among themselves, their words full of mockery and contempt for Jia Zhangshi. Their voices were not too low, just enough for everyone in the courtyard to hear.

"My God, this Jia Zhangshi is really something! Her son has been beaten like this, and it's uncertain whether he'll even be able to stand up for the rest of his life, yet her first reaction is to ask for money!"

An older woman frowned, pursed her lips, her voice full of disdain, and spat lightly on the ground.

The old man next to her sighed and said, "They're really obsessed with money! What kind of time is this, still thinking about extorting money? Don't they even consider whose fault it is that her son ended up like this? If it weren't for the mother and son repeatedly provoking Zhou Weiguo, would they be in this situation? It's entirely their own fault!"

"They were shouting about skinning us alive and killing us all, then they turned around and knelt down crying, and now they want to pay compensation. Their change of heart is faster than flipping through a book! They're both cowardly and greedy!"

Zhou Weiguo raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

He truly hadn't expected that Madam Jia would be so "sharp-minded," clearly knowing that she couldn't afford to offend her, and instead of pursuing revenge, she focused on minimizing her losses as much as possible.

He'll fight anyone who dares to call Jia Zhangshi stupid from now on. She's incredibly smart to be able to quickly recognize the situation and grasp the core demand of "losing money" at a time like this.

He turned to look at Jia Zhangshi, who was slumped on the ground, a playful glint in his eyes: "Oh? Compensation? How much are you planning to ask for?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi's eyes lit up instantly. She glanced at Jia Dongxu on the ground, gritted her teeth, and first held up five fingers: "500! No... 1000 yuan! You have to pay me 1000 yuan!"

Her tone suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable arrogance: "Otherwise, I'll never let you off the hook! If you don't compensate my Dongxu, I'll not only report you to the police station, but also to the city and the beach! I'll ruin your reputation and make you suffer the consequences!"

The more she talked, the more reasonable Jia Zhangshi felt. She even straightened her back a little more unconsciously, and the fear of being held at gunpoint earlier dissipated by most of it.

Especially when she saw that Zhou Weiguo's face showed no reaction after listening, neither angry nor refuting, she felt even more confident, thinking that Zhou Weiguo was afraid of her pestering.

Zhou Weiguo merely glanced at her indifferently, then turned directly to the two police officers beside him: "Officers, does Jia Zhangshi's situation constitute extortion? If it can be classified as extortion, what is the legal sentence?"

"Extortion?"

These five words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing Jia Zhangshi's arrogance.

Before she could finish speaking, her face turned deathly pale, and she frantically waved her hands, begging for mercy: "No! No more than a thousand! Five hundred! Five hundred is alright, isn't it? I only want five hundred!"

Zhou Weiguo completely ignored her, his gaze remaining fixed on the police officers, waiting for their reply.

Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi gritted her teeth, "300! That's the lowest I can go! At least 300 yuan! That's my bottom line!"

This time, Zhou Weiguo didn't press the police further; he simply nodded slightly, tacitly acknowledging the amount.

He shouted towards the crowd, "Yan Fugui! Come here, come out and write us a document. It will state that I voluntarily compensate the Jia family 300 yuan, and from now on, all of Jia Dongxu's injuries and illnesses, and all subsequent matters, will have nothing to do with me, Zhou Weiguo. After it's written, have the Jia family sign and put their fingerprints on it, and please have the police officers act as notaries to witness it."

Yan Fugui, who was in the crowd, was just thinking about how to improve his relationship with Zhou Weiguo. When he heard Zhou Weiguo call him, he was overjoyed and quickly replied, "Okay! Chief Engineer Zhou, please wait a moment!" After saying that, he excitedly squeezed out of the crowd.

Just as Yan Fugui turned and jogged home to get paper and pen, a surprised voice suddenly came from outside the courtyard: "Liu Haizhong? What are you doing back here?"

P.S.: Please urge me to update more and give me good reviews. Thank you!