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

At this critical moment, a figure rushed out and crashed into Yi Zhonghai with a muffled thud.

This blow sent Yi Zhonghai, who was carrying an axe, flying two or three meters away before he crashed heavily onto the blue brick ground.

The hand axe slipped from Yi Zhonghai's exhausted hand with a clang, rolling to the side as the rusty blade scraped against the blue brick floor, sparks flying.

Yi Zhonghai felt as if his bones were shattered from the fall. His already excruciating groin was struck a second time, and the piercing pain shot up his spine to the top of his head. He suddenly curled up into a ball, letting out a shrill and suppressed wail. He didn't even have the strength to struggle to get up.

The figure scrambled to his feet, pointing angrily at Yi Zhonghai lying on the ground: "Yi Zhonghai! You damned old bastard! Liu Haizhong is a scoundrel, that's true, but even if he's a scoundrel, he's still my father! I don't care if you beat him up, but if you dare to use an axe to kill him, I won't stand for it!"

Everyone was still in shock and looked in the direction of the sound. Only then did they see that it was Liu Guangtian who had carried his younger brother to the hospital!

The terrifying scene just now had terrified everyone, and now that someone had stepped forward, their tense nerves relaxed slightly, and their eyes were full of astonishment.

It turned out that after taking Liu Guangfu to the hospital for stitches and settling him in, he was advised to stay in the hospital for observation for a day or two. He was thinking of coming back to get some daily necessities when he turned into the moon gate and stumbled upon the horrifying scene of Yi Zhonghai wielding an axe and committing murder.

At that moment, all the resentment she had felt towards Liu Haizhong was suppressed by instinct, and she rushed over almost reflexively.

Liu Haizhong stood frozen in place, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

He looked at Liu Guangtian, who was blocking his way. The face that should have been full of disgust and impatience was now filled with anger, which made him feel shocked and incredulous.

He never imagined that at this critical moment between life and death, the one who would save him would be his second son, whom he had beaten and scolded for years and who hated him to the core.

The harsh criticism and sense of indebtedness I felt towards the Guangtian and Guangfu brothers over the years welled up in my heart, and a thousand words stuck in my throat.

Zhang Cuilan leaned against the door frame, letting out a long sigh of relief. The heart that had been in her throat finally settled back into place. Looking at Liu Haizhong's reddened eyes and complicated expression, she sighed softly, her eyes filled with regret.

The people in the courtyard quickly recovered from their shock, and a buzz of discussion erupted. Someone gave Liu Guangtian a thumbs up, their tone full of approval: "Guangtian's a real man! He didn't hesitate in that crucial moment, stepping forward to protect his father. Well done!"

Liu Guangtian felt uneasy listening to this, and suddenly turned his head to glare at Liu Haizhong, his tone filled with impatience and disdain: "Don't overthink it, I'm not trying to save you, I just can't stand that old bastard Yi Zhonghai using an axe to kill someone, bringing shame to the compound!"

Liu Haizhong's eyes reddened further, his lips moved, and his voice was hoarse and barely audible. Filled with guilt and emotion, he whispered, "Thanks..."

Liu Guangtian stiffened upon hearing this, but stubbornly turned his face away, too lazy to pay him any attention. His gaze returned to Yi Zhonghai, who was groaning on the ground, his eyes filled with undisguised disgust: "Old man, you dared to use an axe to kill someone? Just wait to be arrested by the police and thrown in jail!"

Yan Fugui, who had been hiding in a corner of the crowd, mustered his courage and came closer. He carefully picked up his own hand axe, and frowned as he looked at the specks of blood on the blade. He was both distressed that the axe was dirty and secretly relieved: "Thank goodness, no one was killed and the axe isn't broken, otherwise the loss would have been huge..."

Yi Zhonghai lay on the ground, the excruciating pain in his groin intertwined with the despair in his heart, completely overwhelming him.

Looking at the mockery and disdain on the faces of the onlookers, and at the way Liu Guangtian protected Liu Haizhong, a feeling of humiliation and hatred he had never felt before welled up from the bottom of his heart.

Liu Guangtian looked down at Yi Zhonghai, who was curled up on the ground, and spat out a mouthful of saliva with disgust: "You old bastard, you dare to use an axe to kill someone? I'm going to the police station right now to call the police and have you arrested, you lunatic!"

Having said that, he turned to walk out of the courtyard, but just as he took a step, an aged yet somewhat urgent voice suddenly came from the direction of the moon gate: "Wait!"

The sound abruptly broke the noise in the courtyard, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound. They saw the deaf old woman standing shakily by the moon gate, her tone revealing a barely perceptible panic and anxiety.

It turned out that when Yi Zhonghai went out, the deaf old woman noticed that his expression was not right, so she slowly followed him out, leaning on her cane.

When she arrived at the Moon Gate, she witnessed Yi Zhonghai raising his axe, about to chop Liu Haizhong on the back of the head. She was so frightened that her legs went weak and she almost fell to the ground.

Now that Liu Guangtian is going to call the police, how can she sit still?

There's clearly a problem with Zhang Cuilan now. If Yi Zhonghai is arrested, she'll be completely without support.

Thinking about her situation, the deaf old woman panicked even more and could only force herself to maintain her dignity and step forward to stop them.

She took two shaky steps forward and said in a deep voice, "Young man, don't call the police yet! We're all neighbors who see each other all the time. It's not a big deal. Why make a scene with the police and ruin our relationship?"

These words thoroughly amused Liu Guangtian. He strode over to the deaf old woman and shouted into her ear, "Grandma! He's already wielding an axe to kill someone! Is this a small matter? If we don't arrest him today, who knows who will suffer in the future? Don't you all agree?"

As soon as Liu Guangtian finished speaking, the crowd in the courtyard erupted in a commotion, with everyone echoing and responding in unison.

Over the years, the residents of the courtyard had been suppressed by the deaf old woman and Yi Zhonghai, and now that the two had completely lost power, their pent-up resentment finally had an outlet. Many people simply let their guard down and started to mock and ridicule the two.

"Exactly! Killing someone with an axe is a minor matter? How can there be any rules in this courtyard anymore? They're trying to run rampant!"

"When those two were bullying us, did they never think about the neighborhood? They bullied us so badly, and now they want to settle things privately? Too late! The police have to deal with them!" The sarcastic and bitter words rose and fell, like knives stabbing into Yi Zhonghai's heart.

The deaf old woman was hard of hearing, and the murmurs in the courtyard were just a faint buzzing to her. She could still manage to stand still and maintain her composure, but the disdainful looks from the crowd made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Yi Zhonghai heard everything clearly. The taunts and accusations were like countless steel needles, piercing his heart. The humiliation surged and almost overwhelmed him. He lay on the ground, trembling with hatred, his fingernails digging deep into the cracks of the blue bricks. He even had the thought of killing himself by smashing his head against the ground to end it all. Rather than be humiliated here, he would rather die a quick death.

Just then, Zhou Weiguo strolled leisurely to the deaf old woman's side, his tone full of mockery. He deliberately raised his voice, making sure every word reached her ears: "Mrs. Yi, Aunt Yi, are you planning to settle this privately? This is a serious matter involving an axe that could kill someone, do you think you can just turn the page with a few words? Don't think we're all fools!"

The words "Easy-to-deaf" and "Auntie Yi" were precisely targeted and blatantly offensive, each word jarring to the ear.

The deaf old woman was already panicked by the situation, and this address provoked her so much that her chest heaved violently, her face turned a deep purplish-red, and her blood rushed to her head, almost causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.

But she knew she was in the wrong, so she could only pretend she hadn't heard, glare at Zhou Weiguo, and then turn to Liu Guangtian, softening her tone with a hint of ingratiation: "Guangtian, it was Lao Yi who was confused and acted recklessly. I'll compensate you, and we'll settle this privately. I promise you won't suffer any loss, okay?"