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

Song Dahua's arrogance was instantly dampened, and she stopped slapping her thigh.

Xu Wude was telling the truth. She was now all alone and helpless. If she were really kicked out of the Xu family, she would have nowhere to stay.

Hearing this, Song Dahua felt like she was about to collapse. Yes, even if she got the money now, what good would it do? She remarried Xu Damao on her own, and now she's over forty years old, with no children to support her and no one to rely on. Even if she went to the Women's Federation to cry and plead, trying to force Liu Guangtian to take care of her in her old age, the Women's Federation probably wouldn't pay any attention to her.

What chilled her to the bone was that Liu Haizhong, whom she had been longing for, returned home and immediately got a marriage certificate with Zhang Cuilan. During the day, he would either desperately try to find connections at the steel mill or simply not return to the compound. When he came back at night, he would go straight into Zhang Cuilan's room, holding Yi Zhonghai's son and playing with him, without a trace of her in his eyes.

Thinking of all this, Song Dahua felt that there was no point in living anymore. Her eyes gradually reddened, and large tears fell to the ground.

She abruptly raised her head, staring intently at Xu Damao, her teeth grinding together, and her voice hoarse as she cursed, "Xu Damao! It's all your fault! It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, I could still be living a good life with Lao Liu. You've ruined everything for me! If I can't live, you won't have an easy time either. I'll fight you to the death!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Dahua suddenly turned around and rushed into the Xu family's kitchen. A moment later, she came out carrying a gleaming kitchen knife, her eyes bloodshot, looking like she was ready to fight to the death.

Seeing this, Xu Damao was so frightened that he was completely stunned. His legs were trembling. Looking at Song Dahua's murderous eyes, he scrambled to hide behind Xu Wude, clutching his father's clothes tightly and not daring to show his face.

Xu Wude was also startled by this sudden situation. He originally intended to use harsh words to intimidate Song Dahua and force her to compromise and divorce him. He never expected that he would push her to the brink and actually use a knife.

His heart skipped a beat, and he knew he was in trouble. Forcing a calm facade, he waved his hands frantically at Song Dahua, his voice trembling slightly, "Song Dahua! You...you put the knife down! Let's talk this out! It's just money, at worst...at worst I'll add some more, give you three hundred yuan! Put the knife down first, and we'll talk slowly!"

Tao Ling, terrified, hid to Xu Wude's side, her face deathly pale, but she still managed to whisper, "Song Dahua, are you crazy! Murder is punishable by death! Throw the knife away right now!"

The commotion at the Xu family's house was so loud that neighbors from both the front and back yards gathered around, crowding at the Xu family's doorway to peek inside.

Seeing Song Dahua clutching a kitchen knife and her bloodshot eyes, combined with her hoarse curses just now, everyone understood the general situation. They were all terrified and subconsciously took a step back, not daring to get too close.

The bolder ones whispered, "Dahua, put the knife down! We can talk this out, don't let it really kill someone!"

"Exactly! It's not worth ruining yourself over someone like Xu Damao!"

Those with weaker nerves turned pale with fright and ran back to their homes, not daring to open the door again, only peeking out through the crack.

But Song Dahua was already like a madwoman, with only Xu Damao in her eyes, and she kept screaming "I'm going to kill you" as she rushed towards Xu Damao with a kitchen knife.

Xu Damao was so frightened that he huddled behind Xu Wude, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Xu Wude had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, spreading his arms to block Song Dahua. He retreated while urgently shouting, "Song Dahua! Calm down! Three hundred yuan isn't enough, I'll give you four hundred! Put the knife down!"

Tao Ling, disregarding her own fear, chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! Four hundred yuan! We'll give you four hundred! Don't be impulsive, murder is punishable by death!"

But Song Dahua wouldn't listen at all. She brandished the kitchen knife and tried to get around Xu Wude. The flash of the knife made everyone dizzy.

Xu Wude was forced to retreat repeatedly, his arm even getting a small cut from the cleaver. He grimaced in pain, but dared not let go: "You crazy woman! Don't force me to use my strength!"

With red eyes, Song Dahua roared, "Attack? I'll die right here today, and I'll take Xu Damao down with me!" As she spoke, she lunged forward, and Xu Wude, who was not on his feet, was almost pushed over by her.

Taking advantage of the opening, Xu Damao slipped out from behind Xu Wude and disappeared into the crowd, trying to get far away. Song Dahua, with her sharp eyes, spotted him immediately and turned to chase after him, shouting, "Xu Damao, don't run! Where do you think you're going!"

The crowd was so frightened that they scattered and the courtyard instantly descended into chaos. The sounds of people trying to break up the fight and people screaming mingled together, creating an uproar.

Xu Wude watched as Song Dahua chased after Xu Damao like a madwoman, hacking at him. Blood was still seeping from the wound on her arm. He was filled with fear and anxiety; his face turned deathly pale, and his voice trembled uncontrollably. He urgently shouted at Song Dahua to stop, "Stop! Stop right now! Five hundred! I'll give you five hundred yuan!"

He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and pressed on, afraid that Song Dahua wouldn't stop: "Not only will I give you five hundred yuan, I'll also give you a room to live in! Just the room in the yard turned upside down, you can tidy it up and live there, is that alright?"

Xu Wude paused, then quickly added, trying to completely calm Song Dahua down: "With a house and money, and your own food rations, if you're careful with your spending, you'll definitely be able to make ends meet. Stop causing trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Song Dahua, who was rushing forward, suddenly stopped in her tracks. The cleaver in her hand was less than half a meter away from Xu Damao, who was hiding at the edge of the crowd, and the blade was still trembling slightly.

The crimson in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by a light of disbelief. She stared intently at Xu Wude, her voice trembling with urgency as she asked, "Really? You're not lying to me? Five hundred yuan, and a house?"

The courtyard fell silent instantly. Everyone held their breath and looked at Song Dahua, waiting for Xu Wude to confirm. Even Xu Damao, who was hiding in the crowd, peeked out and looked at his father in astonishment. He did not expect his father to agree to such harsh conditions.

Xu Wude clutched the wound on his arm, his face grim, but he could only nod with a forced smile: "Really! I keep my word. As long as you put the knife down, we'll get a divorce tomorrow, and I'll give you the money and the house right away! And this matter can be notarized by the neighborhood committee. Although I just applied for the house, you can stay there indefinitely. Is that alright?"

The light in Song Dahua's eyes intensified, a flash of greed crossing her gaze. She tightened her grip on the kitchen knife, her tone resolute and forceful: "No! Just letting me live here isn't enough. When we go to the neighborhood committee to complete the paperwork, we need to change the house's name to mine! This is compensation for ruining my life; not a single detail can be missing!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Wude narrowed his eyes, a cold killing intent flashing across them. He truly hadn't expected Song Dahua to be so audacious.