Siheyuan (courtyard house): My father, Li Yunlong!

"Master! You heard everything! My mother just occupied that shabby little room he used to store junk, right? That room has been empty for years. What's wrong with my family using it? He's just a newcomer, why does he have the right to attack me the moment he arrives? I can't swallow this!"

Qin Huairu stood behind Jia Dongxu with her head down, not daring to interrupt. Her eyes showed both helplessness at her mother-in-law's exaggerated performance and a hint of worry that her family might get into trouble.

Yi Zhonghai remained frowning, puffing on his cigarette one after another. The smoke shrouded his usually serious and composed face, obscuring his true expression.

He would only occasionally glance at Jia Zhangshi when she was howling the loudest, his gaze deep and unreadable, as if he were thinking about something.

Just then, a slight commotion and suppressed gasps came from outside the window.

Curious, Jia Dongxu leaned closer to the window, looked out through the glass, and his eyes widened instantly!

Li Zhenhua was carrying a piece of pork belly that weighed over ten kilograms, with a layer of fat about an inch thick and of excellent quality. He walked steadily through the middle courtyard and headed straight for the back courtyard!

That meat...

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, it gleamed with an alluring sheen, making a striking impression!

"Mom! Master! Look!"

Jia Dongxu suddenly turned his head, his voice filled with unbelievable excitement and greed.

"That kid... he's carrying a huge piece of meat! A prime cut of pork belly!"

"What? Meat?"

Upon hearing the word "meat," Jia Zhangshi seemed to forget her back pain, leaping up from her chair and squeezing to the window.

When she saw the piece of meat in Li Zhenhua's hand, her mouth almost watered. Then, even greater anger and jealousy welled up in her heart.

"Damn it! He hit someone, and he still has money to buy such a big piece of meat to eat all by himself? This meat should be compensated to me! It should be compensated to help me recover! Dongxu! Go! Go and get this meat back! Consider it compensation for the kick he gave me!"

Jia Dongxu was also feeling a surge of excitement. He licked his lips and turned to Yi Zhonghai.

"Master, my mother is right! He hit someone, so it's only right that he pays some compensation! I think that piece of meat is quite nice! I'll go talk to him about it right now!"

He started to walk out as he spoke.

"stop!"

Yi Zhonghai finally spoke, his voice low but carrying an undeniable force.

Jia Dongxu paused, turning back in confusion.

"Master? What's wrong? That's over ten pounds of meat! Enough for so many meals for our family!"

Yi Zhonghai slammed his pipe on the sole of his shoe, sending grayish-white ash falling.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the eager and greedy Jia mother and son, his brows furrowing even more, his tone carrying a hint of disappointment.

"Dongxu! Your mother is short-sighted, only seeing the piece of meat in front of her. How come you're just like her? Ten pounds of meat has blinded you to everything?"

Jia Dongxu was taken aback by what he was told.

"Master, what do you mean?"

Madam Jia Zhang was displeased.

"Old Yi, what are you saying? You think meat isn't good? It's got real, juicy fat!"

Yi Zhonghai snorted coldly, stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the backyard.

"Meat? Once it's gone, it's gone! But what about a house? That's an inheritance that can be passed down!"

He turned around, stared at Jia Dongxu and Jia Zhangshi, and said, word by word.

"Your mother was kicked so badly by him that she can't even get out of bed. You think a few pounds of meat will be enough to compensate her? This kind of injury takes a hundred days to heal, and the subsequent nutritional expenses can't be covered by just a few pounds of meat."

Jia Dongxu seemed to understand something, and his eyes began to light up.

"Master, do you mean he should pay compensation?"

"Losing money?"

Yi Zhonghai shook his head, a shrewd and calculating look on his face.

"Money, like meat, is a consumable. If you're going to compensate, it should be something that can solve your family's long-term problems—a house!"

"house?"

The mother and son of the Jia family spoke in unison, their eyes widening instantly like copper bells, and their breathing becoming rapid.

"Yes, it's a house!"

Yi Zhonghai nodded affirmatively and analyzed.

"Your family is crammed into one room now—Dongxu, Huairu, Banggeng, and your mother—how inconvenient is that? Look at this guy, a young man who just arrived, why does he get three rooms all by himself? Is that reasonable? Since he hit someone first and is in the wrong, we'll take advantage of that!"

He lowered his voice, his tone seductive.

"We insist he intentionally injured someone, causing serious injury, and demand he provide sincere compensation. If he's willing to vacate those three rooms, we'll drop the matter, not call the police, and not report him to the factory. Otherwise, we'll make sure he suffers the consequences! A newly appointed security chief assaulting a member of the public—can he handle that accusation?"

Jia Dongxu was overjoyed, as if he could already see his own home becoming spacious!

Madam Jia was so excited that her face flushed red; her earlier craving for meat had been replaced by her greed for the house.

"Yes! Yes! Old Yi, you're the wise one! He has to pay for the house! Three rooms! Not one less! Get him out of here! You little bastard, you hit someone and still want to live comfortably in a big house? Dream on!"

Looking at the Jia family mother and son's appearance, Yi Zhonghai secretly made plans in his mind.

By helping the Jia family seize the house, he could not only further win over Jia Dongxu, a potential retirement partner, but also strike at Li Zhenhua, a new neighbor whose personality clashed with his from the start and who might be beyond his control, thus consolidating his authority in the courtyard. It was a win-win situation.

"Dongxu,"

Yi Zhonghai sat back down in his chair, regaining his composure.

"Don't rush to find him. Wait until tonight, when most people in the compound have returned. Then we'll go find him. In front of everyone, we'll lay out our reasoning and see how he saves face!"

"Okay! Master, I'll do whatever you say!"

Jia Dongxu was eager to try his hand at it.

Meanwhile, Jia Zhangshi, under Yi Zhonghai's guidance, had already begun to lie down on the bamboo chair and hum a tune.

Soon, it was evening.

The courtyard at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang was shrouded in a strange atmosphere.

Dim light shone from the windows of every household, but the usual noisy chatter and relaxation after dinner was much less frequent, replaced by a suppressed excitement and whispers.

Almost everyone had heard about the conflict in the backyard that afternoon, and about the new Section Chief Li bringing back a huge piece of meat that made everyone envious.

At this moment, the rich and mellow aroma of braised pork wafted domineeringly from Li Zhenhua's small kitchen in the backyard, where smoke had just begun to rise, penetrating every corner.

The Intermediate People's Court, the Jia family.

Following Yi Zhonghai's instructions, Jia Zhangshi was lying listlessly on the bamboo chair, humming softly, but the scent instantly made her body stiffen.

"Damn it... stewed meat... this is deliberately trying to make me drool... Dongxu, smell this..."

She sniffed hard, as if taking a few more breaths would allow her to savor the aroma of the meat.

Sitting on the threshold, Jia Dongxu was also disturbed by the aroma, making it increasingly difficult for him to swallow the cornmeal porridge and pickled vegetable dumplings in his bowl.

He shoveled down a couple of bites in frustration and muttered something under his breath.

"Mom, don't worry, he'll get what's coming to him soon enough!"

Qin Huairu silently cleared away the dishes, her gaze drifting towards the backyard with a complex expression.