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

Li Zhenhua's words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples.

The neighbors in the courtyard, who had been feeling oppressed by the atmosphere of moral blackmail, suddenly started whispering and gossiping among themselves.

"That's right! Dongxu is a level two worker, and his salary plus subsidies is almost forty yuan a month!"

"When Lao Jia passed away, the factory did give him a substantial amount of compensation!"

"That Jia Zhangshi is fatter than the pigs we raise for the New Year. Her family is poor? Then won't our family starve to death?"

"Exactly! My husband, Lao Liu, is only a first-level worker, and he has many children. We've never seen a large meeting held to help us out!"

A torrent of questions flooded the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai.

Jia Zhangshi was hit where it hurt, especially by the phrase "as fat as a pig ready for slaughter," which made her instantly furious!

She suddenly jumped up from the ground, no longer caring about playing the victim, and pointed at Li Zhenhua's nose, unleashing a torrent of foul language.

"You damned little beast! How dare you curse me? You're the pig! Your whole family are pigs! You wretched creatures, born of a mother but uneducated by a father! You despicable devils destined to die without descendants! How dare you slander our family? I'll fight you to the death! Old Jia! Come quick! Someone's bullying us, a widow and her orphan..."

Li Zhenhua's face darkened, and his eyes instantly turned cold and sharp. He took a step forward abruptly, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable chill, directly interrupting Jia Zhangshi's howling.

"Jia Zhangshi! I'm warning you, if you dare spew filth and insult me ​​and my family again, believe me, I'll tear your mouth apart right now! You'll see if I dare!"

As he spoke, the murderous aura he had cultivated in the military camp subtly emanated from him, coupled with his sharp, knife-like eyes, causing Jia Zhangshi to choke on her words.

The obese man shuddered, instinctively taking a step back, and screamed in a fierce but cowardly tone.

"You...you dare!"

"You'll see if I dare!"

Li Zhenhua remained unyielding, his tone chilling.

Completely intimidated by his imposing manner, Jia Zhangshi dared not curse anymore, but her shrewish instincts made her immediately change tactics. She slumped to the ground, pounding the ground with her hands, and began her classic act of calling back the soul.

"Old Jia! Come up and see! I can't live anymore! Someone's going to beat me to death! After you left, everyone bullies us, my daughter and me! Old Jia! Take me with you! I can't live anymore..."

This kind of talk might have fooled a lot of people in the past, but in Li Zhenhua's eyes at this moment, it was simply courting death.

He ignored Jia Zhangshi's tantrum and suddenly turned his head, his gaze shooting like lightning at Yi Zhonghai, whose face was pale and who was trying to smooth things over. His voice suddenly rose, and he questioned her sharply.

"Yi Zhonghai! You're the oldest resident in this compound, the designated caretaker by the neighborhood committee! Someone's openly practicing this feudal superstitious 'soul-calling' ritual in the compound! Are you just going to stand by and watch? You're condoning feudal superstitious activities! Are you going to do anything about it? If you can't, or don't want to, I'm going to the police station right now to report it and let the officers handle it!"

The phrase "feudal superstition" was an extremely serious accusation in this era!

Yi Zhonghai was terrified. If Li Zhenhua really called the police, Jia Zhangshi would definitely be taught a lesson, and as an old man, he would bear even greater responsibility for indulging in this, and the neighborhood committee would definitely not let him off the hook!

"No! Don't call the police!"

Yi Zhonghai hurriedly waved his hand, no longer caring about favoring the Jia family, and shouted sternly at Jia Zhangshi on the ground.

"Jia Zhangshi! Shut up! Stop wailing! What kind of behavior is this! Get up right now!"

Jia Zhangshi was also frightened by the "feudal superstition" and the "call the police". When she saw that Yi Zhonghai was really angry, her crying stopped abruptly, leaving only suppressed sobs. She dared not utter those soul-summoning cries again.

Seeing that he had subdued Jia Zhangshi, Li Zhenhua did not give up. He knew the importance of striking at the heart of the matter.

He glanced around at the silent neighbors, then fixed his gaze on the still-shaken Yi Zhonghai, and began his true critique.

"Comrade Yi Zhonghai, I must remind you of something. The neighborhood committee appointed you gentlemen as stewards because they trust you and hope you can mediate neighborhood disputes, convey policies, and serve everyone! They don't want you to abuse your power, run the neighborhood like a personal fiefdom, hold meetings whenever you want, or force donations whenever you want!"

He paused, his voice growing even colder, each word like a hammer blow to Yi Zhonghai's heart.

"If you can force everyone to donate money for the Jia family today, will you force others to give up their houses tomorrow? Will you hold a large-scale public denouncement for anyone you don't like the day after tomorrow? Yi Zhonghai, I ask you, are you trying to restore feudal imperial rule in our courtyard house? Do you want to be the local tyrant of this courtyard?"

"Local tyrant!"

"Feudal imperial system!"

These two words struck Yi Zhonghai like a bolt from the blue!

He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and his legs went weak, almost causing him to kneel down on the spot!

In this day and age, these words are not as simple as they seem.

Yi Zhonghai's face turned deathly pale instantly, cold sweat poured down his face, his lips trembled, and he could barely speak.

"Section Chief Li...you're talking nonsense! You're slandering me! I, Yi Zhonghai, am utterly loyal to the country! How could I have such thoughts! No! Absolutely not! This is defamation! It's defamation!"

Yi Zhonghai's voice was choked with sobs and extreme fear. He turned to his neighbors, waving his arms and rambling incoherently as he tried to explain himself.

"Everyone, bear witness! I, Yi Zhonghai, have always been selfless and devoted to the public good! I've always done it for the unity of the compound! How could I... how could I possibly want to be emperor? This... this is practically killing me!"

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai was nowhere to be seen with the dignified and authoritative demeanor he had displayed just moments before.

They were utterly terrified by the enormous accusation that Li Zhenhua had leveled against them.

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was so frightened by Li Zhenhua's hurtful words that he was almost unable to stand, Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu, who were standing nearby, immediately became anxious.

Sha Zhu was the first to jump out. He already harbored deep resentment towards Li Zhenhua, and now he was even more furious. He pointed at Li Zhenhua and roared.

"Li Zhenhua! What the hell are you spouting! Everyone has seen how much effort and hard work this old man has put into our community! You're just a newcomer, what do you know! How dare you slander this old man like this!"

Jia Dongxu followed suit. After all, Yi Zhonghai was holding this college-wide meeting for their sake. As Yi Zhonghai's subordinate, he also blushed and cursed.

"You, surnamed Li! Stop spouting nonsense! My master is upright and honest! If you dare to talk such rubbish again, I... I'll fight you to the death!"

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to step forward and take action.