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

After a brief moment of shock came boundless rage and an act of arrogance and self-importance based on seniority!

She slapped her thigh hard, sat down on the ground with a thud, pounded the ground with her hands, and started wailing, her voice sharp and piercing.

"This is outrageous! Murder! This little beast is bullying an old lady! Everyone come quick! This damned bastard hit me! How dare he hit me! My cane... my cane is broken!! I'm going to die! You ungrateful wretch! How did your parents raise such a monster?!"

Yi Zhonghai also struggled to his feet, covering his bleeding mouth, and said in a slurred and urgent voice.

"Li Zhenhua! You...you've gone too far! How could you lay a hand on the old lady? She's the matriarch of the community! She's a recipient of the Five Guarantees! She's a martyr's family member! She even gave straw sandals to the Red Army back then! She's a hero of the revolution! You...you must apologize to the old lady!"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhenhua seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. He looked around at the neighbors who were intimidated by the titles of "ancestor" and "meritorious official," and finally his gaze fell on the deaf old lady who was throwing a tantrum and the cowardly Yi Zhonghai. A mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Ancestor? Meritorious official?"

Li Zhenhua's voice was clear and bright, carrying undisguised disdain.

"Yi Zhonghai, I think you really think you're the local tyrant of this courtyard, and you even want to find me an empress dowager to worship? I, Li Zhenhua, kneel before heaven and earth, and before my parents, I don't have the habit of casually acting as someone's grandson or randomly claiming ancestors!"

He paused, his gaze sharpening as he fixed his eyes on the deaf old woman on the ground. His tone suddenly turned cold, carrying a hint of interrogation.

"As for sending straw sandals to the Red Army? Ha, I'd like to ask them about that! It just so happens that my father was a Red Army soldier, he went through the Long March and fought the Japanese! Grandma, since you sent straw sandals to the Red Army, what year was it? Where was it? Which unit did you send them to? What was the commander's name? Do you remember the unit number? Tell me, maybe my father will recognize them, and I can help you verify it. Maybe I can even help you apply for a real honor!"

This series of extremely specific and highly professional questions bombarded the deaf old lady like a machine gun.

The old woman, who had been wailing and cursing loudly just moments before, suddenly stopped, her voice like a rooster being strangled!

Her old face flushed instantly, her eyes flickered, her lips trembled, and she stammered, unable to answer a single word!

She never actually gave straw sandals to the Red Army.

It's just a matter of time, and it's just capital that he boasts about to elevate his status and gain the respect of the people in the compound.

When Li Zhenhua pressed him for details so precisely and in public, his true colors were immediately revealed!

Looking at her embarrassed and flustered appearance, Li Zhenhua's sneer intensified, and his tone became even more sinister.

"What? Can't answer? Could it be that you're trying to bully people in the compound and impersonate a hero? Madam, do you know what kind of problem it is to impersonate a martyr's family member and claim credit for someone else? At the very least, it's deceiving the public; at worst, it's defaming history! If this is reported to the neighborhood committee or even the police station and verified..."

"Buzz!"

The deaf old woman felt as if she had been struck by a heavy hammer. The huge accusation of impersonating a hero was too much for her old bones to bear!

Terrified, she disregarded all pretense of ancestral dignity and immediately unleashed her ultimate life-saving technique.

Pretend to be deaf and dumb!

Suddenly, she covered her ears with both hands, shook her head like a rattle drum, her voice suddenly became indistinct, her eyes became blank and empty, and she started shouting loudly.

"Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you! I can't hear anything! Oh dear, my ears, my old problem is acting up again! Buzzing! Auntie! Auntie! Help me back! I'm dizzy! I can't stand up!"

As he spoke, he leaned against the older woman, using both his hands and feet, looking as if he was about to faint at any moment.

The older woman was also frightened and quickly helped the old lady up, responding repeatedly.

"Hey! Grandma, let's go home! Let's go home right now!"

Ignoring Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu on the ground, she practically dragged and carried the deaf old lady, whose acting skills were on full display, and hurriedly walked towards the backyard as if fleeing, her back view looking utterly disheveled.

Seeing the deaf old lady struggling to escape back to the backyard with the help of an older woman, the middle courtyard fell into a deathly silence, with only Yi Zhonghai's suppressed groans and Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu's painful gasps remaining.

The air was thick with the smell of blood, fear, and a bewildered sense of utter upheaval.

Li Zhenhua looked around, and all the neighbors in his sight lowered their heads and avoided eye contact with him.

The mocking smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by an undeniable calm.

He strolled slowly to the octagonal table that symbolized the authority of the three elders and pointed to the donations scattered on the table.

"This money."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

"Whoever donated it, take it back now."

The crowd looked at each other, and no one dared to move for a moment.

"What's wrong?"

Li Zhenhua raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Is money donated like water spilled and then returned to its source? Or do you think I, Li Zhenhua, am not keeping my word?"

His gaze swept over Yi Zhonghai's pale face and over Jia Zhangshi's frightened and evasive eyes.

"I'll say it one last time: whoever owns it, takes it back. As long as I, Li Zhenhua, live in this courtyard house..."

He paused, his tone resolute.

"Things like today, where 'mutual aid' is used as a guise for coercion and extortion, must not be allowed to happen again! Anyone who wants to try, feel free to come."

These words struck like a final verdict, landing squarely on everyone's hearts.

Finally, a few residents who had just donated money mustered their courage, stepped forward quickly, picked up their small bills from the table, and then swiftly retreated back into the crowd, as if the table were too hot to handle.

Yi Zhonghai looked at his own ten-yuan note left alone on the table and felt a burning sensation on his face, more painful than a lost front tooth.

He was too ashamed to take the money.

Li Zhenhua didn't bother with it anymore. As if he had done something insignificant, he clapped his hands, turned around, and walked towards the moon gate in the backyard.

Just when everyone thought the storm had finally subsided and breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Zhenhua stopped in his tracks under the moon gate.

He didn't turn around, but simply turned half his face to the side and casually uttered a sentence.

"By the way, just letting everyone know. Starting tomorrow, I will no longer be the head of the security department."

This sentence was like another stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating new ripples!

Yi Zhonghai suddenly raised his head, his swollen eyes bursting with disbelief and a hint of ecstasy!

He's no longer the head of the security department?

Did I get scammed?

He must have made a big mistake. The factory found out and dismissed him!

opportunity!

This is a tremendous opportunity!

Once he loses his position as head of security, I'll show him what I'm made of!