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

Her gaze shifted to Jia Zhangshi.

"Comrade Jia Zhangshi, firstly, your registered residence is in a rural area of ​​Changping, which is recorded by the subdistrict office. Your long-term residence in the city does not comply with the relevant regulations. Now that your son, Comrade Jia Dongxu, has unfortunately passed away, you have no immediate family members in the city to rely on. According to policy, you should return to your original rural residence."

"I'm not going back!"

Jia Zhangshi screamed.

"This is my son's house! I live here! Nobody can kick me out!"

Director Wang's face darkened.

"This isn't something you can decide! Policy is policy! If you refuse to comply, the neighborhood committee has the right to forcibly repatriate you!"

Then, Director Wang looked at Qin Huairu, his tone softening.

"Comrade Qin Huairu is Jia Dongxu's legal wife and the mother of their three minor children, Banggeng, Xiaodang, and Huaihua. The 500 yuan pension issued by the steel mill, as well as Banggeng's qualification to take over the job after he turns sixteen, should be managed and used by Comrade Qin Huairu to support their children to adulthood. Comrade Jia Zhangshi, please hand over the pension immediately."

"And the leasehold rights to this house."

The union's female workers' committee member chimed in.

"According to regulations, Comrade Qin Huairu should continue to rent the property to ensure her and her child's basic housing needs."

This series of policy pronouncements was like several heavy hammer blows, slamming into Jia Zhangshi's head.

She hadn't expected the street and factory to take such a tough stance and to stand so decisively on Qin Huairu's side.

Her status as a "mother-in-law," which she relied on to throw tantrums, seemed so pale and powerless in the face of policies and regulations.

"You...you're all ganging up on this old woman!"

Jia Zhangshi plopped down on the ground and began her classic wail again.

"Dongxu! Open your eyes and look! You're gone, and no one will care for your mother anymore! They're all forcing me to die..."

However, this time, her wailing had no effect as usual.

Director Wang and others watched coldly. Although the neighbors sympathized with the Jia family's plight, they all knew in their hearts that Qin Huairu's request was reasonable.

Yi Zhonghai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but seeing Director Wang's stern eyes, and thinking about his three hundred yuan and his own troubles, he finally sighed and shut his mouth.

"Comrade Jia Zhangshi, please calm down!"

The director of the Women's Federation stepped forward, her tone stern.

"Crying and making a scene won't solve anything! If you continue to act unreasonably and disrupt the normal work of the neighborhood committee, we will have no choice but to ask the police for assistance!"

Jia Zhangshi was so frightened by Director Wang's righteous and stern reprimand and the word "police" that her crying stopped abruptly. She collapsed to the ground, her fat face trembling, her eyes filled with despair and fear.

Looking at the indifferent or disdainful gazes around her, and then at Qin Huairu standing behind Director Wang, who was meek but resolute, she finally realized that throwing a tantrum was completely useless this time.

A huge panic gripped her.

Go back to the countryside?

That wretched place is currently suffering from famine; going back there would be certain death!

If she stayed in the city, she could barely survive on Dongxu's pension and this house.

We absolutely must not go back!

The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything, including her pitiful self-esteem.

She crawled to Qin Huairu's feet, no longer throwing a tantrum, but truly begging in a humble, tearful voice.

"Huai Ru! Huai Ru! Mom was wrong! Mom wasn't good to you before, Mom was no good! Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against Mom!"

As she spoke, she actually raised her hand and lightly slapped herself twice across the face. Although it wasn't hard, she made a very convincing gesture.

"Mom, please! Don't send me back to the countryside! I'm old, I can't do farm work anymore, I'll starve if I go back! For... for Dongxu's sake, for the sake of me raising Banggeng for you, please let me stay! I'll be your slave from now on, I'll take care of all the housework! Taking care of the children, cooking, washing clothes, I'll do everything! I'll eat less, save the food for Banggeng and the others! Please, Huairu, give me a way to live!"

Jia Zhangshi burst into tears, clinging to Qin Huairu's leg, looking utterly miserable.

After all, she was nominally her mother-in-law, and she was being so humble. Looking at her gray hair and swollen eyes, Qin Huairu remembered that she had raised Banggeng, and her heart softened. A hint of reluctance and hesitation appeared on her face.

She subconsciously looked up at her neighbors.

Yi Zhonghai remained indifferent throughout, pleased to see Jia Zhangshi driven away, as the old hag was always a nuisance if she stayed.

But seeing Jia Zhangshi in such a miserable state, and Qin Huairu's expression of pity, he changed his mind and felt that this was a good opportunity for him to show his "grandfather's" fairness and "care for his neighbors," and also to do someone a favor and ease the tension with the Jia family.

So he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Director Wang, leaders, look... Sister-in-law Jia knows she was wrong. She's so old, and life in the countryside is truly difficult. As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. How about... we let her stay? Have her write a guarantee that she'll behave herself from now on, leaving the pension and household affairs to Huai Ru. She'll just do the work and take care of the children; she'll be a laborer, won't she?"

When Yi Zhonghai spoke, Liu Haizhong, Yan Bugui, and the others echoed his sentiments.

"Yes, yes, Lao Yi is right. We should be forgiving when we can."

"Keeping her here can help Huai Ru share the burden; it's difficult for Huai Ru to raise three children alone."

"Write a guarantee and keep a close watch on her; she won't dare cause trouble again."

Director Wang and the comrades from the Women's Federation exchanged glances and hesitated when they saw that the family members and neighbors had started pleading for leniency.

After all, forcibly repatriating an elderly person doesn't sound very pleasant.

The atmosphere eased somewhat, and it seemed that there was a chance for Jia Zhangshi to stay.

Just then, a slightly lazy and mocking voice rang out from the Moon Gate.

"Wow, it's so lively here? Everyone's here?"

Everyone turned around and saw Li Zhenhua, wearing an overcoat, strolling slowly over with a half-smile on his face, as if he had just been woken up to come out and see what was going on.

His gaze swept over Jia Zhangshi, who was kneeling and pleading, Qin Huairu, who looked reluctant, and Yi Zhonghai and others who were chiming in. Finally, his gaze landed on Director Wang, and he nodded slightly as a greeting.

He seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps just remarking casually; his voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the courtyard.

"Sigh, these days... even in the city, supplies are tight, and so many eyes are eyeing those meager rations. It's even harder in the countryside, I've heard that in many places... sigh, I'm not going to talk about it anymore."

That one casual remark was like a bucket of ice water, instantly waking Qin Huairu up!

Yes!

What's the situation now?

Great famine!

God knows when this will end.

One more mouth to feed means one more enormous burden!

If Jia Zhangshi stays, how long can that 500 yuan pension last?

When there isn't enough food, given Jia Zhangshi's personality, she'll definitely fight with the children for food!

What to do with the stems, small buds, and locust flowers?

The path to survival I've worked so hard for, am I really going to fall into despair again because of this old hag?

Li Zhenhua is trying to wake her up!

We must not be soft-hearted!

The reluctance in Qin Huairu's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by a mother's unwavering resolve and coldness.

She abruptly pulled her leg away from Jia Zhangshi's embrace, took a step back, and spoke to Director Wang in a resolute voice.

"Director Wang! Leaders! I appreciate your kindness! But the rules can't be broken! My mother-in-law has a rural household registration, and it's illegal for her to stay in the city long-term! Now that Dongxu is gone, she has even less reason to stay! For the sake of the children's survival, to avoid gossip, and to comply with policy, please, neighborhood committee, follow the regulations and send my mother-in-law back to her hometown! I, Qin Huairu, have no objections!"

These words shocked everyone present!

Yi Zhonghai and the others were stunned, not expecting Qin Huairu to change her expression so quickly.

Jia Zhangshi was struck dumb!

The glimmer of hope that had just been ignited within her was utterly shattered by Qin Huairu's cold and ruthless words!

She looked up at Qin Huairu's indifferent face, then at Li Zhenhua beside her who looked indifferent as if it were none of her business, and instantly understood!

It was this kid! It was this kid who instigated it with just one sentence!

Extreme disappointment, anger, and despair instantly overwhelmed Jia Zhangshi's rationality!

She suddenly sprang to her feet, no longer caring about pleading or feigning pitifulness. Pointing at Qin Huairu's nose, she unleashed a torrent of foul language, more vicious than ever before!

"You Qin Huairu! You heartless whore! You slut! How dare you scheme against me! Dongxu's body is barely cold! And you're already conspiring with some other man to force your mother-in-law to her death! You worthless piece of trash who deserves to die a horrible death! You jinx who brings death to men! Our Jia family has had the worst luck in eight lifetimes to marry such a jinx! You deserve to die a horrible death! And your bastard child deserves to die a horrible death too! May you be struck by lightning—"

She cursed Qin Huairu with extremely vile language, spewing out every filthy word, her face contorted in a ferocious grimace, spittle flying everywhere, as if she were about to pounce on her and tear her apart.

Seeing this, Director Wang turned ashen with anger and shouted sternly.

"Jia Zhangshi! How dare you be so insolent! Stop her!"

The two street officials next to them quickly stepped forward, one on each side, trying to restrain the seemingly insane Jia Zhangshi.

"Get out of my way! You lackeys! You're in cahoots with that whore! You want to force me to my death? No way!"

While cursing, Jia Zhangshi struggled violently. She was already obese, and in her desperate struggle, she became incredibly strong and managed to break free from the hands of the two officers!

Seeing her so lawless, daring to openly defy and insult the street officials, Director Wang was furious. He stepped forward, pointed at her, and reprimanded her.

"Jia Zhangshi! You've gone too far! Openly defying the organization's decision and insulting cadres, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the enraged Jia Zhangshi had already lost all respect for Director Wang. Seeing Director Wang standing in front of her, babbling incessantly, both old and new grudges surged into her heart. Without regard for anything else, she used the momentum of her struggle to ram her obese body forward!

"Ouch!"

Director Wang was caught off guard and stumbled, almost falling over.

That wasn't all. As Jia Zhangshi shoved Director Wang aside, she swung her right hand haphazardly!

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound!

A slap landed squarely on Director Wang's face! Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

Jia Zhangshi... actually hit Director Wang?

The courtyard was deathly silent.

Director Wang covered his burning cheek, completely stunned.

She has been the director of the neighborhood office for so many years and has always been the one to have the final say among the neighbors. She has never suffered such humiliation before.

Moreover, he was slapped hard across the face by an old shrew in front of the steel mill leaders, women's federation members, and all the neighbors in the compound!

After a brief silence came a volcanic eruption of fury!

"Jia Zhangshi! How dare you hit me?"

Director Wang's voice changed tone, becoming sharp and shrill. Her eyes instantly turned red, and all semblance of a cadre image and composure vanished into thin air. A surge of blood rushed to her head!

She screamed, like an enraged lioness, and pounced on Jia Zhangshi without any regard for anything else!

"I'll fight you to the death!"

It all happened so fast that no one had time to react!

Director Wang grabbed Jia Zhangshi's disheveled hair with one hand and then scratched her face with the other!

Jia Zhangshi never expected that Director Wang would dare to lay a hand on her. In pain, her shrewish instincts were fully unleashed. Taking advantage of her strong and muscular physique, she turned around and grabbed Director Wang's hair, cursing him rudely.

"So what if I hit you! You slut! You're helping that little whore bully me! I'll scratch you to death!"

Two women, one usually dignified and the other unruly, were now wrestling like ordinary village women!

They were pulling each other's hair and scratching each other's faces; the scene completely spiraled out of control!

"Ouch! Stop hitting me!"

"Pull them apart! Pull them apart!"

The staff brought by Director Wang, the comrades from the Women's Federation, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and others finally came to their senses from the shock and hurriedly rushed forward to try to break up the fight.

But a woman in a fit of rage possesses astonishing strength, especially Jia Zhangshi, who is physically dominant and in a semi-mad state. She suddenly swung her arm, shoving aside a street official who tried to pull her away. Taking advantage of the moment when Director Wang was slightly distracted by the crowd, she shoved him hard with her obese body, causing him to stagger backward. At the same time, her withered fingers with long fingernails, filled with hatred, viciously scratched two bloody welts on Director Wang's face, one of which even broke the corner of his mouth, causing it to bleed!

"what!"

Director Wang was in excruciating pain, and his anger was so intense it was almost overwhelming.

When everyone finally managed to separate the two seemingly insane individuals after much effort, the scene was utterly chaotic.

Director Wang's hair was disheveled, his carefully styled bun was askew to one side, there were several bright red fingernail marks on his face, his mouth was cracked and bleeding, and one of the buttons on his official coat was torn off. He was panting heavily, his eyes filled with shame, indignation and rage.

Jia Zhangshi wasn't much better off; a lock of her hair was pulled out, and her face was scratched by Director Wang. But she was still defiant, jumping up and down and cursing even with two people holding her arms.

"Let me go! I'm not done with her yet! How dare she kick me out! I'll scratch you to death, you bastard!"

Director Wang touched the blood at the corner of her mouth, felt the burning pain on her face, and looked at the shocked, sympathetic, and perhaps even mocking eyes of the people around her. She had never suffered such a humiliation in her life!

The string of reason snapped completely!

She pointed sharply at Jia Zhangshi, who was still cursing, her voice trembling with extreme anger, and shouted at the cadres she had brought and several activists from the courtyard who had rushed over after hearing the news:

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous! Openly attacking officials! Disrupting order! Arrest her! Take her to the police station! Immediately!"