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

She glanced furtively at the elated Sha Zhu and secretly resolved to maintain a proper balance. She couldn't afford to be too distant and offend Sha Zhu for his rare help, nor could she allow him to misunderstand anything, especially not to arouse Li Zhenhua's dissatisfaction.

at the same time.

Li Yunlong's home.

Early in the morning, Xiuqin had just finished washing the dishes and was wiping the octagonal table with a rag, thinking about what vegetables to buy at the service store today.

Old man Li Yunlong went to the military region early in the morning, leaving her alone at home, which was quite peaceful.

Just then, a series of noisy footsteps and women’s deliberately hushed voices came from outside the courtyard gate.

Xiuqin was a little surprised. Who would come to visit so early in the morning?

There were still quite a few people listening.

She put down the rag, walked to the door, and as soon as she opened it a crack, she saw seven or eight women standing outside, all dressed smartly, with anxious yet somewhat ingratiating smiles on their faces.

Xiuqin recognized the two at the front. One was the wife of Commander Wang, who lived in the small building in the front row. Her surname was Zhao. She was usually arrogant and would only nod when they met.

The other one is the wife of Deputy Director Gao of the Logistics Department, surnamed Qian, who is also a shrewd and cunning woman.

"Sister Xiuqin! Are you home?"

Comrade Zhao spoke first, his voice much softer than usual.

"Oh, Xiuqin, I hope I didn't disturb you this early in the morning?"

Comrade Qian also stepped forward quickly, carrying two bulging net bags in his hands. Inside, it seemed to be malted milk powder, canned fruit, and even two packs of Zhonghua cigarettes wrapped in oil paper, which are extremely rare on the market!

The others also greeted him, their hands full of pastries, candies, fabrics, and even a small box covered with red silk, the contents of which were unknown.

Xiuqin's heart skipped a beat; this situation was far too abnormal!

As the saying goes, when you give a gift, you must have something in mind.

Moreover, judging from the identities of these people and what they have in their hands, what they are asking for is definitely not a small matter!

She remained expressionless, stepped aside to clear the doorway, and forced a smile.

"It's Sister Zhao, Sister Qian, and everyone else... Please, please come in and sit down. What brings you here so early in the morning?"

The women filed in, and the once spacious living room suddenly felt a bit crowded.

Without saying a word, they piled the gifts they brought on the coffee table in the corner, and in an instant, a small mountain of them appeared.

Xiuqin poured a glass of water for each person, her heart pounding as she waited for them to speak.

Comrade Zhao was the first to lose her composure. She rubbed her hands together, a worried look on her face.

"Sister Xiuqin, to be honest, we...we wouldn't come here without a reason. We've come to beg you, and Commander Li, to have mercy and save our good-for-nothing son!"

"Yeah yeah!"

Comrade Qian quickly replied, his voice trembling with tears.

"My good-for-nothing son, Old Wang's son Haitao, and these sisters' kids, last night... oh dear! They've gotten themselves into big trouble!"

Xiuqin's heart tightened. Had she gotten herself into trouble?

Does it also involve Wang Haitao from Commander Wang's family?

That kid is a notorious troublemaker in the compound!

She steadied herself and asked.

"Sister Zhao, Sister Qian, don't panic, tell me slowly, what happened to the children?"

"They...they got into a fight last night at a restaurant in Moscow! And they...they were arrested by the police!"

As Comrade Qian spoke, he actually took out a small handkerchief and wiped the corner of his eye.

"A group fight? And it even involved the police?"

Xiuqin frowned even more deeply.

"Who did you fight with? Was it serious? Were you injured?"

Her first instinct was to check if the child was hurt.

"Injured? They're fine, just some minor cuts and bruises..."

Comrade Zhao's tone was somewhat strange, filled with resentment and a sense of difficulty in speaking.

"But the other party... the other party is Zhenhua!"

"Who?"

Xiuqin thought she had misheard.

"It's your Zhenhua! Deputy Director Li Zhenhua!"

Comrade Qian spoke up quickly.

"There was also a female police officer from the Public Security Bureau, I think her surname was Lin, and a rather strong young woman. It was those three who beat up my child and Haitao and more than ten others, and sent them all to the station!"

Xiuqin's eyes widened instantly, and her mind went blank!

Zhenhua?

Did they get into a fight with Wang Haitao and his gang?

He even ended up in the police station?

Her first reaction was that she was worried her son would be taken advantage of!

She knew Wang Haitao and his gang; they were lawless and ruthless, and Zhenhua could take on more than a dozen of them by himself.

Are police officers involved?

"Where's Zhenhua? Is he alright? Is he hurt?"

Xiuqin suddenly stood up, her voice changing tone, and she didn't care about etiquette anymore, urgently asking questions.

Seeing her reaction, Comrade Zhao, Comrade Qian, and the others exchanged glances, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Comrade Zhao quickly replied.

"Sister Xiuqin, don't worry, Zhenhua... Zhenhua is fine, he's completely alright. It's just... it's Haitao and the others, several of them were injured, and they're still being held at the police station! The Public Security Bureau said... they said they were involved in an armed brawl and assaulted police officers, which is a serious offense and they'll be dealt with severely!"

Hearing that her son was alright, Xiuqin felt a little relieved, but anger immediately welled up inside her.

She sat down again, her face darkening.

"Armed? Assaulting a police officer? What exactly happened? Sister Zhao, Sister Qian, explain yourselves! Our Zhenhua isn't the type to cause trouble! Why did he suddenly get into a fight with Haitao and the others? And why did it escalate to the point of involving knives and guns and getting the police involved?"

The women looked at each other, and finally Comrade Zhao, steeling himself, spoke evasively.

"Well... according to the kids, it happened at a restaurant. Maybe... maybe they had a little argument, and the young people got hot-tempered, so... they started fighting. Zhenhua might have been a bit impulsive too, and he hit them a little too hard... And that policewoman, even after she identified herself, Haitao and the others probably didn't take it seriously, and that turned into an assault..."

"A quarrel? An impulsive act?"

Hearing this vague explanation, Xiuqin became even angrier.

"Sister Zhao, I don't believe you! My Zhenhua is the deputy director of the factory, in charge of hundreds of people. Do you think he's the kind of person who would cause trouble impulsively? Wang Haitao and his dozen or so men, armed with weapons, went to the restaurant for dinner? And they dared to argue with my Zhenhua? Do you think I, Xiuqin, am a three-year-old child who's easy to fool?"

She became increasingly angry as she spoke, and her voice rose.

"What exactly happened? If you don't tell the truth, I can't help you! Take all the gifts back!"

Seeing that Xiuqin was truly angry, Comrade Qian quickly tried to smooth things over.

"Xiuqin, don't be angry. Sister Zhao was just flustered. Here's what happened..."

She had no choice but to tell the version she had heard from Gao Peng and the other children, which was modified from what she had heard: Li Zhenhua was having dinner with two women at a restaurant, and Gao Peng went over to greet them, though his words might have been a little inappropriate.

Li Zhenhua then started hitting people, and Gao Peng called Wang Haitao and others to mediate, which escalated the conflict between the two sides.

The emphasis was on how skilled Li Zhenhua was, how Wang Haitao and his gang suffered losses, and how the police showed favoritism when they arrived.

But Xiuqin is such a shrewd person.

Having lived in the compound for so many years, she knew the moral character of these cadres' children very well!

What kind of person is Gao Peng?

Wang Haitao is a notorious playboy! Would they even bother to "greet" him properly?

They must have provoked Zhenhua first!

And if you provoke them, a dozen or so people will come with weapons!

This is clearly an attempt to provoke trouble!

She suppressed her anger and listened to Comrade Qian's flawed account before coldly asking...

"So, according to you, it's all Zhenhua's fault? He alone provoked more than a dozen of you armed men? And then beat you all to a pulp? And the police even sided with him? Sister Qian, do you even believe that yourself?"

Comrade Zhao and Comrade Qian were speechless when questioned, their faces turning pale and then red.

Xiuqin stood up, walked to the corner of the wall, and pointed to the pile of expensive gifts.

"Take these things back. My family doesn't need them. I can't help you with anything until things are cleared up."

"Sister Xiuqin! You can't just stand by and watch someone die!"

Comrade Zhao also became anxious, his voice trembling with tears.

"Haitao and the others are still in the police station! If they get a criminal record, their lives will be ruined! As for Commander Li... please, please put in a good word for them with Commander Li. As long as they don't pursue the matter there, we'll try to influence things with the Public Security Bureau... As for Zhenhua, whatever compensation they need, we'll definitely..."

"compensate?"

Xiuqin turned around abruptly, and her pent-up anger finally erupted.

"What compensation? Your child is a treasure, while our Zhenhua is just trash? A dozen people with knives, guns, and clubs ganged up on my son and beat him up, and now it's our fault? You want us to plead for him? Is there any justice in this world?!"

She was trembling with anger, pointing towards the door.

"Get out! All of you get out! When my husband, Old Li, comes back, he'll figure this out! If Zhenhua is at fault, we won't cover it up! If anyone tries to bully my son, I, Xiuqin, will be the first to object! Even if it goes all the way to the commander, I'll get justice!"

Xiuqin's sudden outburst stunned all the women in the room.

They never expected that this usually gentle and kind old lady would be so fiercely protective of her children!

"Xiuqin, you..."

"go out!"

Xiuqin ignored them completely and opened the door directly.

Seeing Xiuqin's resolute attitude, the women knew that continuing the conversation would only lead to further humiliation, so they could only sheepishly pick up the gifts they had brought and leave Li Yunlong's house dejectedly.

Watching them disappear through the courtyard gate, Xiuqin slammed the door shut, leaning against it, her chest heaving violently.

She wasn't unconcerned about the impact of this matter; Commander Wang and Deputy Director Gao were not easy to deal with. But what angered her even more was their arrogant and domineering attitude, which turned black into white!

She believed in her son and knew he would never cause trouble for no reason!

No, we must find out what's going on right now!

Xiuqin walked quickly to the phone, took a deep breath, and dialed the number for the office of the deputy director of the logistics department of Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill.

The phone rang several times before being answered, and Li Zhenhua's calm voice came from the other end.

"Hello, who is this?"

"Zhenhua! It's me, Mom!"

When Xiuqin heard her son's voice, her heart ached, and she asked anxiously.

"Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere? What happened last night? Did Wang Haitao and the others cause you trouble?"

Li Zhenhua on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback for a moment, then laughed.

"Mom, I'm fine, not a hair on my head. How did you know? The news spread so fast!"

"How could we not hurry? Wang Haitao's mother, Gao Peng's mother, and several other families just came to our house! They brought bags and bags of gifts, begging me to plead with your father, saying you injured their children and even got them arrested! They gave vague answers, so I'm asking you, tell me honestly, did you start it? Did they bully you?"

Xiuqin asked in a very fast voice.

Li Zhenhua was silent for a few seconds on the phone, then calmly told his mother what had happened at the Moscow restaurant the night before, without any embellishment.

The entire process, from Gao Peng's provocation to Wang Haitao leading a group of armed men to surround and attack Lin Taotao, to their rude remarks and even attempts to assault her, and finally to her being forced to fight back and call the police, was clearly explained.

He didn't embellish the story, but the facts themselves speak for themselves.

As Xiuqin listened to her son's account, her face grew increasingly grim, and her fists clenched involuntarily.

She was so angry that she gritted her teeth when she heard that there were more than a dozen people on the other side, and that they were carrying spring locks, scrapers, and even harassing the police officers who identified themselves!

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous!"

Xiuqin was so angry that her voice trembled after hearing this.

"These bastards! They dare to act so recklessly just because they have their parents' power! They even dared to attack the police? They've gone too far! Zhenhua, you did the right thing! Well done! We can't be lenient with these social scum! Don't worry, Mom supports you in this! When your dad comes back, I'll fully support you too! Let's see who dares to distort the truth and bully others!"

"Mom, don't be angry. It's not worth ruining your health over someone like that."

Li Zhenhua offered words of comfort.

"The matter has been handed over to the Public Security Bureau. The facts are clear and the evidence is conclusive. They can't deny it. You and Dad don't need to worry. I can handle it."

"Handle it well? Mom knows you're capable now, but this matter involves Commander Wang and his men, and Mom's afraid they'll sabotage us behind our backs!"

Xiuqin was still worried.

"Mom, don't worry. This is a new society, where laws and policies apply. No matter how high their father's rank is, he can't be above the law. Besides, your son isn't someone to be trifled with anymore. Just stay home and do what you need to do. If anyone comes looking for you again, just kick them out. I'll take care of everything."

Li Zhenhua's tone was full of confidence.

Hearing her son's words, Xiuqin felt much more at ease.

Yes, her son has grown up, he has his own opinions and abilities, and he is no longer a little child who needs her constant protection.

"Okay, Mom got it. Be careful at the factory, and call home immediately if anything happens."

Xiuqin gave a few more instructions before hanging up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Xiuqin breathed a long sigh of relief. Most of her worries disappeared, replaced by a sense of pride and triumph.

Her son didn't let her down!