Courtyard House: Home Alone

Grandpa Liu immediately nodded and said, "That's right. When we came out, we saw Jia Zhangshi lying on the ground crying and wailing, and Xiao Fan was standing at the door. Gui Xiang just said that it seemed like Jia Zhangshi rushed over first."

Several other neighbors echoed this sentiment, saying they heard Jia Zhangshi shouting and cursing outside the door.

Yi Zhonghai's face turned somewhat grim. He hadn't expected Lin Yifan to be so calm, especially with a neighbor as a witness. He glanced at Jia Zhangshi, who was throwing a tantrum on the ground, and cursed her inwardly as a "fool," but on the surface, he still had to maintain an image of impartiality.

"Jia Zhangshi, get up first, the ground is cold."

Yi Zhonghai's tone softened somewhat, "Let's talk things out. It's never right to resort to violence. Xiao Fan is still just a child. As an elder, how could you strike first?"

"I didn't! I didn't lay a hand on him!" Jia Zhangshi still stubbornly insisted. "He's the one who hit me! My leg is broken! Sir, you have to do justice for me!"

Yi Zhonghai frowned, squatted down, pretended to look at Jia Zhangshi's knee, and said in a deep voice, "Alright, stop crying! I don't think your leg is broken, you probably just twisted it."

"Hey Xiaofan, you see, Aunt Jia is an elder after all. Although she was wrong to hit first, you pushed her down, so you bear some responsibility. Just apologize, and we'll call it even, okay?"

Lin Yifan sneered inwardly. This Yi Zhonghai was indeed a master of smoothing things over. He wanted an apology? No way!

"Uncle Yi, I did nothing wrong, why should I apologize?" Lin Yifan said firmly. "She came to provoke me, she struck first, I was just defending myself. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that we're neighbors, I would have done much more than just break his leg today."

"Why are you so stubborn, child!" Yi Zhonghai's face darkened. "I'm doing this for your own good! If Aunt Jia really reports it to the authorities, even if you're in the right, you'll still have to go to the police station, which is such a hassle!"

"Trouble?" Lin Yifan's eyes turned cold. "I, Lin Yifan, am upright and honest, and I'm not afraid of trouble! It's Aunt Jia who falsely accused me of stealing money first and then condoned her son's beating of people."

Now she's come to my door causing trouble again, and I'm defending myself. If she wants to report me to the authorities, I'll see what happens! I want to see if the police arrest me for self-defense or for falsely accusing me of assault!

His words were firm and resolute, his eyes sharp, causing the neighbors present to nod in agreement. Indeed, Jia Zhangshi had gone too far this time.

Yi Zhonghai was rendered speechless by Lin Yifan's retort, his face turning pale and then red. He hadn't expected this usually taciturn boy to be so sharp-tongued and so assertive.

"You...you..." Yi Zhonghai pointed at Lin Yifan, too angry to speak.

Just then, He Daqing and Grandpa Li from the front yard returned. They had just come back from the black market, carrying a lot of grain, their faces beaming with joy. As soon as they entered the yard, they heard the commotion and hurried over to see what was going on.

"What's going on? What's all this noise about?" He Daqing asked, puzzled, seeing Jia Zhangshi on the ground and Yi Zhonghai and Lin Yifan with grim faces.

Grandpa Liu briefly recounted what had happened. He Daqing's face darkened upon hearing it, his eyes filled with disgust as he looked at Jia Zhangshi: "Jia Zhangshi, you've gone too far! All you do is bully a child! Have you no shame?"

Seeing that He Daqing and his group were also siding with Lin Yifan, Jia Zhangshi became even more furious. Pointing at He Daqing, she yelled, "He Daqing! You dog! What business is it of yours? Mind your own business!"

"So what if I care!" He Daqing also had a fiery temper. "Everyone in this courtyard knows what kind of person you, Jia Zhangshi, are! Throwing tantrums, spreading rumors! Today's incident is entirely your fault!"

The neighbors also began to criticize Jia Zhangshi. Seeing that everyone had abandoned her, Jia Zhangshi was both angry and afraid, but the pain in her knees and her resentment made her unwilling to give up. However, her crying gradually subsided and turned into sobbing.

Just then, with a creak, everyone turned around and saw that the door of Mrs. Long's house next door opened from the inside. Mrs. Long came out of the house, came to Lin Yifan's side, and first reached out to pat his head.

Then, turning to Jia Zhangshi, he said, "Zhang Cuihua, I'm warning you this time: if you continue to cause trouble like this, get out of here. You think nobody cares about you? You want to go to the military police station? To the police station? Who gave you the guts?"

The deaf old woman was dressed in an elegant cheongsam, her hair was neatly combed, her face was expressionless, but her tone carried an unquestionable authority.

Startled by the deaf old woman's sudden outburst, Jia Zhangshi choked back her sobs and avoided looking at her.

Mrs. Long ignored her and turned to Yi Zhonghai, saying, "Xiao Yi, it's obvious that Jia Zhangshi is in the wrong. Don't try to smooth things over."

Xiao Fan is still a child. If word gets out that she's bullying him like this, our whole neighborhood will have a bad reputation.

Yi Zhonghai was embarrassed when Mrs. Long exposed his thoughts, but he couldn't show it, so he could only cough twice and say, "Mrs. Long is right, I didn't think it through."

He glanced at Jia Zhangshi on the ground and waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, everyone disperse! Jia Zhangshi, get up and go home, don't embarrass yourself here!"

Having said that, without waiting for Jia Zhangshi's reaction, he turned and left with a sullen face. He Daqing snorted and also left with his men.

Seeing that there was nothing exciting to see, the other neighbors also dispersed, but they didn't forget to point and whisper about Jia Zhangshi as they left.

As Jia Zhangshi lay on the ground, watching everyone leave, leaving only herself, Lin Yifan who was coldly watching her, and Mrs. Long standing next to Lin Yifan, she felt both ashamed and angry, and the pain in her knees became increasingly excruciating.

She knew she was completely finished today, and there was no point in staying any longer. She could only grit her teeth and struggle to get up. But after several attempts, the excruciating pain in her knees made it impossible for her to put any strength into her knees.

Lin Yifan looked at her coldly, showing no intention of helping her whatsoever.

Mrs. Long sighed and said to Li Cuilan, who came out after hearing the noise, "Xiaolan, help her up and take her back to her home."

Li Cuilan responded and stepped forward, using all her strength to lift Jia Zhangshi up.

Even as she was being held up, Jia Zhangshi didn't forget to turn back and glare at Lin Yifan with resentment, her eyes looking as if she wanted to devour him.

Lin Yifan didn't care at all, and simply said, "Grandma Long, thank you."

Mrs. Long patted his shoulder, her tone softening: "Silly boy, if you encounter something like this again, don't try to handle it on your own, remember to call for help." After saying that, she turned and went back into the house.

Lin Yifan watched Mrs. Long's retreating figure, then pursed his lips. He had been watching from inside the house for a while, and only came out now.

He closed the door, completely shutting out the mess and noise outside. Inside, the dim lighting created an exceptionally peaceful atmosphere.