Siheyuan: I will never tolerate gambling and drugs!

Courtyard at night

At Yi Zhonghai's command, a large group of people, filled with the excitement of catching a thief red-handed, rushed from the moonlit courtyard to the west wing of the front yard.

Leading the group were three old men: Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui. Behind them followed Sha Zhu, wielding a fire poker, and Jia Dongxu, clutching a brick. Jia Zhangshi walked alongside, muttering to herself; if she weren't afraid of disturbing Xu Lin, she would have already started cursing. Xu Damao, meanwhile, huddled at the back of the crowd, ready to watch the spectacle unfold.

The group's footsteps clattered on the bluestone slabs, making a chaotic yet suppressed sound, like a pack of wolves preparing to pounce on their prey, silently surrounding Xu Lin's house.

Yan Bugui leaned close to the door, listened intently, then turned back and gestured to the crowd as if to say "still inside," his face full of excitement at having caught them red-handed.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, feeling as if he were the embodiment of justice, the last line of defense for maintaining the moral atmosphere of the courtyard. He then gave Yan Bugui a look, signaling him to go up and knock on the door.

Yan Bugui, head held high and face flushed, walked to Xu Lin's door in front of everyone. After clearing his throat, he gently knocked twice on the door with the knuckle of his right index finger and said...

Is Xu Lin home?

Everyone: "........."

At this point, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but swear, "No way, Lao Yan! What the hell are you talking about manners at a time like this! Get out of the way, move aside..."

After Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, he stepped forward and, without knocking, pounded the door with his fist.

"Xu Lin! You little beast! Get out here right now!"

This roar shattered the tranquility of the courtyard and ignited everyone's emotions.

"Open the door! Open the door now! Don't hide inside like a coward!" Liu Haizhong, with his belly sticking out, adopted the air of an old man and shouted.

"Xu Lin! You fucking dare to touch Huai Ru! I'll cripple you today!" Sha Zhu waved his fire poker, his eyes bloodshot, as if his wife had been stolen from him.

Madam Jia Zhang plopped down on the ground, slapping her thighs and wailing, "Oh my god! This is outrageous! They're already having an affair at the crack of night! It's immoral! Our Jia family was truly blind to have chosen such a shameless slut to marry into our family!"

Holding the brick, Jia Dongxu fantasized about the scene when the door opened and Xu Lin and Qin Huairu knelt down begging for mercy, feeling a morbid pleasure in his heart.

Inside the house, Xu Lin had just taught Qin Huairu how an excellent soldier could clean a general's gun. He had patiently held back for a long time to accommodate the novice driver, and was just about to get intimate with Qin Huairu when this scene interrupted them.

Qin Huairu turned pale with fright, nervously grabbing Xu Lin's arm with one hand: "Xu Lin, they... why are they here?"

Xu Lin patted her hand reassuringly, his face showing no panic, but rather a cold smile. "These beasts, they're really eager to die. Damn it, ruining my plans! Let's see how I teach you a lesson today. I refuse to believe I can't handle you!"

"It's alright, Huairu. They're just deliberately causing trouble. Don't worry, with me here, nothing will happen." He then reluctantly took the general's sidearm from Qin Huairu's hand.

After comforting Qin Huairu, Xu Lin had no choice but to fumble around in the dark and retrieve the clothes that the two had scattered on the ground, putting them on. However, what the people in the courtyard didn't know was that with each piece of clothing Xu Lin wore, he hated them even more!

Xu Lin gritted his teeth and waited for Qin Huairu to finish dressing before walking to the door.

Outside the door, seeing no response from inside, Yi Zhonghai pounded on the door even more vigorously: "Xu Lin! If you don't open the door, we'll kick it down! We'll catch you in the act, and then we'll see how you'll have the face to stay in the steel mill! To stay in Beijing!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the door creaked open from the inside.

The chaotic scene that I had imagined did not occur at all.

Xu Lin stood calmly at the door, his clothes neatly dressed, and even a faint smile on his face, watching the group of "righteous soldiers" at the door with a leisurely air.

Behind him, Qin Huairu, though a little nervous, stood up straight next to Xu Lin.

This calm scene stunned everyone shouting outside the door.

This isn't right! That's not how the script was written! Shouldn't they be disheveled and panicked?

Yi Zhonghai was the first to react. He forcibly suppressed his surprise and pointed at Xu Lin's nose, scolding, "Xu Lin! You finally dared to come out! The entire hospital witnessed all the dirty things you and Qin Huairu did behind the scenes! What else do you have to say!"

"Sleazy things?" Xu Lin raised an eyebrow. "Zhonghai, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. My wife and I were in our own home, what were we doing?"

"Daughter-in-law?" Madam Jia Zhang seemed to have heard the funniest joke. She jumped up from the ground, pointed at Qin Huairu's nose, and cursed, "Who's your daughter-in-law! You shameless little beast, deceiving country girls, having an affair and saying it so grandly! That slut Qin Huairu, yesterday she said she wouldn't marry my son, and today she's hooking up with you! Shameless!"

"Exactly!" Jia Dongxu chimed in, "You're not even married yet and you're already going to sneak into a man's room? Have you no shame?!"

Xu Lin didn't bother with Jia's mother and son at all; his gaze was fixed directly on Yi Zhonghai.

"Yi Zhonghai, do you think so too?"

Yi Zhonghai, neck stiff and with an air of righteous indignation, said, "Xu Lin, stop trying to deny it! The whole hospital is watching! What I think is irrelevant now."

At this moment, Liu Haizhong also jumped out, licking his belly, his face showing a fierce glint. He squinted and stared intently at Xu Lin, holding his signature weapon, the "belt," in one hand and pointing the other at Xu Lin's nose, saying...

"That's right, the old man is right! Although you said yesterday that you two have already pledged your lives to each other, you're not married yet. Now, you two are alone in a room in the middle of the night, what is that if not infidelity? Today, we're going to clean house for the neighborhood and hand over this morally corrupt element to the neighborhood committee!"

"Take him to the neighborhood committee?" Xu Lin laughed, a very bright laugh.

"That's right! It's not just about sending you to the neighborhood office; you two adulterers will be paraded through the streets with your tattered shoes hanging from your heads! You little brat, daring to steal our Jia family's property, you should take a good look at yourself in the mirror! You think you're worthy of competing with my son Jia Dongxu for a wife..." Jia Zhangshi finally managed to speak loudly, unleashing her ultimate attack, barking wildly and uncontrollably, as if she wanted to pounce on Xu Lin and bite him a couple of times to feel satisfied...

The others in the courtyard were also ignited by Jia Zhangshi's imposing manner! Everyone started speaking up, expressing their opinions. Those who hadn't spoken yet weren't idle either; they searched the courtyard for ropes and old shoes, finally seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to bring down Xu Lin, and they couldn't afford to miss it!

Xu Lin faced the crowd nonchalantly, watching them crane their necks, point and whisper about him and Qin Huairu with crooked mouths, spewing vulgarities incessantly. Xu Lin stuck his little finger into his ear, waited a moment, and then spoke.

"Alright, alright, shut up. Are you all so clueless? If you want to chat, go home. My wife and I are busy and in the middle of something. We don't want to hit you today. Get out of here. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll pretend nothing happened and let you off this time."

Everyone was stunned when they heard Xu Lin's words! "He's so damn arrogant! Does this brat even understand the situation?!" This was the common thought in everyone's mind at that moment.

At this moment, Yan Bugui stepped forward. "Xu Lin! Don't put on airs. It's an undeniable fact that you and Qin Huairu were cornered in the house late at night. Either you take the initiative to admit your mistakes, repent, and start anew, doing good deeds in the courtyard, respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and showing respect to us three elders in charge; or we'll tie you up and take you to the street office right now! You can expect to be paraded through the streets!"

After speaking, he just stared at Xu Lin, looking completely confident. He quietly awaited the answer Xu Lin would give him, the one that would satisfy him. At this moment, Yan Bugui's biggest regret was not having spent money on a pack of cigarettes during the day. If he could just take a puff now... tsk tsk tsk...

Xu Lin then became interested in what Yan Bugui was saying. "You want me to take the initiative to admit my mistakes? To do good deeds in the courtyard from now on? And to respect you three liaison officers in charge of the courtyard?"

Liu Haizhong heard the disdain in Xu Lin's tone. "Xu Lin! Stand up straight! This is your last chance! If you continue like this, then come with us to the street office and wait to be paraded through the streets!" Everyone in the courtyard nodded in agreement after hearing Liu Haizhong's words. After all, being paraded through the streets was not as good as actually gaining some benefits. Xu Lin was a director, and his family must have plenty of good things. As long as he nodded and admitted his mistake, wouldn't he be able to manipulate people?

Xu Lin, finding Liu Haizhong's words somewhat uninteresting, took out a cigarette, lit it, and put it back in his pocket. Yan Bugui, standing nearby, was furious. "That beast! Just you wait, soon all your cigarettes will be mine!"

"What if I don't choose either?" Xu Lin said with a half-smile after exhaling a puff of smoke, much to everyone's surprise.

Yi Zhonghai was furious upon hearing Xu Lin's reply. "So you forced us to do this! We all know you're a good fighter! I don't believe you'll dare to act so violently again! Sha Zhu! Dong Xu! You two, get some rope and tie Xu Lin up!"

Sha Zhu and Jia Dongxu, standing to the side, were inwardly groaning after hearing Yi Zhonghai's words. "Why the hell can't you go yourself! You've been yelling for ages, saying you don't believe Xu Lin will make a move. If you don't believe him, then why don't you go and do it yourself!"

Although they thought this in their hearts, they dared not say it aloud. With everyone in the courtyard watching, they were too embarrassed to be cowards, so they had no choice but to steel themselves and slowly approach Xu Lin with the rope.

Xu Lin chuckled inwardly at the two silly boys' actions, then, with a cigarette in his mouth, he proactively extended his hand, "Come on, let's see who dares to tie you up!"

At this moment, Liu Haizhong, who had a fiery temper, could no longer hold back. "Damn it! Too arrogant! Let's get him! All of us, we're in the right, what are we afraid of!" Hearing Liu Haizhong's words, the previously hesitant crowd gained confidence, their passion instantly reignited, and they grabbed their weapons and moved towards Xu Lin.

One step... two steps...

Because everyone had been beaten up by Xu Lin so many times recently, even though they seemed to be in the right, they didn't dare to rush forward like they had at the beginning...

Just then, everyone noticed that Xu Lin seemed to be making a move, so they quickly took two steps back and stared intently at him. They couldn't help it; Xu Lin had left too deep an impression on them before, and they were all a bit nervous.

All the onlookers saw was Xu Lin rummaging around in his pocket for a while before slowly raising his hand, holding a piece of paper that looked like an award certificate.

Under the questioning gazes of the crowd, he calmly unfolded the paper, revealing his and Qin Huairu's names written inside, with a bright red seal below.

"Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, you three brothers, open your eyes wide and look carefully."

Xu Lin shoved the marriage certificate directly into Yi Zhonghai's face.

"I, Xu Lin, and my beloved Qin Huairu, officially registered our marriage this afternoon, witnessed by Director Wang of the neighborhood committee. Now, we are a legally married couple protected by law."

"You've brought the whole courtyard with you, armed with sticks and bricks, to smash up our newlywed couple's door, shouting that you're going to catch us in the act."

Xu Lin's voice suddenly turned cold, each word striking the hearts of everyone present.

"Yi Zhonghai, I ask you, what are you trying to do? Gathering a crowd to storm a law-abiding citizen's home, with malicious intent, plotting to attack factory leaders—your actions are not simple!"

After Xu Lin finished speaking, he squinted and paused for a moment, then suddenly opened his eyes wide and said...

"Are you trying to rebel?"

"boom!"

The words "to rebel" exploded like a thunderbolt in the minds of everyone in the courtyard, leaving them all dumbfounded.

Yi Zhonghai stared blankly at the glaringly red marriage certificate. The signature on it, the seal—every detail told him it was real. He felt a burning pain in his face, as if Xu Lin had slapped him dozens of times with this marriage certificate. His mind went blank; all the prepared arguments, all the moral blackmail, became a joke in that moment.

Liu Haizhong stared wide-eyed, unable to close his mouth for a long time, his mind filled with only one thought: "Married? How could he be married so quickly? Wasn't he busy giving medical checkups to the workers all day? Where did he find the time?!"

Yan Bugui's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "It's over." He knew better than anyone what this meant; this was no longer a neighborhood dispute, it was a crime! His first instinct was to shrink back and slip away in the chaos.

Sha Zhu dropped the fire poker in his hand with a clatter. Looking at the two names on the marriage certificate, he felt as if he could see Qin Huairu nestled beside Xu Lin, smiling so sweetly, and his heart felt as if it had been hollowed out.

The most devastated were the Jia family mother and son.

"No! Impossible! It's fake! This must be fake!" Jia Zhangshi screamed frantically, but her cries sounded so weak and pale at this moment.

The brick in Jia Dongxu's hand fell to the ground, hitting his own foot without him even noticing. The image of Qin Huairu kneeling and begging for mercy in his imagination overlapped with the image of Xu Lin slapping him in the face with the marriage certificate in front of him. The huge contrast made him almost vomit blood.

"Trying to run away?"

Xu Lin's cold gaze swept across the crowd, immediately locking onto Yan Bugui, who was quietly retreating. In a flash, he was in front of Yan Bugui, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him back like a chick, throwing him directly into the middle of the courtyard.

"Bu Gui, didn't you see it best? Why are you running away?" Then, he turned to Yi Zhonghai, whose face was ashen.

"Zhonghai, didn't you want to reason with us? Come on, let's continue."

Xu Lin raised his hand and delivered a crisp, resounding slap to Yi Zhonghai's face, causing him to stagger and his face to swell up instantly on one side.

"This slap is on behalf of my wife, to teach you how to respect women!"

Before anyone could react, he kicked Liu Haizhong in the stomach, sending him rolling away like a ball.

"Liu Haizhong, you think you're all that? You want to take us to the police station? I'll send you to lie on the ground first!"

Just as Sha Zhu was about to pick up the fire poker on the ground, Xu Lin was already in front of him, stepped on the poker, snatched it from him, and struck Sha Zhu on the back of the knee. Sha Zhu screamed and fell to his knees.

"Weren't you standing up for Huai Ru? Now she's my legal wife, who do you think you are?"

When Jia Dongxu saw Xu Lin approaching, he was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, only to be tripped by his own mother, and the two of them rolled around in a heap.

Xu Lin walked up to them, looking down at them. "And you two, one wants my wife to be your slave, and the other is a toad lusting after a swan. Today, I'll show you what wishful thinking really means!"

He kicked Jia's mother and son so hard they were dizzy and disoriented, and Jia Zhangshi's howls turned into painful groans.

In the blink of an eye, the once menacing "catch-the-cheat squad" was all lying on the ground groaning, none of them able to stand up.

Xu Lin clapped his hands, looked around, and once again revealed that chilling smile on his face.

Yan Bugui, a wise man who wouldn't fight a losing battle, immediately begged for mercy, realizing Xu Lin's fighting prowess was truly terrifying. The usually stingy Yan Bugui offered his most sincere condition: "Xu Lin, stop hitting him! We made a mistake! Ignorance is no excuse, right? How about we each compensate you with some money, just like last time? Please don't fight anymore..."

Xu Lin was also amazed when he heard Yan Bugui's words; it was a miracle that the old man could actually pay up.

"Pay me money? I'm in a good mood today, I don't want your money."

The people on the ground breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, but Xu Lin's next words plunged them into an icy abyss.

"Aren't you guys full of energy and bored out of your minds? Fine, I'll find you something to do, I guarantee you'll have a fulfilling and unforgettable night! How about this?"

Xu Lin pointed at Yi Zhonghai: "Zhonghai, you are highly respected, so go to Babaoshan Cemetery and count all the tombstones of people with the surname Wang. Give me a count before dawn. If you miss one, I'll let you go and keep him company."

Then Liu Haizhong said, "Liu Haizhong, you're so greedy for official positions. Go and count all the tombstone owners. How many of them lived past sixty?"

He then looked at Yan Bugui: "Yan Bugui, you're the most calculating. Go and count the number of tombstones for all the women."

"Shazhu, go count the tombstones with three characters in the name."

"Jia Dongxu, go count the names that have two characters..."

"Xu Damao, you're the most cunning one. Here's what we'll do: you go and count how many pairs of tombstones there are for couples buried together."

"Jia Zhangshi, you're the most idle one, and I'm guessing you can't read. How about this, you just count how many tombstones there are in total, and then give me the number."

After these words were spoken, the entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the heavy breathing of the crowd. Spending the whole night counting tombstones in the cemetery? That was worse than death!

Xu Lin picked up the brick that Jia Dongxu had brought from the ground and, under the horrified gazes of the crowd, applied slight pressure with both hands.

"Snap!"

The hard brick shattered into several pieces in his hands.

"I need answers before dawn. Anyone who dares to slack off, or dares not to go..."

Xu Lin threw away the broken pieces in his hand and spoke coldly.

"You will bear the consequences."

The beasts on the ground scrambled to their feet, not daring to utter another word, and dragged their still aching bodies as they raced to escape this nightmarish scene.

Xu Lin watched their disheveled retreat before turning back into the house.

Qin Huairu stood in the room, watching everything unfold from beginning to end. The tension in her heart had long been replaced by immense shock and an unprecedented sense of security.

This is her man!

"Brother Xu, you're amazing! What were you thinking, having them count tombstones at night?!"

Xu Lin chuckled upon hearing Qi Huairu's words, "This is nothing! I'll show you what's truly impressive!"

Then he quickly closed the door, shutting out all the noise outside, walked up to Qin Huairu, his cold, murderous aura completely gone, replaced by a gentle smile, and then, feigning seriousness, pinched Qin Huairu's chin and said...

"Alright, Corporal Huairu! The flies are all gone, you can continue your mission now!"

Qin Huairu suddenly realized what Xu Lin meant, and her ears instantly burned. She held her breath for a while before letting out a soft sound from her nose.

"Hmm~"

Xu Lin: "Hmm? How did I just teach you to answer your superior?"

Qin Huairu: "........"

Seeing Xu Lin's somewhat serious and earnest expression, Qin Huairu, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, gritted her teeth, mentally prepared herself, straightened her back, and raised her head! (This isn't important) Chest out! (Gooooo!) As she brought her legs together, she saluted Xu Lin and said...

"Yes, sir!"