A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

Watching the Black Tiger Gang members flee in a panic, the excitement on the faces of the people who had just been so hot-blooded slowly faded, replaced by a sense of lingering fear.

Wang Dali looked at the smashed courtyard gate, then at the bruises on his sons' bodies, his face turning ashen, the wooden stick in his hand creaking under his grip.

"Damn it, these damned bastards!" he cursed under his breath, but his voice lacked its previous confidence and was now tinged with worry. "If they call more people, we..."

Two fists can't beat four hands.

Wang the butcher, a seasoned street urchin, understood this better than anyone. His victory today was due to a surprise attack, ruthlessness, and numerical superiority. But this was the prefectural city, their territory.

Wang Xiaobao spat on the ground, his saliva stained with blood, and muttered, "What's there to be afraid of! Let them come at me again! I'll fight them to the death!"

That's what they said, but everyone fell silent.

"Father, Third Brother, stop talking." Wang Jinzhu's voice remained calm. She walked to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of cold water to wash the dust off her hands, and said, "Treat all the wounds to prevent them from getting infected. Patch the door shut with something, and repair the walls as soon as possible."

"Jinzhu, Tianfang hasn't come back yet, this matter..." Wang Guilan walked over worriedly and took her daughter's hand.

"Mother, don't worry." Wang Jinzhu patted the back of her hand. "Tianfang will be fine."

She had faith in Liu Mingyuan. A young master from a large family who could build a chain business in the prefectural and county towns was no ordinary person. Since he valued her goods, he wouldn't stand idly by and watch her be bullied in the prefectural city.

This is both an exchange of benefits and an unspoken understanding.

Meanwhile, the most bustling street in the prefectural city was East Street.

Wang Tianfang stood before a magnificent three-story building, somewhat at a loss. The three gilded characters "Fuyinghao" on the plaque gleamed in the sunlight, a world apart from their home village, Houkou Village.

He took a deep breath, straightened the wrinkles in his coarse cloth clothes, and strode inside.

"Sir, what would you like to buy?" A waiter immediately came up to him with a professional smile on his face.

"I'm not buying anything, I'm looking for your shopkeeper." Wang Tianfang tried his best to make his voice sound calm and composed.

The waiter sized him up, and seeing his ordinary clothes, his smile faded slightly: "Our manager is busy. What can I do for you?"

"I'm from Yongning County, and I have important business to discuss. Just tell him, 'Yongning County, Wang Jinzhu,' and he'll know." Wang Tianfang didn't care about his attitude and just made sure his wife told him what she wanted to say.

The waiter wanted to stop him again, but seeing his firm gaze and extraordinary demeanor, which made him seem unlike an ordinary countryman, he hesitated for a moment and then turned and went into the back room.

Soon, a slightly plump middle-aged man dressed in a silk robe strode out and warmly led Wang Tianfang to a private room in the back hall. He personally poured him tea and asked, "Madam Wang, you've also arrived in the prefectural city? Why didn't you let us know beforehand? We could have met you. Where are you staying now?"

Wang Tianfang briefly recounted how they bought the courtyard in Houkou Village and the recent conflict with the Black Tiger Gang.

Upon hearing this, Manager Liu's smile faded, and his brows furrowed slightly: "Houkou Village? Black Tiger Gang? A bunch of lowlifes, daring to set their sights on our Fuying Company's distinguished guests."

He pondered for a moment, then cupped his hands to Wang Tianfang, his tone solemn: "Brother Wang, you go back first. I'll handle this matter. Tell Madam Wang to settle down and that the Black Tiger Gang will never bother you again. I'll immediately send someone to inform the young master about your arrival in the prefectural city."

Wang Tianfang's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

When he returned to Houkou Village, it was already dusk. In the courtyard, everyone was hastily eating dry rations, and the atmosphere was heavy.

After he repeated what Manager Sun had said, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"That's great!" Wang Guilan murmured a Buddhist prayer. "Now I can finally get a good night's sleep."

Even so, the night passed, and everyone remained on tenterhooks.

The next afternoon, a series of chaotic footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard again.

"They're here!"

The men in the courtyard all stood up at once, grabbed their weapons, and stared nervously at the gate that had just been reinforced with wooden planks.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A knock sounded on the door, but this time, it carried a cautious, tentative tone.

"Who?" Wang Dali asked in a deep voice.

A fawning yet fearful voice came from outside the door: "Master Wang! It's me, Black Tiger. I was very rude yesterday, and I've come here to apologize to all of you gentlemen and ladies!"

Everyone in the courtyard was stunned.

Wang Jinzhu and Wang Tianfang exchanged a glance and gestured for Wang Xiaobao to open the door.

The door bolt was pulled open, and the bald, scarred man with a face full of scars from yesterday was standing in the doorway. His injured arm was slinged across his chest, and his face was plastered with a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Behind him, the seven or eight thugs from yesterday stood dejectedly, their faces bruised and swollen, their arrogance completely gone. Further away, several oxcarts were parked, loaded with bricks, timber, and tiles.

"Grandma, gentlemen," Scarface bowed and scraped as he entered, almost kneeling, "We were blind and didn't recognize your greatness! We deserve to die! We deserve to die!"

As he spoke, he actually raised his uninjured hand and slapped himself repeatedly with both hands.

This dramatic scene left the Wang family completely dumbfounded.

The kind-hearted old lady next door and the surrounding neighbors all peeked out from under the door, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets at the sight. Yesterday, the Black Tiger Gang was a menacing force, ready to kill, but today they were acting like cowards.

"Alright," Wang Jinzhu said calmly, stopping his self-harm. "Who sent you?"

Scarface trembled and hurriedly said, "It was Constable Zhang from the county yamen who personally delivered the message. He said the county magistrate has given a strict order, commanding us to come here and apologize to you, and to repair your courtyard. If we dare to disturb you even a little bit more, he'll break our bones!"

Lord County Lord?

Wang Jinzhu understood. It seemed Liu Mingyuan's influence was greater than she had imagined. This was no longer a simple matter of business relationship; it seemed she needed to do more to repay him and curry favor with this powerful figure.

"These bricks and tiles are our tribute to you, please forgive us this time, my lord!" Scarface pointed at the oxcart outside, his voice trembling.

"Leave your things here, and you leave yours here too." Wang Jinzhu glanced at him.

"Huh?" Scarface was taken aback.

"The courtyard wall, the gate, and the roof—fix them all before nightfall," Wang Jinzhu said calmly, yet with an unquestionable authority.

"Yes! Yes! I guarantee I'll fix it up beautifully for you!" Scarface, feeling like he'd been granted a pardon, immediately turned around and roared at his men, "What the hell are you all standing there for? Get to work! If I'm not satisfied, I'll throw you all into the moat to feed the fish!"

Thus, an extremely strange scene unfolded in Houkou Village.

A group of fierce thugs, under the supervision of others, transformed into hardworking construction workers, mixing mud, laying bricks, and raising beams... They worked up a sweat, but not one of them dared to complain.