My Wild Wife in Shanghai

The moon was bright and the stars were few; all around was quiet.

Ma Yanping stopped in front of the door and took out her keys from her bag.

The gate to the courtyard is an old-fashioned wooden door, and the door frame has become damp and is somewhat warped.

She braced herself against the door with one hand and turned the key with the other. After two attempts, a soft click came from the lock cylinder.

Just then, a crimson light suddenly appeared behind the abandoned courtyard wall next to them.

"Sister Ma, you're back quite late!"

A man with a buzz cut and a cigarette dangling from his lips emerged from the darkness.

Two men followed behind him, one carrying a briefcase and the other holding a half-empty bottle of mineral water, slowly blocking the entrance to the alley.

When Ma Yanping saw the three people, her delicate body trembled and she stopped in her tracks.

"I've already said I won't sign the agreement. If you have anything to discuss, come back during the day."

The man with the buzz cut smiled, threw the cigarette butt on the ground, and stubbed it out with the sole of his shoe.

"Talking during the day is so boring!"

The man with the buzz cut laughed, exchanging lewd glances with the other two men.

"If we come tonight, we can also talk to Sister Ma about our feelings, wouldn't that be great!"

"What exactly do you want?!"

Ma Yanping turned around, leaning against the door, her face filled with anger and panic.

"Sister Ma, you know what we're up to!" the man at the village entrance sneered. "Sign the contract quickly, or the three of us are capable of anything!"

Ma Yanping said angrily, "The price you offered isn't even enough for a down payment on a small apartment nearby. If this house is demolished, where will we live?"

That's your problem.

The man with the buzz cut reached into his companion's bag and pulled out an agreement, weighing it in his hand for a few moments.

"We're here to demolish your property, not to arrange your future."

Ma Yanping's face darkened: "This is my family's ancestral home, all the paperwork is in order, and the demolition compensation should be based on market prices. Why are you deliberately trying to lower the price?"

"Lower the price?"

The man with the buzz cut looked up at the mottled lintel and chuckled.

"This run-down place leaks when it rains and lets in the wind, how much is it worth?"

As he spoke, he handed the agreement to Ma Yanping.

"Sign it! The price is still the same today. If we drag this out any longer, this price probably won't be available anymore!"

Ma Yanping gritted her teeth and refused to accept the contract.

The man with the buzz cut gradually lost his smile.

"What, do you really think we can't do anything with just a few of you left?"

His voice suddenly rose, "I'm telling you, you all have to sign the contract tonight. Don't force me to play dirty!"

Just then, a light came on in a window next door.

Immediately afterwards, the iron gate creaked open, and a middle-aged man wearing an old coat walked out.

He was thin and coughed as he walked, seemingly not in good health.

"It's you guys again!"

The middle-aged man walked up to Ma Yanping and frowned as he looked at the three of them.

"Didn't we agree last time to bring a formal compensation document? We need to understand how it's calculated! You're just giving us a price off the top of your head, which isn't even a fraction of the demolition compensation. How are we supposed to sign it?"

"Old Zhou, how many more years the hell do you have left to live? Are you obsessed with money?"

The man with the buzz cut gave Lao Zhou a cold, sidelong glance.

Hearing the other person's extremely personal attacks, Old Zhou suppressed his anger and said, "Our families have lived here for decades. It's not that we can't move, but we need to find a way to make a living even after moving out. With this little money, we can't even afford the down payment for a new house, and our whole family still needs to eat and drink!"

At that moment, another door opened.

An elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a cotton coat, came out, followed by a young woman carrying a child.

"Yes!" The old woman's voice trembled. "My old man is still bedridden and needs someone to take care of him every day. You want me to vacate the room? Tell me, where are we supposed to vacate it?"

The man with the briefcase rolled his eyes impatiently.

"Here we go again. It's the same old story every time. Either the elderly are sick, or the children are too young. Who doesn't have their difficulties? Are you the only ones who are special?"

As he spoke, his gaze turned coldly to the child: "This house is haunted at night; ghosts will come and get you!"

The little girl in the young woman's arms was frightened by him and shrank back, clinging tightly to her mother's neck.

It's clear that these individuals have left an indelible mark on everyone.

Ma Yanping stepped forward, blocking the man's view.

"Get to the point, don't scare the child!"

"I'm stating a fact!"

The man with the buzz cut reached out and pounded on the courtyard gate twice.

The old door panels rattled loudly, and dust fell in clumps from the lintel.

"I've already been very accommodating, explaining so much to you, but my patience has reached its limit!"

The little girl burst into tears.

The young woman quickly comforted her, her voice urgent and low: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Mom is here."

But the more you try to soothe the child, the more he cries.

The man with the buzz cut, annoyed, turned and snapped, "Stop crying! If you cry again, we'll arrest you and sell you!"

Why are you yelling at the child?!

Old Zhou couldn't help but reach out and stand between the two.

The man with the buzz cut frowned and shoved him hard.

Caught off guard, Lao Zhou stumbled and bumped into the wall. Before he could regain his balance, the other person raised his foot and kicked him in the side of his leg.

thump!

Old Zhou fell to the ground, his palm brushing against the broken bricks, and blood immediately seeped out.

"Old Zhou!"

The old lady cried out in surprise and tried to go forward to help, but was blocked by the man carrying the water bottle.

"Behave yourselves, don't try to blame us for your fall."

Ma Yanping turned pale with anger and bent down to help Lao Zhou.

"How could you hit someone?"

The man with the buzz cut unfolded the agreement, squatted down, and almost pressed the paper against Uncle Zhou's face.

"Brother Zhou, you're not young anymore. Think about your family. If you keep arguing, won't it be your wife and children who suffer?"

Old Zhou, supporting himself on the ground, trembled for a long time before finally managing to squeeze out, "We just want a fair price..."

"justice?"

The man with the buzz cut grinned.

"My name is 'Fairness,' and what I'm giving you is a fair price! Hahaha!"

As they spoke, the group burst into unrestrained laughter.

"This is forced demolition!" Ma Yanping said resolutely, "We would rather die than have our homes demolished at this price!"

"You think I'm being too polite?"

The man with the buzz cut completely lost his patience and reached out to hit Ma Yanping.

Just then, a voice suddenly came from the alley entrance.

"In a society governed by the rule of law, how can there still be people like you!"

The three of them turned around at the same time.

Chen Ye emerged from the shadows and stood in front of Ma Yanping.

"Master's wife, are you alright?"

Ma Yanping was stunned.

"Chen Ye? What's wrong with you...?"

"We'll talk about it later."

Chen Ye walked over, helped Uncle Zhou up, and helped him stand firmly against the door. Then he gently pulled Ma Yanping a step behind him.

Chen Ye had been watching this scene from the shadows. He found it hard to believe that such forced demolitions could still occur in a society governed by the rule of law.

This is news from the old society!

However, what Chen Ye didn't know was that these people had no official connection with the demolition company; they were the "black gloves," doing work for others and earning commissions.

The demolition company offered a normal price, but this group took the contracts and forced the people to sign at a low price, profiting from the difference.

In other words, the prices they lowered all ended up in their own pockets.

Of course, these people would also use a considerable portion of it to bribe a certain leader of the demolition company.

This group of people are the pests in the middle, feeding on the flesh and blood of ordinary people.

What's most infuriating is that even if you call the police to arrest these people, they won't be detained for more than a few days because they are very good at skirting the law.

Once they are locked up and released, the latter will face utter destruction.

Therefore, ordinary people can only let things slide and dare not provoke them.

"Chen Ye?"

At this moment, the man with the buzz cut exclaimed in surprise. He looked Chen Ye up and down carefully and then narrowed his eyes.

"It really is you, fucking!"