The entire courtyard is full of villains

Chapter 27 won't last long

The loudspeaker at the entrance of Workshop 3 of the steel rolling mill first emitted a few static noises, followed by a melodious female voice singing "A Great River": "A great river flows wide, the wind blows the fragrance of rice blossoms on both banks, my home is right here..."

Hearing the familiar song, the workers in the workshop put down their tools, quickly packed up, picked up their bags and lunchboxes, and headed out. Jia Dongxu wiped his sweat and followed, dragging his tired body.

These past two days, with Yi Zhonghai gone, he's really had a hard time—because the scrap rate of the workpieces was too high, Guo Da Piezi directly transferred him to lift heavy objects with the apprentices, which became a common sight in Workshop 3. After all, it's only here that you see a level-two worker doing the work of an apprentice.

He used to coast along, relying on Yi Zhonghai's protection, and after a long day of heavy work, his arms ached so badly they felt like they didn't belong to him. He finally managed to get back to the courtyard, and as soon as he entered the main courtyard, he heard Bang Geng's heart-wrenching cries coming from inside the house. He quickly quickened his pace, jogging to push open the door: "What's wrong with Bang Geng?"

When Banggeng saw him, it was like seeing a savior. He cried even harder, sobbing and shouting, "Dad, go and beat that good-for-nothing Zhang from the front yard to death! She hit me! My mom and grandma won't help me, and even when I call Lao Jia, he won't come! You have to help me, throw her out of the yard to live with the dogs!"

Jia Dongxu frowned and looked at Qin Huairu: "Mom, what happened? Did that girl from the Zhang family hit Banggeng?" He noticed the bruise on Banggeng's forehead and his anger flared up. "Can a normal fight result in this?"

Qin Huairu had just placed the boiled eggs on the table when she quickly advised, "Dongxu, it's just kids playing around, it's not that serious..."

"It's not that serious?" Jia Dongxu was furious. "Zhang Erhe just runs a black market, does he really think he's so great? I'm not afraid of him!" He said, and was about to rush out.

"Dongxu, don't go!" Madam Jia quickly grabbed him.

"Mom, why are you stopping me?" Jia Dongxu finally exploded. "You wouldn't let me help Master deal with him that day, and now you're stopping me! Bang Geng is your eldest grandson! I know Zhang Erhe is from your family, but you can't just protect him like this!"

"What? I'm protecting my own family?" Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened as she pointed at herself. "Jia Dongxu, what kind of talk is that!"

"When have I ever given my family a single clove of garlic or a single grain? Is this what you call protecting my family?" Madam Jia raised her voice in agitation. "Dongxu, be reasonable!"

"Isn't this considered favoritism?" Jia Dongxu retorted, "Zhang Erhe is already riding roughshod over us, and you're still stopping me from standing up for him!"

"What do you know!" Madam Jia exclaimed in exasperation. "Is Zhang Erhe someone to be trifled with? Even your master has suffered losses. You, a greenhorn, are just asking for trouble if you go up there!"

“He only has one shoulder and one head, what am I afraid of?” Jia Dongxu retorted stubbornly.

"Come on, you're just like your father, all you're good for is being stubborn!" Madam Jia Zhang kept nagging.

Jia Dongxu was losing face and struggled to free his arms, saying, "Let go of me! I'm going to talk to him today and reason with him, even if I get beaten up!"

"Jia Dongxu, are you ever going to stop?" Madam Jia's face darkened completely, and she lowered her voice. "That Zhang Erhe is involved in the black market; he's ruthless!"

"Hmph," Jia Dongxu sneered, "Mom, do you think this is still the old society? Now it's the People's Government, the people are the masters of the country. What kind of trouble can a black market thug cause?"

"Oh dear, you're really infuriating!" Madam Jia gritted her teeth, then lowered her voice even further, "Why do you think I'm afraid of him? I've seen him kill someone with my own eyes!"

"What? Murder?" Jia Dongxu froze instantly. "When did he ever kill anyone?"

“It was around the end of 48, before the People’s Liberation Army entered the city,” Jia Zhangshi paused, as if remembering something, her expression changed, but she still continued, “One night, Yi Zhong and I… no, I couldn’t sleep, so we were wandering around the yard, and guess what I saw.”

Zhang Erhe jumped into the front yard in the middle of the night, a knife in his mouth, his clothes covered in blood! I initially thought he'd been in a fight, but the next day I heard that the place where the supply and marketing cooperative is now located at the end of the alley used to be the residence of Zhang Dequan's henchman. That henchman died there, stabbed more than a dozen times, covered in blood. The police investigated for several days but had no clue, and then the People's Liberation Army entered the city, and the matter was dropped.”

"This...this might not necessarily be what he did, right?" Jia Dongxu was a little scared, but he still stubbornly insisted.

"You don't know anything!" Jia Zhangshi glared at him fiercely, her voice still trembling with lingering fear. "He came back in the middle of the night with a bloodstained knife, covered in blood. Did he go to slaughter pigs and sheep? You didn't see what he looked like then. It scared me so much that I still shudder when I think about it now." As she spoke, she involuntarily shivered, clutching the hem of her clothes and taking a deep breath to calm herself down.

“I knew this kid was wicked from that day on, and that wasn’t all. After Liberation, he was always getting into fights, especially in 53 when five Yu brothers from Daqianmen surrounded him, and he stabbed three of them. Later, the Yu family reported the case, and the police even came to our compound. Huai Ru, do you remember this incident?”

Qin Huairu nodded quickly: "I remember, it was all over the place at the time, saying that Zhang Erhe himself was stabbed twice and was eventually taken away directly from the hospital by the police."

“That’s right!” Jia Zhangshi chimed in, her tone full of relief. “If it weren’t for his father, Old Zhang, carrying his eldest son’s martyr’s certificate and begging Director Zhang while crying, he would have been arrested and executed long ago.”

Old Zhang was afraid he'd cause trouble again, so he quickly married Guan Xue the following year, hoping his wife would keep him in check. You happened to be at the factory that day; Huai Ru must have seen it—when the police came, they were all carrying long guns; it was quite a sight!

She grabbed Jia Dongxu's arm and said earnestly, "Dongxu, we can't afford to mess with these desperate criminals! They don't even care about their lives, so we shouldn't risk our lives against them. If it weren't for that good-for-nothing Yi Zhonghai egging us on last time, saying he was almost killed by the attack, I wouldn't have dared to go and occupy his house even if I had ten lives."

Madam Jia spat on the ground: "Listen to your mother, this kind of person won't last. He was lucky to get his head smashed this time, but he might not be so lucky next time. Let's just be patient and wait until he dies, leaving behind a widow and orphans. Then it won't be too late to take revenge!"

Jia Dongxu's face turned pale and then red, and he didn't say another word. Qin Huairu also stepped forward to persuade him: "Dongxu, listen to your mother. I've seen more of the world than we have."

Banggeng, seeing his only hope dashed, cried even harder. Jia Dongxu, already exhausted from the day, was further annoyed by the crying. With nowhere to vent his anger, he slapped the sole of his shoe, grabbed Banggeng, dragged him into the inner room, and slammed him onto the kang (heated brick bed) before giving him a thorough beating.

"Are you still going to cry?"

"No, don't cry anymore..." Bang Geng looked at Jia Dongxu's ashen face and was too scared to utter another sound.

Outside, Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu looked at each other. Finally, Jia Zhangshi glared at Qin Huairu before mustering her courage to enter the house: "Dongxu, isn't that enough?"

Chapter 28 Liu Lao Er Takes Office

In the east wing of the front yard, Zhang Erhe and his family of three were sitting around the table eating. Guan Xue ate her rice, but her brow remained furrowed. She couldn't help but ask, "Erhe, I just saw Jia Dongxu come back. Do you think he might..."

“Even if they had ten times the courage, they wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.” Zhang Erhe interrupted her, put down his chopsticks, and said with disdain, “That good-for-nothing Jia Dongxu can’t cause any trouble. I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow morning to change my dressing. If it’s nothing serious, I’ll go back to work at the factory the day after tomorrow.”

"Why don't you rest for a few more days? We still have enough money at home, there's no need to rush," Guan Xue advised.

“I stay in the yard all day, watching a bunch of women gossiping and talking about other people’s faults. It’s so annoying,” Zhang Erhe said, picking up a cigarette from the table and lighting it for himself, the smoke slowly escaping from the corner of his mouth.

He had only taken a couple of puffs when a knocking sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Come in."

The door was pushed open, and Liu Guangtian strode in, saying somewhat awkwardly, "Uncle Erhe, Uncle Yi said there's going to be a general meeting for the whole hospital tonight, and he asked me to come and inform them."

"Wow, your dad's really made something of himself, he's become a 'big shot' now?" Zhang Erhe raised an eyebrow, his tone slightly teasing.

Liu Guangtian gave a wry smile and scratched his head: "Uncle, please don't joke with me. A while ago, I called out 'Second Uncle' at home and my dad beat me up. I'm still sore. If I dare to say the wrong thing, I'll definitely get another beating when I get back."

"Okay, I got it. I'll be there in a bit."

After Liu Guangtian left, Guan Xue's heart tightened again, and she asked anxiously, "Erhe, do you think this meeting might be about our family's affairs?"

"You're overthinking it." Zhang Erhe exhaled a smoke ring, his eyes knowing. "I reckon Fatty Liu just became a big shot and wants to show off. Before, not everyone in the courtyard was there, but today Old Lady Long and Yi Zhonghai's wife from the backyard are back. If he doesn't take this opportunity to act like a big shot, he wouldn't be Liu Haizhong."

Guan Xue breathed a sigh of relief and continued eating, then remembered something else: "By the way, Erhe, why does Master Liu always beat the Guangtian and Guangfu brothers? Could it be that they aren't his biological children?"

“He’s definitely my biological son.” Zhang Erhe recalled, “When Liu Guangfu was born, his mother almost had a difficult childbirth, and it was my mother who went to help deliver the baby.”

"Why would you hurt your own child so badly?"

“It’s none of our business how other people live, and we can’t say for sure.” Zhang Erhe flicked his cigarette ash and said no more.

Zhang Jiao, who was eating with her head down, suddenly looked up and whispered, "I don't like my dad who always hits me. I like my dad who was nice to me today."

"Oh, you little money-loser, you've learned to be picky now?" Zhang Erhe chuckled, reaching out to lightly tap her on the head, deliberately putting on a stern face. "Believe me or not, I'll give you a good beating tonight?"

Zhang Jiao shrank back, but wasn't really scared, and grinned. Just then, Liu Guangtian's voice came from the courtyard: "It's seven o'clock! Everyone, get to the Intermediate Court for a meeting!"

In Liu Haizhong's backyard, everyone was busy at the moment, creating a lively atmosphere of "pre-battle preparations".

Aunt Erda was holding a brand-new Zhongshan suit, carefully ironing it. She had specially asked tailor Feng at the alley entrance to rush-make it. Liu Guangqi, on the other hand, was holding his hair oil, carefully applying it to his bangs—his already sparse hair looked like it had been licked by a dog. Liu Guangfu was waiting nearby with an enamel teacup, which he would later take to the courtyard.

"Dad, have you memorized all the words I wrote for you?" Liu Guangqi asked while fixing his hair.

Liu Haizhong scratched his head, looking a little flustered: "Guangqi, I... I got it mixed up again."

"It's okay, just say the general idea when the time comes. Don't be nervous, I'll be watching from the side!" Liu Guangqi reassured him.

Liu Haizhong took the Zhongshan suit handed to him by his second aunt, put it on, spun around halfway, and asked, "What do you think of this outfit?"

"Fantastic!" Auntie Er gave a thumbs up, beaming from ear to ear. "He's got the makings of a cadre!"

But Liu Haizhong looked at himself in the mirror from left to right, feeling something was still missing, his brows furrowing. Liu Guangqi also looked at himself for a moment, then turned and took a pen from his bag, carefully tucking it into the pocket of his Zhongshan suit: "How about this?"

"Still one step away." Liu Haizhong shook his head, then his eyes lit up. "Guangqi, where did you throw away your old glasses? The ones with the old frames!"

“I haven’t needed them for a long time, I put them away.” Liu Guangqi turned around and got his old glasses frame. Liu Haizhong snatched it and put it on, then fiddled with it in front of the mirror for a few moments, and immediately beamed: “Yes! That’s the style! That’s exactly it! Guangqi, take another look!”

"Dad, this outfit is amazing! When we go out, people will definitely think you're a big boss!" Liu Guangqi praised.

Liu Guangfu, standing to the side, secretly rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, "What big boss? There are five people in our family, and three of them are 'bosses.' My second brother and I are the ones who are just scapegoats!"

Just then, Liu Guangtian's shouts came from the middle courtyard, urging the meeting to start. Liu Haizhong cleared his throat and walked out with steady, square steps. Liu Guangfu hurriedly followed with his teacup—if he was even half a step slower, he would definitely get a beating when he came back.

As they approached the Intermediate People's Court, Liu Haizhong deliberately slowed his pace, feigning understanding with Liu Guangfu—a tacit understanding forged through practice. He took the teacup and went out first, placing it steadily on the table. The two brothers then stood on either side of each other in perfect unison. Seeing Liu Haizhong approach, they exchanged a glance and called out loudly, "The old man's here!"

Then, Liu Haizhong put his hands behind his back, waved his other hand at the people in the courtyard, and slowly walked to where the three chairs used to stand—now only a table remained, placed alone in the middle, facing everyone in the courtyard, young and old. "Sit down, everyone sit down," he said as he sat down.

"Clap clap clap—" Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu immediately took the lead in clapping, but the others in the courtyard just looked at each other and only made a few scattered claps. Zhang Erhe sat at his door, his shoulders shaking from trying not to laugh, and he wondered to himself, "Who gave Liu Haizhong this terrible idea?"

Liu Haizhong glanced around the courtyard, his brows furrowing immediately. He said in a deep voice, "Guangtian, have you notified everyone about the entire courtyard meeting?"

Liu Guangtian hurriedly stood up: "Reporting to Uncle, I have called out to the front yard, the middle yard, and the back yard one by one!"

"Then why are there still people missing?" Everyone looked at each other upon hearing the question, and quickly realized that only Old Lady Long was absent. Liu Haizhong slammed his hand on the table and looked at Tan Saihua: "Tan Saihua! Why is Old Lady Long making an exception and not coming?"

"Old Liu, Old Lady..."

Liu Haizhong didn't even lift his eyelids, and retorted indifferently, "'Old Liu' is not someone you should call me? You need to recognize your place. Do you still think you're some old lady?" "Bang!" Liu Haizhong slammed his hand on the table again, his tone becoming more forceful: "Call me Grandpa!"

Tan Saihua bit her lip and said reluctantly, "Uncle, the old lady said she's not feeling well."

"Uncomfortable?" Liu Haizhong stiffened his neck, his words laced with sarcasm. "She used to be perfectly comfortable when Yi Zhonghai held major conferences; but now that I'm holding one, she's uncomfortable? This is..."

He suddenly stopped, forgetting what he was going to say next. After a pause, he waved his hand, "Never mind! Since she doesn't want to unite everyone, let's leave her out! Neighbors, the reason we've called everyone over tonight is because of what happened in the courtyard earlier..."

"Oh, quite a gathering of people here." A voice suddenly came from the courtyard gate, interrupting him. Liu Haizhong looked up sharply, wanting to see who had the audacity to interrupt him!

Before he could finish speaking, two figures in Zhongshan suits walked in; they were actually staff members from the neighborhood committee. "Old Liu, you certainly know how to time things. You knew we were coming and gathered everyone in advance," the bespectacled staff member said first.

Upon seeing who it was, Liu Haizhong's anger vanished instantly, replaced by a broad smile: "So it's Officer Lin! You're too kind. I just thought I'd take this opportunity to have a meeting since Yi Zhonghai's wife is back, and talk about what happened with Yi Zhonghai in the institute before."

"Good, that's the kind of responsible person you should be!" Officer Lin patted him on the shoulder, then turned to the crowd. "It's good that everyone's here, saving me the trouble of going around to each person. I'm here today to announce some information—Yi Zhonghai was previously involved with Director Wang of the Subdistrict Office..."

Chapter 29 You're no better than me.

"Yi Zhonghai had a personal grudge against several residents in the compound. He used his status as an elder in the compound to fabricate false information about these residents, which misled Director Wang of the street office and ultimately caused these families to suffer unfair treatment."

Following a joint investigation by the local police station and the subdistrict office, Yi Zhonghai was punished as follows: three months of labor reform, a fine of 300 yuan, and removal from his position as the compound liaison officer. After completing his labor reform, he must submit a written self-criticism to the subdistrict office and be responsible for cleaning the alleyway entrance toilet for three months.

After Officer Lin announced the punishment decision, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence, as if the air itself had frozen. Zhang Erhe's face was full of amusement—this was clearly a case of "raising the issue high but lowering it lightly," the punishment was far less severe than expected.

"Does anyone have any other opinions?" Officer Lin asked, looking around at everyone.

"What about Director Wang?" Xu Damao asked first, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"Director Wang has also been disciplined by the district government and demoted to a clerk, temporarily acting as the deputy director of the subdistrict office."

Lin's words were like a pebble thrown into water, instantly shattering the silence. A buzz of discussion arose; some clicked their tongues, others shook their heads: "I didn't expect even Director Wang would be implicated. That Yi Zhonghai really screwed people over." "It should have been like this a long time ago. Back then, with Director Wang backing him up, he was so arrogant in the hospital..."

"Is Tan Saihua here?" Officer Lin raised his voice, interrupting the discussion.

Tan Saihua, who was in the corner, suddenly stood up, her hands unconsciously clenching her apron: "Yes, Officer Lin."

"Deliver Yi Zhonghai's bedding to the police station tomorrow morning, and pay the 300 yuan fine to the street office. If he doesn't pay it within three days, his labor reform period will be extended." Officer Lin's tone left no room for negotiation. Tan Saihua's face paled, and she bit her lip and nodded, not daring to say anything more.

After finishing his business, Officer Lin turned to Liu Haizhong and softened his tone: "Master Liu, could you please tell the people in the yard that this matter should end here and that they should stop spreading rumors?"

"Yes, I understand, Officer Lin, don't worry!" Liu Haizhong nodded hurriedly, straightening his back as if he had been given an important task.