The entire courtyard is full of villains

Half an hour later, the courtyard meeting led by the police station officially began. Former Director Wang, now Acting Director Wang Xiuju, was specially summoned by Zhang Guowei, while Minister Li stayed at Zhang Erhe's house for the time being—Zhang Erhe knew very well that this was a real "big shot," and he couldn't let go of the opportunity to get close to him. He also never expected that the leader who wrote him the letter of commendation back then was actually this leader.

All the residents of the Intermediate People's Court gathered in the courtyard. Acting Director Wang looked around and asked, "Is everyone in the courtyard here?"

"All here, all here, Acting Director Wang!" Liu Haizhong replied with a smile. "I sent three lads to call them door to door, and they didn't miss a single one."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Master Liu."

"No trouble at all, it's my duty!" Liu Haizhong stood aside obsequiously, his back ramrod straight.

Zhang Guowei walked to the middle of the crowd, cleared his throat, and said, "I've called everyone here today to clarify something. Your Intermediate Court's Jia Dongxu, because of a conflict with Zhang Erhe's family in the front courtyard, went to the Dongcheng Branch Bureau to falsely accuse Comrade Zhang Erhe. After our investigation and verification, this is pure slander!"

He raised his voice, his tone serious: "Therefore, at Comrade Zhang Erhe's request, we are here today to publicly clarify—the claim that Zhang Erhe committed murder is completely fabricated! From now on, no one is allowed to spread this matter privately, do you understand?"

"We heard you!" came a sparse chorus of responses from below.

Zhang Guowei turned to look at Zhang Erhe: "Are you satisfied with this?"

"I'm fairly satisfied." Zhang Erhe nodded, then changed the subject, "But we can't just let Jia Dongxu's slander against me go, can we? Director Zhang, I remember that false accusations are illegal, right?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Qin Huairu knelt down with a thud, crying and pleading, "Uncle Erhe, please forgive us! Dongxu didn't do it on purpose, he was just confused for a moment!"

"If it wasn't intentional, then it was deliberate." Zhang Erhe's tone was indifferent, showing no sign of being moved.

"Uncle Erhe, I beg you!" Qin Huairu kowtowed repeatedly in desperation. "Dongxu is the pillar of our family! If he is arrested, we mother and children will not be able to survive! Please have mercy on us and spare our family!"

Jia Dongxu looked at Qin Huairu kneeling and kowtowing, his face full of fear. In the past half hour, the Jia family had been plotting, but it was Jia Zhangshi who came up with the idea—to have Qin Huairu kowtow and beg for mercy in public, forcing everyone in the courtyard to put pressure on Zhang Erhe, and they figured that he would let Jia Dongxu go under the pressure of public opinion.

"Uncle Erhe, please spare Dongxu for the sake of us widows and orphans!" Qin Huairu kowtowed heavily while crying and pleading, "If you're willing to spare him, I'll do anything for you from now on!" Soon, a red mark swelled up on her forehead.

Upon seeing this scene, the people in the courtyard began to whisper among themselves. "Zhang Erhe is too hard-hearted. Qin Huairu has begged him like this, and he still won't budge?" Some echoed, "That's right. Killing someone is just a matter of a head falling to the ground. He hasn't really suffered any losses. Why not just be generous and let the Jia family go?"

Sha Zhu stood in the crowd, glaring resentfully at Zhang Erhe, cursing him a thousand times in his heart: Sister Qin cried so much and begged you, you are such a heartless dog!

Looking at Zhang Erhe, who remained motionless, Wang Xiuju felt a surge of displeasure. "Zhang Erhe, we're neighbors, how can you act like this..."

"Master Wang...Officer Wang, do you remember Mr. Guo whom I mentioned to you last time?"

Wang Xiuju blushed deeply after being confronted by Zhang Erhe, and immediately slammed her hand on the chair and stood up: "Alright, I'm not going to get involved in this anymore!"

"No, Officer Wang!" Zhang Erhe quickly called out to him, his voice suddenly rising, "You can't just ignore this! Are you just going to stand by and watch Qin Huairu use moral blackmail against me? And what about you all—"

He swept his gaze across the gossiping neighbors in the courtyard, his eyes sharp as knives. "Jia Dongxu falsely accused me. If he really succeeds, wouldn't my widow and her children be ruined by you? A bunch of bastards, don't think I don't know what you're up to! Now you feel sorry for Qin Huairu? Why didn't you think of me back then?"

He abruptly changed the subject, pointing directly at Sha Zhu: "Especially you, Sha Zhu! What are you cursing about over there? If you've got the guts, step forward! I didn't break your legs last time, so I guess I wasn't full! If I don't beat the shit out of you today, I'll consider it a good thing you've done your business!"

Sha Zhu, his sore spot touched, rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush forward, but He Yuzhu held him tightly. "Brother, don't be impulsive!"

At this moment, Old Lady Long walked over shakily, leaning on her cane, and said in a deep voice, "Zhu Zi, go back! Some people are selfish and unwilling to unite and help each other in the courtyard. We don't need to get angry with them—"

"You old deaf man, who the hell do you think you are!" Zhang Erhe cursed directly. "Unity and mutual assistance? Unity with you bunch of extinct people? Mutual assistance in digging pits and harming people? Yi Zhonghai is in jail and no one is standing up for you, so you're the only one who comes out to play dumb?"

Grandma Long was trembling with anger, but with the police station chief and Director Wang of the neighborhood office present, she could only suppress her rage, let out a cold snort, and stammered, "You ill-mannered brat!" With that, she leaned on her cane, stomped the ground hard, and retreated back into the crowd.

Seeing that no one was speaking up for her anymore, Qin Huairu knew that her plan had completely failed. Her legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, bursting into loud sobs.

Zhang Guowei sighed and looked at Jia Dongxu, whose face was pale: "Jia Dongxu, you maliciously framed and slandered Comrade Zhang Erhe. Since he refuses to forgive you, then come with us and accept the investigation."

"I won't go! I won't go!" Jia Dongxu hurriedly turned his head and cried out in the direction of Old Lady Long, "Grandma, please save me! I promised my master..." Before he could finish speaking, he met Old Lady Long's cold gaze, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat. He dared not utter another sound.

Two police officers stepped forward, handcuffed Jia Dongxu's arms behind his back, and dragged him out. "Dad!" Banggeng cried out, and Jia Zhangshi rushed out of the house like a madwoman, throwing herself at him and sobbing, "Dongxu! My Dongxu! Zhang Erhe, you little beast!"

"Slap!" A crisp slap rang out as Zhang Erhe retaliated with a backhand slap across her face, his eyes fierce: "You little beast? What are you then?"

"Zhang Erhe, are you trying to wipe out our Jia family?!" Jia Zhangshi screamed, covering her face.

"Exterminate them all? Your family doesn't even deserve that title!" Zhang Erhe sneered, his voice ringing out. "Jia Zhangshi, the worst thing for the Jia family is marrying you! You brought death to your in-laws, were kicked out of the Jia family and brought death to your parents, and then brought death to Old Jia in the city! You still have the nerve to mention Old Jia? If he knew this in the afterlife, he would be the first one to not forgive you!"

"Oh God! I can't live anymore! Old Jia!" Jia Zhangshi, stung by the words, collapsed to the ground and began to wail and cry.

"Zhang Erhe, aren't you going too far?" someone muttered. Yan Bugui immediately stepped forward and echoed, shaking his head and saying, "That's right, Confucius said 'repay evil with kindness,' and 'forgive others when you can.'"

"Pah!" Zhang Erhe spat directly onto Yan Bugui's face. "Four-eyed thief, you think you're worthy of showing off your knowledge? Why don't you say the whole thing? 'If you repay evil with kindness, what will you repay kindness with?' Confucius's words have been distorted by a bunch of crooked-minded bastards!"

Yan Bugui was shocked to find his weakness exposed. He was both ashamed and angry. He covered his face and screamed, "You have disgraced us!" Then he awkwardly pushed through the crowd and ran away.

Zhang Erhe then looked at Liu Haizhong beside him, raised an eyebrow and said, "Fatty Liu, do you have anything else to say?"

Liu Haizhong was so frightened that he waved his hands repeatedly, like a rattle-drum: "N-nothing! I didn't say anything!"

Wang Xiuju watched from the sidelines, her face turning ashen. A perfectly good clarification meeting had been turned into chaos, and she had completely lost face. She glared at Zhang Erhe and said in a deep voice, "Meeting adjourned! This matter is settled, everyone go home!" With that, she left the courtyard with the street office staff without looking back.

Chapter 38: Not a single one is innocent.

Today, Zhang Erhe had successively confronted Director Wang, Old Lady Long, and Yan Bugui, and even managed to send Jia Dongxu to the police station. He was feeling incredibly smug. But as soon as he passed through the hanging flower gate, he saw Minister Li and his secretary standing there—the secretary had a strange look on his face, clearly trying to suppress a laugh, while Minister Li glanced at him and shook his head helplessly.

"Please excuse my poor appearance, Minister Li." Zhang Erhe scratched his head and quickly invited, "Come on, let's go upstairs and sit for a while."

Once inside, he turned and called out to the inner room, "Guan Xue, why didn't you make Minister Li a cup of tea?" Guan Xue, holding the little girl's hand, looked somewhat timid. Just as she was about to answer, Minister Li stopped her, saying, "Never mind, no need to trouble yourself. I have a meeting later, I have to leave after two minutes."

"No way, how can you come here and not have a cup of tea?" Zhang Erhe waved his hand with a smile, his tone full of emotion. "I still can't believe that the person who wrote me the letter of commendation back then was actually you, sir."

After Guan Xue served the tea and the group sat down, Minister Li spoke first, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing: "Your courtyard is truly a gathering of 'demons and monsters'."

Zhang Erhe didn't reply, only smiled knowingly. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his expression darkened: "Don't think I'm ruthless to them. I almost died in the hospital a while ago. They were much more ruthless than me. They wanted to wipe out my family line. The woman who was crying on the ground today, her husband Jia Dongxu has been eyeing my house for a long time."

Seeing Minister Li's puzzled expression, he explained, "Her husband's mentor is a 'big shot' in the compound, which is basically just a liaison officer. But in order to elevate their status, they insist on calling the 'liaison officer' a 'big shot in charge,' which sounds much more prestigious. Don't underestimate this status; they've used it to their advantage—they run the compound as a one-man show, acting like local emperors, and maximizing their limited power."

He glanced outside the door and lowered his voice: "That Director Wang from the neighborhood office is also a master of 'muddying the waters.' Don't believe me? Just look it up later and you'll find that five out of ten compounds like this in Beijing are like this. A little bit of power in their hands can be used to form cliques, suppress dissent, and focus solely on bringing benefits to their own families."

“All three of these old men in our compound are like this,” Zhang Erhe said, counting on his fingers. “The eldest, Yi Zhonghai, is childless and wants the Jia family to support him in his old age, so he desperately tries to get the people in the compound to help the Jia family. The neighbors contribute money and effort, and in the end, all the favors fall on him, making him seem so benevolent.”

"Second Uncle Liu Haizhong was obsessed with becoming an official. Even the junior staff of the street office would fawn over him. He acted like a respectable person in public. But when he got home, he was incredibly arrogant. Apart from his eldest son, who was his precious son, his second and third sons were just his punching bags, and they would be beaten half to death at the drop of a hat."

“As for the third uncle, Yan Bugui, who lives right across from me,” Zhang Erhe pointed in that direction, shook his head and sighed, “he’s even more of a jerk. Logically speaking, he’s a primary school teacher, someone who educates and nurtures people, so his character shouldn’t be too bad, but he’s simply a master scheming manipulator.”

“He even kept a detailed account for his four children, recording every penny spent on their food, clothing, housing, and transportation, waiting for them to pay him back when they grew up. If he treated his family like this, how could he treat the neighbors in the courtyard? He used to take advantage of being the third uncle. If someone bought a piece of meat, he would dip his hand in the meat oil, take it home, and use it to make meat soup; if someone brought some scallions, ginger, or garlic, he would take half of it.”

He recalled the neighbors' teasing and couldn't help but laugh, "Everyone around here laughs at him, saying that even if a manure cart passes by on the road, he has to lift the lid and taste it to see if it's salty." Seeing Minister Li's surprised expression, he added, "It's all true. You can ask your subordinates to inquire about it later."

“But this courtyard is still rated as an ‘excellent courtyard’ by the subdistrict office.” Zhang Erhe’s tone changed, becoming sarcastic. “Why? Because Director Wang of the subdistrict office thinks they ‘cover things up well,’ so they don’t bother the subdistrict office when something happens. Whether it’s a fight or theft in the courtyard, they’re not allowed to report it to the police or the subdistrict office; they have to let these three old men handle it first. But they don’t handle it at all; they just fool around. Whoever makes the most noise gets a few more words of appeasement, but they can’t solve anything.”

Minister Li shook his head repeatedly as he listened, but Zhang Erhe didn't stop and continued, "So don't think I'm ruthless towards them. If I were a little softer in this compound, they would have bullied me to death long ago. To put it bluntly, if you executed everyone in this compound one by one, there would definitely be innocent people. But if you execute every other one, there will be no innocent people."

"Alright, alright," Minister Li interrupted him, both amused and exasperated. "It's the new China now, stop using the word 'execute' all the time. I'll suggest to the municipal government that they conduct a city-wide investigation to see if this situation is widespread."

He paused briefly, then changed the subject, "The reason we didn't give you specific rewards back then was because there were still many spies lurking in Beijing when the People's Republic of China was first established. If we publicly publicized your deeds, we were afraid you would face retaliation. Now that the spies in the city have been basically eliminated, I will have someone compile your deeds and issue a formal commendation."

He looked at Zhang Erhe and teased, "What kind of reward do you want?"

"I can get a reward?" Zhang Erhe's eyes lit up.

"No way!" Zhang Erhe quickly said, "Of course I want it! How could I refuse a reward? Wouldn't that make me a fool?" He rubbed his hands together and pressed, "What kind of rewards are they?"

"You're working in the maintenance department of the steel rolling mill now, right?" Minister Li asked.

"Yes, he took over my dad's job."

"Would you be interested in moving into a leadership position?"

Zhang Erhe quickly shook his head: "Forget it, forget it. I think being a repairman is pretty good, it's comfortable. Besides, I used to be pretty ridiculous!"

Minister Li smiled and said, "I'm not teasing you anymore. I've investigated your background. You used to be involved in the black market, am I right?"

Zhang Erhe was a little guilty, but seeing Minister Li's ambiguous smile, he simply laid his cards on the table: "Yes, I did indeed lead a small black market before."

"You call that a 'small' black market?" Minister Li raised an eyebrow mischievously. "Near Jiaodaokou Street, your stall is considered the biggest. If this is considered small, then there aren't many big ones." Then his expression turned serious: "But it's good that you've disbanded the black market now."

"That's right, that's right. I also stumbled onto this path without really knowing what I was doing back then, but I've always remembered what Uncle Zhang said: never touch what you shouldn't touch!"

“That’s good. If you hadn’t been sticking to these rules, your business would have been shut down long ago.” Minister Li then changed the subject. “Don’t blame Xiao Zhang for what happened today. If he hadn’t risked his connections and accepted punishment to cover up the incident when you stabbed someone in 53, you would have been in a labor camp back then.”

"what……"

Minister Li looked at Zhang Erhe, who was standing there in a daze, reached out and patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly, "No matter what happened in the past, we are all very pleased that you have turned over a new leaf. Since you don't want to take the 'work-for-a-cadre' management route, the subsequent material rewards will be more generous, which can be considered as compensation."

He suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, what about that little brother who was with you back then? How is he doing now?"

“I asked Uncle Zhang to help me out and got him a job in the security department at the factory,” Zhang Erhe replied quickly.

“Since Lao Zhang has already made the arrangements, let’s give him a promotion ahead of schedule when he officially starts his job, as a reward for him.” Minister Li nodded in agreement, then glanced at his watch. “I have a meeting tonight, I have to go.”

"Minister Li, why don't you stay for a meal before you leave?" Zhang Erhe quickly urged.

"No, I won't have the meal." Minister Li waved his hand with a smile. "I've got your place in mind. If I ever want to have a meal with you in the future, you can't treat me badly."

"Of course not! Please come, I guarantee you'll have a great meal!" Zhang Erhe quickly agreed.

Chapter 39: Blindfolded

The west wing of the central courtyard was pitch black. Madam Jia Zhangshi and her daughter-in-law Qin Huairu sat quietly. Banggeng, exhausted from crying, had long since fallen asleep beside them. After Qin Huairu finished feeding Xiaodang, the two remained silent in the darkness, without even turning on the light.

After a long silence, Madam Jia Zhang suddenly stood up: "Qin Huairu, this is the only way left now. Go across the street and find Tan Saihua. Tell her to ask her to plead with Old Madam Long in the backyard. As long as Dongxu can come back, you two will definitely take good care of them in their old age!"

"Mom, will this work?" Qin Huairu asked with a doubtful look.

"It has to be done, no matter what!" Jia Zhangshi said fiercely, as if she had made up her mind. "I've figured it out. The only one in the courtyard who can save Dongxu right now is Old Lady Long. But Old Lady Long has always looked down on our family. The people she really wants to take care of in her old age are Yi Zhonghai and Tan Saihua. Instead of you going to beg, you should let Tan Saihua beg. She'll have a better chance of success."

Qin Huairu bit her lip, nodded emphatically, and got up to walk towards the east wing opposite.

In the east wing, Tan Saihua was filled with anxiety. Yi Zhonghai had previously mentioned wanting Jia Dongxu to support them in their old age, but now Jia Dongxu had been taken away, and with today's incident causing such a stir, he was likely going to jail. If he went to jail, would the steel mill still keep him?

How would his whole family manage? Should she and Yi Zhonghai find someone else to care for them in their old age? Should they really listen to Old Lady Long and replace them with Sha Zhu? But when she thought of Sha Zhu's sharp tongue and fiery temper, she couldn't help but worry. Just as she was feeling melancholy, a knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate.

"Who is it?" Tan Saihua asked loudly.

"It's me, Master's wife." Qin Huairu, standing outside the door, deliberately changed her form of address.

Without thinking much, Tan Saihua got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and went to open the door, calling out as she went, "Huai Ru? Coming over so late..." She opened the door, then turned around to pull the light cord, only to see Qin Huai Ru kneel down on the ground with a "thump".

"Master's wife, please, please save my Dongxu!" Qin Huairu's voice was choked with sobs, and her eyes instantly reddened.

"Hey, hey, Huai Ru, get up quickly! Don't do this!" Tan Saihua was startled and quickly reached out to help her up. "What can I, a mere woman, do? Your uncle is still detained inside, I..."

"Master's wife, I know the old lady likes you," Qin Huairu pleaded, clutching her clothes tightly, "Please go and ask the old lady to use her connections to get Dongxu released! Don't worry, Dongxu and I will remember your great kindness for the rest of our lives. We will do our best to take care of you two in your old age!"

“Master’s wife, Dongxu is someone you’ve watched grow up. You and Master both know his character. Although we’ve lacked food and drink all these years, he’s never mistreated my mother-in-law. Don’t worry, as long as we can get through this, my husband and I will take full responsibility for your and Master’s retirement. We will absolutely not let you suffer the slightest grievance.” Qin Huairu’s words struck a chord with Tan Saihua.

Although Jia Dongxu lacked ambition, Tan Saihua knew in her heart that it was mostly due to her husband, Yi Zhonghai, deliberately indulging him. But the child's filial piety towards his mother was genuine—just look at Jia Zhangshi's plump figure; apart from the strong and robust Liu Haizhong, who in the courtyard could compare? But Liu Haizhong was a blacksmith in the factory, earning his living entirely through physical labor, while Jia Zhangshi didn't do any manual labor; she was waited on hand and foot at home every day!

Thinking this to herself, she hesitated before speaking: "Huai Ru, it's not that I don't want to help, it's just that... I'm really not sure if the old lady will intervene."

"Master's wife, please go and find the old lady. Talk to her nicely, maybe..."

"Alright, alright." Tan Saihua interrupted Qin Huairu, as if she had made up her mind. "I'll go to the backyard and ask the old lady right now. If it really doesn't work, Huairu, you can't hold a grudge against me."