The entire courtyard is full of villains

The group hurriedly carried the man surnamed Li away. Guan Linpeng rushed to close the door, only to find that the bolt was broken, so he had to pick up a wooden stick to prop it up.

In the courtyard, Zhang Erhe beckoned to Old Guan: "Come here."

"Good son-in-law, it's really not my fault! I was just passing by, and that guy surnamed Li insisted on dragging me inside..." Old Guan explained in a fluster.

"It's alright, old man." Zhang Erhe smiled broadly, pulled him close, and brushed the dirt off him. "You're this old, what could I possibly do to you?"

Old Guan had just breathed a sigh of relief when Guan Xuexin beside him tensed up. She knew her man too well—if he were truly angry and lashed out, that would be fine; but when he was all smiles like that, that was the scariest thing. If Ma Qianli were here, he would surely say, "It's been so long since I've seen Second Brother show this smiling tiger side."

"Old man," Zhang Erhe's voice suddenly turned cold, "what did I say when I picked you up last time?"

"Which time?" Old Guan pretended to be confused.

"It started from the last time we brought you back from the hospital."

Old Guan's face turned deathly pale—he remembered Zhang Erhe's harsh words: "If you dare gamble again, I'll break the legs of anyone who takes you. If you go by yourself, you'll be crippled!"

With a "thump," Old Guan knelt down on the ground: "Son-in-law, please! Good son-in-law, Dad really didn't mean it..."

Inside the room, Guan Xue had already covered Zhang Jiao's eyes. She knew all too well what kind of person her father was; if Zhang Erhe didn't act ruthlessly, he would forget about it in the blink of an eye.

Outside, Zhang Erhe had already dragged the man into the backyard, picked up the hemp rope that used to tether the horse, tied Lao Guantou up tightly, and hung him under the beam of the shed. He casually pulled out a horsewhip—the horse had been sold by Lao Guantou more than ten years ago, so the whip was still sturdy.

"I'll teach you to gamble!" The whip lashed down relentlessly. "Can't control these hands? I'll do it for you! I'll chop them off today!"

"You make '140' sound so easy! How much does an average family spend in a month? Do you think you're some kind of superhuman boar skin?!"

Old Guan was screaming in pain at first, but then he fainted. Zhang Erhe didn't even blink, splashed a basin of cold water on him to wake him up, and continued to convulse. After three rounds of this, Old Guan was barely breathing.

Guan Bai finally stumbled out, crying, "Good son-in-law, spare him! His body can't take it; if you beat him any more, he'll really die!"

Zhang Erhe grabbed his mother-in-law and said, "Get out of the way! If we don't give him his fill today, he'll just go back to gambling! What did I say when I redeemed the house after it was sold? As long as he doesn't gamble, I'll cover all his food, clothing, and daily necessities! Isn't that enough? Why does he have to gamble?!"

With that, another lash of the whip struck, and "Ouch—" Old Guan woke up again. Seeing his wife kneeling on the ground, he yelled at the top of his lungs, "Xue'er! Jiaojiao! Help me! Zhang Erhe is going to beat me to death!"

Guan Xue stood at the doorway of the inner room, her eyes red-rimmed, but she didn't move forward. She knew perfectly well that her father had deserved the beating, and if she didn't give him a good beating, his gambling addiction would never be eradicated.

Old Guan, seeing that pleading with anyone was useless, shouted until his voice was hoarse, "Good son-in-law! Erhe! I truly know I was wrong! If I gamble again, may I be struck by lightning! Please forgive me this time, these lashes have really killed me!"

"Hmph, quite a loud voice." Zhang Erhe weighed the riding crop in his hand, a smirk playing on his lips. "I thought you were about to collapse, looks like you can still carry three more trolleys. If you can hold on, this is the end of it."

"Huh?" Old Guan was dumbfounded and wished he could slap himself twice—he should have just pretended to be dead! Seeing the whip about to fall again, he closed his eyes in despair.

A sharp knock suddenly broke the tense atmosphere in the backyard. Guan Linpeng jumped in fright, and Zhang Erhe gestured with his chin: "Open the door."

"Brother-in-law, at this critical juncture..." Guan Linpeng hesitated.

"Just start driving when I tell you to. What are you dawdling for? I'll be there for you if the sky falls." Zhang Erhe's tone was resolute.

Guan Linpeng had no choice but to bite the bullet and open the door. Standing outside was a refined-looking man in a Zhongshan suit and glasses, followed by a man dressed as an accountant. "Excuse me, is this the residence of Mr. Guan?" the man asked gently.

"Yes, who are you?"

"My surname is Shen. My men were ignorant of etiquette and disturbed your household. I have come to apologize." The man bowed slightly.

Zhang Erhe, who was in the courtyard, took two steps forward, and sneered after seeing who it was: "Brother Shen, stop pretending to be a cultured man here, come in."

Guan Linpeng quickly stepped aside to make way. Boss Shen, leading the accountant, entered the courtyard and bowed to Zhang Erhe, saying, "Brother Erhe."

"Alright, Lao Shen," Zhang Erhe waved his hand, "how many years have you been putting on this scholar's act? Do you really think you're a real intellectual now?"

"Brother Erhe, you jest," Elder Shen pushed up his glasses. "Over the years, I've read some classic texts and truly grasped some truths. My past rudeness was really inappropriate."

"Alright, enough with the formalities." Zhang Erhe's face darkened. "I told you last time when I redeemed the house, if any of you casino people dared to mess with my father-in-law again, I'd chop off their claws. Boss Shen, are you saying you don't respect me, Zhang Erhe?"

Elder Shen bowed again, his tone sincere: "Brother Erhe, you've misunderstood. I manage many establishments, and this Mr. Li is from Tianjin. I couldn't refuse his invitation, so I put him in charge of one of the establishments. He's new here and doesn't know the rules, hence the misunderstanding." He then winked at the accountant, "Mr. Guan's account is now cleared, and we'll also offer two hundred coins for tea as an apology to Brother Erhe."

The accountant immediately pulled out some banknotes and handed them over. Zhang Erhe didn't even look at them, and said calmly, "Boss Shen is being generous, so I'll accept them. Let's leave it at that."

The accountant immediately took out two hundred yuan and handed it over, but Zhang Erhe did not take it. He said indifferently, "Brother Shen, come with me." With that, he led him straight to the backyard.

As soon as Shen Laoda entered the backyard, he spotted Lao Guantou hanging from the rafters—his cotton-padded coat was torn to shreds, and his body was covered in purplish-red whip marks, a truly wretched sight. "Erhe, what happened to you…"

“My father-in-law went gambling, and your casino staff didn’t stop him. Both sides bear responsibility,” Zhang Erhe said calmly. “I’ve already disciplined him with a whip for his mistake. What about your men?”

Boss Shen gritted his teeth and said fiercely, "When we get back, I'll break that Li guy's other arm and drive him out of Beijing! How about that?"

“Okay, fine.” Zhang Erhe replied casually, then changed the subject, “Brother Shen, you’ve given me face, so I’ll respect you and let this matter drop. But tell that guy surnamed Li that if I see him anywhere in Beijing within three days, I must have his family find him a burial plot in advance.”

"Okay, okay, Erhe, I've got it all figured out!" Boss Shen nodded repeatedly.

"That's settled then." Zhang Erhe clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute. "Your father-in-law's house is simple, so we won't entertain you any further."

"It's alright, I have other things to do this afternoon." Boss Shen led the accountant out, and just before leaving, he glanced at Guan Linpeng and gestured for the accountant to hand over the money. "Young man, we were in the wrong today. Take this two hundred yuan and buy some tonics for your father to help him recover."

Guan Linpeng clutched the money, feeling his palms burning. He quickly ran to the backyard: "Brother-in-law, that man left two hundred yuan!"

“Keep it here and give it to your mother later. She can buy some things to help this good-for-nothing father recover.” Zhang Erhe pointed to the roof beam. “Now go to the alley entrance and ask Old Master Han to come and treat his injuries.”

Old Guan, who was "playing dead" on the roof beam, couldn't help but grin when he heard "two hundred yuan"—but Zhang Erhe had already seen this subtle movement and lashed him out with a whip!

"Ah—!" Old Guan screamed in pain.

"Hey Guan, this is the last time I'm telling you!" Zhang Erhe's eyes flashed fiercely. "If you dare to gamble again, I'll bury you alive next time!"

"I know, I know! Erhe, I'll never do it again!" Old Guan cried and begged for mercy.

"You said the same thing last time," Zhang Erhe said with a half-smile. "Why don't we just bury it this time to save trouble?"

"Don't bury me! Don't bury me!" Old Guan was terrified. "I promise! This is absolutely the last time!"

"Tch, you'd better keep your word." Zhang Erhe curled his lip and finally reached out to untie the hemp rope tied to the roof beam.

Chapter 83 One shouldn't be too selfish.

Zhang Erhe was very careful with his actions. What looked like open wounds to Lao Guan were actually just superficial injuries. After applying some medicine and resting for a couple of days, he would be back to his old self.

When Guan Linpeng led Mr. Han over, Zhang Erhe had already untied the rope and carried Old Guan onto the kang (a heated brick bed). While disinfecting and applying medicine to the wound, Mr. Han scolded him with exasperation, "Serves you right! You deserve it! Erhe should have treated you like this! You're a grandfather now, and you're still thinking about gambling! If it weren't for Erhe covering for you, you'd be in a mass grave outside the city by now!"

Old Guan grimaced in pain, but still stubbornly said, "Old Han, you're just jealous that I have such a good son-in-law!"

"I'm really envious!" Old Mr. Han glared at Zhang Erhe. "It's a pity that the brat didn't take a liking to my daughter back then."

Zhang Erhe looked bewildered: "Why are you two bickering and dragging me into it?"

By the time Mr. Han finished treating his wounds, it was completely dark, and the moon had already climbed over the wall. Zhang Jiao, who had been frightened that afternoon, was now fast asleep in Zhang Erhe's arms. Guan Xue pushed the bicycle, and Zhang Erhe carried the child; the couple slowly made their way home.

As they approached the courtyard house, Guan Xue stopped the car and asked softly, "Erhe, do you think my dad will change his ways this time?"

"Difficult," Zhang Erhe answered decisively. "You can't believe a gambler's words even if you beat him to death."

“Then you…” Guan Xue frowned.

"We can't really break his legs, can we?"

"Didn't you hit me once before?"

"Please, he was young before, but he's a father now. No matter what he does, if I break his leg again, people will gossip about me." Zhang Erhe rolled his eyes!

Guan Xue leaned her bicycle against the wall and gently nestled into his arms: "Erhe, I really owe you a lot today, otherwise..."

"Don't be so mushy," Zhang Erhe interrupted her, jokingly saying, "Just honestly give the Zhang family a few more children, so that the family can have more descendants."

He said it casually, but Guan Xue took it seriously, looking up at him and seriously considering: "How many should we have? Three? Five? It seems like we can't handle any more than that, let's have five!"

Zhang Erhe was amused by her serious expression and rubbed her forehead with his head: "Okay, I'll listen to you. Let's have five more, including Jiaojiao, to make a perfect six."

In the west wing of the central courtyard, Qin Huairu had just entered the room with a plate when she saw her mother-in-law, Jia Zhangshi, and Banggeng sitting upright, their eyes fixed on the braised pork in her hand, their mouths watering.

As soon as the plate was placed on the table, Jia Zhangshi couldn't wait to grab a large chopstickful and stuff it into her mouth, muttering as she chewed, "So delicious! This meat is so satisfying!" Banggeng, not afraid of getting burned, reached out and grabbed two pieces, stuffing them into his mouth and shouting indistinctly, "Grandma, delicious! So fragrant!"

Qin Huairu sighed, picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth. When she looked up again, the plate was empty. "Huairu, this meat is amazing!" Jia Zhangshi wiped her mouth, her eyes still fixed on the empty plate. "Why don't you cut up the remaining three ounces and stir-fry them?"

"Mom! Those three ounces are meant to be saved until after the New Year!" Qin Huairu exclaimed anxiously.

"What are you afraid of?" Jia Zhangshi said nonchalantly. "Didn't you say you wanted to go to the old man's house for dumplings on the 30th?" Banggeng next to her tugged at her clothes and begged, "Mom, I didn't get enough, I only ate two pieces..."

Unable to resist the pleading gazes of the grandmother and grandson, Qin Huairu had no choice but to compromise: "Then I'll cut up another ounce and stir-fry it, just this one ounce, and you can't keep asking for more!" Jia Zhangshi nodded hurriedly: "I promise I won't ask!"

The aroma of stir-fried meat from the Jia family wafted into the east wing. Tan Saihua frowned and said to Yi Zhonghai, "Old Yi, didn't you say you were going to spend the New Year with the Jia family? They finished the meat in no time, what are we going to do then?"

"It's alright." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand. "I'll have Zhuzi bring the meat over. Half a jin from our family, plus his, is enough to make a jin of dumplings. I've already told Huairu to bring some cabbage and flour."

“You…” Tan Saihua was a little angry.

“Alright, Saihua,” Yi Zhonghai advised. “We’ll still be relying on Huairu for our old age, so let’s be more understanding of her.”

At the main gate, Sha Zhu had just finished get off work and entered. The factory had distributed welfare benefits today, and the leftover meat was used by the canteen to make stir-fried pork and cabbage for the employees working overtime. He'd joined in for a meal, keeping some in his lunchbox to take to his younger sister, He Yushui. As soon as he entered the courtyard, he smelled the aroma of Jia's stir-fried pork. He pursed his lips and muttered, "This meat is such a waste! Just stir-fried and it's gone, they didn't even add some spices to enhance the flavor."

"Brother, what are you doing wandering around here?" He Yushui came out of the house and saw Sha Zhu shaking his head in the yard!

"Oh, rainwater. I smell someone cooking meat in the yard. It doesn't smell very good. I'm wondering who it is." Sha Zhu smacked his lips.

"Who else could it be? The Jia family, of course." He Yushui gestured towards the west wing. "Only they have such a gluttonous appetite that they took out the meat and stir-fried it. Other families save it for making dumplings during the New Year. Brother, did the factory give you any meat today?"

"Absolutely! Your brother here is a level nine chef at the steel mill!" Sha Zhu patted his chest and handed over the small lunchbox in his hand. "Here, put it away. We'll use it to make dumplings for the New Year."

Just as He Yushui put the meat back in the cupboard, she heard Sha Zhu tap on another lunchbox: "Look what this is?"

"Wow! Meat again!" He Yushui's eyes lit up. She quickly grabbed a pair of chopsticks, picked up a large piece of fatty meat, and stuffed it into her mouth. "Brother, are you having a special meal today?"

Sha Zhu rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a half-empty bottle of wine, laughing, "Today the factory distributed meat, and there were some scraps left. Secretary Su told me to stir-fry them with cabbage and distribute them to the canteen staff and security officers who were working overtime. Your brother is clever; I saved some for you before it was done cooking, so eat it quickly."

"It smells so good! I haven't eaten meat in ages!" He Yushui said, her mouth greasy with oil.

“For the New Year, we’ll take three ounces of that half a pound of meat to make dumplings, and I’ll use the remaining two ounces to make you twice-cooked pork. I guarantee you’ll have your fill!” Sha Zhu said, pouring himself a glass of wine.

The brother and sister were enjoying their meal when a knock suddenly sounded at the door. "Who is it?" Sha Zhu frowned; it was so rude of them to come over during mealtime.

Upon opening the door, Sha Zhu paused for a moment, then asked, "Grandpa? What brings you here?"

“Zhu Zi, I have to criticize you. How can you not let guests in?” Yi Zhonghai stepped in, his gaze sweeping over the lunchbox on the table, a strange glint in his eyes.

Sha Zhu pursed his lips, turned to He Yushui and winked, signaling her to put the meat away. But He Yushui was enjoying her meal and didn't notice at all. "Uncle, please have a seat." Sha Zhu touched the thermos, "Unfortunately, there's no hot water today."

Yi Zhonghai suppressed his displeasure and got straight to the point: "Zhuzi, here's the thing. This year the factory isn't distributing enough supplies, so I'm planning to have our family, your family, the old lady's family, and the Jia family all celebrate the New Year together. You can bring all the meat and flour the factory is distributing over, and we'll make dumplings together and have a lively time."

As soon as she finished speaking, He Yushui became unhappy and put down her chopsticks, muttering, "Uncle, the Jia family can eat so much, and the meat from all three of our families combined only weighs one and a half pounds. The dumplings we made probably wouldn't even be enough to fill Aunt Jia's teeth!"

"No, no, it's not that bad." Yi Zhonghai waved his hand. "Your Aunt Jia is just a little greedy sometimes. With the old lady around during the New Year, she will definitely be more careful."

"I don't believe it." He Yushui pouted.

Sha Zhu also stopped smiling and said seriously, "Uncle, this won't do. Yu Shui and I won't join in the fun. We'll just eat at home."

"Zhu Zi!" Yi Zhonghai's face hardened, his tone accusing. "You can't be so selfish! Your brother Dongxu is gone, and the Jia family, with their orphans and widows, is having a tough time. They need our help right now. If our four families celebrate the New Year together, we'll not only help the Jia family, but it will also show that our courtyard is harmonious. Isn't that a good thing?"