The entire courtyard is full of villains

"puff!"

Yi Zhonghai spat a mouthful of blood directly onto Liu Haizhong's head, then swayed and looked about to collapse. Tan Saihua quickly released Grandma Long, grabbed him, and cried out, "Old Yi, don't scare me!"

Old Lady Long twitched her cane, narrowed her eyes, and said in an icy tone, "You little beast, I didn't realize you were so quick-witted."

"Oh, when it comes to sharp tongues, I really can't compare to you," Zhang Erhe retorted sharply.

Yi Zhonghai took a deep breath, pointed at Zhang Erhe, and even changed his form of address: "Zhang Erhe, you can talk about me all you want! The old lady is a recipient of the five guarantees (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly and disabled) in the neighborhood, and she's made shoes for the most lovable people! If you keep acting like this, I'm really going to report you to the neighborhood committee!"

"Hahahaha..." Zhang Erhe burst into laughter, clutching his stomach, so hard he couldn't straighten up. "Report it right away! This is the first time I've ever heard of a 'Five Guarantees' household being established like this! They even made shoes for the most lovable people?"

He suddenly stopped laughing and shouted into the crowd, "Liu Guangtian! I'm asking you, in what year was Beijing liberated?"

Liu Guangtian immediately replied loudly, "Is that even a question? Beijing was liberated at the end of 1948! I was even in the streets with my brother back then, welcoming our troops!"

"And before that?" Zhang Erhe pressed, "Who occupied Beijing before?"

Liu Guangtian hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "I heard from my dad that it was... it was occupied by reactionaries and petty thugs before."

"That's right!" Zhang Erhe clapped his hands approvingly, "Guangtian is really amazing!"

He pulled out a cigarette from his pocket, lit one for himself, and tossed the rest to Liu Guangtian: "Here, have this."

Liu Guangtian happily accepted the cigarette, and was about to thank his father when he met his father Liu Haizhong's sinister gaze, and the words of thanks stuck in his throat.

Zhang Erhe ignored him, turned to look directly at Yi Zhonghai, his eyes sharp as knives: "Old Yi, did you understand? My family has lived in this courtyard since 1944. I've watched Old Lady Long live a life of luxury since I was a child. When has she ever made a single pair of shoes?"

He pressed on, his voice filled with sarcasm: "Could these shoes have been made before 1944, as a gift for ordinary people? Or were they secretly made later and given to the reactionaries? I've never seen the neighborhood committee publicize that Grandma Long made shoes for the most beloved people? Why don't we go to the neighborhood committee now and ask them for clarification?"

Boom! These words were like a thunderclap, and the courtyard erupted in chaos.

“That’s right! An old man always said that the old lady made shoes for the most lovable people, and I used to believe him, but now that Zhang Erhe said it…”

"That's right! With those pampered hands of Old Lady Long, I'd believe it if you said Jia Zhangshi could make shoes, but you really don't believe it!"

"Hiss... What is Yi Zhonghai trying to do?"

"Isn't it just about currying favor with Old Madam Long?"

Upon hearing these comments, Yi Zhonghai became so anxious that sweat poured down his forehead and his face turned ashen.

"What's wrong, Lao Yi?" Zhang Erhe pressed on relentlessly, "Should I have someone go to the neighborhood committee for you? Let them settle this matter?"

Yi Zhonghai forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, his voice weak: "This...this won't be necessary. After all, it's a matter within the courtyard; let's try to handle it ourselves."

He paused, then spoke with difficulty, "I admit, Zhang Erhe, what I did today wasn't appropriate. I was just thinking... thinking that you two haven't been back for several days, and before that you..."

He hesitated for a long time, but finally forced himself to say, "Anyway, it was my fault. I... I'll give it to you..."

The word "apology" lingered in his throat for a long time, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Zhang Erhe, show some mercy when you can." Seeing her "good eldest son" pushed to this point, Old Lady Long finally couldn't help but step forward. "You're so young, don't go too far. Remember, impulsiveness is the devil!"

Zhang Erhe laughed, a disdainful laugh: "If young people aren't impulsive, what kind of young people are they?"

His tone shifted abruptly, his eyes turning icy: "Grandma Long, I advise you... to mind your own business first."

"Fine, fine, fine!" Old Mrs. Long gritted her teeth and squeezed out three words. Then, leaning on her cane, she slowly moved to Yi Zhonghai's side. "Xiao Yi, since Zhang Erhe said so, have someone go to the street office and call Xiao Wang over! Let him see how arrogant and domineering the young people in the courtyard are, bullying the old folks!"

She paused, then added harshly, "Go to the steel mill later and tell Xiao Yang! Let him know how the workers in his factory bully everyone in the compound!"

These words were like a shot of adrenaline for Yi Zhonghai—the old lady knew Director Wang of the neighborhood committee and Director Yang of the steel mill! He straightened his back instantly, and his tone hardened: "Zhang Erhe, for the sake of your deceased parents, let's leave it at that today. If you still want to cause trouble, don't blame us for not showing any neighborly affection!"

He stared at Zhang Erhe and said threateningly, "I know your family owns private property, but if the whole hospital signs a petition, we can get Director Wang to transfer you somewhere else. That's about the kind of power we have!"

Just as Zhang Erhe was about to retort, a loud clapping sound suddenly came from the courtyard gate, accompanied by a shrill voice: "Oh, I thought it was some county magistrate holding court! Official hat chair, big square table, and a few lackeys on both sides—is this the steward of the courtyard holding a meeting? How come I didn't know that even after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the county magistrate is still on duty!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and the others' faces instantly changed color. Liu Haizhong, in particular, hurriedly jumped up from his "official's chair," stammering, "What nonsense are you talking about! We're...we're holding a mediation meeting for the courtyard house!"

"Mediation meeting?" Another slow, deliberate voice came from behind. The speaker leisurely stood next to the man with the pointed chin and monkey-like face. "I've never heard of sitting down for a mediation meeting. Even if it's a mediation meeting held by the neighborhood committee, the director has to stand. There's no reason to sit down and put on airs."

Immediately after, a tall young man swaggered in, his clothes loosely draped over his shoulders, and swaggered around, yelling, "Boss, why waste your breath on them! Daring to threaten my second brother? Let's just take care of these old bastards! Do they think they're so tough, daring to threaten people?"

Zhang Erhe looked up and immediately smiled – it was his three sworn brothers who had arrived: the eldest, Sun Xiangdong; the third, Wu Qian; and his closest confidant, Ma Qianli, who was the one who had just shouted to “teach Lao Deng a lesson.”

Yi Zhonghai panicked completely. He tugged at Yan Bugui beside him, his voice trembling, "Old Yan, this matter today... I don't think it can be easily resolved. You need to quickly send Jie Cheng to the street office to find Director Wang! Otherwise, I'm afraid these bastards might hurt the people in the courtyard if they don't know their own strength."

Yan Bugui was overjoyed. "So you and Yi Zhonghai conspired to humiliate me, and now you're reaping what you sowed!"

He subtly shifted to the side, feigning concern, and said, "Old Yi, you should be... alright, right? After all, we're neighbors..."

"Oh dear!" Yi Zhonghai was extremely anxious and quickly increased the stakes, "I'll give you a dollar! Get Jie Cheng there right now!"

"Two pieces!"

"make a deal!"

He quietly squeezed through the crowd, found his son Yan Jiecheng who was watching the commotion, and whispered, "Jiecheng, hurry up and go to the neighborhood office to find Director Wang! Tell him that someone in the compound is trying to cause trouble!"

Yan Jiecheng looked puzzled: "Dad, can't be? Those guys didn't look like they were going to bully anyone in the compound..."

"Just go when I tell you to!" Yan Bugui urged. "I'll give you a dime!"

Upon hearing that there was money to be made, Yan Jiecheng's eyes lit up, and he immediately nodded, "Okay!" After saying that, he ran out of the yard in a flash.

Chapter 12 Who should be held liable for compensation?

Ma Qianli completely ignored their underhanded maneuvering and walked straight up to them. He grabbed Yi Zhonghai by the collar and asked gruffly, "Was it you who wanted to lead the autograph session and kick my second brother out?"

"No, no, no!" Yi Zhonghai was terrified and hurriedly explained, "I was just worried that Erhe would go astray!"

"Pah!" Ma Qianli spat directly onto Yi Zhonghai's face. "You think you're qualified to tell my second brother what to do? Go ask around the neighborhood, and you, Yi Zhonghai, the only one who's jumping around like this! Instead of wasting your time, why don't you try to have a baby yourself! If your old hen isn't laying eggs, I'll introduce you to a few semi-private girls, all with big breasts and perky butts, guaranteed to make you feel good!"

He paused, his eyes turning fierce: "If you dare threaten my second brother again..." As he spoke, he threw Yi Zhonghai aside, weighed the table in his hand, and then slammed his fist down, smashing a large hole in the table with a loud "boom".

"If you dare to have any more crooked thoughts, you'll see if your head is as sturdy as this table!"

He turned his head, glared fiercely at everyone in the courtyard, and pointed at them, threateningly saying, "I know exactly where you all work and where your kids go to school! If you really mess with my second brother, I'll burn your whole family to the ground!"

Everyone in the courtyard lowered their heads in fright when his gaze swept over them. This Ma Qianli was a notorious hothead; he wouldn't listen to anyone except Zhang Erhe.

"Alright, alright, Fourth Brother," Zhang Erhe said. "They wouldn't dare do something like that."

Ma Qianli immediately ran to Zhang Erhe's side, complaining, "Second Brother, why didn't you tell me you were being discharged from the hospital? I could have come to pick you up!"

"That's right, Second Master didn't say a word after being discharged from the hospital, so I could have driven the police station's motorcycle to pick you up." A sarcastic voice came from the doorway.

Ma Qianli flew into a rage: "Who? Which bastard!"

Zhang Guowei strode in, followed by Director Wang, whose face was ashen. Ma Qianli immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, shrank back, and stuck out his tongue at Zhang Erhe.

"Hey! Uncle Zhang..."

Zhang Guowei said with a forced smile, "No, no, no, you are the famous Second Master, how could I dare let you call me Uncle Zhang? Tell me, what's going on with this whole drama right after you were discharged from the hospital?" As he spoke, he glanced at Director Wang.

Zhang Erhe understood instantly. He looked at Zhang Guowei and said seriously, "Uncle Zhang, I want to report this to the police."

What case should I report?

“I was hospitalized for a few days and didn’t come back, and these three old bastards in the hospital wanted to take advantage of my family’s poverty!” Zhang Erhe pointed at Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui. “Yan Bugui wanted to put his wife in my house, and Yi Zhonghai wanted to put Jia Zhangshi in!”

"What?" Zhang Guowei immediately looked at Yi Zhonghai upon hearing this. "Yi Zhonghai, is this true?"

Yi Zhonghai quickly glanced at Director Wang, shook his head repeatedly, and explained, "That's not true! I just thought Zhang Erhe was gone, and thinking of Guan Xue's pitiful situation as a widow and orphan, I asked Jia Zhangshi to comfort her."

"Jia Zhangshi can comfort people?" Zhang Guowei scoffed. "Everyone in the neighborhood knows her specialty is cursing."

With a "whoosh," everyone in the courtyard burst into laughter.

Jia Zhangshi blushed, and said shyly in a low voice, "I...I actually...can also comfort people."

Her words made the people in the courtyard laugh even harder.

"Alright!" Director Wang called out, frowning, then glared at Yi Zhonghai. She turned to Zhang Erhe, forcing a smile, "Comrade Zhang Erhe, I just heard about what happened today. Ultimately, it was Yi Zhonghai who was in the wrong. But considering his good intentions, please be magnanimous and let's just let it go."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Erhe narrowed his eyes.

"Director Wang," he began slowly, "an older brother surnamed Guo once said something."

"What did you say?" Director Wang's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling, but he still asked with a forced smile.

"He said," Zhang Erhe said, emphasizing each word, "that you should stay away from those who advise others to be magnanimous, lest you get caught in the crossfire when lightning strikes."

"Swish!" Director Wang's face flushed red instantly, and his expression turned serious: "Zhang Erhe, what do you mean by that?"

"The literal meaning," Zhang Erhe said coldly. "Yi Zhonghai is clearly trying to take advantage of us. You think you can just tell me to be magnanimous with such a casual remark? I heard it's just the two of you living alone in a small courtyard, which is quite lonely. I'll send Jia Zhangshi and Yan Bugui's wife to your house later and help take care of them. What do you think?"

Director Wang was immediately speechless.

Yi Zhonghai and Old Lady Long exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected Zhang Erhe to be so stubborn, not even giving Director Wang any face.

"Alright, alright, let's all keep quiet," Zhang Guowei said, trying to smooth things over. "Zhang Erhe, what do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it illegal for Yi Zhonghai to exploit people who have no descendants and forcibly occupy their houses?"

"Illegal." Zhang Guowei nodded.

Director Wang immediately glared at him and asked, "Whose side are you on anyway?"

Zhang Guowei changed the subject: "But this matter ultimately failed..."

"I don't care!" Zhang Erhe interrupted him, "We have to take that bastard Yi Zhonghai in and lock him up for two days!"

"Director Wang, Director Zhang, I really meant well!" Yi Zhonghai shouted anxiously.

"Shut up!" Zhang Guowei glared at Yi Zhonghai angrily, then pulled Zhang Erhe aside and asked in a low voice, "What exactly do you want, kid?"

“I don’t want to do anything,” Zhang Erhe shrugged, his tone filled with disgust. “I just find that old bastard Yi Zhonghai disgusting. Doesn’t he always claim to be a gentleman? Let’s arrest him and lock him up in the police station for a couple of days. I want to see how he can maintain his ‘gentleman’ image!”

"Come on, give me a break." Zhang Guowei rolled his eyes at him. "Is that all? As long as he insists he meant well, and he didn't actually manage to take the house, he'll just get a lecture at most." He gestured towards Director Wang's direction. "Didn't you see that woman glaring at you? Let me tell you, she's getting her performance evaluated this year. If this blows up, you two will be enemies forever."

He patted Zhang Erhe's arm: "Take my advice, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Give that Wang guy some face, let Yi Zhonghai pay some compensation, and we'll call it even."

"Alright, since you're my Uncle Zhang," Zhang Erhe relented.

Zhang Guowei breathed a sigh of relief, then glared at Ma Qianli and the other two: "You better cut ties with these guys. I'm going to a meeting at the Municipal Bureau this morning. They're going to crack down on the black market soon, so don't let them drag you down with them."

Zhang Erhe instantly understood and nodded, saying, "Uncle Zhang, don't worry, we'll resolve this matter today."

Afterwards, Zhang Guowei whispered to Director Wang for a long time. After a while, Director Wang walked over with a grim face and said in a deep voice, "Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui, you two were wrong this time. Your positions as 'compound liaison officers' are suspended for now, and you are not to interfere in the affairs of the compound anymore."

She paused, then added, "You two each pay Zhang Erhe 30 yuan, and each write a self-criticism to submit to the street office." After saying that, she nodded to Zhang Guowei, turned around and left.

Yi Zhonghai tried to argue, but Old Lady Long grabbed him and gently shook her head. Yan Bugui looked dejected—it was clearly Yi Zhonghai who started it, so why did he have to pay 30 yuan? What's worse, he'd lost his liaison officer status, and he'd lost his excuse to ask for favors at the gate!

Of the three old men, only Liu Haizhong narrowly escaped. He muttered to himself: I still have to listen to the boss! Now that he's the only "managing old man" in the compound, how could he not become a cadre in the future? The more he thought about it, the happier he became, and he couldn't help but smile. But with Yi Zhonghai's blood still splattered on his head, that smile looked eerie no matter how you looked at it.