Chapter 59: Current State of Both Households, Bare Walls and Extreme Poverty

It truly illustrates the old saying: "Unkind parents breed unfilial children."

Seeing his own mother bleeding from a head wound, Liu Guangtian actually stood by and chuckled.
"Hehe, Dad, you're the one who hit Mom."
"It has nothing to do with me."

This remark made Second Aunt's blood pressure skyrocket. She swung her hand and slapped Liu Guangtian, shouting, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting!"

Liu Haizhong was so anxious he was hopping mad!
Times were hard enough at home, and now a medical visit was going to cost money!
Going to the clinic for a bandage would set them back another few dimes!
"You little troublemaker! This is all your fault!"
"Get the money to treat your mother!" Liu Haizhong roared.

Liu Guangtian's expression changed abruptly: "Why should I! It wasn't me who did it!"
"Why should I have to pay?"
"I won't pay!"

"You won't pay?" Liu Haizhong stood up abruptly. "If you won't pay, get out of here!"
"This is my home!"
"I'm not leaving!" Liu Guangtian flared up as well.

What kind of father was this? The only reason he used to respect him was because he needed a roof over his head!
Now this father was getting completely out of hand!
A doctor's visit cost several dimes!
He wasn't going to play this fool!

"Not leaving? If you don't leave, shell out the money!"
With that, Liu Haizhong rushed forward, and together with his wife, he started wrestling and brawling with his son.

Outside, the middle courtyard's moon gate was already surrounded by onlookers.
They had all been drawn by Liu Haizhong's roaring.

Yan Bugui stood with a mocking smile, gazing at the threshold of Liu Haizhong's home: "What are they fighting about this time?"

Xu Damao lived in the rear courtyard, so he knew everything that went on in Liu Haizhong's household.
Hearing Yan Bugui's question, Xu Damao smiled and said, "I heard it's because Su Jianshe is cooking something nice."

At this, Xu Damao hatched a plan.
What a great opportunity to stir up trouble!

"Let me tell you!"
"That fellow surnamed Su is completely heartless!"

After a brief pause, Xu Damao assumed a serious demeanor and pointed toward Su Jianshe's place: "Everyone, just smell that."
"The rich aroma drifting from Su's house!"
"We all live in the same courtyard! Back when Su's family couldn't even put food on the table,"
"Didn't all of us help him out?"
"Now that he's doing well, he turns his back on everyone and pretends he doesn't know us!"

The "help" Xu Damao spoke of was nothing more than empty flattery the courtyard residents used to toss around in the past.
Such as polite clichés about working hard, making money, and maintaining neighborhood harmony.
In Xu Damao's description, they had suddenly transformed into Su Jianshe's benefactors.

Under normal circumstances, no one would genuinely believe they had ever truly helped Su Jianshe.
But the people in this courtyard were all out of the ordinary!
Not to mention, that aroma was simply too enticing!
The fragrance was rich and unmistakable—it had to be stir-fried meat!

One after another, the crowd cast longing glances toward Su Jianshe's small kitchen.
The biting cold wind only intensified the cravings gnawing at their hearts.

In the dead of winter, Su Jianshe was probably enjoying steamed buns with stir-fried dishes, completely content, perhaps even sipping a warm cup of wine.
And they? They could only chew on dry, hard cornmeal wadded bread.
Their cotton quilts were ancient, the batting long since lumped together, completely useless against the chill.
This contrast made their lives appear all the more desolate.

Looking at themselves and then thinking of Su Jianshe, howling in the northern wind, their hearts grew increasingly bitter, and they felt all the more that fate was deeply unfair!

Jia Zhangshi seized the opportunity to chime in with Xu Damao: "Damao is right!"
"That Su brat is completely heartless!"
"He gets good things and doesn't even share a bite with the neighbors!"
"Hiding in his room to gorge himself in secret! What a thoroughly selfish wretch!"
"We should just go straight to his place and make him hand over all the good stuff!"

"Granny! Granny! I want meat! I want meat!"
Bangeng kept screaming, his shrill voice grating on the nerves.

Qin Huairu hugged Bangeng tightly, her face dark.
She knew her mother-in-law's words made no sense, but her heart was filled with jealousy and resentment.
She envied Chu Yan for being able to live a good life, and she resented Su Jianshe for looking right past a woman like her.
If Su Jianshe had been nice to her, she would have gladly accepted it.
Yet every time Su Jianshe looked at her, it was as if he were looking at... looking at something utterly foul!

"Enough! Stop yelling!"
Filled with irritation, Qin Huairu vented all her frustration on Bangeng: "If you keep shouting, you'll see what you get when we get back!"

"Oh dear!" Hearing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately pulled Bangeng into her arms.
Then she turned to Qin Huairu and wailed loudly: "You're useless! Why are you taking your anger out on my grandson?"
"If you've got any spine, go take it out on that Su brat!"

Good grief!
Jia Zhangshi's crying grew louder and louder.
Seeing this, Yan Bugui, Xu Damao, and the others very consciously stepped back to watch the show.

Su Jianshe hadn't even shown his face yet,
and already the Jia and Liu families were squabbling like fighting cocks.

At that moment, Xiazhu and Yi Zhonghai happened to walk out.
Xiazhu cast a furtive glance at Qin Huairu,
but the moment he caught sight of Bangeng, his expression instantly darkened.

That little brat! And he still had the nerve to throw a tantrum!
The state Xiazhu had fallen into today owed a massive debt to this kid!
Yet with Qin Huairu and Yi Zhonghai present, Xiazhu could only keep a sullen face and remain silent.

Beside them, Yi Zhonghai frowned and asked, "What on earth is going on here?"
"It's almost evening, why aren't you cooking at home? Why are you all gathered here?"

Walking up to the moon gate, Yi Zhonghai faintly heard the sounds of crashing and banging coming from Liu Haizhong's house,
and an expression of annoyance crossed his face: "What's wrong with old Liu's family now?"

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's question, Xu Damao hurried over and shifted all the blame onto Su Jianshe.
Actually, it wasn't much of a stretch,
since the disputes in the Jia and Liu families had indeed been triggered by Su Jianshe.

After listening to Xu Damao, Yi Zhonghai let out an impatient sigh: "It's Su Jianshe again!"

The moment Su Jianshe was mentioned, Xiazhu flared up, practically jumping into the air.
"First Uncle! Su Jianshe has turned our courtyard upside down!"
"Provoking this person and stirring up that person all day long!"
"He's completely shameless! I hope he takes a fall and breaks his neck sooner or later!"

"Hey, talk is talk, no need to curse." Hearing this, Xu Damao felt a bit displeased.
Xiazhu gave him a cold glare and continued addressing Yi Zhonghai: "First Uncle, the red-flag unit evaluation is coming right up."
"Let's give Su Jianshe a chance, let him... bah bah!"
"I shouldn't say give him a chance, let's make him contribute something."
"Make him bring out the good things from his home to showcase the wonderful tradition of neighborhood harmony in our courtyard."
"Once Director Wang learns of this, our bid for the red-flag unit evaluation is guaranteed!"
"Don't you all agree?"

Realizing he couldn't defeat Su Jianshe on his own, Xiazhu sought to rally the others in the courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi was the first to respond: "Zhuzi is right!"
By now, Jia Zhangshi's address for Xiazhu had also changed; she called him directly by his nickname, Zhuzi.
"Old Yi, Zhuzi makes a lot of sense."
Jia Zhangshi smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Now every household is pinning its hopes on the red-flag unit subsidies to help us get through this winter."
"That Su brat has put us through the wringer."
"Now making him contribute a little something shouldn't be too much to ask, right?"
"Mutual aid and neighborhood love—isn't that what the neighborhood office promotes every single day?"

"Logically speaking..." Yi Zhonghai frowned, feeling uneasy inside. "I'm just afraid young Su won't agree."
He had repeatedly placed himself on the moral high ground, only for Su Jianshe to disrupt his plans time and again.
Right now, Yi Zhonghai needed a catalyst to thoroughly ignite the resentment brewing in everyone's hearts.
He couldn't just let Su Jianshe brush them aside with a few casual words like before.
But where was that catalyst?

Just then, Liu Haizhong and Liu Guangtian came out supporting Second Aunt.
Second Aunt's hair was disheveled, and her clothes were torn in several places.
Liu Haizhong and Liu Guangtian looked equally battered, as if they had been wearing burlap sacks.

"You little..."
Liu Haizhong started to curse, but stopped dead when he caught sight of Yi Zhonghai and the others.
"Old Yi, what are you all doing here?"

As Yi Zhonghai looked on in puzzlement, the sight of Liu Haizhong's disheveled state suddenly sparked an idea in his mind.
"Old Liu, can we discuss something?"
"What is it?"
Liu Haizhong narrowed his eyes.
He knew Yi Zhonghai's character all too well.
Yi Zhonghai was a hypocrite with a split face.
On the surface, he always stood on the pinnacle of morality to judge others,
while secretly harboring cunning and shifting motives.

A flash of displeasure crossed Yi Zhonghai's brow as he sensed the deep suspicion in Liu Haizhong's eyes.
"Don't look at me like that."
"I'm doing this for everyone's benefit."
"Speak your mind," Liu Haizhong said with a trace of wariness.

Yi Zhonghai hypocritically inquired about Second Aunt's condition before gazing up at the sky and muttering to himself, "The weather is getting colder by the day."
"The neighborhood hasn't mentioned the subsidy quotas yet this year."
"Young Su's recent actions have truly gone too far."
"Every household is strapped for cash; how are we supposed to get by in this courtyard?"

Yi Zhonghai's words struck a chord with many in the courtyard.
Indeed, Su Jianshe's behavior had every household at their wit's end.
Especially the Jia and Liu families, who looked as though they had been thoroughly plundered.
The current state of both families could be summed up in four words—bare walls.

"In my opinion, we ought to send Su Jianshe straight to the police station!"
"That's right! That fellow Su has gone way too far!"
"His family eats fine meat every single day without a care for whether we live or die!"

"He's a cafeteria director, what can you do about it?"
"Director? Humph! Privilege-seeking is more like it!"
"Exactly, Second Uncle is so pitiful; he kindly helped young Su throw a wedding banquet, only to get brutally bitten back."

The crowd buzzed with discussions about Su Jianshe.
Yi Zhonghai's eyes gleamed as secret delight welled up in his chest.
Naturally, he couldn't step forward himself.
As the First Uncle, he had to maintain an air of neutrality.
He couldn't let outsiders mistakenly think he harbored a personal grudge against Su Jianshe.
He had to put on a thoroughly selfless front.

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai shook his head and sighed: "Sigh, no matter what,"
"we cannot let young Su go to the police station."
"As elders, we should be understanding of a younger person's mistakes."
"Even if young Su were to empty out our homes, we still have to be understanding!"

Yi Zhonghai swept his gaze across the crowd, standing tall and righteous as he defended Su Jianshe!

Hearing this, Liu Haizhong's blood pressure spiked instantly, and he glared fiercely at Yi Zhonghai.
"Hey! Old Yi! You're mighty generous! It's not your family that got cleaned out!"

Inside, Yi Zhonghai was cursing up a storm, itching to punch Liu Haizhong right in the face!
He had already shelled out thousands; his own family nest egg had been hollowed out by Su Jianshe!
Yet right now, unity was paramount.
Forcing down his fury, Yi Zhonghai forced a smile and offered grievances to Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong had already walked right into Yi Zhonghai's trap.
His face flushed red as he waved his arms and shouted, "Is everyone not right?"
"I kindly helped him with his wedding banquet, and he turned around and bit the hand that fed him!"
"Ending up with us having to chew on cornmeal bread every day!"

Mentioning this only fueled Liu Haizhong's rage.
If not for Su Jianshe, his family wouldn't be in such utter chaos!
"I don't care! Today we are going to confront Su Jianshe!"
"If he really is that selfish, I'll make sure he goes to the police station!"

"Right!" Xiazhu echoed Liu Haizhong: "That Su fellow has gone too far!"
"He's bullying people to the extreme, making us eat dirt and calling it fragrant!"
"He even egged on little Bangeng to kick me into the cesspit!"
"I've even started hallucinating now!"
"I can smell a stench in my house even when I sleep!"

Thinking to themselves, the crowd figured he wasn't hallucinating at all—his house really did stink.
But the priority right now was to make Su Jianshe spit something out.
No one bothered to address Xiazhu's trivial complaints.

At this point, Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu had also fallen into step on the same front.
Jia Zhangshi's face was flushed with excitement as she shouted, "Fellow neighbors! Look at our Bangeng, look how starved he's gotten!"
"This is all Su Jianshe's doing!"

Qin Huairu stared gloomily in the direction of Su Jianshe's house and complained, "That young Su is always trying to touch me."
"It drives my Dongxus crazy, arguing with me day in and day out."
"He's just too much."

"Down with Su Jianshe! Give us back our peaceful courtyard! Down with Su Jianshe!" Seeing this, Xu Damao chimed in with slogans.

Watching the public whipped into a frenzy, Yan Bugui quietly took a few steps back.
He had a strong intuition that Su Jianshe wasn't someone who could be easily handled.
These people were simply no match for Su Jianshe.

On the other side,
seeing the crowd get incited, Yi Zhonghai hooked the corner of his mouth into an imperceptible smile.
Then, acting the part of the peacemaker, he stepped out to block them: "Everyone! Everyone!"
"Don't go! We can sit down and talk this over peacefully!"
"Let's make young Su cough up a few things to help everyone through this cold winter."
"Winter is bitterly cold, after all."
"Besides, those old grudges of yours happened so long ago; we should focus mainly on persuasion and education."
"Let's work on helping young Su correct his selfish habits."
"Tell me, am I right or wrong?"

"Right my ass!" Jia Zhangshi's face was twisted with fury as she shoved Yi Zhonghai out of the way.

Yi Zhonghai was playing the role of the good cop.
Far from being angered by Jia Zhangshi's push, he felt a wave of internal joy.
He needed to stir up everyone's anger to the absolute peak!
They had to be united as one!
Otherwise, if things went like before, Su Jianshe would just toss out a few words and everyone would scatter.
Even if he stood on the moral high ground a hundred times, it wouldn't suppress Su Jianshe's arrogant arrogance!

"Everyone listen to me, don't go!"
Watching the crowd surge forward, Yi Zhonghai shouted feebly in protest.
This time, no one paid him any mind anymore.
In their eyes, there was only one person left now—
Su Jianshe!