Volume 1, Chapter 60: Down with Su Jianshe

At this moment, Su Jianshe emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate.

The midwinter cold was piercing, and the north wind howled like a razor against the skin.

"Today calls for a pot of aged yellow wine to ward off the bitter cold."

Inside the house, the constant temperature system hummed softly, but tasting wine on a snowy day while sitting beside a beauty, watching the north wind rage outside, with Wangcai curled up at his feet—this was a refined pleasure, a matter of style. It had nothing to do with mere warmth and everything to do with enjoyment.

Su Jianshe was about to step inside when Wangcai suddenly let out a fierce bark from behind.

Frowning, Su Jianshe looked back and met the gazes of Liu Haicheng and his entourage.

"This bunch never learn. Making trouble again."

Su Jianshe shook his head with a wry smile, turned back to place the dish on the table, and muttered, "It is time to teach them a lesson!"

As for Liu Haicheng and the others, when they reached the threshold of Su Jianshe's home, they stood dumbfounded.

Inside Su Jianshe’s house, the hearth fire glowed a vibrant red, and warmth drifted from the chimney.

On the stove, golden, flaky sesame flatbreads were being warmed, enough to make anyone's mouth water.

Below the stove, in a small bowl, meat, bones, and large steamed white buns were piled high, steaming hot.

At the doorway, a small dog gnawed on a leftover bone—that bowl was clearly for the dog.

Outside, the bitter wind froze their bones, and complex emotions churned in Liu Haicheng and the others' hearts.

A single door separated two completely different worlds.

Even Su Jianshe's dog ate so sumptuously; how were they supposed to face themselves?

Where was justice? Where was human decency? Such flagrant extravagance!

Seethed with fury, Liu Haicheng strode forward and barked, "Su Jianshe, come out!"

Behind him, Qin Huairu, Mrs. Jia, and the others found themselves unconsciously salivating.

Those steamed buns were soft and fluffy, and despite the fierce north wind, their fragrance filled the air.

Su Jianshe, the cafeteria director, possessed extraordinary culinary skills!

Compared to Silly Zhu, he was leaps and bounds ahead!

Looking at Chu Yan inside the house, Qin Huairu couldn't help but let her imagination wander. If only she had married Su Jianshe back then, she would be the one sitting in the warmth, envied by everyone. As for Chu Yan, she should be the one shivering in the freezing wind.

Chu Yan—what an eyesore she was!

At this thought, envy and jealousy surged like a tidal wave within Qin Huairu, her eyes turning red. She quietly sidled up to Xu Damao, and making sure no one was paying attention, she gently brushed his hand. "Damao, sister is counting entirely on you this time."

"If you can help me vent this frustration, I will surely make you a very happy man."

Upon hearing this, Xu Damao felt as though his lower body had been ignited, his blood nearly boiling over. He immediately thumped his chest and swore that he would not let her down.

Having handled Xu Damao, Qin Huairu turned her attention to Silly Zhu, using the same gesture and the exact same words. Silly Zhu became even more uncontainable; recalling past encounters with Yi Zhonghai's mistress, he now wished he could visit Qin Huairu's house tonight.

Qin Huairu's words sent Silly Zhu's enthusiasm soaring.

Having placated the two young men of the courtyard, Qin Huairu slowly drifted over to Liu Haicheng's side and whispered imploringly, "Uncle Second, you must teach him a good lesson this time!"

"In our whole courtyard, you are the most reasonable one!"

"We will all listen to you!"

Qin Huairu truly had an eye for talent; these words made Liu Haicheng beam with self-satisfaction.

For some unknown reason, Yi Zhonghai wanted to side with Su Jianshe this time. But that mattered not at all! Now, the entire courtyard stood behind him; what was there to fear from Su Jianshe?

"You surnamed Su, are you deaf? Get out here!"

Composing himself, Liu Haicheng bellowed toward the interior once more.

Once Su Jianshe was brought down, everything in his house would belong to the courtyard. As the leader, Liu Haicheng felt he had every right to distribute it. Meanwhile, the crowd behind him also began shouting toward the house.

The air was thick with a palpable desire to crush Su Jianshe, this formidable rival.

Inside, however, Su Jianshe had already shut the door tightly, sharing a cheerful dinner with Chu Yan.

At this moment, he was awaiting a visitor—Director Wang, the head of the neighborhood committee.

Su Jianshe saw through Yi Zhonghai's clever little scheme instantly: did they seriously think they could rely on neighborhood committee relief quotas to get through the bitter winter?

Would Su Jianshe simply sit back and let them off so easily?

What he was pondering was how to thoroughly punish this bunch of people.

This sudden cold snap had come at just the right time for him.

With just a little trick, he could make them reap what they sowed, while he bore no responsibility whatsoever.

In his hand were two "Inflation Talismans" obtained through daily sign-ins!

As their name suggested, these talismans caused a person's inner desires and arrogance to inflate to extreme levels, driving them to put their thoughts and greed into action.

Once the time was ripe, that would be the moment calamity befell these people.

"Brother Jianshe, why do they always come to make trouble for us?" Chu Yan asked as she picked up a piece of meat for Su Jianshe and filled his cup with yellow wine.

Su Jianshe gently stroked Chu Yan's hair and smiled. "People are often jealous of what others possess and mock what they lack."

"Think back to our past days, and then look at our present circumstances."

"These people simply cannot bear to see others live well."

"The moment an opportunity arises, they will ruthlessly tear a chunk of flesh right off you."

Chu Yan frowned, looking toward the door with utter disgust. "These people are truly... no better than beasts."

"Can't everyone just live their own lives in peace? Why must they always try to harm others?"

Su Jianshe raised an eyebrow and lightly pinched the tip of Chu Yan's nose. "If they had even half of your intelligence, they wouldn't have ended up in this state."

Hearing this, Chu Yan's cheeks flushed red. Though they had spent a long time together, he always managed to bring her a sense of novelty that made her deeply enamored.

"Jianshe..."

Before Chu Yan could finish, a sudden, loud crash echoed from the doorway, sounding like a heavy object slamming against it.

At the sound, Su Jianshe immediately looked toward the door, all warmth vanishing from his eyes, leaving only a freezing glare.

"These people are truly courting their own destruction."

After comforting Chu Yan, Su Jianshe opened the door with a gloomy expression and noticed a fist-sized stone on the ground, clearly thrown by someone.

Picking up the stone, Su Jianshe swept a cold gaze across the crowd. "Who did it?"

The three brief words caused everyone in the courtyard to involuntarily step backward.

Xu Damao and Silly Zhu were thus exposed; wanting to speak up, they cursed inwardly at the sight.

This bunch—the moment trouble hits, they throw others under the bus!

"What do we do..." Xu Damao whispered to Silly Zhu.

Silly Zhu turned and caught sight of Qin Huairu's expectant gaze, and a surge of bravado rose in his chest.

"What is there to fear! We outnumber him!"

"Would Su Jianshe dare to lay a hand on us?" Silly Zhu shouted to the crowd.

Hearing this, Liu Haicheng and the others felt it made sense.

No matter how strong Su Jianshe was, could he beat their several dozen people?

"Right! Zhuzi is right!"

"Down with Su Jianshe, return peace to our courtyard!"

"Teach him a lesson!"

Emboldened by the crowd, Silly Zhu strode forward. "Su Jianshe, we aren't going to use fists today; let's talk reason!"

Silly Zhu's words left the people behind him holding back laughter, never expecting the day when Silly Zhu would want to talk reason.

Su Jianshe was also amused by Silly Zhu's attitude. Bouncing the stone in his hand, he smiled. "Reason? I love talking reason the most."

Hearing this, Silly Zhu let out a long breath of relief. Only he knew how terrified he had been moments ago when he saw Su Jianshe playing with that stone.

Yet soon, Silly Zhu sensed something was amiss.

"However..." Su Jianshe's expression changed abruptly, "Let's settle the matter of the smashed door first!"

A new book sets sail; I earnestly beg all of you for your generous flowers, ratings, and monthly tickets! Every single vote of support matters immensely.

Whoosh!

The stone flashed through the air with blistering speed!

The essence of Eight Extremities Kung Fu lay in explosive force, aiming for instantaneous victory!

This principle applied equally to physical combat!

The stone thrown by Su Jianshe carried a piercing whistle through the wind and struck Xu Damao's calf with pinpoint accuracy!

Crack! The sound of snapping bone was clearly audible!

"Aah!"

Xu Damao was instantly consumed by agonizing pain, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets!

Silly Zhu, panic-stricken, patted himself all over his body, crying out in alarm, "Am I okay? Am I really okay?"

Witnessing Su Jianshe's strike, Silly Zhu was terrified out of his wits.

Confirming he was unhurt, he tremulously looked toward Xu Damao, who was curled up like a shrimp, rolling on the ground with a face as pale as paper.

"Help! My leg is broken! It hurts! It hurts so much!" Xu Damao wailed like a slaughtered pig.

In the rear courtyard, Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui stared at each other in utter disbelief.

"Xiao Su... Xiao Su actually struck?" Yi Zhonghai's voice trembled as if witnessing a hallucination.

Yan Bugui sneered, "Clearly, Xiao Su was completely pushed past his limit by them this time."

In the front courtyard, everyone watched with dropped jaws; only Liu Haicheng's heart surged with wild elation.

Su Jianshe had made a move! He actually made a move!

The whole courtyard witnessed Su Jianshe crippling Xu Damao's leg!

Now Su Jianshe was in serious trouble! They would surely send him to the police station!

Once Su Jianshe was locked away, the Su family household would be under his control!

Buns, meat, fine wine, furniture, stoves, coal... all would belong to him!

All of it! All of it would be his property!

"Su Jianshe! How dare you strike!"

Liu Haicheng uttered these words with a hint of gloating.

Silly Zhu was just about to chime in when he suddenly felt the back of his neck seized by a powerful grip, sending him flying backward through the air.

With a heavy thud, he slammed onto the ground.

Before Silly Zhu could even react, he saw Su Jianshe raise a hand high above him.

"Wait! Wait!" Silly Zhu frantically raised his arms to block. "Su... you can't hit me! Our business isn't settled yet!"

"If you dare hit me, I will definitely have you sent to the police station!"

"Business? The police station?" Su Jianshe sneered. "We can talk about those later; right now, you just need a beating!"

Before his voice faded, Su Jianshe swung his palm across Silly Zhu's face. This blow incorporated the essence of Eight Extremities Kung Fu, whistling through the air.

Slap!

A crisp sound of a strike echoed across the courtyard.

Silly Zhu spat a mouthful of blood, two teeth flying out along with it.

"Wuwu... Su Jianshe!"

Silly Zhu's mouth was full of bloody froth, his face etched with terror.

Yet Su Jianshe smiled brightly, turning to Liu Haicheng to say, "Uncle Second, please continue."

"Don't stop on my account. I'll do my hitting, you do your talking."

Liu Haicheng was dumbfounded; Su Jianshe's behavior was completely unhinged!

You do your talking, I'll do my hitting—was that something a normal person would say?

Still, since the one getting beaten wasn't him, Liu Haicheng hardened his heart, stepped back a few paces, and began righteously denouncing Su Jianshe.

For a time, accusations and slaps alternated in a chaotic rhythm.

Lying on the ground, Silly Zhu found things increasingly wrong. The harsher Liu Haicheng scolded, the heavier Su Jianshe's slaps landed.

"Old man! Shut your mouth! I'll be damned if..."

For his own safety, Silly Zhu seized the chance to scream at Liu Haicheng, "Are you an idiot?!"

Liu Haicheng was so scolded that he choked, stammering his mouth shut.

True enough, he had sensed it quite early on.

The more fiercely he cursed, the harder Su Jianshe struck.

It was just that... he hadn't expected Silly Zhu to figure it out as well.

He had originally plotted to let Su Jianshe hit him even harder.

After all, the harder the beatings, the more likely Su Jianshe would be arrested, right?

If anyone had heard Liu Haicheng's inner calculations just then, they would have laughed their heads off!

Look at Silly Zhu; he was nearly beaten out of human recognition.

If he had been any slower, wouldn't Su Jianshe have beaten him to death on the spot?

Nearby, Xu Damao, flat on his stomach, was scared out of his wits!

It turned out that taking that stone to the leg was far better than having Su Jianshe grab his collar and rain slaps on his face!

Qin Huairu and Mrs. Jia were scared as pale as ghosts!

Su Jianshe actually dared to strike, and with such merciless brutality! Right off the bat, he crippled Xu Damao and ruthlessly battered Silly Zhu!

Bangeng turned his head away in fright, hugging Qin Huairu's leg tightly, not daring to look at Su Jianshe at all.

He was terrified he might be beaten to death by Su Jianshe next.

In the back courtyard, Yi Zhonghai's face turned livid!

Liu Haicheng truly was a useless piece of trash!

Though to be fair, one couldn't entirely blame Liu Haicheng!

Su Jianshe's strikes were simply too fast and too vicious!

Just as the courage of these courtyard residents was worked up to a peak, Su Jianshe smashed it all to pieces with a single slap!

It seemed it was time for him to step forward himself.

"Stop this!"

Yi Zhonghai strode rapidly into the front courtyard. The moment he arrived, he put on a bewildered expression, his face twisted in bitter distress. "How did it come to this!"

"How did it turn into this!"

"Couldn't you talk things out properly?"

"Why must you resort to violence!"

Yi Zhonghai hurried to Su Jianshe's side, attempting to grab his arm, only to find it completely unshakable.

This left Yi Zhonghai looking deeply embarrassed. "Xiao Su, leave it be!"

"Are you really going to cripple Zhuzi right here?"

Su Jianshe halted his movements, casting a half-smiling glance at Yi Zhonghai. "Isn't this precisely what you wanted to see?"

"Inciting this bunch of blockheads to come banging on my door and making trouble."

"You've been watching from the back courtyard for so long, what are you pretending to be innocent for?"

What! What?!

Yi Zhonghai was the one who incited us?!

The crowd exchanged glances, recalling the earlier events, and indeed realized something felt suspicious.

Liu Haicheng glared malevolently at Yi Zhonghai, a jolt of realization hitting him.

As the saying goes, those caught in the middle are blind, while onlookers see clearly.

Yi Zhonghai's instigation hadn't actually been all that clever.

Yet at the time, Liu Haicheng's fury had been blazing; having just argued with his son, he was provoked further by Yi Zhonghai, and upon seeing the wealth in Su Jianshe's house, his eyes had turned entirely to money, making him fall for the trap.

Now, with Su Jianshe pointing it out, Liu Haicheng understood everything in a flash.

Yet the arrow was already fired.

Besides, Su Jianshe had already struck people, presenting a golden opportunity.

Even if he understood the manipulation, he had to keep playing dumb.

"Nonsense! Su Jianshe, don't try to sow discord between us!"