The alert guard dog had just let out its first bark when it suddenly fell silent, sprawling limply on the ground. The light in the attic went out immediately.
The sound of a door opening and closing repeatedly echoed. Then, Lao Zhang’s family was dragged from their warm beds and thrown out like steamed buns. The women and children were still only in their underpants. They didn’t cry or make a sound. They lay silent and still. It took Yan Xixi a moment to realize that, like the guard dog, they must have been drugged unconscious.
Was her mother among these people too? She didn’t dare to shout; her lips were dry. Loud CRASHING AND BANGING sounded—walls being torn down, furniture being smashed to pieces...
Hidden beneath the Magnolia Tree, Yan Xixi’s legs quivered, threatening to give out.
As dawn approached, the swarm of men in black departed, leaving dust and arrogance in their wake. The old house had collapsed, and its powdery debris filled the air, so thick it almost made one lose consciousness. Yan Xixi pressed her hands hard against her mouth, stifling a scream.
Only when that group of men had completely vanished did Yan Xixi come to her senses and rush toward the small attic behind the main house.
The power lines had clearly been cut; the entire small district was dark.
The attic faced east, so the light was adequate. A pile of old electronics sat in the middle of the room. Four chairs were heaped with clutter, and the walls were plastered with all sorts of eviction notices and newspaper clippings of policies. An old desktop computer, which had been linked to the house’s surveillance cameras, normally provided 24/7 monitoring. This was Yan Xixi’s mother’s duty. She was responsible for watching the areas outside and inside, able to switch camera views and control their angles. Everything had been under her control.
Several times, when demolition teams had come openly, she had discovered the "danger" in time. By quickly calling the police, she had averted the crisis.
But this time, the private company had dispatched their "Flying Tigers Team." She hadn’t had time to react before the power lines were cut.
Yan Xixi dashed into the room and saw a haggard woman slumped on the simple bed, shivering.
"Mom... are you okay?"
"Xixi, you’re back... I’m fine, I hid..."
Downstairs, the sounds of Lao Zhang’s family, now regaining consciousness, cursing up a storm could be heard. They had all been knocked unconscious and left lying on the ground in their thin nightclothes. Now awake, they were stamping their feet and cursing in a rage.
Yan Xixi’s heart ached at the sight. Against such overwhelming force, how could ordinary people possibly resist? If I’d known it would come to this, we should have moved out earlier and taken those tens of thousands of yuan in compensation. At least we’d have had some money to fall back on. But now? We live in constant fear, and it’s unlikely we’ll get any compensation at all.
Yan Xixi quickly composed herself, even forcing a slight smile. "Mom, it looks like we can’t live here anymore. Let’s find another place to move to, okay?"
Her mother’s brow furrowed with worry. "Where can we possibly move? Rents are sky-high now. Even if we leave immediately, the demolition compensation money won’t arrive in just a few days..."
Yan Xixi took out a thick wad of crisp, new banknotes from her bag. "Mom, I have ten thousand yuan here."
"Xixi, where did you get this money from?"
Did I grab it in the confusion? Or did Wan Donglin put it in my bag at some point? She didn’t question it, nor did she try to remember. To survive, sometimes one had to learn to be shameless.
Yan Xixi’s mother stared at her. Her lips parted as if to speak, but in the end, she only heaved a long sigh.
Yan Xixi forced a laugh. "Mom, don’t worry. I didn’t rob a bank or anything."