Lady Jia Zhang couldn’t have been oblivious to the fact that even those unfamiliar with the law knew that murder demanded a life in return.
"Not so, you dead girl, you’re not dead now." If only she were dead.
"Still, harboring thoughts of murder, does my being alive mean Jia Dongxu is innocent?"
"Enough, I’m not speaking with you any longer. Lady Jia Zhang, if you’re going to make a scene, then go ahead."
Jia Dongxu was rolling around the room in pain, really too sore to bear. Hearing Lady Jia Zhang’s voice brightened his eyes instantly.
"Mom, save me, please save me."
"My bones hurt so much." Jia Dongxu knew that the only one who could save him now was Lady Jia Zhang.
Upon hearing this, Lady Jia Zhang—what? Jia Dongxu’s bones were aching? She didn’t fix her gaze on Yi Zhonghai but instead dashed over with the speed of an arrow.
Zhang Yu watched Lady Jia Zhang’s rushing figure and immediately aimed a stick at her.
Lady Jia Zhang, seeing the stick, couldn’t help but recall the scene from that afternoon; she abruptly hit the brakes, her body still aching all over.
"Coward," Zhang Yu muttered under her breath, "She’d have been dealt with long ago in this courtyard without anyone’s protection."
The Jia mother and son were so cowardly that without Yi Zhonghai’s protection, for their fighting power and knack for attracting trouble, they would have been taught numerous lessons by now.
"Jia Dongxu really is lucky, finding a childless man to be his master, all for the sake of having someone to take care of him in his old age, receiving support in all sorts, his ass is practically crooked."
She didn’t want to mention Yi Zhonghai’s childlessness, as it was a sensitive subject, but seeing this old bastard’s scheming, he truly didn’t deserve any respect.
Yi Zhonghai knew that others called him childless, including Lady Jia Zhang, but not once had anyone dared to say it to his face.
Yet here Zhang Yu was, saying it right in front of him, even exposing the calculations in his heart.
"Planning on one hand for Jia Dongxu to provide for his aged care, and on the other, having everyone in the courtyard extend their help."
"Wanting the benefits without spending a dime, just give the Jia family money directly, and that would settle it."
"As for the Jia family not having enough space to live, why not swap houses with them? Since it all comes down to Jia Dongxu providing for the aged care anyway, this way the Jia family would have a spacious house to live in without having to constantly scheme for everyone else’s property."
Hearing Zhang Yu’s words, Lady Jia Zhang’s eyes lit up. Indeed, why hadn’t she thought of that—if only they could get Yi Zhonghai’s two-room dwelling.
Yan Fugui, hearing Zhang Yu, knew the words were intended for Lady Jia Zhang, but he found no fault in them.
After all, Yi Zhonghai and his wife occupied two rooms and could indeed afford to back the Jia family a little.
"If Master Yi were to provide more support to the Jia family, maybe none of this would have happened."
Hmph, since a peaceful day in this courtyard was destined to be impossible, then let them tear each other apart like dogs.
As long as they knew she wasn’t to be trifled with, with the Jia family’s nature of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, would they still target her?
Even if they continued to scheme occasionally, it surely wouldn’t be as frequent.
Yi Zhonghai never expected Zhang Yu to stir up a new trouble, suggesting that aside from giving money to the Jia family monthly, they could also consider swapping houses.
Lady Jia Zhang understood Zhang Yu’s intention, to set her against Yi Zhonghai, but she thought the suggestion was truly beneficial.
"Old Yi, look, the two of you living in such a large house is just wasteful, why not we—" Lady Jia Zhang looked hopefully at Yi Zhonghai.
"Impossible." Yi Zhonghai had no intention of swapping houses with the Jia family. No matter that he was part of an elderly couple, nobody would find their own house too big.
He was a seventh-level fitter, a grandmaster craftsman, yet which grandmaster only has one room to his name? The moment you open the door, the situation inside is clear for everyone to see.
Lady Jia Zhang was displeased, her face drooping. However, she knew that now was not the time to throw a tantrum. With Dongxu involved in such a big mess, they still needed this branch of the family to step forward.
Unsurprisingly, Zhang Yu laughed at the response, "Well, well, Master Yi Zhonghai, when you came to me initially, didn’t you say that the Jia family had housing difficulties and that we should be considerate?"
"Now that it comes to exchanging houses with you, you feel it’s not suitable."
"You’ve played your cards well, indeed. As long as it doesn’t cost you money or a house, you’re all for it. After all, the benefits are yours to reap, and you get the reputation of someone willing to help the residents of the courtyard in need."
"But when it’s your turn to swap houses, you become unhappy."
"I recall that your house was assigned by the steel rolling mill, right? Since it was allocated by your employer, why can’t you demonstrate some spirit here?"
Isn’t it all about moral coercion? Now let’s have a go at it. When that waste Jia Dongxu gets locked up, if he dares to suggest donations, we’ll definitely force him to sponsor someone personally.
The one who will take care of him in his old age should be the one he supports.
Yi Zhonghai felt a sinister darkness before him, "Unreasonable."
He truly regretted why he had ever agreed with Lady Jia Zhang’s idea of asking Zhang Yu to exchange houses.
"My house was bought by my grandfather before the liberation. Everyone knows that my grandfather was a refugee who, after following my great-grandfather to Capital City, worked all kinds of jobs. It took the hard work of two generations to buy this house."
"It also serves as the Old Zhang Family’s foothold in Capital City, our ancestral property. Yet, Yi Zhonghai, you casually suggested that I should exchange houses with someone else."
"What does that make you?"
"Your behavior is no different from that of a pre-liberation landlord tyrant. Don’t even talk about swapping."
"In the same courtyard, just look at how big my house is compared to the Jia family’s. How is your behavior any different from that of a landlord tyrant?"
"And when you saw Jia Dongxu barging into my house without stopping him, you became an accessory to the crime, the one who set the stage."
"It wouldn’t surprise me if you had colluded with him, directing Jia Dongxu to seek revenge at my house."
"Truly, a great First Elder of the courtyard." Zhang Yu stared at Yi Zhonghai, determined to expose his true nature to the people around even though he knew he couldn’t do much to him.
Watching Zhang Yu become more and more worked up, Yi Zhonghai had only one thought—why hadn’t he kept quiet just now?
No, he should have not come out at all. Then it would have nothing to do with him.
"I didn’t, I didn’t." Other than repeatedly denying it, Yi Zhonghai didn’t know what else to do.
"Don’t say you didn’t. You can explain that to the police when the time comes." Zhang Yu, remembering the agreement he had signed that afternoon, suddenly brightened up with glee.
Xu Damao knew Zhang Yu would not let Jia Dongxu off the hook, but now it seemed he wouldn’t let go of Old Yi either.
Good, that’s how it should be. Without this troublesome old man in the way, it wouldn’t be so easy for Sha Zhu to bully him in the future.
Yan Fugui watched Zhang Yu, taking a deep breath. Looking at Yi Zhonghai, who was already trembling upfront, he knew that this time, the old buddy was truly in for a rough time.
Seeing Zhang Yu suddenly laughing, everyone was confused as to why he would laugh amidst the serious atmosphere.
"Oh right, have you forgotten about the agreement we signed this afternoon, Yi Zhonghai? You had assured that no one from the Jia family would trouble mine."
"That agreement hasn’t even lasted a night." Zhang Yu kept shaking his head, "Do you think that just because you signed an agreement, I could be at ease?"
"Now, I am glad that I fixed the courtyard door overnight, otherwise..."