Upon seeing this, Li Jinhua suddenly lunged at Grandpa Su.
"You old bastard, I'll fight you to the death!"
The police officer reacted quickly, stepping forward and subduing her in one swift motion.
"You dare commit violence in front of the police? Handcuff him!"
Seeing that things were not going well, Li's mother knelt down and cried.
"Officer, we were wrong, please forgive us..."
"Too late!"
The officer said coldly.
"take away!"
Watching the Li family members being escorted out of the house, Su Mingqiang finally broke down, kneeling on the ground and hugging his grandfather's legs.
"Sir! Jin Hua, she...she..."
Grandpa Su looked down at his grandson, his eyes filled with disappointment: "Mingqiang, you've broken my heart."
Director Wang from the neighborhood office stepped forward.
"Mr. Su, why don't you rest at our neighborhood office first? I'll have someone prepare some food for you and your wife."
Grandpa Su waved his hand.
"No."
Before leaving, the police officer saluted Mr. Su again.
"Don't worry, sir, we will handle this matter seriously!"
As the police car drove away, the surrounding neighbors gathered around, praising Grandpa Su in unison.
"The old man is amazing!"
"The Li family deserves it!"
"Grandpa Su is a great hero!"
.
The crowd gradually dispersed, and the last few whispers in the courtyard disappeared into the night.
Grandpa Su stood at the door, looking at the mess in the living room, his brows furrowed in worry.
Broken porcelain shards mixed with vegetable soup drew strange patterns on the ground, and half a braised pork rib lay forlornly in the corner, covered with footprints and dust.
"What a tragedy..."
The old man sighed and stepped over the threshold with his cane.
The tip of the cane tapped the floor with a dull thud, as if bringing this farce to a close.
Grandma Su followed behind and saw the plate of braised pork ribs on the ground that hadn't been touched much. She subconsciously bent down to pick it up.
"Don't waste food, it can be reheated."
"Stop picking it up!"
The old man's shout startled the old woman, making her hand tremble.
He pointed to the kitchen.
"Go cook some noodles, and add two extra eggs."
The old lady opened her mouth, but in the end she just nodded silently and dragged her feet toward the kitchen.
As she passed Su Mingqiang, who was huddled in the corner, she reached out to touch her grandson's head, but stopped mid-air and sighed.
The kitchen door closed gently, leaving only the grandmother and grandson inside.
The old man sat down in the only intact chair, took out his pipe from his waist, and slowly filled it with tobacco.
The copper pipe gleamed coldly under the light, just like his gaze at that moment.
Su Mingqiang knelt on the ground, the knees of his suit trousers already frayed.
He stole glances at his grandfather's face, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't dare to speak first.
The wall clock ticked away, each tick like a hammer blow to his heart.
"Master..."
He finally couldn't hold it in any longer, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping...
"Jin Hua, she..."
The pipe hit the armrest of the chair with a "thud," sending sparks flying.
The old man glared at him, and Su Mingqiang immediately shrank back.
"Is that shrew all you care about?"
The old man's voice wasn't loud, but it was as sharp as a knife.
"Your grandma was almost stabbed by her with a kitchen knife, didn't you see?"
Su Mingqiang pressed his forehead against the floor, his voice muffled.
"Sir, I know I was wrong... but Jin Hua... she's a primary school teacher. If she loses her job because of this... she earns fifty yuan a month."
The old man suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent chills down Su Mingqiang's spine.
"Great, great! My grandson, Su Dashan, is now only thinking about that fifty yuan in wages!"
The pipe was slammed heavily on the table, making the teacup jump.
The old man stood up and looked down at his grandson.
"Even when your dad was so hungry he ate tree bark as a child, he wasn't as spineless as you!"
In the kitchen, the old lady put a handful of noodles into boiling water.
In the misty air, she wiped her eyes.
The sounds of arguing outside came intermittently, and she deliberately banged the pots and pans loudly, trying to drown out the hurtful words.
"Mingqiang was such a well-behaved child."
The old lady muttered to herself and pulled two eggs from deep inside the cupboard.
In an instant, she seemed to see that little child chasing after her again, begging for candy.
"Grandma, I want a fried egg!"
The voice in my memory was crisp and clear, completely different from the man kneeling on the ground begging for mercy now.
In the living room, Su Mingqiang's forehead was already bleeding from the impact.
He went all out and grabbed his grandfather's leg.
"Sir! I beg you! Please have pity on me. If Jinhua goes to jail, how am I supposed to live?"
The old man looked down at his grandson's swollen forehead, and the anger in his chest suddenly dissipated by more than half.
He reached out to touch his grandson's head, but stopped in mid-air and sighed heavily.
"stand up."
The old man's voice softened a bit.
"Don't be like a bootlicker."
Su Mingqiang's eyes lit up, but he didn't dare to get up. He just looked up at his grandfather, like a dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy.
The old man sat back down in his chair; the fire in his pipe had gone out, and he had no interest in lighting it again.
"I can go and put in a good word for you with Director Wang."
"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"
Su Mingqiang was about to kowtow again, but the old man's glare froze him in place.
"but!"
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