He heard a crisp "crack" sound, and then warm liquid gushed from his nasal cavity and flowed into his mouth, both salty and fishy.
The second hook punch landed on Su Mingde's temple, and he felt dizzy and his legs went weak, causing him to kneel on the ground.
"Is that all you've got?"
The deputy factory director's son mocked, then kicked Su Mingde in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.
"Weren't you being pretty fierce just now?"
Su Mingde lay on the ground, panting heavily.
His vision had turned completely red, and his ears were filled with the roar of blood flowing through his veins.
But he still struggled to get up, scratching at the concrete floor with his fingers until his nails were turned up.
"Tsk tsk, how pitiful."
Liu Meijuan's voice came from above, cold and contemptuous.
"Crawling on the ground like a maggot."
These words pierced Su Mingde's heart like a knife.
He looked up and, through his bloodshot vision, saw Liu Meijuan standing there, holding the coat of Deputy Factory Director Wang's son, with a look of disgust on her face.
"Mei...Juan..."
Su Mingde stretched out his hand with difficulty, as if trying to grab something.
Liu Meijuan took a step back, as if afraid of getting it dirty.
"Don't call me by my name, it's disgusting."
Deputy Factory Director Wang's son sneered, raised his shiny leather shoe, and kicked Su Mingde hard in the head.
"Bang!"
The sound of the shoe tip hitting the skull was chilling.
Su Mingde's body convulsed suddenly, then he collapsed to the ground, motionless.
"Is he dead?"
Liu Meijuan asked somewhat nervously.
Deputy Factory Director Wang's son squatted down and checked Su Mingde's breath.
"He's still breathing; this piece of trash is pretty tough."
He stood up and straightened his shirt collar.
"Let's go, ignore him."
Liu Meijuan nodded, took the arm of Deputy Factory Director Wang's son, and the two left chatting and laughing.
The alleyway quieted down.
Only Su Mingde's faint breathing could be heard.
The setting sun cast its last rays on his scarred face, making the bloodstains even more glaring.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Mingde's fingers twitched again.
He struggled to turn over, lying on his back.
"Ah...ah..."
He tried to speak, but only a hoarse, breathy sound came from his throat.
A few barks came from afar, followed by the sounds of children laughing and playing.
Life went on, and no one noticed the heartbroken man lying in that dark alley.
Su Mingde suddenly laughed, his laughter hoarse and broken, like a wail coming from the depths of hell.
He laughed so hard he trembled, and his wounds reopened, staining the ground beneath him with blood.
"Hahaha...hahaha..."
The laughter gradually turned into sobs, and finally into a heart-wrenching wail that echoed through the empty alley.
at the same time.
Su Jianguo pushed his bicycle out of the trust store and looked up at the sky.
The June sun was already setting in the west, but the heat had not diminished at all, making the back of his neck burn with pain.
"Old Su, are you really not going to take another look?"
The shop owner, Lao Zhang, followed him out and handed him a Daqianmen cigarette.
Su Jianguo took the cigarette, sniffed it under his nose, and shook his head.
"None of the apartments I looked at today were suitable; they were either too worn out or in bad locations."
Old Zhang exhaled a smoke ring and squinted his eyes.
"The kind of detached house with clear property rights that you're looking for is indeed hard to find these days. However..."
He lowered his voice.
"I heard there's a three-courtyard house in Dongsi, and the owner is a remnant of the old regime who's eager to sell."
Su Jianguo's eyes lit up, but he quickly regained his composure.
How big? How much?
"I don't know the specifics, but I'll try to find out for you tomorrow."
Old Zhang patted him on the shoulder.
"You old rascal, struck it rich lately? Looking at houses two days in a row."
Su Jianguo smiled without answering, tucked the cigarette behind his ear, and got on his bicycle.
"I'll come again tomorrow."
As Su Jianguo pedaled away from Liulichang, he pondered his next move.
The courtyard houses I looked at today either had issues with property rights or would offer less compensation for future demolition; none of them were as good as the one I bought in Xisi yesterday.
He remembered that in his previous life, the demolition of Dongsi was delayed and the compensation standards were low, making it less cost-effective than Xisi.
As the bicycle turned onto Chang'an Avenue, Su Jianguo suddenly remembered something, turned the bike around, and rode towards the steel mill's residential compound.
The old man and woman have been staying at their eldest son's house for two days, and he needs to go check on them.
At the entrance of the residential compound, several elderly women were sitting in the shade of a tree, enjoying the cool air.
Upon seeing Su Jianguo, they immediately stopped chatting and all turned to look at him.
"Old Su, you've come to see your parents?"
"I asked with a smile," said Director Wang of the neighborhood committee.
Su Jianguo nodded and locked his bicycle.
"Is the old man comfortable here?"
Director Wang smiled meaningfully.
"Of course I'm used to it. I even saw your dad practicing Tai Chi in the yard this morning."
She leaned closer and lowered her voice.
"It's your Mingqiang's wife..."
What happened to Jin Hua?
Su Jianguo frowned.
"It's nothing, it's just..."
Director Wang hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
"You'll see when you go."
Su Jianguo's heart sank, and he quickly walked towards his eldest son's house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
