"Come on, everyone, smash it!"
While Jia Zhangshi was counting money at home, there was a commotion outside the gate. Then, a group of people smashed open her gate.
The wooden door collapsed with a crash, and after a cloud of dust, the people inside and outside stared at each other. Jia Zhangshi was still holding the money in her hand, her eyes wide open, seemingly unable to believe what had happened; while outside stood six or seven burly men, each carrying a wooden stick or something similar, looking very menacing.
"Ah, I'm going to fight you to the death!"
After regaining her senses, Jia Zhangshi rushed outside with her short legs. But she came back in an instant, kicked back by someone.
After the men finished kicking her, the two women who had just been brutally beaten by Jia Zhangshi appeared. They grabbed Jia Zhangshi's hair and started scratching her. Jia Zhangshi tried to resist, but her hands and feet were pinned down, and she couldn't move.
The commotion was so loud that the neighbors naturally heard it. In fact, when the group came in from the front yard, they were asked what they were doing, but the person simply replied, "It's none of your business." When they realized that they were looking for trouble with Jia Zhangshi, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and some were even a little happy.
Yi Zhonghai had just arrived home when he started chatting with an older woman about the Jia family's problems.
"This little guy is already robbing people on the street. What will he be like when he grows up? Judging from his age of three, he's not going to be a good person. It seems we were right not to pin our hopes for our old age on this child. Sigh."
The couple felt heartbroken whenever they talked about elder care. They had seen many elderly people living alone, with no one to rely on in their old age, forced to endure illness in bed, and left with no one to help them after death. It was truly tragic, which is why they were so troubled by elder care.
"Old Yi, how about we adopt one? There are quite a few children who have lost their parents in the orphanage. We can pick one that is healthy and clever," an older woman suggested.
"You think I haven't considered it? But how many other people's children can be properly raised? Take Jia Dongxu for example, we treated him well when he was young, but he still turned out the same way when he grew up."
Yi Zhonghai was worried that after raising them with great care, the other family would turn around and refuse to support them. He thought it better to focus on finding a suitable family in the compound, where at least they would know each other well.
"Uncle, something terrible has happened! Jia Zhangshi's door has been smashed, and Jia Zhangshi has been beaten."
While the two were chatting, a neighbor knocked on the door and came in, telling them that Jia Zhangshi had been beaten.
Upon hearing the news, Yi Zhonghai jumped to his feet. He had to stop someone from coming to the compound; it was his responsibility as an elder, especially since it involved the Jia family.
"Hurry, where's Sha Zhu?"
As Yi Zhonghai left, he didn't forget to ask Sha Zhu. Under normal circumstances, Sha Zhu, who lived next to the Jia family and was known as the "Courtyard War God," would have come out to stop it immediately.
"I didn't see Sha Zhu," the neighbor said.
Actually, at that moment, Sha Zhu was hiding at home watching outside. When that large group of people rushed in, his door wasn't closed yet, and he witnessed someone kick it open. As for fear, Sha Zhu wasn't afraid.
But Jia Zhangshi was at home, so what did it have to do with Sha Zhu being beaten? If it were Qin Huairu, he would have gone out immediately. So, to avoid being accused of abandoning someone in distress, Sha Zhu decisively closed the door and then peeked out through the crack in the door.
When Yi Zhonghai arrived at the Jia family's residence, the scene he witnessed was somewhat similar to what he had seen upon returning to the compound, but the roles of attacker and defender had reversed. Back then, it was two women who were being beaten; now it was Jia Zhangshi.
"Enough! Stop right there! Where are you from? How dare you come to our courtyard and start a fight? Do you want to end up in jail?" Yi Zhonghai said righteously.
Old Yi had been through the rough and tumble of the underworld before, and he knew that when dealing with these kinds of people, you couldn't back down in terms of presence. If you backed down, they would become tougher, and you would be at a disadvantage.
“Son, this man is the old man from this courtyard. This fat woman says he knows people in the police station, and they're the ones who forced us to give them money,” said the elderly woman sitting on the ground.
She remembered the scene when Jia Zhangshi had forced her to give them money. If it weren't for this old man and that idiot, they definitely wouldn't have given it to her.
"Oh, so you think you're some big shot? I'm going to beat you up, you big shot."
A burly man immediately slapped Yi Zhonghai across the face, causing his nose to bleed instantly. He was the son of the woman on the ground and the husband of another woman. Having witnessed the miserable state of his mother and wife, he had immediately gathered some of his brothers to seek revenge.
Liu Da Wa wasn't much of a talent, but he had a lot of brothers. He had four biological brothers from the same mother, plus several cousins. In just a few minutes, he gathered a few people over.
Yi Zhonghai truly didn't expect his opponent to be so ruthless, starting the fight without saying a word.
"Pillar, pillar, stupid pillar!" Yi Zhonghai was also furious, and he began to call for his thugs.
Sha Zhu saw Yi Zhonghai being beaten from inside the room. Before he could even utter a sound, Yi Zhonghai shouted. Yi Zhonghai had been very good to him, and Sha Zhu was grateful. At that moment, he rushed out carrying a carrying pole.
"I'll fuck your old man."
Sha Zhu brandished his carrying pole and charged forward. The pole swung wildly, wide and sweeping, displaying an imposing, unstoppable force. Several burly men were caught off guard. But Sha Zhu was alone; the other neighbors had already fled far away.
Once the burly men realized what was happening, they began to retaliate against Sha Zhu. They were also armed and outnumbered him; several of them surrounded Sha Zhu and started beating him, dragging Yi Zhonghai into the fray as well.
Old Yi initially didn't want to fight, but after being repeatedly beaten, he became very angry and started to retaliate. Thus, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu fought on one side, and several burly men on the other, and a fierce battle broke out in front of the Jia family's house, which raged fiercely.
Towards the end of the fight, Sha Zhu's carrying pole broke, and the opponents' weapons snapped. They were all panting heavily from exhaustion. Fortunately, however, the injuries were all superficial, suggesting they were experienced fighters who hadn't been targeting vital organs.
"You idiot, why did you only hit me at first and not the others?" a short, burly man shouted, pointing at Sha Zhu.
He was the shortest among them and was also the one who got beaten the hardest by Sha Zhu. From the very beginning, they specifically targeted him for beating.
"Hey, you still remember my nickname? I've been fighting around here since I was a kid, everyone knows me. To deal with a bunch of you, I'm definitely going to grab one of you and beat him to a pulp. If I just hit him here and scratch him there, it'll be useless in the end." Sha Zhu said smugly.
He lived in this neighborhood and had fought with Xu Damao, the neighbors in the next courtyard, and other young thugs since he was a child. He had fought with everyone, whether they were capable of fighting or not.
"Then why did you contact me?"
"Because you look the weakest."
The two exchanged questions and answers, and seemed to have a mutual respect for each other.
"Squat down, everyone, squat down. I'm talking to you."
Just as Sha Zhu was about to stand up and stretch his body, he was kicked down from behind.
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