Chapter 008 Divorce and Fighting (Part 2)
"Xiao Tong, don't you think it's worth it to watch such an exciting group fight without spending any money?" Jiang Nan stood on tiptoe at the periphery, staring at the four-person fight in amazement.
"Yes, host. I've been praised many times by the main system for eating a lot of melons."
"The other systems are so ignorant." Jiang Nan sighed as he stepped back. These four people were almost at their doorstep.
"Ouch! My honeycomb coal!" Grandma Fang slapped her thigh and cried, "Stop fighting! My honeycomb coal has been smashed to pieces. Everyone, please stop fighting! We can't continue."
Despite being an oilfield, there was no natural gas connection at the time, so cooking still relied on honeycomb briquettes. Every household had honeycomb briquettes piled next to their stoves. Some families in need even used firewood to save money.
Jiang Mancheng's family lived on the westernmost side, and he had been leaning against the doorway to watch the fight. Cheng Dazhu lived next door to the Jiangs, so naturally he was also on the west side. Wu Dachui's family lived on the east side, so he came to settle a score with the two of them, so naturally the fight started on the west side.
Now that the four of them were fighting, the three households on the west side would suffer, and the first to be hit would be Grandma Fang's house next to the corridor.
"I'll let you crash into my honeycomb coal. I'll beat you, I'll beat you!" Fang Nansheng and Fang Nanhai rushed out like little firecrackers, kicking the four people rolling on the ground. After all, they were just children, so they didn't want to fight and ran home after kicking them.
From the perspective of Jiang Nan, who had watched countless martial arts dramas in his later life, this group fight had no technical content and no structure at all.
But it is lively and sincere, so lively that one can ignore the technique, and so sincere that one can always pay attention to the expressions of the four people.
Wow. That's quite vivid.
It makes people want to watch it.
Jiang Nan took two steps back. This level of brutality was enough to make her suffer. Didn't she see her cunning father hiding behind the door? Even so, she kept jumping and watching.
He is also a strong and lively old man.
Chen Jinhua stood in the crowd, speechless for a moment. Her father and son didn't hide when they should, but were quicker to hide than anyone else when they shouldn't. She stepped out of the crowd and said to Jiang Nan, "Xiao Nan, go inside and take a look. Your foot is injured, don't let it get stepped on."
"Oh." Jiang Nan looked back every few steps, and slowly came to Jiang Mancheng's side. He lay down by the door with his old father, looking out persistently.
Just, don't want to miss anything.
"Everyone, don't just stand there and watch. Move them apart." Old Lady Cao, the building manager, rarely skittishly, raised her hand as she walked upstairs, her expression stern. Her aura was commanding, "Xiao Sui, Xiao Wei, Jin Hua, don't just stand there and watch. Move them apart. There are honeycomb coal and stoves in this hallway. If someone doesn't put their kitchen knife away properly, someone could die. This is no small matter. Hurry, move them apart."
The onlookers twitched their lips.
Who doesn’t put away the kitchen knife after cooking?
You have to pay for the ticket, and it’s not cheap.
However, Old Lady Cao was generally warm-hearted and fair, and she still held some respect in the building. The three people who were called exchanged glances, and without a word, Chen Jinhua rolled up her sleeves and rushed towards Wu Dachui and Cheng Dazhu. It was unknown how she moved, but she had separated the two grown men in a few seconds.
Seeing the opportunity, Xiao Sui and Xiao Wei quickly separated Old Wu and Old Lady Liu.
Old Mrs. Cao put her hands on her hips and began to lecture them: "You guys, you're all grown up, and you're still fighting in a group. How can that be normal? Old Liu, Old Wu, you're all elderly people, can't you set an example for the young people? You're so old, and you're still fighting. Do you have any shame? And you, Dachui, you got into trouble today. Everyone sympathizes with you, but you can't take your anger out on your neighbors."
Old Lady Liu's eyes were red with anger, and she couldn't listen. She sat down on the ground, digging her legs back and forth, slapping her thighs with her arms, and wailing non-stop. Her grief was more painful than that of a young widow visiting a grave.
Of course, the young widow was truly heartbroken. Old Lady Liu, this was purely to upset the onlookers.
"It's bullying. My Dazhu was just watching the fun and got beaten up. Sister Cao, you have to stand up for our family. Wu Dachui was cuckolded, but he can't beat up everyone he sees. If he does this, how can we get along as neighbors in the future? If he beats up anyone he doesn't like, we won't dare live next to him anymore."
You know what, although Old Lady Liu has a bad mouth, what she says is actually listenable.
It's uncomfortable and embarrassing for a grown man to suffer such stimulation, but you can't take it out on others.
Well, Cheng Dazhu may not be that innocent, but the onlookers think they are innocent.
"Old Wu, you better keep a close eye on your sledgehammer. He's already a strong sledgehammer, and if he goes crazy and starts hitting people, we won't be able to withstand him."
"That's right, we have nothing to do with Fan Taohua, Da Hammer, you can't be so confused about what's good and what's bad."
Old Lady Cao secretly curled her lips. She didn't believe Cheng Dazhu was innocent. But she was the building manager and had to deal with the fight. She raised her voice and roared, "That's enough!"
After this shout, the crowd quieted down considerably. Old Lady Cao used to be the village's "messenger girl," responsible for running errands and delivering messages, and her voice was exceptionally high and clear.
Seeing that his skills were still as strong as before, Old Lady Cao was very proud and lectured Old Lady Liu, "He was wrong to hit someone with the hammer today. But you also pulled his hair. Look, the back of his head is bald. If you keep pulling, I'll talk to you about going to the hospital for treatment. Old Cheng, don't you agree?"
Old Cheng usually doesn't care about anything at home, just waiting for his wife to serve him. Before, when he saw the old woman helping her son, he was naturally happy to do nothing. Now when he was asked about it, he thought about it in his heart, and realized that his family was not at a disadvantage. He smiled and nodded: "Sister Cao, don't worry, I will take good care of these children in my family."
Old Lady Cao nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Wu Dachui and his son and said earnestly, "Dachui, since you were excusable today, I won't bother with you too much. But you are not allowed to fight with your neighbors in the future, understand?"
Seeing his son stiffen his neck and remain silent, Old Wu knew he couldn't be so stubborn any longer. He immediately put on a smile and nodded, saying, "Sister Cao, you're right. My Da Hammer will definitely not fight in the future. You can rest assured."
His son beat Cheng Dazhu badly today. If they go to the hospital, who knows who will suffer. Old Wu is no fool.
Just as the excitement was about to fade away, Granny Fang started to complain: "Sister Cao, my family is innocent. Look at our honeycomb coal, it's all smashed. Don't you have to compensate us?"
"Uh." Old Lady Cao looked at the four people fighting, all of whom lowered their heads and pretended not to hear. She had no choice but to check on the Fang family's stove.
My goodness, more than ten pounds of honeycomb coal fell to the ground and broke into slag.
"How about this, each of you two families pays half, and the broken honeycomb coal of the Fang family is divided equally between you two families, how about that?" Old Mrs. Cao rubbed her forehead. She had to deal with these trivial matters every day. It was not easy to be a building manager.
"Then...the coal slag also belongs to our family..." Grandma Fang wanted to argue a few more words, but seeing that Grandma Cao was about to get angry, she shut up in annoyance.
Humph, she couldn't afford to lose the bigger picture for the sake of a small gain. Compensating them with intact honeycomb briquettes was most important; the slag would be cheaper for them. Besides, Granny Fang selfishly thought, her personality wasn't about being unreasonable. She played the victim to gain sympathy, but she wouldn't be unreasonable and jeopardize her image of being weak.
The rest was a dispute over compensation. Old Wu claimed Cheng Dazhu had hit him, while Cheng Dazhu claimed Wu Dachui had. Then the two of them engaged in a frenzy of attacks, each attacking the other's organs and ancestors. Finally, under Old Lady Cao's roar, they agreed to pay the compensation as originally proposed.
Jiang Nan sighed, "It's not easy for Old Lady Cao to be the building manager." Just like the designer in her previous life, no matter how many suggestions the client made or how many drafts were revised, the final draft was usually the first one.
Jiang Mancheng closed the door with satisfaction, walked behind his wife Chen Jinhua with a flattering smile, and rubbed her shoulders like a fake eunuch of the new era.
Oh, no, there were real eunuchs in the old times.
He flattered her, "Jinhua, you are truly wise and righteous, with a keen eye. You saw through the sinister villain's schemes at a glance, and you are also extremely powerful. You saved me from danger. You are truly the pillar of the family. Or maybe I just fell in love with you at first sight. My wife, you are truly wise and brave. Look, our daughters are smarter than ordinary people."
Jiang Mancheng's endless stream of flattering words made Chen Jinhua's lips curl slightly. She coughed lightly and said, "Well, it's been quite a busy day today. Let's go wash up and go to bed early."
The crowd of onlookers in the hallway had mostly dispersed. These days, without televisions or cell phones, people generally went to bed early. Soon, there was a burst of ping-pong sounds, the gurgling of water, and the clatter of cups on the countertop. Then, the building gradually quieted down.
Jiang Nan tiptoed to open the door, and left the house one after Jiang Mancheng.
Didn't she ask Cheng Meijuan to save some watermelons? She didn't buy many, just two. Jiang Nan thought it would be easy to bring them back and she didn't need her father to accompany her.
But Jiang Mancheng was worried. It was late at night and his daughter was injured. How could she go out alone?
The two men sneaked downstairs, quickly stood up, and strode out.
It's not easy to be a thief.
Well, it seems like they are not thieves. They are just buying some things. Why do they act like thieves?
The duo of Baibai thieves quietly entered the back door of the supply and marketing cooperative. When they met other people on the way, they pretended not to see them.
Everyone who understands knows that this kind of thing should not be publicized.
The lights in the main hall of the supply and marketing cooperative were off, with only the lights on in the east and west side rooms. Jiang Nan took her father to the east side room, where they usually went.
Inside, Cheng Meijuan and two other saleswomen sat on a bench, watching over the small watermelon stall behind them, eating melon seeds and chatting. Cheng Meijuan saw Jiang Nan come in and stood up and whispered, "One person can only buy two more. There's nothing we can do. There are so many people who want watermelons, we can't spare any."
Jiang Nan nodded in understanding. Watermelon wasn't expensive, and it was a refreshing treat. Who wouldn't want to enjoy a bite in the heat of summer? Even those struggling families would bite the bullet and buy one or two.
She secretly put the ticket and money into Cheng Meijuan's trouser pocket, and did not forget to compliment her: "It's not easy for you. You have to wait so late."
Cheng Meijuan smiled. Although she knew Jiang Nan and his daughter through chatting, these two people knew the rules and always added 10% to the list price, which was considered generous. Everyone was happy to "exchange" with them.
Don't underestimate this 10%. There are so many people who take advantage of others but don't want to pay. Jiang Nan and his daughter are really very loyal.
Besides, what's so hard about just guarding? Those who can come here for "exchange" are mostly people with some connections. Knowing more people will make your future easier, right? Cheng Meijuan understands this very well.
She touched her trouser pocket, looked up and smiled apologetically at Jiang Mancheng, then pulled Jiang Nan to the other two salespeople and whispered, "My sister, the man who went on a blind date with that Sun Lingling seems to be called Lin Bing. Yes, Lin Bing. She lives in the same building as Lin Bing."
"Ouch." One of the older women slapped her thigh and grabbed Jiang Nan's hand, holding it tightly. "Big sister, tell me quickly, did Sun Lingling go to your building to cause trouble? What happened? Tell me quickly."
"Yes, tell me quickly. I live upstairs from Sun Lingling, and I know her very well. I'm telling you, we can't let her deceive that young man."
"That's right, Sun Lingling and that projectionist Xiaonian have been having an affair for years. Everyone in our building knows about it."
Seeing that she couldn't break free, Jiang Nan could only turn around and smile at her father, whispering, "Dad, you go back with the watermelon first. I'll say a few words and then go home."
Jiang Mancheng shrugged. He wanted to hear gossip, too, but with a bunch of young female comrades around, he, a middle-aged man, had no choice but to pick up the big watermelon and move to the staff quarters like an old ox.
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