The woman surnamed Feng wanted to go to the entrance to take a look, but it was crowded with people and she couldn't squeeze in.
"Aunt Zhao, could it be that all of his brothers have come over as well?"
"Judging from the situation, this woman has really had a tough time. To end up in a family like this."
Another woman's scream came from the courtyard; it sounded like an older woman, not a young person's.
"I don't want to live anymore. How dare she hit my mother-in-law! May lightning strike her down!"
"Auntie, the Sun family isn't exactly a saint either."
Zhang Hongmei found it amusing; this aunt from the Feng family was truly interesting.
A short while later, the boy who had run out returned, followed by several policemen wearing peaked caps.
This kid has potential and guts.
"Scatter, everyone, stop crowding around." The older police officer dispersed the people blocking the entrance.
The police entered the courtyard, and another buzz of discussion erupted outside the gate.
The howling in the yard had stopped. "Aunt Zhao, this kid's got some nerve! He even dared to call the police?"
"Sigh! They're still my grandparents, uncles, and aunts. This cuts off all my options."
Zhang Hongmei disliked these words very much, but she did not refute them. Nowadays, filial piety is of paramount importance, and even blind obedience is still necessary.
"Aunt Zhao, you're wrong. They've already come to our door to fight. Don't they remember they're grandparents, uncles, and aunts? Are they expecting the child to just stand there and wait to be kicked out?"
"You're wrong about the Feng family. Even if the elders are wrong, the younger generation shouldn't do this."
Zhang Hongmei decided to have less contact with the Zhao family in the future; they were foolish. As for the Feng family's aunt, she seemed to like her; she could consider visiting her.
"Hongmei, do you think what I said is right?"
“Aunt Feng, I think so too. People shouldn’t be blindly filial; they should be able to distinguish right from wrong.”
"Sigh, you guys are still too young."
Neither of them paid any attention to her, yet they felt incredibly close. At least for now, their thoughts were in sync.
The sounds in the courtyard were faint and indistinct, but none of the dozen or so people gathered outside had left. Even the women hadn't gone back to cook, so it seemed that meals in this alley would be served late.
The old lady from the Zhao family was a little embarrassed and angry, so she simply went to stand and chat with others.
The two looked at each other but neither said anything to try and persuade the other to stay.
"Hongmei, where are you from?"
"From Northeast China."
"That's so far away, how did you manage to buy a house in the capital?"
“We came here to study at university, and we felt it would be more convenient to have our own house, so we bought it.”
"You're in college already? How old are you?"
"I'm thirteen, or fourteen by the traditional Chinese age reckoning."
"I didn't realize you were so capable. My eldest daughter is about your age and is still in the first year of junior high."
"I skipped a grade."
"Which university do you attend? Are you living here at the Capital University?"
"Yes. It's the Capital University."
"My goodness, you wouldn't happen to be the top scorer in the country that my daughter was talking about, would you?"
Zhang Hongmei just smiled and didn't say anything.
The Feng family's loud voice immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Everyone gathered around, and Zhang Hongmei was startled.
"Little girl, I'm from the first house in this alley. We're from the Hu family, so you can just call me Aunt Hu."
"We are the third family, and our family name is Qian."
“I’m from the seventh family. Our surname is Zhou. You can call me Aunt Zhou. My child is about the same age as me. We can play together sometime.” There are nine families in this alley, and Zhang Hongmei’s family is the fifth.
"Hello everyone, ladies and aunties. I never expected to meet most of the neighbors today. My name is Zhang Hongmei. I'm young, so please take care of me in the future."
Everyone was talking at once, but the general idea was that since they were neighbors, they would definitely help each other if needed.
At this moment, the police arrived, followed by eight people: two elderly people, three middle-aged men, and three women, who appeared to be a family, all looking dejected.
"It seems that the Sun family of four has managed to keep their house."
"This family is truly despicable. Knowing their son is failing, they come back to seize the family property. They have a son; why would they need their brothers?"
"Who says otherwise? They're all sons. Even if the sons are no good, there are still grandsons. Really."
“You don’t know, at least half of the expenses every month have to go to the elderly. Haven’t you seen how skinny those three children are? Look at their grandparents and uncles, they’re not exactly fat, but they’re pretty close.”
"I saw them come and steal the grain. The youngest girl was sitting on the ground crying loudly, but it didn't stop her grandmother from carrying all the grain away. I couldn't stand it and lent them ten catties of grain."
"I've heard that Old Sun did this because his younger brother wanted to remarry, and his parents came to ask for money. When they didn't give it to him, they cried and made a scene all day long. Old Sun probably took a desperate gamble."
"Parents like these are truly rare. Old Sun's life is completely ruined."
"These three children are so pitiful."
Everyone was talking at once, expressing their contempt for the eight people.
The old woman, with prominent cheekbones and triangular eyes, spat on the ground and said, "What business is it of yours? Mind your own business."
Aunt Feng angrily shouted, "Don't come to our alley again, I'm afraid you'll dirty this place."
"Yes, don't come again. If they come again, we'll call the police and kick them out."
This has angered the public. "You better behave yourself. If you disturb everyone again, I'll arrest you." A policeman turned around and glared fiercely at the old woman.
This old lady was quite a character; she immediately cowered, lowered her head, and remained silent.
"It's almost seven o'clock. Everyone watched this group leave and went home."
As soon as Zhang Hongmei closed the door, she saw Liu Jingze sitting in the dining room reading a book.
"Jingze, go to sleep."
"Okay, the water's all boiled. I'll go fill your hot water bottle first."
After Liu Jingze finished filling the hot water bottle, he heard a knock on the door. Who could be coming at this hour?
The door opened, and there stood a young man, barely out of his teens.
"Comrade, I'm from the Sun family next door. I just wanted to ask if you're still buying a house. Our family is in the same situation as this one."
"You want to sell the house?"
"Yes, as you saw today, we're struggling to survive. Our family has decided to move to another city."
"Okay, I'll take it. See you at the Housing Authority gate at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."
"Okay, is it also eight hundred?"
"Yes, give them eight hundred too."
"That's great! My mom and I will come to wait for you tomorrow morning."
Liu Jingze closed the door, and Zhang Hongmei came out of the bathroom. "Brother Jingze, who's here?"
"The boy next door asked us if we were still going to buy a house. I agreed to sell it and become your neighbor."
"That's great! It'll be so lively when Auntie and the others come over. I'll be able to see them every day again."
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