My Mother-in-Law is Reborn [Seventies]

Chapter 41

Ming Mei was quite angry. How could someone as pretty as her be mistaken for a ghost? That was simply ridiculous!

She hurried out, intending to catch up and explain. Although eavesdropping wasn't exactly polite, it hadn't been intentional. Ming Mei felt somewhat innocent in this situation. Besides, what on earth were they talking about? She really didn't want to hear any of it - it was enough to make her want to wash her ears out.

Ming Mei rushed out, but when she looked again, the couple was nowhere to be seen. She had only hesitated for a brief moment, yet they had already fled. They were remarkably quick. Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu ran home as fast as their legs could carry them. At this point, Zhou Qun wasn't showing any signs of drunkenness anymore, not even a slight stumble - he was running at full speed!

As for his wife, who had time to worry about wives at a moment like this!

He burst into the courtyard howling, and before he could shout again, there was a creak - their door opened, and Su Jinlai poked his head out from inside. Their eyes met and... Zhou Qun: "Damn it! Su Jinlai, you little brat, you're stealing from my house again!"

Zhou Qun, already on edge from being scared, completely lost it when he saw this troublemaker. He immediately struck Su Jinlai across the face, sending him falling backward onto his bottom, crying out loudly.

Zhou Qun was furious. He grabbed Su Jinlai and slapped him twice across both cheeks.

"Help! Help!" Now someone else was calling for help, but this time it was the little thief Su Jinlai.

The child was wailing loudly. Usually, at this hour, most people would be asleep, but there had been so many events that day. People had stayed up late discussing Zhou's family and their yet-to-arrive new neighbors.

Just as they were about to sleep, the Zhuang family's child had gotten sick and was rushed to the hospital.

As everyone was finally settling back down to sleep, Zhou Qun's roars and Su Jinlai's cries erupted in alternation. Su Jinlai was screaming for help like a stuck pig, causing everyone to hurriedly throw on their clothes and come outside. Aunt Su was the first to rush out, crying, "Don't hit my grandson!"

She rushed forward quickly, but by this time Zhou Qun had completely lost control. He turned and struck her, instantly causing one side of her face to swell. As for Su Jinlai, his face was already swollen like a pig's head.

"You dare to interfere? Well, well, I caught your Su Jinlai stealing, was this all planned by your family? How else could you have come out so quickly at the first sound of trouble?" Zhou Qun wasn't stupid - he immediately caught on and said, "Your family's really something, living in the same courtyard - what are you up to! Do you take me for a fool? Waiting until my house is empty to send your kid to steal."

Zhou Qun's loud cursing served not only to vent his anger but also to release his fear.

Jiang Lu snatched up the cloth bundle that Su Jinlai had dropped on the ground. The eggs inside had broken, making a mess with the corn flour, and there was also a small bag of their rice inside.

Jiang Lu angrily shouted, "Look, look how this little devil has ruined everything, my good eggs!"

By now, all the neighbors had come out, pointing and gossiping. Aunt Su was crying while shielding Su Jinlai, and Wang Xiangxiu rushed out in her nightclothes, throwing herself at Zhou Qun: "How could you hit a child? He doesn't know any better, he was just hungry. We don't have enough to eat..."

She wasn't as shrewd as Aunt Su, who, seeing the situation turn bad, immediately fell silent and just protected Su Jinlai while crying. Wang Xiangxiu, however, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, started defending her son with excuses.

"Hah, listen to that, just listen to what she's saying. Is that how a decent person talks? Your kid's hungry so you steal from my house? You don't have a husband, so are you going to go stealing too?" Zhou Qun's words were merciless, showing no regard for their former "relationship."

What relationship? It had been nothing more than a transaction of money and goods, and now Zhou Qun couldn't care less about any of that.

Wang Xiangxiu stared at Zhou Qun in disbelief. How could he talk to her like this? How could he say such things about her? Their relationship - how could he? Wang Xiangxiu's eyes widened as she cursed, "Zhou Qun, you bastard!"

He was supposed to be wrapped around her finger!

"Your insults mean nothing to me. Tell me, what should we do about your son? Again and again, when will it end? This time, I'm definitely reporting this to security." As it happened, he had caught a thief, so he had done something good. It might help offset the bad reputation his mother had left behind.

Zhou Qun grabbed Jinlai and said, "Come on, we're going to the security office."

Aunt Wang saw that Zhou Qun was serious and quickly tried to mediate: "Zhou Qun, calm down. I know what this child did was terribly wrong, but please calm down first, it's still the middle of the night..."

She could only try to calm Zhou Qun's emotions for now.

But Bai Fendou couldn't stand by anymore. He rushed forward and punched Zhou Qun in the face. Zhou Qun couldn't dodge in time and took the hit square on, screaming furiously, "Bai Fendou, damn you!!!"

Bai Fendou: "My mother's gone, go join her below!!!"

He was quite the troublemaker himself. He shouted loudly: "Zhou Qun, are you even a man? Just bullying a widow and her child? Like mother, like son - your mother was no good, and neither are you. Let me tell you, now that I'm here, you won't be bullying Sister Xiu and Jinlai anymore. Come here, child, Uncle Fendou won't let anyone bully you."

"Fine, fine! I see you're determined to defend a thief, you must be in cahoots with them, and you dare to hit me..." Zhou Qun pointed at Bai Fendou, trembling with rage, but Bai Fendou remained defiant.

"What about it!"

He glared at Zhou Qun, and suddenly, Jiang Lu charged forward, crashing hard into Bai Fendou, who lost his balance and fell. Jiang Lu's claws went straight for Bai Fendou's face: "I'll teach you to hit my husband, I'll teach you to hit my husband!"

She straddled Bai Fendou, both hands clawing like the Nine Yin Skeleton Claw.

Ming Mei watched in amazement, taking small steps to Zhuang Zhixi's side. Zhuang Zhixi had the sleepy Xiao Yanzi on his shoulders - children usually would be asleep at this hour, but with all the commotion, she was caught between wanting to watch the excitement and wanting to sleep, in a daze.

Zhuang Zhixi patted her and held his wife's hand, with no one paying attention to Ming Mei. Actually, Ming Mei had originally intended to catch up with the Zhou couple to explain, but before she could enter the courtyard, Zhou Qun had already started throwing punches. And then... things had escalated.

She gave Zhuang Zhixi a look that clearly meant: Is this what you meant by Zhou Qun being able to resolve things peacefully?

Zhuang Zhixi returned a helpless look - this was his second failed prediction.

Who could have expected Zhou Qun to suddenly explode like this!

At this point, Ming Mei felt there was no need for explanations anymore. The toilet, the female ghost - none of that mattered now. What mattered was that Zhou Qun and his wife had caught a thief. The scene had descended into utter chaos.

Aunt Wang didn't know who to pull apart first.

Nobody dared to intervene much, as Jiang Lu was like a mad woman, pulling hair and scratching faces, making Bai Fendou's already sparse hair even more pitiful. Old Man Bai wanted to help but hesitated to lay hands on a woman.

However, Jiang Lu was still just a woman, and with one roll, she was pinned down. Now he was on top, his hand almost touching somewhere inappropriate.

Zhou Qun's eyes blazed with fury: "Bai Fendou, you pervert!!!"

Bai Fendou: "No, I'm not, this isn't what it looks like... Ah!"

Zhou Qun charged in at this point, and Old Man Bai, seeing the previous restraining position had ended, also jumped in. Meanwhile, the instigators of all this - the Su family women - hugged each other, both holding onto the child and crying.

Despite being the thieves, they acted as if they were the ones who had been greatly wronged.

Aunt Wang: "Enough, stop fighting, all of you stop fighting..."

No one listened to her.

Everyone had fought themselves into a frenzy, who would pay attention to her?

At this moment, Aunt Wang couldn't help but think of the day she fell into the cesspool. On that day, she had felt just as helpless.

Life, alas, is all about comparisons. Today may have been tough, but we must look on the bright side—at least they weren't fighting in a cesspit, right?

Aunt Wang: "Come on, a few of you lads, help me pull these people apart."

"Aunt Wang, we can't hold them! What if we get beaten up?"

"Yeah! If we hurt them, they'll hurt us, and that's not good either."

Everyone chimed in, hesitant to lend a hand. Aunt Wang shouted, "Help out! If they complain, I'll go to the neighborhood committee!"

Still, no one dared to act. It wasn't the fear of hurting someone; if they did, Aunt Wang would take responsibility. It was the fear of getting hurt themselves. Those four were clearly in a frenzy. Today, Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu were utterly different from their usual selves, as if possessed by some demon!

Who could have known that Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu were on the brink of eruption after being startled by a "ghost girl"? Though they were fighting, it was also a form of release.

Aunt Wang: "Are you guys really that scared?!"

Aunt Wang's loud roar prompted Ming Mei to raise her hand and say, "I'll do it!"

Aunt Wang paused and said, "Xiao Zhuang's wife, you're just a little girl…"

Ming Mei: "I can handle it. You remember I caught a thief before, right? But I do have a heavy hand…"

She wanted to make that clear first.

Aunt Wang: "It's fine, I'll take responsibility if anything happens!"

A little girl, how strong could she be?

She was already quite strong for a woman, but even she couldn't break into the four-way brawl. That's why she had been calling for help.

"Just try, but be careful."

Ming Mei immediately rolled up her sleeves—well, her cotton-padded jacket, which didn't roll up, but it didn't hinder her. She dashed over, grabbed Jiang Lu, and using her as a pivot, kicked Zhou Qun, sending him flying two to three meters and crashing into the door, which promptly fell off its hinges.

Everyone: "Holy crap!"

Before they could react, Ming Mei twisted Bai Fendou's arm and kicked him, causing him to collide with Old Man Bai, the two of them like a human stack, crashing into their own door, which also fell.

Both collapsed on the door.

Everyone: "Holy crap!"

"You!" Jiang Lu was about to explode, but Ming Mei, as if not exerting much force, twisted her hand, sending Jiang Lu flying and landing on Zhou Qun.

Zhou Qun: "Ugh!"

He groaned under the weight of his wife.

Ming Mei clapped her hands and smiled, "All done."

Everyone: "Holy crap!"

They all took a synchronized step back.

Aunt Wang swallowed hard.

Ming Mei gave a bright smile, her voice soft and sweet, "Is this okay?"

Aunt Wang: "Yes, this is more than okay."

She looked at the two fallen doors and thought, if this isn't okay, then nothing is.

"Uh, thank you…" Aunt Wang felt awkward saying it, but Ming Mei chirped, "No need to thank me, it's what I should do. If you need help again, just call me. I'm always happy to serve the people."

Aunt Wang: "…"

The others in the courtyard: "…"

They all looked at Ming Mei, then turned to Zhuang Zhixi, who was sure he saw sympathy in their eyes.

What were they thinking? His wife wouldn't hurt him; she was very gentle.

He gave a broad smile and raised his thumb, "Wife, you're amazing."

Ming Mei's cheeks flushed pink; she hadn't fought in front of so many people before. She felt a bit shy and quickly ran to Zhuang Zhixi's side. The bus incident was different; she was doing a good deed then, and the thief had a knife, so she had to focus on capturing him and protecting others. There was no time to be shy.

As for the time with Zhuang Zhixi, there were no onlookers, so this was her first time feeling self-conscious. She pointed at the two fallen doors and said earnestly, "Aunt Wang, you said I don't have to take responsibility."

Aunt Wang swallowed again and nodded, "You don't!"

After that, she didn't know what else to say.

The scene fell into an awkward silence. No one knew what to say.

The four who were forcibly separated were bewildered. They never expected Ming Mei to be so strong. The others were equally shocked, having seen people fly through the air.

Though there were rumors about Ming Mei's bravery in catching thieves, no one truly believed how strong she was until now.

Jinlai silently snuggled into his grandmother's arms, thinking that the last time she kicked bricks was just a warm-up. This was the real deal. He couldn't steal from this family anymore.

He was beaten by Zhou Qun, but he didn't consider Zhou's house off-limits. Instead, he firmly decided never to steal from Zhuang's. If he got caught…

Even a big man got kicked several meters; he, a little guy, wouldn't stand a chance.

He was the eldest grandson of the Su family; he couldn't afford to get hurt.

In just a moment, everyone in the courtyard had gone through a whirlwind of thoughts.

Ming Mei leaned against Zhuang Zhixi, looking like a docile lamb, hard to imagine she was the one who kicked people earlier. She had an innocent expression. Zhuang Zhixi said, "What are you all staring at? My wife is beautiful, but you can't keep staring. I'll get jealous."

This brought out some chuckles.

Yang Lixin: "Is it Shanxi's old vinegar?"

Zhuang Zhixi: "A whole barrel."

The laughter eased the previous tension. Aunt Wang stepped forward, helping Jiang Lu and Zhou Qun up. "Are you guys okay?"

Zhou Qun gave a sardonic chuckle. Aunt Wang quickly said, "Today's incident, you can't blame Xiao Zhuang's wife. I asked her to separate you. If you want to blame someone, blame me. The doors aren't too damaged; we can fix them with a wrench tomorrow. I did this for your own good. Look at how badly you're all hurt. I know you're the victims and feel wronged, but if you two really fought, you'd be at a disadvantage."

They were outnumbered by Bai Fendou and his father.

Zhou Qun was an electrician, not needing much strength, mostly working in the office. Jiang Lu was also a desk worker, far from being able to handle the Bai father-son duo. Aunt Wang's words slightly improved Zhou Qun and Jiang Lu's mood.

But only a little.

The couple remained sullen. Bai Fendou then complained, "Aunt Wang, why are you taking sides? They're wronged, but what about us? Look at the scratches on my face; I haven't even married yet!"

Aunt Wang shot him a look and said, "You're lucky to have the nerve to complain. If you hadn't started the fight, there wouldn't be this mess. Jinlai stealing was wrong, and a little discipline is good for him. But no, you had to make a scene. What does this have to do with you? Besides, you started the fight first. Do you think you're in the right?"

Aunt Wang was blunt; she didn't like Bai Fendou. A thirty-something man, living like this, should look at himself.

Bai Fendou: "But I couldn't just watch him hit the kid…"

"A tree needs pruning to grow straight. Today, Zhou Qun was in the right," Aunt Wang said, not wanting to escalate the issue but also not condoning theft. She didn't want things to get out of hand, mainly because she had her own grandchildren and felt for the kids.

Although the three children of the Su family were a bit mischievous, they had lost their father, and their lives were tight and difficult. That's why she didn't want the children to end up in a juvenile detention center. If they were recorded in the files, their future would be even more difficult.

Aunt Wang didn't want the matter to escalate out of pity for the children, but she agreed that the boy should be taught a lesson. If not, he would keep repeating his mistakes, over and over again.

Moreover, the boy didn't dare to steal outside; he only wandered around their courtyard and the nearby area, targeting familiar faces, which was also annoying.

So she thought education was necessary, even a beating to make him remember, but she didn't agree with handing the matter over to the security department for serious handling. She originally believed that by talking things out, the issue could be resolved without escalating, but she didn't expect Bai Fendou, that brainless dog, to be so mindless for the widow.

She scolded, "Look at what you've done! Look at how you've beaten Zhou Qun and his wife. Don't even mention your injuries; we all saw you start the fight. Look at what you've done, acting so irresponsibly day after day. You're over thirty, yet you're less steady than a twenty-something youngster! I've watched you grow up, so how did you end up like this!"

Aunt Wang felt a mix of pity and frustration.

The more she spoke, the angrier she became, so she moved a chair and sat in front of the Bai family's door: "Old Man Bai, I have to talk to you too. As a father, you should set a good example for your son, not drag him down. Look at how old Fendou is. It's time for him to find a wife and settle down. But go ask around, what kind of reputation does your son have? Even if there are one or two who don't care, they're scared off by your reputation. Do you want to live like this forever? Do you want to have a future? Today, you have to apologize to Zhou Qun and compensate him."

"Why should we?"

"Because you started the fight, and now Zhou Qun and his wife are injured."

Bai Fendou was not convinced: "Ming Mei also hit me."

Aunt Wang was about to explode, but Zhuang Zhixi spoke up, sneeringly said: "So, according to you, it's my wife's fault? Everyone here saw it; they were fighting in a group, and Aunt Wang wanted my wife to help stop it. Now you want to turn the tables? Bai Fendou, don't think just because you're older, I call you Fendou Ge, that you're really my brother. I don't take you seriously in our usual antics, but you dragging my wife into this won't fly! Come on, tell me, how should we compensate for hitting you?"

"You!" Bai Fendou didn't expect Zhuang Zhixi to be so tough and was rendered speechless.

Zhuang Zhixi: "What? You want to hit me? Go ahead, try touching me."

Zhuang Zhixi was usually a good-natured young man in the courtyard, always smiling and polite, though sometimes a bit mischievous. It was rare to see him angry.

Everyone chimed in: "Bai Fendou, this is really not cool of you. Are you looking for trouble? If you keep this up, I'll definitely testify for Ming Mei."

"Exactly, you chasing after the widow and sticking up for her is your business, but you dare to hit people over a kid stealing? That's too shameless. Now you want to frame someone."

This wasn't just to support Zhuang Zhixi but also out of fear of being stolen from. If they lost a few small items, it wouldn't be worth pursuing.

"I think Zhuang Zhixi is right; having someone like you in the security department is a disgrace."

"Absolutely, what a disgrace."

"Ming Mei, don't worry, I'll testify for you too. There's no such thing as being so shameless, really embarrassing us guys from Beijing."

Everyone was disgusted, and Bai Fendou was attacked by the crowd, unhappy: "Hey, why are you all ganging up on me? I'm a victim too. Look at my door..."

"Stop pretending, Bai Fendou. You didn't say you were a victim when you were hitting people, or when you were pinning Zhou Qun's wife down."

"Exactly!"

Mentioning this made Zhou Qun furious again. It was just a reversal during the fight, but it sounded a bit ambiguous when everyone talked about it. Zhou Qun could mess around outside, but he couldn't tolerate his wife like this.

He rushed into the house, grabbed a stool, and came out again: "Bai Fendou, you bastard!"

Thud, he smashed it towards Bai Fendou, who dodged, and the glass in his house was shattered.

"Damn it... Are you done?"

Bai Fendou charged again, and the two started fighting once more. This time, no one tried to stop them. Everyone remembered how Bai Fendou turned around to blame others, and no one wanted to deal with such a petty person.

Aunt Wang was also furious and said directly: "Fight, fight as much as you want, I don't care if you kill each other!"

At this time, Aunt Su and Wang Xiangxiu had already taken Su Jinlai to the side, not feeling any responsibility for the origin of the incident, just watching the commotion.

However, Old Man Bai didn't join in this time. He had been beaten badly earlier and didn't want to get involved again. Anyway, his son wouldn't be hurt. But Jiang Lu couldn't stay out; she charged in, two against one.

It was no surprise that Bai Fendou, being in the security department, was stronger. The couple couldn't beat him, and Zhou Qun was pinned to the ground.

Zhuang Zhixi watched them, his eyes flickering, but he didn't move. Xiao Yanzi, seeing them punch and slap each other, covered her eyes, wanting to look but not daring to, and said in a childish voice: "Uncle, fighting is wrong."

Zhuang Zhixi nodded: "Yes, fighting is wrong. Xiao Yanzi doesn't fight. If someone bullies you, tell the teacher. If the teacher can't solve it, tell me, and I'll have your aunt go and settle it for you."

Ming Mei heard this and patted Zhuang Zhixi's arm, saying: "What are you saying?"

Zhuang Zhixi chuckled softly, saying: "I'm just coaxing a child."

He shook Xiao Yanzi a bit, saying: "You're a skinny little thing, but you're quite heavy. I'm getting tired after holding you for a while. My arm is going numb..."

He switched arms to hold Xiao Yanzi and shook his arm: "My arm is numb... Ah!"

His arm bumped into the person in front, who stumbled forward and bumped into the next person, causing three people to stagger and accidentally knock over Bai Fendou, who was in a dominant position. Bai Fendou had Zhou Qun pinned down and Jiang Lu held back with one hand. The collision caused him to let go of Jiang Lu, who didn't hesitate and slapped him hard, causing Bai Fendou to fall forward and land on Zhou Qun.

Zhou Qun: "Ah, my back!"

"Damn it!"

The scene was a bit awkward.

"Jiang Lu, I curse your ancestors!"

Jiang Lu didn't expect to accidentally hurt her own man and was furious, grabbing a nearby rock and smashing it at Bai Fendou.

"Ah!!!"

"My goodness!"

"He's bleeding!"

"Jiang Lu is too ruthless!"

"The women in our courtyard are tough, even the young wives are no joke!"

Jiang Lu hit Bai Fendou on the head with the rock, and just as she was about to hit him again, Aunt Wang quickly stopped her, saying: "No, don't hit him anymore! You'll be in trouble if you kill him!"

"Quick, quick, send him to the hospital!"

"Goodness, he's bleeding."

Aunt Wang didn't expect Jiang Lu to be so fierce. She said, "Hurry up, Zhou Qun and Bai Fendou both need to go to the hospital. Everyone, please lend a hand."

"Aunt Wang, what if we get blamed for helping?"

"He dares?!" Aunt Wang retorted, "Everyone, please help. This is a matter of life and death."

Zhuang Zhixi remained calm, saying, "There's no one in my family left, and my wife and I can't go with them. Besides, that person just tried to blame us, so we definitely can't get involved. We can't afford to be involved." He pushed his wife and said, "Let's go home, we have to go to work tomorrow. We won't join in their nonsense."

Ming Mei agreed, "I think so too, let's go."

The young couple, carrying their child, turned and left.

Others quickly chimed in, "I have work tomorrow..."

"So do I..."

Aunt Wang was furious, "Everyone, please help. Neighbors should help each other in times like these. Don't let things get worse. I'll go borrow a tricycle and take them to the hospital..."

"Alright, alright, for the sake of being neighbors."

"Aunt Wang, we're doing this for you."

"Let's go, let's take them to the hospital."

The few men in the courtyard finally decided to do the right thing. They quickly got to work, and Jiang Lu cried out, "Be gentle, my husband Zhou Qun has a strained back."

A group of people hurriedly moved the injured onto a small cart and rushed off. The Su family and their daughter-in-law stood there in shock for a long time. Wang Xiangxiu finally said, "This has nothing to do with us, right?"

Aunt Su replied, "It doesn't. Their fight is their own business, this is something else. Let's go home and sleep."

Su Jinlai broke free from Aunt Su and dragged the bag that Jiang Lu hadn't put away back home.

Those who hadn't gone home yet looked at Su Jinlai's actions and felt that Zhou Qun hadn't beaten him enough. This little rascal needs a good thrashing!

Su Jinlai dragged the bag home and said, "Since I've already been beaten, I might as well take it!"

This kid really has some strange blood in him.

Because of this epic battle in the courtyard, everyone lingered, unwilling to disperse. They chatted under the spring night breeze.

Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei had already put Xiao Yanzi to sleep. The little girl had been too excited to sleep, but once placed in her soft bed, she was snoring within a minute.

Ming Mei sighed, "Xiao Yanzi has seen a lot today. When I was her age, I hadn't seen such a big scene."

Although she was mischievous and often climbed roofs, she had never seen such a big scene. She lamented, "My grandfather shouldn't have gone home today. Look, how many things he missed!"

She added, "My parents and my older brother and sister-in-law also missed out."

"It's fine," Zhuang Zhixi said with a smile, "Our courtyard's dramas are constant and new."

He pinched her cheek and said, "You were deliberately provoking them today, weren't you?"

Ming Mei remained calm, raising an eyebrow, "It seems like you were too."

They looked at each other and laughed.

Ming Mei pouted, "Are we colluding like wolves?"

Zhuang Zhixi thought for a moment and shook his head, "How could that be? We're such good people, how could we use such a word? Are there wolves as good-looking as us?"

They were, after all, a couple. Ming Mei had deliberately gone to help because she had long been annoyed by Bai Fendou, and there was an old grudge. As for Zhou Qun, Zhou Qun's mother had picked a fight with her grandfather, and Zhou Qun wasn't a good person either. Ming Mei had been holding a grudge.

Her grandfather, a frail old man, must have felt so helpless when Zhou Qun's mother was making a scene!

As his granddaughter, it was only right for her to take some interest from the Zhou family.

She had only given each of them a kick, which was already a sign of her good character.

As for Zhuang Zhixi, he had "accidentally" bumped into someone, intending to change the balance of power for the Zhou couple, giving them more fighting spirit. He couldn't directly hit them, but it didn't stop him from hoping they would fight each other.

He hadn't expected Jiang Lu to be so fierce.

Indeed, when women unleash their fury, there's not much men can do.

That night, the courtyard was quite lively, and everyone had a hard time sleeping. Zhuang Zhixi and Ming Mei were no exception. They leaned against each other, with Xiao Yanzi sleeping against the wall inside. Ming Mei mumbled, "If our courtyard had more incidents like this, we wouldn't need a radio. We could just watch them all day."

Zhuang Zhixi said, "You'll get used to it. But recently, they've been particularly troublesome."

He objectively stated, "Before, Bai Fendou wasn't so crazy. Recently, he's been getting worse, and he seems to be quite hostile towards me. It's probably because I got married. Now, in the courtyard, apart from a few teenagers who haven't grown up, he's the only bachelor left. I guess he's anxious and jealous!"

If he weren't anxious, he wouldn't be so obvious about his feelings for Wang Xiangxiu. Before, he would still care a bit, but now... today, he blindly defended Jinlai without asking questions, which is rare.

This man wants to get married.

However, although he was objective, he wasn't a kind-hearted person. If someone made him uncomfortable, he would certainly make them uncomfortable too.

Ming Mei said, "I don't care about him. I just remember that he tried to ambush you in the bathroom. Whether he succeeded or not, he had that thought. My master taught me that one should act with righteous indignation."

Zhuang Zhixi smiled and said, "I often hear you talk about your master. When will you introduce me to him?"

Ming Mei replied, "My master doesn't like meeting outsiders."

Zhuang Zhixi raised an eyebrow, "Am I an outsider?"

Ming Mei said, "Oh, no! It's just that... my master works in a mortuary."

Zhuang Zhixi: "..."

Ming Mei continued, "So he doesn't like meeting people much."

She paused and said, "Besides, my master is also in Jinling now."

Zhuang Zhixi: "Didn't your master teach you here...?"

Ming Mei: "Yes, he was in the capital before, but three years ago he went to Jinling and started working at the mortuary, living a secluded life. My master is also an old acquaintance of my grandfather and uncle. Otherwise, my dad wouldn't have been able to marry my mom."

Zhuang Zhixi thought about it and realized it made sense. One in the capital, one in Jinling, it was indeed a rare coincidence to meet.

He said, "Then if we have the chance to go to Jinling, we should pay him a visit."

Ming Mei nodded, "Sure."

Her master, or her uncle, should indeed be visited.

Ming Mei leaned on Zhuang Zhixi, saying, "I wonder how things will turn out today."

Zhuang Zhixi: "I guess they'll negotiate, but I don't dare to predict anymore. Every time I do, I'm wrong."

Ming Mei thought about it and realized it was true, so she laughed. She pouted, "Look, you've lived in the same courtyard for so long, but you don't really understand each other."

Zhuang Zhixi nodded, "Who can truly understand anyone? I can only understand my wife."

Ming Mei quickly waved her hand, "I'm on my period."

Zhuang Zhixi said seriously, "What are you talking about? I didn't mean anything. You're misunderstanding me. Why do you always think about that?"

Ming Mei's face turned red instantly, and soon Zhuang Zhixi got a punch. He groaned softly and laughed, "Ouch, attempted murder of your husband."

Ming Mei: "Oh, go on."

The two of them started to play around. However, due to her period, Ming Mei soon felt tired and said, "I'm a bit tired."

Zhuang Zhixi: "Sleep, you don't need to get up early tomorrow. I'll make breakfast."

Although he didn't know when his mother would be back, Zhuang Zhixi had already thought about it. If she didn't come back, he would go to deliver breakfast and go to work a bit later. After all, it was clear that Zhou Qun and Bai Fendou probably wouldn't be able to work properly tomorrow.

Today they were injured and needed to go to the hospital, and the matter wasn't resolved yet, so there would be more to discuss.

He thought about it and drifted off to sleep.

At the same time, the Zhuang family was surprised to see familiar faces from the courtyard at the hospital. Although there were several hospitals in the city, they were accustomed to coming to the nearest one.

And so, they ran into each other.

Zhao Guihua had already arranged for Xiaohutou's hospitalization and was downstairs paying the fees when she suddenly saw a group of familiar faces.

She quickly called out, "Aunt Wang, what's going on?"

Upon closer look, oh my, it was brutal!

How did he get scratched up like this? It was almost unbearable to look at.

What happened to Zhou Qun and Bai Fendou? Did they get into another fight?

"What happened to you all..."

Aunt Wang also felt it was unlucky. Other courtyard managers didn't have to deal with such troubles, and she felt her white hair sprouting rapidly. It was so frustrating!

She waved her hand, "Don't mention it, they got into another fight. Bai Fendou crushed Zhou Qun's waist, and Zhou Qun's wife bashed Bai Fendou's head open."

She briefly explained the current injuries of the two men, and as for the background story, it would take half an hour to recount, so she didn't elaborate.

Even with just those two sentences, Zhao Guihua was shocked: "My goodness, they are something else!"