Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 105

Xu Wude was also a little surprised. He had really had a bad time. All the money he had saved had been used to buy grain, and all the grain had been confiscated after he had just paid off his relatives' debts.

The 200 yuan fine was borrowed from Yi Zhonghai. Thinking about it makes my heart ache. All my hard work in one night has vanished, and I'm still drowning in debt.

It's infuriating that my precious son is still in the police station, and I have no idea what's going on.

"Old Yi, please help me get Da Mao out. He's still so young, only 13 years old. How can his small body withstand the torture in the juvenile detention center?"

Although they were young and not yet of legal age, there were juvenile detention centers at that time, which were specifically for detaining underage offenders. They could attend school, and the curriculum was the same as outside. However, they had to spend the rest of their time undergoing labor reform, and they needed to work in order to get food.

Yi Zhonghai said, "This is no small matter; it's a difficult one!"

Xu Zhaodi then said, "Grandpa, what you're saying isn't quite right, is it?"

“What’s wrong with this? Da Mao is breaking the law,” Yi Zhonghai said.

Xu Zhaodi said, "Grandpa, that's not what I meant. I wanted to ask you why you didn't tell my father that you instigated my brother to go and settle scores with Sha Zhu?"

When Yi Zhonghai was embellishing the story, he didn't mention his own affairs and distanced himself from the matter.

Yi Zhonghai said urgently, "Da Guai, stop talking nonsense. This has nothing to do with me."

"Who are you calling 'Big Cripple'?!"

"I called you 'Grandpa,' and you call me by my nickname?"

Xu Zhaodi said, "Let's put aside the nickname thing. Don't think I don't know that Da Mao went to fight Sha Zhu. Wasn't that all your doing?"

"You're talking nonsense, you're slandering me!" Yi Zhonghai said angrily.

“I’m talking nonsense? You didn’t expect that, did you? I was right at the Moon Gate when you were talking to Da Mao. I heard everything you said.”

“It was you who told Da Mao that Sha Zhu reported my father. Da Mao was furious and said he wanted to kill Sha Zhu. You said that Sha Zhu was too bad and deserved to be killed. You even said that you were acting on behalf of heaven and avenging your father were what made a hero.”

Xu Zhaodi certainly embellished the story, but that already made Yi Zhonghai feel very guilty.

At the time, Xu Zhaodi was not seen at all. There were only Xu Damao and himself in the covered walkway, so he spoke more freely.

They really wanted to incite Xu Damao to settle scores with Sha Zhu, taking advantage of Xu Wude's bad luck to sow discord between the two families, ideally leading to a fight.

That way, if Sha Zhu loses, it will be his way of getting revenge.

If Xu Damao loses, he can win over Xu Wude's family to deal with Sha Zhu together, which will also improve the relationship between the two sides and strengthen cooperation.

It was just a casual move at the time, and I didn't expect Xu Zhaodi to be there. Now she just said it out loud.

"You're talking nonsense! I never said anything like that, anything about avenging my father. I absolutely, positively did not say that!" Yi Zhonghai quickly defended himself.

Despite her young age, Xu Zhaodi is quite the arguing girl. She is a rare female bully in the school, willful and capricious, with a whole host of twisted logic.

"But that's what you meant. You ordered Da Mao to take a kitchen knife and chop Sha Zhu. You were acting on orders. My brother Da Mao is at most an accomplice. You are the mastermind and the murderer."

Xu Wude was furious. Damao was his precious son, his only son. He said coldly, "No wonder such an honest child like Damao would do such a thing. It turns out it was all your doing, Lao Yi."

"It wasn't me, I didn't do it, Zhao Di is talking nonsense."

While Yi Zhonghai was still trying to argue, Xu Wude suddenly raised his arm, clenched a fist the size of a sandbag, and then landed it on Yi Zhonghai's face.

With a "pfft," a mouthful of blood spurted out, along with two teeth that flew out with it.

Yi Zhonghai slumped off the chair and fell to the ground. Xu Zhaodi and her daughter Xu Wude rushed over and gave him a good beating, making Yi Zhonghai scream and howl. Xu Zhaodi had scratched many bloody marks on his face.

The commotion quickly alerted the neighbors, and the first to rush over were Grandpa Li and Liu Haizhong's families.

After much effort, the group managed to separate the two sides. Yi Zhonghai was covered in mud, his face was covered in blood, and he had several cuts on his face.

Xu Wude often went to the countryside to show movies, always carrying handcuffs on his shoulders, which made him very strong. Although Yi Zhonghai was also burly, he was stunned by a sudden punch and had no chance to fight back.

Unaware of the situation, the others tried to dissuade the two, but Xu Wude suddenly grabbed his eldest daughter and ran outside.

Yi Zhonghai suddenly had a bad feeling. Could it be that the two of them wanted to go to the police station to report the case?

He quickly said, "Stop them, don't let them go out."

If you can stop them, everything is negotiable. But if they report it to the police, things become unpredictable.

Liu Haizhong advised, "Old Yi, even though it was a small conflict, it's over now. You can't expect everyone to stop him and let you vent your anger, can you?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal that you two have to fight? Calm down first, don't rush."

Yi Zhonghai wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by the two men. He stomped his feet in anger, and when he saw that Xu Wude had disappeared, he became even angrier.

Liu Haizhong and Grandpa Li were even more convinced that their decision was right. They continued to try to persuade Old Yi, who was in a very volatile state.

On the way, Xu Zhaodi asked, "Dad, you're not thinking of reporting this to the police, are you?"

He Yuzhu's idea was to lay things out on the table, have Yi Zhonghai ask someone to bail him out, try not to report to the police, and make Yi Zhonghai pay compensation.

Xu Wude couldn't swallow this insult. He had lost all his wealth by dealing in grain this time. Although the neighborhood hadn't reacted yet, he might not be able to keep his status as the head of the management office.

What's even more infuriating is that her precious son, Xu Damao, is still being held in the police station. This time, she's determined to teach Yi Zhonghai a lesson and send him in to lessen her son's punishment.

Even Buddhas fight for a stick of incense, and people fight for a breath of air. This time, we must make sure Yi Zhonghai doesn't get away with it.

"Let's put him in there first. That way, your brother's crime will be less serious. Then I'll go find Sha Zhu and see if I can get him to write a letter of forgiveness. Besides, your brother is still young and just made a mistake in the moment. This matter might not be so bad."

Schwold's top priority right now is to get his son acquitted; money is not an issue for him.

Xu Zhaodi recounted the story on the way and went to the police station with her father.

Tie Dan asked, "Weren't you going to visit someone? Why are you in the police station?"

“We reported the case. My son went to attack people because he was instructed by Yi Zhonghai. They had a previous conflict. Yi Zhonghai distorted the truth and told my son that Sha Zhu had reported him. He also encouraged my son to avenge his father and act on behalf of heaven. That's why my son took a kitchen knife to attack Sha Zhu.”

"Silly Zhu? You mean He Yuzhu, right?"

"Yes, He Yuzhu's nickname is Silly Zhu."

What evidence do you have to support your claim?

“Yes, I am the evidence,” Xu Zhaodi stepped forward and said.

"Here's what happened: I was at the Moon Gate when I overheard Yi Zhonghai saying to my younger brother..."

Xu Zhaodi repeated the story again, this time slightly emphasizing Yi Zhonghai's severity in an attempt to downplay Xu Damao's importance.

Tie Dan and another police officer took notes, then told the two to wait in the reporting room while they went directly to another room to interrogate Xu Damao.

"Xu Damao, let me ask you, did you see Yi Zhonghai before you went to get the kitchen knife to attack people?"

"Yes, I didn't want to go to Sha Zhu, but Uncle Yi said that Sha Zhu was the one who reported my dad for being arrested."

"Tell me in detail what Yi Zhonghai said to you?"

Xu Damao was originally a quick-witted person, but he was a bit confused during the interrogation and his speech was not fluent.

I've been in the police station for quite a while now, and I'm gradually getting used to it. New ideas are starting to come to mind.

Could something have gone wrong? Otherwise, why would they call me in again to ask about Yi Zhonghai after the interrogation just now?

Xu Damao quickly realized that things had taken a turn for the better, and then said, "It was Yi Zhonghai who sent me to chop He Yuzhu up."

Why didn't you say so before?

"You didn't ask either?"

Xu Damao was still just a 13-year-old child. When he was asked, he was naive and kept asking Tiedan if he would go to jail or be executed.

Tie Dan was furious at the time, so he told Xu Damao to shut up and only let him answer his questions.

"Now tell me what Yi Zhonghai said to you."

Xu Damao then regained his senses and embellished the story, revealing Yi Zhonghai's true identity.

Tie Dan was furious. He had interrogated Xu Wude himself, but hadn't managed to get any information out of him at the time. Now Xu Wude had come to report the case.

Both Xu Zhaodi and Xu Damao accused Yi Zhonghai of instigating Xu Damao to commit the crime.

Tie Dan asked everyone involved about the events leading up to and following, making sure Xu Damao hadn't missed anything, before hurriedly going to report to his superiors.

After hearing Tie Dan's report, Ye Dapeng said a few words to him and then arranged for someone to arrest Yi Zhonghai.

Xu Wude and Xu Zhaodi pressed their fingerprints on the document as requested, and then asked, "Comrade, when will my son Xu Damao be released?"

"Release him? It's not that simple. We need to interrogate Yi Zhonghai first, and then we'll consider it further."

“He’s just a child. He was only in a moment of impatience and was misled by bad people. He did something wrong. The blame lies with Yi Zhonghai. You must treat him leniently.”

"We will consider this matter. Don't worry, the truth will come out soon."

Xu Wude felt helpless. He knew in his heart that although the blame had been placed on Yi Zhonghai, Xu Damao was still guilty because he had also taken a knife to attack someone.

Inside the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai grew increasingly anxious, while Liu Haizhong and the others stayed by his side, all trying to persuade him to calm down and not get angry.

Not long after, two police officers suddenly entered the courtyard.

Liu Genniang asked, "Comrades, what do you want? Who are you going to arrest?"

Tie Dan asked, "Does Yi Zhonghai live in this courtyard?"

None of these courtyards have back doors; as long as you enter through the front door, you can catch the person in the courtyard.

So even if you mention their names, it's fine; the vast majority of residents will still enthusiastically help catch them.

"Yes, she's at home right now. I'll take you there." Liu Gen's mother was overjoyed; being able to help the police officers was a great honor.

Liu Gen's mother led the two of them to the central courtyard, then pointed to the east wing and said, "This is Yi Zhonghai's home."

Liu Haizhong and his group hadn't left yet. The man who was talking to Yi Zhonghai turned around and saw two police officers approaching. He exclaimed in surprise: