A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1253 Use Legal Means to Protect Yourself! (Please Subscribe!)

As Zhao Meilan dragged Su Mingcheng out of the courtyard, she slammed the door shut with a deafening crash. Her shrill curses echoed through the alley:

"Su Daqiang, you just wait! I'm going to find Mingcheng's uncle right now, and we, the Zhao family, will skin you alive!"

Hua Shier picked at his ear, slowly walked over and bolted the door. Turning around, he saw Su Mingyu already standing up, her fingers twisting the hem of her school uniform.

"Dad, are you okay?"

"What can happen to me?"

Hua Shier reached for half a pack of cigarettes on top of the dresser, lit it with a lighter, took a deep drag, and suddenly burst out laughing:

"That feels great! For the first time in twenty years, your father feels like he's breathing the air a human being should be breathing."

He was talking about Su Daqiang's feelings. After receiving Su Daqiang's memories, he felt a sense of frustration, like negative energy accumulating in his heart.

But after he hit Zhao Meilan, the negative energy that had been building up inside him suddenly flowed out, and he felt as refreshed as if he had eaten a piece of chilled watermelon on a sweltering summer day or drunk a sip of iced cola.

But Su Mingyu clearly didn't believe it. Judging from her eyes, she probably thought the same as Zhao Meilan and Su Mingcheng: that Hua Shier might be mentally unstable.

Hua Shier pointed irritably at the spot where Su Mingyu had been kneeling:
"Go kneel down right now, did I tell you to get up?"

Su Mingyu dared not provoke Hua Shier in his current state, and obediently knelt back down.

Hua Shier brewed himself a pot of tea, took a couple of sips, and after about ten minutes, said to Su Mingyu:
"Do you know where you went wrong now?"

I shouldn't have torn up the money.

Hua Shier placed the teacup on the table and nodded:

"Yes, that's the main reason I made you kneel!"

"However, I want to talk to you about your own problems. Haven't you noticed? You're just as strong-willed as your mother. You two are really alike in this respect!"

When Hua Shier watched the TV series, he noticed that the Su family members all had some problems.

Zhao Meilan is domineering, sexist, and doting on her brother.

Su Daqiang is obsequious, selfish, hypocritical, and a bully who preys on the weak.

When Su Mingzhe was young, he was self-centered and turned a blind eye to his younger brother bullying his younger sister and his mother's preference for sons over daughters, which made him seem too indifferent.

After reaching adulthood, he became obsessed with saving face due to the so-called "eldest son's responsibility," applied double standards to his younger siblings, and indulged his father excessively.

Needless to say, Su Mingcheng is a mama's boy, a freeloader, has no sense of brotherhood with his younger sister, and becomes impotently furious when things happen.

Although Su Mingyu is a victim of the preference for sons over daughters, she also has her own problems.

Her personality is exactly like Zhao Meilan's; she never backs down when faced with problems, which leads to escalating conflicts. Although she clearly longs for family affection, she uses passive-aggressive tactics to resist, waiting for her parents to give in first.

If Su Mingyu were an only child, it would be fine; even if Zhao Meilan were very domineering, she would still favor the child.

The Su family has three children. The eldest is easy to take care of, the second is good at coaxing people, but the youngest, Su Mingyu, is like a hedgehog and always gives her parents attitude.
In this situation, let alone having a mother who favors sons over daughters, even in other families, compared to the three children, she would definitely not be popular!
And most importantly, Hua Shier discovered that Su Mingyu's methods of solving problems were somewhat extreme.

Tearing up money, drugging people, and running away from home—these extreme behaviors will only make things worse, so he plans to have a serious talk and nip this problem in the bud!
When Su Mingyu heard Hua Shier say that she resembled her mother, her eyes widened in surprise.
"No way! I hate people like my mom the most. I would never be like her!"

"hehe!"

Hua Shier laughed and took down the family photo hanging on the wall.

In the photo, Su Mingyu stands stiffly on the far side, deliberately keeping her distance from her family, her expression resembling that of a prisoner being forcibly led to the execution ground.

"Look at your world-weary face, doesn't it look just like your mother's?"

"When we took this family photo for Chinese New Year, your mom specially bought you a new dress, but you made that jinx face the whole time because there was a little dust on the hem!"

Su Mingyu dug her fingernails into her palm:
"It's not because of the dust, it's because my mom not only bought Su Mingcheng new clothes, but also Nike shoes! Why don't I get new shoes? I think it's unfair! She's just sexist!"

"so what?"

Hua Shier hung the photo back up:

"So you argued with your family during the Lunar New Year, and made a gloomy face in the family photo, just to upset your parents during the holiday?"

"You said your mom bought Nike shoes for Su Mingcheng, but have you ever thought that your mom favors boys over girls, yet Su Mingcheng has always worn your older brother's clothes since he was a child!"

"And you? You're the only girl in our family. You've always worn new clothes since you were little. Don't you ever think about that?"

Hua Shier reasoned with Su Mingyu:

"It's not wrong for you to be strong-willed, but you have to use that strength in the right place. If you use it in your studies or work, you'll be more likely to succeed. But if you're stubborn at home or with your parents, that's a big mistake!"

Su Mingyu, with her neck stiff, looked somewhat aggrieved:

"It's all because my mom favors boys over girls. She always sides with my older brother and Su Mingcheng. When it comes to chicken legs, they get some but I don't. Why can't I protest!"

Hua Twelve said in an annoyed tone:

"Why can't you understand? You can protest, but you have to be tactful!"

"Oh, your mother has a strong personality, and you insist on going against her and being tough on her? You insist on making her bow down and admit her mistakes, making her take the initiative to say 'Girl, I was wrong'? Do you think that's possible with your mother's personality?"

Hua Shier gave Su Mingyu an example:
“Take the matter of asking you for money to buy workbooks, for example. I saw the whole thing. Yesterday, as soon as your mother got off work, you reached out for money to buy workbooks. When your mother said no, you immediately gave her a hard time.”

"Look at what your second brother does. After dinner, he massages your mom first. He's so good with words, saying things like, 'Mom, you've worked so hard. You must be tired from work. See how comfortable my massage is?'"

"Su Mingcheng only brought up the matter of asking for money after he had made your mother smile from ear to ear."

"Let's imagine that you eventually get married, have three children, and encounter the same situation. Your son is very obedient and considerate, and speaks to you kindly. But your daughter is always competing with you. If you don't do what she wants, she'll give you a hard time. When the mother and daughter have conflicts, she even wants you to apologize and apologize to her."

"If it were you, would you treat your son or your daughter better?"

Su Mingyu fell silent. Although she was still somewhat unconvinced, she began to wonder if Hua Shier's words made sense.

Hua Shier stubbed out his cigarette and said earnestly:
"I'm not asking you to be hypocritical, but rather to understand a principle—many things in this world cannot be dealt with by simply being forceful!"

"Sometimes, when children are a little sweet-talking and make their parents happy, they don't lose out!"

After he finished speaking, he stood up, went to the yard, sat in the rocking chair, and swayed a few times before closing his eyes and saying:
"Get up. Don't be so stubborn in the future. Use your brain when you encounter problems!"

After a while, a shirt was draped over Hua Shier, and then the footsteps faded away as he hurried upstairs.

Hua Shier didn't open his eyes, but a smile appeared on his lips.

The next morning, Hua Shier was brushing her teeth with a new toothbrush when she heard someone banging on the door.
"Su Daqiang, you've got some nerve, daring to lay a hand on my sister! You better open the door, or I'll kill you today!"

Su Mingyu rushed downstairs, looking anxious, and said to Hua Twelve:
"Dad, it's Uncle. He's definitely here to avenge Mom. What should we do?"

Hua Shier rinsed his mouth:
"Dad is teaching you a lesson: when you encounter something like this, find a police officer. We must learn to use legal means to protect ourselves!"

He went inside, picked up the phone in the bedroom, and made a call:
"Hello, 110? My life is in serious danger! Yes, someone is trying to break into my house and could cause me serious harm. My underage daughter is with me, and I'm very worried. Can I defend myself in this situation?"

Having received an affirmative answer, Hua Shier smiled and went to open the door. Su Mingyu felt like she was hallucinating; otherwise, why would her father seem so impatient?

She quickly called out:
"Dad, don't open the door yet, let's wait for Uncle Hat to come!"

Hua Shier couldn't wait that long. Pretending not to hear, he reached the courtyard gate in a few steps.
"Coming, coming! Don't bang on the door!"

As soon as he opened the door, several people rushed in. The one in the lead was Zhao Meilan's younger brother, who was holding a stick. Behind him were several hooligans, all of whom were also carrying weapons. They were obviously no good people, just hooligans who hung around in society. In Suzhou, people like that are called "scoundrels"!

Zhao Meilan had a gloomy expression, and Su Mingcheng followed behind the group with some trepidation.

Hua Shier quickly pretended to be scared and backed away;

"Brother-in-law, what are you trying to do?"

His brother-in-law spat:
"What are you doing? Well done, Su Daqiang, you coward, you dare to lay a hand on my sister? With your character, my sister is incredibly unlucky to have married you!"

"I still can't understand how my sister could have fallen for you!"

Because the commotion was quite loud, many neighbors gathered at the door to watch the excitement.

Zhao Meilan held her head high, as proud as a swan. She thought her brother was right; that was exactly what she thought.

Hua Shier chuckled. It was just using words to put someone down; anyone could do that. He simply quoted lines from a modern-day wish-fulfillment novel:
"Who does your sister think she is, to be worthy of marrying into my family?"

“Your family lives in the countryside, and it’s difficult for you to find a job. If it weren’t for your sister seeming like she knows how to manage a household and even taking the initiative to pursue me, would I have married her?”

"Besides, you only care about my city residency. You still have your sister. If it weren't for me, you'd still be shoveling manure in the countryside!" Hua Shier used lines from a light novel, his expressions exaggerated and infuriating. Zhao Meilan was so angry she almost choked.

The brother-in-law, who already had a fiery temper, was now so angry he was trembling. He yelled at the group of scoundrels behind him:

"Hey guys, let's beat him up first!"

The group of hooligans behind him swarmed forward.

Hua Shier turned and ran into the house, calling out as he went;

"You bunch of young punks, you can't afford to go down the path of crime. I have a minor daughter at home."

Inside the room, Su Mingyu wondered: Who am I? Where am I?

As soon as these people rushed into the house, Hua Shier didn't hold back. He turned around and punched the stick that was being swung at him, breaking it in one blow.

Instead of retreating, he advanced, rushed closer, grabbed the man with the stick's arm, and swung it directly at a nearby cabinet.

With a bang, the chest of drawers shattered completely.

The people behind him were all dumbfounded. Holy crap, Huo Yuanjia!
Next, Hua Shier went all out, showing off what "Southern Fist and Northern Leg" meant, and what "Three Circles of Brugon" meant!

In less than a minute, everyone who came in, except for Zhao Meilan and her son Su Mingcheng, was lying on the ground with bruises and swelling on their faces.

When Uncle Hat arrived, the Su family home was in complete disarray, with cabinets, tables, pots and pans all broken and scattered on the floor.

Several scoundrels squatted in the corner and cried their hearts out, while Zhao Meilan and Su Mingcheng trembled beside them.

Hua Shier stepped forward and grasped Uncle Hat's hand, saying excitedly:
"My dear family, you've finally come! These criminals, armed with weapons, broke in and tried to harm me and my daughter. My daughter isn't even eighteen yet! They're inhuman! We're terrified!"

brother in law:
Zhao Meilan:
At the police station, Uncle Hat finished taking Hua Twelve's statement and looked at him strangely.

After they finished hearing the case, they had a bad feeling. Well, first they called the police, saying their lives were threatened, and then they let the person in. It was one against five, and the other party was armed.

Are you planning to do something malicious and scam people here?

Those five are still groaning in the hospital.

Uncle Hat stared at Hua Twelve for a while: "Su Daqiang, right? You're pretty agile, have you been trained?"

Hua Twelve vehemently denied it:

"I have studied literature since childhood and have never learned martial arts!"

Even Uncle Hat couldn't stand it anymore and started banging on the table:

"Alright, alright, you've even resorted to classical Chinese. Let me ask you, you haven't trained, yet you think you can take on five opponents at once? And they're all armed with sticks? Do you even think that's believable?"

"That makes sense!"

Hua Twelve coughed lightly:
"This problem is actually easy to explain. I don't know if you've seen a news report, but there was a story about a mother abroad who, in order to save her son who was trapped under a car, actually lifted the two-ton car in a moment of desperation!"

"Experts later discovered that in crisis situations, adrenaline is secreted rapidly, enabling people to do things beyond reason!"

"That's just how it is for me!"

The explanation of Hua Shier's "eyebrows flying with joy":

"At that moment, I felt my life was threatened. I told myself that for my daughter at home, even though I was trembling with fear, I had to step forward. So my adrenaline surged, a lot of it. I still need to go to the bathroom now."

Uncle Hat was both amused and exasperated:

"I have a feeling you're talking nonsense, but I have no proof!"

After he finished speaking, his expression turned serious:

"I have some bad news for you. Although you reported the incident to the police and some people broke into your house with weapons, according to your wife Zhao Meilan's statement, they only wanted to scare you and said that this was a domestic dispute. So now your brother-in-law and four others have suffered soft tissue contusions and are going to sue you for excessive self-defense. You'd better be prepared!"

Hua Twelve showed no fear whatsoever, and said with a smile:
"Comrade, this isn't right. My relationship with Zhao Meilan has broken down. My brother-in-law and his gang were hired by her to beat me up. You can't take what she says seriously!"

"Furthermore, according to Article 20 of the Criminal Law, any act of stopping an ongoing unlawful infringement in order to protect the interests of the family, the public interest, oneself, or others' personal, property, or other rights from such infringement, which causes harm to the perpetrator, constitutes legitimate self-defense and does not incur criminal liability."

Uncle Hat was taken aback at first, then he was dumbfounded. He had memorized all the relevant legal provisions, and he still said that he was not deliberately trying to scam people.

At this moment, Hua Twelve raised his hand:

"Uncle Hat, I want to report this to the police. These people broke one of my family's heirloom Ming Dynasty blue and white porcelain bowls. Although it wasn't a masterpiece, it was still from an official kiln and its market value was around 100,000 yuan."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Hat immediately took it seriously and returned to the scene at the Su family's house. After Hua Twelve pointed it out, he indeed found many fragments of blue and white porcelain bowls in the mess.

Zhao Meilan was stunned when she heard the news:

"My family is dirt poor. I can't even afford to give my daughter twenty yuan to buy practice questions. Where would I get a ten-thousand-yuan antique?"

On the other side, Hua Shier said, "I'm applying for a forensic medical examination!"

The police station immediately contacted a cultural relics appraisal agency, and after appraisal by cultural relics experts, it was confirmed to be an absolute genuine artifact.

Zhao Meilan and her brother were both stunned.

Hua Shier was a victim, and his grounds for self-defense were sufficient, so he went to work as usual in the afternoon. His brother-in-law and those scoundrels were detained after receiving simple treatment at the hospital.

Because Zhao Meilan was married to Hua Shier and had not participated in the fight, and insisted that it was a family conflict and that she had only asked her younger brother to scare her husband, she was only given a verbal reprimand by Uncle Hat and then released.

That evening, Zhao Meilan, along with her sister-in-law, went to the Su family home and made a scene, threatening to hang herself, to force Hua Shier to drop the case.

Hua Shier didn't tolerate them at all and called the police directly.

When Uncle Hat arrived, he took the group to the police station for mediation.

Hua Shier told Zhao Meilan and her sister-in-law that they could get him to drop the case, but they would have to meet a few of his demands.

"First, we must get a divorce!"

"Secondly, compensate me for all my losses, including that porcelain bowl worth 100,000 yuan!"

Zhao Meilan immediately slammed her hand on the table:
"Su Daqiang, you think I'm being too nice to you? Drop the case right now!"

Uncle Hat, who was mediating in Huashierchao, shrugged and said, "You saw it yourself, she threatened me, how can we talk about this!"

Uncle Hat immediately warned Zhao Meilan, and the woman immediately became ashamed and her arrogance subsided.

The brother-in-law's wife initially looked worried, but then, for some reason, her eyes lit up:
"By the way, I heard that married couples own property together, so my sister has half of that bowl of yours!"

Zhao Meilan immediately said happily:

"Yes, that bowl belongs to our family; it's yours and mine too. I said there's no need to pay for it!"

Hua Shier chuckled: "Dream on!"

According to Article 21 of the Supreme People's Court's "Several Specific Opinions on the Handling of Property Division Issues in Divorce Cases Tried by People's Courts" issued in 93, when dividing property, the party who conceals, transfers, sells, or damages property should receive a smaller share or no share at all.

Hua Shier pointed at Zhao Meilan:

"You transferred assets during the marriage, and I don't intend to give you a single penny!"

Zhao Meilan immediately became anxious:

"You're talking nonsense. When did I transfer any assets?"

"There's none?"

Hua Shier took a blue-covered notebook out of his pocket, opened it, and began to read:

“In 1988, when your younger brother was transferring his household registration, you lent him 2,000 yuan. In 1990, when he was looking for a job, you lent him another 3,000 yuan. Two months ago, when he got married, you lent him another 20,000 yuan. These are the big ones. In the meantime, there are small amounts, like 500 yuan today and 1,000 yuan tomorrow. In total, it adds up to more than 50,000 yuan!”

“Our family only has a little over a thousand in savings right now. You lent your brother fifty thousand without my knowledge, and you didn’t even discuss it with me. So I think this is a way for you to transfer assets!”

Hua Shier smiled and showed the notebook to Zhao Meilan: "Take a look for yourself, this is all your handwriting!"

Zhao Meilan panicked and lunged across the table to snatch it, but Hua Shier raised his hand and slapped her back with a powerful swipe. Then, he looked innocently at the man in the hat who was mediating and said:

"You saw it all, she tried to destroy the evidence, what I did was self-defense!"

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