Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

When Qin Jingru brought the stool over, the Intermediate People's Court had already made preparations for the plenary session.

It was still a square table. Yi Zhonghai sat in the middle, Liu Haizhong sat on the left, and Yan Fugui was about to sit on the right, but Yi Zhonghai raised his hand to stop him.

"Old Yan, you're the main topic of this hospital-wide meeting today. You shouldn't sit here; go stand downstairs."

Upon hearing this, Yan Fugui could only walk towards the crowd with a gloomy face.

After Yan Fugui left, Yi Zhonghai looked at Liu Haizhong and asked in a deep voice:

"Old Liu, I was a little late coming home today because I had two unfinished tasks, but you came home as soon as you got off work. Why didn't you stop them?"

Liu Haizhong curled his lip: "Old Yi, those two families have gotten into a fight. Do you think I can stop them? If I send Guang Qi and Guang Tian to stop them, they might both get beaten up. Anyway, it's not a big deal. They'll stop when they get tired of fighting."

Upon hearing Liu Haizhong's explanation, Yi Zhonghai's face immediately darkened.

Taking a deep breath, he slammed his hand on the table, looked at everyone, and said in a deep voice:

"Today, something very bad happened in our department—a group fight? Didn't I tell you all before that if you have any problems, come to me for mediation? If mediation fails, we'll hold a department-wide meeting to discuss it. Look at the state you're in—all of you with bruises and swelling. Tell me, what good does this fighting do for anyone?"

"Old Yan, you're the third oldest, how could you lead a group fight? I really don't know what to say to you."

After rattling off a long string of words, Yi Zhonghai finally asked:

"Can anyone tell me what's going on today?"

Yan Jiecheng nodded to Yan Jiekuang, who then stepped forward and said:

"Banggeng started it. I kindly told Banggeng that his grandma was calling him home for dinner, but Banggeng not only didn't appreciate it but also cursed at me and threw mud in my eyes. So I gently pushed Banggeng, but he lost his balance and fell down. Then Aunt Jia rushed up and tried to hit me."

"You're talking nonsense! You were the one who first insulted my grandmother by saying she had no descendants!" Banggeng shouted.

"Yan Jiekuang, you little widow, how dare you call me widowed? Let me tell you, this isn't over." Jia Zhangshi stared intently at Yan Jiekuang with her triangular eyes, wishing she could tear him to shreds.

Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table, looked at Yan Jiekuang, and asked, "Jiekuang, did you say that Banggeng's grandmother had no descendants?"

"I didn't!" Yan Jiekuang protested.

"You have it, you have it, Grandma, he really scolded you."

Before Yi Zhonghai could speak, Yan Fugui said, "Old Yi, that's where you're wrong. Even if my son Jie Kuang cursed Jia Zhangshi, he's still just a child. Did Jia Zhangshi have to lay a hand on a child?"

"Besides, at noon today, Banggeng even called Third Aunt a dead childless woman. Look how we treated Banggeng!"

"When my Jiecheng saw that Jia Zhangshi was going to hit Jiekuang, of course he had to go up and help. Otherwise, with such a small body, if Jia Zhangshi bumped into him like that, he would have ended up in the hospital."

Yan Fugui had just learned the whole story from Yan Jiecheng, and now he was recounting it in a very detailed and coherent manner.

"Old Man Yan, now I understand. It's because my son Banggeng cursed your wife at noon today that you've teamed up to bully the Jia family."

Madam Jia sat down heavily on the ground, slapping her thighs repeatedly, and began to summon the soul.

"Old Jia, come up here quickly! The Yan family is bullying our Jia family to death! Come up here and take them away!"

"Sister-in-law, this is a hospital-wide meeting. You better behave yourself. If you keep this up, I'm not going to help you anymore. Dongxu, quickly pull your mother up," Yi Zhonghai said with a gloomy face.

Jia Dongxu pulled Jia Zhangshi up and whispered, "Mom, get up quickly. There's a hospital-wide meeting. If you cause trouble at the meeting, what will happen if Master stops taking care of our family?"

Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi could only reluctantly stand up, her triangular eyes like those of a venomous snake, staring intently at the Yan family members.

Seeing that Jia Zhangshi had stopped causing trouble, Yi Zhonghai continued, "I basically understand the situation. Both of your families are at fault. Tell me, how do you want to resolve this?"

"Our whole family is injured. We have to pay compensation, we absolutely have to pay compensation, or I'll never let the Yan family off the hook!" Jia Zhangshi shouted.

Yan Fugui nodded and said in agreement:

"I agree with Jia Zhangshi's suggestion, but our whole family is also injured, and more seriously than the Jia family. How about this: we'll pay for the Jia family's medical expenses, and the Jia family will pay for ours. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the Yan family's house.

Sure enough, the three women's faces were scratched, their clothes were torn, and their hair was disheveled. Yan Jiecheng wasn't in much better shape; his entire face had been beaten into a pig's head by Jia Dongxu.

As for Yan Fugui, he suffered the most. He was the one that Sha Zhu focused on, and his glasses were broken, leaving him with a bruised and swollen face.

By any measure, the Yan family is the one that is more seriously injured.

"No way! Old Man Yan, your family started this trouble first, so you should pay compensation."

When Jia Zhangshi heard that she was asked to pay compensation, she immediately refused.

Yi Zhonghai gestured for him to stop, saying, "Both sides are at fault in this matter, so I think we shouldn't both pay compensation."

"No way! The Yan family has to pay us compensation, or I'll go to their house and make a scene every day!" Jia Zhangshi shouted relentlessly.

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened: "Sister-in-law, if you continue like this, I won't care anymore. If you're not satisfied, go ahead and call the police. At worst, both of you will be arrested and locked up."

Upon hearing that the police would be called, both families immediately fell silent.

If they report it to the police, both of them might end up in jail, which is not what they want.

Seeing that the matter had been essentially settled, Yan Fugui added:

"Old Yi, both our families are indeed at fault in this matter, and I agree that neither of us should pay compensation. But did we provoke Sha Zhu today? Sha Zhu came back to the yard and beat up our whole family. That doesn't make sense, does it?"

Sha Zhu curled his lip and shouted, "Old Man Yan, who told you to hit Sister Qin? Let me tell you, if any of you dare to lay a hand on Sister Qin, I'll make sure you taste the power of my fists."

"Old Yi, look at this. This is a matter between the Yan and Jia families, but Sha Zhu came in and started hitting people. By what right does Sha Zhu stand up for the Jia family? Old Yi, what do you have to say about this?"

"Yeah, Sha Zhu, you're not Jia Zhangshi's son, what business is it of yours?" Xu Damao chimed in, stirring things up.

"Silly Mao, I think your skin is itchy again. I'll loosen up your muscles for you."

As he spoke, Sha Zhu prepared to give Xu Damao a hard blow.

"Uncle, look at Sha Zhu. He hits people at the drop of a hat. I suggest we kick this barbarian out of the compound."

Xu Damao shouted as he ran.

Yi Zhonghai shouted, "Sha Zhu, stop!"

Sha Zhu stopped and looked at Xu Damao with cold eyes. If it weren't for the college-wide meeting, he would have definitely taught Xu Damao a lesson.

Yi Zhonghai said in a deep voice, "Shazhu, this is indeed your fault. You beat up the Yan family members without cause. How about this, you will pay the Yan family ten yuan."

"Why? It was Yan Laokou who hit Sister Qin first," Sha Zhu said, dissatisfied.

"Smack."

Yi Zhonghai slammed his hand on the table: "Shazhu, don't you listen to your old man anymore? Let me tell you, this whole thing is your fault. Why did you go up and hit someone for no reason? Couldn't you have pulled them away?"

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was truly enraged, Sha Zhu could only suppress his anger and reluctantly take out ten yuan.

"Old Yan, although Sha Zhu was wrong in this matter, you are not seriously injured. Sha Zhu will compensate you ten yuan, and let's call it even."

Yan Fugui nodded, took the ten yuan, and considered the matter closed.

"Alright, now that the matter is resolved, let's call it a day."

A hospital-wide meeting ended with the Jia and Yan families injured and Sha Zhu paying compensation.