Courtyard House: Inheriting the Restaurant, the Jia Family Wants to Get It for Free

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound of a slap, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploded in the noisy courtyard.

Jia Zhangshi was so badly hit that she staggered, and five bright red finger marks instantly appeared on her face. She was stunned, covering her face, staring wide-eyed at Cheng Shuhai in disbelief.

In this courtyard, she was always the one who threw tantrums and bullied others. When had she ever been slapped so hard across the face like this?

"You...you dare to hit me?" Jia Zhangshi's lips trembled, her voice sharp as fingernails scratching glass.

After a brief period of silence, an even more violent eruption followed.

Jia Zhangshi flopped onto the ground, slapping her thighs with her hands and kicking her legs wildly, screaming at the top of her lungs, "Murder! Cheng Shuhai has murdered someone! Old Jia! Open your eyes and see! You've only been gone a few years, and we, a widow and her children, are being ridden around like animals!"

"Dongxu! My son! I can't live anymore! I can't take this life anymore! Don't get married, let's go down to find your father together!"

The crying, with its varied intonation and powerful penetration, instantly spread throughout the entire alley.

Just then, the crowd was roughly parted, and Yi Zhonghai strode in with a dark expression.

Upon seeing this scene, Yi Zhonghai's blood pressure immediately spiked.

Today is his apprentice's big day. What if Jia Zhangshi keeps making a scene like this, or if the military control committee comes?

This must be resolved quickly!

"Cheng Shuhai! You've gone too far!"

Yi Zhonghai roared, pointing his finger at Cheng Shuhai's nose, his face full of righteous indignation, "No matter what, Jia Zhangshi is your elder! How dare you, a junior, hit an elder? Where is your upbringing? Where is your conscience?"

Without even asking about the cause and effect, he directly slapped the label of "disrespecting the elderly" on him.

Liu Haizhong, with his potbelly protruding and hands behind his back, spoke in an official tone: "That's right! This is a serious matter of conduct! It must be dealt with severely!"

Although the neighbors thought Cheng Shuhai did a good job, the atmosphere had been somewhat off-track by Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong, so no one dared to speak up.

"Cheng Shuhai, this matter is extremely serious."

"Considering we're neighbors, I can refrain from calling the police."

"But you must apologize to Sister-in-law Jia! And pay compensation! Otherwise, this matter must be reported to the Military Control Commission!"

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai had tamed the situation, his tone softened slightly, but still carried an undeniable air of command.

Upon hearing the word "compensation," Jia Zhangshi, who had been wailing on the ground, paused, a greedy glint flashing in her eyes. She then cried even louder: "My face is swollen from being slapped! At least two hundred thousand!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this; Madam Jia was truly ruthless!

Cheng Shuhai looked at this group of clowns, his eyes practically overflowing with mockery.

"An apology? Compensation?"

Cheng Shuhai sneered, a look of utter disdain as if he were looking at a fool. "Yi Zhonghai, is your brain filled with mush?"

"You!" Yi Zhonghai was speechless with anger.

"Jia Zhangshi came to my doorstep and caused trouble, even attempting to physically attack me. I did nothing wrong, not even if I slapped her a few times or beat her so badly she couldn't get up!"

"If you want to take sides, you'd better consider whether you can handle the consequences!"

Cheng Shuhai's voice was icy, and his words were forceful.

After saying that, he didn't give Yi Zhonghai a chance to react at all. He grabbed his sister's hand and turned to walk out of the courtyard.

"Since you all enjoy solving cases so much, let's go to the Military Control Commission and let their comrades settle this matter!"

"Let's see who should compensate whom, and who is disrupting public order!"

These days, the Military Control Commission is like the heavens!

The moment those three words were mentioned, everyone's expression changed.

Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat. If this got to the Military Control Commission, Jia Zhangshi's little scandal would definitely be exposed. At that point, let alone paying compensation, it would be uncertain whether they could even return unscathed!

This kid, why isn't he playing by the rules!

Seeing that Cheng Shuhai was really about to leave, Jia Dongxu, who had been hiding in the crowd, finally panicked.

Although he was a mama's boy, he knew what the "military control commission" meant.

If his own mother gets arrested, will he still be able to keep his job? How will his wife face him?

"Shuhai! Brother Shuhai! No! Please don't go!"

Like a rabbit whose tail has been stepped on, Jia Dongxu darted in a few steps to Cheng Shuhai, blocking his way.

He was just looking forward to watching the show, but now his face is covered in cold sweat, and he looks incredibly pathetic.

"Shuhai, it's all a misunderstanding! It's all a misunderstanding!" Jia Dongxu said with a forced smile, his back bent like a shrimp. "My mother is just getting old and her mind isn't clear anymore. Please don't take it to heart. Today is my brother's big day, please give me some face, okay?"

Cheng Shuhai stopped and looked at him coldly: "Your face? What face do you have?"

Jia Dongxu's face stiffened, filled with shame and indignation, but the situation was beyond his control.

He gritted his teeth and hurriedly pulled a red paper packet from his pocket, which contained a small amount of money he hadn't had time to put away earlier as a wedding gift.

He shoved the red envelope into Cheng Shuhai's hand, pleading in a low voice, "Shuhai, here's 20,000 yuan. Consider it my apology. Let's settle this privately, okay? If this gets out of hand, it won't be good for anyone!"

Cheng Shuhai glanced at the red envelope, a playful smile curving his lips.

Twenty thousand yuan? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?

He raised his hand and directly blocked the red envelope.

"Jia Dongxu, some things can't be solved with money." Cheng Shuhai's voice wasn't loud, but it sent a chill down Jia Dongxu's spine. "Don't you know what your mother did in public just now?"

"I……"

Jia Dongxu was speechless, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

Just then, a series of neat and powerful footsteps came from the entrance of the alley.

"What are you all doing here? What are you all doing here?!"

A stern female voice rang out. Everyone turned around and saw several people in uniforms walk in.

The leader was a middle-aged woman with short, ear-length hair, sharp eyes, and an upright demeanor.

It was this street office worker who would become Director Wang in the future.

Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

What you fear most is what happens!

"Oh, it's Officer Wang! Patrolling so late, you must be working so hard."

"It's nothing, it's nothing, it's just a small misunderstanding between neighbors. We're mediating it right now, it'll be over soon."

But Yi Zhonghai reacted very quickly, immediately putting on a fawning smile and going to greet him.

As he spoke, he frantically tried to wink at Cheng Shuhai and Jia Zhangshi, signaling them to shut up.

Although Jia Zhangshi on the ground was unruly, she was also afraid of officials. Upon seeing Officer Wang, her crying suddenly caught in her throat, turning into soft whimpers, as she tried to get up and pretend nothing was wrong.