A little madman moved into the courtyard house next door.

The Xiao Family Compound is an old house similar to a traditional courtyard house. Later, it was expanded into a large compound that could accommodate more than fifty families.

The main hall in the center is where the ancestors of the Xiao family are enshrined, and it is also where the Xiao family holds meetings, just like ancestral halls in other places.

The current clan head of the Xiao family, Xiao Jingming, lives next door to the main hall. The clan head has great authority, and his words carry more weight than those of the village chief and the village party secretary.

Even if the town government and county police came to arrest people, if the clan chief disagreed with taking them away, the entire clan would dare to take hoes and carrying poles and fight back against the authorities.

Xiao Jingming is 68 years old this year and doesn't usually have to work in the fields. He spends most of his time in the courtyard.

…………

Xiao Sanfeng carried a pheasant to the Xiao family's courtyard, where Xiao Jingming was sitting on a chair under the eaves reading a book.

Since he needed to speak with the clan chief, Xiao Sanfeng was quite respectful. He stepped forward and said, "Xiao Sanfeng, the twelfth generation descendant of the Xiao family, greets Grandfather Clan Chief."

Xiao Jingming looked Xiao Sanfeng up and down and said, "Sanwazi, I heard yesterday that you were cured. It seems you've recovered quite well."

"Grandpa Chief, Sanwazi brought a pheasant to visit you today, and by the way, he begs you to do him a favor."

"Sanwazi, are you talking about your biological father? I talked to Chusheng and your maternal grandmother about this back then. Your maternal grandmother raised you voluntarily. Xiao Chusheng also said that he gave your maternal grandmother living expenses."

"My grandmother is kind-hearted and doesn't hold grudges, so she didn't make a fuss. But you can ask around the whole village: have Xiao Chusheng and his wife ever visited me again since they left me with my grandmother? If they gave me living expenses, where did they get the money to build five large brick houses?"

"Oh, I hadn't thought about it that way. I thought Xiao Chusheng really gave your grandmother living expenses."

Xiao Sanfeng nodded and said, "Grandpa Clan Chief, since I was adopted by Uncle Chuhe, I am Xiao Chuhe's son. Why should Xiao Chusheng's family still receive the living expenses and child support that my father gave me?"

"In the past five years, if Xiao Chusheng and Bai Jinfeng had ever even once come to see me, I would have let it go. But they didn't."

"They lived a life of luxury with the living expenses and child support my father gave them, and even built a big house."

"And what about me? I was eating coarse food and wild vegetables. My grandmother was busy year after year trying to treat my illness. As soon as she finished working in the fields, she would go out to hunt pheasants and rabbits. She endured all kinds of hardship and toil to save up some money for my medical treatment."

"Therefore, I must get back the living expenses and child support."

Xiao Jingming thought for a moment and said, "Sanwazi, back then, Chuhe chose to adopt you because he was grateful for your grandparents' kindness in raising you. That's why he adopted you and gives you 10 yuan a month for living expenses and support. And..."

Xiao Sanfeng did the math in his mind: five years, 600 yuan. The Xiao Chusheng family had eaten, drunk, and built a house. There wouldn't be much left.

But he certainly wouldn't let Xiao Chusheng get away with it. Xiao Sanfeng said, "Grandpa Clan Chief, I don't need it all. I can deduct a portion from Grandpa and Grandma's retirement money. Three yuan a month should be enough, right? You know, these days a family can't even save ten yuan a year."

"Also, I've been mute for the past few years, but I'm not stupid. Because of my father, the village's grain quota has been reduced a lot, and we receive subsidies every year."

"If my dad found out that the living expenses he gave me weren't being used for my own benefit, and that I was cruelly abandoned, do you think he would send money back? Would he still help the village?"

Xiao Jingming thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll have someone notify Xiao Chusheng's family to come over later. We'll settle your business in the main hall tonight."

"Thank you, Grandpa Clan Chief. I'll head back now." Xiao Sanfeng said and left.

………………

In the evening, a group of people sat in the main hall of the Xiao family compound under the dim light of a tung oil lamp.

Clan Chief Xiao Jingming, along with two clan elders, sat in the uppermost armchairs.

Xiao Chusheng, Bai Jinfeng, and Xiao Wenfeng, a family of three, sat on a bench to one side.

Xiao Sanfeng and his grandmother sat on the bench opposite Xiao Chusheng.

There were many Xiao family members watching the excitement in the courtyard outside the main hall. It was no less exciting than a family gathering.

Xiao Jingming said, "Chu Sheng, you actually lied to me and said you gave Sanwazi's living expenses to your mother-in-law. Now Sanwazi wants to ask you for the living expenses his father gave him."

Xiao Chusheng immediately said, "Clan leader, this money was sent back by my cousin, it was sent to me!"

Xiao Sanfeng said, "Why did my father send you money? It was for my living expenses. Since you didn't support me, why are you spending this money?"

Xiao Jingming said, "No arguing, let me finish speaking. After discussing with the clan elders, of the 10 yuan Chuhe sends back each month, 4 yuan will be for the retirement of Sanwa's grandparents, and 6 yuan will be for Sanwa's living expenses and upbringing. Over five years, Chusheng, you will return 360 yuan to Sanwa."

Bai Jinfeng jumped up and shouted, "Impossible! Our family won't give us a single penny of this money!"

Xiao Jingming scolded, "Xiao Chusheng, keep your wife in check, or you'll face the family rules."

Xiao Chusheng knew the clan chief had spoken, and he couldn't refuse to hand over the money now. He decided to deny it, and said, "Clan chief, I've already given the living expenses to Sanwa's grandmother."

Xiao Sanfeng scoffed, "Xiao Chusheng, you really are a beast. You gave me my living expenses, so where did you get the money to build a house, or to buy a bicycle? And your cotton-padded clothes are probably all filled with cotton! Where did all those thick cotton quilts come from?"

When his first plan failed, Xiao Chusheng decided to try to renege on his debt. He said, "Clan chief, I spent 160 yuan on materials, labor, and food for repairing this large tiled house, and 180 yuan on a bicycle for Wenfeng. I'm out of money. I can't come up with that much money right now, but I'll pay you when I have it."

Xiao Sanfeng said, "No money? Fine, we'll settle the debt with goods. House, bicycle, cotton-padded clothes, cotton-padded trousers, cotton-padded quilts, all of them. Grandpa Clan Chief, if Xiao Chusheng can't come up with the money, then he can write this transfer agreement, and tonight his whole family will be rolling out of that big brick and tile house."

After another round of wrangling, and under Xiao Sanfeng's firm stance, Xiao Jingming had no choice but to uphold justice and draft a transfer agreement for the house and its contents.

Xiao Jingming, the two clan elders, Xiao Chusheng, and Xiao Sanfeng all pressed their fingerprints on the transfer agreement.

Holding the transfer agreement, Xiao Sanfeng said, "Thank you, Grandpa Clan Chief and Elders, for upholding justice for me. Grandma, I'll go wait at that brick house first; you go back and move your things. We'll stay at the brick house tonight."

After saying that, Xiao Sanfeng pulled his grandmother out of the main hall.

The three members of Xiao Chusheng's family collapsed to the ground. Their house, car, quilts... all their possessions were gone. They had gone from a life of wealth back to utter poverty.

Xiao Wenfeng said with a long face, "Dad, Mom, what are we going to do now? We've lost the house and the bicycle, and my girlfriend definitely won't stay with me."

Xiao Chusheng gritted his teeth and said, "Let's go back to the old house and talk."

………………

Xiao Sanfeng arrived at the newly acquired house and looked at the original owner's older sister and second brother, both of whom were also heartless and ungrateful people.

In the past few years, she has not only failed to visit her younger brother, but has also joined other children in cursing him, calling him a paralyzed and mute.

Xiao Sanfeng didn't like the two men either. He walked into the house and said to them, "Now, this house is mine, and everything inside is mine. Get out of my house."

Xiao Huaduo snapped, "Xiao Sanwa, how dare you kick us out?"

"Get lost, or don't blame me for slapping you all across the face."

"Xiao Sanwa, you dare?"

Xiao Sanfeng didn't want to lay a hand on Xiao Chusheng to avoid the stigma of assaulting his own parents. But he had no such scruples when it came to his heartless older brother and sister.

Let's get straight to the point and strike first as a sign of respect.

Xiao Sanfeng slapped her across the face, the sound of the slap landing squarely on Xiao Huaduo's cheek.

Xiao Lingfeng rushed over with a wooden stick and said, "You bastard, how dare you hit my sister!"

"Bang bang bang..."

"Knock knock knock..."

After a flurry of punches, Xiao Huaduo and Xiao Lingfeng were beaten until their faces were swollen like pigs, and then thrown out.

…………

Xiao Sanfeng got the house from Xiao Chusheng, but his purpose was not to live there permanently; he simply wanted to take revenge on the original owner's heartless parents.

He's going to Beijing, and even if his adoptive father doesn't acknowledge him, Xiao Sanfeng can still live a good life with his grandmother.

I had only been sitting inside for a short while when Bai Wushuang came over.

Xiao Sanfeng said, "Grandma, go out and ask around tomorrow if anyone wants to buy a house. We'll sell this house with its blue bricks and red tiles."

Bai Wushuang thought for a moment and said, "Sanwa, this is a bit difficult. This house is worth one or two hundred yuan! No one in the village can afford it, and the wealthy people in the town won't come to buy it. I guess it won't sell."

"Oh no, why didn't I think of that! I'm doomed, this house is now stuck with me."

"There's nothing we can do. Xiao Chusheng doesn't have the money to pay you back right now. What else can we do but give up the house?"

"Forget it, we'll see. Even if I can't take it with me, I'll tear this house down rather than leave it to that heartless family."

"Third child, that's enough, go back to your room and sleep!"