Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

Wang Cuilan's lips moved, then she swallowed back the words, leaving only a half-sentence with a hoarse ending:

"Mrs. Jia, I'm heartbroken that your son is gone, but you can't take all your anger out on me..."

"If I don't throw it on your head, who will I throw it on?"

Jia Zhangshi roared, "If it weren't for your Yi Zhonghai's inability to control his own spending, would my son's death be a laughing stock?"

"Your Yi family has utterly disgraced the Jia family."

Yan Bugui stood at the edge of the crowd, coughed lightly, and tried to interject, "Jia Zhangshi, you should calm down first."

Things have already come to this point; making a scene won't do you any good.

The police officers just left, and you're already causing trouble again. You'll only end up hurting yourself.

His words were measured and even, a style commonly known as "playing it safe."

Without turning her head, Jia Zhangshi threw her voice at Yan Bugui: "Yan Bugui, stop trying to smooth things over."

Aren't you usually the best at keeping accounts?

You tell me, Dongxu just left, and the Yi family came to bully us like this. How should we settle this score?

"If you don't give me a fair settlement, I'll settle it with you too, and see if you can withstand the force of my shoe sole."

Yan Bugui: "..."

He shouldn't have meddled in other people's business.

Jia Zhangshi slumped to the ground, patting her knees with both hands, and called out, "Old Jia, look at your good brother Yi Zhonghai, he's sleeping with your daughter-in-law, take him away."

Dongxu, look at your good master! He's cheating on you... Take him away...

People are still standing in the same spot.

The deaf old lady also came over at this time. She had overheard the whole story from behind and knew that Yi Zhonghai was in the wrong.

But Yi Zhonghai was her caregiver, and she couldn't let him be born.

The deaf old woman leaned on her well-worn cane, the tip of which tapped lightly on the bluestone slab.

Then he walked through the crowd, approached Jia Zhangshi, bent down, and whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Cuihua, you don't want the Jia family to disappear, do you?"

Jia Zhangshi's crying paused for a moment.

The deaf old woman's voice continued to fall on her ears, deep and steady: "Listen to me, crying and making a fuss is useless."

No matter how loudly you cry, Yi Zhonghai won't lose a single piece of his flesh. You'd be better off exchanging it for something more tangible, like money or a job.

Jia Zhangshi raised her head, her eyes still red, and stared intently at the deaf old lady. She used to be a maid and knew that the old lady had considerable influence.

Director Wang of the neighborhood office was always very polite to the old lady.

Yi Juehu is the caregiver for the deaf old lady; perhaps she has the power to help Yi Zhonghai.

The deaf old woman's voice was even lower: "If Yi Zhonghai is shot because of his illicit affairs, what will your Jia family get?"

You get nothing.

If he dies, you won't get a single penny of his money, his tickets, or his job quota.

You still have two children to raise.

The deaf old woman's hungry gaze fell on Jia Zhangshi's face again: "If you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about Banggeng, right?"

He is the only remaining member of the Jia family.

Qin Huairu is Banggeng's mother. If she is branded with shame, what will people say about Banggeng when he grows up and wants to get married?

Does it mean his mother was a slut? Or that he was the child of a slut?

Jia Zhangshi's gaze shifted; she wavered, but she was still unwilling to give up.

The deaf old woman saw through her and continued, "One should not be too selfish; one should be more generous."

Putting aside the facts, aren't you completely without fault?

If you hadn't spoken nonsense, would such a wonderful girl like Qin Huairu have been threatened with her job by Xiao Yi?

Ultimately, the fault lies with you.

Jia Zhangshi's brain went blank for a moment.

What?

Or did I make a mistake?

But the thought of her beloved grandson having a mother who was known for having an affair and being talked about badly by others, which would also affect his chances of finding a wife in the future, made Jia Zhangshi's anger dissipate.

The deaf old lady's words also make sense.

Jia Zhangshi's mind was like a rusty old machine; after those words were spoken, the gears began to turn slowly.

"Okay, ma'am, I'll do as you say. But not less."

The deaf old lady nodded in satisfaction, tapping her cane on the bluestone slab again: "Let's go, Cuihua, let's go to Cuilan's house to discuss it."

"Don't worry, this was Xiao Yi's fault. I will stand up for the Jia family."

She turned around and walked towards Yi Zhonghai's house, her cane moving at a steady pace. She said to Wang Cuilan beside her, "Let's go, Cuilan."

Jia Zhangshi stood up from the ground, dusted off her knees, and followed the deaf old lady a few steps.

Wang Cuilan followed behind them, stepped over the threshold, and went inside.

The people in the courtyard were still standing there, their eyes fixed on the door.

Xu Damao took two steps forward, then stopped, saying with lingering regret:

"Third Uncle, what did the old deaf man say to Jia Zhangshi just now?"

Why did you suddenly stop making a fuss? And why are you being so obedient?

Yan Bugui said in a deep voice, "How would I know? Alright, don't worry about it, go back to sleep."

It's almost dawn, and you haven't slept all night, yet you're still full of energy.

Xu Damao stood there for a moment, his gaze lingering on the door for a while, before finally turning and leaving.

Forget it.