I, Yan Jiefang, will live to 2025 in this courtyard house.

"Snapped!"

A loud slam on the table suddenly erupted.

Director Li slammed his hand hard on the square table in the courtyard, causing the enamel mug on the table to shake violently.

The neighbors who had been whispering amongst themselves instantly fell silent, and the courtyard became eerily quiet.

All eyes were fixed on the neighborhood committee cadre, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.

Yi Zhonghai's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly realized that something was wrong.

Having held sway in the courtyard for so many years, he could tell at a glance that Director Li was truly enraged this time, and it wasn't as simple as just mediating a neighborhood dispute.

To protect Liu Haizhong from being framed, and more importantly, to preserve his own position and scheming within the hospital, he slowly stepped forward, his thick eyebrows and large eyes radiating morality and righteousness.

"Both directors, this is ultimately a family matter for the Liu family."

Yi Zhonghai spoke in a calm tone, seemingly possessing an aura that commanded respect.

There's an old saying that goes, "There are no bad parents, only unfilial children."

Old Liu is strict with his children because he hopes they will be successful in the future.

The two children are young and don't know any better. They were scolded a few times and then ran to the street to complain. They were too willful.

We still hope the two directors can offer them some guidance and help them understand the good intentions of their elders.

This kind of rhetoric was very popular in those days, and many of the older residents in the courtyard nodded in agreement.

In their conventional understanding, it is perfectly normal for parents to hit and scold their children, and strict discipline is not wrong at all.

With Yi Zhonghai leading the way and supporting him, Liu Haizhong, who was initially feeling flustered, instantly became confident and straightened his back.

He was certain that with an older man speaking up for him, he would at most receive a few verbal criticisms, and his position as the second oldest man would be secure.

Thinking of this, he glared at his two sons, his eyes full of anger and warning, and he resented them for tattling on him and undermining him.

And they decided to teach those two a lesson once things calmed down.

Standing at the front of the crowd, Sha Zhu, without thinking, foolishly echoed the sentiment:

"That's right! The old man is right! It's a father's duty to discipline his children. These two boys are just too spoiled, they don't know how lucky they are, and they're just making trouble for no reason!"

Yan Bugui remained silent. He knew perfectly well that something was clearly wrong today, and that Yi Zhonghai was just confused because he was worried.

Sha Zhu was simply a brainless opportunist.

He's been shrewd his whole life, so he wouldn't get involved in such messy things. It's safest to just quietly watch the show and wait for others to fall from grace.

As for the others, they wouldn't even dare to approach the leader; they'd rather avoid him than speak to him.

For example, Jia Zhangshi, who was huddled at the back of the crowd.

This fat pig is being very well-behaved tonight.

The few people who had any influence were trying to smooth things over and stick to the old rules, but Director Li wouldn't listen to any of that and remained resolute in his stance.

She had fought in wars and endured hardship, and even lost her beloved son before liberation. What she couldn't stand the most was elders taking advantage of their status to bully the weak, and she would never be bound by outdated ideas of blind filial piety.

Her eyes were sharp as she stared directly at Yi Zhonghai, exuding a powerful aura, and she confronted him head-on on the spot.

"Master Yi, personal relationships are personal relationships, and old sayings are old sayings; these absolutely cannot supersede national laws and regulations!"

Director Li's attitude was firm.

"The dregs of the old patriarchal system cannot be used to hold the laws of the new era hostage!"

What does it mean to be a parent who is always right?

"When his career is going badly and he's angry, he takes it out on his children, constantly whipping and beating them with belts. This isn't disciplining children; it's abuse!"

After saying that, she beckoned the Liu brothers to come forward and personally lifted their clothes.

His skin was covered with a dense array of old and new scars, a shocking sight.

"Everyone, look carefully! This is not strict discipline, it is long-term domestic violence!"

The child was beaten so badly that he dared not go home and was forced to wander and starve. He suffered serious physical and mental injuries. How can he be considered unfilial?

We are now in a new era, and the nation has clearly stated its protection of the legitimate rights and interests of women and children. We will absolutely not allow anyone to abuse their parental status to bully children!

These words were well-reasoned and supported by evidence, leaving Yi Zhonghai speechless.

His previously composed and magnanimous expression completely crumbled, leaving him frozen in place, unable to utter another word in defense of Liu Haizhong.

After all, compared to his care for his family, Liu Haizhong was just an outsider, and his importance in his heart was negligible.

Use it if it works, throw it away if it doesn't.

Director Wang, standing to the side, was extremely annoyed and cursed the people in the hospital for being so stupid.

She originally planned to mediate discreetly and quietly suppress the matter.

Firstly, it would preserve the "Civilized Courtyard" designation she personally awarded, thus avoiding any impact on her performance evaluation;

Secondly, it would also do the deaf old lady a favor and maintain a private relationship between the two parties.

As a result, this group of people mindlessly stirred up trouble, turning a small matter into a big one.

Now the entire neighborhood is watching, and Director Li is determined to handle things impartially. It's completely impossible for her to cover it up or try to smooth things over.

In a split second, Director Wang quickly weighed the pros and cons and made a decision:

By abandoning Liu Haizhong's reckless and harmful actions, they could safeguard the overall situation, protect Yi Zhonghai, and, more importantly, protect their own future.

Liu Haizhong is inflexible, impulsive, a real hot potato, and has no sense of propriety whatsoever. He never knows how to be filial to me and is not worth the risk of protecting.

Having grasped this point, Director Wang immediately put aside his personal motives, adopted a serious, business-like demeanor, and set the tone on the spot:

"If a family's values ​​are not upright, it will be difficult for the neighbors to live in peace."

There is no room for personal feelings before the law. Liu Haizhong's methods of disciplining his children were harsh, and his long-term corporal punishment had a negative impact, constituting serious wrongdoing.

Hearing the two directors say this, Liu Guangtian, who had been suppressing his feelings for more than ten years, finally mustered up his courage.

He looked up and stared directly at Director Li, his voice trembling slightly, yet unusually firm:

"Director Li, I'm nineteen years old this year. I've been working as a porter at the train station, barely managing to support myself."

I never want to be beaten by him again. I want to separate from the family and live alone with my younger brother!

Nine-year-old Liu Guangfu quickly stepped forward, tightly clutching his second brother's clothes, his eyes red-rimmed, and nodded vigorously.

Living in constant fear of being beaten and scolded, his greatest wish was to escape his father and live a peaceful life.

Liu Haizhong and his wife were immediately dumbfounded. How could their two good-for-nothing sons say such a thing?

The second aunt cried out anxiously, "Guangtian, Guangfu, what nonsense are you talking about? How are you going to live after the family split up? Come here right now!"

"Mom, you're in cahoots with Dad! When we were being beaten, you didn't even try to stop us, you just stood there like a stone pillar! I've been completely disappointed in you for a long time!"

Liu Guangfu cried out loudly.

The clear, childlike voice sounded particularly jarring in the courtyard.

The two directors exchanged a glance and, in front of everyone in the hospital, loudly announced the final decision.

"After verification and adjudication by the neighborhood committee, the following decision is hereby made:"

First, Liu Haizhong's position as mediator at the Siheyuan (courtyard house) is hereby revoked, effective immediately.

Second, Liu Haizhong was given a serious reprimand and education, and was strictly prohibited from beating, scolding or physically punishing his children in the future. If he commits the offense again, he will be dealt with severely, and he will have to write a guarantee and hand it over to the neighborhood committee for safekeeping.

Third, the request from Liu Guangtian and his brother to divide the family property needs to be handled privately by Liu Haizhong's family at the neighborhood committee tomorrow.

Director Li added:

"In addition, if there is anything in the courtyard that cannot be resolved, you must report it to the neighborhood committee or the police station. Never try to cover it up."

The moment the results were announced, there was a two-second silence in the courtyard, followed by an uproar.

All the neighbors in the courtyard were shocked. No one expected that the usually arrogant and pretentious Second Uncle would actually be dismissed from his post by the neighborhood committee on the spot and completely lose his prestige.

At this moment, many intelligent people saw the truth: the power of the three old men in the courtyard was not a secure job, nor were they local tyrants who had the final say in the courtyard.

All their identities and rights were given to them by the street.

In the face of official rules and policies, their little bit of neighborhood prestige is utterly insignificant.

However, it would be difficult to ask them to rebel against Yi Zhonghai in a short period of time.

The prestige built up over ten years is not so easily destroyed.

It might go back to normal after a while.

Yan Jiefang, standing at the back of the crowd, watched the whole thing with a cold eye, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He doesn't like to cause trouble. This time, taking advantage of the street rules, he tidied up his bangs that were disturbing his sleep, thus maintaining his peaceful life rhythm without getting his hands dirty. Everything was under his control.

Yi Zhonghai's face was gloomy and he felt a little regretful.

Although this incident was unexpected, it hasn't had a significant impact on him.

Liu Haizhong stood frozen in place, his face pale and his body stiff and numb.

His ten-year-long obsession with his position as a manager and the last vestiges of his dignity shattered completely at this moment.

All the resentment and frustration in my heart could only be stuck in my chest.

As for his decision to resist the neighborhood committee, that's giving him far too much credit.