Chapter 191

Zhuzi was used to discussing everything with Fantuan and the others. On the same day, he told Fantuan about this matter.

Without thinking, Fantuan said, “A rogue tenant? That’s easy. Just have Uncle Zhang bring a squad of soldiers over, throw their stuff onto the street, smash, and crush everything. If they still don’t want to leave, hold them down and beat them up. Do they have kids? If the adults beat the adults, we’ll beat up their kids. I don’t believe they won’t leave!”

Zhuzi: “…” 

Had Fantuan followed rules for too long and was now in a rebellious phase? Why was everything he said so out of line?

“This is a personal matter. Abusing power is not good.”

Fantuan replied, “I’m just saying. Just having my dad and Uncle Zhang show up in military uniforms would be enough to scare them.”

Even Xiao Doubao despised his brother’s idea: “Brother, do you want to get a beating from Mom and Dad?”

Xiao Roubao is different. When he heard that he could beat someone up, he became particularly excited, clenched his meaty fist, and said, “Big Brother Zhuzi, who are you going to beat? Xiao Roubao will help you!”

When Su Xiaoxiao entered the room, it was just in time to hear Xiao Roubao’s words. “Xiao Roubao, who do you want to beat up?”

“Mommy, someone is bullying Brother Zhuzi. We need to go help him.” Xiao Roubao cried and ran to hug his mom’s leg.

“Oh?” Su Xiaoxiao looked at Zhuzi. “What’s going on?”

Helpless, Zhuzi had to explain the situation once again.

Su Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, “That courtyard is pretty good. If you don’t buy it, I would consider buying it myself. Dealing with the rogue tenant is easy. Once the paperwork is done and you get the deed, the house is yours. You can do whatever you want in your house. Actually, you could call the police too. The previous owner probably didn’t want to involve the police since they weren’t planning to live there and just wanted to sell it. Anyway, no rush. We’ll deal with it after the paperwork is done.”

Zhuzi shared the same thought. Once they obtain the property deed, the house will belong to their family, making anything they do in their own home legal. There is always a way to drive those people away.

Fantuan rubbed his fists together and said, “Mom, does Dad still have the little drum he made for Xiao Doubao?”

Su Xiaoxiao replied, “It’s in the storage room.”

Zhuzi and Fantuan were on the same wavelength, as expected from years of brotherhood. “We’ll start with polite measures, then resort to force. If they still don’t move, we’ll bring all the pots and pans from home and bang on them three times a day. We’ll also start renovating and tearing down walls. Let’s see how long they can stand it.”

Fantuan high-fived him. “Exactly! If we make noise every day, I bet they’ll get fed up.”

Xiao Roubao was very disappointed. “So, no fighting?”

Su Xiaoxiao knocked on his head. “Why do you always think about fighting?”

Xiao Roubao was very upset. “I want to prove I’m strong. No one at school wants to fight me; everyone is afraid of me. They cry before I even throw a punch.”

Xiao Tangyuan said, “Third brother, you scare people with your fierce look.”

Xiao Roubao puffed up his chubby cheeks. “Who gave you the courage to stare at you and the Tiantian? Whoever dares to bully you, I’ll beat them up.”

Su Xiaoxiao pinched the bridge of her nose. Has she been neglecting her youngest son lately? Why was he so eager to use his fists?

Fantuan rubbed his brother’s face with both hands and squeezed his mouth into a little chicken beak: “What have Dad and Mom taught you? You should convince people with reason, and you can’t hit people casually. Do you understand?”

The Da (Big) Fantuan may forget that when he was a Xiao (Little) Fantuan, he was even more aggressive than Xiao Roubao, and he always clenched his fists to beat up people. But in recent years, he hadn’t fought much. Of course, in Qingfeng Town, no one dared to provoke them.

“Brother, I didn’t fight,” Xiao Roubao said, pushing away his brother’s hands. “If they don’t start it, I won’t hit them!”

Su Xiaoxiao hugged Xiao Roubao and said, “Xiao Roubao is good. It’s right to protect your sister, but you can’t just hit someone casually, okay?”

Xiao Roubao was full of energy with nowhere to channel it. Su Xiaoxiao thought that once the weather warmed up, she would ask Han Cheng to take him for morning runs. The winters in the capital were too cold, and they had stopped their morning runs for a long time. It was time to start again.

Xiao Wu reported the situation to the old man. The old man snorted, “Zhuzi is right. If he thinks the courtyard is suitable, buy it. Let Hongtu handle the paperwork. When the time comes, I’ll go there myself. I don’t believe anyone would dare occupy my courtyard and refuse to leave.”

Xiao Wu’s eyebrows twitched as he was yelled by the robust old man, “Zhuzi said he would handle it. Shouldn’t we avoid adding to the confusion? If he can’t handle it, then we’ll step in. This could also be a good opportunity to develop his problem-solving skills.”

The old man waved his hand dismissively: “Zhuzi is close to Han Cheng’s family. If we don’t step in, it’ll still end up bothering Han Cheng. I’d better go handle it myself.”

But just as he finished, the old man changed his mind again: “Forget it. Since Zhuzi said he’d take care of it, let him. Otherwise, it’ll seem like I don’t trust his abilities. Just keep an eye on the situation and report back if anything goes wrong.”

Xiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief in secret and said, “Okay, I will definitely keep an eye on it.”

Xiao Wu, reliable and efficient, quickly arranged a time for the transfer of ownership with Zhang Hongtu and the seller.

The seller, who is also a straightforward person, reiterated the situation with the rogue tenants: “Two elderly people and their recently unemployed son live in one room. After the other two households moved out, they took over another room. I really don’t want to involve the police; I just want to sell the courtyard quickly and move back to the countryside with my family for a simpler life. I know it’s not right to sell the house like this, but once the transfer is done, I won’t be responsible for any issues, as long as the paperwork is in order.”

“Don’t worry, we understand; you just have to worry about the process of transferring, and I will handle the follow-up matters,” Zhang Hongtu said confidently. Without even inspecting the courtyard, he paid for it and completed the transfer procedures, trusting Zhuzi’s judgment.

Everyone went to eat at Su Xiaoxiao’s restaurant, and Zhang Hongtu hurried back to the army after explaining the situation to Zhuzi. He still didn’t go to check the courtyard, showing how much trust he had in his son.

Since starting college, Yali has become the busiest one. She had been recruited to join the Lantern Festival performance due to her background in the art troupe, where she performed exceptionally well. On stage, she wore a military uniform, acted heroically, and was very dedicated to her work. When the director saw her, she caught his attention.

This director is preparing a movie with a military theme, and the female protagonist of the movie happens to be a member of the cultural troupe. The character and image seem tailor-made for Yali. The director has a very discerning eye, and after searching for more than half a year, he couldn’t find a suitable actress for the role. Just as he was about to put the project on hold, Yali appeared, and he immediately offered her an irresistible deal to take on the role of the female protagonist.

After discussing it with her family, Yali, especially Zhuzi’s opinion, Once Zhuzi agreed, she decided to take on the movie. Recently, she has been busy with pre-group training and has been so busy that she barely has time to rest. However, she still makes time to visit Zhuzi. Before leaving, she asked Su Xiaoxiao to help take care of Zhuzi.

Su Xiaoxiao, feeling embarrassed, said it was the other way around—now she relied on Zhuzi to help take care of his younger siblings.

Since moving to the capital, Zhang Hongtu and Yali have been busier than Su Xiaoxiao and Han Cheng, but their families are as close as ever. Zhuzi could stay with either family. However, the old man wanted to see his grandson every day, making the issue about the courtyard more urgent.

By the end of March, all the paperwork for the courtyard was completed. Zhuzi, being just a teenager, didn’t have much authority to take possession of the house, even with Fantuan and the others. It would seem like child’s play.

So, Xiao Wu and Han Cheng went to check the situation first.

By the end of March, all the paperwork for the courtyard was completed. Zhuzi, being just a teenager, didn’t have much authority to take possession of the house, even with Fantuan and the others. It would seem like child’s play.

So, Xiao Wu and Han Cheng went to check the situation first.

As the previous owner had said, the tenants had changed the locks and ignored the knocking until Xiao Wu threatened to break down the door. Then, two elderly people grudgingly opened it a little, and a toothless old man started cursing, “The house was given to my son by his unit. We’ve lived here for years. Once we move in, we will stay here for life. I don’t care who you are; unless you give us a new place to live, we’re not moving!”

After finishing speaking, the old man was about to close the door, but Xiao Wu held it open without pushing. The old woman behind him staged a dramatic fall, crying out, “They’re hitting us! They’re trying to force us to die. My son lost his job because of this. If you keep pushing us, we’ll jump into the river, and our ghosts will haunt this place. Let’s see who dares to live here then!”

The old lady pointed at Han Cheng and said, “You, it’s you who forced me to death. You’re so good-looking, but in fact, you’re such a bad man that you actually do such crazy things. Which company do you work for? I want to sue you. I want to go to your leader and sue you for bullying the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. Anyway, my son’s job is gone. I don’t care; we have nothing to lose. We’ll see who’s scared!”

Han Cheng, who hadn’t done anything, “…”

Xiao Wu had previously visited the house and experienced it once. Later, when he brought Zhuzi, there was still a family who had not yet moved out. They happened to be out at the time, so they didn’t meet each other. Han Cheng and Xiao Wu weren’t adept at dealing with shrewd people, so they could only watch as the door was shut in their faces.

The two men looked at each other, and Xiao Wu said, “What should I do?”

Han Cheng frowned and said, “Let’s leave here first.”

They guessed the tenants would eavesdrop, so they walked a distance away before speaking. Xiao Wu asked, “What now?”

Han Cheng frowned. “With two elderly people, we can’t use force. Let’s think of a solution when we go back. Their son hasn’t stepped forward. Let’s first understand what their son’s situation is.”

Xiao Wu nodded and said, “I’ve seen that young man before. He’s sickly and doesn’t seem to have much energy. It’s just that these two elderly people are difficult to deal with.”

Han Cheng said, “If we can’t handle this properly, even if we manage to temporarily drive them away, there will be endless troubles in the future. There’s a saying, ‘Barefoot people are not afraid of wearing shoes,’ and when people are pushed to their limits, they can resort to anything. Before proceeding, we should first have someone investigate their son’s situation.” ^[1]“Barefoot people are not afraid of wearing shoes” means that when people have little to lose, they are more willing to take bold actions.

Xiao Wu nodded again. “I advised Zhuzi against this courtyard, but he insisted. Now, it’s a hot potato. Zhuzhi is a half-grown boy, and even if he’s with Fantuan, they are still children. What can they do? The Master and my brother Zhang really are indulging him.”

Han Cheng disagreed: “Don’t underestimate Zhuzi and my son. They’re clever and resourceful. What we adults can’t do, they might be able to.”

Xiao Wu knows that they are all very smart, but that’s because they are smart at learning. In this matter, Xiao Wu has no hope.

“If it’s really not possible, then I will ask the old master to come forward and invite the police to escort them away. These people are really shameless. If it weren’t for their age, I would really want to beat them up.”

Han Cheng said, “When people come to a dead end, face is the least worth mentioning thing. It’s better to find their weaknesses. Let’s start with their son.”

Xiao Wu had no better plan. The two men, despite saying nothing confrontational, felt defeated.

The two elderly people, as Xiao Wu had thought, stuck their ears to the door for a long time but heard nothing. 

The old lady didn’t have a better ear than the old man, so she asked, “What did they say? Did they leave?”

The old man said, “It seems like they’ve left. These two look quite gentle, and as long as we act tough, they’ll have no choice but to listen to us.”

The old lady sighed and said, “It’s not a solution to keep going like this. If they invite the police to evict us, can we still act tough on the police?”

The old man said, “Drag it out as long as we can. Where will we go if we’re evicted? We can sleep under a bridge, but what about our son?”

As the old lady spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again. “My poor son,” she sighed. “How did a simple matter of finding a wife lead to such a mess? He can’t go on like this, barely clinging to life every day.”

Thinking about how his son had locked himself in his room for nearly a month and his wife crying until her eyes swollen, the old man, despite his own sadness, remained resolute. As the head of the household, he couldn’t afford to collapse, no matter how bent his back was. “We’ll take it one day at a time. If we can’t hold on any longer, we’ll take a cart and go scavenging for garbage. After all, dying of hunger is not an option.”

The old lady stepped aside to wipe her tears, overwhelmed with sorrow, with not a trace of the fierce scolding from moments ago. 

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Lucia: I have new update schedule, I will unlock 4 chapters every Friday then, 3 chapters every Tuesday. Enjoy reading Chapter 191-194~ (✿◡‿◡)

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