Volume 1, Chapter 23: The Person Involved Is Stunned

Before the couple could even arrive at their own wedding, this group of people had already devoured every dish at the banquet, and then had the audacity to expect Su Jianshe to foot the bill. Even more shocking was the fact that the two protagonists of this wedding seemed entirely unaware it was even taking place.

It was utterly absurd!

Before Su Jianshe could utter a word, the young saleswoman from the supply and marketing cooperative looked at the crowd with undisguised contempt.

"I wondered why you were buying so much liquor, but it turns out you were planning such a disgraceful scheme!" Although young, her words were razor-sharp, cutting through the crowd like a knife.

Ignoring the others, she turned directly to Xu Damao. "Xu Damao, pay up now. I’m letting you off with some dignity while I’m still calm, or else you’ll regret it! You’re the one who opened the credit account; don’t talk to me about helping others. I only recognize you!"

Xu Damao, hiding in the crowd, didn't dare to speak. He cast a pleading look at Liu Haizhong beside him. "Second Uncle, please help me out. Lend me some money, and once Su Jianshe pays it back, you'll get it, right?"

Liu Haizhong hesitated. If he set this precedent, the people in the courtyard would never stop hounding him to cover their expenses. "What are you talking about? As the Second Uncle of this courtyard, would I ever harm you? Just make Su Jianshe reimburse you!"

Without giving Xu Damao a chance to retort, Liu Haizhong turned to Su Jianshe and commanded, "Su Jianshe, hurry up and pay the comrade from the supply cooperative. She’s still waiting!"

Anger flickered on Liu Haizhong’s face. The residents of the courtyard looked at him with growing suspicion, as if questioning his authority as the Second Uncle. This infuriated him, but he maintained his composure. He had gathered everyone here specifically to leverage the power of the entire courtyard to force Su Jianshe into submission.

Su Jianshe watched the scene coldly, his inner rage burning hotter. His new bride had been reduced to tears by these people, and they had held a wedding banquet without even seeking their consent. Glancing through the gaps in the courtyard, he saw the mess they had left behind—not a scrap of meat or even a bone remained. As for Qin Huairu’s sudden appearance, Su Jianshe knew full well that her family was destitute; they could barely afford a bowl of pickles, let alone spend money on meat for a wedding banquet. And as for the bill at the cooperative, Su Jianshe was clear: the person who opened the credit should be the one to pay it!

Su Jianshe had no intention of paying a single cent for those scoundrels. He gently patted his wife’s shoulder to soothe her. "Xiaoyan, with me here, these people in the courtyard won't dare bully you. It’s all just empty talk."

"Don't lower yourself to their level. They’ve always been like this—they have no conscience."

At these words, the residents erupted in dissatisfaction. Xu Damao, desperate to pay the debt, shouted, "Su Jianshe, you brat! We held this banquet for your own good, and now you won't pay and you're insulting us? Do you have no heart?"

Qin Huairu chimed in with a sneer, "Su Jianshe, getting married and already turning your back on your neighbors? Even if you don't acknowledge us, you have to pay the bill, since we held the banquet for you!"

The courtyard residents were now truly incensed, gathering at the entrance to yell abuses. "Su Jianshe, you ungrateful wretch! I helped your family plenty when you were a child!"

"Su Jianshe, pay up! This is all for your own good!"

Su Jianshe looked at them with cold eyes. "Calling you animals is an insult to the animals!" He didn't want to tangle with them any further. He sneered, "Miss, whoever owes you money, go find them. What wedding banquet? We never held one! We never planned to have a wedding banquet in the first place!"

The girl from the cooperative nodded immediately, having long found these people repulsive. "Xu Damao, if you don't act like a man, don't blame me for calling the police!"

Xu Damao panicked. In his desperation, he threatened Su Jianshe, "Su Jianshe, pay the money! I did this for your own good! If you don't pay, I’ll kill you!"

Xu Damao was truly terrified. Su Jianshe had heard rumors that the entire courtyard and its surrounding streets were under strict investigation. If he got dragged into that, he wouldn't be free for at least a month.

"Stop your nonsense. My family never held a wedding banquet, nor did we ask you to buy liquor. If you wanted to drink, why drag us into it?" Su Jianshe’s casual comment pinned the entire affair on the spontaneous actions of the courtyard residents.

In truth, even Liu Haizhong had to admit this was the trap he had originally set for Su Jianshe. *Damn it,* he thought, *it's his wedding day, and we used the neighborly excuse to pressure him. He should have caved by now—why is he still holding out?*

Liu Haizhong was anxious, and Xu Damao was frantic. The cooperative had already reported the case; if he didn't pay, he might lose his job as a film projectionist.

"Su Jianshe, are you paying or not?" Xu Damao roared, charging at Su Jianshe with a fist, intending to use force.

"Trying to start a fight?"

Su Jianshe, skilled in Baji Quan, looked on with mockery as Xu Damao lunged at him like a thug. He dodged gracefully, holding Xiaoyan to keep her safe.

*Slap!*

A crisp sound echoed through the courtyard as Su Jianshe slapped Xu Damao across the face.

"Pfft... Su Jianshe, you!!!" Xu Damao stared in shock, then spat out a mouthful of blood, a dark-colored molar falling out with it. It was a bizarre sight, as his face showed no other bruising; the tooth looked like a rotted one that had simply been knocked loose.

"Su Jianshe, you knocked out my tooth! I’m not finished with you!" Before Xu Damao could finish his roar, two police officers in uniform appeared at the gate, their presence imposing.

"It’s you lot again," the lead officer said sternly. "One incident after another—first assault, then theft, and now forced buying and selling! What’s next, armed robbery?"

The residents went silent, their eyes shifting toward Liu Haizhong. The timid ones quietly slipped away, thinking that since they’d already eaten the meat, they might as well consider it an early New Year’s feast, but being dragged to the police station would mean losing their jobs.

Seeing no response, the officer asked again, "I heard there are three 'Uncles' in this courtyard. Where are they? I’d like to see who is turning this place into such a cesspool."

Liu Haizhong panicked. The Third Uncle, Yan Bugui, had already slipped away due to his stinginess, and Yi Zhonghai remained silent, having merely eaten the food. Liu Haizhong had secretly prided himself on suppressing Yi Zhonghai, but now he felt cold.

"Officer, I am the Second Uncle of this courtyard." Liu Haizhong looked around, but the residents returned his gaze with nothing but resentment and helplessness. No one was willing to stand up for him. Some had even boasted earlier about teaching Su Jianshe a lesson!

The officer scrutinized Liu Haizhong. "Good. Since someone is willing to take responsibility, pay the bill for the cooperative immediately. Or were you planning to cheat them?"

Liu Haizhong felt a chill run down his spine. Xu Damao had picked the most expensive liquor. It was a massive sum!

"Officer," Liu Haizhong began, "could you give us some time? Let us pool the money. It’s quite a large amount!"

"Time?" The officer looked at him with skepticism. He had seen too many people like Liu Haizhong—they always promised to pay, only to end up paying nothing until they were rotting in a cell. "The supplier didn't ask for time when they sold the liquor; why do you need time to pay for it?"

"I'm telling you, no way! Either you pay now, or you come with me to the station!"

Liu Haizhong felt his heart turn to ice. He looked at Xu Damao, the man who usually called him "Second Uncle" every other breath, but who was now keeping his head bowed to the ground. Relying on him to pay was a pipe dream. Furthermore, failing to pay a state-run business was a serious offense. He might even be paraded through the streets. Most importantly, Xu Damao had only opened the credit account because he had given the nod! If he didn't resolve this, he could forget about holding any official rank—even his position as "Second Uncle" would be at risk. For a man obsessed with power, this was unacceptable.

"Fine, Officer, I'll pay!"

In the end, Liu Haizhong had no choice but to pay the debt himself.

Once the matter was settled, the two officers prepared to leave. Before doing so, the lead officer issued a final warning: "Don't even think about being named a 'Red Flag Unit' this year. We’ll be keeping an eye on this courtyard. If there’s another incident, it won't just be a warning next time!"

The residents shivered and nodded frantically.

"If you don't have the money, don't act like big shots. You can't even afford the wine, yet you expect others to pay for you—aren't you ashamed?" The saleswoman smiled at Su Jianshe, cast a look of disdain at the crowd, and left.

Su Jianshe swept his gaze over the beast-like crowd with a sneer. Just as he was about to take Xiaoyan home, a distressed Liu Haizhong blocked his path.

"Su Jianshe, you can't leave. This isn't over yet—the money! You haven't paid us back!"

The crowd, like starving wolves seeing prey, turned their eyes toward Su Jianshe, eager to tear a piece of flesh from him. "That's right! You haven't paid!"

"If you'd paid earlier, we wouldn't have all this trouble!"

"Just pay up, don't stall! I have to go home and cook!"

Looking at the ugly faces of these so-called neighbors, Su Jianshe gave a calm smile and walked toward two locust trees often used for gathering firewood.

*Bang!*

Su Jianshe unleashed his inner Baji Quan force; when his fist left the tree, a deep imprint remained in the wood.

"I'll say this once: I never planned any wedding banquet. If you bother me again, we can test our skills against each other before we involve the police!"

With that, Su Jianshe took Chu Yan’s hand and returned home.

The remaining people stared at each other, eventually focusing their eyes on Liu Haizhong.

"Liu Haizhong, what about our money? You said for sure we'd get it back!"

"That's right, you're the elder of the courtyard, don't try to welch on us!"

"My family was counting on that meat for the New Year, and now it's all gone. What are we supposed to do?"

Facing their reproaches, Liu Haizhong’s blood boiled. He had never minded their petty greed before, but when the cooperative came, they wouldn't cough up a cent, and when the police arrived, they only knew how to shift the blame.

He waved his hand impatiently. "Enough, enough! Everyone go home. We'll talk about the meat tomorrow. It's late; there's no way to get the money back tonight!"

As he spoke, Liu Haizhong looked suddenly aged. He walked away with his hands behind his back, accompanied by his heavy sighs. Behind him, the nagging continued:

"Second Uncle, you must go collect the debt early tomorrow. We're all waiting for our share!"

"That's right, don't let that money fall into his hands."

Liu Haizhong was so angry he could barely breathe. He had never seen such shameless people.

—

Compared to the turmoil outside, Su Jianshe’s home was filled with warmth.

Su Jianshe had lit a stove, keeping the room cozy. He had also bought two red candles from the cooperative, placing them on the table to cast a warm glow. On the wall, he had pasted "double happiness" symbols he had cut himself, adding to the joy of their new life.

Chu Yan’s eyes sparkled with contentment; she felt like the happiest bride in the world. A fragrant aroma wafted through the air.

"The Mandarin Duck Chicken is ready!"

Looking at the chicken soup Su Jianshe had carefully prepared, Chu Yan’s joy was uncontrollable. She looked at him with deep affection and leaned into his arms. From foster sister to childhood sweetheart, and now his wife—Su Jianshe felt completely fulfilled.

As the night deepened, the candlelight flickered, and the room grew quiet. By the time the first light of dawn touched the windowpane, Su Jianshe had awakened. He looked at his wife, who still had faint traces of tears on her face, and felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

—

Compared to Su Jianshe’s happiness, Qin Huairu was in a state of frantic excitement as she woke up. The police station had notified her to come pick them up! Because the two had "confessed" and had Su Jianshe’s letter of forgiveness, they were released quickly. But Qin Huairu had to go in person, and a family member had to sign a guarantee of good behavior during their probation period.

However, just as Qin Huairu stepped out of her house, she froze...

The people in the courtyard were suddenly flooding toward the backyard, shouting incessantly.