1959Siheyuan, a Turnaround

Jia Zhang was already furious about the fight over sticks, and now she heard the crowd's suspicions about the origin of the chicken leg. Those words were like sharp knives, piercing her heart.

Her face turned red instantly, as if blood was about to drip out, her eyes were wide open and bloodshot, just like a mad female beast.

"You bunch of gossipers, I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

Jia Zhang roared angrily and rushed towards the two aunts like an arrow.

The two aunts saw Jia Zhang rushing towards them aggressively, but they did not show any fear.

One of the middle-aged women was agile and she slightly turned sideways, easily dodged Jia Zhang's attack, then reached out her hand and pushed hard on Jia Zhang's shoulder.

Jia Zhang was pushed back a few steps by the sudden force and almost fell to the ground.

"Jia Zhang, are you crazy? We didn't provoke you, what do you want to do?"

The old lady put her hands on her hips, her eyes wide open, and asked bluntly.

Jia Zhang steadied herself and snorted coldly. The sound came out of her nose, full of anger: "Who told you to talk nonsense?"

"Mrs. Jia Zhang is full of shit. How dare you say your chickens are of good origin? Who would believe you if you said so?"

The other middle-aged woman was not to be outdone. Her voice was clear and loud, echoing over the courtyard and instantly attracting everyone's attention.

The atmosphere at the scene froze instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on Jia Zhang.

Jia Zhang felt that those gazes were like scorching flames, burning her whole body and making her feel uncomfortable.

She felt a strong sense of guilt in her heart, but in order to maintain her shaky face, she still said, "Believe it or not, why should I explain it to you?"

"Humph, you don't want to explain? Everyone knows it clearly. Your family was so poor a few months ago, and now you can eat chicken legs all of a sudden, and you don't allow people to ask? Who do you think you are? Do you want to shut everyone up?"

An old lady continued to speak loudly, and every word was like a heavy hammer hitting Jia Zhang's heart.

The neighbors around began to whisper, some shook their heads and sighed, while others looked at Jia Zhang with contempt.

"This Jia Zhang is too shameless. She has done something and she won't admit it."

"That's right. She thought she could hide it from everyone like this? She is really trying to cover up her crime!"

Jia Zhang stood there, isolated and helpless, her lips trembling slightly, she wanted to say something but didn't know where to start.

There was anger in her eyes, as well as a hint of fear that was hard to conceal.

The things Qin Huairu did were always shameful to be exposed. The bigger her reaction now, the more it proves that this matter is true.

She had tried her best to restrain herself, but those people's eyes were too sharp, making her feel guilty.

Yan Bugui watched as the crowd at the scene became increasingly arguing and chaos ensued. His brows were furrowed, and a look of impatience appeared on his face.

He raised his voice and shouted, "All of you, be quiet for a moment, stop talking nonsense here! Jia Zhang, you heard it all, it was Banggeng who deliberately ran over to provoke Guangfu and Jiekuang. The children were fighting for fun, and you, as an elder, not only did you not try to stop them, but you also joined in. What a disgrace! If I don't intervene in this matter today, will everyone agree? Now you take Banggeng with you, apologize to the two children, and give each of them one dollar as compensation. Let's just forget about this matter, don't make any more trouble!"

When Jia Zhang heard this, she became furious. Her eyes widened as if they were about to pop out of their sockets, and the blue veins on her forehead throbbed violently.

She pointed at Yan Bugui and yelled angrily, "What? You, Old Man Yan, you actually want to blackmail my family for money? No way! Have you colluded with them to get benefits from me?"

Seeing that Jia Zhang was so arrogant and unreasonable, and did not take him, the third uncle, seriously at all, Yan Bugui's eyes gradually became filled with anger.

He took a small step forward, pushed away Jia Zhang's finger, and said righteously: "Jia Zhang, please don't spit blood at me! Do you think that others are like you, thinking about extorting money all day long? This dollar is for the nutrition fee of the two children. They were beaten for no reason. Can you just let it go? Do you still have any sense of reason?"

Jia Zhang folded her hands in front of her chest, like a hedgehog with its spines erected, and retorted loudly: "Humph! They also beat Bang Geng, if you want to compensate me, you have to compensate Bang Geng as well! Why should I be the only one to pay?"

Yan Bugui was so angry at her unreasonable words that he stamped his feet and glared at Jia Zhang, asking, "Shouldn't your son Bang Geng be beaten? He's showing off in front of others with a chicken leg and swearing dirty words. Isn't that asking for a beating?"

Jia Zhang was choked by Yan Bugui's series of questions and was speechless. Her lips trembled slightly and her face turned blue and red.

She knew she was in the wrong, but she was unwilling to pay the money. In the end, she could only stiffen her neck and make a specious argument: "The children fought with each other, and they all got beaten. No one is innocent. Why do you only blame my Bang Geng?"

Yan Bugui sneered in anger: "So your beating of two children was in vain? What kind of perverted logic is this?"

Jia Zhang twisted her face and said arrogantly, "Well... Anyway, I won't pay, whoever wants to pay can pay. I don't believe that you can do anything to me!"

Yan Bugui looked at Jia Zhang's stubborn appearance, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Okay, Jia Zhang, you are really amazing. Since you don't want to solve it privately, I think we should hold a meeting of the whole courtyard tonight and let the three gentlemen make the decision together! Then, we can find a place where we can talk it out."

Then, he turned around, waved his hand at the crowd, and said loudly: "Everyone, go away! Since Jia Zhang is unwilling to pay compensation, let's find someone who can reason with us."

When everyone heard this, they all looked at Jia Zhang with a smile, their eyes full of ridicule and disdain, and then left one after another while talking.

The third aunt took Yan Jiekuang and followed Yan Bugui back home.

Along the way, Yan Bugui's face was gloomy. It was obvious that Jia Zhang's attitude just now made him very angry.

After returning home, Yan Bugui sat down on a chair and said to the third aunt and Yan Jiekuang: "Don't save face for the Jia family at the whole courtyard meeting tonight. Since she is unwilling to compensate one dollar, let her compensate two dollars! Jiekuang, go back to your room and lie down. At night, you can say that your whole body hurts and you feel very uncomfortable, understand?"

Seeing that Yan Bugui did not blame him for fighting and even gave him advice, Yan Jiekuang was filled with gratitude and a smile on his face. He quickly said, "Dad, thank you. I know what to do."

After saying that, Yan Jiekuang returned to his room happily, lay on the bed, and thought about how he should behave in the evening.

The third aunt looked at Yan Jiekuang's back as he returned to the house, and recalled Jia Zhang's arrogant look just now, and still felt angry.

She leaned close to Yan Bugui and whispered, "Old Yan, do you think the chicken from the Jia family really came from a bad source? This is a bit strange."