Siheyuan: Rebirth of Liu Ergou

In the spacious pavilion of Liu Rui's house, there was a mountain of 3,000 kilograms of rice, emitting an alluring rice aroma. The eldest uncle Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up, and he wanted to take over the power of distribution, but was rejected by Liu Ying. She turned to instruct her husband Liu Rui to ask the second uncle Liu Haizhong to preside over it.

As soon as Liu Haizhong arrived, he used his usual majesty to divide the rice equally among the thirty households, with each household receiving 100 kilograms, and everyone agreed. However, when it came to money, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. Uncle Niu, an old man who was known for his stubbornness, stood firm on his position at this moment, and he firmly stated: "I only want rice, not money!"

His voice echoed in the pavilion, with an unquestionable determination. Everyone looked at each other, not knowing how to deal with this stubborn old man. After hearing this, Liu Haizhong's face turned pale in an instant, and he glared at Uncle Niu, as if he wanted to see through him.

"Uncle Niu, what do you mean by this? We all bought the rice together, and each family had to pay. How could you just take the rice without paying?" Liu Haizhong's voice was filled with obvious anger. He couldn't understand Uncle Niu's behavior.

Uncle Niu just glanced at him calmly, then shook his head slowly: "I'm old, and I don't have that much spare money. I need rice to live, but I just don't pay."

His attitude made Liu Haizhong even more angry. He slammed the table and stood up: "Uncle Niu, are you being a rogue? If you do this, what will the rest of us do?"

A disturbance caused by rice distribution was brewing quietly in the pavilion of Liu Rui's house. Everyone was involved and couldn't get out of it. And the stubborn figure of Uncle Niu became the focus of this disturbance.

Uncle Niu said loudly: "If you don't give me food, I will report it. It is impossible that all this rice was obtained through formal channels." There was a hint of threat in his voice, and he was obviously dissatisfied with the current situation.

Hearing Uncle Niu's threat, Jia Zhang's face instantly turned livid. She was furious, and stood up from her chair suddenly, as if a firecracker had been lit, spitting out as she roared: "You dare! Just try it! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

The two sides started a fierce verbal battle, their words were full of hostility and provocation. Uncle Niu did not show any weakness and continued his threats: "I will report it, and see what you can do!"

Jia Zhang couldn't stand it any longer. Her anger was like a volcanic eruption, and she couldn't stop it. She took a step forward, stretched out her hand, and pointed directly at Uncle Niu's nose, as if to stop him from speaking. Uncle Niu saw this and didn't want to be outdone. He also stretched out his hand, trying to push away Jia Zhang's fingers.

At this moment, Jia Zhang suddenly exerted her strength and slapped Uncle Niu hard on the face. This slap came so suddenly and so violently that everyone was stunned. Uncle Niu staggered and almost fell to the ground. Five clear fingerprints appeared on his face instantly, and he grimaced in pain.

This scene shocked everyone. They didn't expect Jia Zhang to hit someone. Jia Zhang seemed to have opened Pandora's box and couldn't stop. She continued to wave her arms, trying to attack Uncle Niu again. The scene became chaotic for a while, and people stepped forward to persuade them to stop, trying to calm down this sudden conflict.

Liu Rui's eyes were like ice, he watched Uncle Niu's actions coldly, without saying a word. His silence was not weakness, but a kind of deep majesty, which made the people around him quiet down unconsciously. Time seemed to freeze, until he finally took a step, slowly walking towards Uncle Yi Zhonghai beside him.

"Uncle, please stop now." He spoke softly, but his words carried a weight that could not be ignored. "If we really can't distribute rice, the hundreds of men in our compound will not be vegetarians. When the time comes, you'd better be careful not to be torn to pieces by their anger, believe it or not?"

Yi Zhonghai's face changed slightly when he heard this. He knew that Liu Rui's words were not groundless. Although the men in the compound seemed to be undisciplined at ordinary times, they would unite once it came to everyone's vital interests. He reluctantly signaled Uncle Niu to stop making trouble. After all, he didn't want to cause unrest in the compound because of such a small matter.

The old and young men in the compound all understood the manipulator behind the scenes. They all cast admiring glances and praised Liu Rui's calmness and wit. For a moment, they all criticized Uncle Niu, an old guy who "eats other people's food but does not do human things." Uncle Niu, at this moment, was like a tiger with its teeth pulled out. He could only leave in disgrace and dared not show off his power anymore.

Liu Rui defuses this disturbance skillfully. His authority and wisdom are proven once again in the compound, and more people admire and trust him. He also knows that this is just a small episode in the compound's life.