Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 18 Playing House

Li Hongmei's voice wasn't particularly loud, but every word she uttered was firm and powerful.

For a while.

The entire large courtyard was completely silent.

Don't underestimate Li Hongmei just because she's a woman; she's not someone to be trifled with.

When Li Fushun passed away, Li Hongmei, as the eldest sister, supported the entire family and went through so much.

Two years is enough time for a person to transform.

clap clap clap!
"well said!"

The sudden applause broke the awkward atmosphere, and everyone looked over, just in time to see Li Hongbing walking in from outside.

"Li Hongbing, you still dare to come back?"

Jia Dongxu, who also saw Li Hongbing appear, was both angry and excited.

I was just looking for an opportunity to retaliate!

"My home is here, why don't I dare to come back?"

Li Hongbing's gaze swept around before finally landing on Yi Zhonghai. He sneered, "Old man, if you want to gather everyone to judge me, why did you have to choose a time when I wasn't there? You won't even give me a chance to confront you face to face. What does this mean?"

“Hongbing, you may have misunderstood. This meeting is not aimed at you, but at finding the culprit who maliciously injured you behind the scenes.”

Having just been singled out by Li Hongmei, and now with Li Hongbing pointing the finger at him, Yi Zhonghai had no choice but to step forward, unable to remain hidden any longer.

"Isn't this right?"

Yi Zhonghai's explanation was clearly self-deceptive, and Li Hongbing couldn't help but chuckle. He then said, "I heard everything Jia Dongxu said when I came in. Anyone who didn't know better would think I was some heinous fugitive!"

"It's understandable that Jia Dongxu, as the victim, was emotionally agitated and might not have spoken calmly after being attacked without provocation."

It wasn't until Jia Dongxu's words gave Li Hongbing an opportunity to "find fault" that Yi Zhong had no choice but to defend him.

"Understand my ass! Just because you're upset doesn't mean you can arbitrarily label and falsely accuse people. According to what you're saying, if someone is in a bad mood one day, does that mean they can just kill or commit arson?"

Faced with Yi Zhonghai's extremely biased statement, Li Hongbing was so angry that he laughed.

Li Hongbing's questioning caused Yi Zhonghai's expression to change, and he immediately rebuked him: "Li Hongbing, let's keep things separate. Don't try to change the subject."

"I'm not trying to change the subject; the logic itself is flawed."

Most of Yi Zhonghai's so-called nonsense is untenable and cannot withstand scrutiny.

Doesn't someone really like to reason?
Then let's debate until Yi Zhonghai himself has nothing left to say.

Realizing that continuing to argue with Li Hongbing about this issue would be detrimental to him, Yi Zhonghai regained his composure and softened his tone, saying, "Hongbing, don't get angry so easily. After all, something unpleasant happened yesterday, and Dongxu was beaten up today after being put in a sack. It's normal for him to suspect you, since you are indeed a prime suspect."

With this opening statement, he immediately labeled all of Li Hongbing's previous words as a matter of personal grudges, and reiterated the legitimacy of Jia Dongxu's suspicions.

"Uncle, you're not right about that."

Li Hongbing shook his head.

"Oh, what's wrong?"

Yi Zhonghai became interested.

Now that the "suspect" is Li Hongbing, Yi Zhonghai realized that they shouldn't be the ones in a hurry, and began to sit back and relax.

"Sir, wasn't yesterday's matter over and done with?"

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was still as calm as an old dog, Li Hongbing almost burst out laughing. "You personally apologized to me during the meeting last night, and I also said in front of everyone that I would not pursue the matter. Moreover, you also said that Jia Zhangshi was sent to reform, which was her own problem and had nothing to do with me. Why are you bringing up old grievances now?"

What, you're going back on your word, treating it like nothing but a fart?
"Now that you and Jia Dongxu have gotten into trouble, you immediately bring up these old stories and pin these baseless accusations on me. What's the meaning of this?"

Yi Zhonghai was dumbfounded, clearly taken aback by Li Hongbing's words, feeling as if he had shot himself in the foot. He knew Li Hongbing was not easy to deal with, but this was just too troublesome.

at the same time.

The onlookers, who were watching the spectacle, began to look at Yi Zhonghai with a strange expression.

It is clear.

In this confrontation, Yi Zhonghai was at a disadvantage.

It was a rare sight to see Yi Zhonghai, an old man, get his comeuppance, and everyone was extremely excited.

More importantly.

Yi Zhonghai's actions this time are indeed likely to give others ammunition to criticize him.

"Li Hongbing, get to the point. Today's meeting is about the incident where Grandpa and Jia Dongxu were hit on the head with a club. Don't bring up irrelevant things."

Seeing Yi Zhonghai's discomfiture, Liu Haizhong, the third uncle, quickly stepped forward to speak up: "Just tell me honestly where you went after work today and why you came back so late?"

Liu Haizhong had many grievances against Li Hongbing and had long wanted to take action to deal with him; he had just seized the opportunity.

The two had no personal grudges against each other.

However, Li Hongbing's outburst yesterday implicated him as well, so it's no wonder Liu Haizhong was upset.

Moreover, in Liu Haizhong's view, Li Hongbing was a troublemaker who not only refused to be managed but also challenged the authority of the old man in the courtyard more than once. He had to step in to suppress Li Hongbing's arrogance.

"That's right!"

"Li Hongbing, you must tell the truth."

"Where were you when my master and I were being beaten today, and what were you doing?"

"Also, why did you come back so late?"

"That Sha Zhu was an apprentice just like you, so why did he come back earlier than you?"

"..."

With Liu Haizhong stepping forward and having another person to "back him up," Jia Dongxu straightened his back a bit more and immediately launched a series of interrogations against Li Hongbing.

“Hongbing, we’re not targeting you. We just want to find out who killed me and Dongxu. Once you’ve explained everything and cleared your name, you’ll be fine.”

At this point, Yi Zhonghai transformed into a "good guy" and began to earnestly persuade him.

The master and apprentice were working in perfect harmony, their intentions couldn't be clearer.

Of the three uncles, Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong both spoke up, while Xu Fugui, the second uncle, remained silent and stood by as if he were invisible.

Obvious.

This matter has nothing to do with Xu Fugui, and he doesn't want to get involved. He's clearly just sitting back and watching the two fight.

Regardless of who wins or loses, it won't harm him.

If Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong lose, it will be a good opportunity to undermine the prestige of those two old men.

If Li Hongbing loses, it will be a good opportunity to dampen this troublemaker's arrogance.

Taking in the situation on the field, Li Hongbing smiled and, under everyone's gaze, shrugged directly at Yi Zhonghai:
"Excuse me, sir, if you have evidence that I knocked you unconscious, you can do as my sister said and go directly to the police station to arrest me. I really have no time to play house with you two..."

It wouldn't be difficult for Li Hongbing to prove his innocence.

But why did he let Yi Zhonghai lead him by the nose and fall into the trap of self-proof?

Did I give him too much face?

(End of this chapter)