1952: Walking through Nantongluo Alley

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When Sha Zhu uttered the words "I'm calling the police," it was like a thunderclap exploding in the ears of Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong. In an instant, their faces turned pale, beads of sweat even seeped out of their foreheads, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Then, two voices shouted simultaneously, "Don't call the police!" The clamor was so loud it seemed to burst through the roof and soar into the heavens. Yi Zhonghai stared at Sha Zhu in horror, thinking to himself: If we call the police, our reputation as a civilized courtyard will be jeopardized! Liu Haizhong, standing beside him, was also terrified. He knew full well what this title meant to him. Although it brought no tangible material rewards, the mere satisfaction of that illusory vanity allowed him to hold his head high and speak confidently to others in the steel mill.

At this moment, Sha Zhu was already in a state of despair and anger. He thought to himself, since he had already lost all his face, he might as well fight to the death. If he couldn't get a satisfactory solution today, even if the emperor came to the scene in person, he would not be able to stop him from going to the police station to report the case. Thinking of this, Sha Zhu suddenly raised his voice and shouted in a stern voice: "Since you don't want to see me call the police, then give me a reasonable explanation! I haven't even found a wife yet, but this face has been scratched beyond recognition by that shrew Jia Zhang. It's simply disfigured! She must compensate me accordingly no matter what!"

Seeing this, Liu Haizhong rushed forward, grabbed Sha Zhu's arm, and anxiously advised, "Sha Zhu, although your face is unfortunately disfigured, your sister-in-law's face is not much better!" After that, he raised his hand and pointed tremblingly at Jia Zhang's horrible face, and then added, "Look at your sister-in-law's face, isn't it also been scratched to pieces by you, almost disfigured! In my opinion, why don't we listen to Second Master's advice and let this matter go, let it be turned over and become a thing of the past."

Upon hearing this, Sha Zhu was startled for a moment, then he uttered two sneers full of sarcasm. The laughter seemed to be squeezed out from the depths of his throat, cold and harsh. It was obvious that he was extremely dissatisfied and disdainful of Liu Haizhong's perfunctory way of handling the matter. He shook off Liu Haizhong's hand with force, glared at him with wide eyes, and shouted: "How can that damn old woman Jia Zhang be compared with me? I haven't even gotten married yet! She, Jia Zhang, is already half buried in the ground, and you, Second Master, actually said that we are even? Is this reasonable?"

When Jia Zhang heard Sha Zhu dare to describe her in such a rude way, her fury instantly ignited to its peak! Her eyes widened, her face flushed crimson, and she looked as if she was about to burst into flames. She was trembling with rage, her teeth chattering, and she wished she could rush forward and devour Sha Zhu alive.

She rushed towards Sha Zhu with great momentum, pointed a finger at his nose, and cursed with saliva flying from her mouth: "You heartless little bastard! How dare you insult me ​​like this? Who are you calling an old woman with half of your body buried in the ground? Ah? I'll teach you a lesson today, you ignorant thing!" As her shouting became louder and louder, the originally calm atmosphere around her suddenly became tense.

Sha Zhu raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a disdainful smile, and said in a tone full of contempt and sarcasm: "Hmph! Come on! If you have the guts, let's fight again now and see who is stronger! Whoever admits defeat will be a grandson!" After saying that, he raised his chin provocatively, his eyes full of contempt.

Hearing this, Jia Zhang's heart skipped a beat, but she pretended to remain calm. She knew full well that as a woman, she was no match for Sha Zhu in terms of strength. If they really came to blows, she would be the only one to suffer. Although Jia Zhang felt indignant at this, she didn't dare to respond to Sha Zhu's challenge easily. She just bit her lip and remained silent.

After a while, Jia Zhang suddenly snorted coldly, then turned around and walked quickly behind Yi Zhonghai, standing close to him. It seemed that only by hiding behind Yi Zhonghai could she feel a sense of security and reliance. Then, she stuck her head out a little and shouted to Liu Haizhong: "Second Uncle, you have to make the decision for me! There must be an explanation for what happened today! If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, even if Sha Zhu doesn't plan to call the police, I will go to the police station myself to report the case and I must get justice!" When saying this, Jia Zhang's voice was sharp and harsh, which made people frown.

At that moment, Liu Haizhong felt like his head was twice as big as his own, and he was filled with regret. If he had known he would encounter such a difficult situation, he should not have meddled in other people's business. Now, he was stuck in the middle, feeling extremely unlucky!

At this moment, Sha Zhu, who was standing nearby, could no longer suppress his anger and became extremely impatient. If Liu Haizhong hadn't been quick to grab him and hold him tightly, Sha Zhu would have pounced on Jia Zhang like a ferocious beast!

Even though Liu Haizhong was holding him tightly, Sha Zhu's fierce verbal attack didn't stop him. His eyes widened in anger as he launched a barrage of insults at Jia Zhang: "Jia Zhang, how dare you say such things? You, a person like me, actually dare to ask for justice? You're just dreaming!"

Then, Sha Zhu seemed to feel that scolding alone was not enough to vent his anger. He continued to shout loudly: "Okay, okay, since you are so self-righteous, then go to the police right now! I want to see how the police will handle this matter after they arrive!" After saying these words, Sha Zhu was still furious. He shouted at Jia Zhang again: "If you want to call the police, then go now! Don't stand here like a fool and dawdle!"

Seeing the situation develop to this point, Jia Zhang became increasingly anxious, looking like an enraged tigress. At this moment, Yi Zhonghai quickly reached out with both hands and tightly covered Jia Zhang's chattering mouth.

In this way, they barely prevented a bloody storm from breaking out. After all, if the Jia Zhang family was allowed to continue making trouble, the consequences would be disastrous.

Things had developed to such an unmanageable situation that Liu Haizhong stood aside with a frown on his face, racking his brains but still unable to come up with a solution that would satisfy both parties.

When he saw that Sha Zhu and Jia Zhang's faces were both horrible, an idea suddenly flashed in his mind - why not just try to smooth things over!

Liu Haizhong cleared his throat, walked up to Sha Zhu and Jia Zhangshi, and said with an impartial attitude, "How about this? Look at yourselves now, your faces are covered in bruises. You urgently need proper medical treatment."

"So, in my opinion, why don't we wait until the injuries on your faces heal, and then I'll come and seek justice for you?"

After hearing Liu Haizhong's words, Jia Zhang and Sha Zhu, who had been glaring at each other, simultaneously raised their hands and gently stroked their cheeks. However, as soon as their fingers touched the hideous wounds, they felt a sharp pain like a burning fire.

Especially Sha Zhu, who couldn't help but grimace in pain, muttering softly: "This damn old woman is so ruthless when she attacks, she is so cruel!"

When Jia Zhang heard what Liu Haizhong said, she couldn't help but think: "Hmm, it does sound like there is some truth to it!" Her originally tense face gradually relaxed.

After a brief thought, Jia Zhang felt that this matter would not harm her family, so she no longer insisted on her own opinion and responded readily: "Okay, then let's do as your third uncle says!"

Seeing this, Liu Haizhong was secretly delighted, a satisfied smile on his face, and a slight nod of approval. To be honest, he had never expected Jia Zhang to give in so quickly and agree to his idea. According to his original plan, he would have to spend some time convincing Sha Zhu first, and then slowly persuade Jia Zhang. Who would have thought that Jia Zhang would agree so readily? This really saved him a lot of trouble!

Then, Liu Haizhong turned his gaze to Sha Zhu who was standing beside him and asked in a gentle voice, "Sha Zhu, look, Jia Zhang has already expressed her willingness to follow my proposal. So what are you thinking right now? Are you willing to accept my idea?"

Sha Zhu stood there, frowning slightly, thinking to himself. He knew Liu Haizhong was a cunning man, so he had to be careful and not be fooled by him. After all, this wasn't the first time this had happened. If he accidentally fell into his trap, he would be in big trouble.

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu took a deep breath and said, "Third Uncle, how about..." However, before he could finish his words, he was rudely interrupted by Liu Haizhong. Liu Haizhong waved his hand impatiently and shouted, "Alright, alright! Stop rambling! I know what you want to say. In that case, let's just leave it at that."

Liu Hai waved his hand with a confident look, clearly fully prepared to persuade the two men to go home. Then, Liu Hai's eyes quickly swept over the crowd watching the excitement, and he raised his voice and said:

"Hey, neighbors! Take a look, there's nothing much to see here. Let's all go home and find our mothers!"

After hearing Liu Haizhong's words, the crowd that had been gathered together, whispering and discussing, looked at each other in confusion. After a few whispers, they began to leave in twos and threes. Soon, only Liu Haizhong, Jia Zhangshi, and Sha Zhu were left at the scene.

At this moment, General Liu Hai fixed his gaze firmly on Jia Zhangshi and Sha Zhu, secretly thinking about how to prevent one of them from suddenly changing his mind. So, he kindly reminded them:

"Sister-in-law, and Shazhu, in my opinion, although the injuries on your faces look serious, they are not completely hopeless. If you can go to the hospital quickly and act quickly, maybe you can cure them!"

For Sha Zhu, these words were like a long drought finally ending in a downpour, making him ecstatic. His eyes lit up with excitement, and he couldn't wait to ask:

"Second Master, what you just said... is it all true? Are you trying to make fun of me?"

When Liu Haizhong heard this, he immediately patted his chest and promised:

"Hey, Silly Zhu, look at what you're saying! When has the Second Master ever lied to you? I'm a man of my word and I definitely don't try to trick you!"

After listening to this, Sha Zhu frowned slightly and fell into a brief moment of contemplation. He rubbed his chin with his hand, his eyes staring into the distance, as if recalling every moment he had spent with Second Master. After a while, he shook his head slightly, a look of sudden enlightenment on his face, then slowly shook his head and responded:

"Hmm... let me think about it carefully, it's really like that! Second Uncle, you have always been sincere to me, it seems that you have never lied to me!"

Hearing Sha Zhu's words, the corners of his mouth lifted unconsciously, and a hint of relief and satisfaction flashed in his eyes. His originally serious face softened with a smile, and he looked particularly happy.

Then, Sha Zhu's expression suddenly changed, as if he had remembered something important, and a look of anxiety appeared on his face. He quickly waved his hand towards Liu Haizhong and said quickly:

"Uncle, I'm sorry, the situation is urgent and I have to go to the hospital right away!" After saying that, without waiting for Liu Haizhong to react, Sha Zhu turned around, took big strides, and ran away like an arrow.

As he ran, he kept looking back, afraid that he would lose time if he ran too slowly. His steps became faster and faster, raising clouds of dust. In the distance, he saw only a figure speeding past on the road, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared around the corner.

Liu Haizhong watched Sha Zhu's retreating figure, shaking his head helplessly, but a faint smile still played on his lips. He knew Sha Zhu was impatient and would rush forward recklessly if pressed. So, he stood there, quietly watching Sha Zhu disappear from view, silently praying that everything would go smoothly.