Siheyuan: I live next door to Xu Damao, my last name is Cao

The sky was turning pale, and the cold light was carefully shining on the earth, but the sun had not yet completely dispelled the chill of the night.

The entire courtyard was still shrouded in silence. The roof was covered with a thin layer of frost, flickering in the dim light. Occasionally, the sound of birds chirping could be heard, further highlighting the tranquility and peace of the early morning, like an undisturbed winter painting.

In Cao Wei's room, the warm quilt wrapped him tightly. He had a comfortable expression on his face, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if he was having a sweet dream.

In his dream, he was strolling in a bustling market, surrounded by a wide variety of New Year goods, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of candy and fireworks.

He turned over, pulled the quilt up, wrapped his neck tightly, and continued to enjoy this rare day of rest, immersed in dreams, completely unaware of the impending storm.

However, the atmosphere in the Jia family was completely different, as if it was shrouded in a haze.

Jia Zhang tossed and turned in bed all night, half asleep and half asleep. The disgusting stench kept lingering in her nose, like a shadow, and could not be dispelled, making her upset.

The scene of being force-fed golden juice by everyone yesterday kept appearing in her mind. Yi Zhonghai's serious and commanding words were like a heavy hammer, hitting her heart hard with every blow.

She seemed to hear Yi Zhonghai say again: "Drink this golden juice, and your illness will be cured. Don't be ungrateful!"

The voice echoed in her ears, making her angry and helpless.

Liu Haizhong's seemingly enthusiastic but hypocritical figure when he was helping her was extremely glaring in her eyes at this moment.

She remembered Liu Haizhong saying hypocritically: "This is all for Dongxu's good, just cooperate."

But how could she not see the indifference and the desire to watch the fun in those eyes?

The cold and mocking looks from the neighbors around her made her feel uncomfortable.

Every time she closed her eyes, she seemed to be back in that humiliating moment. Her body trembled slightly, and her hands unconsciously clutched the quilt. Her knuckles turned white from the force, and even her breathing became rapid.

It was just dawn, and the first ray of light struggled to shine through the window into the house, as if tearing a hole in the darkness.

Jia Zhang suddenly sat up as if she was bounced by a spring.

There was a determination in her eyes, without any trace of the laziness of the past.

She quickly tidied up her messy hair, and her dry fingers forcefully straightened out the tangled strands of hair, each time with an irritable emotion, as if she wanted to tear those strands of hair apart as if they were her enemies.

He wiped his face roughly with his hands and walked quickly to Jia Dongxu's bed.

"Dongxu, get up quickly, let's go settle accounts with Cao Wei!"

Jia Zhang's voice was particularly hoarse due to excitement and a sleepless night, like the sound of sandpaper rubbing against each other, with anger that was difficult to conceal.

She stretched out her hand and shook Jia Dongxu's shoulders vigorously. The blue veins on her arms bulged slightly due to the force, as if she wanted to pull Jia Dongxu out of his fatigue. Every shake was accompanied by her heavy breathing.

Jia Dongxu didn't sleep well last night. His physical weakness and inner shame made it difficult for him to fall asleep.

He slowly opened his eyes, his eyes were full of fatigue and helplessness, his eye sockets were sunken, his eyes were dark, and he looked haggard.

He moved his body and tried to sit up, but he couldn't help frowning because of the aches all over his body and let out a painful groan. The sound was so faint that it seemed like it would disappear in the cold air at any time, like a dead leaf swaying in the cold wind.

"Mom, I have no strength left in my body."

Jia Dongxu spoke weakly, his voice as faint as the buzzing of a mosquito or fly, with a deep sense of powerlessness, even speaking seemed to be consuming his last bit of strength.

"Stop talking nonsense, I need him to give an explanation today!"

As Jia Zhang spoke, she ignored Jia Dongxu's discomfort and used both hands to help him up. Her movements were a bit rough, completely lacking her usual gentleness.

She helped Jia Dongxu put on his clothes. Every move she made was fierce, as if she was venting all the resentment in her heart through this simple action. The clothes were wrinkled by her and the buttons were almost torn off.

Afterwards, Jia Zhang struggled to move Jia Dongxu from the bed to the wheelchair.

Jia Dongxu's body was limp and he had almost no strength to support himself. He had to rely on Jia Zhang to drag him with all her might.

Her forehead was covered with beads of sweat and a few strands of hair were soaked with sweat, sticking to her angry face, looking disheveled and ferocious.

Her chest heaved violently and she gasped for breath. Every breath was filled with heavy resentment, as if she wanted to spit out all the frustrations of the night. Every gasp was like a silent roar.

"Let's go, let's go now!"

Jia Zhang gritted her teeth and squeezed out these words. Her expression was as if she wanted to eat Cao Wei alive, and the muscles on her face were twisted with anger.

Then he pushed Jia Dongxu out.

When passing by the table, she picked up the bag of persimmons that she treasured and glared at it fiercely, as if the bag of persimmons was the source of all her pain. The hatred in her eyes almost burned it. She clenched the cloth bag in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white and the blue veins on the back of her hand were clearly visible.

They went out of the door and the cold wind of the early morning blew in their faces, scraping on their faces like a knife, cutting their skin painfully.

Jia Zhang didn't care at all. She had only one thought in her mind, which was to find Cao Wei and make him pay for his "evil deeds".

She pushed Jia Dongxu with quick and heavy steps. The wheels of the wheelchair rolled on the uneven ground, making a "creaking" sound, as if expressing their resentment. Every sound seemed to be telling of their grievances, and the sound was particularly harsh in the quiet morning.

Along the way, Jia Zhang kept cursing, and those unbearable words came out of her mouth. Every word was filled with anger and unwillingness. Her voice was particularly abrupt in the quiet morning, causing the wild cats passing by to flee in fear.

Her eyes were fixed straight ahead, as if Cao Wei was standing there, waiting for her judgment. The ferocity in her eyes was chilling.

In the early morning of winter, the cold wind blows across my face like a knife.

Jia Zhang pushed Jia Dongxu and walked hurriedly towards Cao Wei's house.

The wheels rolled on the uneven ground, making a creaking sound, as if expressing their resentment in their hearts.

When they arrived at Cao Wei's house, Jia Zhang suddenly stopped, her body shaking slightly with anger and exertion, like a volcano about to erupt, which could erupt at any time.

She slammed the door hard, and her palms hit the door panel, making a loud "bang bang" sound. The sound made the air around her tremble, and even the glass on the windows of the nearby houses buzzed.

He shouted loudly: "Cao Wei, come out! Don't think you can get away with hiding in there. You must give us an explanation today!"

The sound was sharp and full of anger, and it was particularly harsh in the quiet morning, as if it would break the peaceful atmosphere and attract the attention of the surrounding neighbors.

Several heads popped out of the windows, looking curiously at this sudden farce; some were rubbing their sleepy eyes, looking confused.

Cao Wei in the house was awakened by the sudden shouting and knocking on the door. He was sleepy and a little confused.

He muttered, "Who is it? It's so early in the morning and you're not letting me sleep."

As he spoke, he slowly put on his clothes and walked towards the door in his slippers. His hair was disheveled and his bathrobe was casually draped over his body. He looked like he was still sleepy and was yawning.

As soon as the door opened, Jia Zhang rushed forward like an angry lioness, grabbed Cao Wei by the collar, her nails almost digging into his skin, and said viciously: "You heartless thing, look at what you have done! The persimmons you gave us caused us to vomit and have diarrhea, and we were forced to eat golden juice. If you don't pay compensation and apologize today, this matter will not end!"

Her saliva splashed on Cao Wei's face, her eyes widened as if she wanted to eat Cao Wei alive, and she looked as if she wanted to tear Cao Wei into pieces immediately. Her feet kept stomping on the ground, venting her anger.

Cao Wei was confused by this series of accusations. He struggled to break free from Jia Zhang's hand, took a step back, frowned and said, "What are you talking about? The persimmons I gave you were all good, how could you get sick from eating them? Don't spit blood at me!"

His face was full of innocence and confusion, with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. He didn't understand why he was suddenly accused like this. His heart was full of grievance and helplessness. He spread his hands, trying to prove his innocence.

Jia Dongxu, sitting in a wheelchair, pointed at Cao Wei angrily and said, "How dare you quibble! You were the only one who gave us persimmons yesterday. Others were fine after eating them, but we got sick after eating them. Who else could it be but you? You just wanted to hurt us on purpose and make fun of us!"

His voice trembled slightly with anger, an abnormal blush appeared on his pale face, and his body was shaking slightly with excitement, as if he was about to stand up from the wheelchair and rush towards Cao Wei in the next second. His hands were tightly grasping the armrests of the wheelchair, and his knuckles were white.

Cao Wei looked at the mother and son, who were looking for an accusation, and felt angry and amused. He patiently explained, "I really didn't mean that. I bought those persimmons from the market. They were very fresh. I ate them myself and there was no problem at all. Maybe you ate something else that got sick. How can you blame me?"

He spread his hands with a helpless expression on his face, trying to convince the mother and son of his innocence. His eyes were full of sincerity and a hint of expectation, hoping that they could calm down and listen to his explanation.

Jia Zhang didn't listen to his explanation at all. She picked up an old cloth bag containing persimmons from the side and poured the persimmons on the ground with a "crash". The persimmons rolled all over the ground, and some were cracked due to the collision, and the juice splashed everywhere.

She said loudly: "Look, this is the persimmon you gave us. If it's not you who is harming us, then who else could it be? If you don't come up with a solution today, I will sit at your doorstep and not leave!"

Her voice echoed in the morning air with unquestionable determination. The tone seemed to declare her determination not to compromise, and her body was trembling slightly with excitement.

The neighbors around heard the noise and gathered around.

Aunt Li frowned and whispered to Uncle Wang beside her, "Why is the Jia family quarreling again? Yesterday's incident hasn't been resolved yet, and today they are quarreling with Cao Wei again."

There was a hint of worry in her eyes. She looked at the Jia mother and son and Cao Wei from time to time, fearing that the conflict would escalate. She shook her head and sighed from time to time.

Uncle Wang shook his head, sighed and said, "There might be some misunderstanding about this matter, so don't make it too ugly."

With his hands behind his back and a helpless look on his face, he looked at the conflict that was about to break out and sighed inwardly, wondering why couldn't things be quiet on New Year's Day? Why did neighbors have to make such a fuss?

Cao Wei looked at the persimmons on the ground and still insisted on his statement: "There is really nothing wrong with these persimmons. If you don't believe me, you can ask someone else to judge for you."

His eyes were firm, and he looked at Jia Zhang and the neighbors around him without flinching, hoping that someone would believe him. There was a hint of expectation in his eyes, hoping that someone who understood would come out to uphold justice. His eyes scanned the crowd, eager to get support.

When Jia Zhang heard this, she became even more excited: "Judge? Sure, we are all here, judge for us today and see how to solve this matter!"

As she said this, she sat down on the ground and began to cry, describing in an exaggerated way the suffering she and Jia Dongxu had endured.

Jia Zhang's voice became louder and louder, with tears and snot flowing together. When the neighbors heard it, some of them showed sympathy, thinking that the Jia family was indeed pitiful, and came forward to comfort them.

Some looked puzzled, thinking that the matter was not that simple, and they talked among themselves. The scene was noisy, with all kinds of sounds intertwined, breaking the original tranquility of the courtyard, and even the birds in the trees were startled and flew away.

Just then, Yi Zhonghai heard the news and rushed over.

He looked at the messy scene in front of him, frowned, and said loudly: "Stop arguing! Can't we talk it out calmly? Why do we have to make such a scene?"

His voice was steady and powerful, trying to calm the dispute. His tone was like a strict parent scolding a child who had made a mistake. As he spoke, he waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

When Jia Zhang saw Yi Zhonghai, she felt like she had seen an enemy. She jumped up, pointed at Yi Zhonghai and said, "How dare you come here? You also participated in bullying us yesterday. Today is a good day for us to settle this matter together!"

Her body trembled with anger, and she pointed at Yi Zhonghai, as if she wanted to vent all her hatred on him.

She looked as if she was ready to fight Yi Zhonghai to the death. The scene of Yi Zhonghai forcing her yesterday kept appearing in her mind.

New and old grudges surged into his heart, and he took a few steps towards Yi Zhonghai, as if he was about to rush up and fight.

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