"Hmph!"
Liu Kai Xuan sneered and replied, "Old Deaf Mute, you probably can't tell the situation clearly, can you!"
"Mom, Fei Yan, you tell me, did Old Deaf Mute damage a bag of our eggs?"
"That's right!"
Zhao Fei Yan nodded and responded, "I saw it with my own eyes. It was this Old Deaf Mute who smashed our bag of eggs!"
Seeing this, Jiang Ai Ying also chimed in, "I saw it with my own eyes too!"
"And me, I saw it with my own eyes too!"
Liu Xiao Yue also strode forward and said in her childish voice, "I saw with my own eyes that Old Deaf Mute smashed a bag of our eggs!"
At this moment, Old Deaf Mute started to panic.
Although Old Deaf Mute was an illiterate, she was not a fool.
Damaging someone else's property meant paying compensation!
If it were just Liu Kai Xuan accusing her of damaging property, it wouldn't have been a big deal.
At most, she would have denied it until the end.
But now, Liu Kai Xuan had found a bunch of witnesses. Jiang Ai Ying and Zhao Fei Yan, and even Liu Xiao Yue, had all seen her smash Liu Kai Xuan's bag of eggs.
In this situation, it would be difficult for Old Deaf Mute to wriggle out of it.
Even though Old Deaf Mute could do as she pleased in the courtyard, if she broke the law, she would still be held legally responsible.
"I can't be bothered with you scoundrels anymore, hmph!"
Old Deaf Mute, knowing she was in the wrong, forced herself to say a harsh word and left without looking back!
"That won't do!"
Liu Kai Xuan said loudly, "If you don't compensate me for the eggs, this matter isn't over!"
After that, Liu Kai Xuan moved an old wooden bed from his house.
This wooden bed was what Liu Kai Xuan used before he got married. Later, when he got married, he bought a new bed and dismantled this one, sealing it away.
Liu Kai Xuan moved all the parts of the wooden bed to Old Deaf Mute's doorstep.
He directly blocked the doorway with the bed frame, trapping Old Deaf Mute inside her house.
"Liu Kai Xuan, you little brat, what do you want? I warn you not to mess around!"
"I need to go to the toilet, hurry up and move this broken bed away!"
Liu Kai Xuan sneered and replied, "You old hag, you've really gotten yourself into big trouble this time!"
"If you don't compensate us for the eggs we lost, you can just hold it in and die at home!"
"I..."
Old Deaf Mute was furious and swung her walking stick violently at the wooden bed, trying to break it and get out.
"Crack..." This blow landed on a rotten wooden plank, creating a large hole in the bed on the spot.
"That's great!"
Liu Kai Xuan pointed at the damaged wooden bed and laughed, "You've damaged our wooden bed again!"
"This wooden bed was bought by my father for 4 yuan back then. You have to compensate for the loss too!"
"I... cough cough cough..."
Old Deaf Mute felt like she was about to split in two.
She had extorted people her whole life, and today she was being extorted by Liu Kai Xuan.
These few rotten planks, which no one would want if thrown on the street, were now being demanded as compensation for 4 yuan?
Old Deaf Mute was so angry she almost spat blood. Liu Kai Xuan then threw a prepared torn quilt onto the bed frame.
"Bang!" Old Deaf Mute mustered all her strength and swung her walking stick again to attack.
Liu Kai Xuan, still smiling, said, "Great, you've also damaged our quilt!"
"This quilt was also bought for two yuan and fifty cents!"
"The eggs lost were one yuan and fifty cents, the wooden bed was four yuan, and the damaged quilt was two yuan and fifty cents. That adds up to a total of eight yuan!"
"Pay me the money now, or I'm not leaving your doorstep!"
"I..." Old Deaf Mute was so angry her body swayed, and she almost fell to the ground.
She raised her walking stick again, intending to attack.
But the raised walking stick trembled in her hand for a long time, and finally, it couldn't come down.
At this point, mere tantrums and bullying couldn't solve the problem.
The losses that had already occurred could not be undone.
If she continued to cause damage, she would only give Liu Kai Xuan more leverage.
Old Deaf Mute was a master of extortion herself, and the tactics Liu Kai Xuan was using were all ones she had "played with" before.
Old Deaf Mute knew how effective these tactics were!
Normally, if something like this happened in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, these "filial sons and grandsons," would have come to uphold justice for their elder.
But today, the situation was exceptionally unusual. The commotion in the courtyard was so big, and a crowd had gathered to watch.
Yet, there was no sign of Yi Zhonghai or Sha Zhu!
Sha Zhu, needless to say, was still in prison.
Yi Zhonghai was busy worrying about his own lineage at the moment, so he had no time to bother with Old Deaf Mute.
Old Deaf Mute was in urgent need of the toilet, but Liu Kai Xuan had blocked her in her house, leaving her unable to move.
In utter desperation, Old Deaf Mute could only shout at the onlookers outside through the doorframe.
"What are you all still standing around for? Go quickly and call Yi Zhonghai!"
...
About five minutes later, Old Deaf Mute, sweating profusely from anxiety inside, finally waited for her savior.
Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, the three elders, had all arrived.
Upon arrival, Yi Zhonghai immediately began to huff and puff.
"Liu Kai Xuan, are you crazy?"
"Hurry up and move this stuff, I..."
"Get lost!"
Before Yi Zhonghai could finish his sentence, Liu Kai Xuan rudely interrupted him.
"I'm in a bad mood today. If you dare to act up again, I'll make you regret it!"
Yi Zhonghai's face turned crimson with suppressed anger, but he could only leave helplessly.
After Yi Zhonghai left, Liu Haizhong stepped forward and said, "Old Deaf Mute, the responsibility for this matter rests entirely with you!"
"All the losses in Director Liu's family were caused by you. Director Liu only asks for 8 yuan in compensation, which isn't much!"
"I think you should just pay the money quickly!"
"Cough cough cough..." Old Deaf Mute coughed up blood from anger.
It was right for Liu Haizhong to speak up for Liu Kai Xuan. After all, Liu Haizhong's position as workshop director was secured with Liu Kai Xuan's help.
The Liu brothers' smooth entry into the steel rolling mill also owed a lot to Liu Kai Xuan's recommendations.
"Yan Bugui, at least say something fair!"
Old Deaf Mute knew that it was impossible to expect Liu Haizhong to speak for her now.
She could only shift her plea for help to Yan Bugui.
Yan Bugui didn't want to get involved in this mess, but after all, he was the third elder of the courtyard.
Such a big event required him to make an appearance.
With this in mind, Yan Bugui forced himself to say, "Kai Xuan, listen to my advice. First, move the wooden bed blocking the door!"