Chapter 38: I Object, Please Continue

If one were to say that Yi Zhonghai was the center of attention on the makeshift stage, then the Deaf Old Lady was undoubtedly the center of attention off it. Clinging to a new dragon-headed cane, she sat upright, surrounded by three middle-aged women as if she were a celebrity.

"Lin Shaowen, this is an opportunity for you to show respect for your elders," Yi Zhonghai lectured. "We live in this world; if we don't respect the old and cherish the young, what would this society become?"

The crowd nodded in agreement.

The Deaf Old Lady glanced at Lin Shaowen. Although she said nothing, her haughty air was palpable from eight meters away.

"I don't agree. Continue..." Lin Shaowen muttered, then lowered his head.

"You... you don't agree? With what?" Yi Zhonghai looked at him, stunned.

"I don't agree with any of it. Carry on," Lin Shaowen yawned.

Many of the elderly in the courtyard stared at him. This guy actually dared to disagree?

"Lin Shaowen, one shouldn't be so selfish," Yi Zhonghai said, secretly delighted to see the crowd turning against the young man. "You will grow old one day too. Having the Old Lady in our courtyard is a blessing for us all. Besides... everyone is just using your toilet, that’s all."

"If you're lacking ancestors and motherly love, that's your problem. Sorry, but I'm not," Lin Shaowen replied. His remark caused the younger generation to stifle their laughter. "And as for this ‘blessing,’ you can keep it for yourself. I don't want it, thanks."

"Boy, when I first came to this courtyard, your mother hadn't even been born yet," the Deaf Old Lady piped up.

"So what?" Lin Shaowen shrugged. "The house is mine, and I won't let you live here. What are you going to do, bite me?"

"You..."

The Deaf Old Lady stood up, raising her cane, but Lin Shaowen casually picked up a small shovel from Yan Bugui’s flower bed.

"What? Want to start a fight?" Lin Shaowen sneered. "Yi Zhonghai spoils you because his mother died early and he lacks maternal affection, but I don't."

"Lin Shaowen, what kind of filth are you spewing?"

Yi Zhonghai’s eyes blazed with fury, and he immediately signaled to Shazhu and Jia Dongxu. The two men understood the command and moved in from both sides to corner him.

*Thud!*

Jia Dongxu took a punch to the gut, let out a howl, and collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach. Immediately after, Lin Shaowen grabbed Shazhu by the hair and delivered two heavy blows to his chest.

"Ugh!" Shazhu felt a metallic taste in his throat.

"What? Can't win an argument, so you want to use your fists?"

Lin Shaowen drove his knee into Shazhu’s face, causing his nose to bleed instantly.

"You little beast! You dare hit my son? I’ll fight you to the death!"

Seeing Jia Dongxu being beaten, Mrs. Jia did not hesitate; she grabbed one of Yan Bugui’s flower pots and charged over. Lin Shaowen calmly lit a cigarette, and just as she got close, he stepped aside and tripped her.

The flower pot flew from her hands and smashed directly onto the Deaf Old Lady’s head.

*CRASH!*

The pot shattered upon impact with a loud thud.

"Mrs. Jia, how could you assault the Deaf Old Lady like that?" Lin Shaowen shouted, immediately stepping forward to check on the woman lying on the ground. To his disappointment, she had only suffered a cut; there was no danger to her life, not even a concussion.

"Old Lady!" Yi Zhonghai cried out, rushing over. The entire courtyard descended into chaos.

"Quick! Go call a doctor!" someone shouted.

Just as someone was about to run out, many eyes suddenly turned toward Lin Shaowen.

"Why are you looking at me?" Lin Shaowen scoffed.

"Lin Shaowen... Dr. Lin, please, take a look at the Old Lady." Yi Zhonghai’s face was anxious, but a flicker of malice flashed in his eyes. He knew that if Lin Shaowen stepped in, whether he saved her or not, the Old Lady would latch onto him for good.

But Lin Shaowen didn't move—he knew better than to fall for it with so many people watching.

"Yi Zhonghai, are you stalling for time so that when the old woman dies, you can claim her house?" Lin Shaowen bellowed.

"You're lying! I'm not!" Yi Zhonghai denied it instantly.

"Then why aren't you sending someone to get a doctor? I'm just a young man who just graduated from college. The old woman is covered in blood and nearly unconscious, yet you’re asking me to treat her? You are truly vicious," Lin Shaowen said, feigning heartbreak.

"That's right, Lin Shaowen only just graduated."
"Is Yi Zhonghai really after the Old Lady's house?"
"I heard she's already writing her will."

Yi Zhonghai’s face darkened, and he immediately ordered Yan Jiecheng and Shazhu to push a handcart to take her to the hospital. As for Mrs. Jia, she was frozen in shock. A pot that big hitting an old woman—could she have actually killed her?

The courtyard fell silent. Yet, no one left; they all waited in tacit agreement for Liu Haizhong to return. Lin Shaowen prepared to walk away, but Yi Zhonghai blocked his path.

"Lin Shaowen, you are a doctor. You must come to the hospital with me to visit her later."

"Are you sick? She’s no relation to me, why would I go visit her?" Lin Shaowen wasn't buying any of it.

"Lin Shaowen, as the saying goes, 'a close neighbor is better than a distant relative.' Do you really want everyone in this courtyard to hate you?"

After Yi Zhonghai finished his righteous speech, many people began pointing fingers at Lin Shaowen. Qin Huairu’s heart tightened in anxiety.

Lin Shaowen looked around and suddenly laughed. "My dear neighbors, when you reported me to the authorities, was that also for my own good? When you came to my house to catch me in an affair, was that also for my own good?"

It was a total shutdown. Everyone closed their mouths. Many people knew about the report against him, but no one had warned him; they had all planned to move into his side room and take his furniture the moment he was kicked out. When they had "caught him," nearly every man in the courtyard had shown up to mock him, and some of the more depraved ones had even hoped to take advantage of Qin Huairu in the chaos.

Lin Shaowen couldn't be bothered with them anymore and hummed a tune as he headed home. Many watched his back, grinding their teeth in hatred.

Qin Huairu stayed behind, waiting for Liu Haizhong. The others stayed too, waiting for the news. Once it was confirmed that Lin Shaowen had made unauthorized renovations, they were ready to storm his house.

Half an hour later, Liu Haizhong returned with a grim expression.

"Third Master, how did it go?" Everyone looked at him expectantly.

"How did it go? How do you think?" Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth. "The neighborhood committee said the pipes Lin Shaowen laid were approved by them, and they don't even run through the courtyard; they go straight from his house to the public toilet."

"This..." Many were stunned. If it didn't run through the courtyard, it had nothing to do with them.

"Did you bring up the issue of his house being used as a public toilet?" Yi Zhonghai asked.

"The committee only gave me one answer..." Liu Haizhong sighed bitterly.

"What was it?" Everyone crowded around.

"Whoever is willing to let their place be used as a public toilet, the committee will pay to build it."

Liu Haizhong’s words silenced everyone. Who would want people coming and going in their home every day? Besides... with that many people, wouldn't it stink?