Chapter 119 Barely Making a Living

"Good thing you crashed into me! How come I didn't kill anyone?"

"He's too good to be dead. He should be crippled and bedridden to see what he can do."

"Why can't this scumbag just shut up?"

"Does he really think he can kill Director Li by hiring some thug? He's got no brains."

"What are you saying—do you mean you're tall?"

As they talked, the two almost got into an argument. No one tried to stop them.

Everyone's talking about it, everyone's arguing about it. This is something to talk about for a while now.

In the courtyard house.

Xu Damao and the others were all factory workers.

As soon as I got back, I couldn't help but start talking about it.

Xu Damao was the first to run to the Jia family.

"Jia Dongxu hasn't come back, why aren't you at the hospital taking care of him? Why are you eating here?"

As soon as he entered, he saw Jia Zhangshi biting into a steamed bun, watching Qin Huairu work.

The once charming Qin Huairu is now almost unrecognizable, tormented beyond recognition. Her face is covered in bruises, and she's skin and bones. Her cheekbones protrude high, and her eyes are sunken, making her look like a skeleton.

Even though he didn't like Qin Huairu, Xu Damao couldn't help but frown.

The Jia family has gone too far. They're treating people like dirt.

However—it's a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit. Every pot has its lid. Qin Huairu wasn't entirely innocent in enduring these beatings.

Jia Zhangshi hated Xu Damao the most. Hearing him say that, she spat out the crumbs of steamed bun in her mouth.

"Pah! You shameless little bastard! What are you doing yelling in my house? Where my son is and what he's doing is none of your business!"

"Good intentions are misunderstood."

Xu Damao was so angry he laughed. Too lazy to beat around the bush, he simply told the truth.

He laughed gleefully.

"You can still eat? I really admire you. Your son hired someone to commit murder, and he got caught red-handed. He was hit by a car while trying to escape. Now we don't even know if he's alive or dead!"

"What?!"

Jia Zhangshi screamed. The sound was so shrill it felt like her eardrums would burst.

She jumped up suddenly, not like an old lady at all, but like a spring.

"What do you mean, 'What's wrong with my son'? That's bullshit! My son is perfectly fine! Don't curse him!"

Jia Dongxu was in a car accident last time and was seriously injured afterward. He didn't have much time left. And now he's in another accident?

How could her son be so miserable!

"If you don't believe me, go to the hospital and see for yourself. I came here out of kindness to give you a heads-up, but you don't appreciate my good intentions."

Xu Damao scoffed and turned to leave.

The commotion was so loud that the whole courtyard could hear it.

Silly Zhu sat blankly in the house, and upon hearing the noise, he suddenly burst into laughter.

I laughed so hard I almost fell over, and tears streamed down my face.

He was overjoyed.

That beast Jia Dongxu is finally going to die. Even if he lives, he'll be half-dead.

The others in the courtyard heard it too and started talking about it.

"Jia Dongxu got into another car accident? Even God must be fed up with this!"

"That's called committing a sin."

"My son—"

Suddenly, Jia Zhangshi burst into a wail.

She glared fiercely at the people in the courtyard.

"Who did this? Who killed my son?"

"Who caused this? He brought it on himself!"

Xu Damao chimed in dismissively from the side.

"He paid street thugs to kill Director Li. That kind of beast deserves to be run over. Besides, it's not the first time. Aren't you used to it yet?"

Jia Zhangshi's eyes suddenly widened.

I couldn't hear anything else clearly, but the three words "Li Jianguo" pierced my ears like needles.

She abruptly turned her head, her gaze fixed on Li Jianguo's face, her eyes practically spitting fire.

"It was you—you did it all, didn't you?"

"Are you only satisfied when you've wiped out the entire Jia family?"

How could you be so cruel!

Li Jianguo had no intention of giving her a kind look.

"Get lost."

With a look of disgust, he kicked away Jia Zhangshi, who was lunging at him.

Jia Zhangshi fell to the ground with a thud, wincing and contorting in pain.

"Your son has only himself to blame for what he's going through. If he keeps causing trouble here, you'll be going in with him."

"Don't forget, you also have two granddaughters."

Jia Zhangshi shuddered.

There's no one left in the family to rely on. Even for the sake of those two "money-losing brats," she can't die now.

Remembering Li Jianguo's past methods, she cursed him a few times, but eventually got up and went back.

This is the first time the commotion in the compound has been quelled so quickly.

The person in charge of the courtyard now is the second uncle. Unlike Yi Zhonghai, he never likes to play the role of a compassionate "saint".

When Jia Dongxu was hit, he simply came over and asked Li Jianguo about the situation briefly.

"No matter what, this person is still from our compound." The second uncle said with his hands behind his back and his brows furrowed. "If he's still alive, we should at least go to the hospital to check on him."

"You guys figure it out yourselves. But I doubt Director Zhang will let anyone see him."

Li Jianguo didn't care about that, and after saying that, he planned to go back to his room.

Just then, for some unknown reason, Yi Zhonghai suddenly walked over.

"Director Li, now that you've reached this position, please don't stoop to the level of ordinary people like us." He forced a smile, but it was as fake as if it were covered with paper. "Jia Dongxu is, after all, the only son of the Jia family. Could you... show some mercy? He's already in this state; he's already suffered retribution."

Li Jianguo gave him a meaningful look.

"The money Jia Dongxu used to hire someone to commit murder might have been from you. Or perhaps, this idea was yours all along?"

"Yi Zhonghai, do you think you can clear your name?"

A fine layer of cold sweat appeared on Yi Zhonghai's forehead.

"Director Li, you can't say things like that. How could I possibly do such a thing?"

"I...I have something to do, I'll be going now."

He turned and ran off as soon as he finished speaking; his retreating figure looked like he was fleeing in panic. In his haste, he almost tripped over the threshold.

He clearly has something to hide.

Li Jianguo gave a cold laugh.

"That old bastard, he's already fallen to this level, and he still dares to play dirty tricks behind people's backs—he won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin."

These are the most disgusting people. They hide in the shadows, like rats in a sewer, impossible to kill or drive away, and they jump out every now and then to disgust people.

Yi Zhonghai hurriedly fled home, slumped down amidst a pile of messy waste paper, his heart pounding with anxiety.

This time, the idea wasn't his direct suggestion. But—it was something he subtly hinted at and encouraged.

Although Jia Dongxu knew there were some thugs on the street, he didn't know much about them, and he was even less aware of how ruthless Lai Liu really was.

Yi Zhonghai observed for a long time before choosing Lai Liu from among so many thugs.

He would occasionally bring up Lai Liu to Jia Dongxu in a roundabout way, pretending it was unintentional.

Jia Dongxu is a ruthless man, but he's not very bright; he's easily tricked and falls into traps with just a little provocation.

Yi Zhonghai had this advantage, and things progressed smoothly.

But it's not without its flaws.

What if Jia Dongxu wakes up and, after being interrogated by the police, actually confesses to his crimes?

Yi Zhonghai became increasingly panicked, but who could he talk to about this?

Just as he was lost in thought, Sha Zhu walked in from outside.

He was dragging a large bundle of garbage in his hand.

Torn newspapers, tattered cardboard boxes, and plastic bottles were haphazardly tied together with rope, dragging on the ground with a clattering sound.

Sha Zhu is no longer an employee of the steel rolling mill; he now makes a living by collecting scraps.

His mental state is unpredictable; you never know when he might have a seizure. He tried to find some work before, but when he goes crazy, he doesn't care about anything, so who would dare hire him?

In addition to his criminal record, the neighborhood committee was unwilling to help him out of respect for Li Jianguo.

In the end, he could only barely make ends meet.