Lou Xiao'e explained what had happened.
Just then, First Elder Yi Zhonghai, Second Elder Liu Haizhong, Silly Zhu, and Xu Damao were getting off work and arriving at the entrance.
After hearing Lou Xiao'e recount the events, they all frowned.
Liu Haizhong wanted to seize the chance to criticize Lin Zhen, blaming him for keeping a mousetrap in his house.
But on second thought, whatever someone put in their own home was their freedom. Let alone a mousetrap—even if Lin Zhen had put down an animal trap, Liu Haizhong had no grounds to say anything.
Besides, it was Bang Geng's hand that had been caught. Thinking of how Jia Zhangshi had slapped him across the face at the hospital, Liu Haizhong even felt that Lin Zhen had vented his anger for him.
Liu Haizhong pursed his lips and said nothing.
First Elder frowned. "Lin Zhen, why did you put a mousetrap in your house for no reason?"
Lin Zhen shot him a sidelong glance. "To eliminate the Four Pests for the country. The supply cooperative legally sells them, so I legally bought one. I put it inside my house and locked the door. It was specifically for catching rats."
Yi Zhonghai looked at Lin Zhen and found himself unable to respond.
Xu Damao was angry that Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu had driven Qin Jingru away.
Seeing this, he hurriedly fanned the flames. "Exactly. I have one at home too, specifically for rats."
Silly Zhu snapped, "Shut up, Xu Damao! Why do you have to stick your nose into everything?"
Yi Zhonghai said with a dark expression, "Enough. Stop arguing outside. Go back and hold a meeting!"
Their group had barely entered the courtyard.
When Jia Zhangshi came lunging at them like a madwoman.
"You Lin bastard, you had evil intentions!"
Killing intent flashed in Lin Zhen's eyes as he raised his hand in an instant.
"Looking for death!"
Whoosh~
The sheer force of his presence instantly snuffed out Jia Zhangshi's shrewish bravado.
She immediately recalled the night she had been slapped so hard she vomited blood.
Lin Zhen might not be as reckless as Silly Zhu, but he was even more willing to strike.
After getting beaten, she had even had to apologize to him. This... this...
Jia Zhangshi immediately wilted.
"H-he... First Elder, this Lin bastard hurt people!"
Yi Zhonghai sighed. "Old sister-in-law, we'll discuss it at the meeting."
The atmosphere at this whole-courtyard meeting was thick with the smell of gunpowder.
Several people were glaring furiously at one another.
Third Mistress had been spat on by Jia Zhangshi just for telling the truth, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.
She was now holding herself back with all her might, ready to argue with Jia Zhangshi.
After Third Master Yan Bugui learned what had happened, he was furious as well.
Yan Jiecheng, Yan Jiefang, and Yan Jiekouang, the three brothers, were now backing up their mother.
Jia Zhangshi sat there fuming, glaring at Lin Zhen.
Beside her, Bang Geng's right hand had already been bandaged and hung from his neck with a strip of cloth.
Qin Huairu had heard about it and hurried back too, leaving Jia Dongxu alone at the hospital for the time being.
She cried miserably. She had only just sent her younger sister back to the countryside a few days ago, and this happened right afterward.
Her heart was filled with regret and anger.
She regretted sending her sister away, and she was even angrier at her mother-in-law.
It wasn't enough that Jia Zhangshi had insisted on driving Qin Jingru away. She had already slept at the hospital that night, yet after returning home, she had insisted on going back to sleep.
If she had been a little more diligent, Bang Geng would not have ended up like this!
Lin Zhen sat casually in the front row. This matter truly had nothing to do with him.
A meeting was fine.
After all, this courtyard had to hold a meeting every so often to mediate disputes.
Otherwise, the conflicts in the courtyard would keep piling up until they exploded sooner or later.
"Old Liu, you speak first," Yi Zhonghai quietly reminded Liu Haizhong.
Liu Haizhong had learned his lesson this time. Since the main purpose was to mediate between Lin Zhen and the Jia family, the less he involved himself, the better.
"The injuries on my face haven't fully healed these past few days, so it's inconvenient for me to speak. Old Yi, you start directly."
Yi Zhonghai nodded and cleared his throat.
"Today, I've gathered everyone for this whole-courtyard meeting because there are many conflicts that need mediation. But the main issue is the conflict between Lin Zhen and the Jia family. I believe everyone has heard that Bang Geng had two fingers broken by Lin Zhen's oversized mousetrap. Regarding this matter, let's discuss it properly and do our best to resolve the conflict between the two families."
After Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, he looked at Yan Bugui.
Yan Bugui said gloomily, "As I see it, as long as Lin Zhen didn't place that mousetrap out on the road as a trap, no one can blame him."
"Pah! Yan Bugui! How can you be so biased?" Jia Zhangshi began cursing the moment she opened her mouth.
Yan Bugui frowned. "We're mediating between your two families, yet you start cursing as soon as you speak, and you spit in people's faces. Is that any way to behave?"
Third Mistress chimed in, "Exactly. Bang Geng saw no one was home and went to pry open their window to steal things. If his hand got caught, he can only blame himself. I merely told the truth, and she spat on me. Neighbors, this is outrageous!"
"Pah! Did you see it with your own eyes? Stop slandering people!"
"Grandma Jia, stop spitting 'pah, pah, pah' every time you open your mouth. We're all neighbors. Can't you speak properly?"
Yan Jiecheng really could not stand it any longer. Jia Zhangshi was simply too unreasonable.
"Shut up, Yan Jiecheng! When did it become your turn to speak while the elders are talking?" Silly Zhu blindly took the Jia family's side.
Seeing this, Xu Damao shouted, "What the hell does it have to do with you, Silly Zhu? With the three Elders here, you're really showing off, aren't you?"
"Heh, brat! We're not done with you spreading lies behind people's backs. This is the perfect chance to talk about it!"
Lin Zhen and Lou Xiao'e exchanged smiles.
The people directly involved had not even said a word, yet the meeting had already erupted into an argument.
"Quiet, quiet!"
Yi Zhonghai was so angry that he slammed his enamel teacup down with a clatter, barely suppressing the noise.
"Let's handle one matter at a time. First, we'll mediate the issue of Bang Geng's fingers being broken by Lin Zhen's mousetrap. Lin Zhen, you explain first. Why was that mousetrap placed beside the window?"
Jia Zhangshi angrily said, "He did it on purpose! He wanted to hurt our Bang Geng!"
"Grandma Jia, how can you say that?" Lou Xiao'e was so angry that she wanted to argue with Jia Zhangshi.
But Lin Zhen quickly pulled her back. "Wife, go sit with Third Mistress first. Don't say anything about this."
Lin Zhen rose unhurriedly and slowly walked over to Jia Zhangshi.
Crushed by Lin Zhen's imposing presence, Jia Zhangshi felt tight in the chest and dry in the mouth. "Y-you... are you trying to hit someone again?"
"Hmph! Let me show you a routine first! Ha! Ha! Hey~ Ha!"
Right there in the small meeting area, Lin Zhen performed a martial arts routine.
Backflips, front flips, kip-ups, tornado kicks, splitting-hanging fist forms, and continuous palm strikes.
He left everyone in the courtyard staring in stunned disbelief.
"Th-this is a real martial artist!"
"Ah, Lin Zhen would be wasting his talent if he didn't join the national sports team!"
"Exactly! Hey, we really got an eyeful tonight!"
Yi Zhonghai's face had nearly twisted out of shape. What the hell was this kid Lin Zhen trying to pull?
Liu Haizhong touched the injury on his face. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, and chills ran down his back.
Yan Bugui waved his hands and cheered, while Silly Zhu joined in.
Xu Damao was drenched in cold sweat, but he cheered along. "M-Master Lin is mighty!"
All the young people in the courtyard now regarded Lin Zhen as their idol, and the cheers went on without end.
After finishing the routine, Lin Zhen smiled faintly. "Everyone seemed tense, so I gave you a performance. It wasn't aimed at anyone present."
Though he said that, Jia Zhangshi no longer dared to make a scene.
Lin Zhen asked blandly, "Grandma Jia, how did you know I intentionally tried to hurt Bang Geng?"
Jia Zhangshi stammered, "Y-you put the mousetrap inside the window. Weren't you just waiting to catch Bang Geng's hand?"
"Oh~ So you knew Bang Geng would definitely pry open my kitchen window to steal things? Then why didn't you educate him properly? You're condoning a child stealing, and that's shameful behavior! You're obstructing the development of the new era! You're a feudal remnant! A criminal of the new society!"
When it came to slapping labels on people, Lin Zhen was no novice.
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