Chapter 2: Collecting a Debt

Chapter 1 of 3

The central courtyard.

Today was Bang Geng's first birthday ceremony.

In an era when even a single steamed bun could keep a person alive, the neighborhood committee encouraged thrift, frugality, and hard work, so ordinary families did not bother with such banquets.

Unfortunately, the Jia family was not ordinary, and they paid no mind to the committee's advice.

In order to collect gift money, Old Mrs. Jia had Qin Huairu make the rounds more than ten days in advance, telling every household to come bearing presents and congratulations.

The room was alive with noise and laughter.

Qin Huairu sat high on the heated brick bed with Bang Geng in her arms, smiling from ear to ear. In front of her were laid out little objects such as a seal, a red armband, a pen, an abacus, coins, and account books.

From time to time, residents came in with gifts.

Nothing expensive, just a few pastries, several pencils, half a bolt of printed cloth, and the like.

The gift money had been set by the Jia family: fifty cents per person.

Old Mrs. Jia sat by the doorway behind a table for the gift list, looking at the money and presents brought by the residents, while a chrysanthemum of delight bloomed all over her wrinkled face.

"Good, good, good. Today is my Bang Geng's first birthday ceremony. I, Old Mrs. Jia, thank you all on behalf of the Jia family."

All three acting elders, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui, were present.

Silly Zhu and Xu Damao had long since taken up positions inside as well, waiting to enjoy the spectacle.

As long as Bang Geng picked up something with a good omen, this first birthday banquet would end in perfect order.

Qin Huairu planted a kiss on Bang Geng's chubby little face. "Son, you're meant to do great things in the future. Go pick up the seal."

Bang Geng giggled and kicked his little legs toward the array of trinkets, drawing everyone's attention.

Suddenly.

Sunlight was blocked out, and shadow fell across the heated bed. Bang Geng looked up in surprise.

Old Mrs. Jia cursed in displeasure. "Who has such bad manners? Can't you see my precious grandson is having his first birthday ceremony? If he can't pick anything..." She turned her head, and her face changed drastically. The rest of her words froze in her throat.

"You... you..."

Her reaction drew everyone's attention.

The crowd turned together and all sucked in a breath, contributing to the warming climate of the nineteen-sixties.

There stood Li Aiguo at the doorway, one hand on the doorframe, furious, grinding his teeth like the gatekeeper deity of old times.

When the residents met Li Aiguo's enraged gaze, they instinctively lowered their heads, their eyes darting about in discomfort.

Qin Huairu's face went pale the moment she saw him.

Li Aiguo seized the chance to examine the legendary bloodsucker.

Qin Huairu was only seventeen or eighteen.

Though she had just given birth, her figure had recovered remarkably well, full in front and back.

Now she sat cross-legged on the heated bed, her already generous backside looking even rounder.

His former self had certainly had fine taste.

Today Qin Huairu wore a bright red cotton jacket. Her jet-black hair was loose down her back, her face slender, her features delicate.

Only those bright, watery eyes were filled with shame and fear.

Chapter 2 of 3

When Jia Xudong saw Li Aiguo staring at Qin Huairu with such a strange look, he flared up at once, sprang up from his chair, and rushed straight to him.

"You little thief! Today is my son's first birthday ceremony, and nobody invited you. Why did you come?"

To Li Aiguo, he was pure impotent rage.

The sort of man with no real ability whatsoever, yet a vicious temper beyond measure.

Li Aiguo did not spare Jia Xudong a glance, keeping his eyes fixed on Qin Huairu all the while.

His cracked lips parted, and a hoarse voice emerged. "I came here today for one reason only: to collect a debt."

"Collect a debt?"

Old Mrs. Jia heard this and rose with a dark face, her triangular eyes slanting sideways. "Li Aiguo, our Jia family doesn't owe you anything. What debt are you trying to collect? Could it be that you weren't satisfied with the beating you took a few days ago, and your skin is itching for more?"

Ever since Li Aiguo appeared, Yi Zhonghai had been keeping a sullen silence. Hearing this, he cursed inwardly that Old Mrs. Jia had brought up the very thing that should not be mentioned.

This boy was clearly here to settle accounts, and yet she had to drag that incident back out.

Still, Yi Zhonghai could not quite understand it.

At the time, Jia Xudong and Silly Zhu had struck so hard. How had Li Aiguo survived?

Faced with Old Mrs. Jia's aggressive tone, Li Aiguo laughed. "They say Old Mrs. Jia is a shrew, tyrannical and unreasonable. Today I finally see it for myself."

He hardened his tone. "But if you don't give me an explanation today, then I'll give you one."

Yan Bugui's beady eyes rolled rapidly as if he had thought of something. He stood up and came over.

"Aiguo, we're all from the same courtyard. Anything can be discussed. The neighborhood committee is now advocating unity and friendliness. Don't spoil the harmony."

Li Aiguo had no fondness at all for this Third Elder, who had turned and run the moment he saw him being beaten.

"Hah. The one being beaten wasn't you, of course you can speak so lightly."

"You... you..."

Yan Bugui swallowed a bitter loss and turned red in the face.

When Yi Zhonghai heard Li Aiguo mention being beaten, he knew today's trouble could not be avoided.

He shot Silly Zhu, standing nearby and grinning foolishly, a covert glance.

This man must not be allowed to remain!

Silly Zhu caught on, and with a savage grin, he rolled up his sleeves and charged over.

"Looks like you still want another beating, daring to come cause trouble at Sister Qin's house. I'll flatten you!"

As he spoke, he swung a massive fist at Li Aiguo.

Silly Zhu was the martial god of the courtyard, trained in fists and kicks since childhood, with a sturdy build.

One punch from him would leave a man badly injured even if it did not kill.

Some kind-hearted residents could not bear to watch and quietly covered their eyes, waiting for the scream that was about to come.

Unfortunately.

The scream never came.

When those residents opened their eyes and saw what was happening by the doorway, they could not help swallowing hard.

Silly Zhu's fist had been caught by Li Aiguo.

And Li Aiguo looked completely at ease.

Chapter 3 of 3

"Impossible. This is absolutely impossible..."

A nine-level earthquake erupted in Silly Zhu's pupils.

The man he had knocked down with one punch just two days ago could now stand against him on equal footing.

But the immense force surging through his fist could not be faked.

"You little thief, you think this is enough to crush me, Silly Zhu? Ridiculous!"

Sweat the size of beans broke out on Silly Zhu's forehead as he tried to wrench his fist free.

It turned out Silly Zhu was indulging in wishful thinking.

After the system's enhancement, Li Aiguo's body was now as tough and powerful as that of a special forces soldier.

With only a slight exertion, cracking sounds burst from the bones in Silly Zhu's wrist.

"Ow, my mother!"

Silly Zhu cried out miserably and nearly collapsed to the ground.

Li Aiguo released him and, with a casual shove, sent Silly Zhu rolling forward like a gourd until he struck the heated bed.

His skull compared hardness with the bed, and the bed won in a landslide.

That vivid red made Qin Huairu, standing so close, suck in a sharp breath.

Li Aiguo's body could only be considered ordinary. How could he be this strong?

Seeing Silly Zhu suffer a setback, Yi Zhonghai's expression changed drastically. He could no longer sit still and walked up to Li Aiguo with a stern face.

"Li Aiguo, what do you think you're doing?

Even if Silly Zhu was in the wrong, you shouldn't have laid hands on him.

This is the new society now. Fighting and brawling are strictly forbidden.

Your behavior is of an extremely vile nature. I could send you straight to the police station right now.

Considering that it's not easy for you living alone, and in the spirit of uniting the masses, you apologize to Silly Zhu, and we'll forgive you."

There are some people like this: if you reason with them, they act shamelessly; if you act shamelessly like them, they turn around and start reasoning with you.

Their stance is always flexible, forever taking the side most favorable to themselves.

Yi Zhonghai was exactly that kind of person.

But Li Aiguo, in his previous life, had once watched A Courtyard Full of Villains with a young lady on a yacht, and he was far too familiar with Yi Zhonghai's tricks.

Standing on the threshold, Li Aiguo looked down at Yi Zhonghai from a height of three stories. "First Elder, do you really think this little stunt will work on me?"

"As I said just now, I came today to collect two debts. The first is the betrothal gifts my family gave Qin Huairu back then."

Li Aiguo took out a sheet of paper from his pocket and read aloud, "Betrothal gift money: fifteen yuan; three yards of printed cloth; one enamel basin; one bedpan; one thermos bottle..."