Chapter 289

The cold wind of 1963 still swirled in the Alley, the Yuezi Competition in the Siheyuan's Central Courtyard and Xi Kua Yuan had not yet been decided, when a stronger smell of gunpowder had already been quietly lit as a fuse between the two old rivals, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao.

At Sunday noon, sunlight barely pierced the clouds, laying a pale gold over the courtyard. Sha Zhu had just finished serving Ma Dongmei her last sip of chicken soup, holding the empty bowl as he went out to dump the chicken bones, when he happened to run into Xu Damao, who was sauntering back from outside with his hands in his sleeves. Xu Damao's narrowed eyes swept over Sha Zhu, seeing the milk stains and chicken grease on his apron, and the corners of his mouth immediately turned up to his ears.

"Yo ho! Isn't this the Yuezi Model Soldier He Yuzhu from our courtyard!" Xu Damao deliberately raised his voice, that sound sharp enough to cut through the frozen air, "What's up, are you again going deep into the grassroots to experience life somewhere? Take a look at this outfit—those who know you're a cook, those who don't might think you're a special envoy sent by the Old Women Association!"

He deliberately walked a circle around Sha Zhu, clicking his tongue: "I say, Sha Zhu, this won't do. A grown man, spending all day circling the stove and the chamber pot, still acting like the head of the household? You've dragged the face of the Working Class through the mud! Look at Li Ping'an over in the Xi Kua Yuan—that's what a real man is like, going to work when he should, holding down the fort when he should; you're practically becoming the maidservant of your wife!"

Sha Zhu was already seething with resentment from Ma Dongmei's nagging, and Xu Damao's few sarcastic remarks were like a spark falling into hot oil, igniting him instantly.

He slammed the empty bowl onto the windowsill with a clatter, thrusting his neck forward and retorted: "Xu Damao! What bullshit are you spouting! It's only right and proper for me to attend to my wife during her yuezi! How am I not manly enough? Besides, I'm better off than you—your marriage hasn't been that short, has it? Why is your wife's belly still showing no movement?"

The more he spoke, the more worked up he became, a vague sense of superiority mixed with the anger of being mocked, making him speak without restraint, even boasting: "See? I, He Yuzhu, have sons! Two big fat boys! And you? After being married so long, not to mention a son, have you even snagged a daughter? Or maybe… hehe!"

Sha Zhu lowered his voice, his words laced with malicious speculation, like a poisoned needle: "You, Xu Damao, may look like a proper man, but you're actually a sterile rooster, aren't you? Or perhaps it's your wife's land… it's turned saline-alkali, nothing can grow there."

"Infertility"—those four words, though Sha Zhu didn't utter them outright, the implication stabbed deeper than if he had spoken them!

The mocking smile on Xu Damao's face froze instantly, then turned ashen, finally swelling to a liver-like hue. Sha Zhu's remark had precisely struck the most sensitive, untouchable nerve deep inside him!

He had originally married the rural widow Wang Cuihua, which was nothing but a set-up, a grudging acceptance of bad luck. After Wang Cuihua moved in, her belly never showed any sign, long becoming a heartache for him, a topic he most hated others bringing up. Now, having Sha Zhu publicly tear open that wound and rub salt in it—especially that vicious line about 'saline-alkali land'—was like digging a knife into his heart!

"Sha Zhu! I'll fuck your grandpa!" Xu Damao completely lost it, the thread of reason snapping instantly. He let out a strangled yell, like a rabid dog, bared his teeth and claws, lunged forward, and swung his fists at Sha Zhu's face.

Who is Sha Zhu? The Siheyuan War God! He's been fighting since childhood, so who would fear him? See, Sha Zhu remained calm, sidestepped to dodge Xu Damao's weak punch, and with a smooth motion drove a Black Tiger Dig Heart into his stomach.

"Ugh!" Xu Damao grunted in pain, bending over.

Sha Zhu, not letting up, followed with his left hand—an Electric Cannon (elbow strike) striking Xu Damao's raised chin.

"Crack!" a sound that made teeth ache.

"Ah——!" Xu Damao let out a piercing wail, opening his mouth to spit out a mouthful of blood mixed with two front teeth! He covered his bleeding mouth, in agony rolling on the ground, tears and snot mingling with blood, smearing his face—a picture of utter misery.

"My teeth! My teeth! Sha Zhu, you bastard dare hit me! Pay for my teeth!" Xu Damao cried out, his words slurred.

In the Central Courtyard, the child's cries (from fright), Ma Dongmei's startled shouts from inside the house, Xu Damao's wails, and Sha Zhu's heavy breathing all blended into a chaotic din—truly a scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping, a mess like porridge.

"What the hell are you doing! What the hell are you doing! In broad daylight, daring to commit violence in the courtyard!" A sharp female voice joined the fray. Only then did Xu Damao's wife, Wang Cuihua—a sturdy rural widow—rush out from the back courtyard like a gust of wind. Seeing her husband covered in blood rolling on the ground, she exploded, lunged to Xu Damao's side, pointed at Sha Zhu and shouted: "You damn Sha Zhu! How vicious! You've beaten my husband to this state! Is there any law left? Where are the Three Elders? This must be investigated! We must hold a meeting! The perpetrator must be severely punished! Pay compensation! Cover medical costs! Otherwise there'll be no end!"

Wang Cuihua was no pushover; the fact that she could scheme her way into marrying Xu Damao showed she wasn't a simple character. Her shout, full of vigor, carried across nearly half the Siheyuan.

Soon, Li Ping'an of the Xi Kua Yuan lifted the door curtain, glanced, frowned slightly, then withdrew, clearly not wanting to get involved in this mess. Neighbors from the Front Courtyard and Back Courtyard also heard the commotion, poked their heads out, pointing and gossiping.

Such a splendid opportunity to show face and assert authority—how could the Three Elders miss it?

Before the incense stick had finished burning, the Siheyuan's Power Core—First Elder Yi Zhonghai, Second Elder Liu Haizhong, Third Elder Yan Bu Gui—each held an enamel jar, stern-faced, and came to 'oversee' under the old locust tree in the Central Courtyard. The Eight Immortals Table was set out, long benches placed, and they assumed a formidable posture.

"Unacceptable! Totally unacceptable!" Second Elder Liu Haizhong, belly thrust forward, was the first to bang the gavel and set the tone: "We're all neighbors in the same courtyard—what can't be talked out nicely? Why resort to violence? Look, blood's been drawn! How bad the impact! Must be handled seriously!" He loved officialdom the most, and right away started handing out hats.

Third Elder Yan Bu Gui, adjusting his glasses with one leg broken and held together by string, began to reckon slowly: "This… Sha Zhu, you really did strike too hard. Xu Damao's two front teeth, at current rates for dental caps, plus medical, nutrition, and lost‑work fees… that's no small sum." He habitually started calculating gains and losses.

First Elder Yi Zhonghai's face was calm, his gaze sweeping over Sha Zhu and Xu Damao, then settling on the onlookers, and he said in a low voice: "Everyone quiet down. Zhuzi, tell me—what happened? Why did you strike someone, and with such force?"

Sha Zhu stuck out his neck, his anger not yet spent: "First Elder, please judge fairly! Xu Damao's mouth is foul—he first mocked me for attending to my yuezi like a woman, then compared me to Li Ping'an of the Xi Kua Yuan. I couldn't take it, so I… I replied with a few remarks about having children, and he went berserk, lunging to hit me! This was self‑defense! Who knew he'd be so fragile, knocking out two teeth and still blaming me?"

"Bullshit!" Xu Damao shouted, muffled through his hand: "Sha Zhu! You damned well called me infertile! You called my wife saline‑alkali land! This is a personal attack! It's slander! First Elder Yi Zhonghai, Second Elder Liu Haizhong, Third Elder Yan Bu Gui, you gotta back me up! We can't just let this slide!"

Wang Cuihua chimed in from the side, slapping her thigh: "Exactly! He must be severely punished! He must pay! And he must make Sha Zhu apologize publicly! Otherwise, from now on anyone could bully our Xu Damao!"

The courtyard instantly erupted in shouting, each side holding fast to its own story—those who backed Sha Zhu (thinking Xu Damao's mouth deserved a beating) and those who backed Xu Damao (thinking Sha Zhu had struck too darkly) began trading accusations, the chaos buzzing with one side finishing its turn and the other taking the stage.

Yi Zhonghai listened to the farce, his mind as clear as a mirror. He knew Xu Damao's character, and he understood Sha Zhu's recklessness. He cleared his throat, getting ready to wield the authority of the First Elder to smooth things over—meting out fifty blows each, then making Sha Zhu pay a bit of money to settle it, and bury the matter…

Just then, the gate of the Xi Kua Yuan creaked open.

Li Ping'an simply stood silently at the entrance of the Xi Kua Yuan, not speaking, as if he'd merely come out for a breath of air.

But at that moment, everyone's eyes were irresistibly drawn over there. Look at the Xi Kua Yuan's orderly, warm‑hearted Yuezi Scene, then look at the Central Courtyard's chaos—chickens flying, dogs jumping, an uproar over a few words and two teeth…

The stark contrast left the Three Elders' faces a little uneasy. How could affairs in this courtyard not settle down? Especially compared to the Xi Kua Yuan, it made their middle and rear courtyards seem… terribly unrefined!

Yi Zhonghai swallowed the words he was about to utter. This smoothing over, it seemed, wouldn't work easily. He had to think: how to handle it so as to both calm the incident and uphold the dignity of the courtyard (mainly that of the three elders).

The cold wind swept over the courtyard, shaking the bare branches of the Old Locust Tree, yet it could not disperse the warmth and resentment hanging in the air, nor the deep‑rooted conflict that had just been inflamed by those two teeth. The story of the Siheyuan forever unfolds in trivialities, harboring the truest human nature and calculation.