Grandpa Yi Zhonghai was also very frustrated.
He originally wanted to use this opportunity to win over Jia Dongxu, plan ahead, and guide him towards becoming his caretaker in old age.
Who would have thought that the final outcome would be like this?
Now that Liu Cheng had the halo of a hero's child, it was clearly impossible to seize the property under false pretenses.
Yi Zhonghai was well aware of the stakes involved.
Alas, man proposes, God disposes.
He could only think of other ways to win over Dongxu later.
Yi Zhonghai sighed in his heart.
Compared to First Grandpa, Second Grandpa and Third Uncle felt even worse.
Both of them had many children, and their large families were crammed into small houses.
Housing was a basic necessity.
Before coming, the two of them had secretly discussed it.
After driving Liu Cheng away, they would each occupy one room, as Second Grandpa and Third Uncle.
As for Jia Zhangshi, giving her some money would be enough.
They just never expected things to turn out this way.
That frustration, that disappointment, made their livers ache.
At this moment.
Seeing that the matter was settled, Officer Li also felt a sense of relief.
However, when he saw the surrounding crowd, his face immediately darkened.
He had witnessed their aggressive behavior earlier.
This group of people harbored ill intentions towards Liu Cheng; they were truly hateful.
"Without any real evidence, completely relying on subjective conjecture, you accused Liu Cheng's parents of being enemy agents—you are simply absurd!"
"Fortunately, I happened to be here today, otherwise, a great hero who sacrificed for the country would have been falsely slandered as an enemy agent by you."
"Today's incident cannot be easily concluded."
Recalling what had just happened, Director Wang was also very angry.
He had also witnessed the behavior of the Siheyuan Courtyard residents at No. 44.
However, the law does not punish a multitude, and many people had not spoken.
It seemed some typical examples needed to be dealt with.
The three managing Grandpas were definitely unavoidable, and that short, plump woman, with her sharp tongue, who was the most aggressive, must be severely punished, otherwise, it would be a disservice to the hero.
"Hmm, Old Lee, you're right."
"Their behavior made me very angry, especially the three managing Grandpas, who were completely muddled and confused in their old age."
"I've decided, given that there are no other elderly people in your Siheyuan Courtyard, your status as liaisons will be temporarily retained."
"However, your actions today must be reported to your workplaces for public criticism."
"The three of you will also each pay a fine of twenty yuan, as a warning to others."
Upon hearing this, the faces of the three Grandpas immediately turned pale.
A fine of 20 yuan was no small sum.
This made them feel a great pang of distress.
However, compared to a public criticism at their workplaces, this was nothing.
Reputation was very important in this era.
Various promotions, salary increases, evaluations, and public perception were all important reference points.
Once publicly criticized, they might even be penalized by their workplaces.
For example, fines, salary reductions, demotions, and so on.
The chain reactions brought about by this were something they could not bear.
Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong quickly looked at First Grandpa.
Yi Zhonghai, as expected, was the most cunning person in the Siheyuan Courtyard; when the situation took a dramatic turn, he was already thinking about a retreat, and by this time, he already had his retort ready.
"Ahem, Director Wang, you don't know, recently we have been fighting the joint forces of Bang Island and Eagle Country, and countless lurking enemy agents have stirred, causing destruction everywhere. In order to protect our new country, which we built with such difficulty, we were also filled with righteous indignation and eager to catch spies, which led to the previous misunderstanding."
Yi Zhonghai's words were very clever, very high-sounding, and for a moment, Director Wang couldn't find a reason to refute him.
Yi Zhonghai smiled hypocritically and continued, "Besides, didn't we bring the person to the Military Control Office for you to investigate? Now it's good, the truth is out, the matter is clear, not only have Liu Cheng's issues been clarified, but we also helped you find the hero's family. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
Director Wang was completely enraged.
"You mean you not only committed no fault, but actually rendered meritorious service?"
"Your tone when you were scolding Liu Cheng earlier was not like this."
"Do you take me for a fool?"
"Yi Zhonghai, oh Yi Zhonghai, I originally thought you were highly respected, but today I truly see your true colors."
"Even at this point, you haven't realized your mistake and are still trying to shirk responsibility. It seems my punishment was a bit too light."
"I've decided to increase your punishment. Each of you will be fined 40 yuan, and not only will you be criticized at your workplaces, but you will also face public criticism throughout Naluo Drum Lane."
"The three of you will also sweep the streets for one month. Starting today, it will be immediately enforced. I will send a dedicated person to monitor you."
"If you are not convinced, then you will be detained for one month."
Upon hearing the punishment, the three were completely dumbfounded.
They wanted to argue, but the words caught in their throats.
If they truly angered Director Wang and were detained, that would be an unbearable consequence.
Once detained, they might not even keep their jobs.
The three of them were like people whose parents had died, not daring to utter a sound.
They originally thought this matter would simply end here.
At this moment, Director Wang looked at Jia Zhangshi.
Seeing Director Wang's fierce gaze, the usually unruly Jia Zhangshi dared not meet his eyes.
"If I remember correctly, among the crowd, you were the most vicious, using foul language, distorting facts, and being fierce and overbearing. Your behavior was extremely bad."
"If you are not punished, it will be difficult to appease public anger."
"Hmm, you need to pay an 80 yuan fine."
Upon hearing that she had to pay an 80 yuan fine, Jia Zhangshi instantly broke down.
"Wh-why do the three managing Grandpas only pay 40, but I have to pay 80?"
Director Wang sneered, "Do you think I'm blind? This matter, it's possible you instigated it. If you are unwilling to pay the fine, you can also choose to be sent to the countryside cowshed for one year of re-education through labor."
Upon hearing about re-education through labor, Jia Zhangshi instantly lost her temper.
Re-education through labor in a countryside cowshed was an extremely severe punishment.
In this era, it was usually enemy agents who were sent to cowsheds for reform.
Labor and criticism during the day, study in the evening, and sleeping in a cowshed at night, dancing with cow dung.
This was not human treatment at all.
It was worse than pigs and dogs.
So Jia Zhangshi was scared, completely scared.
She nodded submissively, as if her soul had been drained, "Okay, okay, I accept the punishment."
Director Wang sneered: "And that's not all, you also have to clean public toilets for one month."
Ah?
Jia Zhangshi almost fainted.
The three Grandpas sweeping the streets was nothing; besides being a bit tiring, the environment was good.
But cleaning public toilets...
Everyone knew how disgusting and unpleasant that was.
Jia Zhangshi immediately burst into tears, feeling utterly miserable.
Seeing this scene, Liu Cheng felt incredibly satisfied.
However, he didn't want to let Yi Zhonghai off so easily.
Given Yi Zhonghai's salary, a 40 yuan fine was not very severe.
Moreover, at this time, the Steel Rolling Plant was still Boss Lou's private enterprise, and Yi Zhonghai was a key technical worker, so it was estimated that nothing much would happen to him.
This made Liu Cheng very unhappy; he suddenly thought of the 'Slip Charm' he had just acquired, and then a wicked smile appeared on his face.
"First Grandpa, I'll just give you one piece of advice: be sincere in life, don't be too hypocritical, otherwise, you'll suffer retribution."
After speaking, he used the Slip Charm.
Target: Yi Zhonghai.
A black light instantly merged into Yi Zhonghai's body.
Yi Zhonghai was about to get angry when he suddenly felt a chill all over his body.
An ominous premonition suddenly appeared in his heart.
Immediately after, his feet inexplicably slipped, and he fell down.
Bang!
His forehead heavily hit the table, and then he fell to the ground, feeling dizzy.
To make matters worse, there was a thermos on the table, which directly fell over due to the impact.
Bang!
Another loud bang.
The thermos exploded.
The freshly boiled water inside instantly splashed out, landing right on Yi Zhonghai, who was on the ground.
"Ouch!"
"Ouch!"
Yi Zhonghai rolled around in pain.
Due to the suddenness of the incident, everyone initially didn't react.
Hearing Yi Zhonghai's wails, they then scrambled to help him up.
Not only did Yi Zhonghai's forehead swell into a large bump, but his face and neck were covered in blisters from the boiling water.
Liu Cheng, standing by, watched with great satisfaction.
"Oh, First Grandpa, what did I tell you? Be more sincere, less hypocritical, otherwise, you'll suffer retribution. In less than a minute, my words came true, hahaha! Remember, be a good person from now on."
Liu Cheng laughed heartily, and Yi Zhonghai, hearing it, felt like dying even more.
In his frustration, he directly fainted.
As for the rest of the Siheyuan Crowd, they couldn't help but be suspicious.
Could it really be that there are gods three feet above one's head?
Oh my god!
A chill ran down everyone's spines, and they all shivered.
And so, a farce ended with Liu Cheng getting rich, the Siheyuan Crowd being fined and punished, and Yi Zhonghai going to the Hospital.
After the Siheyuan Crowd left, Liu Cheng spoke with Officer Li and Director Wang for a while longer before returning.
Passing by the market, he bought two catties of meat.
His body was too weak; otherwise, he wouldn't have been scared to death by them.
From today onwards, he must eat and drink well.
As a transmigrator, Liu Cheng knew that in another two or three years, money alone wouldn't be enough to buy things; tickets would also be required.
So, while money could still be spent freely, he decided to spend more.
As soon as he entered the Siheyuan Courtyard, he saw the Siheyuan Crowd whispering in the front yard.
He didn't need to guess to know that the topic was definitely himself.
Indeed.
When they saw Liu Cheng return, everyone fell silent.
Then they saw the meat in Liu Cheng's hand, and their eyes instantly glowed with intense light.
These years had been filled with war; after finally establishing the country, enemies reignited war on the borders, and the domestic economy was even tighter.
Normally, everyone lived on a shoestring, only eating meat during holidays.
Liu Cheng got compensation and immediately ate meat, and such a large chunk of fatty meat at that—how could they not be envious?
Actually, Liu Cheng did it on purpose.
He had his space and could have perfectly well thrown the meat into it.
However, to provoke these beasts, he deliberately held it in his hand.
Seeing the Siheyuan Crowd's expressions as if they had eaten dung, his heart bloomed with joy.
If it were in the past, they would have directly tried to snatch it.
However, times were different now; Liu Cheng was already the son of a hero.
With the Military Control Office backing him, no matter how envious they were, they dared not openly steal anymore.
Third Uncle saw the fatty meat and immediately started calculating.
Today, not only did he fail to scheme for property, but he was also fined, which made his heart ache.
Such a big loss, he had to get something back.
The fatty meat in front of him was something he could scheme for.