Spring, 1961.
Inside a flat in the Middle Courtyard of a Siheyuan (Courtyard) in South Gong and Drum Lane.
A scrawny young man, gripping a cleaver, knelt before the bed.
On the bed lay an elderly woman, her face pale, already lifeless.
Pondering the events of the past few days.
The young man gritted his teeth, wiped the tears from his face, and tightened his grip on the knife.
His name was Chen Jianye. Three days prior, his father, Chen Tuntian, had died in an accident while working at the Rolling Mill.
The Chen Family's world collapsed.
In a daze, Chen Jianye, along with his mother and the Grandpas from the Courtyard, handled his father's funeral. After a grand ceremony, Chen’s mother fell ill.
During the time Chen’s mother was ill, the Courtyard residents not only showed no concern, but some even ran to the Chen Family's house to take things, worsening Chen’s mother's condition.
Before parting, Chen’s mother specifically warned Chen Jianye to be wary of these people in the Courtyard.
Especially First Master Yi Zhonghai.
And he must retrieve his father's pension from Yi Zhonghai, then honestly take over his father's job, marry a wife, and continue the Chen Family's bloodline.
This way, she would have an explanation for Old Chen in the afterlife.
Afterward, Chen’s mother passed away, her clouded eyes filled with reluctance and worry for Chen Jianye.
Chen Jianye drank two bowls of cold water and made a decision.
He would take the knife to find Yi Zhonghai and the beasts who took things from his house, making them pay for his mother's life.
Before acting, Chen Jianye had to tell Chen’s mother.
“Mom, I’m going to make these beasts pay for your life!”
Suddenly losing his father, and then his mother, made Chen Jianye, a young man who couldn't even fart if hit with a stick, choose to go all the way.
You all want my Chen Family's things, don't you?
You can have them all, but you'll pay with your lives!
Standing up, Chen Jianye wiped his palms on his thin cotton trousers, removing the sweat. His grip on the knife tightened.
Pushing open the door, his face was filled with determination.
“Hey, that Chen Family kid has been in the house all afternoon and hasn’t come out yet. Nothing’s wrong, is it?”
“Nothing’s wrong. He’s probably calculating things.”
“The Chen Family didn’t even have smoke from their chimney at noon. Are they not eating or drinking at home?”
“Then go take a look.”
In the front Courtyard of the Siheyuan (Courtyard), several older women were chatting idly.
Yi Zhonghai returned from work, his short hair standing on end, a square face, full of seriousness and righteousness.
“First Master is back.”
A group of older women in the Courtyard greeted him one after another.
“I’m back.”
Yi Zhonghai responded, his attitude very proper.
“Yi Zhonghai!”
Suddenly, a roar erupted.
It was mixed with boundless anger and hatred.
Everyone looked towards the source of the sound.
Chen Jianye, gripping a cleaver, had bloodshot eyes and a distorted expression.
He rushed towards Yi Zhonghai.
His first target was Yi Zhonghai.
He had withheld Chen’s father's pension, delaying giving it to the Chen Family.
This made Chen’s mother worried and distressed.
Especially when Yi Zhonghai suggested a grand funeral to give Chen’s father a lively send-off, Chen’s mother dared not refuse.
All expenses were borne by the Chen Family, making Chen’s mother even more distraught.
Although Chen Jianye was young and inexperienced, he was definitely not foolish.
Holding a lively funeral in a year of great disaster meant good wine and food went into the stomachs of the Courtyard residents, and a good reputation was gained by Yi Zhonghai.
Only the Chen Family became the big scapegoat!
“Jianye…”
Yi Zhonghai was stunned. Seeing Chen Jianye running towards him with a knife, he immediately made a choice, running towards the group of older women who were closest to him and clustered together.
He was old; if he ran in the opposite direction, he definitely couldn't outrun the young and strong Chen Jianye.
Getting stabbed would be the end.
He had to flee to a crowded place.
More people to share the damage, no problem.
As for what happened afterward, the deceased's emotions were stable.
“Yi Zhonghai, get out of the way!”
“Chen Jianye, what are you doing? Don’t mess around!”
“Oh my goodness!”
The older women were also scared stiff.
Some cursed, some tried to dissuade him, and some cried loudly on the ground.
“Yi Zhonghai, don’t run!”
Chen Jianye roared, reaffirming his goal: to kill Yi Zhonghai first.
If he could still fight, he would continue to kill Jia Zhangshi next door.
Yi Zhonghai heard the sound behind him and only regretted that his parents had given him two fewer legs. He ran like mad, using all his strength.
Running a circle around the older women, he headed towards the Middle Courtyard.
Chen Jianye pursued him relentlessly.
“What’s going on?”
Sha Zhu, who had just returned to the Courtyard, saw Chen Jianye running towards the Middle Courtyard with a cleaver, looking bewildered.
“Sha Zhu, Chen Jianye wants to kill First Master! Hurry and stop him!”
“Sha Zhu, I think Chen Jianye has gone mad. You should run!”
“Call the police quickly!”
“No, First Master said if something happens, we shouldn’t call the police; it should be resolved in the Courtyard.”
“First Master is about to be killed by Chen Jianye!”
A group of older women chattered excitedly.
“Damn it! First Master!”
Sha Zhu roared and ran towards the Middle Courtyard, picking up a long bench that the older women used for chatting and gripping it in his hand.
He was going to save First Master!
“Sha Zhu is truly an honest person.”
“That’s for sure. Even if Yi Zhonghai’s own son came, he’d have to think about it.”
“What First Master? That damn Yi Zhonghai! He’s leading people our way, almost made me wet my pants!”
The older women discussed heatedly.
They wanted to stay out of trouble but couldn't bear to miss the big show.
Some bold ones even moved closer to the Middle Courtyard, eager to see the firsthand scene.
Sha Zhu rushed into the Middle Courtyard and saw Yi Zhonghai running with all his limbs, being chased by Chen Jianye. He roared, “First Master, come this way!”
Yi Zhonghai was running, his limbs weak, unable to catch his breath. He had recited his ancestors and Buddhas a hundred times in his mind.
Hearing Sha Zhu’s voice, he suddenly gained strength and quickly ran towards Sha Zhu’s direction.
As he turned, Chen Jianye, who was relentlessly pursuing him, closed the distance. He gripped the cleaver and struck at Yi Zhonghai’s back of the head.
“Yi Zhonghai, you son of a bitch!”
As Chen Jianye struck, he roared, venting the hatred in his heart.
Thud.
The cleaver landed on Yi Zhonghai, making a dull thud.
When Chen Jianye swung the knife, Yi Zhonghai was still running forward with all his limbs.
So, the blow did not land on the back of Yi Zhonghai’s head, but on the cotton-padded clothes on his back.
The cleaver did not cut through the cotton-padded clothes.
Even so, the blow made Yi Zhonghai fall with a thud, prostrating himself on the ground.
He felt as if the bones in his back had shattered.
His body instantly lost strength. Even with a strong will to survive, Yi Zhonghai could only claw at the ground with his hands and feet, dragging his body slowly forward.
Chen Jianye’s face showed a sinister grin.
One more strike, and he could personally kill his enemy!
Raising the knife, Chen Jianye was about to strike.
“Chen Jianye, you son of a bitch!”
Sha Zhu raised the long bench high, like an axe, and with a move like 'Splitting Mount Hua', the bench slammed heavily onto Chen Jianye's head.
Thump.
Chen Jianye’s body slumped and he fell straight backward.
With a thud, after a few convulsions, Chen Jianye lay on the ground, lifeless.
“First Master!”
Sha Zhu quickly dropped the bench and knelt to help Yi Zhonghai up.
“Sha Zhu, you came just in time!”
“Hiss!”
Yi Zhonghai’s tears streamed out as he hissed and stood up.
The joy of surviving a catastrophe filled his mind.
Neither of them noticed that Chen Jianye, who had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly had his eyebrows twitch a few times.
“Damn it.”
“Wasn’t I watching the teacher’s new work? Why does my head hurt so much?”
Chen Jianye felt as if his head had been struck by an axe, hurting terribly.
Except for his eyebrows twitching a few times from the pain, he completely lost control of his body.
A memory flooded into Chen Jianye’s mind.