Two large characters reading "Demolish"

Chen Anquan carried his belongings and entered the basketball court; at this moment, he could already see his own mud-brick house.

He noticed, to his shock, that two large red characters for "Demolish" had been boldly painted on the yellow earth-brick walls on either side of his wooden front door.

It seemed that this fellow named Chen Long had truly taken action!

Chen Anquan unlocked the door, placed the items he had just bought inside, then locked the iron padlock again before heading toward his second uncle’s house.

He had to tell his aunt about this matter.

“What? That Chen Long is going too far!” His aunt’s eyes widened in fury as she shot to her feet. “Let’s go, we’ll confront Chen Long!”

Chen Anquan didn’t know where Chen Long lived, so he could only follow his aunt as they made their way through the village.

The two of them walked along the village’s narrow paths until they arrived in front of a grand five-story Western-style villa near Shizi Road. In front was a large courtyard, its perimeter surrounded by a three-meter-high white wall crowned with sharp blades.

The imposing gate to the courtyard stood open, and two luxury cars were parked inside—a red BMW X5 and a black Mercedes GLE.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Just as they approached, a large dog charged out from the yard, barking fiercely at them.

“It’s actually a pit bull!” Chen Anquan was surprised. He had long known this was the most luxurious house in the village and that the family owned a fierce guard dog, but he hadn’t expected this to be Chen Long’s residence—or that they kept a pit bull with a notoriously unpredictable temper.

“Doggy, quiet!” At this moment, a middle-aged woman’s voice called from within the courtyard.

The pit bull, which had just burst out barking, stopped its furious noise, now issuing a low, menacing growl as it slowly retreated, its muscular body poised to spring at any moment.

“This dog is vicious, Anquan, be careful—it’s already bitten several villagers,” his aunt warned.

“I know, Aunt. I can’t believe they keep such a dangerous pit bull!”

“So that’s what it’s called—a pit bull?” It was his aunt’s first time hearing the name of this oddly shaped dog, but she showed no fear. Instead, she shouted loudly into the courtyard, “Chen Long! Chen Long!”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

At that moment, Chen Long strolled out of the house, stepping into the courtyard’s open gate, a steaming cup of black tea in his hand.

Chen Anquan noticed the tea was in a disposable plastic cup—clearly the staff members were still inside.

His aunt stood with her hands on her hips. “Chen Long, how could you? We’re all from the same village, and yet you want to tear down Anquan’s house. Are you even human?”

A smug smile appeared on Chen Long’s face. He gripped his steaming tea with both hands, taking a small sip. “Anquan’s house was built in the 1970s—over fifty years ago. Even small-title properties have a fifty-year lifespan, let alone this mud-brick house. It’s a dangerous structure. Since it’s dangerous, it should be demolished according to national policy and the law.

“Zhaodi, Anquan is your nephew, isn’t he? You’re the elders, but you never warn him. Is he safe living in that house? What if it collapses while he’s sleeping and kills him? He’s an orphan—if he dies, who will bury him?”

“Damn you! It’s your family that’ll die!” his aunt shouted back. “My nephew’s house is fine—how could it be dangerous or collapse? How can you curse people like that?”

Chen Anquan clenched his fists, burning with the urge to punch Chen Long. “Chen Long, it’s despicable to use such underhanded tactics. All because the basketball court wasn’t repaired? Does that justify this kind of dirty trick?”

“As long as you know it,” Chen Long replied smugly, turning to look behind him. “The officials are still here. Pay eight hundred yuan for the repairs, and I’ll tell them to erase the demolition order.”

Chen Anquan gave a wry smile. “You really know how to extort money, Chen Long.”

“What did you expect? I invited these officials here for dog meat—do you think dog meat is free?”

Chen Anquan realized Chen Long must have connections with the officials inside. He doubted Chen Long would go so far as to buy a dog just to host them; serving dog meat must be a coincidence.

“Damn it! You lot are rotten to the core! Building the ancestral hall, repairing the basketball court, digging the pond—you’ve embezzled so much money from the village!”

Chen Long laughed, sipping his hot tea. “Do you think I’d be village chief if I had nothing better to do? You have no idea—I’ve lost hundreds of thousands of my own money for the sake of this village!”

At that moment, two middle-aged men stepped out from the villa courtyard.

“Brother Long, what’s all the commotion outside?”

“Nothing, just the owner of that ruined house,” Chen Long replied with a smile, gesturing toward Chen Anquan.

One of the middle-aged men approached Chen Anquan with a friendly expression. “Young man, we’re with the township authorities. We’ve just inspected your house—it’s over fifty years old. The foundation is shifting, the corners of the earthen walls are cracking, and the beams are warping. Within two years, the house will collapse—it really is dangerous.”

“That’s right,” the other man chimed in, smiling. “We’re not lying. Brother Long is looking out for you. Imagine if the house collapsed while you were asleep—it’d be a disaster!”

“Nonsense!” his aunt shouted, refusing to accept their words. She cursed at the two officials, “You’re all a bunch of corrupt crooks!”

“Hey, madam, don’t go making baseless accusations! We have clear consciences—there’s nothing to hide!” The two officials were quick to protest.

“You two just go back!” Chen Long called out with a smile, addressing Anquan and his aunt. “The house really is dangerous—I haven’t lied to you. These two are experts; there’s no trickery here!”

With that, Chen Long turned and walked back into the courtyard, the two officials following him inside.

“Damn you! Corrupt officials, colluding with businessmen—you’re all animals!” his aunt yelled at their retreating backs.

But none of them paid her the slightest attention.

At that moment, Chen Anquan thought of his old classmate who owned a paper factory.

His old friend had once told him—if you ever need help, come find me.

Now, in real trouble, Chen Anquan decided to give it a try.