Chapter 135: A Rather Brutal Test

Secondly, this is a one-story bungalow, and using the restroom means walking to a public toilet. Everything is inconvenient.
Thirdly, the burned second floor and the small courtyard downstairs are illegal structures.
In short, in the past, one hundred thousand would have definitely been enough.
The problem, however, is that demolition is imminent. Strictly speaking, Happiness Neighborhood has already been incorporated into the urban area and is no longer the suburb it used to be. Once the bungalows are exchanged for apartments, property values are bound to soar, and eight thousand per square meter would be considered cheap.
Therefore, Zhang Pa could not figure out how much Wang Baihe actually wanted.
Upon hearing his question, Wang Baihe hesitated for a moment and said, "I really feel quite bad about this, but you also know that my mom just got out of the hospital, we need to find a place to live, and later we will have to pay for the increased area, plus decoration... How about this? If you really want to pay compensation, would thirty thousand be okay?"
Zhang Pa asked, "Thirty thousand?"
"Yes. Actually, this money shouldn't be demanded of you; we should be asking the person who set the fire. But we all know the police definitely won't be able to find the culprit, and even if they did, without proof or evidence, why would that person pay?" Wang Baihe said. "Just like you said, the house is going to be demolished anyway. Since it's all the same as long as we can move away from there, I will definitely sign the contract early, the earlier the better. It's just that money is a bit tight. If you happen to have some spare cash, would thirty thousand be okay?"
Zhang Pa said no problem, and asked when she would have time so he could give her the money.
Wang Baihe said there was no rush, as she still had to go to the police station tomorrow and they could discuss it then.
Zhang Pa said okay and hung up the phone.
He hadn't noticed while on the call, but once he put his phone down, he suddenly found the room exceptionally quiet. Raising his eyes, he saw the television was muted, and five monkeys were staring at him.
Zhang Pa asked, "What are you guys doing?"
Old Skin asked, "You have thirty thousand?"
"Can't I have money?" Zhang Pa retorted.
Old Skin said, "That's not what we mean. We mean you actually don't need to pay that much. Why give thirty thousand? Just giving a few thousand as a token gesture should be enough."
Zhang Pa told him he didn't know a damn thing and ordered the monkeys to turn off the TV and go to sleep.
Waking up the next morning, he had the monkeys take their laptops to school while he went to check out of his lodgings and then head to the police station. On the way, he called Wang Baihe to ask what time she would arrive.
Wang Baihe said she would go at noon because she had to work in the morning.
Zhang Pa let out a sigh. Many people live very exhausting lives, not daring to even ask for leave just to avoid having their wages deducted.
Events proved that the police station truly did not take yesterday's arson case seriously. Although a formal report had been filed, there were simply too many cases. Generally speaking, solving crimes fell under the jurisdiction of the criminal investigation team, while the local police station was primarily responsible for civil mediation.
Zhang Pa arrived at the police station to inquire about yesterday's incident and was shortly invited into an office by Ning Changchun.
As soon as he stepped through the door, Zhang Pa smiled and said, "I've been to this station no less than sixty times, and you're the first person to actually invite me inside."
Ning Changchun smiled slightly. "Let's skip that. Tell me about the house you were staying in. What is the landlord's attitude?"
"The landlord is at work," Zhang Pa said. "I understand. Whether the culprit can be found doesn't matter. The officer from last night told me to come down here, saying the sub-district bureau would send people to inspect the scene?"
Ning Changchun said, "Arson is a major case and must be handled with urgency."
Zhang Pa smiled. "Alright, I'm leaving. I didn't come to cause trouble, and I know how things stand. Just to reiterate, the young officer from yesterday told me to come by today, and I have to obey the government."
Ning Changchun looked at Zhang Pa, picked up a business card from his desk, handed it over, and said, "My number. If anything comes up, you can contact me."
Zhang Pa gave a hum of acknowledgment, took the business card, and walked out.
Just as he mounted his bicycle, Long Xiaole called. That fellow was very excited: "I've got good news for you. I've secured the form for you; come over to my place and fill it out."
Zhang Pa asked what form.
"The application form, of course. The application form to join the Provincial Writers Association," Long Xiaole said.
Zhang Pa gave a faint chuckle. "How many years ago was that? You still remember?"
"Of course I remember," Long Xiaole said.
Zhang Pa said, "Forget it, what were you doing all this time? I'm hanging up." With that, he pressed end.
The last time the two of them drank together, it might just have been drunken talk, but Long Xiaole had claimed he would get Zhang Pa into the Provincial Writers Association. The pretext had started when he met a few friends while drinking, and Long Xiaole had bragged to elevate Zhang Pa's status. At the time, he had sworn solemnly to take Zhang Pa to the Provincial Writers Association the next day and even promised to introduce him to a scriptwriting gig that would net him at least thirty to fifty thousand once written.
Zhang Pa hadn't taken it seriously, and facts proved he was right. Later on, Long Xiaole never brought the matter up again, though he frequently invited Zhang Pa out for drinks. Therefore, human relationships and friendships were actually a very long and difficult process; no one poured their heart out to others right off the bat.
There was another matter back then: Zhang Pa had bothered Long Xiaole to find a job for Yun Zheng's mother, and with a single phone call, Long Xiaole had arranged a position at a property management company, which amounted to a huge favor.
Since that major favor had already been done, Zhang Pa felt even more embarrassed to ask about joining the Writers Association.
Now, Young Master Long, whose life had been saved by Zhang Pa, had suddenly remembered this matter.
Soon, Long Xiaole called back. "Why are you like this? There's another thing: come out to eat with me at noon. I'll introduce you to that girl who wants to be a star. The two of you can talk. If the script is well-written, fifty thousand is definitely not a problem."
Zhang Pa smiled. "Fifty thousand? Sounds good, but we'll have to make it another day. I've got things to do today."
Long Xiaole asked what was going on and whether he needed help.
Zhang Pa said no and hung up the phone once again.
First, he went home. Even though the place had been burned to the point where it was unlivable, it was still his home after all, and he wanted to see if anything could be salvaged.
Interestingly enough, Wang Baihe's bastard of a father had returned. Upon seeing the blackened, charred house, he was completely stunned. Grabbing a neighbor, he asked, "Is my old lady really that vicious? She'd rather burn the house down than leave it to me?"
The neighbor nodded very solemnly, but immediately added, "I don't know, don't ask me."
Wang Baihe's bastard father simply couldn't believe all of this, but believe it or not, the house was already burned. The old bastard could only walk away in deep depression.
Zhang Pa stood on the street for a while before receiving a call from Wang Baihe asking where he was.
He said he was at home. Wang Baihe said, "Anyway, we don't want any of the things inside, and you don't have a place to stay either. Take a look and tidy up; if the first floor is still livable, you can continue staying there."
Zhang Pa said thank you.
Wang Baihe said nobody ever wants to run into bad luck, but when it happens, you have to solve it and look forward, right?
Zhang Pa said yes.
Wang Baihe said a few more words and hung up. The general gist was that it didn't matter if the second floor was burned, he could continue living on the first floor since they weren't coming back anyway.
Based solely on this phone call, Zhang Pa felt that the thirty thousand yuan had to be paid, and he paid it completely willingly. Younger Sister Wang was not a bad person at heart.
As he stood on the street, someone spotted him, and shortly after, Turtle trotted over. "How is it?"
Zhang Pa asked with a smile, "How is what?"
"I mean this situation, and this home," Turtle asked. "Wang Baihe that little girl didn't give you a hard time, did she? She's just got that temperament—always wanting to climb social ladders and fly far away."
Zhang Pa smiled. "Did you chase her? And she didn't give you the time of day?"
Turtle chuckled. "Chase her? Forget about it."
Zhang Pa said, "What's wrong? Is she not good enough for you?"
Turtle didn't pick up on that thread and instead changed the subject: "Where are you sleeping tonight?"
Zhang Pa said, "I'll clean up a bit. If the first floor is livable, I'll stay here."
Turtle laughed. "The warning tape hasn't even been removed yet, and you're going in to live there?"
Zhang Pa curled his lip. "I'm off."
Turtle said, "Since your place got burned anyway, why don't you just come stay with us? Wang Kun specifically rented a dorm room, and it's pretty big. To say nothing else, there's at least a bed for you, and we can have a drink now and then, right?"
Zhang Pa smiled. "Aren't you guys busy right now?"
"We're in the training stage," Turtle said. "But let me tell you, Wang Kun really has ways. He recruited a bunch of young girls, many of them art students—some studying dance, some studying music. They're wildly pretty."
Zhang Pa smiled and asked, "Sleep with any of them?"
"Nah, hehe," Turtle said. "I wouldn't dare have thoughts like that."
Zhang Pa also smiled. "That's good. Keep it up, persevere, and if you turn this job into a true career, you'll be awesome."
"That's what we think, too. Let's try it out first, and if it works out, going solo is an option," Turtle said. "Wang Kun said we'll definitely expand in the future, and if we want to go solo after expanding, he'll help out. By then, we can just sign under the same guild."
Zhang Pa asked, "Not heading over today?"
"Yeah, we are. We'll leave as soon as Fatty and the others wake up," Turtle asked. "How are you eating at noon? Grab a bite together?"
Zhang Pa said no, checked the time, and said, "I have things to do, I'm heading out." He pushed his bicycle forward a couple of steps, thought for a moment, left the bicycle behind, and slowly walked out alone.
When he reached the street corner, he called Miao Zili: "Didn't Wang Zhongxing say he wanted to bet on a fight? Let's not wait until next week, let's do it today."
Miao Zili asked with a smile, "Can you handle it?"
Zhang Pa said, "Whether I can handle it or not, I'm handing over the memory card anyway. What do you think?"
Miao Zili thought for a moment and said, "Good. Wait for my call."
Zhang Pa glanced at his phone and slowly walked back. Between yesterday and today, he had been frantically busy, and the memory card was still hidden inside his bicycle seat.
When he strolled back home and retrieved the memory card, Miao Zili called back: "Two o'clock this afternoon, you pick the location."
"Fair enough," Zhang Pa said. "If I pick the location, there's a small plaza south of Happiness Neighborhood. Will that work?"
Miao Zili said, "Fine. If I can't find it, I'll call you."
Zhang Pa checked the time and headed out again, first finding a massage parlor to get a full-body relaxation session.
He had been beaten up far too badly last night, and his entire body was aching with pain. According to reason, he should rest and recover for a period of time before fighting again. However, since he was going to hand over the memory card anyway, when the fight took place didn't really matter. Especially since he was burning with fierce anger and was determined to wash away his previous humiliation; that actually gave him even more drive.
After the massage and relaxation, Zhang Pa felt somewhat reluctant to fight. What he wanted to do most right now was sleep.
Carrying a wave of drowsiness, he paid the bill and left, heading to a restaurant to order two dishes along with a three-liang bottle of white liquor, treating himself to a small luxury.
Fighting required a clear head so that one could remain calm, react quickly, and secure a higher chance of winning, which meant one shouldn't drink. Yet Zhang Pa simply wanted to fight with a hint of intoxication; he needed to vent.
He finished his meal quickly, strolled over to the small plaza, bought a newspaper to spread out on a bench, and stretched out his arms and legs, leaning back with his eyes closed to rest.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, his phone rang, and Miao Zili announced that they had arrived.
Zhang Pa got up and looked around. A row of nice cars was parked along the roadside, and Miao Zili was standing by one of them, looking toward the small plaza.
Zhang Pa shouted, "Over here," and waved his hand. The next moment, the thud of car doors slamming shut echoed through the air as more than a dozen men closed their doors and walked over.