Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 995 Qin Huairu Wants to Take Advantage

Xu Damao's words struck a nerve with Yi Zhonghai—his most prized possession was his title of eighth-grade fitter, a technical authority in the factory and a source of awe in the courtyard. Now, Xu Damao, this shameless fellow, was using it as a joke, making Yi Zhonghai so angry that his fingers trembled and his lips quivered as he tried to argue. But Xu Damao didn't give him a chance to speak, turning around and heading home, slamming the door shut with such force that the doorframe shook, leaving the neighbors craning their necks to watch the spectacle and the buzzing discussions filling the courtyard.

Seeing this, Jia Zhangshi immediately waddled over to Yi Zhonghai like a triumphant old hen, her face beaming with undisguised schadenfreude. Her voice was high-pitched and sarcastic as she said, "Old Yi, you see? Xu Damao's got too big for his britches now, he doesn't give you the slightest bit of face! Back when you were the old man, he treated you like a grandson, never daring to talk to you like that! I think we can't just swallow this insult! We have to find a way to teach him a lesson, otherwise, will there be any place for us old folks in this courtyard anymore?"

Yi Zhonghai stood there, his face alternating between pale and flushed. He stared at Xu Damao's tightly closed door, which seemed like a mocking mouth. He then glanced at the neighbors around him—Uncle Yan Bugui, the third uncle, was stroking his beard, pretending to do some accounting, but his eyes were secretly glancing this way; several young wives huddled together, whispering, a half-smile playing on their lips, their eyes clearly showing they were enjoying the show. He felt as if he had been slapped several times in public, his face burning with embarrassment. The anger, resentment, and humiliation in his heart swirled together, like a tangled mess stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

After a long while, he finally recovered and said to Madam Jia in a deep voice, "Alright, that's enough. Go back and rest now."

Madam Jia wanted to say a few more words, but she had argued too fiercely with Xu Damao earlier, and her buttocks were now aching slightly. She guessed that she had strained herself when she put her hands on her hips and stomped her feet. So she snorted sullenly, clutched her lower back, and swayed back into the house.

The courtyard was finally a bit quieter. Yi Zhonghai looked at Qin Huairu, who was standing to the side. She hadn't said a word, just kept her head down, twisting her apron with her fingers. Yi Zhonghai sighed, his voice tinged with weariness: "Huairu, go back and have a good talk with your mother-in-law. How old is she? Can't she talk things out in private? Why make such a scene in public? What kind of behavior is that!"

Qin Huairu raised her head, a hint of difficulty in her eyes, and said softly, "Uncle, I know my mother-in-law was wrong just now, and I will definitely persuade her later. But..." She paused, lowering her voice even further, "But Xu Damao and Deputy Factory Director Gu are indeed very powerful in the courtyard now. They really didn't give you any face today. If you don't step in and say something firm, I'm afraid no one in the courtyard will take you seriously anymore, and life... will become even more difficult."

Hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's heart sank again. Qin Huairu was right, but he was powerless to do anything about it—Xu Damao had a job as a projectionist, and Gu Nan was the deputy director of the factory; he couldn't afford to offend either of them. He stared at his tightly closed door, feeling a wave of powerlessness rise from his feet, making his whole body feel heavy.

Yi Zhonghai stood there, his brows furrowed, and sighed as he looked at Qin Huairu: "I'm not even considered an old man in the courtyard anymore, my words carry no weight. How am I supposed to make this happen?"

Qin Huairu was picking vegetables when she heard this. She looked up and a shrewd glint flashed in her eyes: "When you first entered the Intermediate People's Court, didn't you see Yan Bugui's face? He looked like someone owed him two pounds of rice—he probably saw Xu Damao carrying things to Gu Nan's house but didn't give him any benefits, so he's holding a grudge."

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback: "How can you be so sure?"

Qin Huairu smiled and used the spinach leaves she had picked to wipe the water droplets off her hands: "When we came back from outside, we saw Yan Bugui standing at his door, cursing and swearing. My mother-in-law told me that Xu Damao gave all the things in his net bag to Gu Nan, and Yan Bugui didn't even get a single sugar crumb. How could he not be angry?"

Yi Zhonghai pondered her words, his eyes brightening: "You mean, you want me to go find Yan Bugui and persuade him to lead a hospital-wide meeting?"

"That's right." Qin Huairu nodded, her tone certain. "Yan Bugui is holding a grudge and is looking for an opportunity to get back at Xu Damao. If you put in a word, he'll be happy to step in. Besides, who in this courtyard doesn't want to take advantage of any opportunity? As soon as they hear that they can get some benefits from Xu Damao at the big meeting, they'll all be running faster than anyone else. Then the whole courtyard meeting will be a natural progression, right?"

Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but laugh—Qin Huairu's idea was indeed reliable this time. Not to mention Yan Bugui, even Liu Haizhong, who loves to steal the spotlight, would probably jump in and try to show off his status as the second uncle at the conference. This matter really needs Yan Bugui to take the lead first.

In the past, it would have been a simple matter for him, an old man, to speak up. But now his status was different, and it would seem contrived for him to do it. Yi Zhonghai made up his mind, got up, and walked towards the front yard. Qin Huairu watched his retreating figure and happily went back into the house—she knew perfectly well that, based on the principle of "a fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal," Xu Damao would inevitably distribute some things to everyone at the upcoming meeting, and her family would certainly get some benefits as well.

Unbeknownst to them, Gu Nan's window was not closed properly, and Gu Nan and Ran Qiuye inside the house overheard the conversation.

Ran Qiuye glanced out the window, frowned, and asked Gu Nan, "What are they whispering about over there? What are they up to now?"

Gu Nan picked up a piece of steamed egg custard with his chopsticks and said slowly, "What else could I be doing? I saw that Xu Damao gave me something, and I felt unbalanced, so I wanted to take advantage of the whole college meeting to squeeze some money out of Xu Damao."

Ran Qiuye laughed too. Having lived in this courtyard for a long time, she had long since figured out the nature of these people: "Alright, let them do whatever they want, it has nothing to do with us. Let's eat quickly, the food is getting cold."

“Of course.” Gu Nan scooped up a spoonful of rice porridge. “This was caused by Xu Damao, and he should sort it out himself. I’ve said before, we should just live our own lives and not get involved in these trivial matters.”

Ran Qiuye smiled and nodded, then fed the child a sip of rice porridge.

Gu Nan gazed out the window, but other thoughts swirled in his mind—his next step was to investigate Lu Jia. He had already made progress on the matter he had entrusted to others, even uncovering the background of the deaf old woman; Lu Jia shouldn't require much more effort. Some things needed to be thoroughly investigated before he could feel at ease.