Courtyard House: Drunk and barging into the Xu family's house, I woke up numb.

Cao Xu hummed.

"Second Uncle, you don't need to step in and smooth things over."

"Now that I, Cao Xu, have made my point, I have no intention of taking it back!"

After saying this, Cao Xu looked at the deaf old lady.

“Grandma, you are the elder in this courtyard, and you are eighty years old.”

"Can't we just have a few years of peace and quiet?"

“When something happens in the courtyard, you almost never come. Even when you do come, you don’t say anything and just sit there like a mascot.”

"If something really serious happens, your words will be completely fair."

"How come you don't know the meaning of the word 'fairness' now that you've encountered Sha Zhu's situation?"

When Cao Xu saw the deaf old lady about to stand up and speak, he stopped her.

"Don't get up and talk. I know you want to scold me, but you'd better hold it in for now."

"Wait until I finish speaking, then you can gather all your anger together and curse him for three days and three nights straight."

Cao Xu pointed to He Yuzhu, who was unusually quiet not far away.

"You've pulled all this stunt today just to save your so-called grandson, He Yuzhu, haven't you?"

"Alright, I'll give you that kind of face and help you save her!"

After saying this, Cao Xu asked the crowd below.

"Dear neighbors, uncles, grandpas, grandmas and aunties, I am a kid who just started working in the third shift of the sky and I haven't seen much of the world."

"However, the phrase I heard most often in this compound was 'unity, friendship, and mutual help.'"

"Do you all agree with what I said?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of agreement immediately rose from below.

"Yes, that's right..."

Cao Xu continued.

"In that case, I have a question for everyone: Whose family in our compound has the most money?"

As soon as this question was raised, the people below started discussing it.

Yi Zhonghai panicked a bit, realizing that Cao Xu had turned his attention to him.

Just as Yi Zhonghai was about to speak, Cao Xu began to deliver a new round of remarks.

"Everyone is right, it's an old man's house."

“An old man, an eighth-grade fitter at the steel rolling mill, earns ninety-seven yuan a month.”

"Ninety-seven yuan is a lot of money. That's more than your whole family could earn in a month."

"Actually, it's quite obvious. Just now when we were raising money, an old man pulled out two hundred yuan without even blinking."

"After that, Qin Huairu borrowed money from an old man, who casually lent her two hundred yuan."

"Did you notice that an old man brought two hundred yuan with him?"

"What does this mean? It means this old man is rich."

"The conference wasn't even over yet, and he took out four hundred yuan without even a second thought."

"You can't exactly say that this was something that Uncle Yi and Qin Huairu planned together, and that they were putting on a show in front of all of us, can you?"

Cao Xu looked at Qin Huairu and asked.

"Sister Qin, this money today, you didn't agree to borrow it from that old man beforehand, did you?"

Qin Huairu quickly shook her head in denial; she dared not admit that she had spoken to Yi Zhonghai in advance.

If she admits it, wouldn't the image she's worked so hard to rebuild collapse instantly?

Cao Xu shrugged.

“That’s right, the old man is the most charitable and wealthy person in this courtyard.”

"The old lady and the old man just said that Sha Zhu's matter is a matter for our compound."

"That's absolutely right. If Sha Zhu gets sent to jail to practice shooting, our institute will be in trouble too."

"In the future, it will be even more difficult for any son to find a good wife or any daughter to find a good husband."

"Even if you find the right one, you might still be gossiped about behind your back."

"If someone from our institute steals public property and gets imprisoned and shot, you'll lose face."

Cao Xu paused for a moment, walked to the table, picked up the teapot, took a sip of water, and looked at Yi Zhonghai coldly.

"Therefore, for the happiness of all the unmarried men and women in the compound, and to prevent people from being gossiped about behind their backs."

"Grandpa, could you please check the remaining money and help Sha Zhu get through this ordeal?"

"I think you wouldn't refuse in order to protect the interests and reputation of the entire hospital."

At this point, Cao Xu looked at Yi Zhonghai with a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"Or do you think that Sha Zhu's future is less important than the interest you earn in the bank?"

Ignoring Yi Zhonghai's ashen face, Cao Xu refocused his gaze on the deaf old lady.

"Old lady, I've found someone who is richer, more powerful, and more capable than me."

"Whether you take the money or not, whether you save this person or not, it's up to you. Anyway, your grandson is watching right here!"

After speaking, Cao Xu pulled over a chair and sat down.

He has now presented the deaf old lady with a choice: If Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai both fall into the water, who would you save first?

P.S.: It will be available for purchase at 7 PM tonight. Please support me with your first pre-orders! Thank you so much!!!

Chapter 55 Yi Zhonghai, suffering from massive bleeding, refuses to write an IOU.

The deaf old lady stared in disbelief at what had just happened; she truly hadn't expected Cao Xu's counterattack to come so quickly.

After saying all that, he not only cleared himself of any wrongdoing, but also put Yi Zhonghai in a very difficult position.

At the very last moment, they turned the tables on her, leaving her in a difficult situation.

One is her godson, and the other is her godson; they are both her flesh and blood.

If she doesn't let Yi Zhonghai pay, even Sha Zhu will probably have a grudge.

If Yi Zhonghai were to pay this money, he would probably have some objections.

Seeing the deaf old lady's constantly changing expression, and Yi Zhonghai standing to the side with a dark face waiting for the old lady to make a decision, Cao Xu felt extremely satisfied.

These two are just wasting their time trying to morally blackmail him. Isn't that like an old man who's tired of living?

Yi Zhonghai and Qin Huairu are putting on this show; one wants to build a virtuous reputation, and the other wants to set an example. Do they really think he's blind and can't see through it?

Whether it was Yi Zhonghai or the deaf old lady who were after his money, Yi Zhonghai was the ringleader.

So today he'll make an example of someone, starting with Yi Zhonghai.

He wanted to make those in the courtyard who wanted to play tricks on him think twice about their own worth.

Look at their heads, they're not as hard as Yi Zhonghai's.

After much deliberation, the deaf old lady made up her mind that Yi Zhonghai had to pay for it.

There was no other way. Su Xu, that little rascal, was too cunning. He dug a pit and forced Yi Zhonghai to jump in by tying everyone in the hospital to him.

If he doesn't jump, the public image he's built up over the years will collapse, and he might even have to relinquish his position as a respected elder.

However, she had to admit that Cao Xu's words made some sense.

Sha Zhu will be responsible for taking care of Yi Zhonghai and his wife in their old age and seeing them off in their final days, so it's only right that Yi Zhonghai pays for it.

Unless Yi Zhonghai wants to change his general at the last minute and abandon He Yuzhu as his candidate.

If that's the case, then she'll be the first to disagree.

Sha Zhu has now been fired, and it's unknown whether he'll be able to find a suitable job.

If this can help restrain Yi Zhonghai, it will be the greatest help to Sha Zhu.

After thinking for a moment, the deaf old woman said to Yi Zhonghai, who was dumbfounded.

"He's an old man, why don't you just tighten your belt and lend Sha Zhu two thousand yuan?"

"Once Zhuzi finds a job, he'll pay you back on time and month by month."

What the deaf old woman could think of, Yi Zhonghai naturally thought of as well, which is why he suppressed his anger and did not fall out with Cao Xu.

If he were to turn against Cao Xu now, it would show that he didn't want to help Sha Zhu and was unwilling to lend him money.

Those people in that courtyard will probably immediately condemn him to the pillory of shame.

Having manipulated others so many times, he was now suddenly being morally manipulated himself, and he was really not used to it.