Courtyard House: Starting as an engineer, crushing a yard full of poultry

“What did I do wrong? Didn’t you say in the neighborhood that you treated the deaf old lady like your own mother? How come you let your own mother go door to door asking for meat whenever she wants?” Xu Damao said.

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui remained silent. They knew that Xu Damao had Li Xiangdong backing him up, so they couldn't do anything to Xu Damao.

"Fine, fine, I don't care anymore, I don't care anymore!" Yi Zhonghai shouted.

"Tsk tsk, as if it's none of your business," Xu Damao said disdainfully.

Yi Zhonghai shouted angrily, "Fine, then the old lady is still a recipient of the Five Guarantees..."

"Tsk tsk, Yi Zhonghai, you seem to have some misunderstanding about the 'Five Guarantees' households, don't you?" Li Xiangdong sneered. "The 'Five Guarantees' households are not a means for people to bully others!"

"The five guarantees are a kind of treatment given by the state because the state sees the plight of the lonely and widowed elderly! The deaf old lady should be grateful to us hardworking people. She said that the treatment she received is due to the contributions of people like us."

"You're using your status as a recipient of the Five Guarantees to bully and oppress your neighbors in this compound. Believe me, I can report you and have your Five Guarantees revoked!"

The deaf old woman's face remained calm, but her eyes, like will-o'-the-wisps, were filled with panic. If this recipient of the five guarantees were to be lost, then her hard times were about to begin.

"Zhu Zi, you're being sent back. What are you all saying here, I can't hear a word you're saying," the deaf old woman said.

The deaf old woman realized the situation was dire and wanted to retreat.

Sha Zhu carried the deaf old woman on his back, and didn't forget to turn around and shout at Xu Damao, "Xu Damao, you just wait, I'll deal with you."

"Pah! That's it? What kind of big meeting is this?"

Li Xiangdong said with a look of disdain, "Let's go, let's go, wouldn't it be better if everyone went back to sleep early?"

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui stood up and left, while Yi Zhonghai sat at the table, his hand holding the large tea mug trembling uncontrollably.

His hands trembled as he held the teacup and shook it incessantly, the lid and the teacup clattering together.

Li Xiangdong snorted and went home, with Xu Damao pulling Lou Xiao'e along as they hurriedly followed.

"Thank you, Section Chief Li!" Xu Damao said sincerely to Li Xiangdong.

But Li Xiangdong knew this man was a scoundrel who would even betray his own wife if the benefits were plentiful.

“What are you thanking me for? I’m not doing this for you, so there’s no need for thanks.” Li Xiangdong invited them to sit down: “I’m doing this for justice, and for myself.”

"Yi Zhonghai is planning to deal with you first, and then cause trouble for me."

Li Xiangdong understood this very well.

"But anyway, we still have to thank Section Chief Li. Otherwise, I would definitely have been at their mercy tonight. Even the things I said were copied from you." Xu Damao said smugly, "Look, I shut those old guys up."

"There's another strange thing, why doesn't Jia Zhangshi come out and cause trouble?" Li Xiangdong said with some puzzlement, "That's also Yi Zhonghai's tactic. He uses Jia Zhangshi to cause trouble for everyone, while he comes out to play the good guy."

“Jia Zhangshi is scared,” Xu Damao said directly.

Chapter Sixty: The Deaf Old Woman Plans to Get Rid of Li Xiangdong (Seeking Flowers, Votes, and Full Subscriptions!)

“Last time she was struck by lightning, people said it was God’s way of giving her a warning, that if she continued to act up, it would kill her!” Xu Damao said.

"No, a scoundrel like her wouldn't believe that at all." Lou Xiao'e shook her head and said, "She just apologized to Section Chief Li tonight and felt she had lost a lot of face, so she backed down."

"As for throwing a tantrum, didn't she throw a tantrum today and extort two cents from Wu Laosan's family!"

Li Xiangdong nodded, feeling that the punishment given to Jia Zhangshi last time was a bit too lenient. But this time, he couldn't use lightning again. Otherwise, it would definitely attract the attention of certain departments.

After chatting for a while, Xu Damao and his wife took their leave. Before leaving, Lou Xiao'e said to Li Xiangdong, "Section Chief Li, my father would like to invite you to his home. When would you have time?"

“Well, then let’s wait until this Sunday. I’ll go visit Director Lou!” Li Xiangdong raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, okay!" Lou Xiao'e said with satisfaction.

The couple left, and Li Xiangdong washed up and rested. He had to get up early tomorrow morning because Yu Li's family was moving in.

When Yi Zhonghai returned home, he could no longer contain himself. He grabbed a blue-rimmed bowl from the small table and smashed it on the ground. With a loud crack, shards of porcelain flew everywhere.

"These two little bastards, I'm going to kill them, I'm going to kill them!" Yi Zhonghai roared in a low voice, like an old dog about to die.

“Zhonghai, go see the old lady and discuss it with her.” Jin Yumei frowned: “Although she is not a martyr’s family member, she is old and still has some ideas.”

Yi Zhonghai understood Jin Yumei's meaning: the deaf old woman was cunning and treacherous, and must have many insidious schemes.

Just then, Sha Zhu came in carrying a large octagonal table, which reminded Yi Zhonghai that he had been so angry that he had forgotten to ask Li Xiangdong to replace the table.

"Those two were so arrogant tonight, they didn't respect you old folks at all." Sha Zhu added fuel to the fire: "That Xu Damao was such a hypocrite!"

"Stop talking, Zhu Zi, go back to sleep. You have to go to work tomorrow morning. I'm going to check on Grandma; she must be really upset." Yi Zhonghai took the opportunity to brainwash the simple-minded Zhu Zi.

"There are no bad parents in the world; it's just that the children haven't done enough. Zhu Zi, we must respect and be filial to our elders. You mustn't follow those two scoundrels' example."

With Jia Dongxu, Yi Zhonghai's long-term replacement player, gone, he can only rely on Sha Zhu as a backup.

"Don't worry, old man, I won't be heartless. I won't be like those two bastards, only thinking of myself. I can't see how hard Sister Qin has been going through," Sha Zhu said.

Jin Yumei was initially pleased, finding Sha Zhu's words quite heartwarming. Although he was a bit impulsive, he had a good heart. However, when Sha Zhu later mentioned Qin Huairu, Jin Yumei felt a chill run down her spine.

Jin Yumei suddenly remembered that this simple-minded Zhu had gone to the point of starving his own sister for Qin Huairu's sake. He hadn't shown much filial piety to the deaf old woman who doted on him either. She couldn't possibly expect him to support her in her old age!

Yi Zhonghai felt gratified and thought to himself, "This fool is so infatuated with Qin Huairu. Once Qin Huairu is pregnant with my child, I'll make Sha Zhu marry Qin Huairu."

"Hehe, Sha Zhu not only has to support my son, but also my old age."

"Tsk tsk, I'll tell him the truth when he grows up! I'll find a time to have him change his surname to Yi. Hmm, that'll have to wait until my son is old enough to take over the family!"

Yi Zhonghai was overjoyed! He then went to the backyard almost without touching the ground.

The deaf old woman was trembling inside the house. She knew that her last shred of dignity had been torn away by Xu Damao.

The deaf old woman was filled with deep regret. How could she have miscalculated? She hadn't anticipated that Li Xiangdong could join forces with Xu Damao! Otherwise, she wouldn't have acted so rashly!

"Grandma." Yi Zhonghai walked in.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” the deaf old woman said, frowning. “I’ve made up my mind. That Li Xiangdong can’t stay in our yard.”

"But what can I do? I can't get rid of him," Yi Zhonghai said bitterly.

"I'll go see Xiao Yang tomorrow," the deaf old woman said bitterly. "I'll use the last bit of favor I have left on this."

"Find him?" Yi Zhonghai hesitated. "Even Factory Director Yang can't do anything to Li Xiangdong!"

"I don't care what happens to him, just find Li Xiangdong a better house. Then he'll leave," the deaf old woman said calmly.

"Yes, yes!" Yi Zhonghai suddenly realized, "After he leaves the compound, it's still up to us. Grandma, your idea... is good!"

·· ·····Requesting flowers·· ·

"Take me to find Xiao Yang tomorrow morning," the deaf old woman said with a hint of arrogance. "Once Li Xiangdong leaves, we must teach Xu Damao a lesson!"

"That's for sure, I have to teach him a lesson." Yi Zhonghai's square face was contorted with rage. It looked somewhat terrifying in the dim, yellowish light.

"Alright, that's settled. Go back and get some sleep. I really angered those two beasts," the deaf old woman sighed.

As soon as Yi Zhonghai returned to the front yard, he heard wailing coming from the Jia family. It sounded like the voices of Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng.

"Damn it, is there ever a moment of peace and quiet?" Yi Zhonghai cursed inwardly, but there was nothing he could do. As an old man, he had to go and check it out.

... 0th

Sha Zhu was already at the Jia family's house. Jia Zhangshi and Bang Geng were rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs. Qin Huairu was anxiously wiping away tears.

"Zhu Zi, quickly borrow a flatbed cart and take them both to the hospital," Yi Zhonghai said decisively.

"Sure, but I don't have much money on me," Sha Zhu said. "When we get there, Aunt Jia will have to pay for it herself."

Although her stomach ached as if it were being stabbed, it was impossible for Jia Zhangshi to pay for it.

"You damned idiot Zhu... Ouch, that hurts so much... You still want to touch my retirement money... No... No way!"

"Then you can just suffer through the pain." Sha Zhu still indulged this old hag: "I'll take Bang Geng to the doctor, which will save me the trouble of borrowing a car."

“You… Yi Zhonghai, give me the money…” Jia Zhangshi said to Yi Zhonghai.

"You have money but you don't contribute it yourself, how can you expect others to pay for it?" Yi Zhonghai said disdainfully, "Nobody owes you anything."

"Then I'm not going to get involved in this matter anymore. Do whatever you want."

"Then... I'll pay for it, I'll pay for it, okay?" Jia Zhangshi said through gritted teeth.

"Two portions, and one for the stick. This is for your Jia family." Sha Zhu said, "I can't possibly pay for this. By the way, I'm going to borrow a car. You guys prepare the money."

"I...it hurts so much! Make Li Xiangdong pay for it, that's right, make him pay for it!" Jia Zhangshi said.

Chapter Sixty-One: Yan Jiecheng Still Hasn't Given Up on Yu Li (Seeking Flowers, Votes, and Subscriptions!)

Li Xiangdong got up at four o'clock in the morning. He practiced boxing in the courtyard, a habit from his previous life. He practiced Bajiquan every day, and his strong body and powerful mental strength in this life made him a martial arts master.

Around 5:30, after practicing the level eight martial arts and grappling techniques, Li Xiangdong washed up and heard the sound of a tractor in front of the door. He hurriedly went over and opened the door.

Sure enough, a tractor was parked at the gate. Yu Dajiang and his family were getting off the tractor. Yu Li was also carrying luggage. Needless to say, the tractor went into the factory first. They took Yu Li's luggage with them.

Li Xiangdong helped move the things, and they quickly moved everything to the backyard. It was only six o'clock in the morning.

Yu Li's three younger brothers all dropped out of school after graduating from elementary school. Fortunately, Yu Li completed junior high school. The three boys, after finishing elementary school, refused to continue their studies—they were all "310s" (a derogatory term for boys in elementary school). None of them were cut out for education.

"Xiao Li, I have some noodles over there. Bring them over and cook some noodles," Li Xiangdong said to Yu Li. "There are also toppings and everything else ready. Auntie just needs to boil some water!"

"No, no, we can't eat yours. We brought our own food. You can take Xiaoli to eat." Huang Guihua hurriedly shook her head and said, "It's only right for Xiaoli to eat yours, but we can't. We can't make it a situation where one family isn't really one family, and two families aren't really one family."

"It doesn't count as you just moved in today. If it weren't for the fact that you're cooking your first meal at home, I would have prepared the food." Li Xiangdong said very seriously, "Xiao Li is gone."

"I still have to go to work after I finish eating; I have a lot to do today."

Watching Yu Li leave with Li Xiangdong, Yu Dajiang could only say to Huang Guihua, "That's settled then. We'll be more careful in the future, especially the three of you."