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

"Section Chief Li?" Yan Bugui was a little confused.

"Yes, Section Chief Li is an eighth-level engineer and the head of the technical department," Liu Haizhong said proudly.

Liu Haizhong was overjoyed today. Yi Zhonghai had been punished and gained the nickname "fake." This made Liu Haizhong feel like he had a chance to become a big shot.

Yan Bugui's face turned ashen; he himself was still trying to scheme against others. He must have lost his mind.

Yan Jiecheng still wants to work at the steel rolling mill. He's trying to get Yi Zhonghai to help him, but if he offends Li Xiangdong, Li could easily ruin everything with a single word.

"I'm sorry, Section Chief Li, I didn't know..." Yan Bugui hurriedly apologized.

Li Xiangdong was too lazy to bother with this beast.

"By the way, things have gotten weird with your family's Jiecheng going to work." Liu Haizhong's chubby face was full of schadenfreude: "Old Yi got punished and now he's got the label of a fraud."

"Trying to get your son in as an apprentice? Tsk tsk! That won't be easy!"

Yi Zhonghai walked in at this moment and heard Liu Haizhong's words clearly.

"Old Liu, Old Yan, you two are here. I have something to tell you. There's a hospital-wide meeting tonight. We're welcoming our ancestor home." Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and spat out these words.

Yi Zhonghai is about to unleash a major attack to deal with Li Xiangdong!

Chapter Ten: The Beasts' Scheme (Seeking flowers and votes!)

Li Xiangdong gleaned something from Yi Zhonghai's words: the deaf old woman was going to make her appearance tonight. Yi Zhonghai was using his last resort to subdue him.

Li Xiangdong smiled coldly and looked over. Just then, he saw Sha Zhu carrying an old woman into the courtyard and heading towards the back gate.

The old woman was thin and frail, but her white hair was neatly combed and tied into a bun at the back of her head.

Her clothes were completely unpatched. She had leg bindings on her calves—a standard feature for elderly women with bound feet in those days.

His face was covered in wrinkles, making him look like a walnut. His nose was slightly hooked, and his eyes seemed sharp when he looked at Li Xiangdong.

Li Xiangdong knew this was the biggest beast in the courtyard—a deaf old woman. A cunning old woman who pretended to be deaf and mute. She had ruined Lou Xiao'e's life!

Li Xiangdong smiled faintly and continued working on his task. By the time he finished painting, the onlookers had long since left.

Yan Bugui's attempt to take advantage of others backfired, showing those who wanted to profit that it was impossible.

Li Xiangdong returned to the house, thinking about what to eat tonight.

"Go get a can of beef; this body really needs meat," Li Xiangdong muttered.

A 500-gram can of braised beef was poured into an iron pot. The fire on the coal stove was blazing, and it quickly boiled. The self-heating rice was also ready, so I quickly poured the rice into a bowl and threw the packaging and canned food into the mysterious space.

The aroma of the braised beef was so overpowering that it swept through the courtyard.

As soon as the deaf old woman arrived home, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong were pulled aside by Yi Zhonghai to reach a consensus.

"Old Liu and Old Yan are having a meeting tonight, and the three of us must work together. That way, the courtyard won't be in chaos," Yi Zhonghai said. "We need to criticize any lax attitudes."

"Li Xiangdong's kind of thinking is unacceptable!"

Liu Haizhong said cautiously, "But he's a factory leader..."

"So what? As long as we don't do anything wrong in the factory, what can they do to us?" Yi Zhonghai said, suppressing his anger. "But in the yard, we're the ones who call the shots!"

"This...this..." Liu Haizhong's eyes darted around uncertainly.

"Little Liu, do you think you can get promoted by currying favor with him?" The deaf old woman said calmly, "You can't get away with flattering this kind of person. You have to subdue him first."

"If the three of you are of one mind, I'll step in tonight. Let's see what he can do then!"

Liu Haizhong hesitated for a moment, then met with a sharp look from the deaf old woman. He could only nod in agreement.

"Old Yan, your situation is even more complicated," Yi Zhonghai said. "If you offend him and don't force him to back down, things will get difficult."

“I understand, I understand. Old Yi, I’ve been on your side from the beginning.” Yan Bugui hurriedly said, “I suggest that we make him bow his head tonight and start by making furniture for me.”

"Hmm, that's good. Let's use this as a starting point." Yi Zhonghai said with satisfaction, "He's just a young lad, and we're disciplining him like this for his future growth!"

Sha Zhu listened with a chuckle. Then he spoke up, "That's right, what's so great about that kid? If he dares to say a word against it today, I'll beat him to a pulp..."

"Zhu Zi must not act rashly; he needs to find a suitable excuse before making a move."

Yi Zhonghai said sternly, "You want to call the police? No way! It's such a trivial matter, why should we trouble the police officers?"

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui nodded in agreement. "Yes, if everyone goes to the police for everything, how are the three of them supposed to assert their authority? No, how are they supposed to establish authority and manage the compound?"

"And about that house..." Jia Dongxu finally spoke after a long pause.

"Then don't say anything tonight. We need to subdue him first. We can educate him slowly later! The sooner or later the house is given to you, the better," Yi Zhonghai said slowly.

As they were discussing, a strong, irresistible aroma suddenly wafted in. Everyone sniffed and swallowed hard.

“This is really braised beef, they’ve used a lot of spices,” Sha Zhu said immediately.

"Braised beef? I haven't had it in a long time." The deaf old woman slurped her saliva and said, "Who made it? I'll have them send over some more later."

"It must have been Li Xiangdong who made it," Yi Zhonghai said. "No other family in the courtyard would cook beef! That stuff doesn't have much oil in it!"

"Xiao Yi, go and bring me some," the deaf old woman said. "This young man has just entered the compound and doesn't know many of the rules."

“Okay, that’s exactly what I wanted to do.” Yi Zhonghai stood up and took a large bowl.

Everyone inside went home. Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu had just arrived at the Central Courtyard when they heard Bang Geng's wailing.

"Ah, I'm so hungry for meat!" Jia Dongxu sighed.

"Well... I'll ask for more later, and save some for you," Yi Zhonghai said. He spoke as if he was certain he would get some meat.

Jia Dongxu pushed open the door and returned home to find Banggeng rolling on the floor, still yelling, "I want to eat meat! I want to eat meat! I'm not getting up today if there's no meat!"

Madam Jia Zhang was glaring at Qin Huairu with her dog-like eyes and yelling, "Aren't you going yet? Don't you care about your own son? Can't you see how much my precious grandson is crying?"

"Go and ask for a big bowl!"

Qin Huairu looked troubled. This Li Xiangdong wasn't like the other families in the courtyard. Could she possibly ask for some back? There had just been a conflict with one of them yesterday.

"Mom, never mind, the master's gone. We'll give him some later!" Jia Dongxu said.

"How much can they give us? It's probably not even enough to fill a tooth gap!" Jia Zhangshi said angrily. "Sha Zhu is the same; he didn't even bring a lunchbox."

The good stuff they usually brought back, though marketed under the guise of "sticky rice," was mostly poured into Jia Zhangshi's abyssal maw.

“He was going to pick up the deaf old lady tonight and forgot about the lunchbox in the kitchen,” Jia Dongxu said. “He’s a complete idiot.”

"How can that bastard be so rich!" Jia Zhangshi said angrily.

"He's the head of the technical department, an eighth-level engineer. He makes over 150 yuan a month!" Jia Dongxu's eyes reddened with envy: "He could spend all his money even if he just lay around."

“Yes, how could a childless man who killed his parents spend so much money? He should give our family fifty yuan... no, a hundred yuan!” Jia Zhangshi’s eyes were shaped like coins.

"Mom, keep your voice down, or you'll be in big trouble if he hears you."

Qin Huairu said with a helpless expression.

“I’m afraid of him? He’s a cursed son who brought death to his parents!” Madam Jia was still being stubborn, but the words were already stuck in her throat.

Li Xiangdong was enjoying his meal at home when he heard footsteps approaching the door. Then, the tightly closed door was pushed open, and a blast of cold air rushed in.

Chapter Eleven: The Beasts' Defenses Are Breached (Seeking Flowers, Votes, and Donations!)

"Yi Zhonghai, what the hell are you trying to do?"

Li Xiangdong slammed his chopsticks down and stood up.

"You...you actually dare to talk to me like that!" Yi Zhonghai exclaimed in surprise.

In his mind, he was the big shot in the courtyard, and he hadn't done anything to offend Li Xiangdong. "I'm here at your house, shouldn't you at least speak politely?"

As for plotting against Li Xiangdong yesterday, it didn't succeed yet. Li Xiangdong should be magnanimous and forget about it. Otherwise, he'd be petty and lack any manly spirit.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Li Xiangdong sneered. "Even if you have something to say, don't you know how to knock? Is this all the class you have?"

"You went into Yang Dawei's office without knocking and just barged in? Get out!"

Yi Zhonghai's face flushed red, with Yan Bugui's family watching behind him. Yan Bugui's family, of course, wanted to see if there was anything they could gain. Even if there wasn't, smelling the aroma would be nice.

"Li Xiangdong, I'm not going to waste my breath on you," Yi Zhonghai shouted. "This is the ancestor in the courtyard who wants to eat meat. Hurry up and fill a bowl for him!"

"What? The old ancestor in the courtyard?" Li Xiangdong immediately knew that the deaf old woman was up to no good.

“That’s right!” Yi Zhonghai said with high spirits, “An old lady who wove straw sandals for Red Army soldiers, the mother of a martyr.”

"If you want some meat, hurry up and fill my bowl. Serve it yourself and I'll take you to pay respects to our ancestors."

"Go to hell with your ancestors!" Li Xiangdong said disdainfully, "Don't drag me into this mess of claiming ancestors. You even wove straw sandals for Red Army soldiers? Who the hell are you trying to fool?"

"The families of martyrs act like they're all the same. There are countless families of martyrs across the country. How many of them are like this, begging for food everywhere and showing off like this?"

"I'm going to go to the martyrs' family affairs office to report this."

Yi Zhonghai was somewhat bewildered by what Li Xiangdong had said. It left him with a sense of awe and wonder, though he didn't fully understand it. But the thought that his trump card hadn't worked made Yi Zhonghai panic.

"You...you, as a cadre, how could you be so disrespectful to the elderly? You must be criticized at tonight's meeting!" Yi Zhonghai said in a panic.

"Criticize me? Who gave you that right? You, Yi Zhonghai, have you forgotten? You're just an ordinary worker." Li Xiangdong said disdainfully, "I didn't want to get involved in your affairs. Well, tonight I'll see what tricks you can pull!"

"Get out of here now! What a piece of trash! You're so old, you're not even as good as a child!"

Yi Zhonghai turned and left, trembling with anger. Yan Bugui and his family, like rats, scurried into their own home.

"This whole bunch of bastards!" Li Xiangdong slammed the door shut. He grabbed his chopsticks and continued eating.

I had just finished eating and washed the dishes when I heard someone knocking on the door.