Siheyuan (traditional courtyard house): 52 years of farming, producing hundreds of millions of tons

Chapter 284 Xu Damao Refuses to Return Money

"You wish! Why don't you just rob someone?" Xu Damao said angrily.

"Heh, you still want to renege on your debt? Believe me or not, I'll scream for sex right now!" He Yuzhu threatened, making a gesture as if to shout.

Seeing this, Wan Ping'an quickly stopped him, saying:

"Alright, let's put this matter aside for now and solve Sha Zhu's problem first. Uncle, as you all know, I've given the residents quite a bit of subsidies because of the recent '160' water pipe repair project in the courtyard, so I definitely don't have the money, Xu Damao. As for the installment payment, you owe Sha Zhu ten yuan, you can pay him in five months, two yuan a month isn't much, right? Hurry up and pay Sha Zhu back."

Xu Damao hesitated and said, "Uncle, this amount of money is too much. I really can't afford it."

“You can’t give me the money, but I can! I still need to live. I think this old man’s idea is pretty good. You don’t have to give it to me all at once. You just give me two yuan a month. Xu Damao, can you stop being so shameless? You can’t even come up with two yuan?” He Yuzhu shouted, looking like he had Xu Damao completely under his thumb.

Wan Ping'an shook his head and said earnestly:

“Xu Damao, I’m not trying to criticize you, but why are you so stubborn? You know you can’t pay Shazhu back, and dragging it out like this will only ruin your relationship. At least if you pay him back this way, Shazhu won’t have to live in fear anymore.”

"Uncle, I think you should give up on this. You know our family's situation. We simply can't come up with that much money, let alone repay it," Xu Damao complained, looking frustrated.

He Yuzhu snorted, "Fine, if you don't want to pay back the money, then just pay me back all the money you owe me over the years!"

"Where do I owe you money?" Xu Damao retorted. "I've been helping you all these years, when have I ever wronged you?!"

"Hmph, you're pretending. It doesn't matter if you don't admit it, one day I'll make you say it yourself!" He Yuzhu sneered.

Xu Damao scoffed, "Then we'll see!"

"Hey! You're really going to mess with me, aren't you? I haven't even mentioned that you owe me two hundred yuan. I just said I'd give you ten yuan today, and you can't even come up with it? If you don't pay me today, I'll definitely not let you off the hook!" He Yuzhu said aggressively.

Xu Damao retorted, "I earned this money through my own abilities, why should I give it to you?!"

"You dare talk back?!" He Yuzhu was instantly enraged and lunged at Xu Damao, swinging his fist...

Wan Ping'an and Xu Damao were both stunned.

Wan Ping'an quickly stood up and blocked Xu Damao's way, shouting, "Have you made enough of a scene?"

He Yuzhu stopped attacking, panting as he glared at Wan Ping'an, gritting his teeth and saying, "Uncle, let me tell you, you don't need to worry about our business! I have to beat him up today to feel better!"

"I don't care who hit whom, but you need to get out of my sight right now. I need to rest."

Wan Ping'an finished speaking with a stern face and turned to leave. He Yuzhu felt a strange sense of guilt, but he quickly returned to normal. He would not show any pity for Xu Damao because of this.

"Hmph, just you wait and see!!!" He Yuzhu glared fiercely at the terrified Xu Damao before turning and leaving.

Back in the house, lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), Wan Ping'an pondered how to solve the problem.

"Sigh..." He sighed helplessly. He Yuzhu and Xu Damao were always making a ruckus in the yard.

Chapter 285 Jia Dongxu Acts as Matchmaker

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Wan Ping'an opened the door with a puzzled look, only to find He Yuzhu standing outside.

"What? Just say what you want to say," Wan Ping'an said irritably.

"Well, sir, actually I have something to discuss with you today," He Yuzhu said with an awkward smile.

"Say what it is quickly, I'm very tired," Wan Ping'an said, frowning.

He Yuzhu said awkwardly, "Um... I shouldn't have talked back to you just now. You only bothered with my little business with Xu Damao today. It's just that Xu Damao is too dirty and shameless."

"Oh."

"But what you said about 27 isn't wrong, sir."

"But I've already taught him a lesson, and I hope you can understand," He Yuzhu said sincerely.

Wan Ping'an remained silent for a long time before looking up and saying, "I can't interfere in your affairs. You two should resolve this yourselves. Remember, I don't want the conflict between you two to escalate."

He Yuzhu was overjoyed: "Thank you, sir. You should go to sleep early."

Wan Ping'an nodded and closed the door.

Wan Ping'an couldn't help but smile wryly; He Yuzhu was quite an oddball.

The next morning, Jia Dongxu was still fast asleep in bed when Jia Zhangshi scooped him up.

"Dongxu, wake up! Matchmaker Wang introduced you to a beautiful girl today. Get up and get ready."

Jia Dongxu vaguely heard his mother nagging in his ear, his head buzzing, and then he kicked off the covers and crawled out.

"Mom, what did you say? Who's going to introduce me to a girl?" Jia Dongxu asked, yawning and rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"Of course it's Matchmaker Wang! She's found the second daughter of Aunt Li next door. Aunt Li is forty-seven this year, and she only has one daughter. Not only is her daughter beautiful, but she's also very virtuous. She washes clothes, cleans the toilet, and mends clothes every day. If you go and propose to Aunt Li, I guarantee there won't be any problems!" Jia Zhangshi said happily.

"Aunt Li?" Jia Dongxu was completely bewildered, thinking to himself: Isn't this my neighbor, Matchmaker Wang? Last night she was scolding me for being a toad trying to eat swan meat, and today she's actually introducing me to someone?

Jia Dongxu asked in bewilderment, "What does this matchmaker Wang mean? She used to think I was poor and ugly, but now she's suddenly changed her attitude?"

Madam Jia said with a smile:

"What do you know? It's just that Matchmaker Wang has a prejudice against you. She must have been intimidated by your performance last night. She looked at you with new eyes as soon as she met you today, and that's why she immediately wants to match you two up. This is called being a wise person when you know when to yield."

"Mom, you're talking nonsense!" Jia Dongxu rolled his eyes.

"You brat, what do you know!" Madam Jia slapped her son's hand hard.

"Ouch! That hurts so much!" Jia Dongxu exclaimed dramatically.

"It's good that you know the pain," Jia Zhangshi said with satisfaction, then urged, "Hurry up and get dressed, Aunt Li's family will be here soon."

As Jia Dongxu slowly got out of bed to change his clothes, he asked, "Mom, why did Aunt Li suddenly introduce me to someone? Is it because of my heroic performance last night?"

"Pah! Stop being so conceited. She really thinks you're great. Besides, Aunt Li only has one daughter. If she marries into our family, you should take good care of her. In addition, her family is well-off. Maybe they can even introduce you to a decent job."

"Pshaw, I'm not a three-year-old. Besides, there's no such thing as a free lunch. That matchmaker is definitely after me again."

Chapter 286 Dressing Up for a Blind Date

"Mom, don't worry. Her daughter is probably three or four years older than me. Unless she promises to give me a few big, healthy sons, I can forget about it," Jia Dongxu said firmly.

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi's eyes widened, and she said angrily, "You brat! What nonsense are you talking about! Do you know how hard it is for someone to introduce you to a wife? How can you be so ungrateful? You even dare to call the girl an old woman. Be careful, or Aunt Li's family will beat you up later."

"Tch, I'm not afraid of them beating me up," Jia Dongxu said with a sneer. Suddenly, he thought of something and said, "Hey? Mom, why are you so concerned about the wife that Matchmaker Wang introduced? Do you have plans for this? If you're willing, I don't care."

"Nonsense! I can't be bothered with your business!" Madam Jia said, her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.

Jia Dongxu chuckled mischievously twice: "Don't be shy, Mom. I know you're probably worried that I won't treat you well after I get married."

"I...I...you...you brat, anyway, Mom will never allow you to do anything to betray me. If you dare to do anything reckless, believe me, I'll castrate you with scissors!"

Jia Dongxu was startled and hurriedly waved his hands, begging for mercy: "Okay, okay, I won't tell, alright!"

"Hmph, that's more like it." Madam Jia nodded in satisfaction, then urged, "Get up quickly, or they'll leave."

Jia Dongxu sighed, "Sigh, I guess I'll never get married in this lifetime."

"Get lost, what nonsense are you spouting!" Jia Zhangshi cursed.

Jia Dongxu said with a grin, "Mom, you can go out for a bit."

"What?" Jia Zhangshi was taken aback.

"Let me change into some decent clothes. It's embarrassing to go on a blind date looking like this."

"You... alright, alright, then hurry up and change." Madam Jia shook her head, turned and left.

After a while, Jia Dongxu finally finished washing up and came out of the room.

However, when Jia Dongxu saw his mother, Jia Zhangshi, he couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Mom, aren't you dressed too formally?"

Jia Zhangshi was wearing a brand-new blue plaid shirt and floral shorts.

"Let me tell you, Dongxu, you'd better hurry up and get married so everyone in the courtyard can see that you're just as good as Wan Ping'an," Jia Zhangshi said proudly.

Jia Dongxu rolled his eyes and said, "Mom, aren't you just making things difficult for your dad? Do you think I can find a wife looking like this? You're going to make me a laughingstock in the whole village."

"Let whoever wants to make fun of you do so!" Madam Jia said domineeringly, then added with a smile, "But don't worry, once I have a grandson, you won't have to worry about finding a wife. Look, haven't I already found you a wife?"

"Mom, you..." Jia Dongxu was speechless.

Madam Jia said with a grin, "Stop dawdling and hurry up, don't delay your date with that girl."

Jia Dongxu shrugged helplessly and led his mother out of the room.

Just as Jia Dongxu climbed over the back wall of his residence, he noticed Weiming, the son of his second uncle next door, standing outside.

"Good morning," Jia Dongxu greeted.

"You didn't kick off the covers last night, did you?" Jia Weiming asked with a smile.

"no no."

"Oh, that's good. I heard a thief broke into our village yesterday to steal eggs. Did any of your families lose money or anything valuable?"

"No, not at all," Jia Dongxu quickly shook his head.

"That's good. By the way, I heard from my aunt that you're going on a blind date today, remember to dress smartly." Weiming finished speaking and turned to walk towards the school committee office.

Chapter 287 Jia Dongxu Doesn't Want to Go on a Blind Date

Watching Weiming walk away, Jia Dongxu frowned slightly and said, "This is really troublesome. It's just a blind date, why make it so mysterious?"

Although puzzled, Jia Dongxu didn't take it seriously and continued walking forward with Jia Zhangshi.

"Hey, you young man over there, stop!" Suddenly, a sharp, piercing female voice rang out.