Courtyard House: Drunk and tipsy, the whole courtyard exposed at the start.

After a while, Director Wang arrived at the courtyard with two staff members.

After checking the letters of introduction for these people, Zhang Dabiao opened the gate and let them in.

The group gathered some benches and sat on the open ground outside the stable. The Zhang family looked around, but were very reserved and dared not move.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Dabiao decided to pour tea and offer cigarettes to everyone, just Daqianmen cigarettes.

Regardless of their reason for coming, since they are indeed Zhang Banxian's relatives, it is only right that they come over and offer him a cup of tea.

As for being impolite...

He'd seen plenty of rude elders; they were all so arrogant, constantly criticizing the younger generation for this and that, for their lack of manners…

They're just trying to get attention from you, so what can you do about it?

Tired.

"Third Uncle, right? And Second Uncle, Maosheng, Maoshan... Brother."

"My father just passed away before the Lunar New Year. I sent a telegram to the village, but no one came to pay their respects."

"So, what do you want from me now?"

Zhang Dabiao, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, spoke casually.

Damn it, they probably didn't come looking for anything good.

Director Wang sat to one side, accompanied by two street office staff. His third uncle and second great-uncle sat in a group, silent, while Zhang Dabiao's side—Yan Jiecheng and Qin Jingru followed behind him as his background.

Qin Huairu, holding Xiaodang, along with Yang Ruihua, Liu Cuilan, Aunt Wu (now known as Aunt Da, the mother of the three Liu brothers) from the backyard, and the old deaf man, were all gathered and looking around at the covered walkway. Zhang Dabiao did not let them in.

The courtyard of the side room was only two meters wide. Zhang Dabiao and his group ate and chatted at the entrance of the courtyard, which was only one or two meters away from the courtyard. So if they were quiet, they could be heard clearly. Zhang Dabiao and his group did not deliberately avoid people.

After a long silence, the second uncle looked at the third uncle, who then spoke.

"I heard you sold your dad's workstation?"

Zhang Dabiao was taken aback—"Wow, you're quite well-informed, aren't you?"

"That's right, you could say it was sold. Who told you that?"

Cousin Zhang Maoshan, quick to speak, blurted out: "Jia Dongxu, he wrote back to the village and told our third uncle."

Without saying a word, they sold Jia Dongxu out.

Uncle Zhang slapped him on the head—【You talk too much.】

Zhang Dabiao frowned—[Damn, is Jia Dongxu up to something again?]

Qin Huairu suddenly jumped at the entrance of the courtyard!

When did Dongxu get involved with this bastard again?

Isn't this just asking for trouble?

Everyone outside the courtyard immediately turned to look at Qin Huairu, who panicked and stammered, "I...I don't know!"

Zhang Dabiao gave a cold laugh and then continued to ask, "What else did he say? What brings you here?"

Uncle Zhang thought for a moment and then slowly said, "Dongxu said that you sold your father's work station. The work station can be registered under the surname Zhang or Jia, but it can't be registered under anyone else's surname."

"We think that makes sense!"

"That's why we came to find you."

Zhang Dabiao remained silent, watching him with a smile. Director Wang, however, had already furrowed his brow—[Is he here again to demand a workstation?]

The women outside the courtyard exclaimed in shock, "How could Jia Dongxu say such a thing? What does Zhang Dabiao's workstation have to do with him?"

"Jia Zhangshi is Zhang Dabiao's third aunt. They think that the Zhang family is the Jia family, right? That's what Jia Zhangshi has always said."

"If Zhang Bansian were still alive, you'd better let Jia Zhangshi say it again and see if she doesn't get a slap across the face!"

"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant..."

Qin Huairu was panicked, really panicked!

Zhang Dabiao definitely wrote it down in his little notebook, and he will definitely get revenge!

Uncle Zhang might have felt it was unfair, but he couldn't bring himself to offend his elders.

But seeing Zhang Erda's pleading expression, he finally coughed twice to clear his throat and said, "Da Biao..."

"We discussed it among our clan members. You're still young, and your brain is... just right, but you're only in the third grade of elementary school, so you're not cut out for studying."

"And who knows how many years it will take before you graduate and get a replacement job."

"Your third uncle has taken care of things for you—who did you sell the workstation to? Return the money and get the workstation back."

"Let either Maosheng or Maoshan take over the workstation."

"Your father's house will be left to him too..."

At this point, Yan Jiecheng stood up angrily: "What kind of uncle are you?"

"You're taking both the workstation and the apartment? Aren't you forcing Da Biao to his death?!"

"Why should I?!"

Zhang Dabiao just kept sneering, but his anger grew stronger and stronger.

Those beasts in the yard at least know how to find some excuse, and they still put on a show of feigned concern. But you so-called relatives, you don't even bother with the pretense, you're just here to take my life.

Director Wang also stood up—"Da Biao's third great-uncle, you've gone too far!"

"Da Biao is still a child! This is blatant robbery!"

"Besides, do you think he'll just give you a workspace and a place you want?!"

Third Uncle's face was rather grim: "Wait a moment, let me finish what I have to say."

"Da Biao, as long as you're willing to give it up, your second uncle's family will give you two tiled houses, and you can transfer your household registration back to the village. There's land to farm there, you can earn work points, and everyone will take care of you. Besides, your second uncle's family..."

At this point, Uncle Zhang Er had no choice but to speak up, because Maosheng and Maoshan were his sons, and he had come here to find jobs for them.

"Da Biao, your second uncle will give you another hundred yuan, and also..."

"Give either Maosheng or Maoshan to your father as his son."

"The son takes over his father's job and inherits his house, is that reasonable?"

Zhang Dabiao's squinting eyes suddenly widened. He could understand the elders in the clan wanting to take a job in their family, and he could also understand wanting a house, but to adopt a young man to take his deceased father as his son was a different matter.

Why is that?

To impersonate someone else?

My identity isn't anything special, is it?

Everyone looked completely bewildered.

Two tiled houses, a household registration in the village, land to cultivate, 100 yuan...

This compensation, speaking of which...

It's neither high nor low, because Zhang Banxian's warehouse manager's salary is only 22 yuan a month, and there's no way it can be increased; there's no future in it.

But why go through all this trouble to get this dead-end retirement job?

Uncle Zhang nodded: "The clan has discussed this matter. If you are willing, our clan and the brigade will sign an adoption document, so that the clan and the village will recognize it, and your father's side will have people to pay respects during festivals."

Zhang Dabiao was confused. He scratched his head and asked, "Wait, what's the point of all this going around in circles?"

At this moment, Maosheng, who had been silent, spoke up: "What's the point? It's just to have food to eat. You have an urban household registration, so you can get government-subsidized grain rations in the city. Even if it's a little less, it'll be enough to get by."

"Our village has already gone hungry this year..."

"Luxuriant!"

"...If we can move to the city, there will be one less person in the family who does nothing. People who move to the city can get a fixed amount of food, and their wages can also help support their families."

"Brother Da Biao, to tell you the truth, my family has no other choice. We know this is not right, but we really have no other option."

As they spoke, the two brothers squatted down, pulling at their hair.

Zhang Dabiao understood...

There are some things we can't say, but everyone understands what they're talking about.

They claimed they came to force Zhang Dabiao to resign, but in reality, they had no way out.

I have no choice but to come.