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

Zhang Dabiao pointed to himself and explained the intricacies of the situation: "Think about it carefully. I, Zhang Dabiao, am still a student, and I have to draw up blueprints and do designs for the department every quarter. I have quotas to meet. Where do I have time to play house with those old men who are about to retire?"

"Can that title of 'old man' put food on the table or issue meat coupons? All they do every day is deal with trivial matters like the neighbor losing scallions or the neighbor missing garlic. It's a thankless job. If they want to be it, let them be it."

In addition, Yi Zhonghai had talked to him about this matter directly a while ago, and he agreed not to cause trouble on the condition that Yi Zhonghai would try to bring Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu together.

You have to keep your word, that's called following the rules.

Xu Damao slapped his thigh: "Alright! With you saying that, Da Biao, I know what's going on." He picked up a few slices of pig's head meat and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing as he mumbled his analysis: "Actually, it won't do us any harm if Lao Yi and the others go back to power; on the contrary, it will be all good for us."

"Benefits? Da Mao, tell me in detail." Zhang Dabiao leaned back, gesturing for him to continue making things up.

"That's right!" Xu Damao swallowed a peanut, perking up. "The downsides, you guys do the math. Which of us brothers is afraid of being schemed against now?"

"I'm just keeping an eye on that old deaf man, but since E'zi is pregnant, no matter how hard she tries to break me up with E'zi, it won't work. Sha Zhu is focused on Qin Huairu right now, so I'm not afraid of anything here."

"Besides, Ezi is pregnant, Guangqi's child is already a year and a half old, and Jiecheng's wife Yuli is also pregnant. We all have wives and children, what if one day a vagrant, thug, or human trafficker suddenly shows up in the yard?"

He paused, then lowered his voice: "With three old men blocking the way, they won't dare to just enter our No. 95 compound! What do you call that? You've hired three free security guards without spending a penny!"

"For the sake of the children's safety, I, Xu Damao, support the selection of three more uncles."

"Da Mao is right." Liu Guangqi nodded in agreement, downing the liquor in his glass in one gulp, panting from the spiciness. "You all know how obsessed my dad is with officialdom. Letting him be the eternal runner-up means that if the sky falls, Yi Zhonghai, that tall guy, will hold it up. He'll be safer in the back."

Liu Guangqi was extremely worried about his father, Liu Haizhong.

Yan Jiecheng, who had been engrossed in eating peanuts, finally looked up, grinning slyly. "Well, since we've separated the family, I have my own ballot. Because of this ballot, my dad promised to forgo the previous gift money; he was originally trying to get it back. I got twelve yuan and thirty cents for a worthless ballot! What a steal! Let him be a big shot if he wants, as long as he doesn't take money from my pocket. I wouldn't care if he became the Jade Emperor!"

A burst of laughter erupted from inside the room. Zhang Dabiao pointed at Yan Jiecheng and said with a laugh, "You're really stingy, kid. If your dad knew you were using his embarrassing secrets as an excuse to drink, he'd chase you all over the yard with a feather duster."

After the laughter subsided, Zhang Dabiao composed himself, sat up straight, and set the tone for this conspiracy.

"Alright, now that everyone's played their cards, let's set a tone. Tomorrow I'll abstain, and you can proceed with the election and voting as usual."

"Besides, if those three old guys really take office, their first move definitely won't touch us." Zhang Dabiao wagged his index finger. "We're strong enough now, they can't touch us. A new broom sweeps clean, and even if something happens, they'll have to use the weak and troublesome ones in the courtyard to establish their authority."

"Who is the soft persimmon? And who is the troublemaker?" Yan Jiecheng was still confused.

Xu Damao slapped Yan Jiecheng on the back of the head: "Are you stupid! The easy targets are those widows and orphans in the Jia family. Don't be fooled by their loud and boisterous manner; without a man to carry the household, aren't they easy targets?"

"The troublemaker is Sha Zhu! If Yi Zhonghai wants to rebuild his authority, he must first get these two families under his control."

"Anyway, it's none of our business."

The four men picked up their wine cups, clinked them together, and made a crisp sound.

"Then let's get on with our lives tomorrow," Zhang Dabiao grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "Move up our little stools, grab some sunflower seeds, and sit comfortably in the front row to watch the show!"

The cold wind outside the window intensified, whipping the bare branches of the trees as if they were howling. Tomorrow's drama is destined to be anything but peaceful.

------------

The next day at noon.

The courtyard of the traditional courtyard house, which was already so cold it could freeze your chin off, was now even colder, with not a single sheltered corner to be found. All the men and women in the courtyard, young and old, had their hands tucked into their sleeves, sniffling, and stamping their feet around the water trough.

In the center of the courtyard, the square table that once symbolized supreme power had been brought out again, polished to a gleaming shine. Yi Zhonghai, wearing a slightly worn blue cotton-padded jacket and carrying a large enamel mug printed with "Labor is the Most Glorious," sat upright in the middle. Liu Haizhong paced back and forth beside him, hands behind his back, displaying the full air of an official. Yan Bugui, meanwhile, pushed up his glasses, which were wrapped with tape, his small eyes scanning the crowd.

Seeing that most of the people had arrived, Yi Zhonghai cleared his throat, put on airs, and was about to speak: "Old neighbors, I've gathered you all here today for no other reason than..."

Before the words could even be uttered, the front gate creaked open. A heavy-duty bicycle rattled over the threshold. Director Wang from Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office, accompanied by two staff members, strode into the yard.

This was, of course, a prior arrangement made by Yi Zhonghai and his group. Having learned their lesson from Zhang Dabiao's warning, they were now much wiser and would only get things done through official channels to avoid giving others cause for criticism.

"Director Wang, why have you gone to all this trouble? Please take a seat!" Yi Zhonghai quickly put down his teacup and hurried over to greet him, his face full of eagerness.

Director Wang pushed her bicycle aside, waved her hand, and didn't even offer a smile. She walked to the octagonal table, her gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over every face in the courtyard. Her voice was so loud that it made the sparrows in the trees fly away.

"Neighbors, the neighborhood committee has heard about the re-election of a 'manager' for your No. 95 compound today. Before the meeting, I need to explain the policy to you all clearly!"

The entire hospital fell silent; even the coughing stopped.

"First!" Director Wang held up one finger. "Back in 58, the state officially abolished the 'manager' liaison officer position! That post no longer exists!"

That shout shattered the air that Yi Zhonghai had just put on.

"Secondly! Even if your compound follows the old custom and elects a few old men, they'll be 'neighborhood volunteer service posts.' There are no official positions, no salaries, no food rations, not even a red armband! Forget about any law enforcement or disciplinary power! Anyone who privately imposes fines or conducts public denunciations in the compound is committing a mistake!"

With each word Director Wang spoke, the three old men's faces paled a little more. This bucket of cold water had been poured over them so thoroughly that it felt like they had been stripped naked and thrown into the snow.

We know all about these things. Director Wang, you've already said this before. Even if you want to emphasize it, why now?

Don't we guys have any pride?