Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

Xu Damao stared at the test results, utterly stunned and as if struck by lightning. He couldn't understand how he could be infertile. Suddenly, he remembered the many times he and Sha Zhu had fought, and how Sha Zhu had kicked him in the groin multiple times!

"Shazhu! It must be your fault!" Xu Damao, his eyes red, rushed out of the hospital like a madman and headed straight for the courtyard house.

At that moment, Sha Zhu and Qin Huairu were packing up in the yard when they saw Xu Damao rushing over aggressively. Before they could react, Xu Damao punched them to the ground.

"Xu Damao, have you gone mad?"

"Am I crazy? It's all your fault!"

Xu Damao straddled Sha Zhu and punched and kicked him.

"If you hadn't kicked me, how could I be infertile? You ruined my marriage!"

Qin Huairu was so frightened that she rushed forward to break up the fight, and the neighbors in the courtyard also gathered around. Lin Weidong happened to be coming home from school and saw this scene. He squeezed in and immediately caught a glimpse of Xu Damao's medical report on the ground.

He picked up the report, glanced at it, and then sneered, "Xu Damao, your infertility is due to your own immoral conduct and long-term promiscuous relationships. What does that have to do with Brother Shazhu?"

These words stunned everyone in the hospital. Xu Damao's face turned deathly pale instantly. He hadn't expected Lin Weidong to say this in public, and he wished he could disappear into the ground.

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Xu Damao still tried to argue.

"I'm talking nonsense?" Lin Weidong waved the medical report in his hand. "The doctor's diagnosis is crystal clear: 'Excessive sexual activity over a long period of time, accompanied by old external injuries.' Do you dare say that's not true?"

The neighbors gossiped, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Xu Damao.

Xu Damao knew that if he continued to make a scene, he would only embarrass himself further. He could only glare fiercely at Sha Zhu and Lin Weidong, pick up the medical report, and slink home.

Sha Zhu got up from the ground and spat at Xu Damao's back: "Serves you right! Wei Dong, thank you, I owe you a lot today."

Seeing that Xu Damao had run away, Sha Zhu planned to find an opportunity to deal with the guy.

Lin Weidong smiled and said, "No need to thank me, I was just telling the truth."

Lin Weidong knew that this was just the beginning for Xu Damao, and given his personality, he certainly wouldn't let it go so easily.

Xu Damao slammed the door and stormed into the house, throwing the medical report onto the table, trembling with anger.

The marriage fell through, and he lost face in front of the entire hospital. He blamed all his resentment on Sha Zhu and Lin Weidong, especially Sha Zhu, who hadn't injured him in a fight back then, so he wouldn't have ended up infertile.

"Silly Zhu! Lin Weidong! You just wait!"

Xu Damao clenched his fists, his eyes so sinister they could drip water.

He quickly devised a revenge plan in his mind: "Shazhu is a cook in the canteen, and he values ​​this job the most. I happen to know the canteen's purchasing agent, so why not tamper with the ingredients and spread rumors that Shazhu is using inferior ingredients and skimping on the food, making it impossible for him to stay in the factory."

"As for Lin Weidong, he's just a kid. We'll have plenty of opportunities to deal with him later."

A few days later, the neighborhood office issued a notice that, in order to facilitate management, liaison officers would be elected in each courtyard house.

Because the courtyard at No. 95 was quite large, it was divided into three sections: front, back, and middle, with one person responsible for delivering notices and mediating neighborhood disputes. As soon as the news spread, the courtyard became lively, and those with ulterior motives started making calculations.

Yan Bugui was the most eager. He had long wanted to find an official identity, not only to have more say in the institute, but also to gain some benefits by using the position of liaison officer.

He visited neighbors in the front yard overnight, saying he was "serving everyone," but secretly he promised to help the neighbors' children with their homework and do their accounting. With these small favors, he managed to win over most of the votes.

Liu Haizhong's ambition for officialdom was greater than anyone else's; he had long coveted this position.

So he set up two simple tables of food and drinks in the backyard in advance and invited the neighbors to eat. During the meal, he patted his chest and promised that he would definitely "take charge" for everyone and fight for the benefits of the neighborhood.

The election of the Intermediate People's Court liaison officer was highly anticipated, and everyone thought Yi Zhonghai was a shoo-in. He was an eighth-grade fitter and a veteran of the court; he used to be the one who made the decisions on all matters, big and small.

But when it came to voting, everyone hesitated. Yi Zhonghai had recently clashed with the Lin family several times, not only failing to gain any advantage but also being criticized by Director Wang and forced to pay compensation, significantly diminishing his prestige. More importantly, he was too shrewd, always calculating and scheming, and people feared that if they voted for him, they would have a miserable future.

When the final voting results came out, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui were elected, while Yi Zhonghai received very few votes and surprisingly lost the election.

"How...how could this happen?"

The number of voters at the Intermediate Court was so low that the liaison officer for the Intermediate Court was available.

Yi Zhonghai couldn't swallow this insult. He'd grown accustomed to being respected for so many years, and now he hadn't even been selected as a liaison officer. How could he maintain his standing in the compound? After much thought, he decided to go to the deaf old woman.

Inside the deaf old woman's house, she said, "Grandma, you see, the position of liaison officer at the Intermediate People's Court is vacant right now. If I don't take the position, the court will definitely be in chaos. But the neighbors didn't elect me, so I can only trouble you to step in and say a word to Director Wang to help me out."

The deaf old woman squinted, calculating in her mind. She knew Yi Zhonghai's character; he would definitely repay her. But with Director Wang, if he asked this time, she feared she would lose the favor.

"Zhonghai, it's not that I don't want to help you," the deaf old woman sighed.

"Director Wang is an upright person, but he's not easy to talk to, I'm afraid..."

"Grandma, please help me!"

Yi Zhonghai quickly replied, "From now on, I'll take care of all your retirement, food, and drink! Whatever your request, I'll grant it!"

The deaf old woman remained silent for a long time before finally nodding: "Fine, I'll help you one more time, but you know, this favor isn't so easy to repay."

The next day, the deaf old woman went to the street office in person and found Director Wang. She didn't directly say that Yi Zhonghai should be the liaison officer, but instead went around in circles, saying that the Intermediate People's Court was in charge and that it was easy for trouble to arise, implying that Yi Zhonghai was suitable.

Although reluctant, Director Wang eventually relented and agreed to let Yi Zhonghai serve as the liaison officer for the Intermediate People's Court.

After the deaf old woman told Yi Zhonghai the news, Yi Zhonghai breathed a sigh of relief, and a smug smile returned to his face. Little did he know, the deaf old woman had exhausted her favor with Director Wang over this matter, making it difficult to ask Director Wang for help again in the future.

When Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong heard the news, they both felt uneasy.

They originally thought they could use their position as liaison officers to put Yi Zhonghai in a better position, but they didn't expect him to get the job through connections. They could only offer their congratulations on the surface while secretly plotting how to control him in the future.

Lin Weidong looked at Yi Zhonghai's smug expression and sneered inwardly.

He had long seen through Yi Zhonghai's intentions.