Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the tranquility of Nanluoguxiang was shattered by the roar of cars and the clamor of workers. Two trucks bearing the sign "Lou's Steel Rolling Mill Engineering Team," carrying cement, sand, bricks, water pipes, and a dozen or so workers, drove up to the gate of No. 95 courtyard in a grand procession.

Holding the street's permit and a confirmation slip signed by Wang Huanbo, the construction team leader directed the workers to begin moving materials into the yard. The commotion was so great that it alerted everyone in the yard.

People from all households opened their doors and peeked out, their expressions varying as they saw the scene.

Yan Bugui peeked through the crack in the door, his small eyes darting around as he quickly calculated the value of the materials, muttering, "Goodness, how much will this cost... They're really rolling in money..."

Liu Haizhong, with his belly protruding and hands behind his back, struck a pose like an old man, intending to "instruct" on the work, but was coldly rebuffed by the foreman: "Master, we have the blueprints. We'll construct according to the blueprints. No need for you to trouble yourself." He was left feeling awkward.

Standing with her hands on her hips at her front door, Jia Zhangshi watched the workers carry bundles of brand-new water pipes into the west courtyard. Her eyes gleamed with envy, and she snarled, "Oh my! Is this some kind of palace they're building? Connecting to running water? Repairing the latrine? Such the behavior of a capitalist's daughter! What's wrong with us working people using public taps and public toilets? Why are they so precious?!"

Qin Huairu, pulling along Banggeng who wanted to run off to see the commotion, felt a pang of envy. If only their own home had running water, they wouldn't have to brave the cold wind to wash and rinse their clothes by the pool in winter.

Yi Zhonghai stood at his own door, his face so gloomy it could drip water. The more prestigious Wang Huanbo was, the more special treatment he received, the greater the challenge to his authority in the courtyard! Watching the workers come and go, listening to Jia Zhangshi's curses, a vicious plan gradually took shape in his mind.

"Old woman, go and call Old Yan and Old Liu over. Tell them I have something urgent to discuss," Yi Zhonghai whispered to the old woman.

A short while later, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong sneaked into the Yi family's house.

"Old Yi, what's the rush?" Yan Bugui pushed up his glasses.

Yi Zhonghai arrived, lowering his voice and wearing a "patriotic" expression: "Old Yan, Old Liu, you've seen it too. Wang Huanbo is doing this kind of special treatment, getting running water and building a private toilet. How bad is this image in the compound! Isn't this bourgeois hedonism? If word gets out, will we still have our compound's title of advanced collective? What will the neighborhood committee think of us?"

Upon hearing "bourgeois hedonism," Liu Haizhong immediately perked up, as he loved that kind of thing: "Old Yi is right! This is a matter of principle! We can't just stand by and watch this unhealthy trend spread in the compound!"

Yan Bugui was more practical: "That makes sense... but this was approved by the neighborhood committee, and the factory provided the money and labor... how are we supposed to manage it?"

A sly glint flashed in Yi Zhonghai's eyes: "Openly stopping it is definitely out of the question. But we can work around with the construction... For example, connecting the water pipes requires digging trenches, right? How should these trenches be dug? Whose doorways will they pass by? Will they affect the foundations of other people's houses? Where will the sewage be disposed of when the toilets are built? Will it pollute the air and water in the yard? Aren't these all problems?"

Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong's eyes lit up! That's right! Finding fault isn't that hard, is it?

"Furthermore," Yi Zhonghai continued, fanning the flames, "our compound has families of martyrs and people receiving the five guarantees! The deaf old lady is still alive! This young man, Wang Huanbo, is making such a fuss. Has he considered the feelings of the families of martyrs and people receiving the five guarantees? Has he shown any class solidarity? We can mobilize the masses, especially the Jia family. They are the most impoverished. We can have Jia Zhangshi make a scene..."

The three huddled together and whispered among themselves, and a plan for a "soft resistance" against the renovation project of Wang Huanbo's west courtyard quickly took shape. Their strategy was not to directly oppose the construction, but to constantly find fault, delay, and create conflict under the pretexts of "affecting the neighbors," "damaging the overall structure of the courtyard," and "disregarding the needs of those in difficulty," so that they could force Wang Huanbo to make it impossible for him to live there, or force the neighborhood committee to stop the project under pressure.

Without further ado, Yi Zhonghai first approached Jia Zhangshi, launching into a stern and incited argument: "Old sister-in-law, look at the Wang family's extravagance! They've got running water, while your family has to fetch water from the cistern! They're building a toilet, while your family has to use the public toilet! Is this reasonable? They clearly don't respect us old neighbors! You're an elderly resident of the compound, and also a family in need; you have to stand up and say something! For everyone's sake, and for your family's sake!"

Jia Zhangshi already disliked Wang Huanbo, and Yi Zhonghai's instigation made her furious. She slapped her thigh and said, "Uncle, you're right! I can't let him bully people like this! I'm going to find him and reason with him right now!"

Yi Zhonghai then hinted to Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong that they should "supervise" and "offer suggestions" under the pretext of "worrying about damaging the foundation" and "affecting walking" when the workers were constructing the site, deliberately making things difficult for them.

As a result, the entrance to the west courtyard quickly became lively.

Jia Zhangshi plopped down next to the construction area and began her traditional act—slapping her leg and wailing: "We can't live like this anymore! Are you bullying us orphans and widows?! What if you dig and collapse our house?! This water pipe runs right past our door; if it leaks and floods our house, who will be responsible...?"

The noise disturbed several workers, significantly impacting the construction progress.

Yan Bugui, carrying a tattered notebook, pretended to measure here and look there, then said to the foreman, "Comrade, you can't dig this ditch like this. It's too close to my wall, it doesn't meet building codes! You have to move it half a meter over there!"

Liu Haizhong, hands behind his back, commanded with an air of official authority: "Here! This area needs reinforcement! And over there, the drainage outlet can't face the central courtyard; it has a bad influence!"

The construction foreman was a seasoned veteran who had seen it all. He immediately recognized the commotion as someone deliberately causing trouble. However, he had received strict orders from the factory and the neighborhood committee to complete the renovation of Section Chief Wang's courtyard as quickly and efficiently as possible, without any conflict. He could only offer a forced smile and explanation, but Jia Zhangshi and the others were simply being unreasonable and wouldn't listen.

The scene was in chaos.

Wang Huanbo had taken half a day off today to stay home and wait for the construction to begin. Hearing the commotion outside, a cold smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Yi Zhonghai, is this all you've got? You're really starting to cause trouble."

He calmly walked out of the west courtyard, his gaze sweeping over the tantrum-throwing Jia Zhangshi, the pretentious Yan Bugui, and Liu Haizhong, before finally landing on Yi Zhonghai, who stood far away, appearing "fair" but actually secretly directing things.

"What's going on?" Wang Huanbo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an inexplicable pressure that silenced the noise in the room.

The foreman rushed over to report the situation.

After listening, Wang Huanbo nodded, walked up to Jia Zhangshi, looked down at her, and said coldly, "Aunt Jia, are you worried the house will collapse?"

Jia Zhangshi felt a little uneasy under his gaze, but relying on her superior numbers, she still stubbornly said, "Of course I'm worried! With you digging like this, who can guarantee anything?"

"Okay." Wang Huanbo turned to the foreman and said, "Master Li, could you please go to the street's urban construction department and ask a professional surveyor to come over with his equipment and conduct an on-site survey to see if our construction will affect the safety of the neighbors' houses? I'll cover all the expenses."

He then looked at Yan Bugui: "Teacher Yan thinks it doesn't meet the standards? Perfect, please have the surveyor take a look as well. Our construction drawings and plans were jointly reviewed and approved by the street office and the factory's technical department. Do they meet the standards?"

Finally, he glanced at everyone and said clearly, "My installation of running water and repairs to the toilets in the west courtyard was officially approved by the neighborhood committee. It's for the better working and living conditions, and it's also a small gesture of care from the country for technical personnel like me who have returned to serve the country. If any neighbor's house is damaged or their life is inconvenient due to the construction, I, Wang Huanbo, will take full responsibility. I will compensate for what needs to be compensated and repair what needs to be repaired!"

He paused, his tone turning cold, and his gaze sharpened as he looked at Yi Zhonghai: "However, if anyone tries to take this opportunity to cause trouble, obstruct construction, or undermine the country's policy of supporting returning experts, then I won't be polite! We can go to the street office, or even the district office, and have a proper talk with them!"

Wang Huanbo's words were reasonable, well-founded, and both firm and tactful. He directly deflected the accusation of "making trouble" and even invoked the banner of "national policy"!

Jia Zhangshi immediately fell silent. She dared to throw a tantrum in the courtyard, but she didn't dare to actually confront them in the street. Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong also wilted. Their petty schemes were no match for "national policy."

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected Wang Huanbo to be so tough and react so quickly, directly suppressing his carefully planned "public opinion."

Just then, Director Wang of the neighborhood committee arrived, accompanied by two officers from the local police station. Upon seeing the scene, Director Wang immediately flew into a rage: "What are you doing! What are you doing! Are you all trying to rebel? Obstructing construction, undermining national policy, what are you trying to do? Jia Zhangshi! It's you again leading the trouble! If you cause any more trouble, we'll have the police take you back to calm down!"

The police officers also made their stance clear in a serious manner.

Under immense pressure, Jia Zhangshi slunk away, and Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong also hurriedly slipped home. Yi Zhonghai's first counterattack was thus easily neutralized by Wang Huanbo's swift and decisive actions.

Construction continued. But everyone knew that Yi Zhonghai would not give up easily. The undercurrents in the courtyard had become even more turbulent because of this renovation dispute. The real battle had only just begun.