Courtyard House: I Have Countless Bodyguards

Yi Zhonghai practically stumbled into the deaf old woman's small room, disregarding all etiquette as he called out:

"Grandma, Grandma, something terrible has happened! He Daqing... that bastard He Daqing is back. He... he exposed everything about us scheming against Sha Zhu and withholding money... in front of the whole hospital. This time... this time I'm completely finished."

The deaf old lady was dozing on the kang (a heated brick bed) when Yi Zhonghai startled her.

She opened her cloudy old eyes, listened to Yi Zhonghai's incoherent sobs, but her face showed little surprise. She simply sighed heavily, tapped the ground with her cane, and said slowly:

"Zhonghai... I told you long ago, leave a way out for others, so you can meet again in the future."

"Trying to scheme against that kid Zhu Zi was a risky move. The kid is honest, but you treated his father, He Daqing, like he was dead. Now look what happened—his real father has come knocking on your door. That's what they call 'Man proposes, God disposes.'"

Seeing that the old lady was first scolding him, Yi Zhonghai became even more anxious. He disregarded everything else and said with a hint of threat:

"Grandma, what's the use of saying all this now? The reputation I, Yi Zhonghai, have built up over decades in this courtyard is completely ruined today. Sha Zhu is definitely not going to be able to help me anymore. But think about it, if I fall down and collapse, and can't make a living in this courtyard anymore, who will still be as filial to you as before? Who will bring you food and drink, and who will take care of you in your old age?"

He tried to tie the interests of the deaf old woman to his own.

However, the deaf old lady seemed unmoved.

Yi Zhonghai gritted his teeth and dropped the most devastating bombshell:

"Grandma, you don't know yet, do you? He Daqing not only came back to cause trouble, he also sold the He family's house. Now he's taking Shazhu and moving out of this courtyard to buy a house elsewhere. Your dear grandson Zhuzi will never live in this No. 95 courtyard again, and you'll have a hard time seeing him again."

"What?!"

The deaf old woman, who had remained calm throughout, suddenly looked up upon hearing this. For the first time, genuine shock and panic appeared in her cloudy eyes, and her voice abruptly rose in pitch:

"Zhu Zi...Zhu Zi is moving away and won't live in this courtyard anymore. This...this won't do."

Sha Zhu is her most important pawn in this courtyard, and the key to maintaining her influence and obtaining real care. If Sha Zhu moves away, it will be a fatal blow to her.

The deaf old woman could no longer sit still. She shifted her body on the kang (a heated brick bed), her brow furrowed, lost in thought, muttering to herself:

"They moved away... This won't do... We need to think of something... We need to think of a solution..."

Seeing that he had finally hit the old lady's sore spot and knew she would no longer stand idly by, Yi Zhonghai felt a little relieved. However, seeing that she couldn't come up with any immediate solution, he could only say:

"Well...you can think about it first, and call me anytime if you have any ideas. I...I'll go back now."

After saying that, he left the deaf old woman's hut, leaving her alone in the dim light, deep in thought.

In the evening, Liu Jianguo returned to his house in the east courtyard, took off his coat and hung it up, then gave Qin Huairu, who was busy in the kitchen, a few instructions:

"Huai Ru, prepare a few more dishes and extra rice for dinner. Li Bing and the others will be here soon."

Then, he said to Sun Shan, who had followed him in, "Call them all over for dinner."

As soon as Liu Jianguo finished speaking, Sun Shan responded and ran out to call for help.

Before long, Li Bing and other core members of the security department arrived at the East Wing living room, which suddenly seemed a bit crowded.

Liu Jianguo gestured for everyone to find a place to sit, then got straight to the point:

"I called you here today for two things."

The first thing is about housing. You guys are all section chiefs and deputy section chiefs in the department now; you're the backbone.

It's inappropriate for them to be crammed into the side rooms and wing rooms, and it also affects their work.

I took a look and found that there are still a few empty rooms in the front yard and the back house in the back yard.

Li Bing, you'll take the lead tomorrow. As a deputy director, you're qualified. You can have both of Li Wu and Li Liang's rooms in the Intermediate People's Court.

This needs to be done quickly, and the procedures must be compliant. Take them with you and formally submit a report to Director Li Huaide of the factory office, requesting that those rooms be allocated to Li Wu and Li Liang, citing the housing difficulties faced by the security department cadres.

These words were not only a show of consideration for subordinates, but also an attempt to further solidify control over the core area of ​​Courtyard No. 95 by placing absolutely trustworthy people in its hands.

After finishing the business, Liu Jianguo's tone softened, and he pointed to the kitchen where the aroma of food was wafting out, a smile appearing on his face:

"The second thing is a personal matter. It just so happens that I asked Huai Ru to prepare a few extra dishes today. It's rare for our core team of the Security Department to get together, so we'll have a casual meal here, which can also be considered a small working meeting meal."

As everyone was talking, the curtain was lifted, and Tang Jingxian, dressed in a police uniform, walked in gracefully.

She was clearly surprised to find so many people in the room, all of them men in security officer uniforms. She paused, a blush rising to her cheeks, and said somewhat shyly in a low voice:

"Brother Jianguo... Am I too early? There are so many comrades in a meeting."

Liu Jianguo casually waved to her:

"Jingxian is here, perfect timing, let's have dinner together."

He then introduced himself to his somewhat reserved subordinates:

"Let's all get acquainted. This is Comrade Tang Jingxian from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Investigation Division."

Then he casually pointed to Li Bing and the others at Tang Jingxian: "These are the backbone of our department, Deputy Director Li Bing, Section Chief Sun Shan..."

Although Tang Jingxian knew that Liu Jianguo had deep-rooted power in the steel rolling mill, she was still shocked to see almost all the powerful section chiefs and deputy directors of the security department gathered in his small east courtyard, as if holding a departmental meeting.

He was secretly astonished: Good heavens! This wasn't a dormitory; it was practically the security department's second command post. It seemed like more than half of the core leadership of the steel mill's security department had come.

She maintained a polite smile and nodded in greeting, but in her heart she gained a more direct understanding of Liu Jianguo's control.

Liu Jianguo spoke to Tang Jingxian in a casual tone, but it sounded more like he was addressing Li Bing and the others:

"We're all family here, just having a casual get-together. Jingxian works at the Municipal Bureau, so if she needs anything in Dongcheng or needs the factory to do anything for her, just contact Li Bing or Sun Shan when I'm not around. It's all the same."

Li Bing and the others immediately understood and expressed their opinions:

"Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything!"

"Director Liu's friends are our friends, absolutely no problem."