Courtyard House: The Entire Clan's Extraordinary Marriage to Triplets, a Celestial Beauty

As he spoke, he pulled a brand-new pack of cigarettes from his pocket, carefully took one out, and offered it to Li Dabiao with both hands, his tone unusually respectful: "This, this, Brother Li, here, have a cigarette, have a cigarette!"

After offering the cigarettes, he took one for himself, then stuffed the rest of the pack into Li Erniu's hand behind Li Dabiao, his face beaming with a smile: "Brothers, you've worked hard, you've worked hard, have a cigarette, have a cigarette!"

Seeing Liu Haizhong's complete 180-degree change and his fawning demeanor, Li Dabiao couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He took the cigarette, pulled out a match from his pocket, struck it, and bowed slightly to Liu Haizhong, saying with a smile, "Oh, Brother Liu, you're too kind! Here, let me light it for you!"

As he spoke, he leaned forward and lit a cigarette for Liu Haizhong.

Liu Haizhong quickly bowed his head, looking flattered, took a puff of his cigarette, and his smile became even brighter.

Li Dabiao lit his cigarette, took a puff, and then said to Li Erniu and the others, "Erniu, all of you come here."

Although Li Erniu and the others were completely bewildered, not understanding how Li Dabiao, who had just been at loggerheads with Liu Haizhong, suddenly became sworn brothers, they still obediently walked over, holding the cigarettes Liu Haizhong had given them, their eyes full of confusion.

Li Dabiao smiled and pointed to Liu Haizhong beside him, introducing him to Erniu and the others: "Gentlemen, let me tell you, this is Master Liu Haizhong, one of the few senior forging workers in our Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. He has superb skills and rich experience; he's a key technical member of the factory! When you work at the factory in the future, you might need Master Liu's guidance. When you see Master Liu, be sure to treat him with utmost respect, understand?"

"I heard you!"

Everyone shouted in unison. Although they were still puzzled, they still cupped their hands in greeting to Liu Haizhong and said respectfully, "Hello, Master Liu! Hello, Master Liu!"

This scene thrilled Liu Haizhong immensely. An indescribable, tingling sensation surged from his toes to the top of his head, making him feel lightheaded, even more intoxicated than if he had been drinking alcohol.

He subconsciously puffed out his chest, his face full of smugness and pride, secretly thinking: Look, look, the eyes of the masses are discerning! That Yi Zhonghai bullies the weak, has a wicked heart, he deserves to be arrested! And look at me, Old Liu, I have a keen eye, I saw at a glance that Li Dabiao was no ordinary person, and I decisively befriended him!

As for why he needed to cultivate a good relationship with Li Dabiao, and why he called Li Dabiao "Brother Li," is that obvious? Did he expect Li Huaide, the deputy factory director, to call him "Uncle"? Would he ever have a chance to advance in his career then? By following Brother Li, he might even be able to become a formal cadre in the factory through his connection with Deputy Factory Director Li!

As Liu Haizhong smoked, he smugly fantasized in his mind, a smile never leaving his face, and even his eyes became unfocused, as if he could already see himself getting a promotion, a raise, and enjoying endless glory.

Meanwhile, the neighbors who had been watching were in an uproar again. They were all completely bewildered and started chattering amongst themselves: "My God, what is Second Uncle doing? One second he was at loggerheads with Li Dabiao, and the next second he's calling him brother and even offering him a cigarette. I'm totally dumbfounded!"

"You're stunned? My head's still spinning! This plot twist was too fast! Just now, Second Uncle was calling Li Dabiao a peasant, and now he's calling him 'Brother Li' all the time. It's completely shattered my understanding of the world!"

"Hey, is that even a question? It's definitely because Li Dabiao really has connections with Deputy Factory Director Li, and Second Uncle is afraid of offending him, so he's deliberately trying to curry favor with him! You all know that Second Uncle's biggest wish in this life is to become an official; he even dreams about getting into a ministry. How could he possibly let go of such a good opportunity?"

"That's right! It seems that Li Dabiao's relationship with Deputy Factory Director Li is indeed quite special, otherwise Second Uncle wouldn't be so humble! We'd better be careful in the future and not offend Li Dabiao easily, lest we get ourselves into trouble!"

The deaf old woman, hiding behind the crowd, listened to their discussions and saw Liu Haizhong's fawning and obsequious manner. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer. She trembled with anger, almost dropping her cane. She cursed inwardly: "Is Liu Haizhong some kind of idiot? He's been bought off with just a few words and betrayed us? How could I have chosen such a useless person to help me? He's more trouble than he's worth!"

The deaf old woman was initially furious and wanted to grab her cane and confront Li Dabiao herself. However, when she looked up and saw the group of men behind Li Dabiao, including Li Erniu, wielding bottles and glaring menacingly, she gritted her teeth and suppressed her anger. She was old and frail, no match for those strong men; going up against them would only bring her humiliation. What was even more infuriating was that they didn't respect moral blackmail or traditional beliefs, leaving her completely bewildered!

Just then, she inadvertently saw Qin Huairu looking at her helplessly, as if seeking instructions.

The deaf old woman's eyes lit up, and she frantically winked at Qin Huairu, her eyes full of urging and calculation: Hurry up! Keep making trouble! Even if Liu Haizhong is unreliable, you have to find a way to force Li Dabiao to admit it!

Seeing the deaf old woman's expression, Qin Huairu instantly had an idea. She glanced at Li Dabiao, who was not far away, and a ruthless glint flashed in her eyes. That's right, she could play the victim and frame him! She would pounce on him, pretend to be pushed by him, sit on the ground and cry out that her stomach hurts, and say that he was bullying her, a pregnant woman with a big belly!

In this way, even if Li Dabiao had a hundred mouths, he wouldn't be able to explain himself! At that time, the neighbors would definitely help him, and in order to get rid of trouble, he would definitely agree to let his mother-in-law and the others go!

Thinking of this, Qin Huairu no longer hesitated. She suddenly got up from the ground, took a deep breath, and with a fierce look in her eyes, rushed towards Li Dabiao, as if she was ready to fight to the death.

Inside the house, Bai Fengjiu had been thinking that since the men in the family were out handling matters, she, a woman, would only cause trouble if she went out, so she had been hiding inside, quietly listening to the commotion outside. But when she peeked through the door and saw Qin Huairu rushing towards Li Dabiao, she instantly realized something was wrong and knew that Qin Huairu definitely had ill intentions.

Bai Fengjiu didn't have time to think. She rushed out and stood in front of Li Dabiao without hesitation, like a mother hen protecting her chicks. Her eyes were firm, and she shouted angrily, "What do you want to do?! You're a pregnant woman with a big belly, and instead of staying put, you're bumping into my man. What are you up to? Are you trying to frame us? You're so vicious! Are you trying to use your pregnancy to blackmail my man into releasing your mother-in-law? How could you be so wicked? You bad woman!"