Siheyuan: I will never tolerate gambling and drugs!

After meal

Xu Lin was alone in the courtyard, lying in a rocking chair, gazing at the starry sky.

The pest control efforts organized by the neighborhood committee a while ago were very successful. Not only were there far fewer mosquitoes, but the sanitation and environment were also greatly improved.

When I first arrived in Beijing, the city's high population density meant many infrastructure projects were still in the planning stages, so sanitation was truly appalling. Now, due to malaria and plague...

On the contrary, significant breakthroughs and progress have been made in the field of hygiene. This truly proves the saying: "Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise."

Xu Lin was leisurely thinking to himself when Xiao Yushui, who had already gone home, ran in again.

"Brother Xu, there's a general meeting being held in the courtyard today. Uncle said there's something important to announce and everyone needs to attend, so he asked me to come and get you."

Looking at Xiaoyushui's innocent smile, Xu Lin swallowed back the words he was about to say in refusal. He had heard about the courtyard's general meeting before. It was an important means for the three elders to consolidate their power; it would be a miracle if they wanted him to attend.

For the past week, Xu Lin hadn't dealt with them. He figured they'd forgotten the pain as soon as the wound healed. Xu Lin couldn't guess what tricks they were up to. But it certainly wouldn't be anything good, because if there were any good things, the three leaders would have already divided them up themselves, leaving nothing for anyone else.

"Okay, let's go then. I'm not sleepy right now, no rush to rest. Take this and eat it, but don't eat too much tonight, it's bad for your teeth."

After Xu Lin finished speaking, he took out a handful of candy from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Yushui. He hadn't married in his past life, so he had no children. But in his day, who wouldn't want a little girl?

"Hey! Brother Xu!"

So many candies! That must have cost a lot of money! Don't buy them next time; Yushui doesn't like them. You need to save your money and get married soon. My brother has been nagging me lately, telling me to grow up quickly so that in a couple of years he'll get a stable job, get married, and have a nephew for me, and then I can take care of him.

Little Raindrop stared at the candy, swallowing hard. Although she verbally resisted, her subconscious reaction betrayed her. Looking at her clever and sensible nature, Xu Lin liked her even more.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out 5 yuan, and put it in the little girl's pocket.

"I've already told you, it's an adult's business to get married, you're just a little kid, don't worry about it. Here's five yuan, take it and go find an older woman to buy you some cloth and make you a couple of new outfits, so you'll look pretty when school starts."

Your classmates will be incredibly envious when they see this, and your teacher will definitely compliment your looks.

She had intended to refuse Xiaoyushui, but upon hearing Xu Lin's words, a scene immediately flashed through her mind, and her initially firm stance instantly faltered. It was as if she could hear the teacher's praise echoing in her ears.

Xu Lin noticed the little girl's hesitation and, without giving her a chance to refuse, got up, patted her head, grabbed a stool from the yard, and went out to the central courtyard.

He Yushui looked at the five yuan in her pocket, and at Xu Lin's retreating figure, gritted her teeth, and silently vowed: "Brother Xu, don't worry! I will definitely help you find a wife to repay you."

Xu Lin had no idea what the little girl was thinking; if he did, he'd be utterly astonished. What was all this nonsense? Finding a wife to manage him? Completely unnecessary! "My cousin-in-law, Mrs. Tan, is quite nice, hehehehehehe..."

When Xu Lin arrived at the Intermediate People's Court, all the residents of the courtyard had arrived. A large eight-immortal table was set up at the front of the crowd; needless to say, this was prepared for the three elderly men who would be making their final appearance.

Xu Lin scoffed at this behavior. However, the people in the courtyard didn't find anything wrong with it; on the contrary, they thought it was quite normal. Because Xu Lin was relatively tall and didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble, he sat alone at the very back.

Xu Lin had just sat down when Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui appeared as if they had rehearsed. Yan Bugui first came over from the front yard with a cup and sat down on one side of the octagonal table.

Then Liu Haizhong emerged from the lotus-shaped gate in the backyard. He shook his coat after stepping outside. After glancing at everyone and clearing his throat twice, he sat down opposite Yan Bugui. It was truly pitiful for him. Already overweight, in this heat, not only was he shirtless, but he was also wearing a Zhongshan suit coat that he probably couldn't even fit into. Didn't he find it hot?

Finally, Yi Zhonghai, who lives in the central courtyard, came out of his own door. His eight-immortal table was set up right in front of his house, yet he was still the last to come out. To be honest, if I didn't know the nature of these three bastards…

They really thought these three were some kind of important figures. They're quite the actors. But you can't blame them; it's Beijing. The Han people have been oppressed by the Manchus for far too long.

This led to the widespread acceptance and perpetuation of the practice of tyranny and oppression of ordinary people. Therefore, these individuals haven't fully grasped the changes brought about by revolution and liberation. They still believe it's just a change in leadership, with another group of people riding on their necks, and everything remaining the same.

Xu Lin observed all of this and made his own plans. Destroying the spirits within the mountains is easy, but destroying the spirits within one's own heart is difficult; the task is arduous and the road ahead is long.

Upon seeing Xu Lin arrive, Yi Zhonghai gave Liu Haizhong a wink. Liu Haizhong immediately stood up and began to speak.

"Hmph~"

Everyone, please quiet down. We're holding this hospital-wide meeting because of instructions from the neighborhood committee and the steel rolling mill...

Liu Haizhong rambled on and on for ages, without getting to the point. The young people listening to him couldn't take it anymore.

"Second Uncle, stop talking nonsense. You've repeated these same few sentences so many times. I think you should let First Uncle or Third Uncle do the talking. Don't show off your meager education; you can't even recognize all the characters..."

A young man with a donkey-like face and squinty eyes, around sixteen or seventeen years old. Needless to say, this must be Xu Damao from the backyard, Xu Wude's son. Last time Xu Lin disciplined his father, this kid was somewhere out of the house and escaped unscathed.

He returned later, intending to avenge his father, but when he heard that Sha Zhu had been sent flying far away, he was both surprised and delighted. Surprised by Xu Lin's strength, and delighted that finally someone could teach Sha Zhu a lesson. Therefore, the only people in the courtyard who didn't ostracize Xu Lin, besides Yu Shui, were Xu Damao.

Xu Lin nodded in agreement upon hearing Xu Damao's words. Although this kid was a bit lecherous and cunning, he was indeed much smarter than Sha Zhu and the others. No wonder he was called the "First Blood War God" in the original story for deceiving so many girls. But now it wasn't his turn, Xu Lin thought with a smile.

Seeing Xu Lin laughing below, Liu Haizhong felt embarrassed. He could tolerate being contradicted and humiliated in front of others, especially Xu Lin, who had given him a sound dressing-down upon their first meeting. Liu Haizhong was truly upset, and his face immediately fell.

Xu Damao!

Why are you interrupting? These are all arrangements and instructions between the leaders. What do you know, you little nobody?

Sir, you go ahead and say it. I've said everything I needed to say.

Seeing that Liu Haizhong was finally stopping wasting time with unnecessary talk and had given the floor to Yi Zhonghai, Xu Damao decided not to argue further. He simply pouted to show his dissatisfaction, snorted, and fell silent.

Seeing this, Xu Lin couldn't help but admire Yi Zhonghai's methods. This old fellow managed to lord it over everyone in the courtyard and ultimately die a peaceful death; he certainly had some skill.

Yi Zhonghai stood up. He coughed lightly, cleared his throat, and then began to explain the situation.

"The neighborhood committee and the steel mill notified us today that the steel mill will be restructured tomorrow. It will be a joint public-private enterprise. From now on, we will no longer just be workers of the Lou family; we will become workers of the state!"

As soon as Yi Zhonghai finished speaking, Yan Bugui and Liu Haizhong led the applause. Yi Zhonghai felt the atmosphere as if the applause was for him. Xu Lin was a little surprised; he had thought it would take two days. He hadn't expected that Tan Shi had gotten things done so quickly after leaving. It seemed he had underestimated her.

Yi Zhonghai waved his hand, signaling for the applause to stop.

Tomorrow is the handover ceremony. The subsequent transfer of all files and the determination of salary levels will be arranged gradually; some people will be faster, some slower. Please don't cause any trouble then.

Trust the organization, trust the neighborhood committee, and trust our three senior officials in charge.

"Good!" Liu Haizhong jumped up and led the applause for the second time.

Xu Lin glanced at the three men speechlessly; their pretentiousness was truly something else. He then pulled out a Zhonghua cigarette from his pocket, lit one, and took out a match to light it, only to see the envious looks from Jia Dongxu, Xu Damao, Sha Zhu, Liu Guangtian, and Yan Jiecheng—five rascals.

For some reason, looking at their pleading eyes, Xu Lin suddenly thought of his own days of smoking cigarette butts in high school. He instantly felt sorry for them, so he took out a cigarette and tossed it to Sha Zhu.

"Hey! Zhu Zi, divide it among us. Today's a good day; let's put aside past grievances for now. You gentlemen of Beijing should have that much magnanimity, right..."

While Sha Zhu hesitated, Liu Guangqi swiftly snatched the cigarette from him. After all, he was the only one who hadn't been beaten up last time.

"Yes, yes, it was all a misunderstanding last time. It was the older generation playing around; we brothers each had our own version of events."

Come on, Sha Zhu, Da Mao, Dong Xu, and Jie Cheng, it's a good day today. Brother Xu is so generous, we can't let him down.

"Exactly, exactly. So what if we fought? Sha Zhu and I have been fighting since we were kids, and we've always made up. Don't be so petty. We're all men of Beijing, we have our pride!" Xu Damao, after taking the cigarette, also pretended to be magnanimous and stepped in to smooth things over.

The other three were also very envious, and they exchanged glances. They then all accepted the Zhonghua cigarettes Liu Guangqi offered, and lit them in a circle around the firewood Xu Lin had provided.

As he exhaled a puff of smoke, Sha Zhu began to speak.

"Last time, Dongxu and I acted impulsively. My sister has been relying on you these past few days. Xu Lin, I acknowledge your manliness, but given the chance, I'll definitely get my revenge one-on-one!"

Jia Dongxu and Yan Jiecheng both nodded.

"Alright, alright, even if you all attacked together, you couldn't beat me. A one-on-one fight is probably a dream come true for me."

Haha~『』

Xu Lin, with a wicked grin, added insult to injury by saying...

Hearing Xu Lin's arrogance, the other four people present, except for Xu Damao, were all itching to get their hands on him.

Damn, that was too hasty.

However, they didn't react, since they had already said what they wanted to say. Besides, they were clearly no match for him, so they simply pretended not to hear. Liu Guangqi, who had intended to hand back the remaining cigarette, froze and then withdrew it.

Xu Lin didn't take it to heart. But the three stewards in front of him weren't happy. They had intended to take advantage of the general meeting to teach this troublemaker a lesson, but unexpectedly, this kid had already become friends with the young people in the courtyard.

So Yi Zhonghai quickly changed the subject.

Now let's talk about the second thing.

Our ancestor was a martyr's family member. Previously, our family took turns caring for him. This is why our courtyard was awarded the title of "Outstanding Courtyard".

Considering our ancestor's advanced age and need for more care, I propose that we all take turns taking him home to care for him for a year, in response to the organization's call to respect the elderly and care for the young.

After discussing it, the three of us in charge decided to start with the front yard. Xu Lin, you know medicine, so let's start with your house. However, considering you live alone, it might not be very convenient, the third uncle said...

You can ask the aunties to help with the cooking; just prepare the rice, oil, and salt in advance. If you have any objections, you can raise them now. Otherwise, it's settled!

Upon hearing this, Xu Lin knew that the old man must have known through the rainwater that their food was good and was deliberately trying to disgust him. The other residents clapped and cheered, gloating.

"Xu Lin is truly excellent; he's a role model for the young people in our department."

"Yes, yes. Not only are their medical skills excellent and their salaries high, but they are also so compassionate and willing to take responsibility."

"Our ancestor was lucky to have met Xu Lin..."

Such insincere flattery was actually a way of hoping Xu Lin would suffer. An old woman moved into his newly renovated home. No one could accept that. Yi Zhonghai's move was truly despicable.

Xu Lin's refusal would disrupt the harmony, while agreeing would mean not only serving an old woman in the new house but also buying groceries and cooking for the three aunts. Given Yan Bugui's opportunistic nature, it's likely they wouldn't need to buy groceries for their entire family anymore...

Yi Zhonghai gave Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui smug looks, and seeing that the atmosphere was just right, he pretended to be impartial and asked Xu Lin for his opinion.

"Xu Lin, do you have any opinions? You can speak up, and we'll all work together to help you solve it. After all, helping our ancestor is a matter for our entire courtyard."

You're part of our community, so if you encounter any difficulties, feel free to speak up, and we'll all face them together.

If there are financial problems, how about this? The old lady doesn't eat much by herself, so the three of us, the managers, will each give you a subsidy of about 1.5 yuan per month, that should be about right...

Last time, Xu Lin took the opportunity to retaliate and bite back because of the issue of money. This time, Yi Zhonghai had planned ahead to shut Xu Lin up and not give him a chance to retaliate.

After saying that, he still had a friendly expression on his face. But his cold eyes seemed to be telling Xu Lin, "You're still too green to mess with me!"