Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

Nanluoguxiang will not tolerate people like you who spread rumors and corrupt morals!

With just one sentence, Jia Zhangshi was rendered speechless.

She has a rural household registration. If she is really sent back to her hometown, she won't be able to enjoy a good life, let alone beg for a bite to eat.

Having gotten used to city life, going back to farming? That would be pure torture!

Her lips moved, but she ultimately lowered her head and dared not utter another sound.

He Yuzhu watched all this silently from the crowd, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Director Wang walked over, his tone softening: "Zhu Zi, this is the only punishment we can impose this time."

Arresting too many people could easily incite public outrage, but I'm making this clear—if they dare to gossip again, next time they'll be sent straight to the police station, and I won't show any mercy!

Director Wang patted his chest and assured He Yuzhu, "Don't worry, I have the utmost contempt for people who gossip."

But this time, three households in one courtyard are making a fuss together. If they really have to deal with it all, the neighborhood committee will also have a headache.

Even so, she still stayed behind to explain—after all, He Yuzhu was no ordinary person.

A level 17 cadre, reaching this position at such a young age, his future is limitless.

The key point is that he was clearly in the right this time but was still wronged. How can we not show some attitude?

As soon as the meeting ended, she personally went to his door to comfort him.

"Hey, Director Wang, you're too kind!" He Yuzhu waved his hand with a hearty smile. "I'm already relieved that you've handled it this way."

Besides, it's good enough that we can stop this bad trend. If they still don't repent, we can deal with them later.

"Hmph!" Director Wang snorted coldly, his brows still furrowed with anger. "If they dare to pull any more tricks, I'll send them straight to the police station! Spreading rumors and conspiring with the two neighboring courtyards—this isn't just idle chatter; it's a premeditated smear campaign!"

She knew in her heart that if this matter escalated, it would not look good for anyone.

For the sake of the bigger picture, we had no choice but to suppress our anger and end things in a huff.

As she turned to leave, she suddenly remembered her niece's words to her, paused, turned back, and asked with a smile, "Zhu Zi, you're not getting any younger. You can get your marriage certificate next year. Have you found someone you like? Would you like your aunt to introduce you to someone?"

He Yuzhu grinned and scratched his head: "Hehe, I really have a target, and I'm currently dating someone."

This year, I plan to have my dad come home for the Chinese New Year, and the two families can meet and discuss things.

He didn't mention Lou Xiao'e's name—firstly, because the Lou family had a powerful background and it wasn't appropriate to publicize it; secondly, because she wasn't old enough to get married, and mentioning it would only cause trouble.

"I knew it," Director Wang thought to himself, "a promising and reliable young man like you has long been coveted by others."

If he were still single, she would definitely push her niece to marry him.

If they really become in-laws, they'll have more support in the future.

"Alright, you can rest now, I'm leaving."

"Director, let me see you off!"

"No, no, no!" Director Wang waved his hands repeatedly. "Your fuss makes me very uncomfortable. I'm just a street office director, not the head of the household. You don't need to put on this show."

After saying that, he left with the clerk, Xiao Li.

By the time they get home, it will probably be past eight o'clock.

But this is life for those working in the neighborhood committee—unlike ordinary workers, if something happens in their jurisdiction in the middle of the night, they have to get up and deal with it, no matter how soundly they are sleeping.

The courtyard gradually quieted down, with only a few lights on, which soon went out one by one.

Only the Yan family's house was brightly lit.

They're having a meeting tonight, and the atmosphere is as heavy as if a stone is pressing down on it.

Yan Bugui sat in the chair, his face ashen—his status as the third uncle had been stripped.

The reason is straightforward: if you can't even manage your own business, why should you manage others?

Now only Uncle Erda is left in the courtyard. Liu Haizhong has inexplicably gotten a great deal and is still in a daze, with the corners of his mouth involuntarily turning up – he didn't do anything, yet he became the only one in charge.

In contrast, Yan Bugui sat there for a long time without saying a word.

Even if their reputation was bad in the past, at least they still had a title, and they could still stand up and say a few words when something happened.

Now look what's happened. He's lost his status and his reputation is ruined. People are talking behind his back, calling him a "gossip" and a "troublemaker."

After a long silence, he sighed, his tone dejected: "From now on... I should just live a more peaceful life."

Ruihua, stop getting involved with the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai.

My family was already poor, and by getting involved with them blindly, I didn't gain any benefits, but instead ended up with a lot of trouble.

What's even more frustrating is that he can't turn against the other party—he was the one who approached them first; they didn't ask him for anything.

"Dad, are we just going to let it go like this?" Yan's daughter asked unwillingly. "We've suffered such a huge loss..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yan Bugui raised his hand to interrupt him.

He knew that this defeat, though silent and unnoticed, had completely severed his path to recovery.

Yan Jiecheng gritted his teeth, a hint of resentment still lingering in his eyes, but before he could finish speaking, Yan Bugui's cold glare froze him in place.

"What else do you want? Our family is probably already on Director Wang's little notebook! Even if there are vacancies in the neighborhood office, it won't be your turn."

If you keep causing trouble, you really want your mom to go to jail, right?

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over my head.

Yan Jiecheng froze—without a job, he couldn't even find a wife. What girl would want to live with a lazy bum?

His voice trembled: "Dad... what do we do now?"

Yan Bugui squinted, his tone heavy as if a stone was pressing down on him: "What can we do? Go find odd jobs somewhere far away to tide you over. I've also asked around, and if there's any way to 'sell' a job, I'll sell everything I own to get you one."

He paused, his gaze piercing his eldest son's face like a knife: "But eldest son, about the money for buying the job..."

"Dad, I understand!" Yan Jiecheng immediately replied, his head almost buried in his chest. "You can pay me back first, I'll pay you back every penny of my salary!"

At this moment, how could he dare to be picky? If his family hadn't been in such a mess, with his high school diploma, he would have been the first person the neighborhood committee would have hired.

But now? The rules are no longer followed; we can only take the secret passage.

Yan Bugui turned to stare at his second son, Yan Jiefang, his voice low but firm: "Starting tomorrow, you and your mother will sweep the streets together."

"Huh? You want me to sweep the streets?" Yan Jiefang's face immediately fell, his lips pursed so much they could hang an oil bottle. "That's too tiring, I'm not going!"

"Add half a cornbread tonight," Yan Bugui said casually. "You don't have to go, but you'll have to wash your own clothes and cook your own meals from now on."

Choose one.

After a few seconds of standoff between father and son, Yan Jiefang finally slumped his shoulders and muttered resignedly, "I'll sweep it up... but not even half a cornbread, not a single bite less."

"Don't worry, you'll get your share." Yan Bugui readily agreed, but his heart skipped a beat: half a cornbread a day, that's fifteen a month, at least two or three pounds of cornmeal! No way, he'd have to make the cornbread smaller and save a few ounces, every little bit helps.

Meanwhile, things weren't going well for the Jia family either.

Although not far from the He family, no matter how furious Jia Zhangshi was, she could only suppress her roars, but her resentment almost lifted the roof off.

Today was an absolute disgrace! Not only was I criticized at the meeting, but I also had to bow down and apologize to Sha Zhu, and in the end, I was even punished by having to clean the toilets!

What kind of job is that? It stinks to high heaven, and even the sanitation workers don't get paid thirty yuan a month for nothing—it's dirty and tiring, and they have to clean up the excrement of hundreds of households by shovel and bucket!

She slumped onto the kang (a heated brick bed), her chest heaving violently: "I don't want to live anymore! I stood up for you and got this punishment. Not only did I have to apologize, but I also have to dig up the latrine... Old Jia, take me with you, what's the point of living!"

Her piercing wails echoed through the room, sending chills down one's spine.

The neighbor's dog, unable to sleep due to the noise, tossed and turned, rubbing its eyes and whispering, "Mommy, will Grandpa really come back?"

Qin Huairu slapped him hard and hissed, "Shut up! Go to sleep!"

Banggeng shrank his neck and looked aggrieved: "Grandma is too noisy, I can't sleep at all..."

Jia Dongxu was furious and finally couldn't take it anymore: "Mom! Stop wailing! It's only a month, grit your teeth and get through it! I'll go buy meat tomorrow to help me recover! From now on, we'll have meat once a week, okay?"

Upon hearing these words, even he felt his heart bleed.

A single meal of meat costs two or three pieces, and with four meals a month, a whole eight pieces are gone! Since Yi Zhonghai started helping them, the Jia family had barely managed to save six or seven pieces a month, and now they're out of money.

But he knew very well that if he didn't shut his mother up tonight, the whole family would be in an uproar tomorrow.

Sure enough, upon hearing "meat for a week," Jia Zhangshi's wailing stopped abruptly, but she wasn't finished. She turned and shouted at Qin Huairu, "Qin Huairu! Go clean the toilet for me!"

Qin Huairu's face changed, and she almost choked: "Mom! The neighborhood committee has people watching! If I take the place, and they find out, the punishment will be heavier. Are you really going to be sent back? Besides, I still have to cook, and who can stand the smell of me?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

No one spoke; only the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the bare branches outside the window was particularly jarring in the quiet night.

Upon hearing Qin Huairu's words, Jia Dongxu's face immediately fell, and he said urgently, "Mom, please stop making a fuss! I'll have Huairu stew the meat until it's very tender to nourish you."

If you don't go to work, our whole family will starve!

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi could not defy the situation and could only suppress her reluctance.

She couldn't very well be chased back by the neighborhood committee and humiliated, so she stamped her foot and led Banggeng back to the west room, looking disheveled.

As Jia Dongxu watched the mother and daughter walk away, he felt like a deflated balloon, letting out a long sigh of relief—finally, they were gone. This whole night had been so exhausting that his head was pounding and he almost fainted.

Silent all night.

The next morning, the residents of the courtyard gradually left for work.

The "manure incident" involving Jia Zhangshi yesterday is still fresh in everyone's mind, and no one dares to say another word.

Sweeping the streets is tiring enough, and then you're punished with a month of shoveling latrines? That's inhuman work!

Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu walked together. On the way, Yi noticed his apprentice's red eyes, frowned, and asked in a low voice, "Dongxu, did your mother keep you up all night again last night?"

"Yeah." Jia Dongxu smiled wryly, "It took a lot of persuasion to calm her down. I had to promise to buy her meat four times a month before she would stop."

Master, I…”