Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

Sha Zhu finally caught up with Xu Damao, lunged forward, shoved Xu Damao to the ground, and swung the stool in his hand in a wide arc, smashing it down on Xu Damao's head.

Gao Jianguo rushed over at this critical moment. Sha Zhu was in a fit of rage and was going all out. If that stool really hit him on the head, Xu Damao would never be able to show his face in the yard again, and Sha Zhu himself would have to go in too.

One has to report to the King of Hell, and the other will either have to go down with him or go to jail—oh, these days there aren't that many machines in jail for you to operate.

The roar that Gao Jianguo let out from his dantian startled Sha Zhu for a moment. In the blink of an eye, Gao Jianguo stepped in front of him and grabbed a bench leg.

With a forceful pull, Gao Jianguo snatched the stool from Xu Damao and threw it aside, then dragged Sha Zhu away from him.

Sha Zhu, regaining his senses, twisted his body and lunged at Xu Damao again, shouting, "Jianguo, if you consider me a friend, then don't stand in my way. I'm going to kill this bastard today!"

Gao Jianguo slapped Sha Zhu across the face to keep him in place. Sha Zhu's face was covered in sweat and felt slippery to the touch.

With one hand pressing down on Sha Zhu, Gao Jianguo kicked Xu Damao aside with the other foot. Xu Damao really had to thank Gao Jianguo for that kick.

"Thanks," Xu Damao said, still shaken, as he tucked the fake collar that had been pulled out back into his clothes.

While Sha Zhu was still arguing, Gao Jianguo grabbed his chin and forced him to look into his eyes, saying, "I'll give you half a minute to think about whether it's worth it to smash him like that, and think about your sister too."

Sha Zhu was choked and couldn't move. Looking into Gao Jianguo's calm eyes, his anger slowly subsided, his mind came back to normal, and his hands and feet relaxed.

At this point, the people around also realized what was going on and swarmed around, asking all sorts of questions. They had finished enjoying the action and were now waiting to hear about the drama.

Sha Zhu started recounting the whole story, with an older woman occasionally adding details.

Seeing that everyone thought he was in the wrong and the winds were blowing in his favor, Xu Damao became anxious: "Neighbors, you have to speak with conscience! Which part of what I said about Sha Zhu's family was made up?"

You know what, Xu Damao talks about all the problems with the He family, but if you insist that he's just making things up, that's not true either. For example, the fact that He Yushui is hard to please is absolutely true. Who can please an eleven or twelve-year-old child who's being stubborn?

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made perfect sense, and they were momentarily speechless.

Onlookers: "Mmm...mmm..."

Seeing that his neighbors were a bit hesitant, Xu Damao became even more emboldened: "Auntie, it's not that I like to nag, but she's your relative. Even if she's a distant relative, we're still blood relatives. Are you just going to stand by and watch her be thrown into a fire pit?"

Those watching the spectacle: "Yes, yes...yes..."

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai stepped forward: "No matter what, it's better to tear down ten temples than to ruin one marriage. At least let them meet first. Who knows, they might take a liking to each other. You come up here and sabotage them. There's no rule for doing things this way."

Onlookers chimed in, "Yes, yes...yes..."

Xu Damao was about to speak when Yi Zhonghai resorted to his signature move: holding a large meeting.

"Alright, it's Sunday today, all three of us old folks are here, and the whole neighborhood is gathered. Let's have a general meeting and discuss this matter properly."

Before Xu Damao could even speak, his second uncle, Liu Haizhong, made the decision: "Alright! That's settled!"

Onlookers: "Good...good..."

-

While everyone was calling for backup, moving chairs, and preparing for the meeting, Yi Zhonghai walked over to Gao Jianguo: "Young man, I thank you for what happened just now on behalf of Shazhu. If you hadn't stopped him, that kid would have gotten into big trouble today. By the way, who are you visiting? What's your name?"

Gao Jianguo knew that Yi Zhonghai's family hadn't met him yet, and was about to announce his name again when the deaf old woman behind him spoke up: "Zhonghai, this is the new college graduate assigned to your factory. He lives in our compound. The east wing is right behind him. He's a good young man, a veteran from the war."

Gao Jianguo added, "Master Yi, I've just been assigned to the factory to work in the technical field, so you can just call me Jianguo."

Third Uncle Yan Bugui chimed in, "Hmm, Old Yi, Jianguo isn't a bad guy."

After listening to Gao Jianguo's story—a veteran, a college graduate, a technician—and hearing the deaf old woman and the third uncle praising him, Yi Zhonghai reassessed Gao Jianguo's importance. He grasped Gao Jianguo's hands and shook them, saying, "Technician Gao, welcome to our big family." He then pointed to the table where the three men in charge were sitting, adding, "Technician Gao, you were a soldier, and you've been through a lot, why don't you sit down and listen to us?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong felt a little embarrassed. Was this a move to change the power distribution from three people to four?

Regardless of whether Yi Zhonghai's greeting was a compliment, a polite gesture, or genuine, Gao Jianguo didn't intend to engage. He waved his hand, "Master Yi, just call me Jianguo. Master Yi, Master Liu, Teacher Yan, I won't sit down. I'm new here and don't know the ways of the place yet. I'll listen first and learn how democratic life is conducted in our compound. I haven't had a democratic meeting in many years since I left the army. Please, please sit down."

Gao Jianguo's words had several layers of meaning.

First, I respect your age and will call you "Master" or "Teacher," but don't act like some kind of superior.

Secondly, I am young, but I don't act like a college student, technician, or even an engineer in the future.

Thirdly, I'm very good at mobilizing the masses.

Fourth, I still don't fully understand the situation. I may be holding back for now, but that doesn't mean I'll hold back forever. If it really comes down to me, I'll have to say what I need to say.

However, while the steward and the others in the courtyard could grasp some of the implications, Gao Jianguo didn't take them to heart at all.

Before long, everyone in the courtyard was settled, water was brewed, and everyone was listening intently, waiting for the drama to begin.

Yi Zhonghai took a sip of water and gently tapped the table with his right hand: "Speak up, what are you thinking? Speak your mind."

Sha Zhu blurted out, "Uncle, you know best, this isn't the first time Xu Damao has ruined my marriage. Last time, there was a match that was about to happen, but he managed to sabotage it. I've been holding a grudge against him for a long time now."

Gao Jianguo then realized that he had been thinking about this while watching the show in his previous life. Even if he had a girlfriend who was a burden, with Sha Zhu's conditions, he shouldn't have been in his thirties and still not married. The root of the problem was Xu Damao.

Xu Damao snorted coldly: "Shazhu, don't complain about others saying you smell bad just because you have a dirty hand. If your family didn't have all that mess, who could have ruined your marriage? You think you're so tough? Thirty-seven yuan and fifty cents, right, everyone?"

Those watching the spectacle burst into laughter.

The two of them bickered for five minutes, each revealing a different, disgusting story.

The three stewards were perhaps getting hooked on the conversation, or perhaps they knew that these two wouldn't stop talking until they had their fill, so they didn't interrupt.

Gao Jianguo was thoroughly enjoying the show, thinking to himself that the person who understands you best is truly your nemesis. Little did he know that he had completely underestimated the intensity of the two men's performance in the courtyard, with a bunch of aunties and young wives listening and commenting all around.

"I'd heard about this before."

"Boring, it's the same old stuff over and over again."

"I knew he had done this before, but this is the first time I've heard it all in detail."

"..."

It was only when we heard a few sounds that the story had been updated.

"Wow, I've never heard of that."

"Hey, even idiot Zhu made this stupid mistake before?"

The two debaters on stage engaged in a lively verbal battle, and the show gradually moved towards its climax and conclusion.