Courtyard Houses: The Great Masters of a Nation Hidden Within

The neighbors who had been watching the commotion in the courtyard muttered about how regrettable it was, but their faces showed a sense of lingering enjoyment as they dispersed in twos and threes.

Sha Zhu tried to move closer, but Xu Damao shoved him away as soon as he lifted his foot.

Xu Damao's parents stood in the house, their faces contorted with anger, their nostrils flaring as they breathed heavily.

After everyone was seated, Yi Zhonghai gestured with his chin toward the woman: "Miss, I haven't asked your name yet."

The woman replied readily: "Uncle, my name is Pang Xiulan."

Back then, this name sounded like a nickname being used to replace the given name, but such things were common back then, so it's hard to say for sure.

Yi Zhonghai nodded: "Alright, Miss Pang, just tell me what's on your mind, take your time, and be specific."

Pang Xiulan then recounted the whole story of her affair with Xu Damao, which was basically a cliché plot of lust at first sight. Back in Gao Jianguo's previous life, he could have seen eight hundred of those stories online in a day, with no two of them repeating the same details.

After she finished speaking, Yi Zhonghai asked a question he hadn't been able to ask in front of everyone in the courtyard: "You said Xu Damao lied to you, but what exactly did he lie about?"

Pang Xiulan stiffened her neck and uttered two words with righteous indignation: "Seduction!"

Before Yi Zhonghai could even open his mouth, Xu Damao exploded: "Pang Xiulan, stop spouting nonsense! I only exchanged a few words with you, why are you bringing up such baseless accusations!"

At this critical juncture, Pang Xiulan suddenly became reckless: "What's wrong? Xu Damao, you're sleeping with someone and don't dare to admit it?"

Xu Damao knew perfectly well whether it had happened or not, but feeling he hadn't gotten any leverage over himself, he confidently retorted, "Why should I admit it? I didn't do it, that's all! Don't try to blackmail me with these baseless accusations!"

After saying that, he turned his head towards Wang Tiezhu and asked, "Officer, this woman is defaming someone, are you going to do anything about it?"

Before Wang Tiezhu could respond, Pang Xiulan flipped her hand and pulled a piece of cloth from her pocket: "Xu Damao, this is what I cut off your underwear while you were asleep. Everyone saw it in the yard just now. I didn't touch anything in your house. You leaders can go and see for yourselves; the underwear with the piece of cloth I cut off is hanging out to dry in front of his house right now! Xu Damao, you dare to say this didn't happen?"

Actually, Pang Xiulan wasn't just watching Xu Damao today; she secretly noticed that the pair of underwear had been hung out to dry, which is why she made her move.

Xu Damao hadn't yet reached the level of a seasoned veteran. Taken aback by the seemingly irrefutable evidence, he blurted out an unwitting confession: "When did you do this behind my back? You've been plotting against me all along!"

If he stubbornly denies it and says that Pang Xiulan secretly cut it away when no one was home, then he can argue for a while.

But as soon as he said that, everyone present understood that there was no doubt about it. Moreover, Yi Zhonghai, Gao Jianguo, and Wang Tiezhu were all sitting in the room, so he couldn't take his words back. The procedures for going through the formalities back then were different from what they are now.

It's important to understand that these three people—Yi Zhonghai, who was the local leader; Gao Jianguo, who represented the steel mill; and Wang Tiezhu, who had the state's machinery of violence behind him—were a powerful force that effectively suppressed Xu Damao's case.

Pang Xiulan seized the opportunity and sealed the deal: "Leaders, did you all hear that? He admitted it himself! Government, you have to stand up for me!"

At this point, whether or not the pair of underwear with the piece of cloth torn off was still on the clothesline was no longer important; Xu Damao's affair with Pang Xiulan was a foregone conclusion.

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiezhu spoke up: "Miss Pang, I can't guarantee anything about this matter. I can only promise you one thing: if you want to report the case, come to the police station tomorrow, and we will definitely investigate according to the normal procedures."

Gao Jianguo added, "I'm not a factory leader, but based on my understanding of the rules of the factory's security department, if the police station comes to a conclusion, you don't need to go to their office to say anything. The police station will naturally pass the message to the factory, and the factory will handle it according to the regulations. But what the final outcome will be depends on what the factory says."

Upon hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Xu rushed over and grabbed Pang Xiulan's arm, saying, "You can't report this! You really can't report this, Xiulan! Look at the mess this has made! It's not worth it for you young people to bicker when you're dating. It's really not worth it."

After saying that, he turned to the people in the room and said, "Gentlemen, we are all neighbors. I'm sorry you had to see this. It was just two young people having a little argument and saying the wrong thing. It's not like that at all. Please, experts, let it go."

Back then, if you got involved in something like that and you had all the evidence, and you actually reported it to the police station, you two old folks could figure out what the outcome would be. Xu Damao would most likely be singing "Tears Behind Bars" (no, that song didn't exist back then).

If you're unlucky and things happen to be tightened up by the authorities, it's not impossible that you could be dragged out and given a beating.

You should know that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, the phrase "women's liberation" was not just something we talked about; we really liberated women. On this land, we did a more thorough job of achieving gender equality than anywhere else.

Xu Damao was stunned by his own stupidity, and he could only stammer out a complete sentence. Seeing his behavior, his father swung his arm and slapped him hard across the face: "You beast! If you're going to date, do it properly. You're always acting like a lazy bum, and you're making the girl suffer and then you don't even admit it. I'll beat you to death, you bastard."

If the Xu family could have tricked the Lou family so badly, they must have been incredibly cunning. They knew when things were going wrong, they were quick to admit defeat and turn around.

Pang Xiulan, however, refused to let them let the matter pass so easily. Since things had escalated to this point, she thought it better to go all out and make a big move.

She looked directly at Mr. Xu and said, "Uncle Xu, you have to give me an explanation for what Da Mao did, or I won't be able to swallow this."

Mr. Xu was at his wit's end, his face contorted with worry: "Young lady, what explanation do you want?"

Pang Xiulan pointed at Xu Damao: "I want him to marry me! I know I'm a widow, but I'm not that old. I have no elderly parents or young children. In this day and age, it's not shameful for him to marry me. I don't need any grand wedding procession. Just get a marriage certificate according to the Marriage Law, and invite the neighbors in the courtyard for a meal as witnesses, that's enough."

Before Xu's father could even speak, Xu Damao jumped up: "Keep dreaming! You, a widow, expect me to marry you? No way!"

Pang Xiulan straightened her neck: "No way, is that it?"

After saying that, he turned his face towards Wang Tiezhu: "The government! I'll report it—"

Before she could finish speaking, Xu's father grabbed her and said, "You can't report this!"

While grabbing Pang Xiulan, he kicked Xu Damao, sending him tumbling over: "We agree, we agree."

"When?"

"Go ahead and say it." Father Xu had completely given up, ready to let you cut off his flesh.

"Next Sunday!"

"Okay, next Sunday then."

At this point, there's basically nothing left to stir things up about.

Gao Jianguo had considered taking advantage of the situation to completely destroy Xu Damao, but Pang Xiulan had already accomplished what she wanted to do, and it was clear that she wouldn't cause any more trouble. If she didn't take the initiative to push things forward, then there was no hope for what would happen next.

Oh well, opportunities will come sooner or later. Now that this kind of person has entered the Xu family, there's no shortage of opportunities to exploit. Letting this woman disgust the family for a while isn't so bad.

As for whether this woman is a bit cunning and might cause more trouble after entering Xu Damao's family, Gao Jianguo wasn't worried at all. With her background, no matter how the winds of change blow, she would never be qualified to cause trouble. Even after the Xu family married her, it would be the same.

Thinking of this, a thought suddenly popped into Gao Jianguo's mind: Damn it, that bastard Xu Damao actually got married before me.