Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

Only Qin Huairu from the Jia family came. It's likely that Jia Zhangshi is eavesdropping behind the window.

Qin Huairu turned to look at Li Weidong, her foxy eyes filled with pleading and pitiful looks. Any other man would have felt sorry for her.

When Yi Zhonghai came home from get off work in the afternoon, he told Qin Huairu about the stick incident. Qin Huairu was furious.

Now all she can think about is how to beg Li Weidong to let that good-for-nothing go.

Qin Huairu returned home late because she had gone to the police station to check on Bang Geng. Upon arriving home, she ignored Jia Zhangshi and immediately began cooking.

Madam Jia knew she was in the wrong this time, and surprisingly, she didn't complain to Qin Huairu.

Just then, Director Wang arrived with four people. Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui quickly stood up to greet them.

As soon as Director Wang entered, Yi Zhonghai immediately greeted him with a beaming smile: "Director, please sit down, have some tea, and rest your feet!"

"What's there to drink? Stop with the nonsense!"

Director Wang didn't even look at him properly, her tone as cold as ice, "I'll just say two things, then I'll leave."

"First, from now on, there will be no mediators in this court. And no more three senior officials! Who gave them that authority? Get rid of them all!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui turned deathly pale. Their minds felt like they'd been hit by a hammer, and they saw stars. To them, it was as if the sky had fallen.

"Director, you can't do this!"

The three of them cried out almost simultaneously, their voices trembling with sobs.

Liu Haizhong was so anxious he was jumping up and down: "Director, we didn't do anything wrong, did we? How could this be..."

He'd always dreamed of being an official, but he couldn't even get a team leader position in the workshop. He could only satisfy his ambition by using his uncle's title. Now that he heard it was all over, his heart sank.

"Look what you three have done to the compound! Especially you, Yi Zhonghai!"

Director Wang grew increasingly angry as he spoke, "What kind of mind-numbing potion have you been feeding everyone? You think you're so great just because you managed to get an 'advanced' award by covering up the truth?"

"You're treating a deaf old woman like she's the matriarch of a traditional courtyard house? What are you trying to do? Rebellion?"

Yi Zhonghai was speechless, his mouth opened and closed, but he couldn't utter a single word. He was panicking. He had always thought that with the title of "Grandpa," he would live a comfortable life in his later years. Now that power had been taken away, what would he do?

Liu Haizhong was so angry that his liver hurt. He dreamed of becoming an official, but he couldn't even get a small group leader position in the factory. He could only hope to stand up during a large meeting and have everyone in the factory look at him with awe. That feeling was indescribably satisfying.

Unfortunately, he was just a second uncle, always scheming to oust Yi Zhonghai and take over for himself. Little did he know that all three of them would end up in the same mess.

Yan Bugui's face fell, filled with resentment. He'd been guarding the gate for so many years, managing to skim a little profit from each household's doorstep thanks to his status as the Third Uncle. Who would let him take advantage of them now? Those days of shoveling scallions from one neighbor and garlic from another were probably gone forever.

Liu Haizhong persisted, "Director, if the hospital doesn't have a leader, won't things fall into chaos?"

"It's actually much quieter without the three of you!"

Director Wang gritted his teeth and said, "I've been investigating all afternoon, and I've finally found out all the good deeds you've done!"

She secretly rejoiced that she had discovered it early. If these three had caused a major mess, she would have been the one to take the blame in the end.

"If there's anything in the backyard that you can't handle, come to the neighborhood committee or call the police directly."

Director Wang raised his voice and shouted to the entire hospital.

The deaf old woman sat by the door; this time, she wouldn't have to run errands for the meeting. She slowly began, "Xiao Wang, those three from Zhonghai, even if they didn't achieve anything, they certainly worked hard, right? Why don't we give them another chance and let them make amends..."

Director Wang sneered, "Deaf old lady, shut your mouth. Now tell me about your own affairs!"

The deaf old woman was dumbfounded when she heard this. She never expected Director Wang to dare to speak to her like that.

"Director Wang, what... what could I possibly have..."

The deaf old woman's tongue got tied, and she no longer dared to call him "Little Wang".

"Yi Zhonghai's greatest achievement is that he has made you the matriarch of the family."

Director Wang gritted his teeth and said, "You bully others just because of your position. If someone's meal has a little less meat, your table is always more lavish than everyone else's!"

"If you're unhappy, you smash someone's window, and Yi Zhonghai will even back you up!"

"Yi Zhonghai, you're always threatening to kick people out to intimidate them! Do you think you're some kind of local tyrant? Even the neighborhood committee doesn't have that kind of power!"

Yi Zhonghai was startled and quickly defended himself: "That was wrong of me, but I was just trying to scare people for better management! I really didn't kick anyone out..."

"Management? What right do you, Yi Zhonghai, have to manage others? You're nothing but a volunteer mediator! If people ignore you, you're nobody!"

Director Wang snorted:

"Deaf old lady, your status as a 'Five Guarantees' recipient is a national policy to care for elderly people living alone. But you, you use that as leverage to bully and oppress others! You're really something!"

"You gave away five thousand yuan right away, which means you're not short of money at all. Your status as a recipient of the Five Guarantees is revoked, and all preferential treatment is canceled."

Director Wang said coldly, "You should be grateful that you haven't had to return all the money you've been owed for so many years."

The deaf old woman paused, a blank expression on her face: "Huh? What did you say? I can't hear you! I can't hear you..."

"Your act of pretending to be deaf and dumb won't work anymore."

Director Wang sneered, "Everyone, disperse. If you have any problems in the future, contact the neighborhood committee."

Director Wang turned and left with his men, leaving Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui looking as if they had lost their souls.

But the residents in the courtyard all felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off their shoulders. The three mountains that had been weighing on their heads had finally been removed.

"Yi Zhonghai, the money we donated now needs to be returned!"

Old Zhao was the first to jump out.

"What money? I'm not some old man anymore, don't bother me."

Yi Zhonghai glared at them fiercely.

"Let's all go to the police station and explain this clearly. This is a case of conspiring to swindle money."

Li Weidong spoke slowly and deliberately, "Yi Zhonghai, you really don't know what's good for you."

Yan Bugui's eyes lit up: "That's right! I've donated ten yuan and fifty cents over the years!"

"It was all because of you, Yi Zhonghai, that I forced them to donate. The Jia family is so rich, this is blatant fraud!"

Yan Bugui became more and more agitated as he spoke, "I keep records here, I've written down how much each household donated. If you don't give me money—"

Yi Zhonghai knew he couldn't get past this hurdle, so he turned to look at Qin Huairu. Unexpectedly, Qin Huairu, dragging Xiao Dang and Huaihua along, rushed into the house like a gust of wind, "Bang!"

He slammed the door shut.

Now Yi Zhonghai understood perfectly well. He had to pay for it himself. But it wasn't too bad; it was less than three hundred yuan, equivalent to three months' salary for him.

The deaf old woman froze on the spot, completely unprepared for things to turn out this way.

"Once Zhuzi comes out, everything will be fine. I still have money; if this elderly person doesn't want the government's welfare program, then so be it."

The old lady muttered to herself.

But she also knew that she was just fooling herself. There was no hope of ever acting high and mighty in this courtyard again.

Li Weidong led Xiao Xi by the hand and carried a stool into the backyard. As soon as they sat down in the living room, they saw steamed buns, braised goose, and a plate of smashed cucumber on the newly made octagonal table.

Before they could even pick up their chopsticks, Xu Fugui and his family of three stood at the doorway.

"Hey, Weidong, you got these two rooms back. Good for you."

Xu Fugui forced a fake smile.

"Ha, back when that deaf old lady extorted money from you and took the house, you must have pulled some strings behind the scenes, right?"

Li Weidong stared at him coldly, "You and Yi Zhonghai have been running around like crazy, you haven't been idle."

"You silly child, I'm also..."

Xu Fugui awkwardly tried to explain.

"Get lost, who do you think you are, your uncle?"

Li Weidong jumped to his feet. "If you dare to take advantage of me again, I'll beat you up!"

Xu Damao's scalp tingled at the sight. Wasn't this courting death? He was counting on Li Weidong to save his life.

"Dad, Mom, you need to go back right away! Don't worry about this! Let's go!"

Xu Damao shouted anxiously.

Xu Fugui was humiliated by Li Weidong's scolding and his anger was simmering. He was about to put on airs as an elder when he saw Xu Damao's eyes and immediately sobered up.

"I'll leave, I'll leave, okay? Young people these days have such big tempers..."

Xu Fugui was still muttering to himself.

"Say less!"

Xu Damao yelled. Xu Fugui glared at his son, then hurriedly pulled his wife away.

"They're old, they don't understand anything."

Xu Damao approached with a beaming smile, "Weidong, what about that medical treatment thing..."

"It's incurable."

Li Weidong sneered.

"No, Chief Engineer Li, please don't take it to heart with my parents."

Xu Damao quickly smiled apologetically, "They're getting senile. I haven't shortchanged them a single penny..."

"It's not about the money, let me be frank with you."

Li Weidong said coldly, "I really don't care about your little bit of money."

"This is five thousand yuan! If you're willing to get treatment, I'll be your slave for the rest of my life..."

Xu Damao spoke in a humble and submissive manner.

At that time, Xu Damao didn't care about anything in order to survive.

"A dog? What would I need that for?"

Li Weidong pursed his lips and said, "I have a way to cure your problem, but I definitely won't do it myself."

"Why? Why at all?!"

Xu Damao was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

"Because you are a bad seed at your very core."

Li Weidong sneered, "Your whole family is a bunch of scoundrels, you deserve to be childless and have no descendants."

"Don't you have any idea how your parents bullied my parents back then?"

Xu Damao broke out in a cold sweat. He knew his parents' character better than anyone.

"I...I'll have them come over and kowtow to you to apologize!"

Xu Damao shouted at the top of his lungs, "You can kowtow at your parents' graves too!"

"It's no use kneeling to the ends of the earth."

Li Weidong's voice was as cold as ice, "You're no better. While I was away, Xiaoxi and Xiaorou were left to eat wild vegetables, and what were you doing?"

"I...I didn't do anything?"

Xu Damao quickly tried to defend himself, saying, "My wife even brought Xiaorou cornmeal before."

"So you turned around and got into a fight with Sister E."

Li Weidong gritted his teeth and said, "You were peeling a pear and dropped it on the ground. You saw Xiaoxi staring at you from the doorway, and you kicked the pear peel over so she could pick it up and eat it. Are you even human?"

"Xiao Xi is only four years old!"

Xu Damao stood there stunned, and after a long while, he managed to stammer, "Back then...back then I didn't know you were Chief Engineer Li. If only I had known..."

He couldn't continue speaking under Li Weidong's piercing gaze.

"Xu Damao, I have something else to tell you."

Li Weidong said in a nonchalant tone, "Saying you're infertile was something I deliberately said."