I Have a Lake as I Walk Through the Courtyard

All the neighbors stared at Director Wang expectantly, wondering what he was up to today.

Director Wang didn't hesitate and pulled out several letters of complaint from his pocket.

"You people in your compound are really something, aren't you? You'd rather stab someone in the back than live a good life? Look at what's written in this letter, let me read it to you!"

Director Wang took out the first letter, his eyes scanning the expressions of everyone like an eagle's before his gaze fell back on the letter.

"This first letter accused Yi Zhonghai of having an old lady impersonate a martyr's family member and even giving her the title of 'Grand Ancestor' in the courtyard. Do you think this is true?"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai broke out in a cold sweat, and his buttocks sprang up as if pricked by needles. "Director Wang, who wrote this whistleblower letter? This person has malicious intentions!"

Director Wang turned to look at Yi Zhonghai, holding up the letter of complaint. "Do you think what's written on this is true?"

The crowd below was whispering among themselves. Xu Damao's eyes darted around, and he suddenly stood up, banging the bench on his feet. Lin Feng, who was sitting next to him, almost fell to the ground.

"Brother Da Mao, what are you doing?"

Xu Damao smiled apologetically at Lin Feng, then ignored him and turned to Director Wang. "I know about this; everyone in the compound knows!"

Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu glared at Xu Damao with murderous intent, causing Xu Damao to instinctively shrink back in fear.

Director Wang slowly placed the letter of complaint on the table. "What do you know? Tell me then!"

Xu Damao swallowed hard. "Yi Zhonghai said the old lady used to give shoes to the Red Army, that he was a martyr's family member, and that we should call him 'Grandmother,' and that we should always give him a bite of anything good to eat!"

"Director Wang, that's not how it is..." Once the charge of impersonating a martyr's family member is proven, even an eighth-grade worker can't protect him.

Director Wang's chest heaved violently, and it took him a long time to calm down before he slowly sat down behind the desk. "So, tell me, what exactly happened?"

"I never said the old lady was a martyr's family member. As for 'Grandmother,' that's just a respectful term used by the people in the courtyard because of her old age; it didn't mean anything else!"

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, Director Wang narrowed his eyes. "You've managed to deny it so easily, which means it's really true!"

Yi Zhonghai, beaming, was shaking uncontrollably. "Director Wang, this is actually a misunderstanding! It's just that the people in the courtyard have some misconceptions!"

Director Wang sighed, glared fiercely at Yi Zhonghai, then turned to look at Xu Damao. "Did Yi Zhonghai personally say that the old lady was a martyr's family member? Did the old lady herself say that?"

Xu Damao was taken aback by the question and thought about it carefully for a long time. "No, not at all!"

Director Wang breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at the neighbors in the courtyard. "Neighbors, did either of them say this themselves?"

The neighbors whispered and murmured among themselves, and after a long while, they all shook their heads in unison.

"Impersonating a martyr's family member is a serious crime!" Director Wang said, holding up the letter. "I hope no one in your department will joke about such things! Let's leave it at that!"

"Wait a minute!" Seeing that this guy was about to try to smooth things over again, Lin Feng stood up without hesitation. When Yi Zhonghai heard this voice, he felt his heart skip a beat.

Director Wang looked at Lin Feng. "What do you have to say?"

"Director Wang, this matter cannot be left like this! Ask the neighbors in the courtyard how many people believe the old lady is a martyr's family member, and have them raise their hands."

Director Wang clenched his fist secretly, a smile playing on his lips. "Does Lin Feng have something to say about this?"

"Of course! If all the neighbors in the courtyard consider the old lady to be a martyr's family member, then this person is maliciously leading everyone to believe that! Don't you think what I'm saying makes sense?"

"That's right!" Xu Damao was the first to step forward. "This is malicious manipulation! Although Yi Zhonghai didn't say it explicitly, his intentions are impure! He's harboring bad thoughts!"

"That's definitely true!" Many neighbors echoed, and even Liu Haizhong next to him nodded secretly.

"Lin Feng, how could you slander me like that? How could I let everyone think that way? I only said that to ask everyone to respect the old lady. She has contributed to the country and is so old. What did I do wrong?"

"Contributed to the country? Hah!" Lin Feng chuckled. "Yi Zhonghai! Are you talking about the old lady who gave shoes to the Red Army? Do you even believe that yourself? In which year was it? I remember when our unit was called the Red Army, we were quite far from Beijing..."

Yi Zhonghai broke out in a cold sweat after hearing Lin Feng's words. "The old lady was brought here through someone else!"

"That's even more interesting! Thousands of kilometers away, asking someone to bring back a pair of shoes... Do you think we're all children?"

"Enough! Lin Feng, what do you want to do?" The old lady slowly walked over, supported by an older woman.

Lin Feng looked at the old woman with a forced smile. "I don't want to do anything, I just want to investigate the veracity of this matter! Don't you all want to know?"

The old lady gave Lin Feng a meaningful look, then slowly walked to Director Wang's side. "I never said I gave shoes to the Red Army; I only said I gave shoes to the troops! Although they were the Nationalist Army, that unit was also fighting against the Japanese back then. Director Wang, was I wrong?"

Director Wang looked troubled. She moved her lips, but ultimately remained silent. She knew the reasoning behind it, but she dared not say it. She was just a small-time street office director, and this issue was too sensitive!

The old lady, despite her age, didn't have as many concerns as Director Wang. Looking at her neighbors in the courtyard, she said, "Back in '37, when the Japanese were here, not only did I, this old lady, send them shoes, but at least half of Beiping (Beijing) sent them things. Did they all do something wrong?"

Director Wang breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "Grandma, you did the right thing! Your actions deserve recognition!"

Lin Feng couldn't refute these words; this old woman was indeed not so easy to deal with.

"As for the matter of ancestors and the families of martyrs, that's even more fabricated! Wang girl, ask the people in the courtyard. It's true that some people call me 'ancestor,' but that's only among the younger generation. What's wrong with kids like Banggeng calling me 'ancestor'? Am I not old enough to deserve it?"

Lin Feng and Xu Damao looked at each other after hearing this. It seemed that what the old woman said made sense, but Lin Feng felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"As for giving me a bite of anything delicious!" the old woman said, slamming her cane heavily on the ground. "That's even more outrageous!"

"Wang girl, I'm a recipient of the government's five-guarantee household allowance, and I have an old lady taking care of my daily needs. Do you think I'm lacking food? I donated this whole yard to the government! Ask the neighbors, if they have something good to eat, they're willing to bring it over—that's a sign of respect for me. When have I ever forced them? You two young people should think about it yourselves. Which of my words is untrue?"

After hearing the old lady's words, everyone in the courtyard fell silent, including Lin Feng and Xu Damao. Lin Feng thought of some rebuttals, but saying them would be irrelevant to the outcome and would only make everyone dislike him, putting him at a disadvantage!

As expected of an old lady, she's so damn difficult to deal with.