Courtyard House: Starting as an eighth-grade worker, with too many wives.

What does it matter to Jia Dongxu whether he lives or dies?

Only those few old guys can cause trouble.

"Alright, stop standing at the door."

Li Jianguo put on his coat and followed Xu Damao into the courtyard.

The two found a corner to stand in, leaning against the pillars of the covered walkway.

Several long benches were placed in the center of the courtyard. People were sitting on three benches, some were standing, some were squatting, and some were leaning against the wall. Yi Zhonghai sat in the chair in the very middle, with Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui on his left and right. The deaf old lady was also helped out and sat in the grand chair in the very middle. Her face was long and her wrinkles were deeply furrowed.

"Is everyone here?"

Yi Zhonghai stood up and scanned the crowd.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, he nodded in satisfaction. When his gaze fell on Li Jianguo, he paused for a moment, then quickly looked away, as if he had been burned by something.

"Cough cough."

He cleared his throat.

"Everyone knows about what happened at the Jia family's place today, right?"

No one responded.

He waited two seconds, then continued.

"We didn't go to the hospital, only the old man and Sha Zhu went."

Second Uncle Liu Haizhong chimed in, his straight man comment perfectly timed. He sat there, his belly sticking out high, his hands resting on his knees, looking every bit the boss.

"That kid Jia Dongxu is badly injured."

Yi Zhonghai's face was grim, and his tone was stern.

"Both legs are gone. He lost too much blood and was still unconscious when we came back from the hospital. Even if he wakes up, he'll be bedridden for the rest of his life."

"hiss--"

A collective gasp of astonishment filled the courtyard.

Before, when we heard that Jia Dongxu was ruined, we didn't really understand what that meant. Now, after hearing this from an old man, we finally know what "ruined" really means.

"Then this person... is useless?"

The deaf old lady suddenly spoke.

Her voice was slow and hoarse, like rust scraped from her throat.

"They won't be able to do anything anymore; their family will have to rely on the woman to support them?"

She paused, then added another sentence.

"It was pretty much the same before."

Upon hearing this, many people in the courtyard almost couldn't help but laugh.

Who doesn't know about the Jia family's affairs? Jia Dongxu was raised by Jia Zhangshi when he was young. After he grew up and got married, the couple earned wages together. He wasn't a proper worker to begin with, working only sporadically, barely making ends meet.

In that sense, they're not that different.

It's just a few dozen yuan less a month, but life will definitely be tighter.

Yi Zhonghai coughed twice more, his throat itching from coughing, but he couldn't spit in front of so many people, so he had to hold it in.

"Jia Dongxu is still in the hospital, and the medical expenses this time are considerable."

He glanced at everyone, his gaze slowly sweeping across each person's face.

"Everyone in the neighborhood knows what kind of situation the Jia family is in; they don't have much money."

"The reason we're having this meeting today is because of this."

"Let's all chip in a little, at least to pay the medical bills."

"What?"

Yan Bugui was the first to jump up.

He sprang up from the stool, took a step forward, and his face turned bright red.

"What does Jia Dongxu have to do with me? Why should I pay him?"

"Uncle, you are an elder."

Yi Zhonghai patiently persuaded him, his tone as gentle as if he were coaxing a child.

"Are you really going to just watch Jia Dongxu get kicked out of the hospital?"

"His family isn't rich because he's incompetent!"

Yan Bugui stiffened his neck, his face was red and his neck was thick, and the veins on his neck were bulging.

"There are a lot of people in my family, and we don't have any money!"

Normally, Yan Bugui is Yi Zhonghai's yes-man, but when it comes to money, that's a different story.

Let him pluck the hair?

No way.

"Uncle, I didn't ask you to pay ten or eight yuan, please give me something."

Yi Zhonghai has been talking himself hoarse.

"I know your family isn't doing well either. I'm not saying we have to contribute a lot, but every little bit helps out."

Seeing that Yan Bugui was still unwilling, Yi Zhonghai simply stepped forward himself.

He straightened his chest and put his hands on his hips.

"Okay, I'll set an example first."

"My husband and I have no children, so our expenses are not high, and we even have some savings."

He paused, waiting for everyone's attention to turn to him.

"I'll take out one hundred yuan."

Sha Zhu immediately followed.

"I don't have much money left either; I gave it all to the Jia family."

He scratched his head, causing dandruff to fall off.

"I'll contribute ten yuan when I get my salary this month."

"Silly Zhu, you did the right thing!"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes lit up, and he immediately began to praise him.

"This is a true example of selflessness! We're all from the same compound; when one is in trouble, everyone lends a hand. Let's help them get through this difficult time! Sha Zhu is truly a rare good person in our compound!"

Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui also offered a few words of praise.

When Liu Haizhong was praising someone, his eyes were still glancing at Li Jianguo; when Yan Bugui was praising someone, his eyes were still glancing at the ten yuan in his pocket.

Everyone started clapping.

He slapped his hands loudly, saying he was a good person.

As for what they were thinking, I have no idea.

Anyway, Xu Damao clapped his hands and kept chuckling.

"A good person?"

He leaned close to Li Jianguo's ear, lowered his voice, and breathed hot air into Li Jianguo's ear.

"I think he's a pushover, a complete idiot, and deserves to be a slave to the Jia family."

Li Jianguo clapped along with the crowd a couple of times, not taking it to heart.

He thought this would be incredibly boring.

Instead of wasting time like this, you should go back inside and make something to eat, then get some rest.

Next, Liu Haizhong appeared thirty.

He took out his money slowly, pulling out three ten-yuan bills from his pocket and counting them out to Yi Zhonghai one by one. After counting them, he stared at them for a couple of seconds.

Yan Bugui paid ten yuan.

Yan Bugui was heartbroken over the ten yuan; his hands trembled as he pulled it out, and the wrinkles on his face twitched. He handed the money to Yi Zhonghai, his eyes still fixed on it, watching Yi Zhonghai fold the bill neatly and put it into the wad of cash in his hand.

But he was the third uncle, so he couldn't give too little, and could only grit his teeth and take it out.

It was Li Jianguo's turn.

Yi Zhonghai looked at him and forced a smile.

The smile was plastered on his face, but it was a forced smile, and wrinkles were piled up at the corners of his eyes.

"Director Li is the director of the steel rolling mill, and his monthly salary is over one hundred."

He paused, then smiled even more kindly, so kindly that it gave people goosebumps.

"This time I'll definitely be able to donate more, right? At least more than what I, a level eight worker, can donate."

He even laughed twice as he spoke, but the laughter looked incredibly fake.

"Director Li, your act of kindness will surely earn you the gratitude of the Jia family."

It's that familiar tactic of moral blackmail again.

Li Jianguo looked at him with a smile.

His gaze was neither warm nor cold, neither salty nor indifferent; he simply looked at Yi Zhonghai.

It made Yi Zhonghai feel uneasy.

But it was only for a fleeting moment.

Today's donation was a success; everyone donated what they were supposed to, and no one was left out.

I don't believe Li Jianguo would be so shameless as to refuse to contribute a single penny.

"Donate, how can we not donate?"

Li Jianguo smiled and took a bill out of his pocket, handing it to Yi Zhonghai.

The bill was crumpled; it was a one-cent note.

I'll donate one cent.

"What?"

Everyone was stunned when they saw the one-cent bill.

Xu Damao's mouth was so wide open it could fit a fist.

He thought to himself, "Wow, Li Jianguo is really too daring!"

The three old men each contributed at least ten yuan, yet this person dared to donate only one cent.

Wouldn't I get cursed to death for that?

In that instant, he, a seasoned veteran who was often criticized by the entire hospital, actually felt a little worried for Li Jianguo.

Yi Zhonghai looked at the one-cent bill in his hand and his face turned green.

It's as green as a freshly pulled scallion.

"Director Li, you earn over a hundred yuan a month, and now you're only offering one cent?"

His smile faltered, his lips drooped, and his eyelids rolled upwards.

"Are you really that shameless?"

"that is!"

Sha Zhu chimed in, his face filled with righteous indignation, his fists clenched.

"Jia Dongxu is your neighbor, and he was injured so badly, and you only contributed a single penny?"

"Have you no shame?"

"You don't want to?"

Li Jianguo didn't care at all and reached out to take that penny back.

"Then I won't donate."

Yi Zhonghai quickly dodged, hiding his hand behind his back so that he couldn't reach it.

Li Jianguo wasn't annoyed. He withdrew his hand and slowly spoke.

"Didn't that old man just say that donating more or less is entirely voluntary?"

He looked at Yi Zhonghai with a smile on his lips.

"I think he's worth that much, is that wrong?"

He paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"Sir, Jia Dongxu is your apprentice, and you're only offering a hundred?"

"You're an eighth-grade fitter, and your monthly salary is over a hundred."

"As you said yourself, you two don't spend much, so you must have saved quite a bit."

"How can you possibly afford to spend a hundred?"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen.

It was a dark, almost blackish-brown color.

He's already paid the most in the entire hospital, what more does this guy want? To squeeze him dry?

"We are an elderly couple with no children, so we need to save this money for our retirement."

He gritted his teeth and spat out each word.

"One hundred dollars is the most I've ever spent."

"Is Director Li giving this penny to a beggar?"

Li Jianguo smiled.

I burst out laughing.

"I won't give a beggar such a small amount; I'll give him more."

He glanced mockingly at everyone present, his gaze slowly sweeping across each person's face.

"Everyone says that donating money is a matter of goodwill, and not donating is one's right."

"My relationship with the Jia family is only worth this one cent."

"This is only because of the people in the compound."

Before Yi Zhonghai could say anything more, Li Jianguo's face darkened, and he interrupted him.

The moment his face darkened, his entire demeanor changed.

"If you want to be a saint, don't drag others down with you."

"The ancients said to repay evil with kindness, but how then should one repay kindness?"

"What, trying to rob me?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Damao burst out laughing.

They laughed so hard they were doubled over, slapping their thighs in laughter.

"Director Li is absolutely right!"

He slapped his thigh, making a loud "slap slap slap" sound.

"You people, all you do is pretend all the time, and you even force others to pretend with you."

"Aren't you tired?"

"It's just a donation, right? I'll donate a cent too."

He took a penny out of his pocket and threw it to Yi Zhonghai.

The bill spun in mid-air before landing at Yi Zhonghai's feet.

Since I've made up my mind to follow Li Jianguo like a dog, I have to keep up with him closely and not fall behind even for a moment.

Jia Zhangshi watched this scene from a corner.

Her eyes were red and swollen, looking like two rotten peaches, and her eyelids were shiny.

I cried a lot today.

While watching everyone else take out their money, she was still in the mood to make her own calculations.

Yan Bugui, that teacher, has a son and daughter-in-law who both earn money, yet he only contributed ten yuan. He's so stingy. We'll have to find a way to squeeze some more out of him in the future.

The old man was rich; he gave away a hundred in one go. We can try again later and have Sha Zhu ask for it.

When she saw Li Jianguo's penny, she completely broke down.

He suddenly stood up, his feet barely touching the ground, and charged straight at Li Jianguo.

She was moving so fast, it didn't seem like a woman weighing over 140 pounds; it was like a cannonball.

"My son has become like this because of you, and you still treat him like this?"

"Are you even human?"

She rushed up and reached out to scratch Li Jianguo's face.

The fingernails were long and dirty, with black grime stuck in the crevices, and when they were scratched, they created a gust of wind.

Xu Damao tried to stop him, but failed and ended up getting hit twice on the face, which stung painfully.

Jia Zhangshi was burly and strong; she had suffered hardships in her youth and was incredibly powerful.

It really hurts when you get hit.

"Director Li!"

Xu Damao quickly reminded him.

Then I heard—

"Bang!"

"Ouch!"

Jia Zhangshi's body, weighing over 140 pounds, was lifted into the air, drawing an arc in mid-air before crashing heavily to the ground.

He was kicked several meters away by Li Jianguo.

The moment it landed, the frozen ground trembled.

Jia Zhangshi felt as if her internal organs had shifted, and her whole body ached as if it had fallen apart. She lay on the ground, trying to get up, but after a moment of support, she collapsed again.

"Oh no—I can't live anymore—"

She skillfully sat down on the ground and began to throw a tantrum.

His legs were kicking wildly, his hands were waving wildly, and he was howling loudly.

"The steel mill director is bullying our Jia family—"

"My son was ruined because of you—and now you're bullying me like this—"

His words implied that Li Jianguo was responsible for Jia Dongxu's car accident and his becoming disabled.

Li Jianguo walked over.

His steps were neither fast nor slow, one step at a time, treading on the frozen ground.

He walked up to Jia Zhangshi, bent down, and reached out his hand.

He pulled the person up from the ground.

He weighed over 100 pounds, but in my hands he was like a toy; I lifted him up easily.

He grabbed me with his left hand and slapped me twice with his right.

"Snapped!"

"Snapped!"

The sound was so crisp that it could be heard throughout the entire courtyard.