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

"Don't you all agree?"

The people in the courtyard all nodded in agreement.

Especially the third uncle's family.

Yan Bugui's eldest son nodded the most enthusiastically, his neck almost breaking.

"Director Li is right!"

Some people started a disturbance.

"Jia Dongxu is the old master's own apprentice, one hundred is too little, it should start at least at four hundred!"

Others echoed this sentiment.

The echoes rose and fell, like waves on the sea.

Yi Zhonghai's expression changed completely.

He initially took Jia Dongxu as his apprentice with the intention of providing for him in his old age.

But as time went on, it became clear that Jia Dongxu was a good-for-nothing and completely unreliable.

Later, he stopped caring about it as much.

Now that this person is completely disabled, let alone providing for their old age, they should be grateful if they don't become a burden.

How could he possibly waste money on someone like this?

Even that one hundred dollars hurt him deeply.

"Today we're talking about the residents of the compound donating together."

Yi Zhonghai forced a smile, trying to brush it off.

That forced smile looked worse than crying.

"I discuss matters between me and my apprentice privately, and I won't bring them up in public."

He absolutely cannot pay that money.

If he takes it out, the Jia family will be clinging to him and won't let him go.

That would be a bottomless pit.

The elderly couple's meager retirement savings can't fill this hole.

"The doctor said Dongxu's injuries were very serious, reaching the root of the problem, and he will need to take good care of himself from now on."

Seeing that everyone was not in a good mood to donate, Qin Huairu began to complain with tears in her eyes.

"I'm the only one in my family who earns money, and I have to support a family of six."

"If everyone doesn't help, we really can't get by like this."

She started crying as she spoke.

This time it wasn't an act.

The thought of having to take care of an elderly person, three children, and a disabled man in the future is unbearable.

She felt as if her future was shrouded in darkness, with not a glimmer of light in sight.

"Your complaints about being poor are completely unreasonable."

As soon as Li Jianguo opened his mouth, he drew everyone's attention.

"A family that can afford a sewing machine and a gold ring can't afford hospitalization?"

"This is not like before liberation, when hospitals were all run by foreigners and ordinary people couldn't afford to stay there."

In this day and age, seeing a doctor and being hospitalized does cost money, but it's not really too expensive for city dwellers.

Some factories even offer subsidies, so if you get a work injury, you don't have to pay out of pocket.

Hearing Li Jianguo say this, those who were just overflowing with sympathy and wanting to give money were stunned.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the third uncle's family was the first to speak.

She took a step forward and put her hands on her hips.

"Our whole family is still crammed into two rooms, while the Jia family has five rooms."

As soon as he said that, others immediately chimed in.

Lou Xiao'e couldn't help but say it too.

"Not every household in the entire compound owns a sewing machine."

"And a ring, too. I've never even touched gold in my entire life."

"The Jia family is not short of money. I saw Jia Dongxu drinking and eating meat outside just a few days ago."

"I haven't eaten meat in ages, how can his family still afford it?"

The Jia family suddenly became the target of public criticism.

All eyes were on Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu.

He stared at the gold ring on Jia Zhangshi's hand and at the new cotton-padded coat on Qin Huairu's body.

"Grandpa, that's your apprentice. If you want to give him money, that's your business."

Yan Bugui, who had just spent ten yuan, was heartbroken and couldn't help but speak up.

He stepped forward and extended his hand.

"But don't drag us all into this."

He stared at the money in Yi Zhonghai's hand, and at the ten-yuan note in the stack of money.

"Since the Jia family is not short of money, then give me back the ten yuan from earlier."

"Our whole family hasn't eaten meat in a long time, so we don't have any extra money to donate to others."

Yan Bugui's words were like a floodgate being opened.

People who had donated three or five yuan earlier were now crowding around.

A group of people surrounded Yi Zhonghai in the middle.

"Grandpa, give me back my two yuan!"

"I only make a little over thirty yuan a month, and these two yuan are enough for me to live on for a week."

"Grandpa, there's some for me too!"

Yi Zhonghai was surrounded, unable to find a safe haven.

He clutched the wad of money, his palms sweating.

Sha Zhu was so anxious seeing this scene that he kept rubbing his hands together.

He stepped forward to say a few kind words in support.

"The Jia family was rich in the past."

"Now that we've lost one of our workers, things will definitely get tough from now on."

"We're all neighbors in the same compound, so we should help each other out."

"Silly Zhu, if you want to be this pushover, no one's stopping you."

The eldest daughter-in-law of the third uncle glared at him, her eyes almost popping out.

"But don't even think about dragging us all into this!"

"You only have yourself to eat, but we all have families to support, with elderly parents and young children to raise!"

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai wouldn't pay back the money, and that Sha Zhu was still nagging beside her, she got angry and rushed over to snatch it.

He reached out and tried to snatch the wad of money from Yi Zhonghai's hand.

"What are you doing?"

Sha Zhu tried to stop him.

He spread his arms to block the way.

"When one is in trouble, help comes from all sides. Don't you have even this much compassion?"

"Get out of my way!"

Xu Damao was the first to rush forward and punched Sha Zhu.

That punch landed on Sha Zhu's face, making his head snap back.

"That's our money, what's it to you!"

This punch seemed to be the beginning.

The others rushed up as well.

The eldest daughter-in-law of the third uncle, the son of the second aunt, Old Zhou from the backyard, and Little Liu from the frontyard all rushed over.

Sha Zhu tried to stop him, but was beaten so badly that he ran away with his head in his hands.

He crouched on the ground, clutching his head, and his fists rained down on him.

In the end, all the money in Yi Zhonghai's hands was robbed.

One by one, they were torn away, snatched away, and robbed.

This hospital-wide meeting was nothing short of a farce.

When things got really heated, the deaf old lady, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

"Stop it, all of you!"

She pounded the ground heavily with her cane.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

The sound was heavy and muffled, so loud it shook the ground.

"Have you all had enough of this?"

As the oldest elder, everyone should give him some face.

As soon as she spoke, the noisy scene finally quieted down.

The robbers stopped, the fighters separated, and the swearers shut up.

"A perfectly good college-wide meeting has been turned into this mess. What kind of behavior is this?"

The deaf old woman was heartbroken and banged her cane on the ground.

She raised her right hand, her fingers trembling, and pointed at each person's face.

Those fingers were dry and thin, and the nails were long and yellow.

"In our courtyard house, we hold a general meeting for everything, big or small, and neighbors help each other out—this has been the rule for many years!"

"But look at this! Look closely!"

The three old men stood in the crowd, silently bowing their heads.

Yi Zhonghai looked down at his toes, Liu Haizhong looked down at his stomach, and Yan Bugui looked down at the ten yuan he had just snatched back.

"Look at the mess this place is in!"

"Is this still the same excellent courtyard house?"

No one said a word.

Each of them, I wonder what they're thinking.

Li Jianguo stood there, like an outsider, watching it all unfold.

The so-called plenary meeting seemed quite democratic.

To put it simply, it's just a back-and-forth exchange between the three old men.

It's just a few old fogies manipulating people's hearts and minds, creating a dictatorship based on their own interests.

"And you!"

The deaf old woman suddenly turned her anger towards Li Jianguo.

The finger was pointing at Li Jianguo's nose, almost poking his face.

"Ever since you arrived in this courtyard house, none of us have had a single good day!"

"You're always causing chaos and making a scene; you're a real troublemaker!"

She cursed angrily, then pointed at the others with disappointment.

"You lot don't even use your brains!"

"Are you just going to let a young kid lead you by the nose?"

"How long has he been here? And you've already started following him with just a few words?"

Seeing that everyone was too afraid to utter a sound after she scolded them, the deaf old lady sighed again, her tone becoming earnest and meaningful.

The tone changed so quickly that it was unsettling.

"When one place is in trouble, help comes from all sides."

"A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative."

"This is a tradition of our courtyard house."

"No matter what, the Jia family is part of us. With such a huge incident, can't you show some empathy?"

"puff--"

Li Jianguo couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Xu Damao was closest and heard the most clearly, so he subconsciously asked a question.

"Director Li, what are you laughing at?"

His voice was a bit loud, and it stood out particularly in the quiet environment where only the deaf old lady was speaking.

This immediately drew everyone's attention.

"What are you laughing at when your elders are speaking?"

The deaf old lady frowned and looked at Li Jianguo unhappily.

His brows were furrowed, and his wrinkles piled up like a mountain.

"They have absolutely no manners."

"I was just thinking, why is it always the same thing you say?"

Li Jianguo looked at her with a mocking expression.

"There's nothing new about it."

"As the Chairman has said, we cannot rest on our laurels; we must innovate and bring forth new ideas."

"Why don't you take my words to heart?"

"They just sit here all day, relying on their age to bully others."

"Is this interesting?"

"you--"

The deaf old lady was furious and wanted to lose her temper.

She raised her cane, ready to hit someone.

Li Jianguo shut her up with a single sentence.

"You're saying all this just to get everyone to keep donating, aren't you?"

"If that's the case, why don't you set an example?"

"Make good use of your status as an elder and donate more to the Jia family."

"They're all buried up to their necks, who knows when they'll pass away."

"What's the point of saving that money?"

"Why not take advantage of this time to spend some money and accumulate some good fortune for yourself?"

Most people took out money when the donation was being made.

Even Li Jianguo got a point.

But among these people, the deaf old lady had disappeared.

It seems like no one remembers her.

Yi Zhonghai didn't even glance at her.

The deaf old lady herself didn't speak from the beginning, nor did she express any intention to donate.

During the meeting, she was like an invisible person, successfully hiding herself away.

Only after Li Jianguo said that did everyone realize what was going on.

It seems the deaf old lady really didn't pay.

"Grandma Deaf, how much did you donate?"

Xu Damao asked a question on purpose.

Everyone looked at the deaf old woman, waiting for her answer.

The deaf old lady was furious.

She would never give the money she saved to the Jia family.

Based on how the Jia family pushed her out in the matter of Li Jianguo's house, she would never forgive the Jia family.

Not to mention donating money to them.

"How much I donate is none of your business!"

Enraged, she took advantage of her age and raised her cane to hit Li Jianguo and Xu Damao.

The cane was raised, drawing an arc in the air.

"You two little brats, trying to have fun with an old lady like me?"

"I'm going to teach you a lesson today!"

Xu Damao has learned his lesson.

By the time the old lady rushed over, he had already dodged to the side.

He didn't want to have a direct confrontation with the old lady.

The trauma from childhood has left me with a deep-seated fear, and the only thing I can do is stay away from it.

Li Jianguo is different.

Xu Damao was afraid, but he wasn't.

The old lady swung her cane at him, and he dodged to the side and kicked her.

That kick was quick and accurate, landing squarely on the old woman's stomach.

"Oh my goodness—"

The old lady flew out and landed on Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu.

Yi Zhonghai was knocked back two steps by the impact, while Sha Zhu was knocked so hard that he landed on his buttocks.

With the two big men cushioning her fall, the old lady was not seriously injured.

Being kicked like that left me dizzy and my body aching as if it were falling apart.

"Li Jianguo, how could you lay a hand on a deaf old lady?"

After settling the old lady in, Yi Zhonghai glared indignantly at Li Jianguo.

This person is despicable; they don't respect their elders at all.

They don't even spare an old lady.

Li Jianguo gave him a disdainful look.

That look in his eyes was like he was looking at an ant.

Yi Zhonghai was about to get angry, but his momentum instantly deflated when he was stared at by that gaze.

They didn't even have the courage to make eye contact.

Li Jianguo looked coldly at the deaf old woman.

"The last time."

"If you dare to act arrogantly, show off, or play tricks on me again, then don't do it again."

"I will never let you get away with this."

He stopped a step as he passed by the deaf old woman.

That step stopped just in time, right next to the old lady's ear.

"Don't let me catch you doing anything wrong."

"Or I'll kill you."

After saying that, he turned and left, going back into the house.

These people were left standing there, completely stunned.

What did Li Jianguo mean by his last sentence?

Someone couldn't help but ask.

Who knows?

"Is the deaf old lady hiding something from us?"

If they had heard Li Jianguo speaking to the deaf old lady like this before, they would never have suspected that the problem lay with the old lady.

They would only think that Li Jianguo was young and ignorant, and did not know how to respect the elderly and care for the young.

But now, they have more doubts in their hearts.