The entire courtyard is full of villains

“Alright.” Director Lü paused. “Since there are no other houses in your area, I will ask the neighborhood committee to allocate you a room in the back building of courtyard number 95.”

"Huh?" Liu Guangtian was dumbfounded. "Director Lü, can't we get a room somewhere else?"

“Guangtian, you have to understand. Housing is quite tight right now, even in Beijing. We only got this house after communicating with the neighborhood committee.” Director Lü said calmly.

“What about Liu Haizhong…” Liu Guangtian hesitated. After all, if Liu Haizhong knew that he was the one who reported him, and was still living in the same courtyard as him, how could he have an easy time?

Seeing Liu Guangtian's concerns, Director Lü quickly comforted him, "Guangtian, you and Liu Haizhong are no longer father and son. If he dares to beat you, just go to the police. The police will definitely help you."

"Alright then." Liu Guangtian gritted his teeth and agreed.

Actually, placing Liu Guangtian in the courtyard was a deliberate arrangement by Director Lü. After all, there were suspicious points about Liu Guangtian—why did Liu Haizhong insist that there were no such two items in the house, yet Liu Guangtian found them there? But after multiple interrogations, Liu Guangtian didn't seem to be lying.

Therefore, it is necessary to also place Liu Guangtian in the courtyard for observation, tracking, and supervision.

At the entrance of the courtyard house.

Liu Haizhong, his face ashen, led his second aunt, Liu Guangqi, and Liu Guangfu to the courtyard gate. The relentless interrogations of the past two days had left him exhausted. When the police said they could release him today, he thought he had misheard, until he stepped out of the police station and realized it was true.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, the staff from the neighborhood committee came to greet me.

"Liu Haizhong, you're back."

Chapter 201 Is it an old dog?

Today, the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office has really suffered.

Yesterday, the Municipal Public Security Bureau called Dongcheng District. District Chief Wu, who is in charge of Dongcheng District, is a retired military officer with a notoriously fiery temper. After hearing Director Lü from the Municipal Bureau explain the situation at Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office, he immediately slammed his fist on the table and cursed, then ordered his secretary to summon all members of the district committee.

At the meeting, District Chief Wu, his face flushed, launched into a scathing reprimand, leaving Deputy District Chief Zhou, who was in charge of the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office, thoroughly berated. District Chief Wu had always looked down on these retained cadres, but fortunately, the District Party Secretary acted as a peacemaker, ordering Deputy District Chief Zhou to handle the matter properly.

So, early the next morning, Deputy District Head Zhou led his men directly into the subdistrict office and stood in the courtyard. Acting Director Wang Xiuju saw Deputy District Head Zhou's livid face and, mustering her courage, tried to step forward, but was immediately escorted into the meeting room by Deputy District Head Zhou's men.

Deputy District Head Zhou said in a deep voice in the courtyard, "Today we are going to conduct an inspection of the Jiaodaokou Subdistrict Office. Everyone, return to your respective office posts. When cooperation is required, you must truthfully explain." After saying that, he went into the meeting room.

Wang Xiuju felt somewhat panicked in the meeting room, unsure what had happened to her again. Only when Deputy District Chief Zhou entered did she muster the courage to ask, "District Chief Zhou..."

Deputy District Chief Zhou slammed his fist on the table: "Look what you've done!"

"What's wrong, District Chief Zhou?" Wang Xiuju asked cautiously.

"I'm asking you, did you approve the designation of courtyard house number 95 as an 'excellent courtyard house'?"

“Yes…” Wang Xiuju stammered.

"How can a courtyard like this be considered an excellent siheyuan? Do you know how many things have happened in their courtyard!"

Wang Xiuju quickly explained, "District Chief Zhou, I was also misled by them. I have already revoked their outstanding qualifications this year, so they don't even qualify for the competition."

Upon hearing this, Deputy District Chief Zhou's expression softened slightly, and he then inquired about the situations of Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong. Wang Xiuju dared not conceal anything and gave a detailed account.

After the questioning ended and the person taking notes left, Deputy District Chief Zhou sat down. Wang Xiuju quickly leaned over and asked, "Third Uncle, what's going on this time?"

"What else could it be? Just like last time, someone reported Liu Haizhong as a traitor."

"What? Liu Haizhong is a traitor?" Wang Xiuju looked incredulous. "With his incompetent appearance, how could he be a traitor?"

Deputy District Chief Zhou frowned and asked, "Are you sure you have no other relationship with the people in that courtyard?"

"No, Uncle."

"That's good." Deputy District Chief Zhou instructed, "Let me tell you, this compound is now under surveillance by the Municipal Public Security Bureau. In the future, try to avoid contact with the people in the compound. Last time, Yi Zhonghai was reported as a spy, and this time Liu Haizhong has been reported as a traitor. Either there's really something wrong with this compound, or someone is watching it and deliberately reporting it!"

“No matter what the situation, this courtyard is too dangerous.” Deputy District Chief Zhou sighed. “Yesterday, that Wu fellow used the opportunity at the district committee meeting to rant and rave about me, slamming his fist on the table. This is definitely not a good thing for me. No matter what the outcome of today's investigation is, that Wu fellow will surely use it as an excuse to cause trouble again. You, as the acting director, are probably…”

Upon hearing this, Director Wang was stunned: How did this matter fall on his shoulders again? He was a perfectly good acting director, just about to get ahead, and then…

Seeing his appearance, District Chief Zhou felt a little sorry for him and comforted him, "Xiuju, just bear with it for a while longer. I'm working on my connections, and once I'm transferred, I'll transfer you as soon as possible."

With things having come to this, Director Wang had no choice but to swallow her grievances and nod. But after this incident, she completely hated Yi Zhonghai and Liu Haizhong.

In the afternoon, while Director Wang was busy, the Municipal Public Security Bureau called to say that Liu Haizhong could be released. Regarding the report that he was a traitor, it was verified that the accusation was false, but Liu Haizhong had concealed his background, which was a serious matter. The bureau requested that the neighborhood committee take action against Liu Haizhong's family.

Director Wang was furious. She thought that before she was demoted, she would definitely hold a meeting tonight to teach Liu Haizhong and his gang a lesson. So she told the staff to wait at the courtyard house. When Liu Haizhong returned, she would first remove the seal from his house, and then tell him to stay in the courtyard tonight and wait for the all-staff meeting.

After receiving the notification from the Public Security Bureau, Yang Liming immediately summoned Secretary Su and Li Huaide, and the three of them held a meeting together.

“The city bureau sent out such a notice, so Liu Haizhong’s matter is definitely not simple.” Yang Liming spoke first, and to avoid trouble, he directly suggested that Liu Haizhong be dismissed in one go.

Secretary Su, however, figured out the deeper meaning behind the police call. "In my opinion, they want to put Liu Haizhong under surveillance. We've already given him a punishment, so let's just leave it as it is!"

Li Huaide naturally supported Secretary Su's opinion. Yang Liming wasn't stupid either; upon hearing Secretary Su's suggestion, he immediately understood the underlying meaning and readily agreed.

That's settled then. Tomorrow, when Liu Haizhong arrives at the factory, the punishment notice will be read aloud. The reason is simple—he concealed his family background. With these three "giants" of the steel rolling mill rarely reaching a consensus, the punishment for Liu Haizhong was quickly approved.

On the other side, Liu Haizhong, who lived in the courtyard, immediately bent down when he saw the street office staff.

Officer Li glanced at him and said, "Liu Haizhong, the Public Security Bureau has already notified the street office about your case. Acting Director Wang will be coming over tonight to hold a meeting for the entire staff to discuss your family's situation. Remember, everyone in your family must be here; no leave is allowed."

Liu Haizhong looked troubled: "Officer Li, everyone else in the family can come, except for Liu Guangtian..." Mentioning Liu Guangtian, he gritted his teeth, unable to suppress the hatred in his heart.

"Don't worry about Liu Guangtian, just get the rest of the family together." Officer Li said, leading Liu Haizhong to the door of the east wing in the backyard and helping to remove the seal. "Go in. The police only searched the place and didn't touch anything. See if anything is missing."

Liu Haizhong entered the room, glanced around, and saw that everything was there. He shook his head and said, "Nothing is missing."

"Remember the meeting tonight, the whole family must be present," Officer Li reminded them before leaving.

After Officer Li left, Liu Haizhong plopped down on a bench, his teeth grinding together as he cursed, "That son of a bitch Liu Guangtian! I fed you and fed you, and you raised such an ingrate who dared to report me as a traitor! He's got a death wish!"

He called out, "Guangqi!" wanting to call Liu Guangqi over and ask what might be said at the meeting that evening. But Liu Guangqi just sat there blankly. Liu Haizhong thought he had been frightened into a stupor, so he quickly went over and shook him, calling, "Guangqi! Guangqi!"

Liu Guangqi then realized what was happening and frowned, saying, "Dad, what's the use of saying all this now?" He was also very upset at the moment. Although the matter of his father being reported as a traitor had been investigated and cleared, the falsification of the family's social class was a certainty. Moreover, he had been taken away by the police in full view of everyone that day, and he was afraid that he would have no future at the fertilizer factory.

“Dad, it’s too late for us to say anything now,” Liu Guangqi rarely complained to Liu Haizhong, “Why did you think of hiding our family background back then?”

“I didn’t mean to hide it,” Liu Haizhong said anxiously. “Back then, people asked if my family owned any land in the village, and I said no, that’s all.”

"But you have to explain clearly what happened with the land before!" Liu Guangqi said angrily.

Liu Haizhong slammed his hand on the table and cursed, "It's all that son of a bitch Liu Guangtian's fault!"

Liu Guangfu, who was trembling with fear, mustered up his courage and stole a glance at him. "You called my second brother a son of a bitch, then what are you? An old dog?"

Chapter 202 Severing Ties

As soon as Zhang Erhe returned home that evening, Zhang Jiao came up to him, looked up and asked, "Dad, can you take me to the meeting tonight? Sister Xiaoyu said she's going."

"A meeting? What kind of meeting?" Zhang Erhe was still a little confused.

Guan Xue walked over at this moment, took the bag from Zhang Erhe's hand and put it on the table, saying, "I don't know. The street office staff came over this afternoon to inform us that there will be a courtyard meeting tonight."

Zhang Erhe's mind raced, and he asked, "Has Liu Haizhong from the backyard returned?"

"They're back," Guan Xue replied. "They came back in the afternoon, but it seems like there were only four of them. Liu Guangtian didn't come back. Did Liu Guangtian do something wrong?"

Zhang Erhe chuckled: "You've got it wrong. Liu Guangtian is a 'hero' now."

"What kind of meritorious person?" Guan Xue asked curiously.

"You'll find out tonight," Zhang Erhe replied.

At seven o'clock sharp, the people in the courtyard had already gathered together. In the past, this was Liu Haizhong's favorite time—a large table was set in the middle, three old men sat on the sides, and the people in the courtyard surrounded them, the scene resembling that of peasants meeting officials. Unfortunately, today, this scene is completely gone.

Liu Haizhong and his family stood in front of the pillars, Liu himself with a grim face. In the middle of the courtyard, Director Wang, leading two staff members, looked around and asked, "Is everyone in the courtyard here? Each family must send at least one representative."

"Everyone's here." Xu Damao said smugly, winking at Sha Zhu!

“Alright, now that everyone’s here, let’s have a meeting in this courtyard tonight.” Director Wang cleared his throat. “First, let’s make a brief statement. Liu Haizhong, come stand in the middle of the courtyard.”

When Liu Haizhong heard his name called, he reluctantly moved to the middle of the courtyard.

"As you all know, Liu Haizhong and his family were taken away for investigation a couple of days ago," Director Wang said. "The reason is that Liu Haizhong concealed his family background. He was the son of a landlord, but he shamelessly claimed that his family was poor peasants. This behavior is extremely irresponsible to the organization and the country, and we must criticize it!"

Using this incident as an excuse, Director Wang blatantly settled a personal score, giving Liu Haizhong a severe dressing-down. As Liu Haizhong listened, seeing Director Wang becoming increasingly agitated, he suddenly collapsed to the ground, as if he had been frightened.

"Get up! Liu Haizhong, are you dissatisfied with the organization?" Director Wang demanded.

"No, no." Liu Haizhong quickly got up.

Director Wang continued his criticism for a while, then stopped as it grew late: "Next, I will read out the street office's punishment for Liu Haizhong's family for concealing their family background. Liu Haizhong, starting today, your family will be responsible for cleaning the public toilet in courtyard number 95 for a year. During weekends, you must report to the street office for labor reform. Liu Guangqi, you must also participate." He glanced at Liu Guangfu, "Liu Guangfu is still young and will be exempt from this punishment. Do you understand?"

Liu Haizhong hung his head and replied in a muffled voice, "Understood, Director Wang."

"Alright, let's move on to the second item." Director Wang waved towards the hanging flower gate, "Liu Guangtian."

Liu Guangtian walked in timidly.

"The organization was able to discover that Liu Haizhong's family had falsified their social class status thanks entirely to Liu Guangtian's courage in exposing his own family member," Director Wang said. "The organization has decided that Liu Guangtian's social class status will remain poor peasant, and he will be completely cut off from Liu Haizhong's family. To ensure Liu Guangtian's livelihood, the subdistrict office has allocated him a small house in the front yard near the main gate. Liu Guangtian, come to the subdistrict office tomorrow morning, and I will help you complete the necessary procedures."

"Understood, Director Wang," Liu Guangtian replied somewhat reservedly.

The people in the courtyard looked at him with different expressions—no one expected that Liu Guangtian, who was usually inconspicuous in the courtyard, would actually report his own father. He was a ruthless person who was actually a shrew. They had to be careful in the future.

Liu Guangtian met the gazes of the crowd, some envious, some fearful, and some disdainful. He clenched his fists, thinking to himself: I don't care what you think, at least I have my own house and a job, I'm much better off than you all!

"Alright," Director Wang clapped his hands. "One last thing, don't you dare cause me any more trouble in your department!" As he spoke, his gaze swept over Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui, then looked at Zhang Erhe, but Zhang Erhe completely ignored him. Yi Zhonghai and Yan Bugui lowered their heads in fear.

Seeing that Zhang Erhe was ignoring him, Acting Director Wang felt somewhat helpless. He was just a clerk now, while Zhang Erhe was at least a deputy section chief; things were different now.

"Meeting adjourned!" she shouted, and left with the street office staff.

Liu Haizhong watched Liu Guangtian walk towards the front yard, his anger rising, and shouted loudly, "Liu Guangtian, stop right there!"

Liu Guangtian was taken aback at first, then, as if he had thought of something, he turned his head and asked, "Liu Haizhong, what are you doing?"

"Fine, fine, you won't even call me 'Dad' anymore?" Liu Haizhong trembled with anger.

Liu Guangtian clenched his fist: "I've already severed ties with you."

“Sever ties? You’re still my son! If you’re so capable, why don’t you learn from that…that…” Liu Haizhong said, but suddenly couldn’t remember the name and scratched his head in frustration.

Liu Guangqi, standing next to him, added quietly, "Learn from Nezha: cut off your flesh to return to your father, and cut off your bones to return to your mother."

“You…” Liu Guangtian didn’t expect Liu Guangqi to say that. Just as he was about to retort, Zhang Erhe came over.

"Fatty Liu, are you unhappy with the neighborhood committee's punishment?"

Liu Haizhong didn't want to offend Zhang Erhe, but he was forced into a corner, so he had no choice but to shout, "Zhang Erhe, this is a family matter!"

"What nonsense about family matters!" Zhang Erhe retorted. "Didn't you hear what the neighborhood committee said? Guangtian has severed all ties with you. From now on, you two have absolutely no connection except for sharing the same surname, Liu!"

“That’s right!” Liu Guangtian first looked at Zhang Erhe with gratitude, then echoed, “Liu Haizhong, I have nothing to do with your family.”

"Fine, fine, fine!" Liu Haizhong was furious. He glared at Zhang Erhe and then looked at Liu Guangtian. "Liu Guangtian, remember this: don't ever come to me for help again!"