The entire courtyard is full of villains

Upon hearing this, the neighbors who were about to leave for work couldn't help but chuckle. "Counting pickled vegetables"—wasn't that referring to Yan Bugui's family? Before they lost their money, they used to count their pickled vegetables, but now that they've lost everything, they probably can't even count the pickled vegetables by the piece; they'll have to count them by the section!

Yang Ruihua could no longer contain herself. She threw the firewood on the ground and was about to speak when Yan Bugui rushed out of the house and dragged her inside.

"Grandma! Please stop causing me trouble!"

Zhang Erhe was enjoying himself when Xu Damao came over from the backyard pushing his bicycle: "Section Chief Zhang, shall we go to work together?"

"Da Mao, let's go!"

"Sycophant!" Sha Zhu cursed as he came out of the courtyard.

Zhang Erhe remained silent, but Xu Damao interrupted, "Silly Zhu, you're just jealous! Section Chief Zhang and I both have bicycles. What about you? You've been a cook for so many years, have you even acquired a big-ticket item?"

"Xu Damao, what are you so smug about? Isn't that bicycle from the factory?"

"It's from the factory, but I can ride to work! Unlike some people who have worked in the factory for seven or eight years and still have to walk!"

"You!" Sha Zhu rolled up his sleeves in anger.

Zhang Erhe glanced at him coldly: "What, you idiot Zhu?"

"I...I can't be bothered arguing with you guys!" Sha Zhu turned around and walked back, muttering, "I must have been out of my mind to come out so early...and I've just gotten myself all worked up!"

When they arrived at the factory, Li Huaide hadn't arrived yet. Zhang Erhe waited in his office for a while before Li Huaide finally came and led him to the logistics department. Everyone knew that Zhang Erhe was Li Huaide's protégé, so they all gave him plenty of face.

After exchanging pleasantries, it was nearly noon.

"Come on, Erhe, let's have a special meal today and have some fun together at noon!"

"Come on, Brother Li," Zhang Erhe waved his hand. "Sha Zhu is in charge of cooking now, and I don't get along with him. Who knows what kind of bad stuff that kid might put in the food."

"Surely not?" Li Huaide was skeptical. "Although Sha Zhu is unreliable, cooking is his livelihood. Would he dare to do something like this?"

"That's hard to say. Brother Li, Sha Zhu is notoriously brainless." Zhang Erhe lowered his voice. "I'll try to find you a chef later, whose skills are definitely no worse than Sha Zhu's."

“Alright.” Li Huaide pondered for a moment and nodded. “This silly Zhu has said some sarcastic things in the cafeteria several times. People like that… really can’t be used.”

At the grain store, Yan Jiecheng was kicked out of his home by Yan Bugui early in the morning.

"Everyone at the steel rolling mill has started work, and you, a day laborer, are still complaining that you haven't had enough of the New Year? Your family is almost out of pickled vegetables, and your savings have been emptied, yet you still don't know how to go out and earn money!"

Yan Bugui also packed up and rode his bike towards Houhai—saying he was going to break an ice hole to fish.

Yan Jiecheng arrived at the Third Grain Store looking disheveled. When he saw Lao Li, the clerk who assigned odd jobs, he quickly pulled out a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes with filters from his pocket—he had been reluctant to buy these cigarettes for a long time.

"Brother Li, Happy New Year! Have a cigarette."

Just as Old Li was about to answer, he suddenly seemed to remember something and looked him over carefully: "Aren't you called Yan Jiecheng?"

"Yes, Brother Li!" Yan Jiecheng thought something good had happened.

"It's you." Old Li waved his hand. "You don't need to come anymore. The Third Grain Station won't assign you any more work."

"What?" Yan Jiecheng was immediately alarmed. Working odd jobs at the grain station was a lucrative job—although carrying flour and moving grain was tiring, the pay was high, and after finishing the work, he could buy some coarse grains without coupons. Everyone in the area was scrambling to do this job, and he had finally managed to squeeze in, only to hear this bolt from the blue today.

"Brother Li, why...?"

"Why?" Old Li glanced at him. "Yan Jiecheng, don't you know the answer? Brother Wu made a special trip to make arrangements."

"Brother Wu?" Yan Jiecheng was dumbfounded.

"Yes, Brother Wu personally made the arrangements. I advise you to go find him quickly to clear up the misunderstanding, otherwise, no one will dare to hire you, not even at the grain station, coal shops, or vegetable markets."

Yan Jiecheng stood there blankly, muttering, "Who exactly is Brother Wu San?" Old Li sighed, turned around, and left.

He stood there stunned for a long time, thinking he might as well just snatch the job and do it; surely Old Li wouldn't stop him? Unexpectedly, Old Li was prepared and had sent two people to keep an eye on him. Yan Jiecheng had barely inch inside when he was immediately chased out.

With no other option, he walked home dejectedly.

Yang Ruihua was busy inside—as Lao Yan had instructed, she had to chop the pickled vegetables into sections, then into small cubes, with each person only allowed five small pieces per meal. She looked up and saw her son:

"Jiecheng, why are you back? Was there no work at the grain station today?"

“Mom,” Yan Jiecheng said with a mournful face, “I was kicked out of the grain station… They said a man named Brother Wu San said that I wouldn’t be allowed to work at the grain station anymore.”

"Brother Wu the Third?" Yang Ruihua paused, his knife still in his hand. "Who exactly is this Brother Wu the Third?"

Chapter 111 is equally impressive

The mother and son sat facing each other, racking their brains for an entire afternoon, but couldn't recall offending anyone with the surname "Wu" recently.

Around four o'clock, Yan Bugui returned from outside, almost frozen solid—someone had told him that in winter, breaking through ice holes to fish meant you'd catch a fish every time. He ended up spending half a day on the ice, nearly freezing to death, without even catching a single fish scale.

He rubbed his hands as he entered the house, only to find his son Yan Jiecheng and daughter-in-law Yang Ruihua sitting face to face, both with long faces and gloomy expressions.

"Jiecheng, didn't you go to work at the grain store today?" Yan Bugui asked.

"Dad..." Yan Jiecheng began, his voice trembling with tears, "The clerk at the grain store said today that I offended Brother Wu, and that they won't be assigning me any more work in the future!"

"Brother Wu the Third?" Yan Bugui was completely confused. "Who is Brother Wu the Third?"

"I've thought about it a lot, but I don't know any important person at all. Dad, is it... has someone you've offended recently?"

"Me? Who could I possibly offend? It's just Zhang Erhe from across the street..." Yan Bugui muttered, then suddenly paused, "Wait! You mean Brother Wu? Old Yang, where does he rank among Zhang Erhe's sworn brothers?"

"Second place."

"What about the third brother? Who is the third brother?"

"Third brother...I think I heard his surname is Wu, and his name is...Wu Qian?"

"Bang!" Yan Bugui slammed his hand on the table. "That's right! The third brother's name is Wu Qian! Third Brother Wu... So Third Brother Wu is him!"

"No way?" Yan Jiecheng's eyes widened. He wasn't unfamiliar with Wu Qian; he had run into him when Wu Qian came to the courtyard to see Zhang Erhe before. The man looked thin and small, always with a smiling face. He never expected that he was the famous "Third Brother Wu" outside!

"Dad, what do we do now? They've said that if I don't clear up the misunderstanding with Brother Wu, I'll never get a decent odd job again!"

"Resolve it? Easier said than done..." Yan Bugui sighed deeply. The previous matter wasn't settled yet, and just two days ago, Yang Ruihua had gone out of his way to mock Zhang Erhe, embarrassing him. That very evening, news came that Zhang Erhe had been promoted to deputy section chief, making their family the laughingstock of the entire hospital. Didn't you see? Even Guan Xue, who has such a good temper, couldn't help but retort to Yang Ruihua. Now, how could they possibly resolve the feud?

Left with no other option, Yan Bugui said to his son, "Jiecheng, how about... you try going to a grain station further away tomorrow?"

Yan Jiecheng had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

He set off early the next morning. Since the grain station near his home couldn't do business, he decided to try his luck on other streets. But after visiting several grain stations, they turned him away as soon as they heard his surname was Yan, without even asking his full name.

Undeterred, Yan Jiecheng went to the coal shop and the vegetable market to look for work, but to no avail.

Around noon, he returned home looking disheveled. Yan Bugui, seeing his appearance, immediately understood most of the situation, but still couldn't help asking, "Jiecheng, how did it go?"

“Dad, it won’t work… The grain station kicked me out as soon as they heard my surname was Yan. I also asked the coal shop and the vegetable market, but they still wouldn’t take me.”

Yan Bugui was extremely worried after hearing this. After their savings were depleted, they were counting on Yan Jiecheng to take on odd jobs to supplement their income. Now, their son couldn't even find odd jobs anymore; wasn't this forcing their family to their doom?

However, Yan Bugui did not expect that this was just the beginning.

A little over ten days later, Sesame Alley Elementary School opened. Yan Bugui put down his fishing rod and bucket and rushed to the school to prepare for the start of the semester. But as soon as he entered the school, the principal called him into his office, and what followed was a bolt from the blue.

"Teacher Yan Bugui, as you know, although our school is not large, we are quite responsible in managing our students."

Yan Bugui was completely confused: "Principal, what are you trying to say?"

“Since that’s the case, I’ll be frank.” The principal cleared his throat. “I’ve received a lot of complaints these past two days about you skipping classes and soliciting bribes from students’ parents… The school committee has decided to suspend you from your duties temporarily.”

"What?!" Yan Bugui's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground. "Principal, you can't do this! I've worked diligently and conscientiously at the school for so many years..."

“Teacher Yan Bugui,” the principal interrupted him, his tone sarcastic, “the words ‘conscientious’ and ‘down-to-earth’ don’t seem to suit you very well, do they? We’re both educated people. If you’re respectable, I’ll make you respectable; if you’re not…” The principal paused, then said meaningfully, “then don’t blame me for making you respectable.”

“Starting tomorrow, you’ll be in the cleaning department, responsible for cleaning the classrooms. If you cause any more trouble…” The principal gave him a cold glance, “I might have no choice but to ask you to clean the toilets.”

"No! No! Principal, I'll go! I'll clean the classroom!" Yan Bugui immediately yielded and agreed.

Cleaning the classroom is better than cleaning the toilets—that's the only way he could console himself.

What?

It was almost six o'clock in the evening when Yan Bugui finally dragged his heavy steps home from get off work. As soon as he entered, Yang Ruihua's heart sank at his dejected appearance. After learning the reason—Yan Bugui had been transferred to be a cleaner, and his salary was only eighteen yuan and fifty cents—she was furious.

"Old Yan, is this...is this real?" Yang Ruihua still couldn't quite believe it.

"The principal told me personally that he had received a large number of reports... Sigh!"

"Bullshit reports! It's definitely Zhang Erhe who did it!" Yang Ruihua turned and was about to rush out.

Yan Bugui quickly grabbed her: "Old Yang! What are you doing?"

"Let me go! I'm going to settle accounts with that bastard Zhang Erhe over there! He's making our family's life miserable, so I'll make him pay!"

"Hey! My dear Lao Yang, stop messing around! If you keep this up, believe me, I might lose even this 18.5 yuan job!"

Yang Ruihua was trembling with rage. Pointing her finger at Yan Bugui's nose, she yelled, "Yan Bugui! How could I have married such a coward! They've already put a knife to our throats, and you're still hiding here? Huh? Before, when you were a teacher, we had to avoid Zhang Erhe for the sake of our reputation, but now that you're a janitor, what are you afraid of? If you're so capable, let him get your school to expel you! If you don't go and make a scene with Zhang Erhe, he'll think our family is easy prey!"

She became more and more agitated as she spoke, struggling to break free: "Let go! You're not a man! You have no balls! Get out of my way, I'll make a scene! For the sake of our family, I'm going to have a serious talk with Zhang Erhe today!"

Yang Ruihua's words pierced Yan Bugui's heart like a needle, shattering his last shred of pride.

"Fine! Fine! Fine!" He was desperate, and abruptly shook off her hand. "Since you insist on making trouble, then let's make trouble! At worst, our whole family will die together!"

He thought his words would scare Yang Ruihua, but Yang Ruihua had already lost control today—they had been pointed at and talked about in the courtyard these past few days, and Guan Xue had been criticizing them. The pent-up anger from the open and veiled sarcasm had long since exploded.

Without saying a word, she rushed to the opposite door and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Zhang Erhe! Come out here! You have the guts to do such a despicable thing, you have the guts to stand up!"

Upon hearing about the "immoral act," the people in the courtyard immediately gathered around. Liu Haizhong's wife feigned concern and asked, "Ruihua, calm down. What did Zhang Erhe do to your family this time?"

Seeing that everyone in the courtyard had arrived, Yang Ruihua's desire to perform suddenly surged. Slapping her thigh, she began to wail, "Everyone, please be the judge! The leaders in other courtyards are all thinking about how to benefit their neighbors. But our courtyard is different. We have a 'leader' like Zhang Erhe who keeps harming people! Not only did he get Jia Jiadongxu imprisoned, but now he's not letting our family make a living! My husband Jiecheng can't even find odd jobs now. He stays at home crying all day long, and we've already put up with all this..."

Her tone shifted abruptly, and she burst into tears: "But he shouldn't have, he shouldn't have, extended his evil clutches to my husband, Lao Yan! Lao Yan is such a good teacher, he's taught for so many years, and now he's been reported and forced to clean classrooms! Zhang Erhe! You're not human! Come out here!"

After saying that, Yang Ruihua plopped down on the ground and burst into tears, waving her arms and legs wildly. Her demeanor and skill were no less than those of Jia Zhangshi, the "senior" in the courtyard.

Chapter 112 Beating People Like Hanging a Painting

"Zhang Erhe! You coward! If you're so capable, then step forward! Don't cower in your room like a turtle!"

Yang Ruihua screamed and cried in the courtyard for a long time, but the doors and windows of the east wing were tightly closed and there was no sound.

“Sister Yang,” a resident of the back house spoke up, “this afternoon I saw Zhang Erhe pushing his bicycle, taking Zhang Jiao and Guan Xue out. Perhaps… they’re not home at all right now.”

"What?" Yang Ruihua was stunned. He quickly got up from the ground and rushed to the window of Zhang Erhe's house to look inside. Sure enough, the door was locked, the house was dark, and there was not a single person in sight.

Her face turned pale and then red, realizing that all her tantrums and outbursts had been a waste of breath.

"Pfft—" Someone in the crowd laughed first, and then everyone burst into laughter.

Yan Bugui's face turned ashen with rage. He grabbed Yang Ruihua's arm and hissed, "You stupid woman! You should at least pick a time when people are home to cause trouble! Who are you putting on this show for if no one's here?"