The entire courtyard is full of villains

He couldn't make the decision himself, so he arranged for a teacher to stay at the hospital to take care of the patient while he rushed to the district education bureau to report.

The education bureau leaders were also deeply troubled by this matter. If they ignored Yan Bugui, and the Yan family went out to cause trouble, people would definitely accuse the education bureau of being heartless; but if they did intervene, given the Yan family's situation, it was clearly a bottomless pit.

Left with no other option, the bureau called a meeting with several relevant leaders. During the discussion, a senior staff member proposed a compromise: Yan Bugui's condition couldn't be completely ignored, but intervention had to be limited. Since he was paralyzed and unable to continue teaching, Yang Ruihua could fill in. However, she couldn't teach; she would have to work as a cleaner, earning 22 yuan a month. The education bureau would cover Yan Bugui's hospitalization expenses, but would not be responsible for subsequent rehabilitation and treatment costs.

Upon hearing this plan, the director and Principal Cheng's eyes lit up, and they immediately decided: Let's do it this way!

Upon receiving the instructions, Principal Cheng rushed back to the hospital. Yang Ruihua, having finished her glucose infusion, stood guard by Yan Bugui's bedside with swollen eyes. Seeing this, Principal Cheng sighed inwardly, called her outside, and told her about the Education Bureau's decision.

After hearing this, Yang Ruihua felt a jumble of emotions. Although she herself longed for a job, she knew she lacked experience and knowledge, so she hesitated before speaking, "Principal Cheng, as you know, I'm just a housewife, I don't know anything... How about we wait until my husband, Lao Yan, wakes up, and then I'll discuss it with him?"

"Well... alright then." Seeing this, Principal Cheng had no choice but to agree to this for now.

Chapter 151 Call Me Second Uncle

At Qianmen Railway Station, Zhang Erhe leaned listlessly against the hood of the train, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He turned to Wu Qian and asked, "Qian'er, are you sure we're arriving today?"

"I guarantee I'll be there, Second Brother!" Wu Qian quickly replied. "When the editor-in-chief sent me a telegram after seeing the person off on the train, look." He took out a telegram, which did indeed have a date on it.

"Why isn't it here yet?" Zhang Erhe asked impatiently.

"Perhaps it's a bit late."

"Alright. Is the sign ready?"

"It's ready, take a look." Wu Qian said, holding up a sign that read: Yi Laonian.

"Wow! There really is someone with that name?"

“That’s right,” Wu Qian laughed. “That’s what everyone in the village calls him.”

As they were talking, a thin, bony old man led a frightened old woman timidly to their side.

"You two leaders..."

"you are?"

The old man pointed to the sign in Wu Qian's hand: "I...I am Yi Laonian." As he spoke, he carefully took out his letter of introduction, "Look, leader."

Zhang Erhe took it and saw that it really was "Yi Laonian".

"Alright, let's get in the car first."

"Sir, I... I can walk there. I'm all dirty, I don't want to get your car dirty..."

"Get in the car!" Zhang Erhe waved his hand.

Only then did Yi Laonian lead his wife carefully into the car. Wu Qian tore off the sign, rolled it up, threw it into the car, and sat in the passenger seat.

The car started moving, and Wu Qian looked back at the two people in the back seat who looked terrified. He asked somewhat uncertainly, "Yi Zhonghai... is he really your nephew?"

“Yes, yes, he is my nephew. But he doesn’t have this name in our village—his brother is called Big Dog, and he’s called Second Dog. We used to… thought he was dead.” As Yi Laonian spoke, a hint of hatred gradually appeared in his eyes. “A while ago, the police came to the village to investigate, and that’s when we found out… he was still alive.”

"Oh ho," Wu Qian said, intrigued. "Judging from your tone, you two have a grudge?"

"Of course!" Old Man Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Back then, it was he who came up with the idea to steal the landlord Wang Manyin's dog! After being discovered, he led the way and ran away, leaving his brother, Big Dog... and my son behind, who were caught by Wang Manyin's henchmen. I sold all the grain and the house in the village, but I still couldn't get them back from Wang Manyin... They were both... whipped to death by Wang Manyin in front of the whole village with a horsewhip!"

Even after all these years, Yi Laonian's eyes still burned with hatred as he spoke these words, and his wife beside him covered her face and sobbed.

"To be honest with you two leaders," Old Man Yi's voice was hoarse, "my eldest brother died young, and my son and I lost our parents when they were just over ten years old. They were only kept alive by my wife and me. That kid Er Gouzi has been a troublemaker since he was a child... but I never imagined he could be this bad! I thought things would get better when the kids were older, but who knew he... he directly caused the deaths of his brother and my son!"

He wiped his face and continued, "I sold all the grain and the house in the house to get two corpses... We all thought he had died out there because he hadn't returned to the village for so many years. But we never expected... The police came to inquire a few days ago and found out he was still alive."

"Alright," Zhang Erhe nodded, "Do you know why I called you here this time?"

Yi Laonian shook his head: "I don't know."

“Then let me tell you,” Zhang Erhe said in a softer tone, “Yi Zhonghai…” Seeing that Yi Laonian looked blank, he explained, “that is, Er Gouzi. He used to be a senior technician and master craftsman in the factory. He could earn at least a hundred a month.”

"My God! How much?!" Old Man Yi's eyes widened, and his wife beside him was also shocked.

"A little over a hundred. With apprentice subsidies and overtime pay, you can easily make a thousand or so a year."

"Good heavens... has Er Gouzi become so rich now?"

“That’s right,” Zhang Erhe changed the subject, “but Lao Nian is currently taking care of an old lady, treating her like his own mother.”

"That bastard!" Old Man Yi cursed immediately. "His parents died early, and he's never shown me any filial piety like this since he came back to his hometown all these years!"

"Well, I'll be frank," Zhang Erhe leaned forward. "Since you have a grudge against him, and I have a grudge against Yi Zhonghai, the reason I called you here is to have you stay at the Yi family's house—Yi Zhonghai is a very proud man these days. You'll stay there and find ways to make things difficult for him, to make him lose money and face... Can you do that?"

"Alright, boss!" Old Yi gritted his teeth and said, "As long as it can teach Er Gouzi a lesson, as long as it can make him suffer, I'm definitely willing to do it! But... what if Er Gouzi turns against me..."

“He wouldn’t dare.” Zhang Erhe’s lips curled up. “That Er Gouzi is always in the yard these days, saying things like ‘There are no bad elders in the world, only bad children.’ You are his second uncle and aunt, you raised him—if he dares to lay a finger on you, I’ll be the first to not let him off the hook!”

"That's good! Boss, with your assurance, I'll definitely do it! I'll do it even if I don't get paid!"

“No way,” Zhang Erhe waved his hand. “I’m a man of principle. If you do this for me, you’ll be well paid. If this is done, I’ll give you and your wife a thousand yuan and build you a brick house back in our hometown.”

Yi Laonian chuckled, but there was no warmth in his eyes: "Boss, since you've put it that way, I, Lao Nian, will shamelessly accept it. But that brick house... don't build it. My family line has ended, and building a house would only benefit Er Gouzi's descendants. Just give me the cash directly—I'll enjoy every day I'm comfortable!"

Seeing Yi Laonian's listless appearance, Zhang Erhe knew that the old man was not as "honest" as he seemed. However, he didn't care.

"Alright, old man. Since you don't want the brick house, I'll give you the cash instead. But even if you do build the house, it won't end up in Er Gouzi's descendants' hands."

"Why, boss?" Old Yi asked, looking surprised.

“Because,” Zhang Erhe said slowly, “that Er Gouzi… he’s also gone without offspring.”

"Oh my! Heaven has eyes!" Old Man Yi's voice trembled with excitement. "That bastard! It must be because God saw how many bad things he had done, even trying to kill his own family, that He didn't let him leave behind a single son or daughter! The ancestors of the Yi family... probably didn't want our bloodline to remain in this beast!"

Zhang Erhe and Wu Qian exchanged a glance—it seemed that the hatred between Yi Zhonghai and Yi Laonian ran deep to the core.

After a long while, Yi Laonian finally calmed down. "Sir, please forgive my embarrassment."

"No, no, it's just that Er Gouzi is too dishonest."

"That's right! Don't worry, leader, once we get to Yi Zhonghai's house... if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west; if you tell me to chase chickens, I'll never chase dogs!"

"That's good." Seeing how cooperative he was, Zhang Erhe was very satisfied. He took out a hundred yuan and handed it to Wu Qian: "Later, take the old couple to buy some decent clothes."

"No, no, no! Leader," Old Man Yi hurriedly waved his hand, "I won't buy the clothes! I'll just go to the door in this outfit, so everyone in the courtyard can see how heartless Yi Zhonghai is—all these years, he hasn't even cared about his second uncle and aunt!"

"Well done, Lao Nian, you've gotten into character so quickly? Great!"

Yi Laonian chuckled: "If the leader thinks it's good, then it's good."

“However, there’s something I need to make clear beforehand.” Zhang Erhe paused, then smiled brightly. “To outsiders, we’ll say we’re sworn brothers. You’ll call me ‘Second Brother,’ and I’ll call you ‘Big Brother.’”

"This...this won't do, boss! How could I possibly take advantage of you like that?"

“No, that’s how it has to be done.” Zhang Erhe said firmly, “If you don’t call me ‘Second Brother,’ how can I get Yi Zhonghai to… obediently call me ‘Second Uncle’?”

P.S.: My dear brothers, I was too tired the other day, so I'm taking a short break these past couple of days and then picking up the update speed again. Although it's only two chapters, they're both around 2,000 words each, so the two chapters combined are over 5000 words. Anyone else could split that into three chapters and still post it! The readership of this book is slowly picking up, and I'm so grateful to all my good brothers, I'll bow down in respect!

Chapter 152 What a great nephew!

The car quickly arrived at the alley entrance. Mr. and Mrs. Yi couldn't wait to get out—before coming to Beijing, the best car they'd ever ridden in was probably the donkey cart they'd hired for their wedding. This car was probably worse than even their county magistrate's car, and sitting inside it made them feel quite uneasy.

Zhang Erhe also got out of the car and casually tossed the keys to Wu Qian: "You've always wanted to drive, haven't you? Here, take it and drive it around tonight, then deliver it to the factory first thing tomorrow morning."

"Alright, Second Brother! That's what I've been waiting for!" Wu Qian grabbed the keys, got into the car with a grin, and clumsily but excitedly drove off.

Zhang Erhe wasn't worried. There were few cars on the street right now, and Wu Qian was a careful person, so nothing bad would happen.

"Let's go, brother."

"Hey!" Old Master Yi straightened his hunched back. "Let's go, Second Brother!"

Zhang Erhe laughed heartily and led the two men into the courtyard. Upon reaching the gate, Old Man Yi looked up at the gatehouse and couldn't help but click his tongue, "Goodness... Second Brother, your house is truly... truly magnificent! Even the landlords' houses back home don't have such a grand entrance!"

"Hey, old brother, do you think this is? It's the capital, right under the emperor's nose! But living here is just so-so, not even as spacious as your village. There are plenty of families crammed into two rooms."

Old Yi, though seemingly unassuming, replied sweetly, "That depends on where those two rooms are—two rooms under the emperor's nose are always better than those in our remote mountain village!"

Upon entering the front yard, Zhang Erhe raised an eyebrow—the Yan family's door was wide open, but he didn't see Yan Bugui or any other members of the Yan family. He was unaware that he had indirectly "sent" Yan Bugui to the hospital for the second time.

Upon entering the Intermediate People's Court, it was just after get off work hours. A group of men were gathered around a tap washing up. Yi Zhonghai was among them, secretly worried: there was still no news from Director Yang, Sha Zhu was still locked up in the security department, and the old lady had no other options... What would he do if Zhu Zi really got sentenced?

Just then, Liu Haizhong came over and said, "Old Yi, I heard Old Yan is in the hospital? Shall we... go and see him?"

Yi Zhonghai was jolted by his push: "Old Yan is in the hospital? Who told you that?"

"My husband said that someone from the school came and told us that Lao Yan vomited blood and fainted at school. His aunt has already gone there but hasn't come back yet. How about... we go and check on him?"

"My husband said so. The school called today to say that Lao Yan vomited blood and fainted at school. His aunt has already gone there but hasn't come back yet. How about... we go to the hospital to check on him?"

At this moment, Xu Damao interjected, "Uncle Liu, Yan Bugui's reputation is completely ruined now. Are we still going to see him? Aren't we afraid of being laughed at?"

"Da Mao!" Yi Zhonghai said sternly, "Old Yan is your elder, after all. The police haven't even determined the nature of his case yet, and you're already saying he's 'ruined'? At the very least, we're all neighbors in the same compound, living here for so many years. He's in the hospital, and you don't have a shred of sympathy, instead you're making sarcastic remarks?"

He paused, then looked around at the people in the courtyard: "I know there have been a lot of rumors circulating these past few days. But the police haven't even reached a conclusion yet, and you're all already so eager to kick Lao Yan while he's down—what are you up to?"

These words sounded grand and dignified, and many people in the courtyard lowered their heads upon hearing them. Liu Haizhong, standing to the side, felt increasingly uncomfortable, while Yi Zhonghai, though inwardly pleased, still wore a pained expression.

"Alright, everyone send one person from each family to come with me to the hospital to see Old Yan later. That's settled then!"

"Bravo!" a voice came from the front door, accompanied by a few rounds of applause.

Yi Zhonghai looked over and saw Zhang Erhe leading a frail elderly couple in. He frowned—the old man looked vaguely familiar. But he maintained his composure: "Zhang Erhe, since you're here, that's good. I know there's some tension between your two families, but Old Yan is in the hospital now, so please be understanding and come with us to visit him. We'll be neighbors in the same building eventually, so don't let things become so distant. Besides, regarding your two families' situation… are you completely without fault?"

Zhang Erhe didn't respond to him, but instead turned to Yi Laonian beside him: "Brother, did you hear that? Yi Zhonghai is really good at talking now."

“Of course!” Old Man Yi chimed in, “I never realized it back in the village, but now… you’ve become quite the smooth talker!”

As he spoke, he took two steps forward, stared at Yi Zhonghai, and clearly called out:

"Er Gouzi!"

boom!

The three words "Er Gouzi" exploded like a thunderclap in Yi Zhonghai's mind.

Ever since he escaped from the village and came to Fengtian City to make a living, no one has called him by that name for decades.

The people in the courtyard suddenly started buzzing with discussion:

Who is this old man?

"Zhang Erhe led him in. Who did he call 'Er Gouzi' just now?"

"Does anyone in our department have that name? I don't think so..."

Yi Laonian had already walked up to Yi Zhonghai and slapped him across the face.