Siheyuan, don't mess with me

"Why can't I do anything about it? When your family has money, you spend lavishly. When you have no money, you ask everyone for help. Everyone helps you, but you are still picky and complain that Grandma Hu doesn't give enough money! Does it make sense? It's you who decides how much money to donate!" How could Chen Zhiguo let Jia Zhang be so arrogant and domineering? He shouldn't indulge her!

"Uncle, do you think this donation is voluntary?" Chen Zhiguo continued to stare at Yi Zhonghai.

"Of course it's voluntary! It's all neighbors helping each other!"

"Well, I won't donate this money!" Chen Zhiguo stepped forward and took out a dollar from the donation box. He gestured to Yan Bugui, but didn't put it in his pocket. He just held it in his hand.

"What are you doing?" Yi Zhonghai was a little angry. This guy was challenging his authority!

"Three uncles, dear neighbors, I have reason to believe that the Jia family is using the excuse of renovating the house to defraud everyone's money!" Chen Zhiguo started throwing bombs!

"What?" "I thought so too." "Is it really possible for people like the Jia family to do this?" The residents of the courtyard began to discuss.

"Chen Zhiguo, what nonsense are you talking about?" Yi Zhonghai shouted angrily.

"You little bastard, you are talking nonsense and ruining me..." Before Jia Zhang could finish her words, she was slapped by Chen Zhiguo. Five finger marks appeared on her face.

"Chen Zhiguo, why did you hit the old man?" Yi Zhonghai was really angry. Under his leadership, there had never been such a situation in Siheyuan.

Jia Dongxu was also eager to try, but when he thought about the day when Chen Zhiguo beat him, he became timid and could only shout, "Chen Zhiguo, why did you beat my mother?"

Chen Zhiguo said calmly, "Uncle, didn't I say at the beginning that if Jia Zhang spewed feces from her mouth, I would wash it for her?"

"Then you can't hit an old man!" Yi Zhonghai said angrily.

"Old man, can Jia Zhang be considered an old man at this age? People under fifty are considered old men, and they can do whatever they want. I have to report this to the subdistrict office! This is a style of bullying others!"

Yi Zhonghai was speechless. He had been promoting respect and care for the elderly in the courtyard in order to brainwash the people in the courtyard and make them develop such a habit in their subconscious mind. Unexpectedly, someone would challenge him today!

"Whether she's an old lady or not, she's your elder based on her age, so you shouldn't do that!"

"Yi Zhonghai, there is no such elder in my family. If there is, I will ask my grandparents to clean up the house tomorrow! Don't think that you can casually act as my elder just because you are older. You are not qualified!" Chen Zhiguo would not give in at all. Since he had started, he would do it to the end and even lose Yi Zhonghai's face!

"If you want to recognize someone, then go ahead and do it. Don't force others to recognize their elders! Every family has their own ancestors. Are you just randomly recognizing elders?" Yi Zhonghai was so stunned that he couldn't speak!

Chen Zhiguo said to Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, "Second uncle, third uncle, the Jia family said that it would cost more than 200 yuan to repair the roof. Do you believe it?"

How could Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui dare to respond to this! After hesitating for a long time, Yan Bugui said, "Zhiguo! Tell us what you think!"

This is actually what Chen Zhiguo wanted to hear. Of course, Yan Bugui also had his own purpose for speaking. First, he understood that Yi Zhonghai would definitely lose face today, which was a good thing. Although he could not do anything himself, he could still hand over a ladder!

Secondly, he didn't want to worry about the Jia family's troubles every day. It was too annoying! Let Chen Zhiguo cut the Jia family's face and see if he would still jump in the courtyard!

"Jia Dongxu just lied. Think about it, can we repair the roof in this weather?" Chen Zhiguo's words made everyone understand. What kind of weather is it now? Water freezes into ice! How to rebuild? You can demolish it, but you absolutely cannot build it!

"If it's just to repair it, does it cost so much money? Do we need donations from everyone? I suspect that the Jia family is using this roof renovation to cheat everyone's money!"

"You are talking nonsense." "You are talking nonsense." "I didn't do that." Jia Zhangshi, Qin Huairu, and Jia Dongxu were anxious. If they put this accusation on them, the reputation of the Jia family would be ruined!

"What nonsense did I say? Tell me." Chen Zhiguo's words left the Jia family speechless! How to explain?

"Come on, uncle, tell us whether you did the right thing or not. I suspect that you are helping the Jia family to cheat us out of our money!" Chen Zhiguo is determined to do it. The Jia family is already ruined, and now it's Yi Zhonghai's turn!

Chapter 18 The grateful Hu family grandparents and grandchildren!

Chen Zhiguo's words were really hard for Yi Zhonghai to accept. He couldn't explain why he held this conference to donate money to the Jia family! But Yi Zhonghai was also a ruthless person. He knew that he couldn't save the situation, so he immediately started to save himself.

"I was wrong in this matter. I just listened to what Jia Dongxu said and got anxious. I didn't think about it carefully and called everyone over. I was inconsiderate and I'm sorry. Of course, this matter can't be blamed entirely on Jia Dongxu. He was still young and got anxious and flustered after being fooled by the maintenance master. He had no idea what to do!" Yi Zhonghai began to save himself with difficulty. At the same time, he also had to reduce the pressure on the Jia family. If Jia Zhang continued to talk nonsense, it would be troublesome!

"Uncle, you are shirking your responsibility. First of all, you are the manager of our courtyard. How can you manage things if you are so flustered about everything? Besides, do you work in a hurry like this in the steel mill? You are an old worker. Haven't you developed the ability to be calm and composed?"

The modern-thinking troll versus the old fox in the courtyard!

"Indeed, Zhiguo is right. I have been a little anxious recently, especially about the matter of the Jia family. I am sorry to everyone. So, everyone should take back the donations!" Yi Zhonghai was ready to retreat. If he stayed, his inner strength would be stripped away!

"Wait, uncle!" Chen Zhiguo hurriedly stopped him.

"Uncle, you also said that we are a united and friendly courtyard. Look at Grandma Hu in the front yard. She is the only one raising two half-grown children. She only earns seven or eight yuan a month. It is really difficult. The two children don't even have a cotton-padded jacket. Wouldn't it be a disgrace to our courtyard if they go out like this? What will people in other courtyards say about us! In my opinion, we should use the donation money as a support and pass it on to Grandma Hu, a symbol of the unity and friendship of our courtyard!"

"This..." Yi Zhonghai was at a loss. Normally, he talked about the need for unity, but in fact, he would not care at all about things that had nothing to do with him!

But now, can he refute it? He looked at Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, hoping that they could stand up, but who is a fool? Under such a grand banner, how can he refute it? Besides, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui have selfish motives. It is your face that is lost, Yi Zhonghai, and it has nothing to do with them. It is not easy to get involved, how can you step in like this!

"Does everyone have any objection?" Yi Zhonghai was unwilling to give up.

No one around said anything. The money had been donated. Would they take it back? How could it be possible? Do you want to save face? Do you want to keep your reputation? Once your reputation is ruined, you won’t be able to compete with others in anything! One word from others can stop you!

"No, that's my family's money, why should I give it to that damn old woman!" After saying that, Jia Zhang was about to step forward to grab the donation box. Before she reached the table, Liu Haizhong pushed her arm away, "What are you doing? What do you mean your family's money?" Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu followed behind and quickly dragged Jia Zhang back home. She couldn't stay there any longer. She had lost all her face!

Chen Zhiguo gestured to Yan Bugui with the one dollar in his palm and put it into the donation box! At this time, Yan Bugui also counted the total amount of money, "A total of 62 dollars," and then took out the money from the donation box and counted it, and handed it to Liu Haizhong. After Liu Haizhong took the money, he also counted it like Yan Bugui, and then the two looked at each other and stood up directly. Liu Haizhong said, "Next, we will hand over these donations to the Hu family and pass on our love to the Hu family!"

"Good!" Chen Zhiguo took the lead in applauding, which also led others to applaud. This is the real help, the real unity and friendship. When donating just now, many people held the attitude of "less trouble is worse than more trouble". Now, it is different. This is really helping people. The mood is different!

Yi Zhonghai held on, and after they gave the money to Grandma Hu, without waiting for Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui, he said, "Let's adjourn the meeting! It's very cold!" After saying that, he turned around and went home!

Chen Zhiguo also returned home with the crowd. Grandma Hu held the money and burst into tears. For the first time, she felt cared for and felt warmth!

Grandma Hu was actually a poor person. Her husband died early, and she had no choice but to remarry. She worked hard to find a job with her child, and finally raised her child to adulthood. Life was really difficult in the old society!

The son grew up, got married and had children. I thought I would live a good life from then on, with three generations living under one roof. As a result, the son died of a sudden illness. The daughter-in-law had no one to rely on, so she left the two children and remarried and ran away! The poor old man had to bear the burden of raising two grandchildren. He didn't even dare to cry, for fear that if he let go of this breath, he would also die, and how would the two children live!

Grandma Hu returned home and said to her two grandsons, "This is the donation from the people in the compound so that you can have clothes to wear and food to eat. You should thank them, especially Uncle Zhiguo in the front yard. If it weren't for him, there wouldn't be these donations today! Come on, grandma will take you to thank them!"

Grandma Hu brought her two grandsons and started from the backyard, kowtowing to each family one by one without saying much. After knocking on the door and going in, the two older generations said “grandpa and auntie, thank you”, and the older generations said “uncles and aunties, thank you”!

Even Xu Damao felt that today's donation was worth it. Just by looking at the two ragged children, wearing shoes with holes on their feet that didn't fit their feet very well, and bowing as soon as they entered the door, Xu Damao felt warm in his heart. This is benevolence and righteousness. People remember their kindness. Xu Damao pulled the children up, went back to the room, found two pairs of old cotton shoes, and said to Grandma Hu, "Don't be disgusted, change the children!"

This scene was played out in every family in the courtyard. Every family felt warm in their hearts and felt that they had done the right thing this time. However, they also felt a little regretful that they had not donated enough!

Of course, none of these people's families belonged to the Jia family! The Jia family was like the center of a storm at this moment. Jia Zhangshi didn't dare to curse outside, but at home, she cursed everything out. The loud voice could be heard by everyone in the courtyard. Jia Zhangshi's violent shouting!

That's how it is. Compared with Grandma Hu, it's really like heaven and earth! It also aroused the disgust of the Siheyuan towards the Jia family! Because if it spreads out, it will affect the people in the entire Siheyuan. When people outside mention the Jia Zhang family, No. 95 Courtyard will definitely be on their lips! Indirectly, No. 95 Courtyard will be stinky, and the people inside will also be stinky, and their reputation will be ruined!

Although Yi Zhonghai welcomed the Hu family's grandparents and grandchildren with a forced smile, the eldest aunt still couldn't stand it, so she came out and said a few words to Grandma Hu and smoothed over the situation!

Yi Zhonghai was not moved or enlightened by this, nor did he reflect on his behavior today! He just hated Chen Zhiguo very much, thinking that Chen Zhiguo had cut his face today and reduced his prestige in the courtyard! This is a typical villain's behavior!

An old lady looked at Yi Zhonghai with melancholy as he sat there smoking. She knew what Yi Zhonghai was thinking. He wanted Jia Dongxu to take care of them in their old age. Jia Dongxu was a good person and his wife was also good. The only thing was that his mother was not good. She was greedy and unreasonable!

Can people educated in such a family really provide for themselves in old age? An auntie expressed doubts!

Moreover, she disagreed with many of Yi Zhonghai's practices. If you want to train someone, you should be sincere in return. Do you have to make it so complicated? Is it really good to control Jia Dongxu by not teaching him the technology, not teaching him the craft, and making him a laughing stock in the factory?

Do you really think that you can make Jia Dongxu rely on them by controlling the income of the Jia family? If you succumb to money like this, you can really rest assured. You are not afraid of being counterattacked and abandoned when you are old! She really can't understand Lao Yi's mysterious operation! Does Yi Zhonghai really think that he can play with Jia Dongxu in the palm of his hand? Can he control him all the time and prevent Jia Dongxu from rebelling? Auntie feels mysterious!

Don't think that Auntie is just an ordinary aunt in the courtyard who does laundry and cooking every day, but she is also a well-read lady from a wealthy family. She just concealed all this. Therefore, in terms of pattern, Auntie's vision is broader than Yi Zhonghai's!

The aunt decided to wait until Yi Zhonghai calmed down, talk to him calmly, and then go to the orphanage to adopt a child and raise him herself from a young age. But could she really raise a child like the ungrateful person that Yi Zhonghai mentioned?

Before, when he was old, an aunt suggested to take a child from the orphanage, but Yi Zhonghai was always worried. He was either worried that the child would grow up to be an ungrateful person, or worried that the child would be taken away by his family, and in the end all his efforts would be in vain!

The aunt thought that these were not problems and could be avoided, but Yi Zhonghai refused to agree. The aunt also couldn't figure out Yi Zhonghai's true thoughts, so she had to give up!

Tonight, an aunt looked at the Hu family's grandparents and grandchildren. Although they were dressed in rags, they were sincere and polite. If an old lady who couldn't read a single word could educate such good children, why can't we?

Yi Zhonghai is now an eighth-level worker, with a monthly salary of 99 yuan, which is enough for everything he eats! He has been well-read since he was a child, so it is no problem for him to educate his children. Why can't he do that?

The aunt sighed and looked at Yi Zhonghai who was still smoking. If she hadn't saved him back then, she wouldn't have been able to have a child!

. . . . . . . . . .

Not long after Chen Zhiguo returned home, the Hu family's grandparents came over to kowtow. As soon as the gate was opened, the two boys of the Hu family, Hu Xiaoyong and Hu Xiaojun, knelt in front of them and kowtowed when they saw Chen Zhiguo. Chen Zhiguo hurriedly stepped forward and pulled them up, "Grandma Hu, what are you doing?"

"We don't have anything to offer as a thank you. We can only ask our two children to come and kowtow to everyone to express our gratitude. We also want the children to remember you who helped them. We need to let them remember this kindness!"

Grandma Hu's words made sense, and they were also for the purpose of educating the children. Chen Zhiguo could not stop her. He just said to Grandma Hu, "In the future, let Xiaoyong and Xiaojun come over to play with Xiaoli. Xiaoli is too lonely at home, so help her accompany her. My mother is also at home and can help take care of her. Grandma Hu, do you think it's okay?"

Of course, this is possible! Grandma Hu has to go out to sweep the streets every day, leaving the two children at home. She understands that this is to take care of their family. Chen Zhiguo specifically proposed, "Okay, let the children play with Xiaoli tomorrow!" Grandma Hu agreed. She had to accept the face given by others. As for how to repay it in the future, it depends on how the two children grow up!

Chen Zhiguo didn't give them anything, because all his old clothes at home were either altered for his sister to wear, or sent back to his hometown by Chen Dayong!

After the chat, Chen Zhiguo returned to the room. The mother and daughter were sitting on the kang waiting for him to come back and report! They looked curious. Are all women so gossipy?

Chapter 19: The truth is revealed in the subtleties

Chen Zhiguo recounted everything that happened at the Siheyuan meeting tonight. Wang Meihua asked worriedly, "Will this offend the old man?"

"It's okay, mother. We don't have many opportunities to interact with the courtyard. Just close the door and live our own lives. There's nothing to worry about."

One good thing about Wang Meihua is that she listens to others. She used to listen to Chen Dayong, and now she listens to Chen Zhiguo. When she listens to Chen Zhiguo, she feels relieved!

But Chen Xiaoli was happy, because she finally had someone to play with. She felt so depressed staying in the yard every day. She jumped up on the kang for joy. Chen Zhiguo was also happy to see his sister so happy. Children, at this age, are at the age when they love to play. They can still recall their happy childhood and laugh happily many years later!

Repeating last night's operation, Chen Zhiguo continued to deliver the water to the destination, and then returned to his room to continue reading and studying!

. . . . . . . .

At nine o'clock in the morning, Chen Zhiguo rode his bike to Gu Cheng's office and said, "Uncle Gu, I asked the village chief and he can transfer two wild boars, which should weigh about 400 kilograms!"

Gu Cheng was of course happy when he heard that there was a wild boar weighing 400 kilograms. Although wild boar meat is not as delicious as domestic pork, it is still pork! Domestic pork is good, but it is hard to get!

"What does your village chief mean? How do we adjust it?"

"Uncle Gu, first of all, the price. I'm not sure how much this wild boar meat costs?" The meaning was very clear. If the price was too low, then let's not talk about it!

Gu Cheng understood, of course. After thinking for a while, he said, "Now the pork from the meat processing plant is 2.5 yuan a pound, but you need a meat ticket, so it will cost 3.5 yuan a pound. Wild boar meat is not as fragrant as domestic pork, and it has a stronger fishy smell. How about this? 3 yuan a pound if the meat is slaughtered, and 2.5 yuan a pound if it is not slaughtered."

Chen Zhiguo was happy in his heart because he had money, but he still said calmly, "But the price the village offered is different from yours. It's higher than yours!"

Gu Cheng understood that he had to go by the black market price. But if he did, it would be difficult for him to do accounting later on, because the black market price had doubled, it was too high!

"Xiao Chen, I understand what the village chief means, but we can't accept such a high price. After all, we are a unit. How about this, 3.5 yuan per pound, 3 yuan for an unkilled fish. This is the highest price I can offer!"

Chen Zhiguo didn't expect that Lao Gu would be so straightforward. He thought that Lao Gu would argue with him and had thought of some countermeasures. But in the end, nothing worked!

"Since Uncle Gu is so willing, I will go back and arrange for someone to send the pig over. Uncle Gu, do you want it killed or unkilled?" This was not a problem at all for Chen Zhiguo. In the space, he just thought about it and it was done immediately!

Gu Cheng thought about it and decided to order the ones that had not been killed. After all, the internal organs are also vegetables. The liver, heart, lungs, and large intestines are all delicious to go with wine! If these were gone, the canteen would be short of ingredients for the banquet! Especially the large intestines, just take a bite of it, drink a sip of wine, and chew a bite of the stinky large intestines, it is simply delicious!

Chen Zhiguo also took the opportunity to ask for half the money and half the tickets, cigarette tickets, wine tickets, sugar tickets, anyway, daily necessities are fine. Chen Zhiguo thought about it and said, I am trading with the supply and marketing cooperative, why not just exchange it for things! It saves me from buying them myself!

So he discussed with Gu Cheng what materials to exchange for, and finally, they decided on the following items:

For two pigs, let’s assume they weigh 400 kilograms, that’s 1,200 yuan!

The supplies Chen Zhiguo wants to exchange include:

Liquor: Maotai, Xifeng, Fenjiu, Erguotou, three boxes each, 50 kilograms of loose liquor

Cigarettes: Huazi 10, Peony 10, Lotus 10, Daqianmen 10

Sugar, 20 kg of white sugar, 20 kg of brown sugar, 3 kg of White Rabbit milk candy, 10 kg of fruit candy

Ten pairs of cotton shoes, two cotton coats, a piece of cotton cloth, and twenty kilograms of cotton.