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Chapter Twenty-Four: A Major Meeting Held in the Courtyard! (Please add to your favorites, give flowers, and leave reviews!)

Yue Buqun never intended to protect Liu Zhengfeng.

In his view, Liu Zhengfeng, as a high-ranking member of the Hengshan Sect, was colluding with Qu Yang of the Demonic Sect, which was tantamount to courting death.

His main reason for stopping Fei Bin was to deflate the prestige of the Songshan Sect and make the Hengshan Sect owe him a favor.

And it also let everyone in the martial arts world know that the Gentleman's Sword's reputation was well-deserved!

Hearing Yue Buqun's righteous and awe-inspiring words, the martial arts practitioners present couldn't help but feel a greater sense of respect for him.

Fei Bin was also somewhat troubled, because given the strength Yue Buqun had just displayed, they were certainly no match for him.

So after weighing the pros and cons, Fei Bin said he could release Liu Zhengfeng's family, but Liu Zhengfeng had to suspend his handwashing ceremony and go with them to the Songshan Sect for investigation!

Liu Zhengfeng had no choice in this matter.

Seeing Liu Zhengfeng surrender, Fei Bin ordered the disciples of the Songshan Sect to release Liu Zhengfeng's family members.

As Liu Zhengfeng left with Fei Bin and the others, he sincerely thanked Yue Buqun.

If Yue Buqun hadn't stood up for him, his whole family would probably have followed in the footsteps of Lin Zhennan's family!

Because Liu Zhengfeng was a disciple of the Hengshan Sect, Mo Ziran, the sect leader present, could not stand idly by.

So Mo Da, along with several disciples of the Hengshan Sect, prepared to go to the Songshan Sect with Fei Bin and the others to observe the interrogation of Liu Zhengfeng.

At that moment, Qu Yang, who had been hiding nearby, finally couldn't resist making a move and kidnapped Liu Zhengfeng before Fei Bin and the others could react.

"Qu Yang of the Demonic Sect!" Fei Bin recognized Qu Yang's identity from his fighting skills and exclaimed loudly, "Liu Zhengfeng, you really are colluding with the demonic sect!"

Seeing Qu Yang jump out and rescue Liu Zhengfeng, Yue Buqun couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

Qu Yang's move confirmed the fact that Liu Zhengfeng was colluding with the Demonic Sect, leaving Liu Zhengfeng with no place to stay in the righteous path!

Seeing Fei Bin and the others quickly give chase, Yue Lingshan asked Yue Buqun, "Father, what do we do now?"

"Since this 'washing hands of the past' ceremony can't be held, we'll naturally go back to where we came from!"

Yue Lingshan asked in surprise, "So we're not going to worry about Uncle Liu's matter?"

"I've done all I can; the rest is no longer my concern!" Yue Buqun took the opportunity to instruct his daughter, "Shan'er, whatever you do, you must act within your capabilities!"

After saying that, Yue Buqun took Yue Lingshan and left the Liu residence, heading towards the inn where they would stay temporarily.

After Yue Buqun left, the martial arts figures who had come to witness the ceremony also departed one after another.

The world of courtyard houses, the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill, the welding workshop.

While learning from his master, Xiao Shan secretly watched Yue Buqun's live stream.

After seeing Yue Buqun leave the Liu residence and close the live stream, Xiao Shan also regained his composure and focused intently on his master's every move.

After getting off work, Xiao Shan returned home and made a simple dinner.

After dinner, Xiao Shan rested while chatting with the other people in the chat group.

At this moment, Yue Buqun also told everyone in the chat that Liu Zhengfeng and Qu Yang still could not escape their original fate and were killed by Fei Bin and others from the Songshan Sect.

However, unlike the future video, since Linghu Chong is by his side now, the scene of them passing on the music score of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer to Linghu Chong does not appear.

In other words, Yue Buqun had already greatly altered the fate of his eldest disciple.

After resting for a while, Xiao Shan got up and washed the dishes.

Just as Xiao Shan was about to sit on the bed to begin his cultivation, Liu Guangtian walked in from outside.

Seeing Liu Guangtian enter, Xiao Shan couldn't help but ask curiously, "What's wrong? Guangtian, is Second Uncle going to take his anger out on you again?"

"Xiaoshan, can't you wish me well for once? My dad can't keep taking his anger out on me!" Liu Guangtian looked at Xiaoshan speechlessly.

"Then why did you suddenly come looking for me at this time?"

Liu Guangtian explained his purpose for coming: "There's going to be a big meeting in the courtyard, and my dad wants me to call everyone in the backyard to gather in the middle courtyard."

"A meeting?" Xiao Shan was taken aback. "What kind of meeting? Has the neighborhood committee issued another notice?"

Xiao Shan thought of the Great Steelmaking Campaign that started around this time, and assumed that this meeting would ask everyone to hand over all the iron in their homes!

Liu Guangtian shook his head: "It wasn't a notice from the neighborhood committee! I heard from an old man and my dad that Jia Dongxu's family doesn't have enough food and they want people in the neighborhood who have more food to donate to them!"

"Donate grain? This old man is certainly generous with other people's money!" Xiao Shan said with some disdain.

Liu Guangtian nodded: "That's right, Jia Dongxu's family isn't the poorest in the courtyard, so why should we donate grain to them!"

“Guangtian, you have to persuade Second Uncle about this! Asking the people in the courtyard to donate grain to Jia Dongxu’s family is just asking for trouble!” Xiao Shan said to Liu Guangtian. “Although Jia Dongxu is only a level-two fitter in the factory, there aren’t many people in the courtyard who earn more than him! Donating grain to their family is exploiting the poor! This is a new era; we can’t do this kind of bourgeois restoration!”

"You need to explain this to your second uncle clearly. Maybe that will make him less likely to take his anger out on you this time."

Hearing that it might save him from a beating, Liu Guangtian's eyes lit up: "I'll go back and explain it to my dad right away! This time, the old man actually made such a foolish move. Maybe this will allow my dad to take the old man's place!"

Xiao Shan grabbed Liu Guangtian: "Don't be so hasty. I don't think the old man is that stupid! What if he's the one who's personally funding the Jia family this time, and the meeting is just to promote his own good reputation?"

“That makes sense!” Liu Guangtian nodded, then looked at Xiao Shan and asked, “Xiao Shan, what should we do?”

Xiao Shan laughed and said, "Let's see what this old man is planning to do! If he's using his own money to help the Jia family this time, then we can let him try to gain a good reputation; but if he wants the people in the courtyard to pay for his apprentices, then we can't let him succeed!"

Liu Guangtian nodded: "Okay, I know how to tell my dad! I'll go and inform the others in the backyard first."

After Liu Guangtian left, Xiao Shan carried a small stool to the central courtyard and found a quiet place to sit down on the outskirts of the crowd.

He Yuzhu, Yan Jiecheng, and Liu Guangqi were among the most enthusiastic participants in the meeting, helping to move tables and chairs.

Chapter Twenty-Five, The Necromancer Jia Zhangshi! (Please add to your favorites, give flowers, and leave a review!)

Xiao Shan had just sat down when he saw Xu Damao carrying a stool over.

Sitting down beside Xiao Shan, Xu Damao smiled and said, "Xiao Shan, you're here quite early!"

"No, no, I just sat down!" Xiao Shan said with a smile. "Brother Mao, you're not showing a movie in the countryside today?"

Xu Damao shook his head: "I just got back the day before yesterday, I'll rest for a couple of days. By the way, there's a movie at the steel mill tomorrow, go over tonight, I'll save you a spot."

"Thanks, Brother Mao!" Xiao Shan looked at Xu Damao and asked, "By the way, Brother Mao, do you know what the meeting was about today? I haven't heard of any important notices being issued by the street office!"

Xu Damao curled his lip: "Who knows what kind of nonsense those three old men are up to. They have to hold a meeting over such a trivial matter. If I become an official, all three of them will be dismissed."

Xiao Shan gave Xu Damao a thumbs up: "Brother Mao, you're quick-witted and good at handling things. You've only suffered because you're young. Becoming an official is just a matter of time."

After being flattered by Xiao Shan, Xu Damao was overjoyed.

Xiaoshan discovered another major characteristic of people in this era: no matter who it is, as long as you flatter them a couple of times, they immediately become easier to talk to and more approachable.

Soon, tables and chairs were set up in the middle of the courtyard, just like in ancient times when officials held court to hear cases.

These three old men aren't even officials, but they act all high and mighty.

Even Director Wang of the neighborhood office doesn't have the same airs as those three.

Xiao Shan looked around and found that all three adults from the Jia family were there.

Jia Dongxu and Qin Huairu sat next to each other, with Jia Zhangshi sitting beside Qin Huairu, looking at the old man with anticipation.

Clearly, Jia Zhangshi was aware of the purpose of this meeting.

Yi Zhonghai's face was as still as water, and the enamel mug slammed against the table with a crisp crack.

Liu Haizhong glanced around, straightened his posture, and put on airs before speaking: "Is everyone here? Now, let's hear from the eldest gentleman."

Then, Liu Haizhong sat down unhurriedly, but his eyes remained fixed on Yi Zhonghai.

Liu Guangtian had just relayed Xiao Shan's words to Liu Haizhong, so now Liu Haizhong was watching Yi Zhonghai, wanting to see whether Yi Zhonghai would ask the people in the courtyard to donate grain this time, or donate money himself.

Yi Zhonghai coughed, pondered for a while, and then said after organizing his thoughts, "As everyone knows, there has been a bit of a food shortage recently, and many families don't have enough to eat."

“I saw Dongxu looking worried the other day. Only one person in his family works, and they only have one city household registration. Their monthly grain allowance seems like a lot, but when you calculate it per person, it’s not much. They also have to spend money to buy expensive grain every month.”

“What the old man said is right. My family doesn’t have enough food either. It’s good that the old man helped us out today.” Taking advantage of Yi Zhonghai’s moment of respite, Xiong Jiang, who lived in the backyard, suddenly spoke up.

Xiong Jiang is also a worker at Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill. He has parents and three children to support, and his situation is even more difficult than Jia Dongxu's.

Since no one had brought this up before, Xiong Jiang naturally didn't feel comfortable bringing it up.

Now that Yi Zhonghai had brought up the topic of helping families in need, Xiong Jiang no longer felt embarrassed.

Once Xiong Jiang spoke up, the other struggling families in the compound couldn't sit still any longer.

Old Mrs. Xu, who was the poorest in the entire compound, shouted, "Uncle, I'm just a temporary worker with two children to take care of, and we're short of food! It doesn't matter if I starve to death, the children are still young."

Grandma Xu is a temporary worker at the neighborhood office, sweeping the streets, and earns eighteen yuan a month.

The two grandsons are eleven and ten years old, respectively.

Before liberation, there was war and disaster. His son and daughter-in-law were killed by the enemy, and his father also died of illness a few years ago.

The neighborhood committee saw that his family was indeed in dire straits, so they found him a job sweeping the streets, which allowed him to barely make ends meet.

Compared to Grandma Xu, other families had at least one formal job.

Immediately afterwards, a group of people whose families were in similar situations to Jia Dongxu's also started shouting.

In their view, since Yi Zhonghai brought up Jia Dongxu's family, their situation was similar to Jia Dongxu's, so they could help them together.

We can't just help Jia Dongxu's family and not help them!

Seeing that the college-wide meeting was showing signs of getting out of control, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui were happy to watch the show.

Especially Liu Haizhong, seeing Yi Zhonghai get the short end of the stick, felt quite pleased.

Liu Hai couldn't help but wonder to himself, when did his second son suddenly become so perceptive? He actually realized that Yi Zhonghai had made a terrible mistake this time.

Jia Zhangshi couldn't sit still any longer. She was worried that Yi Zhonghai wouldn't be able to withstand the pressure and would stop helping their family.

So Jia Zhangshi unleashed her ultimate move—summoning the dead!

"Why are you all getting involved? The old man was talking about our family's affairs, what business is it of yours?"

"Don't even think about bullying us orphans and widows! Old Jia, come up here quickly! There are no good people in this yard, they can't stand to see us doing well, take them all away!"

Seeing Jia Zhangshi unleash her ultimate move, Xiao Shan was secretly pleased: Jia Zhangshi's style really changes quickly!

What was once a normal story of ordinary people's daily lives has suddenly turned into a ghost story!

Just then, someone suddenly said in a sarcastic tone, "Mrs. Jia, if Old Jia really comes up, won't he first have to catch up with you, our husband? He's been gone for so many years, he must miss you terribly!"

Upon hearing this, Jia Zhangshi stopped speaking abruptly and looked around nervously.

While watching the drama unfold, Xiao Shan couldn't help but sigh: There really isn't a simple person in this courtyard house!

At this moment, He Yuzhu was also watching the show like a bystander.

Jia Dongxu is still alive. He Yuzhu is just an ordinary neighbor of the Jia family, and he secretly envies Jia Dongxu for marrying a beautiful wife!

Seeing the Jia family suffer a setback, he was secretly pleased.

Yi Zhonghai looked at He Yuzhu, who seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold, and felt somewhat helpless: This Yuzhu has no sense of propriety at all, and doesn't even know how to help him out of this predicament.

At the same time, he secretly cursed Jia Zhangshi for being foolish. This commotion had made it difficult for him to say certain things!

"Mom, stop talking nonsense all day! This is feudal superstition. If the neighborhood committee finds out, they'll definitely call you in for a 're-education' session!" Jia Dongxu was so embarrassed he could hardly stay any longer.

Hearing Jia Dongxu speak, Jia Zhangshi also felt a little embarrassed.

However, Jia Zhangshi was thick-skinned and quickly recovered, changing her tune: "Uncle Yi is Dongxu's mentor. Now that we're in trouble, can't we lend a hand?"

Hearing Jia Zhangshi say this, some people objected: "If a master is helping his apprentice, he can do it secretly! Why call us over? Isn't this a waste of everyone's time?"

Chapter Twenty-Six: An Old Man's Miscalculation! (Please add to your favorites, give flowers, and leave a review!)

Xiao Shan, who was watching the drama unfold, also realized that Yi Zhonghai didn't yet have the same prestige in the hospital as he did in the future video.

This is normal, though. Since becoming the oldest man in the courtyard, Yi Zhonghai hasn't done anything convincing, so he hasn't accumulated any prestige!

Seeing that someone was dissatisfied with Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong immediately seized the opportunity to follow up: "Old Yi, I have to say a few words to you about this! You can't be too selfish. If you're helping your apprentice, you can do it privately. You can't take up everyone's time!"

"Second Uncle is right," Xu Damao chimed in.

Many people below echoed this sentiment.

Hearing Liu Haizhong's words, Yi Zhonghai felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed fly droppings.

Isn't this the kind of thing he usually says to morally blackmail others?

Now, this brainless guy Liu Haizhong has actually used it on himself.