Siheyuan: I have a multi-dimensional chat group!

Yan Bugui wasn't embarrassed at all, and said frankly, "Everyone in the courtyard knows about my family's situation. We're always hungry. If we're talking about hardship, there aren't many families in the courtyard that are worse off than us. We have three young men, all of whom are old enough to eat."

"However, as the third oldest man in the courtyard, I can't accept the grain donated by everyone. I'll set aside another five jin of sweet potatoes to donate to the courtyard, as a small contribution from the third oldest man to the courtyard."

Upon hearing Yan Bugui's words, everyone in the courtyard expressed their approval.

"The Third Uncle is a true hero!"

"There are six people in Uncle San's family, but only Uncle San has a decent job, and there are three children in school. It's really difficult for them!"

"Some people earn a lot but donate little; others are clearly struggling financially but still manage to squeeze out money to support those in need. People are just different!"

……

Xiao Shan almost burst out laughing at the sarcastic and morally manipulative tone.

There's actually a master in this courtyard?

Whose general is this?

Hearing these sarcastic words, Yi Zhonghai's face turned even uglier.

Many people secretly glanced at Yi Zhonghai.

Most people are indifferent; they don't need help, and their relationship with Yi Zhonghai is merely superficial.

Just treat them as ordinary neighbors, neither gloating nor indignant.

A few people, however, were looking at Yi Zhonghai with a hint of schadenfreude.

Yi Zhonghai earns a lot of money and is always full of moralistic talk, but he doesn't put in much effort when it comes to actually doing things.

People in this era were simple and honest, but they weren't fools.

Yi Zhonghai cannot be fooled by a few high-sounding words.

Many of the elderly people in our families came from war-torn times. In those days, you couldn't have survived to this day without some brains.

Yi Zhonghai's tricks might fool someone as brainless as He Yuzhu.

It's not effective if there's an elderly person in the family.

"Alright, stop making sarcastic remarks! Taking money is a favor, not taking it is one's right. But no one says that an old man in the courtyard has to pay out of his own pocket to subsidize the poor households in the courtyard." The deaf old lady walked over slowly, leaning on her cane. "If you think it's too little, then don't take it. Xiao Yi is in the right no matter where you look! If you have something to say, say it openly and honestly. What kind of nonsense is it to hide in the crowd?"

He Yuzhu quickly stood up, went over and helped the deaf old lady sit down: "Grandma, why did you come? You're so old, you're sure to be well taken care of!"

The deaf old woman chuckled and said, "I came over to check on you since I saw you'd been in a meeting for ages. As soon as I entered the courtyard, I heard some animals barking."

The person being insulted didn't dare utter a single word.

If he dares to stand up and admit it now, people in the courtyard will probably avoid him from now on.

A typical villain who secretly plots against others and repays kindness with enmity!

Xiao Shan also walked over: "Grandma, it won't be long before you hold your great-grandson, aren't you happy?"

"Xiaoshan's mouth is still the sweetest!" The deaf old lady said to He Yuzhu, "Zhuzi, if you don't have enough food, tell the old lady. We can't let Caijuan suffer! She needs to supplement her nutrition even more now that she's pregnant. Zhuzi, don't be stingy with money. If it's hard to buy chickens at the market, go to the village outside the city and buy some wild game."

"Grandma, don't worry, I can't let Caijuan suffer!" He Yuzhu said to the deaf old lady with a silly grin on his face.

The arrival of the deaf elderly woman brought the conference to a temporary halt, gradually easing the tense atmosphere.

Xiao Shan could only sigh that the deaf old lady had arrived at just the right time.

After spending a year with her, Xiao Shan discovered that the deaf old lady had no other problems besides being a little greedy.

The three elderly men also came over and chatted with the deaf old lady for a while.

The plenary session then continued.

Yi Zhonghai organized his thoughts and said in a somewhat heavy tone, "I never thought that after working so diligently for the courtyard for so many years, there would still be someone dissatisfied with me! Since they are dissatisfied, I will not speak at today's meeting. I will let Second Uncle take charge from now on!"

Yi Zhonghai's move is called "retreating to advance".

Don't you want to look like an old man with your bangs?

Today I'll show everyone what kind of person you are!

What a good-for-nothing who wants to act like a big shot?

Dream on!

Hearing Yi Zhonghai's words, Liu Haizhong was overjoyed.

Although it was just chairing one meeting, it was a good start!

Liu Haizhong coughed, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of tea.

After carefully considering his tone, he finally spoke, "Where were we?"

Chapter 88, Xu Damao's Voluntary Donation! (Please Subscribe!)

Upon hearing Liu Haizhong's question, someone naturally spoke up to remind him: "We were just talking about how Third Uncle donated five catties of sweet potatoes. Second Uncle, what's next? Can you give us a plan?"

“The two old men donated quite a lot, a full fifty yuan, enough to buy more than two hundred jin of expensive cornmeal! But how should it be distributed? What if we still run out of food after we finish eating? Second uncle, what do you say?”

Liu Haizhong's expression also turned ugly.

Two hundred jin of grain seems like a lot, but there are four or five households in the yard that don't have enough to eat.

Even if you eat it in moderation and consume it in large quantities, it will be finished in two months; if you eat it sparingly, it will only last for a few months.

Liu Haizhong was cursing inwardly: "What do you mean, 'what if we finish eating'? So you're trying to blame us old folks?"

For Liu Haizhong, spending thirty yuan was not a big deal, even if he gritted his teeth.

However, if I have to pay thirty yuan every two or three months, it will affect my family's livelihood!

Furthermore, although Liu Haizhong wasn't stingy, he wouldn't be willing to use his own money to support the struggling families in the courtyard!

Seeing all eyes on him, Liu Haizhong could only stammer, "Well, about the grain distribution, it'll be as we agreed before. It'll be distributed to the households that don't have enough to eat, with those earning less getting more and those earning more getting less, and that..."

At this point, Liu Haizhong couldn't continue.

He didn't discuss this with his son beforehand at home, and he didn't have a contingency plan in mind.

Yi Zhonghai sat to one side, sipping his tea, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Seeing that Liu Haizhong was stuck, Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangqi were also anxiously waiting below.

His father lost face, and they didn't have a good time at home either.

Although Liu Guangqi won't be beaten, he certainly won't get any good food.

If his dad is happy this time, even if he only donated thirty yuan, he'll still buy something nice to celebrate.

His eldest son will naturally benefit from it.

But now Liu Haizhong was clearly in an awkward position, so naturally there wasn't much good food for him to eat when he got home.

Liu Guangtian was naturally even more anxious.

If his dad can't save face now, he'll take it out on him when he gets home.

However, he didn't have any good ideas at the moment, so Liu Guangtian could only sneak up to Xiao Shan and hope that Xiao Shan could help him.

"Xiaoshan, please help me. If my dad is upset, he'll definitely take it out on me when he gets home."

Looking at Liu Guangtian, who was pleading with him, Xiao Shan laughed and said, "You're unlucky, kid. Your older brother is the eldest son, and Guangfu is young, so you're the most suitable person to take the beating! Let me try and see if I can get away with this!"

Liu Guangtian nodded, expressing his gratitude profusely, and returned to his original position.

"What? Guangtian came to ask you for help, to give Second Uncle a way out?" Xu Damao asked in a low voice as he watched Liu Guangtian leave.

Xiao Shan nodded and whispered, "Yeah! If Second Uncle can't save face, he'll get a beating when he gets back!"

"Guangtian is lucky to have made a friend like you!" Xu Damao said with some emotion.

Xiao Shan waved his hand: "Brother Mao, you flatter me! I was just doing my best to help, and leaving the rest to fate!"

While Xiao Shan and Xu Damao were talking, the others in the courtyard started to make a fuss.

If Liu Haizhong can't handle them, then he's definitely going to lose face today!

Moreover, having already embarrassed himself on his first meeting, how could Liu Haizhong possibly have the face to continue competing with Yi Zhonghai for the position of "Grandpa"?

Although it's already September, Liu Haizhong was still sweating profusely because he was anxious.

Seeing that Liu Haizhong was about to break down, Xiao Shan finally spoke up: "I think we should talk about the future later and focus on the present! Even Director Wang of the neighborhood committee doesn't dare to say what will happen in the future, so we won't get anything out of this meeting and it will only waste everyone's time."

"Who knows what will happen in a few months? We'll hold a meeting to solve the problem if things really get unbearable! The elders can't just watch everyone starve to death, and the neighborhood committee can't just watch people starve to death! Talking about the future now is a waste of time."

"I think we should applaud these gentlemen and Sister-in-law Caijuan. These are the only four people in our compound who donated grain! No matter how much, it's the thought that counts."

"Especially Uncle Er, who donated thirty yuan, almost half a salary! I think Uncle Er will be a role model for our community from now on, and everyone should learn from him!"

"Let's give a round of applause to Second Uncle, the other two uncles, and Sister-in-law Caijuan!"

Upon hearing Xiao Shan's words, the crowd gave him face and burst into enthusiastic applause.

The deaf old lady glanced at Xiao Shan with a smile.

Liu Haizhong was all smiles after hearing what Xiao Shan said; he had really made a fool of himself today!

Xu Damao, standing to the side, objected.

After Xiao Shan finished speaking, he stood up and said, "Xiao Shan, have you forgotten your brother Mao? I've been sitting here for half a day, and no one has asked me if I want to donate. I am, after all, an educated man in the compound, a projectionist at the steel mill. Although I don't earn much, I, Xu Damao, have always liked to help others! This time, I will donate twenty catties of cornmeal."

"I forgot, Brother Mao is a very dedicated person, let's give Brother Mao a round of applause!" Xiao Shan said with a smile.

Seeing that Xu Damao was willing to contribute grain, everyone naturally didn't hold back their applause.

After the applause subsided, Xu Damao stood up and said to He Yuzhu, "Silly Zhu, I donated twenty jin of cornmeal. It's not fair for your family to only donate ten jin!"

It has to be said that Xu Damao is truly obsessed with opposing He Yuzhu!

No matter what, he always wanted to be one step ahead of He Yuzhu.

Upon hearing Xu Damao's provocation, He Yuzhu was about to explode: "You son of a bitch, you bastard..."

Fortunately, Li Caijuan, who was standing nearby, pulled He Yuzhu back and signaled him to shut up and not say anything.

Then Li Caijuan looked at Xu Damao and said with a smile, "Brother Damao is a projectionist at the steel mill, a cultured man! Our Zhuzi can't compare. He's just a hardworking cook, and his salary isn't high to begin with."

“If anyone in the courtyard is struggling in the future, Brother Da Mao, you’ll have to lend a hand! The three elders still have to take care of their families, the elder aunt is old and takes medication all year round, and the second and third elders have many children, so it’s not sustainable for them to keep donating money and food. You’ll have to ask Brother Da Mao for help. You’re only eating your fill now, so you can help the people in the courtyard more!”

"Everyone will think highly of you then, finding a partner will be easy! Everyone has a single relative, we'll introduce you to one."

Chapter 89, Xiao Shan's Morning Grumpiness! (Please Subscribe!)

Li Caijuan's words were quite insightful.

Not only did they remove the three elderly men, they also put Xu Damao inside.

Moreover, Xu Damao couldn't refute these words; if he did, he would be on the opposite side of everyone in the courtyard.

You just said you're a helpful person, and then you say you're unwilling to help the poor households in the courtyard. Isn't that a contradiction?

Do you still want to live in the yard?

But if I agree to this, there will be no shortage of trouble later.

Looking at Li Caijuan, Xiao Shan couldn't help but sigh that He Yuzhu had found the right wife!

Li Caijuan's skills far surpassed He Yuzhu's; He Yuzhu would never have imagined such a statement.

He would just scold Xu Damao, maybe hit him a couple of times, but in the end, he would offend a whole bunch of people.

Li Caijuan is a soft knife; she may seem insignificant, but she makes people feel uncomfortable.

Xu Damao felt extremely distressed at this moment.

His provocation tactic always worked on He Yuzhu.

But now that He Yuzhu has a wife, not only does his trick not work, but he's also been outmaneuvered. He can't even describe how upset he is.

Seeing the expectant looks from many people in the courtyard, Xu Damao could only force himself to say, "I, Xu Damao, am not the kind of person who would stand by and watch someone die. If any family is starving and the courtyard can't solve the problem, I will definitely help. I can't just watch people in the courtyard starve to death."

Xu Damao is also cunning.

They said to contact him if the problem couldn't be solved by the hospital.

If the problem can't be solved in the courtyard, then it just means the three old men are useless!

Since the three old men are useless, Xu Damao doesn't mind taking charge. Maybe he can even get a fourth old man to be his.