Chapter 127: with translation of chapter title

The deaf old lady who appeared at the Dayuan meeting stared straight at Shazhu, who was laughing and joking among the crowd, with a hint of ambiguous contradiction.

Shazhu roughly guessed the deaf old lady's thoughts.

Nothing more than four words.

Thief's heart never dies!

Over these years, Shazhu tried to distance himself from the deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai and others, except when scheming against them.

That proved the saying: hard work pays off for those who are determined.

After years of ignoring her, the deaf old lady's unrealistic fantasy about Shazhu finally faded, and she focused all her mind on Yi Zhonghai; the illusion that the Dayuan ancestors and the hypocrite family gave outsiders—that they were like a real mother and son—became almost true.

Many gave Yi Zhonghai and his wife a thumbs-up, saying their care for the deaf old lady made countless people look at them anew.

Only Shazhu, who knew what kind of people the deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai's couple were, did not think so.

On the surface they were harmonious and lovely.

In reality, each family harbored prostitutes and thieves, each with their own schemes; outsiders couldn't see clearly and mistakenly took the other's beastly behavior as genuine.

The deaf old lady and Yi Zhonghai's couple were also acting, seizing the opportunity.

Just sat down.

The hypocrite then began to perform.

Originally I thought it was Sunday, the neighbors had worked a week and were tired, so I wanted them to rest well, but Shazhu shouted, saying Jia Zhangshi wanted to steal his bicycle.

Jia Zhangshi's heart jumped.

Steal the bicycle.

This charge.

Big.

If things go badly, Jia Zhangshi could really be sent away—just because she gave Dahua some croton beans, landing her in jail for ten months; if the accusation of stealing Shazhu's bicycle sticks, she'd face at least ten years.

"Head Steward, you got it wrong," Jia Zhangshi retorted, "It wasn't my old woman stealing Shazhu's bicycle; Shazhu seized our Jia family's bicycle, and my old woman went to ask him for our Jia family's bicycle—did my old woman do anything wrong?"

"How could I not remember your Jia family buying a bicycle? Just now I was reading the newspaper indoors and heard you, Jia Zhangshi, shouting that Dong Xu lost Shazhu's bicycle; now Shazhu has a bicycle, but it's not bought—it's the one Dong Xu lost that he found. You, Jia Zhangshi, want to demand its return—do you think the neighbors are blind? What 'your Jia family's bicycle'? It's Shazhu's bicycle."

Yi Zhonghai unexpectedly did not favor the Jia family; instead he scolded them.

"Someone spent money to buy a bicycle, yet you have the nerve to come demand it, and even ask for their new one—you've lost all face for the Siheyuan."

Shazhu had been considering a question.

Why Yi Zhonghai scolded Jia Zhangshi.

He realized a fact that forced him to stay alert: after a couple of years of keeping a low profile, the hypocrite's ability to handle affairs and his speaking skills had improved considerably; still a Level Six technician at Yagangchang, he could easily suppress Shazhu in the Siheyuan.

Everyone in the courtyard knew Jia Zhangshi was the mother of Yi Zhonghai's disciple Jia Dongxu, and Yi Zhonghai had again become Head Steward; many thought Yi Zhonghai would favor the Jia family.

Brothers who fight tigers together.

Father and son soldiers in battle.

At the Siheyuan meeting.

Also, the disciple and master, and the disciple's birth mother, must advance and retreat together.

Yet Yi Zhonghai did the opposite.

Is he trying to show his impartial selflessness before everyone?

Possibly.

Shazhu put away his earlier laughter, raised his spirits to twelve parts, and silently watched the righteous hypocrite.

"The bicycle matter is settled like this; whoever is dissatisfied can go to the police station."

Jia Zhangshi wilted.

Go to the police station.

Nonsense.

She just causes a ruckus in the Siheyuan.

"Taking this opportunity, I announce a few things: first, the currency exchange—by month's end the old money will no longer be usable; we'll use only new money. Anyone hoarding cash at home should go to the bank before month's end to exchange it. That's the first item."

Yi Zhonghai paused for over ten seconds.

He slowly spoke the second matter.

Exactly as Shazhu had anticipated.

It really is the deaf old lady's shoe-making business.

After more than two years of preparation, and with Yi Zhonghai's status as a Level Six technician at Yagangchang backing him, the hypocrite felt it was time to further solidify the deaf old lady's identity as a shoe-maker.

The Siheyuan has over twenty households; twenty-two or twenty-three of them are Yagangchang workers, and among those, seventeen or eighteen work in the same workshop as Yi Zhonghai.

Having become a Level Six worker, even the workshop head must curry favor.

This is Yi Zhonghai's confidence.

Yi Zhonghai needs the deaf old lady's identity to help him dominate the Dayuan, turn it into his one-man rule, and fulfill his retirement plan.

Conversely.

The deaf old lady also needs Yi Zhonghai's identity, using it to further uphold her illusory ancestral prestige in the Dayuan.

Both are using each other.

"The second matter concerns the old lady; she hid it deeply, and I happened to learn of it by chance: our Dayuan's ancestral old lady once made shoes for the team."

The scene fell silent.

The matter of the deaf old lady making shoes has been rumored for years; she just refused to admit it.

Now, speaking through Yi Zhonghai's mouth, bringing up the shoe-making seems natural, and the neighbors also think it's nothing strange.

Shazhu's gaze fell on He Yushui, who was standing beside the Yan Jie Di; regarding the deaf old lady's shoe-making, He Yushui estimated he would need to exert some effort.

Think about it.

If He Yushui's essay contained a piece describing the brave and fearless old lady who made shoes, and this essay was seen by some people who thought they had found an unnamed hero, organizing children to come learn and listen to Long Laotaitai's heroic deeds of making shoes, then at that time Long Laotaitai would surely be in a predicament of riding a tiger and unable to get off, and Jiēdào, relevant departments, etc., would also have to follow along and watch the spectacle. Once the matter blew up, Long Laotaitai's dog head would surely not be enough to be chopped off.

Thinking of this.

Shazhu felt he had to go along with Yi Zhonghai anyway; the hypocrites had already set up the stage, so he had to go up and play along a few times.

"Elder Uncle, what are you saying? You said the old lady made shoes for the team? That means the old lady is an unnamed hero, that means our courtyard has a heroic ancestor."

Yi Zhonghai stared blankly for a moment.

Long Laotaitai was also somewhat surprised.

Shazhu's relationship with them is very poor; usually when Shazhu talks and shows friendliness to them, it is accompanied by danger, implying misfortune, and afterwards there will surely be traps waiting for Yi Zhonghai and Long Laotaitai.

Long illness makes a good doctor.

The number of times they've been tricked by Shazhu has increased.

The first thought in his mind: Could Shazhu be up to no good again?

Doubts were dispelled by Xu Damao.

The two fools of the Siheyuan once again joined forces.

Xu Damao quickly followed suit, echoing Shazhu.

"I think Shazhu makes sense; since the old lady has made shoes, she is our courtyard's hero. I propose that we all kowtow to the old lady."

"Come on, line up properly and kowtow to the old lady."

"Shazhu, Damao, no need to kowtow; the old lady told me this matter is limited to our courtyard only, cannot be told to outsiders."

Yi Zhonghai saw Shazhu and Xu Damao stirring up the crowd, wanting to kowtow to Long Laotaitai, frightened to the point his head felt as big as a bucket, and quickly spoke up to stop them.

If this kowtow were to hit the ground.

Both Yi Zhonghai and Long Laotaitai would not fare well.

The neighboring courtyard had once experienced such a thing: a group of people kowtowed, and the kowtowing escalated to Jiēdào, after which there was no further news.

As for the later words of advice, they are like a preventive shot, to stop anyone from spreading the shoe-making matter outside.

Truth cannot be false.

Falsehood cannot be true.

If it were to reach the ears of Jiēdào or relevant departments, the Long Laotaitai who fabricated the shoe-making lie and the Yi Zhonghai who promoted it would both not fare well.

What's there to fear?

Yet somehow it still comes.

Upon hearing Yi Zhonghai's warning, Shazhu and Xu Damao realized that the claim of Long Laotaitai making shoes was most likely false nonsense.

Based on their understanding of Yi Zhonghai and Long Laotaitai.

If they truly had such great honor, they'd love to mention it every day. Don't use the excuse of not wanting to trouble the collective as a pretext. One constantly hangs the four words 'courtyard ancestor' on his lips, always thinking about eating better; the other constantly does wicked deeds and even fucks his disciple's wife.

Really not a good thing.

These two bastards, yet they talk about making shoes.

Even dogs wouldn't believe it.

But all these folks in the Siheyuan believed it, possibly just putting on a show, after all they have to look at Yi Zhonghai's face to eat.

Shazhu and Xu Damao, however, have no such scruples: one is a procurement worker at the Red Star scrap station, worlds apart from Yi Zhonghai; the other is a film projectionist in the publicity section, with no real entanglement with Yi Zhonghai, the sixth-level technician at Yagangchang.

"Elder Uncle, I disagree with this; the old lady making shoes is a hero. As the saying goes, we cannot let a hero remain silent; we want the hero to be admired by countless people."

Shazhu brandished the big stick of moral blackmail.

He finally seized the opportunity.

Who said only Yi Zhonghai could use moral blackmail to scheme against them?

Shazhu can too.

This is called counter-scheming.

"Over these years, our courtyard has never been rated as an advanced civilized siheyuan; I think it's because Director Wang doesn't know about the old lady making shoes. If Director Wang knew, the plaque for an advanced civilized siheyuan would be easily obtained. According to me, we should write a letter certifying that the old lady is the only one in our courtyard who risked her life making shoes, a hero, an existence admired and learned by countless people."

Shazhu began laying the groundwork.

To lay the groundwork for future schemes against Long Laotaitai and Yi Zhonghai.

Raising a foster sister for a thousand days.

Using her for a moment.

Having raised He Yushui like a little fat pig for several years, it's time for He Yushui to repay her, this older brother's kindness.

"Yushui, this fall you're going up to junior high; I have just one request for you: learn from the old lady, learn her brave deed of making shoes for the team. I hope that when you go to school, you can properly tell every classmate about the old lady making shoes under enemy fire."

He Yushui nodded and patted his little chest, promising Shazhu.

Telling stories.

Equivalent to not having to attend class.

As someone who doesn't like studying.

He Yushui likes such errands.

"The little girl said in a tone of immense pride, 'Brother, rest assured, I guarantee I'll complete the task; I will make sure everyone in our school knows the glorious deed of the old lady making shoes.'"

They sang in harmony.

Made Long Laotaitai and Yi Zhonghai numb.

True gold fears no fire.

The key is they are not true gold.

They are counterfeit.

The talk of making shoes also just circulates within the siheyuan.

Outside.

I really don't dare to talk nonsense.

If it were before, it wouldn't matter; the key point is that just now Yi Zhonghai personally admitted Long Laotaitai made shoes, and she didn't deny it immediately.

Long Laotaitai and Yi Zhonghai, as a couple, secretly lamented; they never expected Shazhu to believe their nonsense. Originally, to ensure everything was foolproof, Yi Zhonghai and Long Laotaitai had devised many plans. Shazhu didn't believe it—how would they respond? Xu Daming didn't believe it—how would they settle it? Shazhu and Xu Daming teamed up to stir up trouble—how would they respond again? They had considered everything, except that Shazhu would believe their fabricated lies and even take them as truth, vigorously promoting them.

If this were to reach certain people's ears, Long Laotaitai and Yi Zhonghai would not die but would surely have to shed a layer of skin.

So anxious.

They're about to set the house on fire.

In the end, there was nothing left to do.

Yi Zhonghai could only choose to come clean.

Tell the truth.

"Shazhu, don't get so worked up first; let me tell you the truth: the matter of the old lady making shoes simply never happened—it's nonsense I made up." Yi Zhonghai changed his tone, forcing himself to find a way out: "I mean nothing else; I just wanted to joke with the neighbors. I solemnly tell the neighbors: the old lady making shoes is nonsense; she never made shoes. Neighbors, don't speculate wildly. Shazhu, don't guess wildly."

Wanting to escape.

No way.

Really thought that this explanation would suffice.

The matter of Long Laotaitai making shoes would just be left at that.

Nonsense.

Spilled water—can it be gathered back? Is there any point?

"Head Steward, your realm is truly too high; you are this, and Long Laotaitai is this." Shazhu raised his thumb, swaying it toward Yi Zhonghai and Long Laotaitai: "The old lady did good deeds without seeking fame; she is purely selfless. As Head Steward, this concerns the honor of our Siheyuan—how could you make such a muddle at this critical juncture? You say the old lady didn't make shoes, you spouted the nonsense that she did—who would believe that?"

Yi Zhonghai was stunned.

Long Laotaitai was dumbfounded.

Never expected Shazhu to give them a performance of utter disbelief.

Afterward, Xu Daming also chimed in in agreement.

"Head Steward, if Shazhu won't say it, I must also tell you: we all believe the old lady really made shoes; now that it's come to this, you shouldn't help her hide it—our Siheyuan needs an old lady who makes shoes."

"Head Steward, the old lady made shoes—she did—how can you still say she didn't? According to my old lady, we just accept this fact; my old lady personally saw the old lady making shoes."

"Look, even Aunt Jia is anxious."