Chapter 216

Jia Zhangshi wailed for her father and mother, begging Long Laotaitai not to come looking for her, when suddenly she heard a thud from inside Long Laotaitai's house—a heavy object hitting the floor.

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Madame Zhang of the Jia family

The problem is that the present Laoqianpo is as jumpy as a startled bird; she mistakenly believes Long Laotaitai died with unresolved resentment and has returned to the siheyuan to settle scores with certain people.

She feared that if she ran too slowly, Long Laotaitai would catch her and take her away.

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Jia Zhangshi's head slammed heavily against someone's door.

The tremendous force, combined with inertia.

A dizzy sensation instantly overtook Jia Zhangshi—her vision filled with flashing little stars, and her body began to sway.

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Nothing could stop Jia Zhangshi's mouth.

Even as she swayed, her mouth already spat out heated curses wishing ill upon Xu Daming and his wife's eight generations of ancestors.

"Xu Daming, you're basically not human—what door are you closing in broad daylight? And Lou Xiaoe, you're the Lou family's eldest miss; Xu Daming is a bastard, are you also a bastard? Look at our siheyuan—what family is like yours, shutting the door tight in broad daylight, bumping into this old woman and giving her a headache?"

Jia Zhangshi seized the initiative to proclaim herself in the right.

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She saw Xu Daming's door, which she had knocked a notch into with her head.

Madame Zhang of the Jia family

She worried Xu Daming would make her pay for the door.

The utterly despicable scoundrel Xu Daming need not fear the shrewish expert Jia Zhangshi.

Xu Daming had long made his stance clear to Jia Zhangshi: 'I can't handle you, Jia Zhangshi; can I not handle Bangeng either?'

Jia Zhangshi clearly understood that Xu Daming could really carry out the nasty deed involving Bangeng; she couldn't think only of herself—she also had to consider Bangeng.

"Xu Daming, Lou Xiaoe, this old woman lays down her words: your family's broken door has nothing to do with this old woman; who made you close the door in broad daylight? If you make this old woman pay for your door, she'll make you treat my headache."

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Only then did Jia Zhangshi realize she had made a mistake.

Xu Daming's house actually has no one—it's guarded by an iron statue of a general.

In her flustered state, Jia Zhangshi didn't look carefully and bumped headfirst into it.

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Her head certainly wasn't a match for the wooden door.

And Jia Zhangshi ended up smashing Xu Daming's door to pieces with her head.

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She rubbed her head with her hand, then stepped into the neighboring Liu Haizhong's home.

With Yi Zhonghai fallen, the Jia family must find another way—namely, to have Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui, the two stewards, call a meeting of the great courtyard.

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Madame Zhang of the Jia family

Jia family

Qin Huairu's collision with the pillar cleared her, once and for all, of the rumor of cavorting with Yi Zhonghai; with Huaihua present, the Jia family is clearly the victim.

The doctor's conclusion: Qin Huairu must rest for two to three months, no matter what.

The steel plant follows the rule of more work, more pay.

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During these two to three months, Qin Huairu can receive only a small portion of the subsidy.

Jia Zhangshi has been spoiled by Yi Zhonghai into having a picky mouth.

Blockhead

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Jia Zhangshi hit upon an idea among the neighbors, hoping to kill two birds with one stone: the neighbors would donate money, and she would then take the opportunity to extort a donation from the eldest aunt; the neighbors gave nothing, and the eldest aunt became the object Jia Zhangshi focused on caring for.

Huaihua is Yi Zhonghai's daughter; she has brought disaster to our Qin Huairu—she ought to give some compensation!

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The pillar-struck Qin Huairu let Jia Zhangshi sense a threat; Laoqianpo worries Qin Huairu will abandon the Jia family and remarry.

Qin Huairu

Madame Zhang of the Jia family

From beginning to end, she never regarded Qin Huairu as a member of the Jia family; deep down she looked down on Qin Huairu, thinking Qin Huairu was not worthy of Jia Dongxu; she also knew she had hurt Qin Huairu's heart, and Qin Huairu doesn't much take to the Jia family.

The only effective weapon to check Qin Huairu.

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So Jia Zhangshi must follow Qin Huairu's rhythm and actively change strategy.

It is actually a means of using reputation against reputation.

Qin Huairu used the method of throwing herself against a pillar to whitewash her persona, shaping herself into an image of a weak woman bullied by Yi Zhonghai; Jia Zhangshi therefore had to respond to Qin Huairu through the Dayuan meeting, presenting the impression of a good mother-in-law.

As long as she successfully establishes the persona of a good mother-in-law in front of outsiders, Qin Huairu cannot abandon Jia Zhangshi to remarry, indirectly achieving the goal of having Qin Huairu observe widowhood for Jia Dongxu.

Jia Zhangshi got straight to the point, telling Liu Haizhong her purpose.

Liu Haizhong, who wanted to monopolize the Siheyuan, agreed to Jia Zhangshi's request without hesitation; in his mind, it was just going with the flow.

Even if Jia Zhangshi did not come to him, Liu Haizhong would still convene the Dayuan meeting tonight, as required by the street office and the local office.

……

Eight o'clock in the evening.

The Dayuan meeting was convened as scheduled.

At the meeting.

Liu Haizhong, as he wished, sat in the chair he had long coveted, which Yi Zhonghai had always occupied.

He looked around at the neighbors.

A feeling of glory welled up in his heart.

After struggling against Yi Zhonghai for so long.

He finally won against Yi Zhonghai once.

Liu Haizhong finally became the Head Steward of the Siheyuan; although the street office had not yet announced this, he already regarded himself as the top person in the Siheyuan.

When his gaze fell on Shazhu.

He felt slightly displeased.

A new official sets three fires upon taking office.

On the day he replaced Yi Zhonghai as the new Head Steward of the Siheyuan, Shazhu arrived late.

Liu Haizhong thought this was Shazhu giving him another intimidation.

"Shazhu, what's going on? At the Dayuan meeting, how could you be late?"

Shazhu was taken aback.

A hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

Liu Haizhong directed the first fire of his new term at Shazhu's head; from his tone, it was clear he wanted to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.

Unfortunately.

Shazhu is neither the monkey to be warned nor the chicken to be killed.

Intimidation.

Who gives whom is not certain.

"Second Elder, our Shazhu got home less than five minutes ago; hearing that the Dayuan meeting was being held, he came straight over without even drinking water."

Yu Li, an expert at protecting husbands.

She found an excuse for Shazhu.

"Being the last to arrive, making the neighbors wait for him, that is his fault."

Shazhu felt helpless.

He realized that at any time he could not think highly of these people in the Siheyuan; after Yi Zhonghai left and Liu Haizhong came, they were all the same.

You lack benevolence.

Then I will lack righteousness.

Who made you treat me as a means to establish authority?

"After work, several factory leaders asked me about Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu; I can't just abandon those factory leaders because you, Second Elder, want to hold a Dayuan meeting."

Liu Haizhong's big fat face.

His face instantly turned purple like an eggplant.

Inside the factory.

Shazhu's position as cafeteria team leader is far beyond comparison with Liu Haizhong's position as a Level Seven Technician.

He is a tough trouble-maker.

He also wouldn't dare to provoke the cafeteria team leader, unless he didn't want to eat.

"On my way back, I ran into the director; the director stopped me for a few words. From what the Second Elder meant, as long as the Second Elder convenes the Dayuan meeting, the director is looking to talk to me, so I also have to tell the director, wait until I finish the Dayuan meeting convened by Liu Haizhong before coming to find you."

Liu Haizhong's complexion.

It became increasingly unsightly.

The position of Head Steward falls under the direct supervision of the director.

"Shazhu."

"In the Yagangchang, from leaders to ordinary workers, everyone calls me Master He; could it be that the Second Elder thinks he is one level above me, the cafeteria team leader of the Yagangchang, and therefore addresses me as Shazhu?"

Liu Haizhong didn't even know what to say.

He suddenly realized he had chosen Shazhu as the person to establish authority.

It was fundamentally a mistake.

Shazhu refuted his three reasons; regardless of which reason, Liu Haizhong could not withstand any of them, especially the latter—if it were to reach certain people's ears, Liu Haizhong's fate would surely be miserable.

He forced a smile onto his face.

Embarrassed, he spoke gently to Shazhu.

"Shazhu, He." Liu Haizhong almost called out Shazhu again, but quickly changed it to Master He; finding Master He awkward, he followed Yi Zhonghai's old habit and called out "Shazhu": "Shazhu, you know the Second Elder means no harm; it's the Second Elder who is wrong."

The apology was over.

Liu Haizhong announced that the Dayuan meeting would officially begin.

He was learning the manner of several leaders from the Yagangchang.

He held his head high and straightened his back.

"Neighbors, our courtyard has always been a civilized and harmonious one, but today, right here in our Siheyuan, a very serious matter has occurred: Long Laotaitai has died, and we are grief-stricken; even more unexpected is that Long Laotaitai was killed by Yi Zhonghai."

This afternoon, when personnel from the street office and the bureau came to carry away Long Laotaitai's body, the director specifically instructed me with a few words, ordering me to hold a courtyard meeting tonight no matter what, to focus on raising the neighbors' level and awareness, and absolutely not to do such things.

On the faces of everyone in the Siheyuan was the indifferent, uninvolved, spectator-like expression of "not my business".

He was killed by Yi Zhonghai—what does that have to do with us?

Whether Yi Zhonghai killed Long Laotaitai or not, it still has nothing to do with us.

What nonsense are you spouting?

"As the saying goes, distant relatives are no match for close neighbors, but our Siheyuan does the opposite—we deliberately do whatever is disgusting. Yi Zhonghai, as Head Steward, has caused a death and gone against Qin Huairu's wishes; it's simply beyond reproach, this Head Steward's conduct is disgraceful."

Liu Haizhong suddenly came to a halt.

His cleverness came back to bite him.

He brought this upon himself.

He is now a Head Steward, yet calling himself a Head Steward is like calling himself a bastard, not a human—it's tantamount to cursing himself.

That damned Yi Zhonghai, even on his deathbed he lacks virtue.

The disaster is your doing, Yi Zhonghai.

Why should I, Liu Haizhong, take the blame for you?

Just spouting nonsense.

Yan Fugui is somewhat better.

Third Elder.

What is valued is not power and status, but benefits.

Even if you perform well as Head Steward, people will still curse you; it's far less important than gaining some tangible benefits.

But Liu Haizhong can't; he doesn't want to be stabbed in the back.

An explanation is necessary.

If there is a reason, explain; if there is no reason, don't force an explanation.

"All kinds of mistakes are Yi Zhonghai's fault; they are the misdeeds of his former tenure as Head Steward, and have nothing to do with me, Liu Haizhong, the new Head Steward. We must deeply recognize the error and strive..."

Shazhu standing beside Yu Li was much like a mischievous student who doesn't pay attention in class and lets his mind wander; Liu Haizhong's words went in one ear and out the other for Shazhu, who had no idea what was specifically said, his attention always on Qin Huairu and Jia Zhangshi.

The Jia family mother and daughter gave him a bewildered impression.

In Shazhu's memory, the Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were like a bull's head facing a horse's rear—starting with Jia Zhangshi angrily scolding Qin Huairu for not observing womanly virtues, and ending with Jia Zhangshi mocking Qin Huairu for being shameless.

Qin Huairu responded with tears.

What Jia Zhangshi scolded was unpleasant to hear.

She uttered only one character.

Cry.

When necessary, he would hold Bangeng or Xiao Dang in his arms.

Such things.

The Jia family causes a fuss every day.

Never before have they appeared as a kind mother-in-law and good daughter-in-law like today.

Could it be that a single collision with a pillar has turned the Jia family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law into different people?

Shazhu's gaze fell on Qin Huairu.

He glanced.

Only then did he discover that Qin Huairu had truly changed.

On her feet she wore a pair of new cloth shoes made by Jia Zhangshi.

The pants on her legs and the jacket on her body had no patches.

Her little life was going well.

The truth is that Jia Zhangshi, to show her concern for Qin Huairu, gave the Qin Huairu who had returned from the hospital to the Jia family a whole new set of clothes, inside and out.

If it weren't for the white gauze wrapped around her head, Jia Zhangshi might have given Qin Huairu a nice hair ornament.

Because she collided with a pillar.

She was injured.

Qin Huairu's head was wrapped in gauze into a big head.

In later generations there is a classic cartoon, 'Big Head Son and Small Head Dad', where the neighbor Uncle Wang's head is exactly like Qin Huairu's head at this moment.

Amid the scheme there is a hint of bland joy.

Colliding with the pillar.

No matter what, she has to rest in the hospital for a few days.

Even if she returns home.

She still has to lie indoors.

Yet Qin Huairu appeared at the scene of the courtyard meeting.

Could it be that they intend to stage a big donation drama?

After all, the Jia family is already unlucky enough—their son died and they still got cuckolded.

Shazhu gave Yan Fugui a look.

Yan Fugui, who understood Shazhu's look, responded with a bitter melon face.

The only thing that could make Lao Kou this troubled is donations; there's nothing else.

As expected.

The second item of the Dayuan meeting.

The fundraising activity for the Jia Family officially kicked off.

Liu Haizhong spoke at length with conviction, spouting a lot of nonsense, and, leading by example, pulled out two big unity notes and placed them in front of the Jia Family.

A constipated look appeared on Yan Fugui's face.

He cursed Liu Haizhong in his heart, cursed the Jia Family.

When Yi Zhonghai acted as the elder for the Jia Family's fundraising activity, at most it was five yuan; Liu Haizhong contributed three, Yan Fugui contributed one.

When Liu Haizhong acted as the elder, he immediately contributed twenty yuan.

He, Yan Fugui, as the second-in-command of the Siheyuan, if he again contributed only one yuan as before, would let the neighbors in the courtyard gossip.

Because of his stinginess and scheming, a girl looked down on him, saying that marrying Yan Jiefang would lead to poor food and drink and a weakened body.

This left Yan Fugui feeling like neither human inside nor out.

He clutched the five yuan in his pants pocket.

His heart was bleeding.

Just as Yan Fugui was about to take out money, a clear child's voice unexpectedly rang out.

"Our teacher said, only those who can't afford food and can't afford clothes are the people we need to help; our teacher taught us to help those truly in difficulty. Jia Dame is so fat, Qin Auntie's clothes have not even a patch; why would Grandpa Liu help their family?"

He spoke without intention.

The listener took it to heart.

Moreover, the speaker was still a child.

There is a saying that goes well.

Children's words are unfiltered.

Liu Haizhong's expression changed.

Jia Zhangshi's expression also changed; Laoqianpo realized she had done something superfluous.

Thinking the neighbors would surely gossip about Qin Huairu's clothes, he hurriedly stuffed the twenty yuan Liu Haizhong donated into Qin Huairu's pocket.

Give the money to Qin Huairu.

On one hand, to show my meticulous care for Qin Huairu, I have handed over financial authority to Qin Huairu; what more do you want?

On the other hand, to make Liu Haizhong suffer a dumb loss, Qin Huairu has already bumped into the pillar; you can't possibly snatch money from her hand.

Liu Haizhong indeed suffered a dumb loss; he originally intended to give ten yuan, with two five-yuan notes in his left pocket and two ten-yuan notes in his right pocket.

He accidentally pulled out the wrong notes.

He took out the two ten-yuan notes, mistaking them for two five-yuan notes; at first he didn't notice, until they were handed to Jia Zhangshi.

Only then did Liu Haizhong realize he had taken out the wrong notes; like Yan Fugui, he also felt a pang of regret.

What's more, it made the official enthusiast feel heartache.

In the entire Dayuan, only he donated twenty yuan to the Jia Family.