Chapter 234: with translation of chapter title

In the belief that many children bring many blessings.

Every family had several children.

Whether they were named background actors or nameless ones, they all faced the challenge of needing a home for their grown children to marry and start a career.

Previously, they lacked the means; they had ideas but no way to act on them. Unable to get help from grandparents, they did their best to work with what they already had.

Now that they have the chance, they must fight for it.

It directly affects their own interests.

Who still cares what kind of nonsense Head Steward you are?

Everyone has a head on their shoulders; why should I meekly let your family rent my house?

Without Yi Zhonghai, this wouldn't happen.

The Head Steward still had some prestige, making the neighbors wary.

Such a situation has occurred.

To the neighbors, the Head Steward is nothing but a fart; when they need him to step up, he's the Head Steward, but when they don't want to deal with him, he's worthless.

Liu Haizhong was himself a victim; even after becoming a Head Steward, people never gave him any respect.

Especially those skeptical glances.

It left the official enthusiast feeling uneasy.

It seemed Liu Haizhong was about to follow Yi Zhonghai's path.

Finding it unpleasant is one thing.

They then faced the key point of the house‑grabbing scramble.

Everyone wanted a piece of the action.

With a clatter.

They surrounded the Yagangchang officials, constantly speaking of their difficulties.

Section Chief Li, I'm Zheng Jinren from the Ninth Workshop at Yagangchang. My son just got engaged a few days ago, and we hit it off. But because our family of six is squeezed into a tiny room, the girl's family is unhappy, saying she can't keep living with us in one small room after marriage. Section Chief Li, please help—this house should be prioritized for me, Zheng Jinren, to rent, and I'll pay a year's rent in advance.

Seeing Zheng Jinren cite his son's lack of a house as the reason he can't marry.

Bu Zhengjing nearby took offense, pulled out a refined filtered cigarette from his pocket, and offered it to Section Chief Li.

Section Chief Li, you smoke; we also need this house. I'm Bu Zhengjing from the Twelfth Workshop. Lao Zheng says his son can't marry because he has no house. Look at me—I've been married for years, but without a house we're crammed with my parents and brothers, and we dare not have children.

Such a situation has occurred.

"Section Chief Li, we also need a house."

The neighbors were murmuring in disagreement.

Basically, it all means the same thing.

Yi Zhonghai's house should be rented out to them first.

As for others.

Just wait.

The siheyuan became a chaotic market, with over a hundred people competing for houses; every household that could send someone out had them all standing in the courtyard, and some even brought out their own children.

Shazhu saw it clearly.

For a house, someone deliberately made a content child cry.

How strange.

Before Yi Zhonghai was around, we never saw so many troublemakers.

After Yi Zhonghai's death, these troublemakers showed their true nature.

Liu Haizhong won't work.

He isn't worthy to hold Yi Zhonghai's shoes.

Otherwise, things wouldn't have turned into this chaotic mess.

Think about it.

Understood.

Yagangchang sometimes had the practice of freeing up a house and then someone moving in right away through internal connections; if it weren't for Shazhu's family having only two siblings and also two ancestral homes, Shazhu himself might now be like those neighbors, urging Section Chief Li for a house.

They're all just people.

Nobody should look down on anyone.

Outside the crowd, Yan Fugui frowned, suddenly setting his sights on the deaf old lady's house in the rear courtyard.

It had a reputation as a haunted house.

Even if it's haunted, it's still better than being homeless.

At worst, we could just keep the lights on at night when we move in.

Section Chief Li, I'm Yan Fugui from Yagangchang Affiliated Primary School. Our eldest son needs a house to marry, and our second son is at the age to seek a match with a house. We Yan family aren't competing with the neighbors for Yi Zhonghai's house; could the deaf old lady's house in the rear courtyard be prioritized for rent to us?

Yan Fugui, too, was driven to distraction by the scramble for houses.

He came up with that excuse.

He didn't say anything.

People weren't very interested in the deaf old lady's house.

Once those words were out.

Interest sparked instantly.

Yan Fugui, a notorious miser in the siheyuan, never acts without profit; he ignored Yi Zhonghai's good house while eyeing the deaf old lady's haunted one, which surely offers some benefit.

People are the most complex creatures in the world.

Suddenly became interested. - none.

Yan Fugui is a well‑known longtime resident of the siheyuan; he never does anything without profit, yet he leaves the Yi family's nice house vacant while scheming to take over the deaf old lady's murder house, because surely her property offers some gain. - Entities: "Yan Fugui" -> Yan Fugui. "Siheyuan" -> Siheyuan. "Yi Family" -> Yi Family. "Yi Family" refers to Yi Zhonghai's family. Should we list as "Yi Family"? Not in glossary but it's a family name. We should include as "Yi Family". Original term "Yi Family". Also "Long Laotaitai" -> Long Laotaitai.

Humans are the most complex animals in the world. - none.

He would rather be in trouble himself, as long as he gets to see you suffer.

Under such thoughts.

They began to contend again.

「Second Elder, you can't say that; this is the house in our Hou Yuan, and it should be rented out by the neighbors of our Hou Yuan. Moreover, you are the Head Steward of the Siheyuan; you should promote the ethic of enduring hardship first and enjoying later, and you must not compete for houses with us common folk。」

They ignored Yan Fugui's constipated, ugly face.

Someone again brought up the same excuse.

The greeting fell on Liu Haizhong.

「Head Steward, you are the newly appointed Head Steward of our Siheyuan; a new official always starts with three blazing fires—you can't, upon being elected Head Steward, pour this first fire into your own profit. If word gets out that you, the new Head Steward, are competing with us to rent houses, how will people see you? They'll think you're bullying others with your authority, and if it reaches the Yagangchang leadership, how will they view you? 」

Liu Haizhong nearly died from anger.

Good fellow.

He could only call him a good fellow.

You have interests to pursue, using the title of Head Steward to morally blackmail me, Liu Haizhong; when there's no benefit, in your eyes I, Liu Haizhong, this Head Steward, am just a dispensable big fart.

All the bad things are mine, Liu Haizhong's, while all the good things belong to you neighbors.

On what grounds?

With his mouth open.

The official-obsessed one stared with eyes that didn't know what to say, looking this way and that, finally letting out a helpless sigh.

Just a few ordinary words.

Struck Liu Haizhong's weak spot.

The Siheyuan was the stage where he could display his ambitions and realize his dream of becoming an official.

If word got out that Liu Haizhong had the infamous reputation of using power for personal gain, could he still serve as this Head Steward?

Speaking of which, it's laughably serious.

In Shazhu's eyes, the Head Steward title was worthless, yet it became Liu Haizhong's restraint.

Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, having been disciplined by Liu Haizhong's rod, upon seeing Liu Haizhong's such aggrieved demeanor, knew that their brothers' buttocks were about to get beaten.

In their hearts, a bit of resentment arose.

They resented Liu Haizhong for not being impartial, and resented the eldest, Liu Guangqi.

Liu Haizhong and his wife's conversation was inadvertently heard by the second and third brothers; they realized that Liu Haizhong's reason for fighting over the house was not at all for their two brothers, but for the eldest of the Liu family.

Why, for the eldest's profit, we brothers have to endure your beating?