Chapter 387: Liu Haizhong runs into trouble, Shazhu deals with it

Liu Haizhong acted high and mighty, ran amok in Yagangchang and wreaked havoc in the Siheyuan; these sordid affairs had little to do with Shazhu, so he pretended not to have seen them,

What should he do each day?

What should he continue doing?

At work he sorted scrap in the Sihuocangku.

After work he rode his bicycle to his parents‑in‑law's house to see his wife and children.

They were both big courtyards.

The big courtyard where his parents‑in‑law lived, whether in atmosphere or neighborly feelings, far surpassed the Siheyuan where Shazhu lived.

There was nothing he could do.

Who let the Red Star Courtyard be full of talent?

It was packed with beasts.

Sometimes.

Shazhu also wondered whether he should move out of the Red Star Courtyard.

He thought it over.

He gave up the idea.

In the midst of the raging storm, it was best to stay as honest as possible.

Being careful never hurts.

Especially toward Liu Haizhong, Shazhu redoubled his efforts to cope with the rise of the official‑obsessed.

Whether inside Yagangchang or the Siheyuan, whenever he met Liu Haizhong, Shazhu would stop and respectfully address him as Team Captain Liu.

To curry his favor.

Who made Liu Haizhong love hearing such high praise?

Each time he fooled Liu Haizhong into losing himself in delight.

That day.

He had finished dinner, glanced at his son and daughter, chatted awhile with his parents‑in‑law about family matters, then greeted Yu Li and stepped out.

He had just unlocked his bicycle.

Then he saw Yu Li also come out of the house, not knowing when.

In the moonlight.

She wore an expression of concern for Shazhu.

He straightened his back, took the moment when those nearby were watching, and reached out to touch Yu Li's face.

They say women are made of water.

The ancients were not deceiving me.

Such a simple gesture of touching her face made Yu Li's eyes redden, as if tears were about to spill, a look of aggrieved helplessness.

Shazhu's heart.

Ached inexplicably.

A wife is taken in love, not to be made to suffer injustice.

"Honey, what's wrong?" Shazhu tried to keep his tone flat, "Who angered you? Was it Wei Guo? When he grows up I'll give him a good scolding—he does nothing all day, just purposely makes my wife angry."

Shazhu's usual tricks.

But today they had no effect.

His playful excuse fell flat.

The tears in Yu Li's eyes seemed to increase.

"Honey, what's wrong with you? Tell me, don't make me guess—I can't figure it out, you know I hate being made to guess things."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Shazhu then felt a warm body fly into his embrace.

The thought that outsiders might be around.

Shazhu tried with both hands to push Yu Li away.

What he got in return.

Was Yu Li hugging him even tighter.

Seeing that he couldn't push her away, Shazhu gave up struggling, glanced around, fearful that someone would discover their intimacy.

After more than a minute.

Only then did Yu Li pull her body from Shazhu's embrace.

She wiped the tears from her eyes with her hand.

She scolded Shazhu.

"You bastard!"

Although it was a swear, her tone carried a hint of complaint and also some concern.

Shazhu suddenly understood why Yu Li had acted so strangely; he guessed that being removed from canteen head and made a keeper had already been known to Yu Li.

"You knew all of that?"

"If Haitang Yizhong hadn't let the slip, I'd still not know what you're up to now—you're my man, do you really lack this much confidence in me?"

Yu Li's resentment wasn't really at Shazhu; it was that he kept this important matter from her, leading her to believe he didn't regard her as his wife—otherwise he should have told her right away.

Shazhu calculated the days.

From the day he was removed, up to now, about forty days have passed.

Little Xiang Hong had also reached one month old.

He reached out, used his finger to thoroughly wipe away the tears on Yu Li's cheek, and began to explain to her in as calm a tone as possible.

He believed he could convince Yu Li.

"Blame me, blame me; every mistake is my fault as this old man. I guarantee that from now on, I will report any household matter, no matter how small, to you immediately."

What about big matters?

Big matters must also be reported; I guarantee you'll find out right away.

I don't mean to blame you, head of the household; I know you're thinking of me.

Consider the problem from Shazhu's perspective.

It's clear that Shazhu is thinking of Yu Li.

This point.

Yu Li clearly knows.

She suddenly laughed, then immediately punched Shazhu in the chest.

The force was light.

Shazhu, however, put on a pained expression and let out a plaintive 'aiyou' cry, fully cooperating.

He was also being a drama queen.

"Weiguo's dad." Yu Li, not realizing it was a trick, mistakenly thought her punch had hurt Shazhu, and with a concerned look she hurriedly asked him, "Are you okay?"

Seeing her scheme succeed.

Shazhu laughed.

He jumped up and down on the spot a few times to show off.

"Dong!" Yu Li punched Shazhu; this time she used a bit more force, and angrily retorted, "Don't bully me again."

Wife, from today on, I guarantee I won't hide anything from you.

Head of the household, I know what you're thinking; you considered that I just gave birth to Xianghong, my body is weak, and you're worried that if I learn you were demoted, I'll get angry and harm my health.

Yu Li looked at Shazhu, her tone becoming earnest and heartfelt.

I want to tell you something: no matter whether you are the canteen chief of Yagangchang or the warehouse keeper of Yagangchang, I, Yu Li, don't care; I care about you as a person. I hope you stay well, don't worry about me. I hope you treat me as your wife; when problems arise, we can face them bravely hand in hand. I don't want you to treat me as an outsider: when there are good things, you think of me; when there are problems, you cast me aside and face them alone. I don't need a husband who lives so exhaustively; I hope I can stand beside him as his wife.

Shazhu grabbed Yu Li and pulled her over.

He held her in his arms.

That scene just now.

To be replayed.

Except that their roles were swapped.

Shazhu was a bit reckless, while Yu Li, feeling shy, wanted to break free from his embrace.

They embraced together for over a minute.

They each separated.

They kept an eye on each other.

Wife, it's late and cold; you've just finished your postpartum confinement, hurry back inside.

I want to go back with you; we're a married couple, we should stand together.

Shazhu thought for a moment.

He rejected Yu Li's proposal.

The present Siheyuan.

It's truly a tangled mess.

Yu Li taking the child back, those disgusting things in the Siheyuan would likely make her nauseous; he calculated the time in his mind.

It should be soon.

The culprit behind the panic in the Siheyuan and even Yagangchang is Liu Haizhong; his good days are about to end.

In his previous life.

Liu Haizhong's rise to ruin took, at most, three months.

In another fifty days.

Liu Haizhong will have to pack up and roll out.

The Siheyuan will then enter the era of Xu Daming.

Given his relationship with Xu Daming, as long as Xu Daming holds power, it's as if he himself holds power.

Wife, listen, spend more time with your parents; at the Siheyuan end, in two months' time I'll personally come to pick you up.

Yu Li knows Shazhu's temper.

A person who keeps his word.

She then agreed to Shazhu's suggestion that she return to the Siheyuan in two months.

She helped tidy up Shazhu's clothes with her hands, saw him off, let out a soft sigh, turned, and went back inside.

……

Siheyuan.

Another Dayuan meeting was held.

When Shazhu returned.

The Dayuan meeting was already drawing to a close.

Liu Haizhong stood on the table, scanning the crowd, speaking harshly with some empty rhetoric.

Because his abilities were limited and his education low, he kept repeating the same content over and over, making the listeners' ears hurt.

He saw Shazhu.

His facial expression habitually just sank.

At today's Dayuan Assembly, everyone was present except Shazhu, which left Liu Haizhong feeling a bit annoyed, as he thought Shazhu wasn't giving him face.

He also blamed Shazhu for returning at the wrong time; if Shazhu had arrived a few minutes later, after Liu Haizhong finished the Dayuan Assembly, nothing would have happened.

He just managed to catch the tail end.

The melon fell.

He didn't even want to eat that little bit.

Liu Haizhong pointed at Shazhu and immediately slapped a big label on him.

"Shazhu, you only just came back for the Dayuan Assembly? Didn't you even notice me, the captain of the Elderly Assault Team at the steel plant?"

Some neighbors.

They silently felt sorrow for Shazhu, guessing he would be Liu Haizhong's next target.

They weren't acting out of conscience; they weren't genuinely concerned for Shazhu's safety.

Instead, it gave rise to the desolation of 'when the rabbit dies, the dog is cooked'.

Shazhu.

With Shazhu taking the lead, they didn't have to worry about being purged by Liu Haizhong.

Without Shazhu, who used to shield them from danger, they would face the threat of being attacked by Liu Haizhong; just thinking about the bad fate of some people inside the courtyard makes their legs go weak.

Someone also chimed in, trying to curry favor with Liu Haizhong.

"Shazhu, do you think you're still the canteen chief of the steel plant? You're now just the keeper of Warehouse No. 4. What's so arrogant about you? When Team Captain Liu was having dinner, he sent someone to notify the neighbors in the courtyard to hold the Dayuan Assembly at 8 p. m. sharp; it's already 9 p. m., and you've only just returned—this shows you don't put Team Captain Liu in your eyes."

They're all just people who go with the wind.

Seeing someone take the lead.

The remaining few people.

They also started following the crowd, randomly slapping a chamber pot onto Shazhu's head.

"Shazhu, did you deliberately hide outside until after nine, then come back to the courtyard just in time? Is that what happened?"

"Now the only option for you, Shazhu, is to honestly explain why you came back so late."

Shazhu looked at those who were blaming him.

He slowly opened his mouth.

"You say I didn't put Team Captain Liu in my heart; what evidence do you have? I think it's you who haven't put him in your hearts—before he even finished speaking, you kept saying I'm wrong about this and that. Are you trying to seize Team Captain Liu's authority?"

It's just randomly putting a label on someone.

Shazhu can do that too.

And it's even better than what they put on.

Everything went just as Shazhu had anticipated; the people who had just blamed him immediately started trying to clear themselves as best they could.

They're not stupid.

Nobody wants to offend the mighty Liu Haizhong.

"Team Captain Liu, I didn't."

"Team Captain Liu, please hear my explanation."

"Everyone, settle down."

Liu Haizhong let out a fierce shout.

The courtyard, which had been as noisy as a bustling market just a moment ago, instantly fell silent.

Nobody spoke.

Only the sound of their breathing could be heard.

"Shazhu, as the captain of the Elderly Assault Team at the steel plant, I ask you: why didn't you attend our courtyard's Dayuan Assembly?"

This is the moment.

That is the moment.

You can't just confront Liu Haizhong head-on because you're angry with him.

Shazhu knows what the consequences of confronting him head-on are.

It's that he can't beat Liu Haizhong.

Backing down is the best choice.

Their current backing down will become future evidence to accuse Liu Haizhong.

Now we have tonight's show.

In the future, when those people look for trouble, they won't be able to pin it on Shazhu, after all, he can at least be considered a victim.

In the world.

How can there be a reason to make a victim answer to another victim?

Secondly.

Before coming back.

Shazhu had already considered the current situation and had a concrete plan in mind.

"Team Captain Liu, I'm not making excuses; everyone in the courtyard knows my wife gave birth, my father-in-law's family is observing the postpartum period, and I go every night after work to take care of her. I didn't know our Dayuan Assembly was scheduled for tonight, so I apologize to you, Team Captain Liu. I guarantee that for future Dayuan Assemblies, as long as someone notifies me, I will definitely attend. Please overlook my first mistake of returning late to attend the Dayuan Assembly and give me a chance to correct it."

His attitude was very sincere.

He looked completely honest and straightforward.

Liu Haizhong's anger.

It made him feel a bit better.

"Watch out next time!"

"Then I thank Team Captain Liu."

That's a pretty good ending.

You're fine, I'm fine, everyone's fine.

But there's no stopping those brown-nosing, ass-kissing bastards.

All they think about is sucking up to Liu Haizhong,

All they think about is sucking up to Liu Haizhong, clinging tightly to his thigh; even though Liu Haizhong didn't blame Shazhu, this person instead framed Shazhu.

"Team Captain Liu, Shazhu is just messing with you, the baby is already a month old, why is Yu Li still living at her parents' place? In my view, this is deliberately not accepting your education, Team Captain Liu. Shazhu knows you hold Dayuan meetings every few days to educate us, and he deliberately doesn't let Yu Li come back, using the excuse of taking care of Yu Li and the child, artificially creating an opportunity to not attend your organized Dayuan meeting."

The atmosphere that had just relaxed a bit.

Under this person's words.

Once again it became tense and uneasy.

People's gazes.

Gathered onto Shazhu's body.

Liu Haizhong also stared at Shazhu with a tiger's gaze, waiting for Shazhu's answer.