Chapter 79: Xu Damao Who Won't Give Up

After Li Xiuzhi was taken away by the street work staff.

Xu Damao visibly wilted.

Drooping his head.

Xu Damao followed behind Shazhu's butt into the house.

"Xu Damao, this isn't the you I know."

Shazhu overthought and thought Xu Damao had suffered a blow.

Afraid Xu Damao might have an accident.

He used this goading tactic.

He came over through time travel.

After interacting closely with Xu Damao for over two months, Shazhu found the plan seemed to have somewhat exceeded his expectations.

Wanting to repay Xu Damao for arranging his posthumous affairs and collecting his corpse in the previous life, he thought to ease relations with Xu Damao, but ended up accidentally trapping Xu Damao twice, and Xu Damao also trapped him twice, and he still owes Xu Damao eighteen meals.

Now Xu Damao has a bit of the air of Shazhu's enforcer.

In the previous life, whenever Yi Zhonghai encountered trouble, Shazhu would step in and beat whoever looked down on Yi Zhonghai. In this life, whenever Shazhu encounters trouble, he doesn't need Shazhu to tell him; Xu Damao rushes to speak up for Shazhu.

The sewing machine originally belonging to the Jia family in Shazhu's home is the best proof.

"Don't come at me, buddy—I'm not that weak." Xu Damao suddenly perked up, looking at Shazhu, "I realized that my mistake in this matter of adopting a child for the Yi Zhonghai couple lies in this introduction letter. You said if I had brought back that woman with the introduction letter, the Yi Zhonghai couple adopting a child would have been settled, right?"

Shazhu stared blankly at Xu Damao.

He didn't speak.

Just watched.

Being stared at made Xu Damao feel creepy all over.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"Xu Damao, I see you're still lecherous."

"How am I lecherous again? Explain it to me clearly."

"What you just said—saying you wanted to bring back that woman with the introduction letter—would have settled things."

"Who would have thought Li Xiuzhi had no introduction letter?" Xu Damao, giving Shazhu a casual excuse, widened his eyes, "Besides the introduction letter, there's also her age—looks like I need to keep the matter of helping the Yi Zhonghai couple adopt a child firmly in mind. Today, forget it; tomorrow then."

"You're still coming?"

Is Xu Damao refusing to give up until he sees the Yellow River?

How can he keep insisting on getting a child for the Yi Zhonghai couple?

"Of course." Xu Damao said righteously, "I'm solving the Yi Zhonghai couple's rear worries."

"You haven't seen how the Jia family mother and son want to tear you apart."

"Shazhu, buddy, let me tell you—you think I don't know what the Jia family mother and son are thinking? Buddy, helping the Yi Zhonghai couple adopt a child is actually aimed at the Jia family."

Better to offend a gentleman.

Rather not offend a petty person.

Truly a petty person, Xu Damao.

This is the rhythm of completely falling out with the Jia family.

Just because of the hijacking incident half a month ago, Xu Damao still holds a grudge against the Jia family, his teeth itching with hatred; his thinking is simple: whoever makes him unhappy, he will make that person unhappy for life.

The Jia family mother and son aren't trying to swallow Yi Zhonghai's extinction bonus, are they?

Xu Damao just helped Yi Zhonghai solve this old-age support problem, so the Jia family can't enjoy Yi Zhonghai's extinction bonus.

One sentence.

This matter of adopting a child.

Xu Damao has taken charge of this.

Looking at him, it was as if he had sworn an oath, appearing determined not to rest until he solved Yi Zhonghai's old-age support; after patting his butt, he left Shazhu's home.

Xu Damao, upon entering the house, was listless.

Xu Damao, upon leaving, was full of vigor.

Outsiders unaware of the situation still thought Shazhu had done something to Xu Damao.

The change was too great.

For example, regarding the Jia family's Zhangshi in the house, Shazhu inwardly cursed nonstop, and consequently also grew to hate Shazhu, thinking Shazhu and Xu Damao were in cahoots.

Shazhu also knew Zhangshi hated him, so he deliberately stood at his own doorway, wearing a look of watching a show, gazing at Zhangshi who hated him to death, yet Zhangshi could do nothing about him.

Today is New Year's Eve.

Jia Dongxu, as a son-in-law,

was going to visit his mother-in-law's home.

He was not in the siheyuan.

Everything concerning the Jia family was basically handled by Jia Zhangshi, such as buying couplets, posting spring couplets, etc.; all were personally managed by Jia Zhangshi.

Shazhu's interest lay in that couplet posted on the Jia family's gate.

Looking at it, it didn't seem like something to be posted on a door where people live; it was more fitting for a livestock shed.

The upper couplet reads: "Guarding the home and courtyard, everyone praises me."

The lower couplet reads: "Laying eggs and nesting, everyone praises me."

The upper couplet somewhat implies the meaning of a puppy; the lower couplet seems related to the old hen, duck, and goose.

Shazhu just wanted to know.

Jia Zhangshi picked up this couplet from somewhere and, damn it, pasted it on the gate; illiterate people have their ways— the poor Jin family in the backyard, unwilling to buy couplets, used teacups to stamp a few round blobs on the couplet and randomly drew a few strokes inside; from afar it also looked like something.

The Jia family!

He's really not playing by the rules.

"Shazhu, what are you laughing at?"

"Jia Popo, is Shazhu's laugh getting in your way?"

Shazhu watched Xu Daming, who had stood up for him.

That bastard didn't go off to handle arranging an adopted child for Yi Zhonghai, so why is he back?

"How did you come back again?"

"What were you laughing at just now?"

Shazhu pointed to the couplet posted at the Jia family's gate.

Xu Daming, taking in the writing, burst into loud laughter, laughing so unrestrainedly, even clutching his stomach as he laughed nonstop.

Some people also heard the commotion and came out.

Seeing Shazhu and Xu Daming pointing at the Jia family's couplet and laughing loudly, they also joined in.

Even if Jia Zhangshi were dumber, she'd realize she seemed to have botched this job; Laoqianpo didn't know what she was thinking, insisting the couplet had been sold to her by Yan Fugui and demanding he pay up, which made Yan Fugui angrily declare that women and petty people are hard to deal with; eventually, Yi Zhonghai, seeing things were going badly, used his authority as Head Steward to firmly put the matter to rest.

Jia Zhangshi couldn't read a single character, mistakenly pasting the livestock couplet on the Jia family's gate, yet it became a joke in the Siheyuan; the idle neighbors all turned it into gossip.

In the gossip.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, it was six o'clock in the evening.

The entire Siheyuan.

Excitement for the New Year filled every corner.

Rich or poor, everyone gets a haircut for the New Year.

No matter how poor.

One still has to eat a plate of dumplings.

Those with means make meat-and-egg dumplings; those without make vegetable dumplings; no matter what, dumplings must be eaten on New Year's Eve; some families save up a few catties of white flour all year just for that meal.

"Yushui, eat your meal."

Shazhu, greeting the little girl, casually placed the dumplings on the table.

That afternoon.

Yi Zhonghai mentioned something to Shazhu.

He suggested the two families celebrate the New Year together.

Shazhu refused Yi Zhonghai's proposal, saying that He Daqing had gone to Baocheng and he himself was bringing Yushui to spend their first New Year there.

No other meaning.

It's simply that he didn't want to.