Chapter 262: Xu Damao

In the Central Courtyard, Yi Zhonghai's "moral supremacy" remarks still hung in the air, as if the atmosphere had frozen. Under the dim yellow light, faces showed every expression—some persuaded sympathy, some numb fatigue, and a suppressed discontent.

Donate? Their own bowl of porridge is already clear to the bottom. Not donate? Yi Zhonghai's big label of "lacking compassion" and "undermining unity" being slapped on, in this courtyard that values the power of words, carries heavy weight.

Just as the suffocating silence was about to be broken by someone hesitating to reach into their pocket, a voice with a few oily tones suddenly rang out.

"Ahem, First Elder, what you said is reasonable!" Xu Damao stood up, a smile plastered on his face, first praising Yi Zhonghai, then turning the conversation, "But I have a small situation here, want to tell the three Elders and the neighbors, clarify, so that everyone… doesn't end up doing a good deed that turns bad, right?"

Yi Zhonghai frowned, a bad premonition rose. Liu Haizhong glared at Xu Damao with displeasure, feeling his interruption of his imagined authority display. Yan Bu Gui adjusted his glasses, a glint in his small eyes, thinking there's drama to watch.

Xu Damao wanted exactly this effect; he cleared his throat, his voice rose a few notes, ensuring everyone could hear clearly:

"Just now the First Elder said, the Jia family lost its main pillar, has no income, orphans and widows are pitiful. That statement, yes, but not entirely!"

He deliberately paused, whetting everyone's appetite.

"I heard from a friend at the Steel Rolling Mill that Brother Jia Dongxu died in the line of duty, the factory was generous! A one‑time compensation, the amount—" He held up three fingers, then gestured a five, "Three hundred and fifty yuan! A brand‑new great unity!"

"Buzz—" a sound, and the floor instantly erupted!

Three hundred and fifty yuan! For these ordinary workers and residents who earn a few dozen yuan a month, have to support an entire family, often go hungry, this is an unimaginably huge sum!

"How much? Three hundred five? My heavens!"

"Is it real? The Jia family so rich?"

"They have so much money and still ask us to donate?"

Jia Zhangshi sat in the front row, face instantly changed, shrill shouted: "Xu Damao! You're spouting nonsense! You're talking rubbish!"

Xu Damao ignored her, continued the big move: "That's not all! The factory considered that Comrade Qin Huairu is pregnant and cannot work immediately, specially approved, from this month, each month give the Jia family ten yuan living subsidy! Until Comrade Qin Huairu finishes childbirth and returns to work! Moreover!"

He raised his pitch again, "The factory leadership specially approved, moving Qin Huairu, Bang Geng, and the unborn child's household registration to urban registration! From now on, they will eat the state's rationed grain!"

This series of news, like a string of heavy bombs, left everyone in the courtyard stunned.

There is a huge compensation, a fixed monthly subsidy, and the most enviable urban household registration guarantee… This Jia family, how can they be a needy household? This is clearly a wealthy family crying poverty!

Those who had sympathy earlier now had changed eyes, their gazes toward Jia Zhangshi and Qin Huairu full of doubt and anger.

Yi Zhonghai's face turned iron‑blue; he had calculated everything, never expected Xu Damao to jump out and have the details so clear! He tried to salvage the situation: "Damao! How can hearsay count? The factory's arrangement…"

"First Elder!" Xu Damao cut him off, still smiling, his words like a knife, "This is not hearsay, the factory's Logistics Department and Personnel Department both have records! In our courtyard, those working at the Steel Rolling Mill are not just one or two, just ask around and you know what's true. The factory leaders' decisions can't be false, right?"

His words completely blocked Yi Zhonghai's retreat.

Li Ping'an sat among the crowd, a faint curve at the corner of his mouth. Xu Damao's "knife" was used just right.

"Exactly! They have so much money and still ask us to donate?"

"Are we tightening our belts just to feed the landlord's wealth?"

"Isn't this fooling idiots!"

"I just felt sorry for them earlier!"

The discussion grew louder, the dissatisfied emotion like a stored flood found an outlet.

Yan Bu Gui, seeing the wind direction, immediately began to calculate. The Jia family so rich, could the "benefits" Yi Zhonghai promised earlier still exist? Even if they exist, offending the whole courtyard for this little benefit is not worth it!

He cleared his throat immediately, took on the Third Elder's posture: "Well… Old Yi, if the situation is truly as Damao described, then our donation… indeed needs discussion. After all, there are many needy families in our courtyard; to help, we must first help those who truly cannot make ends meet, right?" He instantly cleared himself, appearing very fair.

Liu Haizhong, seeing Yan Bu Gui switch sides, Xu Damao speaking convincingly, the crowd below got excited, also realized the matter was messed up. He originally wanted to expose his face by hosting the donation, now he almost exposed his butt. He hurriedly added: "Ah, this… the situation seems a bit complicated. Since everyone has doubts, let's put the donation on hold, put it on hold! Once it's verified, we'll speak!"

Yi Zhonghai isolated, looking at the pairs of eyes below full of distrust and mockery, felt his face burning.

The "fairness" image he had painstakingly built now showed a huge crack. He knew that forcibly pushing the donation was impossible, only would make him fall further.

He took a deep breath, forced down his anger and embarrassment, barely kept composure: "Since… since everyone has differing opinions, let's shelve this. The three Elders will re‑verify the situation. Disperse!"

After speaking, he was the first to stand, almost as if fleeing, left the Central Courtyard, even forgetting his beloved enamel cup.

Liu Haizhong quickly followed suit. Yan Bu Gui, however, sauntered slowly, and said to the crowd: "Everyone disperse, go home, we'll discuss this later."

A meticulously planned donation meeting ended with a weak start and weak finish, becoming a farce.

The crowd laughed and discussed while scattering, their words full of contempt for the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai.

Jia Zhangshi trembled all over, pointing at Xu Damao's back and raged: "Xu Damao, you immoral, smoking one! May you meet a bad end! May you be cut off!"

Qin Huairu leaned on her mother‑in‑law, head lowered further. She didn't expect Xu Damao to know so clearly, nor the courtyard's reaction so fierce. She felt that the previously perhaps sympathetic gazes now turned cold and sharp. The road ahead seemed even more difficult.

Xu Damao, smug, walked over to Li Ping'an, whispered as if taking credit: "Li Chief, how about it? I wasn't wrong, right? These people just want to fool everyone!"

Li Ping'an gave him a glance, smiled lightly, neither denying nor over‑commenting, only said: "The truth, as always, becomes clearer the more it's argued." Then he left with Lin Xueqing and the child home.

Xu Damao was stunned, pondering the sentence, felt Li Ping'an's words affirmed him, his heart swelled with pleasure, thinking his move was right.

Back at Xi Kua Yuan, Lin Xueqing sighed: "Good thing we didn't donate. The Jia family is just too…"

"Human hearts are never satisfied, like a snake swallowing an elephant." Li Ping'an replied, "After this incident, Yi Zhonghai's prestige in the courtyard has dropped a lot. From now on, anyone trying this kind of moral blackmail here won't find it so easy."

He looked at the heavy night outside, knowing that after tonight, the hearts of the Siheyuan people have quietly changed. The Jia family's "pitiful" mask was torn off, Yi Zhonghai's "fairness" coat was pierced, and some previously silent people may start to think, no longer blindly follow.

This silent thunder, shaking, affects not only the Jia family and Yi Zhonghai? This seemingly ordinary Siheyuan, every day, stages a subtle game of survival, humanity, and wisdom.