Chapter 33: The so-called Grand Uncle is merely a tool for Yi Zhonghai

"I am saying you have broken the law, you have committed a crime. I, He Yuzhu, may be infamous in your words for not respecting the old and loving the young, for not respecting my elders, but I have not broken the law."

"And you, these elders, who speak of morality with every breath, have broken the law! Yi Zhonghai, your so-called morality is nothing more than a tool for your crimes."

"Every time something happens in our Siheyuan, when we reason with you, you lecture us on morality; when we speak to you of morality, you lecture us on the law;"

"When we speak to you of the law, you act like a rogue; when we act like rogues with you, you lecture us on reason again."

"Whenever you cannot win an argument, you come out with a line about how it takes two to clap, or how, setting aside the facts, we are the ones in the wrong. In short, it all boils down to one thing: no matter what, you are always right, and we are always wrong."

"Respected leaders, and everyone here, do you know why Yi Zhonghai and his lot repeatedly emphasize, and even force us, to call them First Grand Uncle, Second Grand Uncle, and Third Grand Uncle?"

"They are confusing concepts. They bind duty to seniority, naturally standing on the moral high ground. The moment they say 'I am your Grand Uncle,' they are a generation above you."

"Respecting the old and loving the young is our traditional virtue. They use this as a tool to oppress us, exploit us, and ride on our necks to shit and piss."

"Traditional virtues like respecting the old and loving the young are not wrong; what is wrong is how they distort these concepts, first using power to suppress us, and then using underhanded tricks in secret to force us."

"All to achieve their ulterior motives!"

"I will use Supervisor Xu Damao as an example here. Everyone says Xu Damao is bad, a born bad seed, a villain with sores on his head and pus on his feet."

"I want to ask everyone, has Xu Damao ever done anything that angered both man and god? I also want to ask Station Chief Zhang and Section Chief Chu, has Xu Damao ever done anything illegal or undisciplined?" He Yuzhu roared loudly.

He Yuzhu was not doing this to whitewash Xu Damao, but to let everyone see the true faces of Yi Zhonghai and the others.

He Yuzhu could not bring himself to deliberately curry favor with Xu Damao, nor could he beat Xu Damao up every time he saw him like before; He Yuzhu simply treated Xu Damao as a passerby.

Now, He Yuzhu also hoped that the former Shazhu had not kicked Xu Damao into extinction; otherwise, Shazhu's sins would be too great. Since He Yuzhu had inherited Shazhu's karma, he had to resolve Shazhu's consequences.

Just as the people of the Siheyuan were pondering, Station Chief Zhang spoke up: "Xu Damao has never done anything illegal or undisciplined. The police station has no record of Xu Damao, and no one has reported Xu Damao for illegal or undisciplined acts."

"The Rolling Mill Security Section also has no criminal record for Xu Damao. Some people have reported Xu Damao to the Security Section, but after investigation, they were all nonsense, malicious reports," Section Chief Chu added.

The people of the Siheyuan finally realized that Xu Damao had never done anything bad at all. At most, Xu Damao looked down on people and ignored them, but he had never cheated or harmed anyone—well, perhaps he had cheated Shazhu.

Xu Damao truly had not expected He Yuzhu to clear his name. At this moment, Xu Damao was conflicted and felt a bit awkward. He wanted to thank He Yuzhu, but he couldn't bring himself to do it; if he didn't thank He Yuzhu, Xu Damao felt uncomfortable inside.

Just as Xu Damao was caught in a dilemma, He Yuzhu spoke.

"Everyone understands now, right? Because Xu Damao is smart and a projectionist, Yi Zhonghai could not control Xu Damao whether in the Siheyuan or the Rolling Mill. So, Yi Zhonghai first spread rumors, slandering Xu Damao as a born bad seed, and then tricked me into beating Xu Damao every day. This way, Xu Damao couldn't jump around and couldn't escape Yi Zhonghai's control."

"Here, I want to apologize to Xu Damao. I trusted the wrong person before and was maliciously guided. How about this, I won't be superficial, let's be practical. I ask Factory Director Yang to tell the finance department tomorrow that my salary for this month will be collected by Xu Damao," He Yuzhu said. He Yuzhu knew that Xu Damao cared about face; having this said out loud would give Xu Damao plenty of face, much better than paying him money on the spot.

"Hey, Sha... He Yuzhu, do I lack that little bit of money? What I want is your attitude. Having this attitude is enough. He Yuzhu is straightforward, and I'm not a petty person either. Everyone is here, be my witness. I don't want his money; the past between me and He Yuzhu is wiped clean," Xu Damao said generously.

This kind of face-saving matter was more important than money, so Xu Damao naturally had to put on a show, and at the same time, it left a good impression on the leaders.

"Now everyone understands the good intentions of Director Wang and District Leader Director Zheng, right? They did this to prevent us from continuing to be exploited and oppressed by Yi Zhonghai and his lot."

"Director Wang manages so many Siheyuan, she can't come to our Siheyuan every day, so she specifically established the position of Supervisor to supervise the Mediators."

"A Supervisor is not a leader; they can only supervise the Mediators and have no other power, so they won't cause any impact on everyone. When you have issues, you can look for the Supervisor while looking for the Mediator, to supervise the Mediator and avoid them favoring one side."

"I believe everyone has suffered this kind of injustice, right? So, Director Wang and the other leaders introduced this regulation for everyone's good. Everyone, tell me, is it good?" He Yuzhu said.

"Good!" Everyone in the Siheyuan, except for a very few, shouted in unison, because these people had all suffered such injustice and losses, so they naturally supported it.

"How should we address you? Should we also call you Grand Uncle?" a voice came from the crowd.

"I will clarify here: what the Street Office elected were Mediators and Supervisors; they never said they elected Grand Uncles. The term 'Grand Uncle' is what Yi Zhonghai made us call him to achieve his ulterior, sinister motives. Everyone must not be fooled."

"As for how to address us, it's up to you, as long as there are no malicious or insulting terms. You can call me He Yuzhu, Silly Pillar, or Yuzhu; even calling me Chef He or Chef is fine."

"Let's talk about Liu Haizhong. Liu Haizhong, you fancy yourself very clever, but you are a fool, willing to be used as a gun by Yi Zhonghai. Initially, when the Street Office elected Mediators, they considered that our Siheyuan is divided into three courtyards—front, middle, and back—so they elected three Mediators, each responsible for one courtyard."

"Yi Zhonghai, for the sake of his ambition, insisted on ranking them by age. This way, he naturally became the First Grand Uncle, and you became the Second Grand Uncle, making him a head taller than you."

"But don't forget, when Director Wang of the Street Office elected you as Mediators, you were equals. Tell me, aren't you a fool, being sold and still helping them count the money?" He Yuzhu sneered.

"Here, I apologize to everyone. Due to the negligence of our Street Office, we let Yi Zhonghai find a loophole. I reiterate: the Street Office elected Mediators, not Grand Uncles!"

"Mediators were established to strictly prevent enemy agents and convey instructions from superiors. If there are conflicts or disputes in the courtyard, you can look for a Mediator to mediate, or you don't have to. Mediators have no right to force mediation."

"Everyone, don't misunderstand Mediators as the village heads or clan leaders of the old world. Mediators have no power at all. Do you understand?" Director Wang stood out and said.

"Understood!" Xu Damao, like a braying donkey, took the lead and shouted loudly.

"If the Grand Uncle... no, the Mediator and the Supervisor have a conflict, who do we listen to?" a voice came from the crowd.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 34 =====