Chapter 1316

The Fifth Day

Xu Damao took his apprentice and equipment to Shangti Village to show a movie.

When he returned, the back seat of his bicycle was covered in local specialties.

This trip out not only earned him favors but also brought in plenty of benefits.

Just in time for the New Year, the commune was also prosperous.

Seeing this, Shazhu sneered: "Xu Damao, with such extortion, aren't you afraid of being caught by the Workers' Discipline Team?"

Xu Damao said urgently: "Shazhu, which eye did you see me extorting? If you dare to talk nonsense again, believe it or not, I'll report you for slander!"

Shazhu: "No extortion? Did the local specialties on your bicycle fall from the sky?"

Xu Damao: "I was showing a movie for the commune, and the commune leaders saw how hard I worked and insisted on giving them to me. These things of mine were obtained cleanly and openly."

Shazhu spat on the ground: "Bah! Cleanly! You don't even feel ashamed saying that! Xu Damao! Just keep showing off! I'll report the problem to the factory leaders tomorrow; I must properly rectify your crooked style!"

Xu Damao was red-faced and thick-necked with anger: "Shazhu, you are not a human being."

Shazhu smiled: "You can curse however you want. Tomorrow, brother will go and eliminate harm for the people."

Just as Xu Damao was stomping his feet in anxiety, Cao Weiguo walked over swaggeringly.

"Brother Damao! Director Song of the commune called Director Li, praising you for showing the movie well, saying the commune members were very happy watching it. He expressed his gratitude to you on behalf of all the commune members... Director Li said you are proactive in your work and have progressive thinking, and asked me to send you ten catties of meat coupons as encouragement."

Cao Weiguo's words made Xu Damao beam with joy and made Shazhu's face turn purple with frustration.

"Hahaha... Thank you, Director! The Director is wise!"

"Shazhu! Look! Open your dog eyes and look!"

"These are the meat coupons the Director rewarded me with! This is the factory leadership's affirmation of my work!"

"You still want to report me? Go ahead and report! Grandpa is waiting for you to report!"

Xu Damao laughed triumphantly, while Shazhu's teeth itched with hatred, looking indignant: "Xu Damao, don't be complacent. Brother will make you cry sooner or later!"

Xu Damao: "I am complacent! What can you do about it! Make me cry? Do you have that ability! I am a deputy section chief, what are you? You're nothing!"

Shazhu clenched his fists in anger, left a harsh word, and turned to leave: "Grandson! Let's wait and see!"

Xu Damao provoked: "Grandson! Grandpa is waiting for you!"

Cao Weiguo smiled: "Brother Damao, why get angry with Shazhu? He's just a dim-witted rascal; it's not worth fighting with him."

Xu Damao: "It was this brat who started the trouble; otherwise, I wouldn't bother with him. Brother Weiguo, let's go to my house for a couple of drinks."

Cao Weiguo: "No, I have an appointment. I'll go drink with Brother Damao another day."

After Cao Weiguo left, Xu Damao pushed his bicycle to the middle courtyard.

Qin Huairu smiled and stopped Xu Damao: "Yo! Xu Damao, you're doing well. You had quite a harvest on your trip."

Xu Damao smiled: "Want to take some back?"

Qin Huairu said charmingly: "What do you think?"

Xu Damao took off a string of sun-dried wild mushrooms: "Let's go for a walk together tonight."

Qin Huairu grabbed the mushrooms: "What are you thinking? You want to have a good time with just a string of mushrooms?"

Xu Damao patted the sack: "There's also a fat, big duck in here. How about it? Do you want it?"

Qin Huairu's eyes lit up: "Are you willing to give it to me?"

Xu Damao: "As long as you nod, let alone one duck, even ten or a hundred, I, Xu Damao, am willing. Good sister, don't you know my feelings for you?"

Qin Huairu scolded with a smile: "Who is your good sister? You only know how to talk glibly. Give me the duck."

Xu Damao: "Then tonight?"

Qin Huairu smiled: "At ten o'clock, I'll go to the cellar to get cabbage."

Xu Damao, blood boiling, untied the sack: "The duck is already slaughtered, and there's also plenty of wood ear and daylily inside, all for you."

Qin Huairu happily took the sack, throwing a charming glance: "Thank you, Brother Damao. I'm going back to cook."

Watching Qin Huairu's plump, swaying back, Xu Damao swallowed his saliva with fiery eyes.

"Shazhu! Aren't you looking for trouble? Today I'll deal with Qin Huairu first, and then I'll deal with you!"

Xu Damao pushed his bicycle home excitedly, preparing to eat two extra steamed buns tonight to build up his strength for a good time.

Qin Huairu carried the things home, and after opening the sack, she beamed with joy.

"Mom! Where did the duck come from!"

Seeing Qin Huairu take out a plucked duck, Banggeng's eyes turned green.

Qin Huairu smiled: "Xu Damao gave it to me. Go call your Uncle Sha over; he's good at stewing duck."

Banggeng said excitedly: "I'll go right now."

Banggeng couldn't wait to run out of the room, and in a short while, he dragged Shazhu in.

Shazhu asked with an ugly expression: "Qin Jie, did Xu Damao give this duck?"

Qin Huairu smiled: "Yes."

Shazhu said frustratedly: "Would he be so kind as to give you a duck? Does he have some ulterior motive?"

Qin Huairu walked to Shazhu and whispered: "You guessed right. This Xu Damao is very bad; he wants me to go to the cellar with him tonight."

Shazhu's eyes widened immediately: "What! I'm going to kill that grandson right now!"

Qin Huairu grabbed Shazhu's arm and whispered: "Don't be impulsive! Zhuzi! Listen to me. I took his duck this time just to teach him a lesson. Tonight, let's do this..."

Shazhu's eyes lit up as he listened, giving Qin Huairu a thumbs up: "Qin Jie! You are truly a Zhuge among women! I'm impressed!"

Qin Huairu smiled: "Gluttonous mouth, hurry up and cook the duck."

Shazhu chuckled: "Qin Jie, just watch. I'm best at cooking duck."

Shazhu rolled up his sleeves and started working, washing the duck, cutting it into pieces... and skillfully stewing the duck.

In a short while, the aroma of the stewed duck drifted out of the window.

Yi Zhonghai smelled the fragrance and sniffed hard: "So fragrant! Whose house is this?"

The First Aunt: "Whose else could it be? The Jia family's. I saw Shazhu washing a duck at the water pool. Tell me, this Shazhu, you treat him so well, yet I've never seen him show such filial piety to you."

Yi Zhonghai said unhappily: "What nonsense are you talking about? Our family doesn't worry about food or drink, so why would we need Shazhu's filial piety? The Jia family is a family of orphans and widows, and life isn't easy. Shazhu has a kind heart and often helps the Jia family; this is helping others, it's a good thing. You are not allowed to talk nonsense."

The First Aunt: "It's a good thing, you and Shazhu really are father and son, equally warm-hearted, wishing they could empty their house to help a widow."

"Bang!"

Yi Zhonghai slapped the table, glaring and shouting angrily: "Nonsense! What kind of thinking is this! As the Eldest Uncle of the courtyard and Dongxu's master, Dongxu's wife and children are having a hard time, so what's wrong with me helping them? Besides, now we are the godfather and godmother of Banggeng and the three children, so we should help the Jia family even more."

The First Aunt felt aggrieved and said: "Nothing's wrong! It's great! You are doing good deeds! Don't I know what you're thinking? Aren't you just trying to get Shazhu and Qin Huairu to support you in your old age? But you can't empty out your family's foundation to help. What if they are ungrateful wolves? Aren't you going to leave yourself a way out?"

Yi Zhonghai said with a gloomy face: "You just focus on doing your own business. It's not your place to point fingers at what I do!"