Siheyuan: Start with a Truck Driver

Qin Jingru watched from the side, sighed softly, walked to sit next to Xu Damao, and said earnestly: "Da Mao, calm down first. Don't you think that Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu are easy to mess with? These two guys have been in the compound for a long time, and they are full of tricks. Now Yi Zhonghai is on their side, how can you fight them alone?"

Xu Damao snorted, "Humph, just them? How can I be afraid of them? If you hadn't pulled me back today, I would have had to reason with them clearly."

Qin Jingru rolled her eyes at him and said, "You are just too impulsive. Do you think this is just a simple quarrel? There is more to it than meets the eye. Yi Zhonghai is so cunning. If he wants to protect Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu, he must have a lot of ways to do it. If you force your way in, you will be the one who suffers in the end."

Xu Damao frowned, a hint of hesitation flashed in his eyes: "Then what do you say we should do? Should we just let it go? I can't swallow this."

Qin Jingru thought about it, then approached Xu Damao and said, "I think you can go find Wang Weidong. He is a well-known figure in this area. With him in the spotlight, Yi Zhonghai and the others will definitely not dare to act recklessly."

Xu Damao's body trembled slightly when he heard this, and a trace of hesitation and worry appeared on his face: "Looking for Wang Weidong? No, if I can't handle this matter, I will look down on him. How can I hold my head up in front of him in the future?"

Qin Jingru was anxious and pulled Xu Damao's arm: "It's already this time, why do you still care about this? If we let them succeed this time, will we still have a good life in the compound in the future? You have to think about our future."

Xu Damao frowned, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes, he slammed the table, stood up, and paced back and forth in the room, as if to cheer himself up.

"Hmph, look for Wang Weidong? I don't need him yet. I'm the workshop leader now and a well-known figure in the factory. Am I still afraid of them?" Xu Damao's voice was full of arrogance. He was completely overwhelmed by his identity.

He looked at Qin Jingru with an unquestionable arrogance in his eyes: "Jingru, don't underestimate me. How capable can Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, Sha Zhu and others be? I manage so many people in the workshop. What kind of complicated situations have I not seen? How can I not handle this matter well?"

Qin Jingru saw that Xu Damao had made up his mind, so she didn't bother to care about him anymore. After all, she didn't care about Xu Damao now.

...

On the other side, Liu Haizhong returned home angrily and slammed the door, causing dust to fall off the door frame. He sat down on a chair and shouted to the second aunt who was busy in the inner room, "Go, prepare some wine and food for me. I'm really pissed off today!"

The second aunt came out from the inner room, frowned and said dissatisfiedly: "It's so late, what's the point of eating and drinking? Besides, you got into such a big trouble today, and you still have the mood to drink?"

When Liu Haizhong heard this, his eyes widened and he slammed the table: "Just go if I tell you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense? I've been wronged so much today. Can't I just drink some wine to relieve my anger?"

Seeing him get angry, the second aunt was reluctant, but she also knew his temper, so she turned around to prepare. After a while, she put a plate of fried peanuts on the table and brought a bottle of wine, muttering: "That's all, it's late at night, don't drink too much."

Liu Haizhong picked up the bottle and gulped down a big mouthful. Then he made a "Pah" sound and started to curse: "Shazhu, that bastard. If it weren't for him, would I have been dependent on that old bitch Jia Zhang? Nothing good will come of hanging out with him all day. He almost ruined my reputation this time."

He poured another glass of wine, drank it all in one gulp, and continued to curse with a red face: "And Xu Damao, that guy is a sinister villain. Seeing that my life is a little better, he is jealous and deliberately stirs up trouble. If he hadn't been fanning the flames today, would it have turned out like this? He is just hoping that I will get into trouble so that he can step on me."

Liu Haizhong cursed more and more vigorously, not caring that it was already late at night and everyone was asleep. The peanuts he chewed made a "crunching" sound, and the wine residue on his mouth dripped down his chin onto his clothes, but he didn't care at all. His eyes were full of anger and resentment.
Liu Haizhong was cursing when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He was shocked and sobered up a little. A hint of vigilance flashed in his eyes.

"Who is it, so late?" he shouted, his voice filled with drunkenness and impatience.

He thought to himself, knocking on the door at this time, could it be that Xu Damao is not reconciled and is here to cause trouble again? Humph, if it were him, I would have to argue with him again today, and I couldn't let him think that I was easy to bully.

He stood up and staggered towards the door, clenching his fists as he walked, ready to deal with any possible conflict. When he reached the door, he pulled it open violently, smelling of alcohol and anger, ready to attack the person who came.

When Liu Haizhong saw clearly that it was Yi Zhonghai standing outside the door, his brows slightly frowned, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes. He didn't like Yi Zhonghai in the first place, thinking that this man was too calculating and always put his own interests first. But just now in the yard, Yi Zhonghai did come forward to help him out, which made him difficult to get angry on the spot.

"It's you. It's so late. Is there something wrong?" Liu Haizhong's tone was a little stiff, with a hint of vigilance.

Yi Zhonghai smiled slightly, but there was something elusive hidden in that smile: "Haizhong, I just saw that you had some wine in your room. I feel a little depressed, so I want to have a drink with you and talk about what happened tonight."

Liu Haizhong hesitated. He didn't want Yi Zhonghai to come in, but he couldn't find a suitable reason to refuse. After all, he had just helped him. If he refused directly, he would seem too unkind.

"Hmph, come in." Liu Haizhong stepped aside to let Yi Zhonghai enter the house.

Yi Zhonghai walked into the room, looked at the peanuts and wine on the table, sat down, picked up the wine bottle, poured himself a glass, tilted his head back and drank it, then smacked his lips and said, "This wine is not bad. Haizhong, what happened tonight was really a hassle."

Liu Haizhong sat down opposite him and said unhappily, "It's Xu Damao who's causing trouble, and that crazy woman Jia Zhang, trying to blackmail me." Yi Zhonghai nodded, "Yes, Xu Damao has bad intentions, but we have to be careful with Jia Zhang, too. This old woman is not easy to deal with. Although it has calmed down temporarily this time, there is no guarantee that she won't make trouble again."

Liu Haizhong frowned: "Then what do you say we should do? I don't want to be entangled with her again."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes flashed with cunning: "We have to think of a way to stop her from messing around, and we also have to guard against Xu Damao's tricks behind the scenes." The two of them drank one glass of wine after another under the dim light.
After a few rounds of drinking, the atmosphere in the room became more and more depressing. Yi Zhonghai put down his glass, his eyes became deep and sharp, he looked at Liu Haizhong, lowered his voice and said: "Haizhong, what happened tonight is just the beginning. If we want to be safe in the compound in the future, we have to drive Wang Weidong out of the position of the eldest uncle."

When Liu Haizhong heard this, he was shocked and almost dropped the wine glass in his hand. He stared at Yi Zhonghai with wide eyes, and the alcohol also dissipated a little: "Yi Zhonghai, are you crazy? Don't you know who Wang Weidong is? How can we get him down?"

Yi Zhonghai sneered: "What's impossible? He is now dominating the compound, and we all have to look at his face. Today he asked Xu Damao to mess up this matter, isn't it just to suppress us?"

Liu Haizhong frowned, his face full of worry: "But if this is discovered, we will be finished. Wang Weidong has connections in the factory and has prestige in the compound. We are no match for him at all."

Yi Zhonghai patted Liu Haizhong on the shoulder and said, "Don't be so timid. As long as we plan carefully, we will definitely succeed. Think about it, if Wang Weidong goes down, we will have the final say in this compound. Who will dare to bully us then?"

Liu Haizhong kept shaking his head: "No, this is too risky. I don't want to get into this trouble, and you don't want to mention it again. I don't want to get involved."

Yi Zhonghai's eyes flashed with displeasure, but he still said patiently: "Haizhong, think about it carefully. This is a good opportunity for us to turn things around. If you miss it, you will always be suppressed by Wang Weidong and his men in the future."

Liu Haizhong gritted his teeth and said, "I don't care. I won't do this. I still want to live a good life in the compound and don't want to cause this disaster." After saying that, he picked up the wine glass and drank it all, avoiding Yi Zhonghai's gaze.
Yi Zhonghai saw Liu Haizhong's firm attitude, and his face suddenly darkened. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Liu Haizhong, with a hint of coldness in his eyes: "Liu Haizhong, don't forget, if I hadn't come forward tonight, you could have gotten away from the matter with Jia Zhang so easily? Is this how you repay me?"

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Liu Haizhong's body froze, and he was a little flustered, but he still said, "Yi Zhonghai, I am grateful for your help. But what you said about driving Wang Weidong away is pushing everyone into the fire pit. This is different from your helping me, and they cannot be confused."

Yi Zhonghai sneered, slowly stood up, paced back and forth in the room, and said as he walked: "Humph, Liu Haizhong, I always thought you were a smart man, but I didn't expect you to be so confused. Do you think you'll be fine after avoiding Jia Zhang this time? Since Wang Weidong is targeting you, there will be more trouble in the future. Only by getting rid of him from his position as the boss can we be truly safe."

Liu Haizhong frowned. He knew that what Yi Zhonghai said made some sense, but when he thought about dealing with Wang Weidong, he felt a chill on his back: "Yi Zhonghai, this matter is too risky. I can't put the lives of my whole family at risk just because you helped me this time. Don't force me."

Yi Zhonghai raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and a sly look flashed in his eyes. He put down the wine glass in his hand, leaned forward, and locked his eyes with Liu Haizhong. He said word by word: "Liu Haizhong, don't think I don't know anything. In fact, I know exactly what you and Sha Zhu did in the timber factory that night. Do you dare to say that you didn't steal anything?"

When Liu Haizhong heard this, his face turned pale instantly, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His lips trembled slightly, and his eyes were full of fear, but he still pretended to be calm and loudly refuted: "Yi Zhonghai, don't slander me! I didn't steal anything at all, don't try to slander me."

Yi Zhonghai sneered and said slowly: "Huh, is that so? Then why are you so afraid of Jia Zhang talking about this? Why did you do it to her? If you didn't do anything wrong, why would you be so excited?"

Liu Haizhong stood up suddenly, and the chair fell backwards with him. The "clang" sound was particularly harsh in the silent room. He pointed at Yi Zhonghai and shouted, "I was wronged by her! That old woman can say anything to extort money, don't listen to her. How could I steal something? Don't make random guesses here."

Yi Zhonghai remained calm and composed. He slowly stood up, walked up to Liu Haizhong, and said in a low voice: "Liu Haizhong, you and I both know the truth. If you don't help me, and I spread this matter, how do you think people in the compound will look at you? By then, you will not only lose your reputation."

There was a flash of panic in Liu Haizhong's eyes, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Yi Zhonghai, you have no evidence, don't try to threaten me. I didn't do it, I didn't do it." But his voice trembled slightly because of nervousness, and his palms were full of sweat.
Yi Zhonghai's eyes flashed with pride. He patted Liu Haizhong's shoulder and said slowly, "Liu Haizhong, don't be so stubborn. We all know that Jia Zhangshi is a bit unreasonable and unreliable, but she will never easily frame someone for something as serious as stealing. And, I can tell you that Sha Zhu has already admitted it."

Liu Haizhong's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief: "Impossible, how could Sha Zhu admit it? He must have been forced by you."

Yi Zhonghai shook his head and said with regret: "This is the fact. Now there is evidence, you can't admit it even if you don't want to. If you still want to stay in the compound, you have to listen to me."

Liu Haizhong's body trembled slightly. He knew that he was in a desperate situation. If this matter got out, he would not only become the target of public criticism in the compound, but he might also lose his job in the factory. There was a flash of despair in his eyes, and his heart was full of resentment towards Yi Zhonghai, but there was nothing he could do at this time.

After a long while, Liu Haizhong sat down slowly like a deflated ball, lowered his head and said, "Okay, I promise you. But you have to promise not to let other people in the compound know about this, especially my family."

Yi Zhonghai nodded with satisfaction: "That's right. As long as you are obedient, I will keep the secret for you. Let's get Wang Weidong off his position as the boss first, and then we can think about the rest later."

Liu Haizhong clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms, and secretly swore in his heart that after overcoming this difficulty, he would find a chance to take revenge on Yi Zhonghai, the old fox. But now, he could only compromise with Yi Zhonghai temporarily.

After Yi Zhonghai left, the second aunt came out of the house, stopped Liu Haizhong and said, "Old Liu, stop messing around." (End of this chapter)