Siheyuan: Start with a Truck Driver

"That old man Yi Zhonghai is not a good guy. Look at what he has done to Sha Zhu. A good chef has now become a drowned dog. If you follow him to deal with Wang Weidong, wouldn't that be courting death?"

Liu Haizhong waved his hand impatiently: "What do you know? It's just a woman's opinion. How could I not know who Yi Zhonghai is? But the situation is different this time. This is my chance."

The second aunt stopped what she was doing, walked to Liu Haizhong, and said anxiously: "What chance? This is a disaster! How can Wang Weidong be easily provoked? He has been in this compound for many years and has a deep foundation. If you go against him, our whole family will suffer. Yi Zhonghai is pushing you into the fire pit."

Liu Haizhong sneered: "Humph, do you think I'm a fool? I have my own plan. As long as I succeed this time, no one in the compound will be able to suppress me in the future. I don't want to be stepped on by others all my life."

The second aunt widened her eyes and looked at Liu Haizhong in disbelief: "Are you crazy? Do you think this is so easy? You are risking the lives of our entire family. If something happens to you, what will happen to me and the children?"

Liu Haizhong stood up, walked to the door, turned his back to the second aunt, and said firmly: "Don't worry about it, I know what's going on. I'm not the kind of person who can be manipulated by others. This time I want everyone to know that I, Liu Haizhong, am not someone who can be easily messed with."

The second aunt looked at the stubborn figure in Liu Haizhong and shook her head helplessly.

In the following days, the atmosphere in the compound was particularly depressing. Xu Damao was like a wolf staring at its prey, always paying attention to Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu's every move, and his eyes seemed to warn them that he would pounce on them at the slightest sign of trouble. This made Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu feel uneasy and dared not make any rash moves.

Sha Zhu didn't have much savings to begin with, and the money he had previously had was borrowed by Jia Zhang under various excuses. Without money, Sha Zhu's life became very tight. After a few days, he was so hungry that he couldn't stand it anymore. His stomach kept rumbling all day, as if a hand was scratching his heart. He thought that since Jia Zhang had borrowed so much money from him before, it shouldn't be too much to ask her for a meal.

So Sha Zhu came to Jia Zhang's house, hesitated for a moment, and knocked on the door. The door opened, and Jia Zhang saw that it was Sha Zhu, and her face suddenly darkened.

Sha Zhu smiled and said, "Aunt Jia, I'm so hungry. You lent me money before, so is it okay for me to have a meal here?"

When Jia Zhang heard this, her eyes widened and she started cursing: "How dare you come here to beg for food? Who lent you money? That's the compensation you should give me! You good-for-nothing, you still want to come here for a free meal? No way, get out of here!" As she said that, she pushed Sha Zhu out of the door.

Sha Zhu was scolded so badly that he felt wronged and angry.

Liu Haizhong saw the whole scene clearly from the side. He frowned slightly, and when Sha Zhu came over dejectedly, he pulled him to the corner of the yard.

"Silly Zhu, you can't just stay hungry like this." Liu Haizhong said in a low voice.

Sha Zhu looked helpless: "What can I do? That old woman Jia Zhang is too cruel. She borrowed money from me and didn't acknowledge it. Now she doesn't even give me a meal."

Liu Haizhong rolled his eyes and approached Sha Zhu: "Let's go find Wang Niu from the lumber mill and do something like we did last time. If we can get some stuff to exchange for money, then we can have food to eat, right?"

When Sha Zhu heard this, his eyes widened and he shook his head repeatedly: "No, we were almost caught last time. If we get caught again this time, we're really done for. Besides, Xu Damao is watching us right now, hoping that we'll make a mistake."

Liu Haizhong patted Sha Zhu's shoulder and said, "You are stupid! Why don't we just be careful? We can barely make ends meet now, why do we care so much? Besides, Wang Niu has a way, as long as we are quick, we won't be discovered."

Sha Zhu was still a little hesitant, frowning: "But... this risk is too great. If something goes wrong, we won't be able to stay in the compound, and we'll lose our jobs."

Liu Haizhong said impatiently: "Why are you so cowardly? Don't you want to get your money back? Don't you want to eat? We are more prepared this time, so there will be no problem. If you don't dare, just wait to starve to death."

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth, a look of struggle appeared on his face.
Seeing Sha Zhu hesitate, Liu Haizhong frowned, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes, and his tone became a little harsh: "Sha Zhu, if it wasn't for you last time, would I have been blackmailed by that old woman Jia Zhang? Now I'm almost annoyed to death by this matter, can't you take some responsibility?"

Sha Zhu looked aggrieved: "Brother Liu, you can't blame me for everything. Who could have thought it would turn out like this?"

Liu Haizhong snorted, "No matter what, we are now in the same boat. If we don't find a way to get some money, we will both be doomed. I don't want to be ruined like this, and you don't want to be hungry, do you?"

Sha Zhu lowered his head and was silent for a while, feeling very conflicted. He knew that what Liu Haizhong said made some sense, but he was still afraid of being caught.

Liu Haizhong saw that Sha Zhu was wavering and continued to persuade him, "Think about it. If we are careful this time, nothing will go wrong. If we succeed, we will not only be able to solve the current predicament, but we will also no longer have to look at other people's faces in the future. If you don't agree, don't expect me to help you again in the future."

Sha Zhu raised his head and looked at Liu Haizhong, with a gleam of determination in his eyes: "Okay, I'll listen to you. But we have to be careful."

Liu Haizhong showed a satisfied smile on his face: "That's right. Don't worry, I have planned everything this time, there will definitely be no problems. Let's go find Wang Niu to discuss it first." After saying that, he pulled Sha Zhu out of the yard.

Coincidentally, Yan Jiecheng was squatting at the door of his house eating.

Yan Jiecheng put down his bowl and chopsticks, still chewing his food, and said to the third uncle impatiently, "Dad, I just saw Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu sneaking out of the yard. They looked like they had no good intentions and must have gone out to do something bad."

The third uncle frowned, swallowed the food in his mouth, and asked doubtfully: "Did you see clearly? What are these two guys trying to do?"

Yan Jiecheng nodded vigorously: "I saw it clearly. They were whispering in the corner of the yard for a long time, and then they left in a hurry. Their expressions were like thieves." The third uncle waved his hand and said to Yan Jiecheng: "Jiecheng, don't get involved in their business. Let's stay out of this kind of business to avoid getting into trouble."

Yan Jiecheng looked reluctant: "Dad, how can this be a trivial matter? If they really did something bad, it would have a bad impact on our hospital."

The third uncle glared at him and said, "What do you know? Let's live our lives well first. I'm telling you, I've found a date for you and we'll be meeting in a few days. You have to focus on that and stop thinking about useless things all day long."

When Yan Jiecheng heard that there was a partner, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Really? Dad, you are really great!" But he was still thinking about Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong. After all, he liked to watch the excitement in the courtyard.

When the Third Uncle turned around and went back to work, Yan Jiecheng rolled his eyes and thought, "Humph, this matter can't just be let go. This is such a fun thing, I have to tell Xu Damao. He will definitely find a way to make it bigger."

So Yan Jiecheng sneaked out of the house and ran to Xu Damao's house. When he arrived at Xu Damao's door, he knocked on the door breathlessly.

Xu Damao opened the door and asked impatiently, "Yan Jiecheng, what are you doing? You look so anxious."

Yan Jiecheng said excitedly, "Brother Damao, let me tell you, I just saw Liu Haizhong and Sha Zhu go out. They looked like they were going to do something bad. I told you everything."

Xu Damao raised the corner of his mouth and revealed a wicked smile: "Good for you Yan Jiecheng, is this information reliable?"

Yan Jiecheng patted his chest and assured: "It is absolutely reliable. I saw it with my own eyes. They secretly discussed it in the yard for a long time."

Xu Damao's eyes gleamed with light: "Okay, if this is true, I will definitely not treat you unfairly. Go back first and don't make it public. I'll find you if there is any situation."

6◇9◇Book◇Bar

Yan Jiecheng nodded happily, turned around and ran back home, looking forward to a good show starting in the compound.

Xu Damao stared at the window of his house like a lone wolf staring at its prey. He was sure that Sha Zhu and Liu Haizhong would go out again to do their sneaky activities under the cover of night, so he refused to leave this "observation point" no matter what.

Qin Jingru yawned and advised sleepily, "Da Mao, it's so late, don't bother. If they really do something, we don't have to catch them tonight. Look at you, your eyes are red, go to sleep."

Xu Damao waved his hands impatiently: "What do you know? If I let them go this time, there will never be such a good opportunity in the future. They must think that it's late at night and no one is paying attention. I must catch them in the act." As he spoke, he rubbed his eyes hard, trying to drive away the sleepiness that was constantly invading.

However, as time went by, sleepiness came over Xu Damao like a surging tide. His head began to sink, and his eyes would close for a few seconds from time to time, and then suddenly wake up, like a worn-out puppet being pulled randomly. His sitting posture became more and more crooked, and his body began to sway, as if he would fall to the ground in the next second.

In order to keep himself awake, Xu Damao pinched his thigh from time to time. The pain made him sober for a short time, but soon, the sleepiness would come back. His hair became messy, like a bird's nest ravaged by the wind, and his originally neat clothes were wrinkled because of his constant twisting and rubbing. There were dark circles around his eyes, and he looked like a beaten panda, with fatigue and embarrassment in his eyes.

In this way, Xu Damao struggled between pain and perseverance, and kept his sleepiness to himself until dawn. When the first ray of sunlight in the morning shone on his face, he realized as if waking up from a dream that he had kept watch for the whole night but had not even seen the shadows of Shazhu and Liu Haizhong.

The morning sun shone in the middle courtyard of the quadrangle. Xu Damao held a washbasin and dragged his exhausted body towards the faucet. His steps were weak, his eyes were bloodshot from staying up late, and his dark circles were as heavy as if he had been punched. His hair was messy like a bird's nest, and he looked extremely embarrassed.

As soon as Sha Zhu came out of the house, he saw Xu Damao's appearance. He was stunned at first, but then he understood in his heart, and a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth. He knew that Xu Damao must have been staring at him again last night. Fortunately, Wang Niu had something urgent to do yesterday, saying that he had to go to his old lover, so they did not take action last night. Otherwise, Xu Damao's staring would definitely be discovered by him.

Thinking of this, Sha Zhu's hatred for Xu Damao increased. He walked towards Xu Damao with big strides, a mocking look on his face, and shouted at the top of his voice: "Hey, isn't this Xu Damao? What's wrong with you? What did you do last night? Look at you, you didn't steal anything, did you?"

Xu Damao was already furious. When he heard what Sha Zhu said, his eyes widened and he glared at Sha Zhu fiercely: "What are you talking about? You stinky Sha Zhu, stop spitting blood at me."

Sha Zhu didn't take it seriously. He crossed his arms and continued to taunt with a smile, "I'm slandering you? Look at you now, like a thief, and you don't allow people to say anything? I think you have something to hide, maybe you're after someone's treasure."

The neighbors who woke up early heard the noise and gathered around. Everyone looked at Xu Damao's embarrassed look, some covered their mouths and laughed, while others whispered to the side. Xu Damao felt as if his face was on fire, ashamed and annoyed. He wanted to find a hole to crawl into, but he didn't want to show weakness in front of Sha Zhu, so he could only bite the bullet and fight back: "Sha Zhu, don't make trouble here, I warn you, don't think that no one knows about your little thing."

Sha Zhu sneered: "Huh, what's wrong with me? I think you are just jealous of me and want to pick a fight with me. You must not have done anything good last night. Don't think that everyone is a fool."

At this time, Liu Haizhong also came over slowly, holding a towel and a washbasin in his hands. He saw Xu Damao's embarrassed look and the tense confrontation with Sha Zhu, and immediately understood what was going on.

Liu Haizhong raised the corner of his mouth slightly, revealing a mocking smile, and deliberately raised his voice and said, "Hey, Xu Damao, what are you acting in? Why are you like this? Look at you, your eyes are as red as a rabbit's. Did you go to dig coal last night or something?"

Xu Damao was already very angry with Sha Zhu, and now he heard Liu Haizhong's ridicule, his face became even uglier. He gritted his teeth and said, "Liu Haizhong, stop talking nonsense here. This matter has nothing to do with you, don't mess with me."

Liu Haizhong was not relenting. He put down the wash basin, walked up to Xu Damao, looked him up and down, and continued to tease him, "How is it okay? You're not sleeping in the middle of the night, sneaking around. We all have to be careful. What if you think of those things in our house in the middle of the night, who can we cry to? I think what Shazhu said is right. You might have gone out to steal something, but you didn't succeed, and you ended up in this state."

When the neighbors heard what Liu Haizhong said, they burst into laughter, and the laughter echoed in the middle courtyard. Xu Damao was so angry that he trembled all over. (End of this chapter)