Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1100 Thorough Analysis

Sha Zhu didn't sit still. He went to the deaf old lady's kitchen and brewed a pot of tea for everyone, mainly for the old lady, but also to serve the others.

Sha Zhu placed the deaf old lady's teacup on the bedside table. The deaf old lady was a particular person; she always used a new doucai teacup at home, which was hers to keep privately. Only Sha Zhu and Aunt Li Cuilan knew about it.

No one in the entire courtyard recognized its value, and naturally, only a handful of people were allowed into the deaf old lady's room.

The teacups used for Yi Zhonghai and his entourage were white porcelain, and the teapot was a set with the master cup of the deaf old lady.

Everyone was drinking tea, thinking about the deaf old lady's problem, but none of them said anything.

Upon seeing this, Sha Zhu said, "That's Yan Lao Kou, always scheming. He'll do anything to gain an advantage." Sha Zhu was still resentful about the female teachers' social event.

The deaf old lady laughed and said, "Grandson, you still hold grudges so much. Oh, by the way, what about the braised pork you owe me?"

"Tomorrow, I'll make it for you here tonight, okay?" Sha Zhu said.

The deaf old woman put down her teacup and said, "You don't understand Yan Bugui at all. If you say that the old Yan Bugui had no bottom line in order to take advantage of others, I would believe you. But ever since the incident where his family and Liu family's children stopped people to ask for money and were arrested instead, have you noticed anything?"

One of the parties involved, Liu Haizhong, sat there, carefully thinking about what had happened, but his not-so-bright brain was still a mess after thinking for a long time. Liu Haizhong looked at Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai was also recalling the events of that incident. This shrewd and calculating man, after that incident, only went to see Liu Haizhong once and then disappeared without a trace. This was very unlike Yan Bugui's style. In the past, Yan Bugui was always brave and at the forefront, whether he was taking advantage of someone or being swindled. But since that change, Yan Bugui always wanted to hide behind him and Liu Haizhong. If he could occasionally gain an advantage, he considered it a win; if he couldn't, he wasn't greedy anymore. Wasn't that a big change?

Yi Zhonghai thought it through and said, "Grandma, Yan Bugui has indeed become more low-key and restrained, but that's no reason for him to cause trouble for the Jia family."

The deaf old woman rolled her eyes and said, "Don't you understand what caused this? You call yourself the boss, but you're completely out of touch. Do I need to explain this? You should have stood up and told Liu Gen's mother and Jia Zhangshi to return the cabbage. Why all this fuss? The problem lies with the person who called the police. I suspect that person is in cahoots with the person who said those words later. As for their purpose, I don't know. You'll have to investigate and find out for yourselves."

Sha Zhu suddenly asked, "Then who called the police? We didn't notice at the time, and the police didn't say anything either."

At this moment, Qin Huairu, who had been deep in thought, suddenly spoke up. She looked at the old lady and said, "Grandma, according to you, the person who called the police later wasn't actually after my mother-in-law and Liugen's mother?"

The deaf old woman glanced at Jia Zhangshi and said, "What do two old widows have to worry about? Besides, the stolen goods are just worthless cabbages. If we call the police, they'll just apologize and return the goods to their owner. If it weren't for your old woman refusing to admit it, there probably wouldn't have been any fines. What are you looking at? Are you trying to cause trouble lately, Zhang Xiaohua?"

"No, no, old lady, I know I was wrong, it will definitely not happen again." Jia Zhangshi said, but she was still unconvinced. She still believed that the problem lay with Liu Gen's mother.

Qin Huairu said, "There are only three parties involved. If the target isn't my mother-in-law and Liugen's mother, then this person's target must be the remaining three uncles." Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood. Yi Zhonghai greatly admired Qin Huairu's intelligence. The deaf old lady narrowed her eyes, watching Qin Huairu intently. She felt that this woman was exceptionally clever. Given time, she would surely be able to manipulate everyone in the compound. As she watched Shazhu gleefully praising Qin Huairu, the deaf old lady began to doubt her own future plans for the first time.

Yi Zhonghai then pieced together the whole story and thought to himself that the people behind this were really cunning. They deliberately wanted to make the Yan family fall out with the people in the compound, so that the Yan family would inevitably be isolated by the people in the compound. Finally, they also smeared No. 95 Courtyard, making the courtyard famous in Nanluoguxiang.

Yi Zhonghai asked, "Grandma, things have come to this point. How do you think we can mitigate the impact of this incident and salvage the reputation of the compound?"

The deaf old lady gave Yi Zhonghai an approving look and said, "Well, since this matter is already settled, you should organize the women and young wives in the courtyard to go out and visit each other more often. Just say it's a rumor. Whether it works or not, just make do for now. I'll ask Director Wang to mention this matter more often when he visits people and help clarify it. The most important thing is that this courtyard can't have any more trouble. If something else happens, I'm afraid the young men in the courtyard will have a hard time getting married."

When Yi Zhonghai heard this, his main concern was how to ensure that the matter wouldn't affect his position in the courtyard. Liu Haizhong was different. Although Liu Guangqi had run away, his second son was almost of marriageable age and needed to get married. He had given up hope on his eldest son and was now focused on keeping his second son by his side. As for his third son, he was still too young.

After discussing it for a while, the group dispersed, but the deaf old lady stared at Qin Huairu's retreating figure, lost in thought.

No. 47 Yu'er Hutong

As the sun sets, golden sunlight spills onto the withered grapevines, and a gentle breeze rustles the dry grape leaves.

On the stone table under the grape trellis, there was a plate of peanuts. Two people sat on either side of the table. One was Wang Zhan, who was seventeen years old and was wearing clothes that were patched upon patched, and a pair of worn-out cloth shoes that he had worn for who knows how many years. The other was Yan Jiekuang, who was seven years old and was dressed in clean clothes and a pair of yellow rubber shoes.

Yan Jiekuang was drinking soda. He looked a little funny. After taking a few sips, he planned to put the bottle on the stone table. He did put the bottle on the stone table, but he didn't let go of it.

In front of Wang Zhan was a two-qian cup, and beside it was a plum blossom wine pot in the spring. Wang Zhan looked at Yan Jiekuang and said, "No one is going to take it from you. Why are you holding onto the soda bottle? Besides, aren't there a few more bottles in the kitchen?"

Yan Jiekuang rolled his eyes and said, "There are only three bottles of chilled drinks left in the cellar. Sister Lili and my little sister took two bottles. You'll see, they'll come running to me after they finish them."

Wang Zhan smiled and then asked, "What was your dad's reaction? It's probably a bit doubtful that he'll completely change his habit of taking advantage of others; it would be good enough if he could just restrain himself a little."

“I think it’s already working. Although he regrets making a big fuss, he’s now racking his brains trying to ease the tension with the neighbors. That’s why he’s set his sights on my older brother’s wedding. You know my dad, he wants to please the neighbors in the compound, but he doesn’t want to spend more money, and he wants to take advantage of the in-laws. I bet my older brother is going crazy right now,” Yan Jiekuang said.

Wang Zhan looked at the sky and said, as if speaking to Yan Jiekuang, but also as if talking to himself, "When the situation changes suddenly, if you can't stir up trouble, you have to hide yourself, make yourself mediocre and inconspicuous. This is the best way to protect yourself and your family."

(End of this chapter)