Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 1173 A Lonely Journey

After listening to Yan Jiekuang's account, Wang Zhan, of course, did not know what had happened between Qin Huairu and Shazhu after Yan Jiekuang left. However, Wang Zhan felt that Shazhu had no choice in this matter. Even if he managed to avoid it today, what about tomorrow, or the future? Yi Zhonghai would eventually persuade Shazhu.

Wang Li looked at the plate of stir-fried sausage with chili peppers and said, "Xiao San, you sold your father for two sausages? If your father finds out, how will you explain it?"

"Then I won't let my dad know. Sigh, you don't know, my dad is trying to salvage his isolated situation at tonight's conference. That's why I came to discuss this with my brother Zhan." Yan Jiekuang had already eaten his fill and was thirsty from talking, so he was drinking a soft drink.

Zhang Erya was just there for the fun of it. She was serving food to Yan Jiedi, but Yan Jiedi wasn't listening to anything they were saying. She was only focused on eating meat, especially the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish that Zhan-gege made. It was incredibly delicious, and she would occasionally take a sip of soda.

Wang Li looked at her brother and said, "Brother, let's go up to the roof again tonight. I really want to see the meeting in that courtyard tonight."

Wang Zhan chuckled mysteriously and said, "No need. This time, the two of us can attend that conference openly and honestly."

Yan Jiekuang and Wang Li were both stunned. They didn't know that Wang Zhan had acquired the east wing of the front yard, so they found Wang Zhan's words inexplicable.

Wang Zhan lit a cigarette and then said with a smile, "Jie Kuang, you don't know, do you? The east wing of the front yard was given to me. Now I'm considered one of your people."

"Huh?" Yan Jiekuang was very surprised. He knew about the Liu family and the Xu Delin family in the backyard, but he didn't know who the house had been given to. After the two families moved out, the door of the east wing of the front yard had been locked and no one had been seen going there. He didn't expect that it had been given to Wang Zhan.

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiekuang was extremely excited and asked, "Brother Zhan, when are you moving in?"

Wang Zhan looked at Yan Jiekuang strangely and said, "Are you stupid? I have my own courtyard, but I don't live there. I'm moving into your courtyard. Do you think I need any special treatment from you?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Jiekuang realized it was true. That courtyard was not for ordinary people, and moving there would definitely cause a lot of trouble. In addition, with those strange rumors about Wang Zhan, everyone in the courtyard would probably be keeping an eye on him.

Wang Li was overjoyed and jumped up, saying, "Great! Hurry up and eat. After we finish eating, we'll go take a look. By the way, brother, what did you use to exchange for that courtyard house?"

Wang Zhan looked at his younger sister, sighed, and then recounted how Aunt Sun had given away the house and what happened afterward. Wang Li wasn't interested in the house exchange, but when she learned that Aunt Sun had gone back to her hometown and wouldn't be coming back, she burst into tears.

Wang Zhan knew that Wang Li and Aunt Sun had a deep bond. In this city, there were two people who had the greatest influence on Wang Li: Aunt Sun and Zhang Erya's maternal grandmother. These two people truly treated her like their own daughter. Wang Zhan guessed that Wang Li had found a sense of motherhood in these two people.

As Wang Li cried, the mood of the others also dropped. After they finished eating, they started cleaning up together. Then Wang Zhan took the key to the house and led the younger ones to the courtyard at No. 95.

After dinner, as dusk settled, Wang Zhan and his group arrived at the gate of courtyard number 95. The gate was only half-open, suggesting a meeting was about to take place inside. The half-open gate was only wide enough for one person to pass through, and was bolted shut from the inside. Wang Zhan went in first, while Yan Jiekuang, holding his sister's hand, followed at the back. He dared not openly walk with Wang Zhan; if his family were there, the two Yan brothers might have a serious talk with him.

The front yard was indeed empty; not a single person was in sight. The noise they made when they entered was heard by the people in the west wing. Yang Ruihua came out; she hadn't gone to the meeting today, but had taken on the job of guarding the gate that Yan Bugui had given her.

Yang Ruihua glanced at Wang Zhan and nodded. Wang Zhan also greeted her with a smile, saying, "Third Aunt, you didn't attend the conference?"

"Ah, how did you know?" Yang Ruihua asked and then saw the two younger ones lagging behind. She realized that it must have been the mistress who said it, so she continued, "I have to keep an eye on the door. It's very chaotic outside right now, and it won't do if no one is watching."

Wang Zhan nodded, then led Wang Li and Zhang Erya further inside. Yang Ruihua took Yan Jiekuang home. Yan Jiedi looked at the three people walking in, then at her mother and brother, hesitated for a moment, and finally chose to go find her mother.

Before Wang Zhan even reached the Lotus Gate, a cacophony of voices erupted from the central courtyard, indicating that the meeting hadn't started yet. Wang Zhan led the two children into the central courtyard and stood against the corridor behind the main hall. The two children found benches under the corridor and sat down. Wang Li and Zhang Erya chattered away, while Wang Zhan lit a cigarette and looked into the courtyard.

A square table was placed in the open space in front of Sha Zhu's house, with three chairs placed on the north, east, and west sides respectively. At this moment, the chairs were empty, and it seemed that the three old men had not come out yet. Wang Zhan was very curious. Yang Ruihua had said in the front yard that Yan Bugui had gone to attend the conference, but now he was nowhere to be seen in the yard. Where could he have gone? Wasn't it said that he was not well received in the yard?
Just then, the door to the east wing opened, and Yi Zhonghai walked out first, carrying a tea mug with the words "Advanced Worker" prominently displayed on it.

Following behind was Yan Bugui. As soon as Yan Bugui left Yi Zhonghai's house, he didn't head towards the center of the courtyard, but instead looked around. Finally, he spotted his eldest brother, Yan Jiecheng, waved to him, and Yan Jiecheng ran over.

Yan Bugui handed Yan Jiecheng a bag and muttered a few words under his breath. Yan Jiecheng picked up the bag and walked towards the front yard. Only then did Wang Zhan notice that Yan Bugui was carrying a bag when he came out of Yi Zhonghai's house. He guessed that this was the reward that Yi Zhonghai had promised him.

After the two were seated, Liu Haizhong, who was in the backyard, came out with a teacup, followed by Liu Guangtian and Liu Guangfu, one carrying a palm-leaf fan and the other carrying a thermos. The three of them walked towards the center of the yard.

After the three of them were seated, Yi Zhonghai nodded to Liu Haizhong, indicating that they could begin. Liu Haizhong then put down his teacup, cleared his throat, and called out, "Quiet down, everyone. Stop talking. The conference is about to start. I'm talking to you, Wang Gou Dan. Why are you still chatting? Quiet down."

Liu Haizhong shouted several times before the courtyard quieted down. He then said, "Today's meeting was decided by the three of us in charge. The main purpose of this meeting, well... oh, right, it's about Sha Zhu refusing to help the Jia family. This is a very serious matter, and we need to inform the courtyard..."

Before Liu Haizhong could finish speaking, Sha Zhu shouted from his doorstep, "I agree! I agree to the old men's suggestion. From now on, my lunchboxes will all go to the Jia family. Second Uncle, please continue."

After Sha Zhu finished speaking, the courtyard didn't become chaotic. The three old men around the square table were dumbfounded. Yi Zhonghai looked at Liu Haizhong, and Liu Haizhong looked at Yi Zhonghai. Yi Zhonghai frowned immediately. Sha Zhu had agreed, so how could they hold the meeting? How could they criticize Sha Zhu? For a moment, the three old men were stunned.

(End of this chapter)