Courtyard Houses: Starting with the principle of hard work paying off

Chapter 39 Yi Zhonghai Meets a Setback

Seeing that the deaf old woman wouldn't wake up anytime soon, and considering the doctor said it wasn't anything serious, Yi Zhonghai instructed his wife to stay and take care of her while he returned to the courtyard house.

On the way back, Yi Zhonghai kept thinking about this matter, his brow furrowed.

Despite his confident pronouncements in the hospital room, Yi Zhonghai knew in his heart that this matter would not be easy to handle.

Li Hongbing was clearly someone who wouldn't listen to orders, something he had already learned firsthand.

But he's no longer the old man in the courtyard, and his words don't carry as much weight as they used to.

The issue is.

Their affair only happened a few days ago, and now she's making trouble for Li Hongbing, which inevitably makes people misunderstand that she's deliberately targeting him.

But no matter what, this matter cannot be left unresolved.

When they returned to the courtyard house, everyone had already eaten. As they passed the front yard, Yi Zhonghai couldn't help but glance at the east wing, but he didn't go in directly to argue with Li Hongbing.

Doing so is clearly extremely irrational.

"Master, how is the old lady?"

As Yi Zhonghai arrived at the Intermediate People's Court, Jia Dongxu, who had just returned from eating out, rushed forward to "show concern."

Since Jia Zhangshi was taken away for ideological study, no one has been cooking at home. Jia Dongxu has been eating with Yi Zhonghai and his wife these days. But this afternoon, the incident happened, and Wang Guihua naturally didn't have time to cook. Knowing this beforehand, Jia Dongxu ate out before returning home.

When the people from the compound came to the steel rolling mill to report the news in the afternoon, Jia Dongxu was also there, but he did not ask for leave along with them.

"He was frightened, but nothing serious has happened yet."

Yi Zhonghai was in a bad mood and answered in a deep voice.

"It's good that nothing's wrong. I was really worried. I was even thinking of going to the hospital to see the old lady, but then Master came back."

Jia Dongxu didn't really care about the deaf old woman, but since his master Yi Zhonghai cared, he naturally couldn't appear too indifferent.

"Dongxu, thank you for your thoughtfulness." Hearing Jia Dongxu say this, Yi Zhonghai felt a little better. "Your aunt is taking care of things at the hospital, so there's nothing to worry about. You don't need to make a special trip there."

Upon hearing this, Jia Dongxu readily agreed, saying, "Then I won't disturb the old lady's peace and quiet; let her rest well."

After chatting with Jia Dongxu for a few minutes, Yi Zhonghai didn't linger. He didn't even go home, but went straight to the backyard and found Xu Fugui, who had taken over as the eldest man in the courtyard.

"Old Yi, what brings you here?"

Xu Fugui had expected to see Yi Zhonghai appear, but he still put on an expression of surprise.

Both being cunning old foxes, Yi Zhonghai didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Old Xu, you know about what happened in the front yard this afternoon, right?"

"What's up this afternoon? I just got back and just had dinner."

Having guessed why Yi Zhonghai had come, Xu Fugui pretended to be confused, looked at his wife beside him, and asked, "What happened in the front yard this afternoon?"

Yi Zhonghai was furious, but he knew he couldn't act rashly. So, he waited until Xu Fugui finished his pretense before speaking up, his voice both indignant and serious: "Old Xu, Li Hongbing has no respect for his elders. This time, he even angered the old lady so much that she ended up in the hospital, almost causing her death. As one of the oldest residents in the compound, you can't just stand by and watch this happen. The atmosphere of our compound will be ruined by this brat Li Hongbing..."

"Sigh, Li Hongbing really shouldn't have done that."

Xu Fugui sighed, gave a casual comment, and then quickly asked Yi Zhonghai, "Old Yi, how is the old lady now?"

"She was so angry with Li Hongbing that she fainted. Luckily, she was taken to the hospital in time, otherwise I don't even want to think about the consequences. The doctor said she needs to be observed in the hospital for a while. After all, the old lady is getting on in years, and Li Hongbing's outburst..."

Yi Zhonghai tried to exaggerate the situation, but he didn't stray too far from the truth.

"so serious?"

Did the doctor say how long the observation period would last in the hospital?

"If she can't come back for a while, shouldn't we select a few people from our community to visit the old lady on everyone's behalf?"

"This matter cannot be taken lightly; we must take it seriously!"

"Old Xu!!"

"I'm here to discuss Li Hongbing's issue with you, so don't try to evade the question!"

"..."

Xu Fugui's evasive behavior clearly showed he didn't want to get involved, which infuriated Yi Zhonghai. What kind of big shot is he?!
He has absolutely no sense of responsibility; he's actually afraid of a mere kid like Li Hongbing.

Seeing Yi Zhonghai lose his temper in front of him, Xu Fugui's face darkened, somewhat displeased. However, he did not confront Yi Zhonghai directly, but said in a calm tone, "Old Yi, I just looked into this matter. Li Hongbing only talked back to the old lady a few times and did not lay a hand on her. I will criticize him later."

Young people are bound to be a bit arrogant and don't like interference or guidance from their elders. We should understand that. It's also the old lady's fault for being so stubborn and arguing with a child like Li Hongbing..."

The bias in these few sentences couldn't be more obvious.

If it were anyone else, Xu Fugui might have done as Yi Zhonghai said, but this person was Li Hongbing.

What if Li Hongbing causes trouble again...

He didn't want to end up like Yi Zhonghai.

Moreover.

The deaf old woman was just so angry that she fainted; nothing really happened to her, and Xu Fugui didn't want to make a big fuss about it.

From Xu Fugui's words, Yi Zhonghai understood Xu Fugui's stance, but he did not give up. Instead, he shouted sternly:

"Old Xu, this old lady is a resident in your backyard. Moreover, when Officer Yang and the district government leaders came to visit her, we were both there. They specifically told us to take good care of her."

Now that this has happened, how are you going to explain this to Officer Yang, as the person in charge of the facility?

This is a serious dereliction of duty!
"If the higher-ups find out about what happened today, and the district office and Officer Yang investigate, can you take responsibility?"

Seeing that Yi Zhonghai actually brought up this past incident and used the district office leaders and Officer Yang to pressure him, Xu Fugui's face turned cold, and he said in a cold voice: "Yi Zhonghai, you don't need to put a label on me."

I wasn't even in the yard when this happened, so what does it have to do with me?

I'm the head of the facility, so I can't be held responsible for everything that happens to the people in the facility.

And let me tell you, I'm just a lowly administrator in charge of the college. I can't handle this matter, and I don't have the authority to do so. You're forcing me to make a mistake!
The old lady is in the hospital now. If you think Li Hongbing is responsible, go to the police station. Don't come here complaining; it's useless!

Yi Zhonghai wanted to force Xu Fugui to deal with Li Hongbing, and Xu Fugui naturally couldn't take it lying down. He originally thought he could just let the matter slide, but Yi Zhonghai wouldn't let it go, which angered Xu Fugui.

What he shouldn't have done was use the district office leaders and Officer Yang to force him to comply.

When the district office leaders and Officer Yang visited the deaf old lady, others might not know, but did those old men in charge of the management office not know?

Do you really think there's anything special about a deaf old woman?
In fact, in the eyes of those above, the deaf old woman was just an ordinary, lonely old lady.

Throughout Beijing, there are countless people like the deaf old lady.

The district office leaders and Officer Yang visited more than just the deaf old lady; she was just the only one in their compound.

Since the district office leaders and Officer Yang visited last time, Yi Zhonghai has been working to get closer to the deaf old lady, establish her status in the courtyard, and at the same time build up his own glorious image as an old man.

The two men were in cahoots, and before Yi Zhonghai stepped down, he used the deaf old woman to pressure them quite a bit.

to be frank.

Yi Zhonghai was able to maintain his position as an old man not only because he was a senior fitter at the steel rolling mill, but also because of the deaf old woman's reliance on her age.

Just like those old men in later generations who were ruthless and reckless in their actions, Xu Fugui and his group simply didn't want to get entangled with the deaf old woman, and even less did they want to be labeled as disrespectful to the elderly by Yi Zhonghai.

Now Xu Fugui is the real boss of this courtyard house, and Yi Zhonghai, his ex-husband, still dares to put on airs and act arrogantly in front of him.

When Xu Fugui came home tonight, he learned that Li Hongbing had angered the deaf old lady so much that she ended up in the hospital. He didn't say anything, but he ate an extra bowl of rice than usual.

Who the hell wants an old ancestor from another family who likes to act superior and ride roughshod over them every day?
If it weren't for the propaganda about respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and the importance of unity and friendship among neighbors, and because of his status as the head of the courtyard, Xu Fugui wouldn't have bothered with this deaf old woman who was pretending to be crazy.

It’s different in the past.

Now that Yi Zhonghai is no longer an old man, and Li Hongbing has taken the lead in sounding the horn of counterattack, if he doesn't join in and pull the deaf old lady down from her position as ancestor, wouldn't he be doing this old man's job for nothing?
The times have changed.

Such an awesome person is not allowed in a traditional courtyard house!

As for Li Hongbing, there is currently no conflict of interest between them, and he has indirectly helped Xu Fugui a lot. Xu Fugui is naturally not foolish enough to go against him.

"Old Xu..."

Yi Zhonghai was taken aback by Xu Fugui's reaction.

(End of this chapter)