Courtyard House: A Leisurely and Contented Life

Bookmark this page to continue reading "Siheyuan: A Leisurely Life" anytime, anywhere.

Yang Jianye knew this perfectly well.

He had planned to go to the factory on Monday and talk directly to Sister Fu from the trade union and women's federation. They had invited him several times to speak and offer suggestions, but he had always declined. This time was a good opportunity to do some ideological work with the women and, incidentally, discuss Yi Zhonghai's situation.

Yi Zhonghai, this old comrade, has serious ideological problems. He makes baseless accusations against female comrades. If this gets out, what will become of the reputations of the girls who asked Aunt Liu to introduce them to potential partners? This kind of unhealthy trend must be criticized and educated, and he should even be suspended from his duties to reflect on his actions.

Who would have thought that Xu Damao's mouth was faster than his brain, and he betrayed Yi Zhonghai first.

"That's true..."

Before Yang Jianye could finish speaking, Aunt Liu was already furious and charged back.

"Yi Zhonghai! Yi Zhonghai, get out here right now!"

With a loud "whoosh," the courtyard erupted in chaos, as everyone craned their necks to see what was going on. Good heavens, who dared to call an old man by his given name so openly? So bold!

Yi Zhonghai was also completely bewildered. He lifted the curtain and his face instantly turned ashen. Wasn't this Aunt Liu from the neighborhood committee?

Feeling guilty, Yi Zhonghai was about to put on airs as an elder when Aunt Liu grabbed his wrist: "Come on! Come with me to the neighborhood office!"

Yi Zhonghai recoiled in fright: "Aunt Liu, please let go! Isn't there some misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding? I think you're just pretending to be ignorant!" Aunt Liu's eyebrows shot up in anger. "I used to think you were an upright person, but I never imagined you'd do such despicable things behind people's backs, gossiping and spreading rumors!"

Seeing that she couldn't pull the stubborn old man away, Aunt Liu shook off his hand, pointed at his nose, and cursed, "Fine, you won't go, huh? If you don't go, I'll ask Director Wang to come and settle this right now!"

An older woman rushed out upon hearing the commotion, stamping her feet in frustration: "Aunt Liu, what did Old Yi do wrong that makes you so angry?"

"You're still protecting him?" Aunt Liu's face twitched with anger. "He said I, Aunt Liu, could introduce him to any good families? This isn't just slapping me in the face, it's attacking my very backbone!"

After saying that, Aunt Liu turned around and shouted, "Da Mao, go! Go and invite Director Wang here!"

"Alright!" Xu Damao shrank his neck and tried to slip out.

The older woman wasn't about to let him leave, grabbing him tightly: "Da Mao, don't you dare! We'll settle this in the courtyard!"

Xu Damao looked completely innocent: "Auntie, I had no choice. Aunt Liu said that if I succeeded in getting this done, she would introduce me to someone. If I don't go, won't my wife be gone?"

Seeing that the older woman was still trying to argue, Xu Damao leaned closer and whispered, "Besides, I'm just putting on an act. If you really wanted to stop me, would you force your way in? If I really wanted to leave, could you stop me?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman's anger subsided somewhat. She released her grip and turned to urge Yi Zhonghai, "Old Yi, say something!"

With a dark expression, Yi Zhonghai finally lowered his head amidst the pointing fingers and whispers of the crowd: "Aunt Liu, I was in a hurry this morning and misspoke. I didn't mean to offend you..."

"Pah!" Aunt Liu spat fiercely. "Now you admit it? You think you can get away with it just because you said something wrong? You, Yi Zhonghai, think you're so great just because you're a big shot? There's no such easy thing in the world!"

Seeing the older woman blocking Xu Damao's way, Aunt Liu turned around and strode out, saying, "If no one's going, I'll go myself! This isn't over until you, Yi Zhonghai, suffer a bit!"

The old woman turned around and found that Aunt Liu had already left through the moon gate. It was too late to chase after her, so she could only glare at Xu Damao.

Xu Damao chuckled: "What can I do about this old lady?"

The middle-aged woman was jumping up and down in a panic: "Old Yi, think of something quick! What if Director Wang comes?"

"What's there to explain? She just said the wrong thing! I'll just apologize to her!" Yi Zhonghai retorted stubbornly, his face darkening as he roared at the crowd of onlookers, "Go back! What's there to see? Are you bored?"

As the crowd dispersed, Xu Damao approached Yi Zhonghai and whispered sarcastically, "Uncle, I saw it just now. Aunt Liu went to find Yang Jianye first. He's the one who stabbed her."

A flash of anger appeared in Yi Zhonghai's eyes, and he lowered his voice to demand, "Did he really make that false accusation?"

"Of course it's true! I heard it with my own ears! Go ask him yourself if you don't believe me!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai could no longer remain seated and rushed out, shouting, "Yang Jianye! You come out here!"

The frustration of being blocked at the door by Aunt Liu had nowhere to go, and now they finally found an outlet.

Yang Jianye pulled open the door and walked out with a cold face. He knew he wouldn't be able to take a bath today.

"Did you badmouth Aunt Liu?" Yi Zhonghai pointed at Yang Jianye's nose, looking like he was about to interrogate him.

Yang Jianye remained expressionless, not even bothering to look him in the eye: "People asked me if it was true or not, and I told them the truth. What? You want me to make up a lie for you?"

One sentence left Yi Zhonghai speechless, his face turning red, his chest heaving violently, unable to utter a single word for a long time.

When Aunt Liu came to question him, Yang Jianye didn't mince words and told her everything.

What's wrong with that? The fact that they didn't exaggerate or take the opportunity to kick you while you're down is already a good deed. After all, Yi Zhonghai's words were veiled criticisms, even alluding to his wife. Expecting them to give you a friendly look at a time like this? Dream on!

"Didn't you tell Aunt Liu?" Yi Zhonghai asked with a gloomy face, his eyes scanning the yard like searchlights, trying to find the "whistleblower".

Yang Jianye gave a mocking laugh: "You think that's all the tricks I have? Heh."

With that, the door slammed shut, leaving Yi Zhonghai standing there. You ruined someone's bath time; you can't expect them to give you a friendly look.

Yi Zhonghai's eyes darted back and forth, glancing over Xu Damao before finally looking away.

Xu Damao felt uneasy under his gaze and forced a dry laugh, "Uncle, your eyes... are making me uneasy."

"Feeling uneasy?" Yi Zhonghai demanded in a deep voice, "Tell me, was it you who gossiped about this with Aunt Liu?"

"I didn't!" Xu Damao said stubbornly, "Don't wrong an innocent person. Hey, I was just speaking up for you! It turns out I should have just gone to Director Wang for Aunt Liu. Fine, it's all my fault for meddling, I deserve it!" Xu Damao looked like he had suffered a great injustice, then turned and went back into the house.

Seeing this, Yi Zhonghai began to have doubts. Could it really not be Xu Damao?

Besides these two troublemakers, who else would dare to speak ill of me behind my back?

A thought flashed through Yi Zhonghai's mind, and he remembered the nowhere-behind Sha Zhu. That kid was no saint when he got going. Earlier, Aunt Liu had brought someone to set him up on a blind date; did this idiot feel resentful that he'd almost ruined his chance? Or was he holding a grudge because the woman she introduced him to was too "generous," and wanted revenge?

Or did he just blurt it out during the blind date? With his mouth, nine out of ten sentences he says are spoken without thinking!

Yi Zhonghai thought about it more and more and it seemed more and more plausible. It must be Sha Zhu! He was annoyed that he had made him unhappy, so he deliberately made things difficult for him!

This idiot is taking himself less and less seriously!

Unable to contain his anger any longer, Yi Zhonghai strode towards Sha Zhu's house. Reaching the door, he kicked it open.

A loud crash!

Sha Zhu, who had just returned from dropping Ran Qiuye off, happened to be walking through the gate of the central courtyard when he saw an old man kick his door open, yelling, "Sha Zhu, you get out here!"

Sha Zhu, who was standing under the doorway, turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

"Yi Zhonghai! You old bastard, do you think I'm easy to bully?"

Yi Zhonghai was puzzled when he entered the house and couldn't find anyone. Then he heard Sha Zhu's angry curses coming from outside, and soon he was standing at the door.

"Yi Zhonghai, you've gone too far!" Sha Zhu, leaning against the doorframe, glared fiercely, his eyes wide with rage. "You just came up here and kicked my door! What do you want? Huh?"

Sha Zhu was really desperate.

Damn it... I just wanted to live a peaceful life, to be as magnanimous as Jianye, to put all those old grudges behind me, and to be completely honest with you. I promised to take care of you in your old age, and even respectfully call you "Grandpa." I made every concession and humbled myself.

You're really pushing your luck, refusing to back down, and now you think you're going to fly to the moon?

Yi Zhonghai's face was grim, and his tone was gloomy: "Zhuzi, it was wrong of me to kick your door, I'll fix it for you later. Tell me first, did you repeat what I said this morning to Aunt Liu?"

The tone was like that of someone interrogating a criminal.

Sha Zhu glared at him: "Do you think I'm bored? Am I here on a blind date, or am I just trying to annoy everyone? Alright, get out of here! From now on, let's keep our distance. If I can't afford to mess with you, I'll avoid you!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Zhonghai's face darkened even more. Drawing a clear line? Was this some kind of rebellion?

"Pillar, don't forget your promise!"

Once inside, Sha Zhu abruptly turned around: "What? You're not called Sha Zhu anymore? Forgotten! Forgotten everything! Don't bring up the past with me! We're done with each other from now on, and don't come looking for me. I'm telling you straight, you can find someone else to take care of you, I'm not taking care of you!"

Sha Zhu felt he had already done enough. He would settle all past debts, agree to live with the old man, let him raise his children, and take care of him in his old age. Even when he could no longer walk, he would expect his children to offer incense to him. In his heart, he truly remembered the old man's kindness; without his help back then, he and Yu Shui would have starved to death long ago.

But what about you, Yi Zhonghai? When I introduce you to potential partners, you give me someone "generous and decent." I didn't mind that, but then I asked Jianye to introduce me to Aunt Liu—can't I do it myself? You weren't happy about that either, and you wouldn't let me go. And then you even subtly insulted Yingzi along with it.

Okay, I'll explain it to you. I'll say that it's a mental illness of yours, mainly directed at me, and that you shouldn't take it to heart.

On the way back from dropping Teacher Ran off, I was thinking of having a good talk with you, so you could put your mind at ease and apologize to Jianye and Yingzi. And I have some good news: I mentioned the idea of ​​sharing meals with Teacher Ran, and when she heard that you used to help support my sister, she immediately agreed and even praised me for my kindness.

I was feeling incredibly happy when I turned around and you kicked the door down!

If it weren't for our past relationship, I wouldn't have just cursed him as an "old bastard," I would have given him two punches!

But this time, Sha Zhu refused to back out. "If I back out again, you'll have to burn the whole house down!"

"Zhu Zi, this old man is really doing this for your own good!" Yi Zhonghai said anxiously, no longer putting on airs.

"For my own good?" Sha Zhu glared, gritting his teeth. "Yi Zhonghai, you really dare to say that!"

"Director Wang is here!" someone in the courtyard shouted, instantly silencing Yi Zhonghai.

Even if Sha Zhu is anxious, it's still a family matter within the compound. But for Director Wang, it's a matter of reputation and face. Yi Zhonghai planned to resolve this matter first, and then deal with Sha Zhu later. With Sha Zhu's soft ears, if he just lowers his head and his wife tries to smooth things over, he'll be fine in a few days.

"Yi Zhonghai!"

Before Director Wang could even stand up straight, he blurted out, "I think you're no longer fit to be a respectable old man."

As Yi Zhonghai was descending the steps, his mind went blank for a moment, and he lost his footing, nearly falling forward.

"Ouch! Sir, are you alright?" Luckily, someone below caught him in time, preventing him from falling flat on his face.

"It's nothing, it's nothing, thank you." Yi Zhonghai used the momentum to steady himself and tried to calm himself down.

Director Wang finally breathed a sigh of relief. If he had really fallen and gotten seriously injured right under her nose, she, as the director, would have been held responsible. Seeing that Yi Zhonghai was alright, her face was still as black as the bottom of a pot, but she didn't utter another curse.

But Aunt Liu didn't have that concern. She was doing a good deed but received no reward, and people were even gossiping about her. What did Yi Zhonghai's fall matter?

"Director Wang, you be the judge!" Aunt Liu pointed at Yi Zhonghai, spitting as she spoke. "He's been gossiping behind my back, saying that the people I introduce to are all shady! Listen to that! Is that something a human being would say?"

She glanced around at the men and women in the courtyard, young and old: "Since everyone's here, you can all be the judge! I kindly tried to play matchmaker, and not only did I not get anything in return, but people are also gossiping behind my back, almost ruining that young lady's reputation! If word gets out, won't they come knocking on my door and tear me apart?"

"Go out and ask around. Which girl I, Aunt Liu, introduce isn't wonderful? Every single one of them has someone to praise them for, and they all live happy and harmonious lives. They have good family backgrounds, are pretty, capable if they have jobs, and good at managing the household if they don't. What do they lack that makes them unworthy of this courtyard?"

"You, Yi Zhonghai, just open your mouth and start smearing people! If this young woman's reputation is ruined, can you bear the responsibility?"

Aunt Liu's barrage of words left Yi Zhonghai speechless, his face turning ashen, unable to utter a coherent sentence for a long time.

Director Wang's face grew increasingly grim, almost radiant. She was a woman herself, with a daughter; how could she not understand how important reputation was to a young woman? Spreading rumors takes only a mouth, but debunking them is exhausting. It was fortunate that Aunt Liu discovered it and came to investigate; if it had truly spread, how many mouths could have cleared it up?

Seeing that the situation was not good, Yi Zhonghai straightened his back and adopted an attitude of admitting his mistake: "Aunt Liu, I was wrong about this. I apologize to you and I will reflect on my actions..."

"A self-criticism? Is that all?" Aunt Liu persisted. "He also needs ideological reform! Director Wang, this is a problem of his ideology and conduct! It hasn't been that long since that incident. This old man, I don't think he's fit to be a director!"

Director Wang understood perfectly and wholeheartedly agreed. Looking at the others in the courtyard, they were all quite indifferent, even seeming to be watching a show. What did this mean? It meant that Yi Zhonghai had long lost the support of the people, and no one was willing to speak up for him anymore.

"Hey, Director Wang, Director Wang, I have a few words to say!"

Just then, someone actually stepped forward. Uncle Er, with his hands behind his back and his belly protruding, stepped forward.

What is he here for? He's here to show off! Director Wang wants to dismiss an old man, so he has to fill the vacant position. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; he has to leave a good impression on the leader and demonstrate his "ability to get things done."

Director Wang glanced at him, shaking his head inwardly. This man was obsessed with officialdom, but his abilities were truly limited. If it weren't for his advanced age, he would have lost his position long ago.

"Liu Haizhong, what do you want to say?"

Liu Haizhong cleared his throat: "Director Wang, Aunt Liu, I think this matter needs to be addressed at a hospital-wide meeting. This third uncle was elected by the hospital; shouldn't there be a procedure for his removal?"

He was making a quick calculation in his mind: hold a big meeting, preside over it, and then he could naturally remove Yi Zhonghai from office. With everyone's support, wouldn't he, the "old man," be officially appointed?

Director Wang almost kicked him after hearing this. What kind of big meeting is this? Is this something your compound can handle internally? So, after being a kept man for so long, he hasn't learned anything else, but he's certainly mastered Yi Zhonghai's "closed-door problem-solving" mentality!

"Alright, go stand over there." Director Wang waved his hand impatiently, leaving Liu Haizhong aside, and turned to Yi Zhonghai. "I'm asking you, did Aunt Liu wrong you?"

Yi Zhonghai's eyes darted around, and he tried to cover it up: "Director Wang, I did say what I said, but what I did was also..."

"Alright, that's enough, you admitted it!" Director Wang interrupted directly, refusing to listen to any of the nonsense. What's done is done, why make so many excuses? If excuses worked, what would be the point of having a neighborhood committee? What would be the point of having laws?

"Alright, that's enough, you admitted it!" Director Wang interrupted directly, refusing to listen to any of the nonsense. What's done is done, why make so many excuses? If excuses worked, what would be the point of having a neighborhood committee? What would be the point of having laws?

"I propose that we remove Mr. Yi Zhonghai from his post and have a new election held! Anyone have any objections?"

"Director Wang, I..." Yi Zhonghai tried to argue.

"Comrade Yi Zhonghai," Director Wang stared coldly at him, "because you are the person involved, you do not have the right to vote for the time being, please remain silent."

This formulaic answer extinguished Yi Zhonghai's last hope like a bucket of cold water. He understood that he was doomed to lose his position today.

"Oh well, what's done is done." Yi Zhonghai felt a surge of confidence returning to his heart. "Let them make a mess of things themselves! Once that idiot Liu Haizhong makes a mess of things, everyone will realize how good he is, and they'll naturally beg him to come out of retirement."

Thinking of this, Yi Zhonghai calmed down and stood there with his hands behind his back, actually putting on a profound and unfathomable look.

Seeing that no one spoke up, everyone looked at each other in confusion. Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised their hand: "Director Wang, no one from Yang Jianye's family is here. Shouldn't we invite him to attend such an important vote?"

"Yang Jianye, isn't he here?" Director Wang stood on tiptoe, craning his neck to look around.

"No, they're inside!" Xu Damao said with a wicked grin, lowering his voice. "Making such a commotion, knowing you're here but not coming out, how arrogant."

Xu Damao thoroughly enjoyed watching the spectacle today! It seems that Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai, this "father and son," are about to have a complete falling out, and it looks like Yi Zhonghai's position as the big shot is in jeopardy. If Yang Jianye can get another scolding and be reprimanded by his superiors, Xu Damao feels he'll be laughing in his dreams tonight.

Aunt Liu, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore and laughed and scolded, "Don't show your teeth like that. Jianye doesn't care about joining in this fun."

"Yeah, I heard he's been busy with some kind of technical improvement report lately? He's working overtime every day, not even on weekends. Xu Damao, do you think everyone's as idle as you?"

"Hahaha……"

Upon hearing that Yang Jianye was giving a "report," Director Wang's slight annoyance vanished instantly. Giving a report is no easy task, especially one concerning technical improvements. It seemed Yang Jianye was about to make a name for himself again.

Such an outstanding comrade deserves encouragement and care! They're so busy, how can we waste their precious time on such trivial matters?

Director Wang felt that the votes of the people in front of him were sufficient; whether Yang Jianye was added or removed would not change the overall situation.

Unexpectedly, her words caused the situation to freeze.

"Director, I think I'll go and call Jianye!" Aunt Liu explained with a smile, "Everyone wants to hear his opinion."

Oh—so that's how it is. Director Wang understood perfectly well; it seemed this Yang Jianye held considerable prestige in the compound and was quite trustworthy! Since that's the case…

As Director Wang was pondering this, Aunt Liu had already arrived at Jianye's doorstep.

"Jianye, Jianye."

The sound of music could be faintly heard from inside the room; they must be listening to a gramophone! Sure enough, as soon as someone called out from the door, the thick cotton curtain inside was lifted.

The melodious music drifted into the courtyard through the crack in the door. No wonder no one answered earlier; they were listening to music inside. The thick winter curtains, pulled down, did indeed have a soundproofing effect.

"Auntie, what's going on?" Yang Jianye leaned out and glanced at the scene in the yard. Goodness, they really had a full house of people.

"Jianye, the courtyard is holding a vote to remove this old man from his post. What's your family's intention in doing this?"

Yang Jianye's gaze swept over Xu Damao, who was gloating beside him, and asked, "Has everyone expressed their opinion?"

Aunt Liu lowered her voice: "No, they haven't said a word."

It seems this depends on one's attitude, or perhaps they're using him as a scapegoat! Nobody wants to offend Director Wang, and even less so Yi Zhonghai. After all, Director Wang can simply walk away, but Yi Zhonghai is a permanent resident. If they really start a fight and get him dismissed, they'll inevitably run into him again—how embarrassing!

But are these things a problem for Yang Jianye?

"I agree." Yang Jianye's voice was not loud, but it was firm and resolute.

He then added, "I think Comrade Yi Zhonghai's thinking needs further study and deep reflection. Therefore, it's not appropriate for him to continue sitting in that old man's position. He can come back when he has learned and reflected on his actions."

Yang Jianye spoke sincerely and impartially, which immediately deepened the good impression he made on Director Wang.

"I think Comrade Jianye's words are very good. Yi Zhonghai should study and reflect on his actions," Director Wang immediately affirmed.

As for Yi Zhonghai, he's completely finished now. He's like a fish on a chopping board, at everyone's mercy. But he probably never imagined why he'd ended up like this.

Sha Zhu traded peanuts for a table, which finally woke him up; Qin Huairu was abandoned by two "heartless men," Sha Zhu and Yi Zhonghai, and then experienced her son becoming a thief and her mother-in-law being sent to a labor camp. She was left alone at the conference and fainted from anger. She lost money and face. After this series of blows, she was finally awakened by her daughter and changed her attitude.

What did Yi Zhonghai have? He lost nothing and gained nothing. Life went on as usual, without any change. Sha Zhu had promised him that he would take care of him in his old age and see him off in his final days, but that wasn't something he could fulfill right now; it was just a promise that couldn't be kept in the open.

This is just like with Sha Zhu before; you can't convince him with words alone. If he's not at ease, nothing you say will work.

So how could Yi Zhonghai's schemes, which he had been plotting for years, be so easily dismissed? No! He was worried about this and afraid of that. Sha Zhu's promise, instead of putting him at ease, made him even more anxious. Because there were now even more things to scheme about—originally, it was just Sha Zhu to provide for him in his old age, but now it was the whole family, even his "grandson" had something to look forward to.

Yi Zhonghai's mind sank even deeper! This sank, and he lost his composure. Seeing Sha Zhu about to slip out of control, his mind became even more chaotic. The more chaotic he became, the more he struggled, and the more he struggled, the more mistakes he made.

And look what happened, she ruined herself!

"I agree," Aunt Liu was the first to raise her hand.

"I agree too," Sha Zhu followed closely behind.

With those two votes cast, everyone in the courtyard breathed a sigh of relief. Even Sha Zhu wasn't protecting Yi Zhonghai anymore, so what was there to think about? They just followed Yang Jianye's lead and raised their hands. Didn't they see that Director Wang also agreed with Jianye's statement?

In the corner, Uncle Yan Bugui remained quiet, a stark contrast to his usual energetic and calculating demeanor.

Even his son, Yan Jiefang, couldn't help but ask curiously, "Dad, why don't you offer your opinion?"

Yan Bugui turned around and gave him a disdainful look, then said in a low voice with exasperation, "With a brain like yours, fine, just stay put!"