Courtyard house: Just the right amount of pressure, leaving you bewildered but not brain-damaged.

"My godmother is in good health and said I don't need any help, and that I should focus on my work."

"Of course, Comrade Gao Xiaosheng has some truth to what he said. I humbly accept the criticism and will take better care of my godmother in the future."

"That's enough for today. We'll arrange the cleaning tasks tomorrow morning."

"Oh, and one more thing: everyone, please tidy up your homes. Don't let them be filthy. We'll be checking each other's homes regularly from now on."

Even after being cornered and forced to flee by Gao Xiaosheng, Yi Zhonghai still managed to maintain his gentlemanly image, neither losing his temper nor arguing, and hypocritically accepting the criticism.

Finally, he didn't forget to set a trap for Gao Xiaosheng, reminding everyone to tidy up the house.

With that statement, we'll have a legitimate reason to cause trouble at Gao Xiaosheng's house tomorrow. We can gather everyone in the courtyard together to cause trouble, and also take the opportunity to implement the "no-lock doors in the courtyard" policy.

The neighbors were dumbfounded when they saw Yi Zhonghai beckoning to Jia Dongxu, and the two of them carrying the octagonal table home together.

This meeting started strong but ended weakly.

What was the meeting for? Wasn't it to assign tasks? How come it ended before we even decided who would clean the outhouses?

Although it was quite interesting to watch the three stewards fight amongst themselves, and the banter between Gao Xiaosheng and Yi Zhonghai was also quite entertaining, in the end, it was all for naught.

Gao Xiaosheng didn't stop Yi Zhonghai from leaving, nor could he insist on finishing the meeting.

Everyone in the hospital participated in the Sunday cleaning, but he used the excuse of patrolling the factory area to desert his post, which made him the target of much hatred.

"Brother Xiaosheng, they're cleaning the alley tomorrow, I'll help you tidy up your house." Before being dragged away by He Yuzhu, Yushui whispered to Gao Xiaosheng.

"Okay, thank you, Yushui. Have a few more of the milk candies in the drawer. It's too hot, don't let them melt. I'll buy you more after you finish them." Gao Xiaosheng patted Yushui's head and bent down to remind her.

The crowd dispersed, carrying their chairs, benches, and stools, leaving the courtyard empty.

The east wing, belonging to the Yi family.

"Zhonghai, have some water, don't be angry." Wu Guizhen poured half a teacup of cooled boiled water and placed it in front of Yi Zhonghai.

Yi Zhonghai frowned deeply, his rough fingers tapping the table lightly. "I'm not angry. On the contrary, I have to thank Gao Xiaosheng. If he hadn't reminded me today, things might have gotten really messy later."

After gulping down the tea in his teacup, Yi Zhonghai suddenly stood up and walked towards the door. "Guizhen, I'm going to my godmother's house in the backyard."

"Godmother, open the door."

"Oh, it's Zhonghai. Why are you here so late? Is there something you need?"

"Godmother..."

Half an hour later, Yi Zhonghai returned home, his face still so gloomy it could drip water.

"Zhonghai, what did the old lady say?" Wu Guizhen deftly poured water from the kettle.

Feeling guilty for not having given birth to any children, she could only try to make up for it by being completely obedient and providing all-around care.

"She suggested that I set an example for everyone."

Yi Zhonghai's expression clearly showed his disapproval.

"Huh? How could she let you clean the outhouse? No, absolutely not." Wu Guizhen shook her head repeatedly.

Yi Zhonghai glanced at his wife and interrupted impatiently, "What dry toilet? We're not talking about the same thing at all."

I was talking about respecting and caring for the elderly.

"What my godmother means is that you should cook for her, do her laundry, clean her house, and take her out for a walk during the day, treating her like your own mother."

"Hmph, she certainly knows how to climb the social ladder. When we became godparents, we agreed that it would be a win-win situation. I would support her, and she would help me become the manager."

"Now they're pushing their luck."

As Yi Zhonghai spoke, he felt increasingly aggrieved, and in one gulp, he drank the entire cup of water in his teacup.

His decision to become godparents to the deaf old woman was a blatant transaction; the roles of hunter and prey were reversed, but both were too afraid to kill the other.

The deaf old lady is old and needs Yi Zhonghai to pretend to be her godson as a backup, to prevent a reckless young man who doesn't care about anything and insists on taking advantage of the family's poverty from moving into the courtyard later.

Yi Zhonghai also needs to establish his authority and prepare for what will happen more than a decade from now.

Since a life-or-death struggle is impossible, yet peaceful coexistence is necessary, why not make a deal that benefits both sides?

The courtyard is not only a place of fighting and killing, but also a place of human relationships and social interactions.

"Huh? Zhonghai, you didn't agree, did you?"

Wu Guizhen was even more anxious than Yi Zhonghai, because she was the one who had to do all these tasks.

Although Wu Guizhen is only 40 years old next year, she has been taking medicine for many years and her health is not good. Although she is not weak and sick, she is out of breath and sweating profusely after doing a little work and needs to rest for a while to gradually recover.

"The old lady is not like us. She is used to being particular. The floor has to be wiped until it reflects light, and the clothes must be spotless. If they get even a little dirty, they have to wash them."

"She's picky about food, and her cooking skills aren't even as good as mine. All she does is complain; she's so hard to please."

Wu Guizhen was terrified of the deaf old lady and wished she would never see her again.

When they first became godparents, every time Director Wang came to visit the old lady in the courtyard, Wu Guizhen had to go over and make a good impression. She was often scolded and developed a psychological trauma from it.

Of course, her efforts weren't in vain.

Although the old lady didn't say anything nice, in Director Wang's view, it was just a minor squabble during the adjustment period between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and nothing serious.

This actually confirms that Yi Zhonghai and his wife genuinely recognized each other as godparents.

It was precisely because of this relationship that Yi Zhonghai was able to smoothly become one of the oldest men in the courtyard.

"You won't agree? Is it okay if you don't agree?!" Yi Zhonghai said irritably.

"Think about it, Gao Xiaosheng pointed out in front of everyone today that I only talk the talk but don't walk the walk."

"They don't even take care of their godmother, yet they talk about respecting the elderly and caring for the young, and being filial to their elders."

Wu Guizhen stood next to Yi Zhonghai, her head bowed like a schoolchild who had made a mistake, not daring to say a word.

"The old lady is definitely not a good person. She wants to take this opportunity to get us to do her laundry, cook for her, and serve her tea and water."

"But she was right about one thing."

"How we treat her is how Dongxu will treat us in ten years."

"If you don't want to suffer in your old age with no one to take care of you, you have to be the old lady's grandson now."

"Sigh, Guizhen, I know the old lady is a chatterbox and a busybody, it's too much trouble for you to take care of her."

"But what can we do when we don't have children? Even if we had a daughter, I could work my ass off to save money and find a son-in-law who would live with us, then we wouldn't have to put up with this!"

Yi Zhonghai's last words struck a nerve with Wu Guizhen.

Just moments ago she looked reluctant, but now she's grabbing Yi Zhonghai's arm and urgently pleading, "Zhonghai, you...you stop talking, it's my fault for being useless."

"We've been married for so many years, and I've spent so much money on medicine, but I still haven't given you a child."

"I'll do whatever you say. Tomorrow I'll go to the backyard to help the old lady with chores and take care of her food and drink."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely do a good job and won't let anyone speak ill of you again."