Courtyard House: Starting with a 28-inch motorcycle

He paused, then suddenly lowered his voice, his tone turning abruptly somber:

"And—sir, did I hear that right? You said I should go to the leaders to 'pull strings'? To make things easier for everyone? Ha, inciting officials to break the law and violate regulations, do you know what kind of problem that is? Your ideology is wrong! One wrong step leads to another! You've already crossed the line!"

This sentence struck like a thunderbolt.

Yi Zhonghai shuddered, his face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat trickled down his temples.

Oops!

How could he say such things in public? Even if you were just whispering about it in private, you'd have to cover your mouth, yet he said it so openly! If this gets taken seriously... at best he'll get a public reprimand, at worst he'll be investigated and punished! His political career will be over!

"No, no, no! You've misunderstood, Sha Zhu! I was just rambling, a slip of the tongue! I absolutely didn't mean it that way!" Yi Zhonghai hurriedly waved his hands, veins throbbing on his forehead.

He Yuzhu, however, was unconvinced and gave a cold laugh: "Misunderstanding? Slip of the tongue? Then go to the street office and explain to the organization."

Anyway—the organization's word is final.

As he spoke, he turned and went into the house, pushing his bicycle out with a clatter. The chain rattled, and the sound of the tires rolling over the blue bricks was particularly jarring.

"I'll report it."

Four words, casually uttered, yet they were like four nails driven into everyone's hearts.

Yi Zhonghai's pupils constricted sharply, and he lunged forward, grabbing the handlebars: "Shazhu! Where are you going?!"

"The neighborhood office." He didn't even look up, his eyes sharp as blades. "What? You still want to stop me? Restrict my personal freedom? Fine, you're not just making a mistake now, you're committing a crime—I don't need to go to the neighborhood office, it's easier to go directly to the police station."

One sentence startled Yi Zhonghai so much that he flinched and released the bicycle.

He looked at Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui in a panic, his eyes full of distress signals—I can't shoulder this alone!

Liu Haizhong's face turned pale, and he stammered, "Silly Zhu... your uncle really didn't mean it that way, I just blurted it out... don't take it seriously, don't go... ah? Take your uncle's advice, let's just let it go..."

Yan Bugui quickly tried to smooth things over: "Yes, yes, it's all a misunderstanding. We're all neighbors, let's not make a big deal out of it..."

He Yuzhu suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping over everyone like lightning: "Misunderstanding? Then you'll all come with me to the neighborhood office to clarify! I've already given you the solution for the three workstations; this is a different matter altogether—anyone who tries to stop me is agreeing with what Yi Zhonghai said! Is agreeing with his twisted ideology! Anyone who wants to write a self-criticism, step forward!"

The crowd receded instantly.

They all hunched their necks and lowered their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.

Even the usually reckless Jia Dongxu was so frightened that he staggered back half a step and almost bit his tongue.

They don't understand those grand principles, but they do understand this: Yi Zhonghai is so scared, Sha Zhu is really serious, and once this matter gets involved, no one will come out unscathed!

Yi Zhonghai stood there, his hands and feet ice-cold, his mind a jumbled mess.

Suddenly, he remembered the deaf old lady—a recipient of the Five Guarantees (a government welfare program for the elderly, disabled, and orphans)—who had some influence in the neighborhood office… Could he ask her to put in a good word for him?

Before he could even plead for mercy, He Yuzhu had already stepped onto his bicycle, the chain clicked, and the bicycle nimbly sped out of the courtyard gate.

Before leaving, he only left one sentence:

"He Yushui, lock the door and wait for me to come back."

The rolling wheels shattered the last vestiges of tranquility in the courtyard at dusk.

Seeing that He Yuzhu was serious, the other neighbors in the courtyards became uneasy and immediately made excuses to leave.

Who isn't looking for a bargain? But nobody wanted to mess with the powerful neighborhood committee.

In the blink of an eye, only four people remained in Zhongyuan—three old men and Jia Dongxu.

In fact, Jia Dongxu also wanted to jump, but he didn't dare.

These days, the neighborhood committees wield real power. They control the security teams, and they handle everything from household registration and food rations to recruitment and background checks. What aspect of people's lives can you do without them? If you offend them, your job will be in serious jeopardy.

As soon as He Yuzhu left, Liu Haizhong was completely at a loss, standing there wringing his hands and looking around aimlessly.

Yan Bugui was filled with deep regret.

I should never have listened to Yan Jiecheng and my wife's terrible advice and followed Yi Zhonghai to cause this mess! What was the point? In the end, not only did I get criticized, but all the friendship I had painstakingly built with He Yuzhu was completely wasted!

Just as he was starting to panic, Liu Haizhong spoke first, his voice low: "Old Yi, what do we do now?"

Yi Zhonghai's face turned ashen, but he forced himself to say, "Don't panic, we just misspoke a couple of times, we didn't really do anything... Besides, the old lady is hard of hearing, she might be able to fool us."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the backyard, his tone still firm: "I'll go ask her and see if there's any room for negotiation."

Jia Dongxu gritted his teeth and quickly followed.

At this point, if they didn't cling to their master's coattails, who else could they rely on? The factory's future depended entirely on his word.

As soon as the two left, Yan Bugui immediately lowered his voice and winked at Liu Haizhong: "I didn't say a word, Lao Liu. All those words were shouted by Lao Yi alone."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Liu Haizhong nodded hurriedly, "We were just passing by, we didn't say a word."

The two exchanged a glance and immediately formed a defensive alliance.

Meanwhile, He Yuzhu sped off towards the street office.

At this time, the street office was still working overtime. Something had happened at the steel rolling mill, and they had to cooperate with the investigation. They were extremely busy.

But as soon as Director Wang saw that it was He Yuzhu, he immediately put down what he was doing.

In the past two years, this young man has helped her family repair water pipes, deliver vegetables, and even carry coal for the elderly. He has done a lot of good deeds, so his relationship with her has naturally become strong.

"Director Wang, this is what happened..." He Yuzhu succinctly recounted the incident of being surrounded in the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Director Wang's pupils constricted sharply: "You mean—Yi Zhonghai, in front of the neighbors, pulled three old men aside and forced you to use connections to get a job at the steel rolling mill for his apprentice?"

He Yuzhu sighed, his gaze frank: "Director, if I utter a single falsehood, I will immediately remove the title of deputy director of the canteen."

I've only been working at the factory for a few days. If I really had to do this kind of work, would I even want to continue?

boom!

Director Wang slammed his hand on the table, making the teacup jump.

"Let's go! Zhu Zi, lead the way. I'm going to the courtyard to meet Yi Zhonghai right now! I want to see if this retired old man is so audacious as to treat organizational procedures like a joke!"

Director Wang is decisive and efficient; he leaves whenever he wants.

He grabbed the old-fashioned bicycle from the neighborhood committee, hopped on, and headed to the courtyard with He Yuzhu.

Before long, the two arrived at the door.

Skillful.

Yan Bugui was peering out of the courtyard gate, looking like a frightened mouse.

Looking up, she met Director Wang's cold, icy gaze.

"Yan Bugui!" Director Wang shouted, startling him so much he almost jumped up. "Go! Notify all residents of the compound to hold a meeting! One person from each household, and all three supervisors—not a single one can be missing! Now! Immediately! Right now!"

Yan Bugui's legs went weak; how could he dare delay? He took off running and rushed inside, banging on doors from house to house: "Meeting time! Director Wang from the neighborhood committee is here! Everyone come out! Everyone come out!"

In less than ten minutes, everyone from the front, middle, and back yards stood in unison on the open ground in the central garden, not daring to breathe.

Liu Haizhong wanted to ask his son to bring a stool, but Director Wang glared at him and told him to stop: "The masses stand, and I sit? Do you want me to act like an official from the old society?"

At this moment, Yi Zhonghai helped the deaf old lady slowly stroll out of the backyard.

Yan Bugui quickly approached, smiling obsequiously, "Director Wang, the Xu family father and son went to the countryside to show movies and aren't here; the children and the person taking care of them aren't here either, but everyone else is here."

Director Wang frowned and glanced around: "The elderly and children don't need to get involved. Just go home and pass on the message."

"Grandma, you're getting on in years, go back inside and rest. This isn't for you."

"Bitter? Not at all!" The deaf old woman grinned, tilting her ear to one side. "The neighborhood committee takes good care of me; I eat well and sleep well..."

He Yuzhu sneered inwardly.

That old lady is shrewd. If she doesn't want to hear something, she pretends to be deaf. If she can't respond to a single sentence, no one can do anything about her.

As people get older, their moral high ground is essentially welded shut.

"Fine, do as you please." Director Wang, too lazy to argue, turned sharply to Yi Zhonghai. "Yi Zhonghai! You step forward! Now, in front of the entire neighborhood, you tell me yourself—did you force Comrade He Yuzhu to use connections to get your apprentice a job at the steel mill?!"

"Director, this...that's not what I meant! I just asked He Yuzhu to help me find out some information, I really didn't ask him to use any connections!"

Yi Zhonghai was so anxious that he was sweating profusely and could barely speak. But Director Wang stood in the center of the courtyard, his hands behind his back, giving him a cold glance. His eyes were like knives, and he wasn't buying it at all.

"Really?" Director Wang's voice was not loud, but it was suffocating. "Comrade He Yuzhu has already expressed his opinion. He said that you personally mentioned the four words 'go through the back door'."

Moreover, there were quite a few people present at the time, so I only needed to ask to get an answer.

You better not try to play games with me, or else—you'll be dealt with severely!

The moment he said that, the entire courtyard fell silent.

The sunlight slanted across the blue brick ground, fixing the shadows in place.

Those neighbors who had been peeking out to watch the commotion all lowered their heads and shrank back, not daring to meet Director Wang's gaze.

Who doesn't know that this guy is ruthless and intolerant of injustice? People usually have to think twice before they speak, let alone in this situation where he's clearly walking into a trap.

Yi Zhonghai's legs were trembling.

He knew it was over.

That sentence was indeed said, and quite loudly, so that more than one person nearby heard it.

Want to renege now? Absolutely not.

"Director Wang... I... I did say those words, but I really didn't mean it!" He gritted his teeth and tried to hold on, but his voice was weak.

"Alright!" Director Wang abruptly raised his hand to interrupt, "I've heard about all the messes you three have made before."

Last time, this "donation conference" caused such a stir that I was publicly commended by the neighborhood committee and used as a model example for the whole neighborhood! And now, just a few days later, another backdoor deal? And you, an old man, are the one who started it all? Yi Zhonghai!" he suddenly shouted, "Do you know what kind of problem this is? This is the resurgence of bureaucratic thinking!"

The last sentence was like a thunderclap, making Yi Zhonghai tremble all over, his knees almost buckling. He hurriedly reached out to hold onto the deaf old lady's cane to barely stand.